Consuming art in my downtime

Well...its that weird lull between Christmas and the new year. Kids are out of school and there's not as much work, if any. I have the drive to be super productive and at the same time know I should take advantage of this time to rest before the opportunity passes. I've been managing a little of both here and there, I guess, but this post will lean toward the resting side. Let's dive in!

I've been watching a movie called Equals on Netflix, on and off in the night, for a couple weeks now. I finally finished it tonight and WOW!! It hit me in ALL the right spots inside, will stick with me, and had an amazing soundtrack! Here's a trailer. Feel something for forbidden love? Relate to only showing true emotions in private? Love when movies say a lot with few words? Looking for some suspense? Then check this one out! 5/5 stars!


Also watched a movie today called Idiocracy. You can see the trailer below. This stars a lot of big names in comedy and made me laugh out loud a few times. I felt like I was "stupider" just from watching it! :) If you won't get offended by comedy that makes fun of humans and want to laugh a bit then check this one out!


Tomorrow, I will see the Bollywood movie, Simmba, at the theater and I'm REEEEEEALLLLLYYYYYYY EXXCITTEEDDDD!!! I love movies so much and rarely go to see them in the theater so to change that, this year I used some of the Christmas money I received to purchase enough in gift cards to see one movie a month for all of 2019. I've been scouting the releases lately for January but was kind of "blah" about most of them. I was browsing again today and saw that Ranveer Singh had a new one out. RANVEER SINGH!!!!! Ahem...enough said. I'm yet to see a Ranveer movie that I didn't like. Anyway, here's the trailer for this one. You can turn on the subtitles for the preview. Looks like he's got one crazy mustache going on in this one! lol Nice!!


Hmm, what else... I'm casually listening to the classic, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley during commutes. What better time than the holidays, right?! Haha. I'm digging it so far and I'm not even to any gruesome parts yet.

Other than that, I tried my hand at making crepes for the first time today and have tried some new foods as well. All fun and good things that have now been added to who I am and are a part of my life. Have I mentioned in this blog that I love experiencing new things? ;) I do!
I've also wrapped up the main story-line in Assassin's Creed Odyssey which I've been playing since October, I think. What transpired was the worst available ending to the game, of any game I've played, in my opinion. Lol As mad, sad, hurt, and sick as I got over it just goes to show how great the game is. I became very attached to the characters and story over the last few months. Well done, Ubisoft! Definitely check this one out!

So...what movies, books, or games have you consumed lately?

Alrighty. I'm headed to bed but I'll leave you with a song from the soundtrack to Equals that I've been killing lately. It took me about an hour to find because they only play a certain part in the movie. Anyway, it's definitely a recent favorite for driving at night, falling asleep, or certain times in the gym. Basically, whenever I want to feel that same feeling I had watching that scene in the film. I always turn it up loud, skip to around 2:20, and listen to the end. Ah, it felt good...


I'm out!

Wrapping things up...

Not really in the mood for writing here today. However, some things have come to an end, new things will begin, and I'll want to look back later. So here we go!

First up is the bathroom remodel, six years in the making!! Haha. Here are some before/after pics for remembering.

Before pic

Before pic

Then I lived with this for a few weeks

Demo Day

Coming back together

Coming back together

After pic (minus a few things lol)

After pic (minus a few things lol)

Those were the last pics I took so deal with it. Maybe I'll post another sometime later. Anyway, bathroom is completely done and wonderful. Hoping for another remodel project in 2019!

Remember when I talked about seeing a pelvic floor specialist for peeing during heavy (for me) deadlifts? Well, I've now been there, done that, learned tons, became a case study for my specialist, and successfully hit a deadlift PR without peeing a drop. Hooray!! I "graduated", but this will be something I continue to work on; though I probably won't talk about it here again.

As for books, I finished Gabby Union's book about a week ago. It was good; came out with a bang, hit a lull in the middle, but then finished strong. There is a lot of discussion and experiences of race and racism in the book, more than I expected and even more so than the experiences of being a woman, so if that's not your cup of tea than don't pick this one up. I'm currently hunting down my next audio book victim. Muahahaha.

I can't remember if I spoke about it here but I've been missing Bollywood movies!! They have a whole different vibe to them and I needed one in my life, dammit. Lol. I did some searching and found one that looked promising called Sultan. Here's the preview. No subtitles but you don't need them to know what's going on in the trailer. 

I checked it out from the library and it was so good! Awww!!! (Bonus points that I got to watch it on the new, bigger TV! Yay!) Its underdog/great sports comeback/love story all in one big story. It was slightly corny and ridiculous in spots (which I secretly love and makes me giggle) but that story was there and it was solid! Plus, I love these two main actors. I feel like I learned life lessons, I laughed, I cried, and in the end I couldn't help but feel so happy for everyone involved. Bollywood fix--satisfied!! 

There was a male and female version of a song in the movie that had me ALL up in my feelings!  Lol I loved them both and will be killing them for the next few days so I'll leave them here to remember how I felt when I watched for the first time. Ah, a beautiful thing. :) 

I found subtitles for the male one but not the female one, unfortunately. Chorus sounds the same though.

Other than that, Christmas is almost ready to go, crazy money stuff is set to go for the new year, and there will be a lot of hanging out, working out, gaming, and resting until 2018 wraps. 

Have a good one!!

P.S. I Love You

"This is my one and only life. And it's a great and terrible and short and endless thing, and none of us come out of it alive."
-Holly Kennedy



I watched P.S. I Love You tonight and my heart is torn wide open. I want to remember these two things. Goodnight.

Working on those gains!

This week has been a great opportunity to test and challenge my patience and positive thinking muscles. I could make an entire post about my feelings of frustration and discouragement, my fears, feeling powerless and ashamed, and wanting things to just...SLOW DOWN!!

But I won't...

Instead, I'm going to vent a little and then try to turn that shit around. Watch me work!

I had to buy a dress and things to attend a semi-formal event this week. I adamantly insisted that I did not wish to attend and that with Christmas coming up so soon it would be horrible timing to have to take time and spend money on something that wasn't for the kids, friends, or family. Nevertheless, it is happening anyway and a lot of time and money went into it. Time and money that I planned to use elsewhere. I'm stressed, angry, discouraged, and resentful and having a hard time overcoming it....

At the same time I'll be wearing a beautiful dress and both my kids and I will experience something new. Someone will cook and serve me dinner instead of the other way around. Somebody's doing my makeup for me which I've never experienced before...and for free! I'll be able to make at least some of my money back by either returning or reselling the things I bought and may still be able to swing the purchase I would have rather been making instead. I'll be helping out and making my spouse happy which always makes for a more pleasant home environment. No one will die and life will continue on, no matter what, after its all said and done. See there? Positive muscles are getting pumped!

I've created some aggressive financial goals for 2019. Goals which require me to eliminate, cold turkey, somewhere between a quarter and a third of our annual income and devote it to hidden savings accounts and other things. Things are going to feel tight those first couple months and well...I'm worried and a little scared. My family looks to me to make sure their needs are met and I will be the one to take the blame when groceries and meal times aren't as fun and free as before or when some things will need to be sacrificed or purchases maybe held off on for a bit. After all, even though I've briefed everyone on "my plans", it was my decision to squeeze the accounts. They're not the only ones either. I won't lie, its nicer to live comfortably and not have to worry as much.

Nicer, yes, but also more wasteful. I've done the calculations and there is plenty of money to still live comfortably. This will (hopefully) force everyone to be more cognizant about spending. The kids will learn the value of a dollar and work better in an environment where everything isn't available, all the time. Less trips and going out means more time spent in...RESTING! Yes, please! Life will hopefully move at a slower pace where things like movie, show, and gaming marathons take place. Puzzles get built and board games get played. There will be less to interfere with the important things and people in my life. Instead, I can focus on my career, kicking ass in the gym, and spending time with/giving my time to my special people. There will be even more home-cooked meals, work done on little house projects, and time spent laying around reading books. And the whole time, those financial goals will be getting reached! No one will die, it will all be okay, and they won't fault me in the end! Feel those muscles burn! :)

Today got so hectic that I didn't even have time to take a shower after I left the gym. I grabbed a protein shake and ran out to run the 749 errands before making it back home for the kids. I was exhausted and still had dinner to get on the table and some cleaning to do. All the while, the kids were giggling, talking to me, rough housing, dragging things out while I was putting things away, and in general constantly moving and making loud noises. I was grumpy, stressed, and tired and they pointed it out to me. I was fussing at them, being short, and either being sarcastic or not talking or responding at all.
They were right so I sat my butt down and hung out with them for a bit and guess what? I got to get off my feet and they made me laugh! I still got that dinner on the table and finished my stuff. I got to hear about their little lives and listen to them giggle. That was one of the most important bits of my day and I know they liked it too! I love those little boogers. Plus, even though the day got hectic from the gym onward, my morning was spent working on little things around the house...alone...in total silence. It was marvelous.

What else went right today? I got my workout in, zoned out with music and shot hoops for a bit which is extremely relaxing, did everything I set out to do on my list and more, fit in a Southpark episode which made me laugh, spent time with my bestie, and put up the Christmas tree. The day was so damn positive I'm exhausted! ;)

Christmas tree 2018!

Ooookay, I'm tired and feeling a bit better so I'll leave you with a book and be on my way.
I mentioned Gabrielle Union in my last post because I'm now halfway through her audiobook, We're Going to Need More Wine and its great so far! I love listening to people's stories, especially women's stories. There's almost always something I walk away from them with that helps me in my own thoughts or feelings about life. I think they give me hope in a way.

Screw that. I'm leaving you with three songs I listened to in the gym today! :)


What a sweet, oldie but goodie.


Love to sing along with this one and had a hard time holding it in!


Always loved this one.

What's one positive thing about your day today?

randomness and life ramblings

Today, I learned that I can watch 30 full episodes of South Park for free on Comedy Central's website (just finished the HUMANCENTiPAD episode--good stuff lol), that there is such a thing as a Christmas pickle which has been around much longer than Elf on the Shelf (here's a Wikipedia article for it if you're as curious as I was), and that Gabrielle Union (which I've always liked) was raped at gunpoint in her younger years. How is that for randomness!

Life is strange. All of us, and all living things for that matter, are each having our own days, day in and day out...and TONS of little random things can and usually do happen every single day. Learning new things, witnessing something, riding the waves of emotion, being reminded of things from our past, making new connections, facing our fears, meeting new people, stumbling into new ideas. Those are just the little things! In some ways, its amazing we can stay connected with each other at all. In other ways, of course we would! We may all be on our own journey but we're all still having the human experience. Still, its easy for people to slip away from each other slowly as the days pass. Too easy, and sometimes its in our control and sometimes its not. I accept that, fear it at the same time, and have experienced both as I'm sure everyone has at one point or another. For our own parts, I guess it boils down to this:
Who would you work hard for and fight for and who would you willingly let go and slip away? *Warning: Answers may get complicated!*

I'm too tired to write anymore. Goodbye