Happy Monday and Studio Ghibli!
This week it is a happy Monday...
I get to pick up my daughter!
Biography of a nobody day 46. February 15th 2021.
Those of you who frequent my blog know that I have 50/50 shared custody of my daughter- We settled on a week on week off deal. Monday is our swap day and this Monday is my pickup! The majority of my day was a boring blur up until I could rush out of the house to go and pick Alex up from her Mothers house.
When I got to Alex's Mothers I text to let her know I was there and I waited until the door opened. Alex energetically burst her way out of the door before it was even a quarter ajar and excitedly shouted out my favourite word to hear- 'DADDDDDYYYYYYY'. Well, favourite word to hear when she says it anyway. It wouldn't be quite as nice to have strangers screaming it at me as I walked down the street.
Once I get my initial cuddle the questions start as I strap her into her car seat. 'Where is my Bee?'- as in where is my partner who Alex has completely bonded to which is amazing!- it is now also followed quickly by 'Where is my Rusty puppy?' 'Can I play with my Rusty?'. That is better than the follow-up question I had been getting for a couple of weeks after Christmas: 'Are there presents from Santa at your house Daddy?... Presents for me?'- On the drive home I get a rundown of her week with Mummy and who her new best friends are at school. I sometimes also get a song- this week it was the credits theme from Studio Ghibli's My Neighbour Totoro. A personal favourite film of her mother when she was younger. Netflix has kindly added most of the Ghibli films to their library so Alex and I have been working our way back through them. My personal favourite is Princess Mononoke- I actually have a tattoo from that and one from Spirited away- one of their most renowned films.
Studio Ghibli...
For those uninitiated to the Ghibli films- they are effectively Asia's equivalent to Disney- telling folk tales and stories of spirits. Some are very child friendly- such as My Neighbour Totoro which focuses on two sisters who have moved to the countryside and meet some fun and helpful spirits of the forest- the main one being Totoro (pictured above). Other Ghibli films are for much older children due to their mature themes- such as Princess Mononoke which focuses on a prince who is attacked by a demon. We then follow his journey seeking help to heal his wounds. The artwork in each film is absolutely breathtaking and the storytelling in some of the more mature-themed films is absolutely fantastic. I have also played a game that they collaborated on called NiNoKuni- which was actually pretty ace. They created anime-style cut scenes and a story whilst the other company created some fun gameplay that felt a bit like Pokemon met DragonQuest.
Each Ghibli film (and the games) make a very large point of drawing attention to some commonly highlighted themes- these include the importance of friends, family and nature. I am sure I will take the time to write a review for each film at some point as I love them all for different reasons... Even PomPoko... That film is strange... Very Strange! If you have seen it you will know what I mean.
Alex's first walk with Rusty.
As soon as we got home Alex started chasing Rusty around the house... Or was it the other way around- either way, it was chaos. They were having fun... But I thought it would be even more fun for them to be playing outside! Alex packed her bag full of all her favourite toys (as usual) and we set off.
Alex absolutely loved throwing Rusty his ball. Rusty loved not fetching it. Alex loved jumping in puddles, Rusty loved running through them. Within twenty minutes they both got so filthy that I couldn't tell which was which. It was fun though and they both loved it.
The rest of my day...
Alex had her story and fell to sleep around 8pm and Bee went to bed soon after- that left me a couple of hours of writing time before I try a bit of exercise and get a reasonably early night.
I decided to try and finish my answers to the interview questions for the collaboration I have with AMALAwellness. I think I had planned a little optimistically... I finished writing at 3am...
I just got lost in writing and time disappeared from me. I did have a blog entry to catch up on too so I had done that in between a couple of questions. I am really proud of what I have finished with- it is informative, honest and open. I didn't quite feel awake enough for more than a few press-ups and sit-ups afterwards... but at least I did do a little exercise before bed. I want to start to look at least a little physically fit when we return to work. Ugh...