The Sratty Archaeologist: December 2016

The Force is Strong with Her: A Tribute to Carrie Fisher

Photo courtesy of LucasFilms/ StarWars.com

Yesterday, the world lost an incredible actress, writer, mental health advocate, and an all around bad ass. Carrie Fisher was found drowned in moonlight, strangled by her bra at the age of 60.

As a little girl, I grew up with the usual Disney princesses: Snow White, Cinderella, Mulan, the list goes on. While Mulan was definitely my favorite Disney princess, my all time favorite princess came from a galaxy far far away.

I was three years old when I first watched Episode IV: A New Hope and man did Princess Leia inspire me. Here she was rocking her signature cinnamon bun hair do, talking smack to Darth Vader and Governor Tarkin. She was unafraid of a fight and stood by her morals. What better role model for a three-year-old girl. I made my mom buy me the trilogy on VHS after that and I spent most of my days watching those tapes over and over again. I wish I had the pictures of me dressed up as Princess Leia pretending to fight Storm Troopers and save the galaxy.

Weirdly enough, one of my favorite Leia moments is in The Return of the Jedi when she's captured by Jabba the Hutt and has to wear that ridiculous metal bikini.Carrie Fisher hated that thing, and who could blame her. George Lucas had tried to shift the perception of Leia from fierce leader to a sex object and a helpless damsel in distress. But no, not Carrie/Leia, she was never a damsel in distress. Even then, completely exposed, she rises up and strangles Jabba, killing him. She didn't need anyone to save her, she saved herself. What was meant to degrade her truly showed how strong willed and powerful she was.

Fast forward to 2015, The Force Awakens comes out in theaters and audiences got to see a whole new side of Leia. She's no longer a princess, she's a general. Always a leader, General Leia moves forward, continuing the fight she has fought her entire life despite hardship- the loss of her planet, family, the list goes on. This Leia, was older and wiser but no less scrappy and hard working. To me, she aged with grace and dignity. She had evolved from a young bad-ass who I aspired to be like to a mature mentor role that comes with age and experience. She exuded wisdom in the Force Awakens and it made me look up to her more.

What was so powerful about Leia was her resiliency. She lost everything and yet, she still had hope, she still fought for what was right. Leia's final word in The Force Awakens was simply, "Hope."

While Carrie Fisher was best known for being Princess Leia, she struggled behind the scenes with Bipolar disorder. She was open about her illness and worked to normalize it and break the stigma behind it.Her beloved dog, Gary was always at her side, and she was very candid about his role in her life. He not only was a furry companion, he was her service dog, he helped calm her anxiety and helped her with her condition.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images via usmagazine.com

Carrie Fisher also challenged the sexism in Hollywood throughout her career. Most recently refusing to be judged for not aging "well." I was particularly angry when people commented on this after The Force Awakens. Fisher was 19 when Episode IV hit the big screen and in her 50's by the time The Force Awakens rolled around. Like come on, people age, it's normal. Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill ( for the whole 8 seconds he was in the film) didn't get any flack for aging. But in normal Carrie Fisher fashion, she shut the critic down. On her twitter, she wrote "Please stop debating about whether or not I aged well. Unfortunately, it hurts all three of my feelings. My body hasn't aged as well as I have. Blow us," adding, " Youth and beauty are not accomplishments, they're the temporary happy by-products of time and/or DNA. Don't hold your breath for either."

She, like Leia, gave so many hope and did so with a sense of humor. Thank you, Carrie Fisher. Thank you for your activism. Thank you for your wit. And from me personally, thank you for bringing Princess/General Leia to life and inspiring a little girl to be a bad ass, reach for the stars, and never be a damsel in distress. May the Force be with you Carrie, always.

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In Holidays, Real Life

In Defense of Handwritten Cards

I don't know about you, but I love getting mail. There's something so thoughtful about getting a handwritten card from a friend that's far away. Cards bring people closer, no matter the distance. On the flip side, I am obsessed with finding funny, cute cards for my loved ones. It doesn't matter the occasion if I see a card I like and reminds me of a person I will send it their way. I once sent a Star Wars card featuring the character Rey to one of my friends just because I know she'd like it. Was it a child's birthday card, maybe but it reminded me of her. She loves Rey and I hope it brought a smile to her face.
I think in an age where everything is fast paced and instantaneous, taking the time to send someone a card is such a special sentiment. It says you took the time to find the perfect card, sat down to write out a message to them, and send it out via snail mail.
E-cards aren't the same. Something about them seems so cold and generic. You can't see the pen marks, feel the texture of the card stock, or hear that envelope rip open. I am so anti e-card it isn't funny. Take some time, go buy a stamp, write out a message, and walk your butt over to your mailbox and send that bad boy out. What takes you literally 5 minutes to write out could seriously make someone's day when they receive it.
I love looking through all of the Christmas cards my family receives during the holidays. Some of them are photo cards and I get the chance to see how people's kids are growing, or some cards include a note about what's been going on with them during the past year. While it may be easy to stay connected via Facebook, somethings you just can't find on the internet. Those who take the time to write card are taking the time to share a part of their lives with you and are remembering you during the holidays.
Don't forget to send out Thank You notes after this holiday. I'm super thankful for all the amazing people in my life that remember me on Christmas, my birthday, graduation, etc. I write a short thank you note to each one of them expressing my gratefulness for their generosity and love.
On that note, I am sending out my Christmas cards. I got this set from the Target dollar section. They're super cute and chic. Black, white, rose gold, so perfect. Paper cards don't need to be super expensive to show people you care. All you need is a little cardstock, maybe a punny phrase, and a pen.