General Shenanigans

I like my blogging like I like my showers – once a month.

Ok, I’ve had a busy month, so I’m excited to say I’m plan-free this weekend. PLAN FREE. I can’t wait to do nothing. (I say this now. I’ll complain about it later.) I have so many books to read and I just want to be an old lady on the couch with my books. With that said, I hope you like pictures because I’ve got a bunch of them. Pictures and snapchat are the only thing that help me remember my life lately.

Hubs and I hit up MegaCon in May for some people watching and celebrity goodness. MegaCon is a big comic convention. It’s not as big as ComicCon in San Diego, but I think they are trying their hardest to get that big. Anyway, hubs is trying to perfect his Goblin King costume and had this really cool mask made for it.

Now I know what it feels like to be a celebrity. Or at least the friend of a celebrity that no one wants a picture of because everyone was asking hubs for a picture.

I was busy taking those pictures and buying things I don’t need because they’re cute.

“He’s so fluffy I’m gonna die!”

I also got to meet John Cusack, William Sadler, and Curtis Armstrong while I was there. So that was fun. Except the John Cusack part. He was major jackhole who didn’t even look at his fans that were standing in line and paying good money to meet him. William Sadler on the other hand was basically the nicest guy ever. I told him that Demon Knight was my desert island movie (don’t judge) and he told me a bunch of stories of when he was on set. It was awesome and I fan-girled out in a major way.

Somewhere in there, I turned 40. So that’s a thing that I am now: a 40 year-old. To help celebrate, Melissa (the DC one) flew into Orlando to visit for the weekend and then 12 of my favorite people joined me to see Ellie Goulding in concert.

The concert doubled as my birthday party so technically Ellie Goulding came to my birthday party. The night ended with all of us fitting ourselves into a golf cart that was sitting outside a bar. I know the picture was taken because that is in the 50% of the night I remember, but I have not actually seen the picture. I’m scared for the next time Michelle blogs because I think it’s on her phone.

A week later, the birthday celebrations were still in full swing when my bestie took me to see Drip, which is a dance-art-sort-of-play to live original rock music.

The show was really fun and different and it’s hard to explain. All I know is that I showed up there clean and then left dripping wet with paint all over me.

While we were there, we had this amazing red velvet cake shot that I’m sure was zero calories.

We also got pictures with the cast of the show who doubled as the bartenders and vendors, so they were all working their butts off.

If you don’t mind your blonde hair turning green, red, yellow, and blue for the night, I highly recommend checking out the show. Lisa found a Groupon for it but I think it would be worth it without the discount and I’m almost positive it’s in cities other than Orlando.

Last weekend, hubs and I saw In This Moment in concert.

That’s my “over the moon” face.

In This Moment is a metal band that hubs loves. I was a little apprehensive about going. I like some of their newer songs but their early music has so. much. screaming and I didn’t know if I could take it. They ended up doing mostly new songs and the show was really creepy and cool, so I’d totally see them again. Plus, any night out with friends is a nice night out.

We got to hang out with some more of our favorite people for the Fourth of July – Ken and KeKe. (That is the most evil picture I have ever seen of myself.)

That day consisted of too much drinking for a school night and two hours of playing a hilarious game of Heads Up at a bar. So I didn’t regret any of it (until the next morning at work). We also have two cruises planned with those crazies in the next year so you’ll probably see their mugs again.

Oh and on a random note, hubs gets compliments on the t-shirt he’s wearing in the picture above like crazy. We both have one because Ken designed it and he’s awesome. So we basically know a fashion designer.

And last but not least, I started watching these Jaclyn Hill makeup tutorials and am now OBSESSED with her (omg why is she so cute?) and Sephora.

I have bought so much makeup in the last month that now I’m poor and late for work every day because getting ready in the morning takes 20 minutes longer. I literally spend so much time doing my makeup that I don’t do my hair anymore. This is coming from the girl that usually buys one Cover Girl product a year and is good. I’m going to need an intervention at some point because being this high maintenance is super annoying.

Ok so now you’re all caught up. Next weekend, I’m going on a girl’s trip to Savannah, so that should be interesting. Thirteen girls. One house. #sendhelp

A Few More Books

Before this list gets long, here are a few more books I’ve read recently. I’ve been on a reading kick for awhile now so it’s bound to slow down at some point.

The Girl with a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson

This one is about a girl that dates a guy, fakes her death, comes back into the guy’s life, and causes all sorts of trouble. It’s from the same author that wrote A Kind Worth Killing, which I liked, so I gave this one a go.

First, I wasn’t crazy about the ending which is what I liked most about his other book. Second, this one goes back and forth between the past and the present, and some of the stuff that took place in the past I really didn’t care about and didn’t add to the story for me. Third, I’m sure this annoys only me but the book partially takes place in Bradenton, FL (where I lived for 20 years) and instead of calling the town Bradenton, he made up a dumb, fake name and used all Bradenton landmarks to describe it. I liked the book well enough and it kept me interested but A Kind Worth Killing is better.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

This one is about a girl, the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, who befriends an old man that was a Nazi SS guard. The old man asks the girl to kill him and the story unfolds from there. I loooooved this book. It’s one of the best I’ve read in awhile. So heartfelt and sad and uplifting. It made me cry on the damn plane to San Diego. I wish their was more time spent on Sage and Josef’s friendship but otherwise so great and worth reading.

The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North

I read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Touch from Claire North and LOVED THEM, so I was pumped when this came out. It’s about a girl that people forget, an interesting, original idea for a story, so I thought I would love this one too. But, no. No, no. The writing drove me crazy. This book is in desperate need of an editor. There is so much unnecessary information that doesn’t move the plot forward and so much repetition. It got so maddening that I skipped paragraphs and I never do that. If I didn’t buy the book for $15, I probably wouldn’t have finished it, but I did and it was OK and I wouldn’t recommend it.

That’s all the books for now. Two of those were 500+ pages, so I am happy to move back to books that are under 300.

Has anyone read anything good lately?

Weekend Fun

Last Friday, hubs and I went to see Def Leppard in concert. I had been stalking the show on Ticketmaster for awhile, but the only tickets that were available were either nosebleed or resale tickets that were way too much $$ and had double the fees of regular Ticketmaster tickets. While I love me some Def Leppard, I do not love two tickets for $500 way up in the stands. I did some serious Ticketmaster stalking the day of the show to see if any resale tickets dropped in price. They didn’t, but some fourth row (omg) Ticketmaster tickets opened for half the price of the resale tickets. I proceeded to 1) pee my pants 2) buy them and 3) have THE BEST TIME EVER.

That guitarist is 58. If I look like that at 58, you can bet I will be oiled up and shirtless too.

During one of the songs, they played footage of their old shows and backstage antics from the 80’s which was so fun to watch and probably the best part of the show. Anyway, enough of that. It was a good time. An expensive time (a rum and coke was $13, wtf) but a good time. I sang my face off much to the horror of snapchat and have had Rock of Ages in my head ever since.

After the show, we walked to a German restaurant downtown to meet up with a couple friends. We were starving so we ordered this pretzel that has given up on life.

Then we responsibly Ubered home like grown-ass adults.

In other news, I made an attempt to run two miles yesterday. I made it one mile until my ankles started hurting so I stopped. I guess I’ll try that running thing again tonight. I have a few upcoming trips planned which will require wearing a bathing suit and therefore running more, and not eating giant pretzels with beer cheese.

And lastly, in the best news ever – new Kristen Bell show in the fall! YASSSS GIMME GIMME.

Picture Post with Some Words and Stuff

Oh hai.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written because I haven’t felt very chatty lately but I have been busy! I hate catch up posts so instead of calling this a catch up post, let’s call it a picture post with some words and stuff.

I’ve been reading a lot now that school’s out for the summer. I’ll probably have another book post coming at some point. I just finished The Storyteller, which is probably one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. I have a few more in my queue that I want to read but my friend, Keith, is trying to sway my reading in a particular direction.

Now I have no lack of Rizzoli and Isles books. Also, I’ve decided that people who don’t love e-readers just have extra space in their house to store books. I don’t even know where to put these. I’m tempted to read them right away just so I can give them back, which I’m sure is part of Keith’s evil plan.

Hubs and I made it out to Cocoa Beach a few weeks ago. When I say made it out to the beach, I mean we made it to the pier bar and stayed there all day.

I rarely drink pina coladas but I certainly thought it was a good idea to have three of them with rum floaters that day.  I literally don’t remember what I had for dinner that night even after seeing an itemized list of what we had. So I guess it was a good day!? (Don’t worry, our friend drove us home.)

At the end of April, we saw Evanescence in concert.

All my pictures were crap, but the show was great despite what the two bored ladies with primo backstage spots in the background seem to think. I’ve seen them probably four times and they’re always good. I heard they have a new album coming out so I was hoping to hear a couple new songs but they only sang all the old stuff. Not that I’m complaining!

I made it out to San Diego to visit my mama last week.

The weather was bee-yoo-tee-ful. So nice that I went out for a run every day and sat out on my mom’s porch just because.

While I was there, my brother had free tickets to see Beyonce, so we did that.

Neither of us are fans of her music but we thought it would be a good show. I guess she’s just not my thing. I appreciated what went in to making the show and I appreciated that Beyonce seems to really appreciate her fans. but in the words of my brother, “I’m not embarrassed that I saw her in concert. But I’m not proud.”

We also saw Lukas Nelson. He’s Willie’s son and I had never heard of him before but he was GREAT. I liked the show so much that I bought his new album when I got home.

The supermodel, a.k.a my mom, wanted to see the Spruce Street suspension bridge in San Diego which was about 30 minutes from her place.

The bridge crosses a canyon so the part you can’t see behind us was really pretty. It was a fun little day adventure, minus the part where I was driving and had no idea where I was going.

We also had a few family dinners and breakfast at Swami’s twice (so good, I need a Swami’s in Orlando).

My mom will order a drink, take about 4 sips out of it, and then give it to me. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement if you ask me: my mom doesn’t waste drinks and then I get more drinks.

And since Pants hasn’t been getting much blog action lately, here she is hanging out and looking adorable.

So that’s about it. Lots of concerts, some nice family time, and hanging out with the hubs. 🙂

Lots of Good Reads

My leisuring has increased recently and therefore so has my book reading. I’m sure there will be even more reading now that school just ended for the summer (yay!). What am I going to do with myself without constant homework? (Answer: nothing)  Here are the books I’ve read recently:

14 by Peter Clines

“14” is about an apartment building with something weird going on inside that the tenants are trying to figure out. I can honestly say this is the only book that I’ve ever read that gave me chills. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on at first so my imagination was doing the work, but once I started to figure things out, the chills stopped. That was kind of disappointing but I still really liked it and it was a super fast read. Comparing this book to Lost is a pretty accurate assessment, except that everything is explained. I would recommend it if you dig science fiction mysteries.

The Apprentice (Rizzoli and Isles #2) by Tess Gerritsen

Look guys! It’s a real book with pages and everything! I would have never read this one except my friend basically shoved the book in my hands and told me to read it. I read the first book in the series, The Surgeon, and thought it was good but not great. So I wasn’t really interested in reading more. I’m not a big fan of CSI-type shows and that’s how these books read. With that said, I liked this one much better than the first one. It’s a little maddening how consumed Rizzoli is with what men think of her, but other than that constant annoyance, the case itself was really interesting and unraveled well.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Without giving much away, this one is about a girl that’s about to get married that has something secret in her past. I almost quit this one 50 pages in. The main character, Ani, is wrought with so many insecurities that make her insufferable. I. hated. her. I really didn’t know if I could read anymore. I decided to give it 50 more pages and man, I’m glad I did. As the book progresses, you find out why Ani is how she is and somehow that makes her much more tolerable. After that initial 50 pages, I couldn’t put it down and really enjoyed the rest of it.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

This one was recommended to me by DC Melissa and it did not disappoint. The book is about a man and a woman who meet on a plane and conspire to kill the man’s wife. At first, I thought, “Really? Come on. No stranger would help another stranger like this.” But it all plays out really well and I *loved* the ending. My only complaint is the last quarter of the book was a little repetitive where a few things were explained twice for no reason. While it’s not my favorite book of all time, I read it faster than any book in recent memory so I must have liked it more than I thought. I’d definitely recommend this one.

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

I stalked Leigh’s Goodreads for this recommendation since we seem to have the same taste and ratings in books. (Thanks, Leigh!) I like it, but it was different than I expected. I guess I thought it was going to be a story about finding out the details of a crime but it was more about finding out what happened to a family in the aftermath of a crime. It’s still a mystery, it’s just not nail-biting. I don’t know that I would recommend this one, but I did enjoy it.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

This was recommended by my friend, Lindsey. This book is so cute and funny, and it was a nice change from all the murder mysteries I’ve been reading. It’s about a computer security guy that reads the emails of two co-workers and falls for one of them sight unseen.  I found myself giggling out loud a lot and I’m really picky about humor. I feel like a lot of books/shows/movies try too hard to be funny and they’re just not. Also, I hate humor that is similar to my sense of humor which makes no sense so hear me out on this: I think I’m pretty damn funny, but if someone makes a joke that I’m pretty sure I could have come up with myself, I don’t think it’s funny. So basically I hold all humor to a higher standard than my own. I think this book does a good job of that. I’d definitely recommend it.

Last Race of the Season

I finally ran my last race of the season – the Storm the Campus 10 miler at UCF (that’s where I’m going to school by the way).

Now I’m free at last!

For some reason the race wasn’t terrible like I thought it would be and I actually loved running through campus because I get all nostalgic about my time as an undergrad. Then I actually came in 5th in my age group which is as good as it’s going to get for me and “placing.” There were 23 in my age group, not 5 like most of you are probably wondering. I finished in 1:34:52, much faster than I expected and only three minutes slower than when I ran the race two years ago.

Of course, my running love was there as well so that makes every race better.

And we ran into several friends.

The one thing I was looking forward to most about this race is the medal. The race started three years ago and each year the medal has been a letter in “UCF.” So I proudly “earned that F.”

I did not run the race last year to get the C medal, however, and I’m OK with that. I got the important letters.

Now I can take a little long-distance running break. School is out in three weeks and then I’ll really have to figure out what to do with myself. So far, I have several concerts planned, tickets to MegaCon, a visit from DC Melissa (yay!), a girl’s weekend in Savannah, and a trip to San Diego to visit my mama. It’s shaping up to be a pretty good summer. 🙂

 

By the Numbers

I was reminded today that I haven’t done a by the numbers post in awhile. I totally forgot about those and they are my favorite to write, so here it goes.

1. My last race of the season is at UCF on Sunday.

I ran this race two years ago and loved it. I’m looking forward to it but I’m also looking forward to a break from running after the race is over. I’ll probably still run once a week, but I am so over the constant training schedule of *having* to run to train for a race. I should probably mention that I registered for another race. So now I’m registered for Best Damn Race Jacksonville and Orlando. I realize this is counter intuitive to my non-running plan, but at least both races aren’t until next year so I don’t really have to run until October. So the plan is less running and then once school is out for summer at the end of April, I’m going to leisure so hard that my couch isn’t going to know what hit it.

2. I tweaked my back on Sunday…while eating lunch on the couch.

I have no idea how it happened but hubs said that only I could manage to throw my back out while eating on a couch. Now I can’t bend over very well. This has happened before and I usually feel better in a couple days. I just wish I had a cooler story to tell.

3. I finished season 2 of Daredevil. MY GOD how can anyone expect me to wait another year for another season? It’s just so, so good and waiting is so unfair.

People try to fill the Daredevil hole in my heart by telling me Luke Cake will be out in six months. Yes, it will be and I will watch it and I’m sure it will be entertaining, but it is no Daredevil. Just like Jessica Jones was inferior, Luke Cage will be inferior. #DaredevilForever

4. My current favorite song, Destruction by Joywave. (Somebody New is also awesome.)

I’m a horrible whistler yet somehow I gravitate toward songs with whistling. Hubs loves it when I whistle this in the house like a dying bird.

5. While Melissa was in town three weeks ago, we went to a country bar in Sanford. While we were there, hubs bought me this awesome hat because of course they have a store in the bar. Now, I’m not really into the country scene but I do feel the need to wear this hat at all times.

I may even be coerced into going to a country concert just to wear it again.

6. Pants has her own Instagram now. Her Instagram should be helpful for those of you that like her but don’t really care for me.

She hates our love. Someone send me a rabbit that loves to be picked up and snuggled, please.

An Update and a Race

A few things…

Thanks for all your kind comments on FB and the blog about Ron. I’m so sad to tell you that he passed away a few hours after I published the post about him. So, it’s been a rough week. A lot of little things remind me of him so I feel like I’m constantly thinking about how he’s not around anymore.  It still feels like he’s going to show up at my desk to chat. Anyway, his memorial service was this past weekend. I didn’t really want to go because I wasn’t sure I could hold it together, but I did go (and mostly held it together) and I’m glad I did because I got to hear a bunch of stories about Ron from all the people that loved him and I got to meet some of his friends I’ve been hearing about for years.

I’m also happy to see his GoFundMe is doing well. If you donated, thank you. I know his family appreciates it.

***

In lighter news, for the past several months, I have been convinced that I was going to quit running forever. I’m hating it and I haven’t been looking forward to any of my races. I was registered for Best Damn Race and just wanted it over with. Then I ran it and actually had a good time, which annoyed me because that wasn’t supposed to happen. The good time could have had something to do with my little weekend visitor.

Or all my running homies. ❤

The good time apparently clouded my judgement because I registered for the Jacksonville Best Damn Race shortly after, which also wasn’t supposed to happen seeing as how I was quitting running forever and all.

So anyway, the race was fun and had a great course, the weather was nice, and the medal is cute. Can’t ask for much more than that.

I also got one of my favorite race pictures ever because of that chick in the pink shoes behind me.

That’s the best race face I’ve ever seen. It gets funnier the longer you stare at her. I highly recommend enlarging that picture to get a better look.

I finished in 2:10:36, which is over 8 minutes off my PR but was my fastest race this season so I’ll take it.

So I guess the plan for now is to take a running break. I have one more race left this season – a 10 miler in a couple weeks. Then nothing until January 2017. I can not run at all or add a race to my schedule if I feel like it. Either way, I’ll be happy for a break.

My Friend

Two weeks ago, my good friend, Ron, suffered a brain aneurysm.

He’s been in the hospital since and his doctor’s say he has a slim to zero chance of regaining consciousness. This is still all so unbelievable to me. I mean, he’s 36 years old.

I’ve known Ron for over eight years. We’ve worked together at three different companies and talk daily. He has a wife and an eight year old son that he adores. Ron was in the Navy. He is working on his Master’s degree and taught himself German by watching episodes of Family Guy in German, no less. He is one of the most patient, easy going, and funniest guys I’ve ever met.

One day at work, Ron put up a flyer at work asking for free tacos.

A couple days later, when someone took the flyer down, he put up a missing flyer flyer.

Another day, he bought a cake and balloons and left them in the kitchen. When the cake was almost completely eaten, he sent a company-wide email thanking everyone for their donations and said they could check out the cake and balloons that will be delivered to the orphanage in the kitchen. He’s just so naturally funny and everyone that meets him, likes him. This world will be a worse place without him in it.

I can’t imagine the hospital and other expenses his family will have to face. There’s a GoFundMe in Ron’s name. The page says “in memory of” which is upsetting to me because he’s not gone yet. I still have hope for him and I miss my friend.

If you have a few dollars and would like to make a donation, I know his family will be grateful.

Things I Read

I was about the write about my race last weekend when I found this half written post about books. Now even more have piled up since I started it, so here’s what I’ve read since – well, I have no idea. Maybe last September? I’m surprised there are so many because I took a decent break from reading.

1. Armada by Ernest Cline (Goodreads link)

This book wasn’t what I expected. I thought it was a sequel to Ready Player One and not just the second novel from the author. Had I know that in advance (or in this case paid attention to the book summary), I probably wouldn’t have read it. I loved RPO but I don’t usually follow authors. So anyway, this is a whole new story and is similar to RPO in that it’s an adventure based on playing video games. At first, I was bored, then it got better, and then the ending really screwed the pooch. Overall, I liked it because the good part was long enough to warrant a “like,” but I wouldn’t recommend it.

2. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (Goodreads link)

I read this one on a recommendation from Michelle and really liked it. The story starts out with a bunch of bad decisions from the main character, and if you can get past those, it’s a really good mystery with a great ending that doesn’t go overboard. I feel like a lot of books have endings that are so crazy that they don’t match the rest of the story and this one stayed pretty nicely consistent.

3. Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore (Goodreads link)

I read this one because of a friend that pretty much gave every book from this author five stars on Goodreads and curiosity got the best of me. It’s about a guy that gets unwittingly involved with a vampire and the mishaps that happen around their relationship and the vampire’s maker. I really liked it. It’s really funny and light and fluffy, which was what I needed after In a Dark Dark Wood. If you’re looking for something with those qualities, I would recommend it.

4. You Suck by Christopher Moore (Goodreads link)

This is the second book to Bloodsucking Fiends. I liked the beginning, I liked the end, but somewhere in the middle it lost me and then took me forever to finish. I think I mostly had a problem with Abby’s character. She’s so annoying and I hated reading her parts, and didn’t find them funny even though they were supposed to be. From the description of the third book, it seems like Abby is a main character, so I’ll probably pass on that one for that reason only.

5. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica (Goodreads link)

I really liked this book. I liked it so much that I bought it for my best friend for Christmas and I never buy books for other people. It’s about a girl that’s kidnapped and the parents that are trying to find her. The book goes back and forth to past and present, so you know from the beginning that the kidnapped girl is found; it’s about finding out the details of what happened while she was kidnapped. Out of all the books in this post, I’d recommend reading this one the most.

6. You by Caroline Kepnes (Goodreads link)

You is about a guy that works at a book store who starts stalking one of his customers. I find it really surprising that this was written by a woman, but I guess if it was written by a guy, it would seem even creepier. Anyway, I liked the first half so much that I was blowing through the pages but then, something happened. I still liked the book as a whole, but it became disconcerting to read from the viewpoint of a stalker. He had no redeeming qualities so I just felt uncomfortable after awhile. There’s a second book in this series, but I don’t think reading from that viewpoint is for me.

7. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight (Goodreads link)

I have a few friends that loved this one so I thought I’d check it out. It’s about a girl that may have died from suicide or she may have been killed. The girl’s mom reconstructs what happened to her by talking to people she knew, and through her texts and emails. I thought the book was alright. I didn’t love the writing because things were over-explained and too simplified, but my main issue was that I never really cared what happened to Amelia. As I discovered what happened, I’m like, who cares? There was no basis for an attachment to the character so I didn’t care how anything ended.

8. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Goodreads link)

This book was on some Buzzfeed list of books to read and is going to be a movie later this year, so I was pretty excited to read it. It’s about a teenager named Jacob that tries to uncover his grandfather’s mysterious past. This is another book that started off great, but lost steam once it got to the meat of the story. The end is a cliffhanger that I didn’t give a rat’s ass about, so I won’t be reading the next book. I’m not saying it’s a bad book. It’s a cute adventure, kind of like a kid’s X-Men, but something was missing for me.

9. Never, Never Part 3 (Goodreads link)

The story is about a guy and a girl that lose their memories at the same time and have to figure out what is going on and how they’re connected to each other. It’s kind of like Memento with a love story. I really loved these books but it was one book divided into three parts. Really dumb. Each part is less than 100 pages. Had I known, I would have waited to read it when all three parts were out because I couldn’t remember some stuff by the time part three was released. I definitely recommend this one and now is a good time to read it so you don’t get annoyed by how it was split up.

Whew. Ok, that’s it.

Right now, I’m half way through “14” by Peter Clines. At the rate I’m going, I’ll post about that one in 2017.