Shazam!

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Here's the other new type of post that I will be doing every week... a sort of week-in-review type thing.  I'm going to pick a question from my list of prompts that has to do with my week as a whole and answer it to the best of what I remember from that particular week.

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What did you most enjoy doing this week?

Well... I have the say the most enjoyable experience I had was on Friday night when we saw Shazam. 😊 Even though we had to go to the latest showing they had available (10:45pm) and the movie didn't end up actually starting until around 11:30pm, because we ended up staring at the ending of the Chevy commercial for 15 minutes straight, telling us to "Enjoy the show."  I would say it was to the point of being comical, if it hadn't been for how late it was already getting.  Two of the guys in the large group sitting directly in front of us ended up being the ones to let the staff know what was going on, simply because "no one else was going to."  We didn't end up getting home until just before 2am.

Anyway... I loved the movie!  It was sweet, sad, funny and heart-warming all in one.  I loved Zachary Levi's performance, as well as the rest of the cast... but the comic relief from Zachary stood out the most for me!  He did such a great job at portraying a 14-year-old boy who is suddenly transformed with a very adult body.  But I've loved him ever since I was glued to the TV during his show, Chuck.

The movie had plenty of action as well, and disturbing creatures, representing each of the seven sins.  Billy Batson/Shazam kinda reminded me of DC's version of Wade Wilson/Deadpool, (even has the same letter first & last name coincidence), if he were waaaay more family friendly and not as crude.  Haha.

Checking In

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So... I know it's been awhile now since my last update.  As the year has flown by, I've gotten less and less motivated to write every day.  Plus, over the past couple months, I've become more and more involved in Nexus, which takes up a lot of whatever free time I have, especially since I have decided to attempt to dabble more into the RP aspect with one of my characters.  I'd forgotten exactly how much time it sucks up.  I'll try to update more often though, without making that sound like a broken record! -sheepish grin-

Anyway... today is my cousin Kara's birthday! 🎈🎂😊  Happy birthday to her!  She just gave birth to her first child (an adorable little girl) a few months ago, so I'm sure she's more focused on her, rather than the fact that it's her birthday.  But whatever she's doing, I hope she's having a blast.

Our plans for the rest of the day include meeting up with my brother-in-law, his wife and a couple of his grandkids to see Ant-Man & the Wasp later this afternoon!  I love what Paul Rudd brings to the character, and I'm excited to see what this sequel brings to the Marvel world, especially after the intense events of Infinity War a few months ago.  I haven't researched if the timeline is supposed to follow that or not, but I suppose that will be explained, possibly.

The Time is Meow!

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Sooooo, one of the sequels that I have been looking forward to comes out today!!!  Super Troopers 2!  The original is one of my all-time favorite movies, ever since I first saw it back in... 2002?!  Wow, has it really been SIXTEEN years??  Time sure does fly, as I know I've mentioned before.  We're seeing the late showing tonight and we decided to invite both of my hubby's brothers to the movie as well, and one of them wants to bring his 8-year-old grandson.  Talk about inappropriate... but I'm trying not to judge, I mean, it's not my kid or anything, so I have no place... but... really? -shakes head-  I'm not sure he even saw the first one. (my brother-in-law)  That kind of puts a damper on going to see it, but I'm really attempting to just look the other way, I guess. 😒

And then of course next month is Deadpool 2's premiere!!!  I'm so beyond excited for that one, ever since we saw the first one.  Ryan Reynolds portrays the antihero so perfectly, it's unreal.  I think I read somewhere that Deadpool's brand of sarcasm is similar to his own personality, which is why it comes so seemingly natural to him. 😄  This one also comes out when my mom is going to be here, so yeah, that's fun, and it's definitely not a movie that she would want to see, lol.  So I've already made arrangements for my mother-in-law to come over here and keep her company while we go see the movie.  Just so that my mom isn't having to stay here alone and deal with the dogs also.

Oh and who can forget Avengers: Infinity War coming out NEXT WEEK also?!  So many good movies in these next few weeks!  I can't wait! 😁

Positive Reinforcement

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Well today has been mildly productive.  We somewhat randomly decided to work on cleaning out the garage a bit more, so that we could move an old armchair out of the guest room before my mom gets here next month.  We're planning on either borrowing my brother-in-law's truck, or renting a U-Haul to cart it (and a few other larger furniture items) over to a dump next weekend.  It feels good to get stuff done like that.  It's crazy how cluttered our garage can get, what with just throwing things in there quickly and kind of forgetting about it.  We've got lots more to do in there, organizationally, but at least now we actually have the room to get it done.

I had last night to myself, seeing as the hubby went out with his brother to a local bar to watch the UFC fights, and that is just not my scene.  Never has been, really.  Anyway, I ended up finally getting around to watching La La Land, which came out in 2016, so I'm a little behind, haha.  I knew I wasn't going to get him to watch it with me, so I figured last night was the perfect time.  I love Ryan Gosling (and Emma Stone), so that was part of my reason for wanting to watch it in the first place.  I don't mind it being a musical.  Though I have to say it's not for everyone.  It got a bit weird in some places, but overall, I liked the dynamic of the movie.  Emma's style of singing felt slightly odd to me though, not sure if I liked it or not.

We also spent some of our free time this weekend watching the second season of The Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix.  It always reminds me how much I love Timothy Olyphant too!  His reaction to his wife's new 'condition' is just so amusing.  I love the daughter, Abby, as well, she's such a ... 'firecracker' is the first word that comes to mind.  And not just because of her red hair! 😛  Seriously though, how she stands up to a high school bully in the episode we last watched was great.

That's about all I have for tonight.  Also, I feel I should apologize slightly for my last post, but I just couldn't stop that flow of emotions. 😳

Happy St. Patty's Day!

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Happy St. Patty's Day from Guinness & I!

Well, first off, happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone who happens to stumble upon this post! 🍀🍻🎉  This is the second year in a row that we have not gone to my mother-in-law's house, to have dinner of corned beef & cabbage, with her and at least one of my brother-in-laws.  Last year, it was because it was the aftermath of our wedding and my visiting family and I were [slowly] traveling through wine country over to San Francisco for the weekend.  This year, it's because my mother-in-law has been my brother-in-law's live-in caregiver after his stint in the hospital and so we weren't sure how he would be doing, so no definite plans were made.  But I have to say, I'm really missing our old St. Paddy's Day "tradition."  We're planning to have pork tamales for dinner instead, with refried black beans and tortilla chips, which I am not so excited about.  Eh.  Oh well, maybe next year life won't throw us so many obstacles and it will work out once more.  I'm not even a huge fan of corned beef, yet I find myself really missing it this time of year.  At least I had a St. Patrick's Day shirt to wear this year, which you can sorta see in the photo above!  Though I still got pinched by the hubby's brother earlier today, because he closed his eyes and claimed that he didn't see me wearing green.  Ha ha. -rolls eyes-

Speaking of earlier today, we went out and saw Tomb Raider in the IMAX theatre.  I wasn't really looking forward to it, because I've never been a big fan of the Lara Croft thing, but I have to admit that I did enjoy the movie, MUCH more than I was expecting!  It had plenty of action and mystery, and even a little glimpse of horror, which took me somewhat by surprise.  The sequence at the end of the film was probably my favorite part, where they're making their way deeper into the tomb, having to figure out the puzzles in the blink of an eye, with their lives at stake.  I was on the edge of my seat almost the whole time, ready to hide my eyes if necessary!

That's about all I have for today.  Hope everyone has had a wonderful day and remembered to drink responsibly, if you're taking part in the celebration of St. Patrick's Day with alcohol. 😉

Death Wish, Delayed

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So, first off, happy birthday to an old high school friend of mine, John! 🎂🎈🎊 It's been forever since I've seen him, but we stay in touch somewhat regularly via messengers and social media.  I hope he's had a wonderful day, able to do something that he loves, making memories & enjoying the moment. 😄

Anyway, we didn't end up seeing the movie last night, because I wasn't feeling that great, and I couldn't seem to get comfortable at all.  The movie night was pushed to tonight and I have to say, I enjoyed that movie so much more than I thought I would!  Bruce's portrayal of a grieving husband and father searching for revenge on the men who terrorized his family was brilliantly done!  I felt the tension and anger he was feeling all throughout the movie.  I still found myself fidgeting, sometimes because of what was on the screen, but otherwise I don't know why.

Other than that, we went to another gun show this morning, where the hubby found two holsters he liked and some hard-to-find ammo that he bought for a coworker.  Tomorrow, we plan to finish cleaning out the fridge and tidy up the house a bit, in preparation for our new fridge delivery on Monday!

Star Wars For Hours + Movie Night

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Today wasn't so great of a beginning, thanks to an issue that actually started last night, but has now been sorted out. Granted, I kind of used it as an excuse to lose myself in the world of SWTOR, so that I wouldn't have to think about the whole ordeal. And I got a lot done, finally finished all the missions on the planet of Belsavis, which seems to always take the longest, due to having to maneuver around massive walls, demolished structures, and other huge plant life. Despite it being a prison planet, it's actually one of my favorites, graphic-wise, simply for the beauty of its flora.

I ended up having to ditch the game when late afternoon rolled around and started watching Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, which I didn't end up finishing, but that's okay because I've seen it before. I love the imagery in the movie, it is so beautifully done. 😍

My neck started acting up once again, so right now I'm reclining on the couch with the TENS unit, while the hubby cooks dinner: poached salmon, roasted asparagus and quinoa. We plan on going to seth the late showing of Death Wish tonight as well. 🙂 And that's all I have for today. Sorry it was so boring!

New Month, New Book

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So I started out my day with the new selection from B&N Readouts, which I've updated on my 2018 Reading Challenge page.  It's a book about Sherlock Holmes and an adventure that takes him (and Dr. Watson) to Paris to investigate a possible kidnapping of a cabaret singer's son.  I actually have never read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories before (though I do have some in the library of my Nook account), and the extent of what I know about Mr. Holmes is from the movies starring Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law, which I LOVED!  The banter they share and chemistry the two of them displayed was great to watch.  However, this book starts out pretty dark, with Holmes reverting back to the use of cocaine after a difficult case and a stint in jail ("gaol" as it is referenced in the story, via the 1880s setting), after he was accused of tampering with evidence.  Anyway, I'm giving the story a chance, despite the low reviews it has received on Goodreads.  I never let critics influence my interest in things, as they don't know me personally and can't possibly know what I would like.

Hello Black Panther!

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Well, even though the news keeps saying that Black Panther is the most highly anticipated Marvel movie and that it has already broken records, before it was even officially released, it's probably the movie that I'm the least excited about seeing.  I'm not sure why, just the story isn't as intriguing to me as the others have been.  Maybe the movie will change my mind on that, once I see it.  But I won't know until 10:30pm tonight, when we are planning to see it.  Which means that I will definitely be trying to fit a late afternoon nap into my day today, in an effort to stay awake during the movie, that is likely to run until close to 1:00am.

Speaking of staying awake, I didn't wanna wake up this morning at all!  I hate those nights where you go to sleep and then it seems like only 5 minutes have passed until you have to get up again.  But I woke up to the hubby's alarm going off at 4:35am, and even though we didn't get up until a few minutes after 5am, I still didn't feel like I truly got back to sleep for those short 25 minutes.  I woke up with a slight headache also, the same one that was behind my left eye on Valentine's Day, but has now moved to my right eye... but my morning coffee seems to have temporarily relieved it for now.

Hodgepodge of Feelings

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(Isn't that such a curious word?!  I just couldn't resist.)

Sooo, I finally got the hubby to agree to watch Me Before You last night, after a little over 1½ years of constantly asking him to watch it with me.  And after it was over, he has the nerve to say "That was a good movie, why didn't we watch it sooner?!"  Haha.  And it was such a good movie!  I won't lie, my eyes got misty more than once, which I had already expected they would.  Sweet, yet utterly heart-breaking at the same time, but with a few scenes of comic relief added into the mix.  I loved the chemistry between Lou & Will also, even from their first meeting.  I liked that he ended up falling for her, after the type of guy he'd been before his accident.  And Emilia Clarke did such an amazing job of portraying the infinitely happy, sweet and quirky Louisa!

I found today that it's sometimes difficult to be friends with someone that you have such a long history with.  Someone who knew you way back when you were a teenager and also as an adult and all the times in between... I know I'm not the same person I was back then, and it's just kind of weird (that's not the right word, but it's all I've got right now) to me to know someone who knew both versions of myself.  It also kind of sucks, especially if they cannot seem to let go of the past, and you tend to find them constantly, whether they are conscious of it or not, triggering reminders of things that you just want to forget. 😒

On a brighter note, here's a shout-out to my friend and most loyal reader, Mandy, since it's her birthday today!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY (again)!!! 😄🎈🎂 I hope you've had such a great day so far and been able to spend it doing the things that you love.

Treasure Trove of Moments

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Today has been an incredibly lazy Sunday for us.  Seriously, we did almost nothing at all.  Though we did watch a movie just now that ended up being really cute and sweet, a Netflix original called When We First Met.  It was funny also, and reminded me of a mix between The Butterfly Effect and Click, and other similar movies where the main character attempts to alter something about his life by magically traveling through time to change the past.  After unintentionally being thrust into the "friend zone," Noah Ashby is convinced that he can change himself into the guy that she would want to be with.  And after discovering that he can travel back into the past via a unique photo booth, he does exactly that... again and again.  And obviously, every time results in a scenario even worse than the previous, until finally he realizes what he really wants, which is nothing close to what he initially thought.

My favorite quote from the movie is one that Noah tells the girl's best friend, towards the end of the movie, referring to something that she had said to him, although she doesn't remember it, because it was in one of the times that never existed to her:

"Relationships are about intangible things. They're about moments. The real moments and who you share them with."

So true.  Those moments are what truly matter and what you'll remember for years to come.  And while he's referring to romantic relationships, I think that can be said about any type of close relationship as well... whether it's friendship, familial or even a colleague... I have moments in my mind that I will remember forever, even if I've fallen out of touch with the person that it's associated with.  And I will always cherish them. 😊  It's one reason I love photography so much as well, being able to capture that moment in time and treasure it for at least as long as you have it.

Definitely, Maybe...

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Sooo, yes I know, I missed a day.  However, I'm giving myself a pass because 1) I was in too much pain all day, with other things on my mind, to even be thinking about writing a blog post and 2) nothing really blog-worthy happened. 😜 I think I may just give myself one or two freebies a month like that, because there are just some days that are utterly boring and not fun to write about, and even less fun to read.

Anyway, one of my all-time favorite movies is 2008's Definitely, Maybe.  I haven't seen it in awhile and I needed some noise while I worked, so I had it play in the background today.  I love this movie so much, simply for its title, because I've always been so indecisive and I used to say that phrase all the time, before the movie was even made, or at least a variation of it.  Funny coincidence, one of the main characters (Isla Fisher) is named April too! 😊 One thing I love about the movie is how real it is, regarding relationships and their complicated and somewhat unstable nature.

Happy Groundhog Day!

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Apparently, he saw his shadow, so welcome, six more weeks of winter! ❆ I wish it was a colder winter here though.  For some odd reason, I enjoy bundling up for cold weather, but that only means putting on a light jacket out here and lately, even that hasn't been completely necessary.  On the news, they keep showing Minneapolis, because of the Super Bowl being played there this year, and it's in the single digits, with snow, and I'm so jealous!  I know, I know, those of you who have to deal with snow all the time probably just think I'm ignorant and will tell me that I would get sick of it, but I really don't think I would.

Speaking of the news... there was a story this morning, about several laptop thefts occurring in Berkeley lately, at cafes and whatnot.  Then there was a mention of people saying that they would no longer leave their laptops on their tables while running to the bathroom.  Seriously?!  You really expect your expensive laptop to still be there when you leave it unattended, in a public place?  Come on, I thought people at least had more common sense than that.  -shakes head- I guess the reason I know not to trust people that easily, comes from the fact that I paid for everything I had/have (pager, laptop, cell phone, etc...), and learned to be cautious and actually take care of it.  Honestly, it's a very simple concept.

Anyway... Winchester came out today and I really don't want to see it.  Just the idea creeps me out, and now the hubby says that he not only wants to see the movie, but he also wants to drive the 61 miles down to San Jose to see the actual house as well. 😨  The news reporter they had down there this morning said that you definitely feel a presence when inside the house, and while it's not altogether a hostile presence, it's still indeed a presence.  And with me being such a scaredy-cat... yeah, nooooo thanks!  -shudders-

Happy, But a Little Lost...

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I started out my day with The Scorch Trials playing in the background while I worked, in preparation for tonight's "date night" in going to see the final movie of the Maze Runner trilogy that comes out today, The Death Cure.  We saw the first movie back when it came out in 2014, without having read the books, or even hearing of the series.  And I was hooked, because it's an intriguing storyline that kept me interested enough to want to see what the maze was all about and why they were stuck there.  I plan to read the books also, maybe making it part of my reading challenge, once I've gotten through the Odd Thomas series.

One of my current favorite songs came on the radio earlier when I had to run a small errand.  It was Sir Sly's &Run.  It's one of those songs where the instant I hear it, I can't help but move, in an attempt at dancing, although I know I probably look ridiculous because I can't dance, but when that song's on, I just don't care! 😝 The only other songs that really get me feeling like that have been Finger Eleven's Paralyzer and Walk the Moon's Shut Up and Dance.  There's a more sentimental reason behind Paralyzer, but I won't go into that now.  Back to &Run... I love the lyrics.  Specifically: "Happy, but a little lost..." because that is sometimes exactly how I feel about my life.  Word for word.  And "sometimes the world feels loud."  Which needs no explanation, really... I like the world quiet, and I can't quite deal with it being too loud.

Spontaneous Movie Night

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Soooo, today was another boring-ish day in my world.  So I'm just going to skip the summary of what I did during the day and go straight to right now.

Since nothing new in the way of TV shows is on until 10pm (Chicago Fire), the hubby put on a movie, Suburbicon.  And it starts out pretty intense, with a brutal home invasion in what seems like a perfectly safe neighborhood during the late 1950s.  After the first half hour though, it seems to fizzle out.  I'm intrigued to see what happens, but it feels slightly forced.  And weird.  Definitely weird.

I am not a fan of the way Julianne Moore is playing her character of Margaret though.  The way she talks, with a sickeningly sweet voice, like she's trying way too hard to sound like that perfect little 1950s housewife, who has it all together but you know it's all an act.  I haven't seen the whole movie yet, so maybe she's just hiding a complete psycho underneath, but it's rubbing me the wrong way right now.  It reminds me of when we were in Oklahoma last year, and my aunt was talking in the same manner, and it annoyed the crap out of me.  Not that I'm saying she's a psycho or anything, just to make that clear.  I'm only referring to the style of speaking.

Anyway... I'm leaving today's post at that. 😊 

An Unexpected Impression

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This morning started with coffee, andouille sausage, scrambled eggs and a random movie from 2002, Orange County.  It was actually a pretty endearing story, once you look past all the dysfunctionality of Shaun Brumder's family life.  There was a moment where he gets to meet the writer he's obsessed with, whose story changed Shaun's motivations from settling for being just another surfer kid with no aspirations in life, to wanting to be a serious writer himself and attend Stanford.  And this writer tells him something that resonated with me the moment I heard it:

Every great writer has a conflicted relationship with the place where he [or she] grew up.

It reminds me of my own hometown because while I love the place, I could never move back there.  Mostly because of certain things that trigger painful memories that I've spent a long time trying to forget.  Having to deal with that every day would constantly drain me emotionally and I can't intentionally do that to myself.  Anyway, I don't know if I'm a great writer, but at least this makes me believe that I'm on the right track! 😏