"Our love is here to stay" - Ella Fitzgerald

Often when I was a child, I never had the remote. When we were all sitting around the TV to lose our minds, to catch up on our TV shows or sports as it were, my shows were not choice #1, or #2, or #5 in the company of my sport addict family. But on the rare occasion that my parents were upstairs, and both brothers were playing outside or playing NBA Live in the bedroom, and the off chance that I was even interested in the TV, I most often chose to watch Cinderella.

She's always been my favorite princess. I think it started with my fascination of identifying with beautiful women who were blonde. (Naturally, I gravitated to Barbie, too.) Usually if there is a competition between a brunette and a blonde, all other things being equal, I'm voting for the blonde. I'm not really sure when that started. In child development, they say your understanding of who you are begins with looks, before you can talk. Not sure how soon, but obviously later you can make connections to other people and yourself on a deeper level. For example, Cinderella had 2 siblings who hated her, and at age 5, I considered my 2 brothers my equivalent of 2 evil step-sisters. She was ordered around to do chores by her step-mom, and before I could play with my friends, I had to get my chores done around the house. I distinctly remember one Saturday morning when I had to empty the dishwasher, I started singing, "Cinderelly, Cinderelly, night and day it's Cinderelly - wash the dishes, do the laundry..." and before I could say anything else my mom spanked me and told me to be grateful I was learning how to clean.
And how about being screwed over just when everything is going so well? I think everybody has an "it's over at midnight" experience.
Not only did Cinderella and I have siblings, chores, and midnight in common, she could talk to animals. Not that I'm schizophrenic, but my journal at age 7 is filled with wishes and dreams of talking to animals. Every birthday candle, every Christmas list, every shooting star and every discovered eyelash was dedicated to wishing for a dog. Basically, all I ever wanted was a pet. I believed Cinderella's mantra: "No matter how hard your heart is beating, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." And you know what? It worked. I didn't get Freddy till I was 10, but we've been soul mates ever since.

2010 Webster's Dictionary definition of adorable (adj.) Freddy, Jack Russell Terrier. (see picture)

Then, Cinderella has a fairy god-mother who grants her the most beautiful dress of all time, she dances with the hottest, richest guy in the kingdom, AND she is sustained and redeemed by her friends in her time of need to live happily ever after.

I mean, look at that flawless complexion and godly physique!

It's a story of justice, good triumphing over evil, of true love. Her friends, the little mice, almost die trying to rescue her. Her prince doesn't rest until he finds her again, to love and cherish her forever (skip to 3:20) because he knows she's one in a million, that he'll never find another girl like her, that she's probably the best girlfriend there ever was. Her asanine step-mom's antics were put to a halt, and her retarded step sisters are publicly embarrassed. Simply put, I consider the movie to be completely relate-able to my life, past and future alike.

But you're right. I'm an unrealistic sap.