Fall Bucket List

With September almost over, I guess I'll go ahead and admit that it really is fall. Even though I really love summer, here are a few things I'm looking forward to doing in Autumn:

drink allthepumpkinales

bake pumpkin pie~ an annual tradition!

craft something 

put up fall decor

attend another concert

dress up for Halloween

go to a haunted house or forest
attend an Oktoberfest event

watch a "new to me" horror movie

attend a football game//tailgate

bake banana nut bread

revamp my wardrobe

Find a new pair of super cute(but not super expensive) BOOTS

attend a fall festival

enjoy a PSL or 5

find time to have fun during a work conference in Denver!

What are you looking forward to this season? 

Friday Favorites- Global Citizen Festival Edition

Tomorrow I am headed to the Global Citizen Festival. I won tickets in August and I am BEYOND excited! So this week's Friday Favorites are some of my fave songs from the artists performing. Have a great weekend!

The original line-up... 

and then yesterday...

Settle Down - No Doubt

Desert Rose - Sting

We Are Young - Fun. ft Janelle Monae

Izzo (HOVA) - Jay-Z

New York (Empire State of Mind) - Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys

Sacrifice - The Roots ft. Nelly Furtado

Blown Away - Carrie Underwood

Let's Go - Tiesto ft. Icona Pop

Summer Bucket List Recap

Back in July, I made a Summer Bucket List. Let see how I did: 

+ see an outdoor movie. Fail :-( Tried several times but it never worked out.

+attend an outdoor concert/music festival. Check!

+see fireworks (especially since this didn't happen last year!). Check!

+drinks on the deck. ALL SUMMER- CHECK!

+start (and finish) a gallery wall. Fail.

+attend a street fair/ yard sale(s). Check!

+beach day(s). Check!

+get my hair did. Fail.

+binge watch a new show (rainy day activity). Check. OITNB- good stuff!

+go on vacation. Double check! Here and here

+attend a baseball game. Check!

+go to Meadowlands State Fair and Hester St. Fair. Fail on both counts. 

+get a tan! Check!

+go on a picnic. Fail.

+attend a BBQ/food festival. Check!

+ go to the NY Renaissance Faire (late summer). Check!

Other things that happened:

My godson and his momma came to visit

I saw the Cirque du Soleil show Varekai

I celebrated two birthdays, a luau, a BBQ and a pool party

I threw my first surprise party successfully

I went to 2 viewing parties for the World Cup

I participated in Paint Nite (pic below). I went solo, but it was a lot of fun, and I really like my painting.

Attended opening night of the U.S. Open, with a performance by Fitz and the Tantrums. Saw Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic play. Also saw Alec Baldwin and ran into an ex in the stands.  (pics below)

Fitz and the Tantrums- Fool's Gold

Also, I found these pics in a draft from earlier this summer that I forgot to post; it's from like late May/June when RJ and I went to NYC for sushi and a visit to the South Street Seaport.

Arthur Ashe Stadium, banner, and Djokovic

Site of 1964/1965 World's Fair

fireworks for opening night

paint nite

my masterpiece

Random Confessions

I had a post lined up for today, but it was a bit heavy and I don't feel like posting it yet, so here are some random thoughts/confessions:

I do not like the term "dollhairs." First of all, it took me entirely too long to figure out what it meant the first time I encountered it, and secondly, what's so hard about just saying dollars? This is also how I feel about Bae. Where the eff did bae start? It sounds like a goat calling for attention. Baaaeeeee. No? Maybe I'm just old.

It takes me longer to find GIFS for these posts than to actually write the posts.

Yesterday I got stopped on the street on my way to work and was interviewed by 1010 WINS News. Apparently Friday is National Smile Day, so they asked me a bunch of questions about smiling and examples of some different kinds of smiles (fake, haven't-seen- your-friend-in-forever, normal, etc). I didn't know how to fake a fake smile, since I was already giving him one. Though I would consider myself a smiley person in general, I'm not at all in the morning. It was early. When he asked "What are some things that make you smile" my first response was coffee. 

I get really annoyed when people remind me that most "reality" shows are staged. I already know this, but I pretend I don't. I like a little fantasy ok??! So let me enjoy it! 

I got called out on my falling apart boots at work. By a guy. Who dresses better than me. 

Why are Denver Broncos tickets so damn expensive? It's actually cheaper to see them play here, but I wanted to see their stadium!

I don't understand why so many Oktoberfests are in September. 

I don't think 'Let It Go' is that good of a song. There, I said it.

I am really unhappy that we (the U.S.) is in Syria. I know it's complicated, but I don't like it. 

I am beyond thrilled that Gilmore Girls will be on Netflix October 1st. 

What are you confessing to today? Share it with Kathy!

Friday Favorites/Book Club Friday

• I'm not sure how, but I just started reading Elite Daily and now I'm obsessed. Sorry for filling up your Twitter feed with retweets on Wednesday. Kind of. 

• I know pumpkin spice isn't for everyone, but it's for me and I need to find this:

• I also need to find these and bring them with me to a football game:

you can purchase them here

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Onto the Literary Junkie!

Here are this month’s questions…
1. What are you reading right now? Tell us about it.

From GoodReads: 

WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart 

Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg 
Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle 
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

My Thoughts:
I don't have the words to describe just how much I loved this book. It started out a little slow for me, and I thought it would be about a cutter who cuts more because of her dayjob. This was SO MUCH MORE. Like seriously, the storyline is so messed up.

Camille goes back home for the first time in 8 years to uncover the mysterious murder of two girls. Her mother is not excited to have her back and drinks away her pain or hides out in her bedroom, and the half-sister she barely knows seems bipolar; one minute she's playing doting daughter and playing with dolls, the next she's drinking and stripping down to a bikini and toying with full grown men. The victims seem to be the tomboy type, but nice girls, with no known enemies. The eerie part is that when they are found, they have not been sexually assaulted in any way, but are missing all of their teeth.

I thought I knew whodunit halfway through, but boy, was I wrong. This is one twisted story! If you're looking for a great psychological thriller, I would definitely recommend it!

2. There are a ton of movies coming out soon that were based off of books. Are there any you’re particularly excited to see?

I accidentally saw The Giver before reading the book, but I really enjoyed it, and now want to read the book even more. I just rented Divergent, so I'm SUPER excited to watch that one. Also very excited to see Gone Girl (duh) and Mockingjay: Part 1. And of course the next Hobbit movie!

3. With fall finally here for some of us, are there any books that you’re particularly looking forward to reading in the season of big sweaters, blankets and hot chocolate?
Not particularly. Though Big Little Lies is at the top of my list, but only because I've heard rave reviews about it. 

4. We only have 3.5 months left of 2014. Did you participate in any reading challenges? How are you doing?
I'm participating in the Goodreads challenge. I aimed for 20 books, but I've only read 6 so far... eek!

5. What has been the best book you’ve read so far this year?

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, though Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and Slammed by Colleen Hoover come in tie for second!

California Dreamin, Part 1

On friday morning, I flew out to Los Angeles California. One of my close friends moved out to Silicon Valley back in May, but she was heading to a work conference in LA and invited me out, so I went.

She arrived several hours after me, so I waited/relaxed at one of the outdoor bars overlooking the pool. Once she did make it, we were both pretty tired, so we got some pizza and hung out for a bit before going to sleep. Being that I was leaving on Monday, we knew that we had a busy couple of days ahead of us.

patio livin

one of my favorite shirts, and Stella

Saturday morning we were up early. We got in a cab and went straight to Santa Monica Pier.

me and my Starbucks. I treated myself to one all 3 days

I didn't realize this was the end point of Rt 66

excuse my finger

landmark

love this shot

obviously slightly obsessed with the ferris wheel

After the Pier, we headed down to the Promenade because we heard they had some cute shops and restaurants. However, it was basically like an outdoor mall- all of your regular stores like H&M and Express. The only cool thing about it was the random farmer's market we ran into. I tried pomegranate juice for the first time (gross) and garlic infused cheese (meh), and bought some blueberries, homemade SAGE honey (SO good), and all natural tee tree oil soap. I'm not a huge fan of farmer's markets in general, because they're usually overcrowded and I don't buy a whole lot of fruits/veggies, but I loved this one.

seen on the street- truth 

cool flowers at the farmer's market

Lisa and I

We also had lunch on the Promenade at a place called Cabo Cantina. We had delicious sangrias and I tried fish tacos for the first time. I don't know why I've waited 30 years to try them. They were ah-mazing. So good that I ate them before snapping a pic #bloggerfail

Then we decided to walk to Venice Beach. They said it was about 1 1/2 mi, but in 90+ heat, it felt MUCH farther. On our way, we passed the apparent original location of Muscle Beach, and some street performers, where this guy was in the crowd, just chillin with his boa. Because, California?

not even kidding. and yes, it was alive and slithering around quite a bit

The first thing we noticed about Venice Beach was the smell of pot. "Oh, we must be here." There were stands lining the sideway and all sorts of people, but mostly artists, stoners, street performers, and a few "normal" looking tourist types like us. I'm not gonna lie, I did not feel particularly safe there. We walked around for about an hour before feeling like we had enough. 

upcycled transfortmer

another upcycled creation of the Star Wars variety

"artist" doing his thang with the change people left for him 

This guy freaked me out. And why is he above a CVS? I will never know

We went back to the hotel and rested/recharged a bit before changing and heading to Sunset Blvd for some drinks and dinner. We were originally planning on trying to find a place to have drinks, eat and dance later, however, the very friendly concierge at the hotel told us that no such place existed on the Blvd. We could either have drinks/dinner in a bar, upscale drinks and dinner in a lounge, or go to a club.

I honestly don't remember the last time I went to a club. Though originally it sounded appealing (clubbing on Sunset Blvd? How could we not?), our old lady status caught up with us after dinner and we decided against it. Too much work- standing on line, paying cover charges, only to have to fight your way to the bar for overpriced drinks and onto the dance floor, to possibly be grinded on by um...anyone? No, thank you. So we grabbed wine and beer at a liquor store, went back and changed into PJs and brought our brown bags (yes literally) down to the pool where we hung out until we finished everything we had to drink. Hands down, my favorite part of the trip. I loved just catching up with Lisa.

watermelon martini

ridiculously good lobster ravioli 

this store, because who doesn't want mo'of me?!!
I just liked that the sign had my name in it

Cali Confessions

on Wednesdays, we confess. So let's just get to it:

I buy more souvenirs for myself than I do for other people. I have collections- ornaments, magnets, shotglasses, and most recently mugs. I don't buy all these things for myself on each trip, but I try to get at least 2.

I almost raged out during our trip to Hollywood. We went to a souvenir shop and I got most of my souvenirs there, and then we walked down the road less than a block and saw all the same stuff for $5. So my $65 bill could have been about $25. Again, rage.

I normally don't buy myself clothes as souvenirs, but I was literally sweating through my shirt (tmi?), so I got one. And I wore it out of the store. And it's super cute and I love it.

my shirt, along with a very anorexic Marilyn Monroe

I almost missed my flight- twice. The first time was due to train delays (I took the train to the airport). The second was due to my scattered brain. I though my flight home was at 5pm, so I woke up at 10:30a preparing for a relaxing day by the pool. I checked my flight on my phone and flipped out when I realized that my flight was actually at 11:40a, and (they said) it took 40 minutes to get from the hotel to the airport. However it only took 20 minutes (and $50... ugh) and I made it!

I don't check my voicemails until I have like 10 and can't stand the stupid notification any longer. As I was checking them last night after I got home, there was one from my friend (we'll call her Lisa) saying that she WASN'T going to be able to do the Cali trip at all. She left the vm literally a week before I flew out there (obviously after I purchased my plane ticket). I'm glad that I didn't hear the message until after I got back, and she changed her mind, otherwise we might have been friends any longer.

My favorite night of the trip was the one where we ate dinner on Sunset Blvd but instead of hitting a nightclub afterward, we went to the liquor store. I picked up a 40 of Corona and she picked up a bottle of wine, we hailed a cab and went back, changed into loungewear, and sat drinking straight out of the bottles (classy broads) on the poolside lounge chairs talking for hours. Security had to come over and tell us that #1, we weren't suppose to be there but #2 he'd let us stay if we kept our voices down because they could hear us across the patio. Oops.

The vacation curse is alive and well. While it sucks, I'm still grateful to, ya know, not be pregnant. 

The most random fun night was Sunday. We were originally planning to go to Ink, Michael Voltaggio's restaurant (he won Top Chef), but we weren't hungry around dinnertime, and not very interested in his menu. C sent me a link to a comedy show starting at 9pm. The show was only $15, but we found a Groupon (I really love that site) that we purchased through Ebates (apps are the best) and got tickets for $10. The show was at The Comedy Store (owned by Pauly Shore's mom), and had about 15 different performers, one of womch is my absolute favorite, Whitney Cummings. I didn't know much about her before her show, but I adored the show and her ever since. I wish we could be like BFF's, but I think she's too badass for me. I may have tried to find her after her set but she rushed into a waiting car. Anyway, the venue was small and we got front row seats! They also made fun of Lisa and I- which I loved. 

Other than Whitney we saw several other famous people, though I don't know who any of them were. As we stalked the Beverly Wilshire Hotel (yes, we're those people), we spotted a young couple getting out of a black sedan, and literally running inside, and another black sedan pulled up and waited for an older woman to be escorted by a guard into the car. Neither our camera nor eyes were fast enough to figure out who they were. Also, while we were walking on The Promenade in Santa Monica, we noticed a group of young girls surrounded some poor male. He was signing autographs, but was pinned against one of the storefronts. I felt kind of bad for him. I approached the group and was like "Uh, who's that?" She breathlessly informed me that it was blah blah from Pretty little Liars. Obvi, I didn't catch the name, and I don't watch the show. But I did get this pic before walking away. 

anyone know who this is?

I made an ass of myself in front of the Southwest ticket people. When I was boarding, I handed the guy my boarding pass and he took it. I was confused. I was like, "Um I need that. It has my seat number on it doesn't it?" He gently told me no, it's open seating. "What does that mean?" "It means you don't have assigned seats. You find one where you find one." Oh, okay then. I wound up sitting in a middle seat, but both young ladies were great- one slept the entire time (against the window), and the other was so into her book she hardly noticed my presence at all, except when I crossed my legs so it would no longer be pressed up against hers. And no one had to go to the bathroom so win!

Have something you wanna get off your chest? Confess it with Kathy!