The Haunted Mansion Tightrope Girl

I love the Haunted Mansion. I have since I was a kid. Our first trip to Disney World was when I was nine. I was fascinated by the ride and also a little scared. But once I was done, I wanted to go again. On Main Street there was a shop where I got a book and record of the Haunted Mansion - I loved it and listened to it a lot when we got home.

Even now as an adult the Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride. I also collect Haunted Mansion merchandise - mostly pins. One of the highlights of our last Disney trip was me going to the Halloween party by myself - and riding the Haunted Mansion in the dead of night is a trip.

We had planned on going to a horror con in March and I had been racking my brain for a horror-ish costume to wear when I thought of the Tightrope Girl. If you have never been in the Haunted Mansion, when you first walk in, you are in a large room with pictures. As the pre-show continues, the room stretches revealing horrifying situations that the people in the pictures are in. The Tightrope Girl is balancing over an alligator who wants to eat her.

Because of Todd being laid off in March, we didn't actually get to go to that convention. But I had already started working on the costume. I didn't work on it for a while, but started back up with gusto a while ago to get it finished for Dragon Con.

Yesterday I finished it and I'm pretty pleased with the finished product. I wish I could have made the sleeves poofier, but they are as good as I could get. My mother in law was kind enough to make the cowl for me as well!

If you are going to be at Dragon Con, look for me on Saturday as the Tightrope Girl! I'll be marching in the parade in the Disney section.

Words Can Hurt

I've been called all kinds of names over the years. A large part of the bullying that I endured when I was a kid involved taunts and name-calling. Words can hurt as much as a punch to the stomach.

I remember an incident many years ago when I was a tween / young teenager. We had gone to Bay City to watch the 4th of July fireworks and it was packed. I still would hold my mom's hand in public, and was doing so that night because it was very crowded. A group of girls not that much older than I was saw us and started yelling insults. I don't remember exactly what they were but they all amounted to me being gay because I was holding my mom's hand.

My mom told me to ignore them, but I felt hurt and ashamed. I let go of my mom's hand and I don't think I ever held it again in public.

I grew up and words hurt less when coming from complete strangers. Which is good since I get cursed out on a daily basis as part of my job.

Yesterday a lady thought I pulled out in front of her in the Walmart parking lot. I think she was just going way too fast in the parking lot. She started beeping at me and showing me the finger. I just ignored her and kept driving, so she beeped again.

I pulled up to a red light and she pulled up to right beside me. She started yelling at me to learn how to drive, that I was a bitch and a four-eyes. She also told Emily that she needed to tell her mama to learn how to drive. As the light turned green and I went to turn, she yelled out Whore out of the window.

It didn't bother me. I just thought that she was highly immature and needed a lesson in manners. In fact, I told her that she needed to learn manners. But Emily was bothered by it. I told Emily that she was just a stupid person and to ignore it. I turned on some Disney music and got us some ice cream at Sonic.

Emily did want me to tell Todd - that seemed very important to her. Not that there was much he could do since he was at work. But I promised to tell him.

I'll never understand road rage but hopefully I can teach my daughter that while words can hurt, the careless stupid words of a strangers should be ignored.