When this ended I wasn't quite sure how to feel. So much felt disjointed, and I wasn't quite sure what I had just watched (and not in that good way where you're like "holy shit what did I just watch”). But as I started to process it more and really think about this movie, my explanations and theories I was coming up with (even if they might be far from the intention Kaufman had) were making me like the movie more and more. I don't know everything, but I can definitely see myself down the road rewatching this and feeling that "holy shit what did I just watch" reaction that I so desperately craved this first time around. Part of me thinks I had high expectations for this, but in a way, they were somewhat met, even if my personal enjoyment might grow over time instead of loving it right off the bat. But regardless, this was still a really fantastic film.

Well if I’ve learned one thing this summer and during quarantine, it would be: don’t watch old cinema late at night when you’re tired.

So I decided to rewatch this after having just seen it the night before because while I didn’t love it the first time, and I felt like there was truly something in this movie that I might enjoy in a rewatch. And I’m happy to say that that was definitely the case.

Dear Adventure Time,

I can’t remember the first time I saw you. It might’ve been at a friend’s house, experiencing this funny and charming cartoon for the first time. Or maybe I was at home, on my living room couch, flipping channels, and deciding to check out what you were. However it happened, I can’t be more thankful than I am now for first finding you; you’ve been such a formative part of my life and who I am.

If there’s any way to start this, it’s to say that I am extraordinarily grateful. I’m grateful to have grown up on these movies. I’m grateful to have been able to love these movies. I’m grateful for these movies. And now, I’m grateful to have had an opportunity like this, one I might never experience again. This is my favorite movie of all time. Seeing this movie in the theater, something I’d always dreamed to be able to do one day, was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

2020 has been quite the year, to say the least. So much has happened. Some good things, but also a lot of bad things too. Lately, it tends to feel like the world is a bit on edge right now. From the global pandemic caused by Covid-19, to the less important matter of my senior year/end of high school being cut short which resulted in a fairly unconventional end to my time at the school I've grown up with since I was 3 years old, to the recent events surrounding George Floyd and the ongoing protests and riots in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The latter of that list is what's in the spotlight as of now. Sparking from that initial incident between Floyd and the officer kneeling on and crushing his neck, it's caused a movement that has honestly taken the nation by storm. It has overpopulated social media, with donation and awareness posts swarming people's feeds and stories. It's been on the news, showcasing the video footage of peaceful protests and violent riots. And for some who, in the past, typically might have not been as vocal about certain political or non-political issues (myself included), it's causing them to take a stand on what they feel is right and to voice their opinions on the matter instead of staying silent. It's causing them to do the right thing.

I never lived in Florida. My only memories of it are from old family vacations back in the day, when we’d all go down to WaterColor, typically around the 4th of July. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from those days. Those are probably some of the last memories I have of vacations and childhood “innocence and freedom,” alongside a couple family trips to Disney. After those times, my life really kinda stayed fairly local, fairly stationary. Not many vacations or explorations in my rural area of town, mainly just living the life, going to school, occasionally hanging out with friends, my new norm.