Random Thoughts with Will

     In the classic Spongebob Squarepants episode "Spongeguard on Duty," Spongebob dreams of being a lifeguard like Larry the Lobster because he's considered "cool". When Larry mistakes Spongebob for being a lifeguard because he appears to have sunscreen on his nose, Spongebob plays up the "cool" lifeguard life...until he realizes that it means swimming and saving people's lives. By episode's end, Larry realizes that Spongebob is not a lifeguard.      Larry mistook Spongebob for a lifeguard because he had ice cream, not sunscreen, on his nose. However, Spongebob was willing to go along with it because it meant being a cool, popular lifeguard like Larry. For Larry, sunscreen was the mark of a lifeguard. For Spongebob, sunscreen was a mask. Spongebob fooled Larry and beach goers into thinking that he was a lifeguard and ultimately mask the fact that he couldn't swim. Spongebob's act worked for a while - that is, until Larry was gone an

     For those that have Disney Plus, I would recommend watching Onward , Pixar's newest movie. While it may not be in the same tier as Pixar classics like Monsters, Inc. or The Incredibles , it is a worthy addition to the Pixar library. It was a well-told, funny story about two brothers on a quest to see their deceased father one final time. And if nothing else, it features the voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, which makes for some great brotherly banter.      When watching Onward , one thing that stood out to me was how there were parallels to another Pixar film: Up . Up tells the adventures of Carl Fredericksen, an elderly man, seeking to live out the dream Ellie, his deceased wife, had of living in Paradise Falls. When Carl does get to Paradise Falls, he looks through Ellie's adventure book, a scrapbook that she made when she was a child outlining her dream of living there. As Carl gets to the "Stuff I'm Going to Do" section, there's a clear sense

     This past week, I found myself thinking about one of Disney's direct-to-video sequels to a classic movie: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas . I suppose when you're spending more time inside your mind starts to wander some. As far as holiday-themed, direct-to-video sequels go, it's good. Granted, it's been years since I've actually watched the whole movie through, but I digress.      The main thing from that movie that came to mind this week was the song "As Long As There's Christmas," sung by Belle and the Beast's staff. Christmas hasn't been celebrated in the castle for years, as that was when the Beast was transformed into a beast. In spite of this, Belle opts to celebrate Christmas in the castle, to which she sings the "As Long As There's Christmas" song. Belle's pieces of the song express the hope, joy, and overall optimism that come with Christmas.        There's no way around it: it's bee

     About a month and a half ago, my sister and I met up in El Paso, TX for a fun, long weekend together. El Paso was a true gem with its beautiful mountains, delicious Tex-Mex food, and friendly locals. Most of all, it was nice to spend time with my sister.      4 weeks ago, my Saturday consisted of activities like going to the grocery store that morning, serving at Salvation Army with church friends, getting lunch afterwards for a friend's birthday, catching the end of a college basketball game, and seeing Pixar's Onward in theaters. Sunday included going to church, watching the NASCAR race that afternoon, and going to a movie night at a friend's place.      These past few weeks have truly been unprecedented, stressful, and scary. COVID-19 has truly put the world on pause and changed everyone's life. What's hit me particularly hard is the scope of COVID-19 - while natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey or tragedies such as 9/11 may shake a region or even