21 July 2011; the day that wasn't.

The way time zones work is one of the most complicated ideas in the world. I started in Boston at 4:08pm, after my six hour flight landed in San Francisco at 7:30pm..? And then I left San Francisco at 10:50pm and fifteen hours later it was 6:25am two days later? So essentially, 21 July just kind of got lost somewhere in the Pacific...

I wasn't really able to sleep on the flight like many others were, but I did learn a few things:
1. The first two hours of a fifteen hour flight go by the quickest, the rest are rather slow.
2. I'm not very good at crossword puzzles.
3. iPod batteries don't last as long as you think they do.
4. People seem a little bothered when you're the only person in your cabin with your overhead light on.
5. A good way to secure yourself a little more space on the plane is to sneeze, a lot.
      5a. People don't say "bless you" as much as they do in the states.
6. Movies are less interesting when you're too lazy to reach for your headphones.

Overall, the flight was long, but well worth it. I'm already having a great time and I'm sure it's only going to get better!

what will you be doing in two weeks?

At 4:08 PM two weeks from today my flight from Boston, Massachusetts departs for San Francisco, California. Two days later, I arrive in Sydney, Australia. 

In preparation for my trip many people suggested I create a blog, if not only to share my experiences with my friends and family, but also as a way to remind myself exactly how lucky I am to have this opportunity.

I decided to call my blog "the wonderful wizard of oz" in an attempt to be clever. Although, I am clever, it is a little deceiving. I actually hate the movie The Wizard Oz. This past Christmas this movie was playing on TNT and my parents insisted on watching it. Despite my protests, I lost the fight, as usual, and we changed the channel just in time for Dorothy to land in the magically colorful world of Oz. It wasn't until this time that I realized why I hate this movie so much. It isn't because the Wicked Witch of the West scares me, even though she does. Or because the flying monkeys are creepy, but because of the messages that the movie sends. This movie glorifies lying. It teaches that lying is respectable as long as you meant well. It teaches those who watch it that even though the Wizard tricked everyone into believing that he was someone he was not, he was still worth their love and affection. When in fact, the people of Oz only accepted the Wizard for the lie he was living. 

No, it shouldn't bother me as much as it does, the movie is so well known not for the messages it sends but for the amazing advancements in color filming that it made, but I still don't like it. The entire movies builds up to this amazing all powerful Wizard just to disappoint it's viewers.

Overall, I hate the movie the Wizard of Oz and this my first blog entry. Sorry my life's not that exciting... yet.