Top 5: Christmas Songs

Hello, all and happy holidays!

This Top 5 is dedicated to something I thoroughly enjoy: Christmas music. I'm one of those people who crank holiday music once it's Thanksgiving. I can't help it, I genuinely love it.

So let's get to it. I left off the most obvious one (cause really who doesn't love "All I Want for Christmas Is You"?) and I hope this list gets you in the spirit for all holiday festivities this weekend!

1. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee: I can't hear this song without picturing Kevin McAllister using strings to make it look like a Michael Jordan cut out was moving about his living room to fool the Wet Bandits. Also, it's just a fun song to dance to.

2. "My Only Wish (This Year)" - Britney Spears: Aside from Mariah Carey, this may actually be my favorite Christmas song. It doesn't even need to be Christmas time for me to listen to this. It's just that good.

3. "Last Christmas" - Wham!: What. A. Classic. Like Forrest Gump said, "That's all I have to say about that."

4. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - Michael Buble: It's not Christmas time without Michael Buble. His voice is as smooth as hot chocolate and makes ya feel just as warm inside.

5. "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" - Bruce Springsteen: You have to play this song on Christmas, I think it's a law or something. Plus, who doesn't love The Boss?


This list was actually way harder than I thought to narrow down, like I said, I just really love Christmas music. What's your favorite? Lemme know!

Let's Talk: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Hello, all!

Like many others, I spent my Black Friday not elbowing my way through crowds to get "the best deals" but rather in the comforts of my own home, eating tons of snacks and binge watching all of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix. And, lemme tell you, I've got a lot to say about the four part revival. A lot. Oh, and obviously, this is gonna be filled with some spoilers, so if you haven't watched it yet you're probably gonna wanna skip this post.

I was an avid Gilmore Girls fan when the show first came out, but somewhere around the college years I started to fade out. So once I found out about Netflix's revival, I decided to re-watch all the seasons, and I was amazed at how much my opinions on certain characters *ahem, Rory* changed. When I first started watching, I thought that Rory was such a great character; I thought she was smart and witty, and then when I actually sat and watched every season back to back, I realized she is super selfish and bratty. (FYI, my views on her attitude did not change throughout the new episodes either. We'll get to that.)

I feel like I'm going to start spewing all my feelings like a Lorelai-hopped up on coffee-fueled rant, so I'll try and stay focused. Right off the bat, I love how Stars Hollow is still the exact same kooky, endearing small town it's always been and all the people are just as weird and lovely as ever. Speaking of, I was super impressed with how well Lauren Graham just effortlessly slide back into character thus proving to me that she is Lorelai Gilmore. On the flip side, I feel like Alexis Bledel seemed kinda shakey as Rory. Side note: holy skinny Miss Patty! I didn't even realize it was her at first. I also didn't realize I needed a second film by Kirk, but oh how wrong I was because it was just brilliant.

"Winter" also starts to drive home how much Rory irks me. She apparently has had a boyfriend for 2 years and she can't even remember him. Granted, no one really remembers him, but still. Poor Paul, you like tea, so you never really had a shot anyways. Oh, and no one likes getting woken up in the middle of the night to tap dancing, Rory. That ain't cute, but what is cute is how super proud Luke is of her getting an article published in The New Yorker, so much so that he put it on the back of his diner menus. Another side note: the way that everyone kept raving about her New Yorker piece, I felt like it would be a little longer than the back of a diner menu.

Now, I thought I had prepared myself for not seeing Edward Hermann as Richard Gilmore, but cue the funeral flashback and I was really not prepared in the slightest. My heart broke along with Emily, Lorelai and Rory as they said goodbye to the head of their family. Then my heart shattered into a million pieces when Emily and Lorelai got into hands down the worst fight in the history of the show after.

I love the thought of Lorelai and Luke looking into surrogacy and finding out Paris is one of the tops in that field was just the icing on the cake. She is still as terrifying and intimidating as I remember, and it's so appropriate that she makes a class cry when her and Rory go back to speak at Chilton.

Let's get back to Rory for a minute, shall we? First, how in the world can she afford all these international flights to London when she doesn't have a job? Second, I'm just throwin' this out there, but maybe she's not as great at her job cause she falls asleep while interviewing someone and then sleeps with another, then goes to a job interview with no sort of ideas to bring to the table and not a whole lot of enthusiasm either (doesn't matter if they were the one to pursue you, you still have to put forth an effort, girl!) Now onto the real problem here; homegirl is having an affair with Logan. LOGAN. Logan who is engaged to be married. I thought he was terrible when they were dating the first time around and I still hate him just as much now. I was a bit glad when Rory finally gets it together and says goodbye to him for real, even though it took the entire 4 episodes.

Ya know who she should've been with the whole time? Jess. He may not have been the best when they first met/dated, but he is the only one of her boyfriends who really was her equal. He was well-read, he challenged her, and by the end I feel like he was the only one who really knew her and had her best interests at heart (he did make her realize she made a huge mistake by dropping out of Yale.) He even convinces her to write a book about her and her mom. (Also, how cute was Lorelai blowing him a kiss in "Fall"? They seem to be on better terms now and I think it's adorable.) I feel like out of the three boyfriends, he was the one she was always meant to end up with and the fact that she didn't makes me really upset.

Another thing I didn't get was the Stars Hollow musical. I felt like it was so unnecessary and a waste of time. Just like the two second Francie cameo. I get the need to put in someone from Rory and Paris' time at Chilton, but why not Madeline and Louise? At times, I really felt like they tried to cram so many characters in that it felt a bit like overkill. Like the five second Dean cameo. I get it, they wanted all her past boyfriends in it, but really, go back to Scranton. With that being said I did love the Mr. Kim cameo though, it was so nice to finally see him! I'm also still choked up from Sookie coming back to the Dragonfly Inn and the "Still best friends?"

Ok, I can go on and on about each episode, but I'll try and wrap this up since it's already a novel. I do love how they wrapped up Emily's story line; from going to therapy with Lorelai, to her breaking out of the D.A.R world (how fantastic was her whole "BULLSHIT" outburst?!) to finally finding some peace in Nantucket with her volunteering at a whaling museum. After all that she had been through, she deserved to be as content as a widow can be. I'm beyond happy that Lorelai and Luke finally got married, even though I would have loved to see their actual wedding despite how cute their impromptu one was, and that her and Emily got some closure together after her touching story about her favorite memory of her father. Now we get to Rory. Oh, Rory, Rory, Rory. I feel like she just drifted through the entire series, without really doing much of anything. I'm also very torn on the last 4 words. I had heard about how creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, had the last 4 words of the show in her head since the beginning and I was sorta left underwhelmed. Basically, Rory tells Lorelai she's pregnant and the whole show pretty much comes full circle.

I feel like even though each episode was 90 minutes, I need more. I need to know who's baby it is (even though, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Logan's.) I need Rory to end up with Jess, since he's still so obviously in love with her. I just need more Stars Hollow.

Have you guys watched yet? Lemme know what you thought!

Top 5: MST3K Episodes

Hello, all!

In honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I figured I'd dedicate this Top 5 to one of my all time favorite shows: Mystery Science Theater 3000. My favorite thing on Thanksgiving (aside from the mashed potatoes) is the MST3K Turkey Day marathon. Every year at noon, I plop myself in front of my computer and watch the 6 fan picked movies and laugh by myself for the rest of the night.

MST fans also have a lot to be thankful for this time around, thanks to a widely popular Kickstarter campaign to have Netflix bring back the cult favorite show, new episodes will start airing in the not too distant future (...get it?) of 2017. *insert praise hands emoji*

Ok, now let's get to it!

1. Werewolf: This film is MST3K gold. It's super low budget, the special effects, acting and sound effects are terrible and I love every second of it. Even the bits in between the movie were good-- you had the slow transition into "wereCrow" and how can one forget the musical stylings of "Where O'Werewolf"?

Favorite line: "Paul, you is a wurr-wilf!"

2. Soultaker: Basically, a group of supposed-to-be-teenagers-but-really-look-like-fourties get into a car crash and their souls are completely thrown from their bodies. The group has to try and figure out what happened to them, all the while trying not to get captured by the "soultaker." Who is Joe Estevez. Emilio and Charlie's uncle. Who is dressed in head to toe black. If that wasn't enough, you also have Robert Z'Dar who plays a higher ranking soultaker and the butt of so many huge face jokes.

Favorite line: Brad- "There is no stairway to heaven." Tom Servo- "Zep is never wrong, man!"

3. The Final Sacrifice: There is only one word to describe this one: ROWSDOWER. Wait, I lied, also the whole tribute song to Canada is fantastic.

Favorite line: Rowsdower- "Do ya have any idea what kinda people you're dealing with?" Crow- "They're from Saskatchewan!"

4. Gamera: I think this was one of the first MST3K episodes I had seen and I was hooked from the start. It's like the filmmakers saw how popular Godzilla movies were and decided, "You know what would be scarier than a dinosaur monster? A TURTLE monster!" Seriously, the film definitely warranted all the jokes the guys could come up with and then some.

Favorite line: "Hey Kenny, get bent!"

5. Hobgoblins: This movie is a blatant Gremlins rip off, and one of the only films that the guys really bug out while watching. It's just that bad. To sum it up, a bunch of creepy little creatures escape a vault and it's up to the rookie security guard to round'em all up.

Favorite line: "Meet the Hobgoblins; Franky, Sniffles, Bounce Bounce and The Claw!"


There are a ton more I could've added, but I'll leave it at these for now. Are any of you guys fans? What's your favorite episode? Lemme know and Happy Thanksgiving!

The Taylor Swift Experience

Hello, all!

So today I went into the city to see The Taylor Swift Exhibit. Basically, it's a small Grammy museum in the South Street Seaport district in NYC that's showing a bunch of Taylor Swift memorabilia; tour costumes, instruments, awards, handwritten lyrics, etc.

I have to admit I was expecting a bit more, especially since her Mom even helped curate the exhibit, but it was still really cool to see all of her tour outfits and awards up close. Along with those, they also had a behind the scenes video of the making of 1989 playing (the room it was in was incredibly too hot, though) and even the light up dance floor from the "Shake It Off" video, which was super fun to hop around on.

If you guys are T. Swift fans, definitely check out the exhibit, or just take a look at some pictures I took below!

The piano from the Red tour

Some baby clothes

Bad Blood video outfit

"Welcome to New York" lyrics

"White Horse" lyrics

Letter to fans

Legends of the Hidden Temple Movie

Hello, all!

One of my favorite shows growing up was Legends of the Hidden Temple. I would spend my time playing along with the contestants (Blue Barracuda, for life!), screaming the answers on the Steps of Knowledge, jumping every time a Temple Guard jumped out and getting frustrated whenever no one could figure out how to put together the Silver Monkey statue.

Now, later this month, Nickelodeon is set to air a tv movie based all around the hit 90s tv show. Set to air on the 26th, the movie is about three siblings who sneak away from a boring jungle temple tour and find themselves facing a series of obstacles that they'll have to work together in order to survive.

The tv movie will, of course, have nods to the original show; it'll have the Temple Guards (although, probably way scarier looking than in the show), all of the team animals make a cameo, and you can't have a movie based on the show without Olmec and Kirk Fogg.

I must admit, I'm loving all the resurgence of old Nick tv shows. First, they started a block on Teen Nick at Nite of shows like Hey Arnold (which there's talk of a movie, too) All That and Keenan and Kel, and now this. I'd like to think I had a part in that since my friends and I wrote a letter to Nick once after an all nighter demanding they bring back all the good stuff. So, you know, you're welcome everyone.

If you were a fan of the show when you were young, or just want a fun adventure-type movie, definitely check it out on November 26th.

Let's Talk: The Lost Boys Sequel

Hello, all!

Better call the Frog Brothers because it seems like Santa Carla is once again becoming a haven for the undead. Thanks to Vertigo Comics, we're thrown back into the 80's cult favorite, The Lost Boys, in all its bloody, big-haired vampire glory.

The monthly miniseries, first published on October 12th, is backed by some serious veteran horror writers as well; you've got Tim Seeley writing, artists Scott Godlewski and Patricia Mulvihill and covers by Tony Harris, and all are excited to pay homage to the gruesomely stylish film.

The series centers around brothers, Michael and Sam Emerson, who, with the help of militant vampire hunters Edgar and Allan Frog, have to rid their town of another gang of ruthless nightcrawlers. This time though, instead of being Kiefer Sutherland, it's a gaggle of ladies called the Blood Belles, who have come to collect their sister (and Michael's love interest), Star. You can just imagine all the trouble that's gonna cause.

I'm actually pretty interested to see how this series develops and if it'll hold up to the original. The Lost Boys was one of my first introductions into horror (I know, it's not horror horror, but you get my drift. Also, it had the Corey's!), so I have a special place for this movie in my heart and I hope that the comics will do it justice.

Is anyone else interested in this series? Or has anyone picked it up? Lemme know!

Let's Talk: RHPS Remake

Hello, all!

If you've been around since last years Halloween posts, you'll know that I love The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I remember seeing it at a Halloween party when I was younger (way younger than I should've been) and loving every second of it. From the songs to the costumes to the characters themselves, I was just drawn in. It was a bunch of weirdos, and that's what I loved most.

As I got older, I used to go see my friends perform as Brad and Frank-N-Furter at midnight in little playhouses. It's really a movie that I grew up with, so I was pretty excited to hear that Fox was putting out a remake, which aired yesterday, and after all the antici..............pation, it left me pretty meh.

It seemed like they tried to stay true to the original film while also trying to make it fresh for a new audience, but it just felt too polished, too overproduced, and just didn't have the same grit. The cast definitely were talented and Laverne Cox brought sass and was like if Tina Turner and Frank-N-Furter had a baby, and I really dug the Cyndi Lauper vibe that Columbia was giving off. While those were cool, there were iconic moments that you just didn't get-- the show didn't kick off with a close up of those red lips singing "Science Fiction/Double Feature"; Rocky wasn't wearing his famous gold Speedo; Eddie driving around the lab seemed too careful and not with the same wild abandon that Meatloaf had; and even the cut aways to the crowd doing the call outs seemed forced rather than a nice homage to the live shows. The reason the call outs work so well during those live shows is because the people that go to the live shows usually have been doing it for years and are familiar with it, if you were seeing Rocky Horror for the first time last night, it probably wouldn't have made sense to you.

I understand since it was broadcasted on a family(-ish) network that a lot of the overt innuendos had to be tamed, but even so, the entire thing just felt so stiff and boring to me. I feel like a lot of the choices that were made were very safe, and that's not what Rocky Horror is about. It's about pushing boundaries, it's about making people question things and making people uncomfortable. Even Tim Curry's cameo felt a bit sad and not in the nostalgic sort of way. If you went in thinking this was going to be just like the original, you'd be disappointed. It definitely didn't live up to the cult like phenomenon, and I feel like it had the potential to be really great, but they just jumped a little bit too far to the left.

Did anyone else watch? What'd you think?

New Book by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Hello, all!

Growing up, I always wanted to be Elvira. I've always loved campy B-horror movies, and the fact that she had her own show which was based around all that, little Heather was like 'Yes, this is what I want to do!' Needless to say, that didn't happen (probably because I could never pull off an outfit such as hers), so instead I settled for sitting in my room watching the Mistress of the Dark movie over and over. Now, cut to me at the beginning of the month when I found out that she was coming out with a "coffin table" book.

The book, which details the ghoulishly glamorous 35 year career of Cassandra Peters (aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), was released on October 5th through Tweeterhead Publishing. The deluxe 240 page retrospective includes commentary from Peters, as well as never before seen pictures of her early modeling career, pictures of her while she's pregnant with her daughter, and even showcase how Peters has aged her cult persona.

It's amazing how 35 years later, people are still loving this character that Peters has created. She still regularly goes to conventions and has a widely popular Halloween horror show at Knott's Scary Farm every year.  Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is available in two different forms: a standard and a signed copy, and can be purchased through the publishing company here.

Heeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny! The Shining Coming Back to Theaters

Hello all and happy October!

We've finally come to my favorite time of the year; cozy sweaters, crisp air and all things Halloween. I have a tradition where every October in preparation for my favorite holiday, I marathon any creepy/scary/campy horror movie throughout the whole month.

Now, normally, I don't get too freaked out by movies and only a few have ever made me cringe and The Shining is one of them. (This doesn't stop me from going "Redrum! Redrum!" while curling my finger at people, though.) To this day I can't look at Jack Nicholson without getting the willies. He's just too perfect at being a psychopath. This movie creeps me out so much that I usually take it out of the marathon line-up unless I have someone to watch it with me, and this year thanks to Turner Classic Movies, I can watch it with a whole theater filled with people!

TCM, Fathom Events and Warner Bros. Entertainment have teamed up to bring Stanley Kubrick's modern horror masterpiece take on Stephen King's novel back to select theaters for two days this month -- Sunday, October 23rd and Wednesday, October 26th at 2pm and 7pm local times. The screenings will also include exclusive commentary by TCM host, Ben Mankiewicz. Tickets and more information can be found on the Fathom Events website here.

Even though the majority of this movie creeps me out (I'm lookin' at you flood of blood) I may try dragging a few friends out to the theaters for this one. Anyone else? What other movies would you like to see back in theaters?

Let's Talk: DuckTales Reboot

Hello all!

Say it with me folk, DuckTales WOOOOO-OOOOO! It's been announced that Disney XD is set to air a reboot of the animated series starting in 2017, and I'm super pumped.

For those who may not remember, this wonderful show originally aired from 1987-1990 and was based on the Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics by Carl Barks. The show also took influence from another great franchise hero, the one and only Dr. Indiana Jones. DuckTales was a perfect mix of adventure and cartoon comedy. Not to mention it had one of the best theme songs of any show. Ever.

Not much has been released yet regarding the reboot, but from the looks of it all the familiar characters are coming back and even the animation itself will be just as fans remember it. There won't be any CGI or 3D renderings for this show. The project was first announced back in February, and according to a statement by Marc Buhaj, the senior VP Programming and General Manager for Disney XD, they're hoping this new series will bring the same energy and spirit to a new generation.

When I first heard about the reboot I was excited. I loved this show when I was younger, and I still listen to the theme song at least once a week. But then I thought about it-- will it still have the same impact on me like it did when I was younger? Will it come off as this cheesy remake of one of my most beloved cartoons? Or will it be just the right amount of nostalgia with a fresh new take? Either way, life is again about to be like a hurricane in Duckburg and I can't wait.

What do you guys think? Lemme know!

What's Your Patronus?

Hello all!

So not only is today the first day of fall and my Mom's birthday, but today is also the day I found out my Patronus!

Now, you should all know my love of Harry Potter by now (I mention it at every opportunity) and I'm a sucker for all those Pottermore quizzes, so I couldn't wait to get home and take this one.

I was slightly intimidated by this quiz because it was timed and you're being whisked around the forrest by a will-o'-the whisp looking thing, and they aren't so much as questions but rather you picking a word that you'd associated with yourself. Am I more stone, wood or earth? I don't know and the building music in the background isn't helping my only seconds long decision! Oh, the pressure!

Ever since I read the books, I've always wondered what my Patronus would be. What animal would convey my happiest thought? Well, my friends, here it is-- My Patronus is...

...A Tonkinese cat.

Now, to be honest, I don't even know what a Tonkinese cat is, but according to Google it's a cross between a Siamese and a Burmese cat. I'm also not the biggest cat person being that I'm allergic to them, but this does sort of make sense to me. Tonkinese cats are loyal, playful, intelligent and curious. They are content in social situations, but also like to be on their own. They're easy to care for and are generous with the affection they give to their loved ones.

In a weird way, it does sum me up pretty well. Has anyone else tried the quiz? If so, what were your results? And if you haven't, head over to Pottermore and find out!

Book Haul: Part 1

Hello all!

I have to apologize for my hiatus again. I recently moved in with two of my friends, so the past few weeks have been just a tad bit hectic, but I promise I am back to clutter your screens with my nerdy word vomit once more.

While packing my life away into boxes, I realized I had quite a lot of books I had bought but never mentioned, and what better way to come back than with a little haul! I'm going to break this up into 2 posts because it's a bit of a doozy.

Side note: I've always had a ton of books. Ever since I was a kid, I always liked to spend my time with fictional characters rather than actual living people. I could spend hours walking through bookstores or libraries, and I've always had stacks of books in every corner of my room because I ran out of room on my countless bookshelves. In saying that, lemme also just mention, moving said stacks and stacks of books is the pits. Moving boxes filled with books up and down stairs really tested my tiny, frail T-Rex arms.

Anywho, here we go!

Wonder Show - Hannah Barnaby: I mainly picked this book up because I love anything surrounding circuses circa 1920s-1930s. I had a photography class in college and we looked at pictures of circus performers/circus grounds during that time period and I just fell in love with the look of everything. The story is about a young girl, Portia, who gets abandoned by her father and left with her straight laced aunt. After a while, her aunt then dumps her at the McGreavey Home for Wayward Girls under the care of a creepy man known only by "Mister." While at the home, Portia becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her father, and she gets this notion in her head that he left her to join the circus. So what's the logical thing to do then? Well, escape the home and join the circus, of course. After the death of Portia's only friend at the home, which Portia feels responsible for, she flees during the night and joins up with a circus that's moving through town. While working there, rather than looking for the family that left her, she starts connecting with the people in the circus (especially the freaks in the sideshow) and begins forming a new family of her own. It's not too long though before Mister has private investigators track her down and force her to return to the house. Once there, Portia learns the fate of her family and after a rescue attempt from her circus family, must decide to either stay at the house or embrace a new life with the strange little family she made.

Seinfeldia - Jennifer Keishin Armstrong: I just love anything Seinfeld related and this book was such a fun look into the history, and just how the show about nothing got created. Packed with pictures from writers of the show and tidbits from Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, it really showcases the struggles the show had in the beginning and how it's now one of the most popular TV shows of our time.

The Wicked Boy - Kate Summerscale: Taking place in the summer of 1895, brothers Robert and Nattie, are two teenage kids running around having the time of their lives in East London-- eating at all the fancy coffee shops, taking trips to the theater and whatever else young boys in Victorian London did for fun. The boys told their neighbors that their mother has left them alone to go visit family, but that arises the suspicions of their aunt who comes to the house only to find the decomposing body of the boy's mother. The two boys are then taken into custody and charged with matricide. Robert confesses to the murder but his lawyers fight that he's clinically insane (uh, ya think?) and Nattie strikes a deal in which he totally throws his brother under the bus. While on trial, it's brought up Robert's love of vicious criminals, penny dreadfuls and that he suffers from severe headaches. Robert eventually gets thrown into a detention center for the insane, which has a profoundly shocking impact on the boy and those who thought they knew him the most.

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon: This is a story about a girl, Maddy, who is literally allergic to everything. She can't leave the confines of her home, but that doesn't stop her from building a relationship with the new boy, Olly, who moved in next door. The only form of communication they have is through email and the tiny windows of time that Maddy's nurse can sneak Olly in the house while Maddy's mom is at work. Eventually the two fall for one another, and Maddy is determined to be able to live in the outside world with Olly like a normal teenaged girl. Going behind her mothers back, Maddy books a trip to Hawaii for her and Olly, and while there she has a scare and ends up in the hospital. This one event changes everything and flips Maddy's world on its head. Was she ever really sick or was it just her mother's way of keeping her close so nothing bad ever happened to her? It's a story filled with first love and coming of age that's really endearing and heartfelt, and it's played out with little drawings and diary entries so it really feels like you're living it along with Maddy which is refreshing.

Book Haul: Part 2

And the list goes on!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne: You guys know I love me some Harry Potter, so me picking this up was a given. The story takes place years after the end of the series, and follows Harry's son Albus and his years at Hogwarts and the hardships he faces being the son of The Boy Who Lived. It's written in a screenplay style, so right off the bat it's different from the original series. I actually already read this one, and I have to admit, I liked it but I didn't think it was great. I mean, it was a good story line, but I guess I was just expecting more from it.

Eragon - Christopher Paolini: I've always heard such good things about this book, but I've never actually read it. The story is about a boy, Eragon, who finds a polished blue stone in the forest and while he thinks it's just a nice treasure he found, a dragon soon hatches from it and his life is thrust into this powerful, magical world. With only the help of an ancient sword and an old storyteller, Eragon must take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders and travel through the dangerous terrain of the Empire, fighting off enemies and an evil king. If that wasn't enough, the whole fate of the Empire may rest in his hands, so you know, no pressure or anything.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen: I already have this book. In two different copies, actually, but just look at the pretty binding. I really love the look of leather bound books, and I'm such a huge fan of the Barnes & Noble classics line that they brought out which caters to my obsession. I have a few other books from that range, but this one is actually not a hardcover, but it's not exactly a paperback either. It's like a nice in-between and I just love it so much.


Ok, I think that's enough for now. What're you guys reading lately? As always, lemme know if you have any suggestions!

Top 5: Sports Movies

Hello all!

In honor of the Olympics starting up, I figured I'd go with a sports theme for this Top 5. I was never athletic growing up; in fact, my Mom signed me up for softball when I was around 7 or 8 and when it was my teams turn out in the field, I used to sit down and pick at the grass. I've always been a total klutz and I have asthma, so needless to say, me and sports were never friends. Despite my athletic shortcomings, these movies always made me feel like I could be part of the team.

1. Little Giants: I love this movie, like it's actually one of my favorite movies ever. I can quote pretty much the entire thing and never get tired of it. It's just so freakin' good. Also, after all these years I still wish I was Becky "The Icebox" O'Shea.

2. Space Jam: I mean, come awwwn. Of course I had to pick Space Jam. How could you go wrong with Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes? And Bill Murray! I once went with my brother to a basketball game and I kept heckling the teams about how the Monstars took their talent.

3. The Sandlot: This was a staple of my childhood. During the summers, all the kids on my block would come out to play stickball or kickball and pretty much pretend we were in this movie. I even have a Squints jersey and can never say "forever" without going "for-ev-er."

4. The Mighty Ducks (any of them): I don't know about you guys, but there's always one movie in a trilogy that I always think is slightly less good than all the others. This is so not the cast for these, I genuinely love every Mighty Ducks movie. I mean, you have Goldberg and Averman who are hilarious, the Bash Brothers and a swoon worthy young Joshua Jackson. This is another movie that I watched over and over again wishing I was Julie "The Cat" Gaffney (I sure do have a thing for characters with nicknames). My only issue with this one is the Knuckle puck move in D2. Yeah, it's Russ Tyler's signature move and blahblahblah, but it takes so much time to set up and the accuracy is always iffy. You're playin' in the big leagues now Russ, pick a better move.

5. The Big Green: Soccer was the only sport I ever actually wanted to play. I almost tried out in high school, but then I remembered how much I'm not a sports person and even the thought of practices tired me. I'll just live vicariously through this movie, it's fine. I used to rent this out from the library constantly. I still think the most nerve-racking soccer match ever was the Big Green vs the Knights.

Honorable Mention:

Bring it On: I've never met a person who doesn't like this movie. It's just so fun.

What're some of your favorites? Lemme know!

Let's Talk: Stranger Things

Hello, all!

Have you guys watched/been watching the new Netflix Original Series, Stranger Things? If so, OH MY GOD RIGHT?!, if not please drop everything and watch the 8 episodes right now because you will not be disappointed. I was hooked right from the opening title sequence. I knew a few people who had heard of the show prior to it being released on the 15th, but I actually knew nothing about it before going in, and I kinda liked that more since I had no idea what to expect and was totally blown away by it.

Everything about this show was perfection to me. From the 80s nostalgia, to the creepy sci-fi elements, to the actors. Let's touch on that last one for a moment, the majority of the cast are young kids and they're all amazing. They're funny and they make their characters feel real, like they could be any kids on your block. The real stand out for me though was Millie Bobby Brown who plays Eleven (or El as the boys call her), she was so captivating. She had such an intense quality about her, whether she was flipping a van over with her mind, or just quietly crouched in a corner. I was impressed with all the cast, but she was really top notch for me.

Basically, without trying to give too much of it away, the show takes place in Indiana during the 80s and is such an homage to 80s pop culture and cult sci-fi classics. The series starts with a young boy, Will Byers, crossing paths with this large monster and mysteriously vanishing and his three friends stumbling upon a girl with telekinetic powers in the woods while they're trying to find him.

Will's mother, Joyce, played by Winona Rider, understandably goes a bit frantic when she finds out her son is missing and enlists the help of the police chief Jim Hopper to find him. Joyce is fully convinced that her son is still alive and stuck somewhere. She swears she can hear his breathing when she receives weird phone calls, and that the flickering lights are him trying to communicate with her. This leads to Hopper, and pretty much everyone else including her other son Jonathan, thinking she's outta her bird. Then Hopper veers from the more by-the-book police work and starts his own investigation and after some digging, comes to the conclusion that Joyce's suspicions are actually totally valid.

Meanwhile, while the adults are doing their thing, Will's best friends Mike, Dustin and Lucas take Eleven back to Mike's where they quickly find out she may have information that could help lead them to Will. It turns out she escaped from "the bad place" and has some pretty serious government people willing to do whatever it takes to get her back. Mike hides her in his basement, gaining her trust and friendship, and together the four of them decided to find Will themselves.

Will isn't the only casualty of this monster, either. Mike's older sister, Nancy, is one of those good girl types who gets a little attention from the cool guy and sort of forgets what's important, and unfortunately her best friend Barb is the one who pays for it. While at a party at Nancy's boyfriend's house, Barb cuts her hand and while going to fix it up, the rest of them all jump in the pool. Once Barb is done, she catches Nancy running up the stairs and tells Barb to leave. Barb obviously being a good friend and not wanting to leave her friend, instead goes out and sits by the pool, and a drop of blood falls into the water and boom-- bye Barb. This causes Nancy to team up with Jonathan and they both make it a priority to find the monster and kill him.

I'll fast-forward a bit cause I don't want to spoil the whole thing for everyone-- Basically, the boys, along with Eleven, Nancy, Jonathan, Hopper and Joyce hatch a plan to take down the monster as well as the equally creepy government people to hopefully bring their friends back. Also, the finale leaves things a bit open-ended and so I'm gonna need Netflix to release a second series like now.

So, to sum up, if you're a fan of the 80s classics or supernatural/sci-fi stuff you'll love Stranger Things.  The cinematography is great, the music choices go so well, and just the story line as a whole is amazing.

If you've watched it, lemme know what you thought!

Let's Talk: Pokémon Go

Hello all!

So I'm a bit late on writing about this, but it's only because I've been so obsessed. For those who don't know, Nintendo dropped Pokémon Go about two weeks ago, and I can't. Stop. Playing.

I will admit, I actually wasn't super into it when I first heard about it. I figured it'd eat up all my storage and data on my phone, and I didn't think it was worth it. If it wasn't for my friend peer pressuring me into downloading it, and then confusing me into picking Squirtle for my starter when everyone knows I always go Charmander (still bitter about that), I'd probably have way more free time on my hands. But alas, I want to be the very best like no one ever was.

It took me a while to get the feel for everything, and to be honest it still takes me one or two tries to throw my Poké balls correctly, but I'm really into this game. I was such a huge Pokémon fan growing up-- I watched the cartoon, I had a ton of Pokémon gear including a creepy eyed Pikachu ring, and not only did I have binders filled with cards (one of my most prized possessions is a holographic Charizard card) but my brother and I actually battled with them the way you were supposed to. Basically, this is just another step towards actually feeling like a real Pokémon trainer and I am all about it. It also answered my question of yes, there really are freakin' Pidgeys EV-ER-Y-WHERE.

I also found out that my job is a gym, so I'm pretty sure that means I can tell people I go to the gym everyday. (I mean, totally the same thing, right?) I'm almost to level 7 but I actually haven't joined a team yet to be able to battle in the gyms, I don't really know why. I think it's cause I'm terrible at making decisions and I just don't know which team to go for.

My biggest issue with the game though is the same as everyone else's-- it is soooo glitchy. I think I've spent more time being kicked off the server than I have actually playing. Also, when I first downloaded it, I went back in that night and all the Pokémon I had caught that day were gone and it wouldn't even pick up my location. Luckily, after a while everything came back, but still it was so annoying. I've noticed the past few days haven't been too terrible, but I've probably just jinxed myself, so that's cool.

Have any of you been playing? What do you think?

Top 5: High School Movies

Hello all!

In honor of it being commencement time, and not being able to drive 2 feet without seeing bunches of graduation balloons tied to porches, I figured I'd dedicate this Top 5 to some of the best high school movies.

1. The Breakfast Club: This is just a given, I mean come on. I love all the characters and the whole movie is filled with such great one-liners. I'm pretty sure my friend and I watched this a million times in the span of our high school careers. I'm glad I never had detention when I was in school because I know I'd get real bummed when I found out it was nothing like this.

2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Let's be real. Who didn't wish they could fake sick and go on an adventure with their friends instead of sitting in class all day? Let's also be real. I would never be the Ferris in this situation, I would most definitely always be the Cameron.

3. Clueless: I was absolutely obsessed with this movie when I was younger. I mean it, I had the little purses with the feather bits on it to look like theirs, I had folders with all the sayings on them, and if I could've rocked the matching skirt/blazer combo I probably would've done that as well. This movie came out when I was in elementary school, and I like totally thought this was what high school was all about.

4. Mean Girls: Imagine my surprise to find out high school wasn't like Clueless, and that it was more along the lines of Mean Girls instead. This movie did come out when I was in high school, and yeah it amped up the drama a bit, but it was mainly a really solid representation of kids in high school. Especially the cafeteria bit when they break down the tables, cause I'm pretty sure that really was every high school. I know for sure it was mine. I also ate cheese fries for lunch the majority of my 4 years there, so I felt that on a spiritual level.

5. Can't Hardly Wait: I didn't have a graduation party, and even if I did, it would never have been like this, but it's fun to pretend. You can't have a movie set during high school without a completely over the top house party in it. Also, how adorable is 90's Ethan Embry? *insert heart eyes emoji*

Honorable Mention:

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion: My 10 year high school reunion is this year, and I really hope I can get away with telling everyone I invented Post-Its.


What're some of your favorite high school movies? Lemme know!

The Viking Exhibition

Hello all!

I was scrolling through my pictures before, and I realized I had never posted about the Viking exhibit I had gone to a few months back at Discovery Times Square. The exhibit, which opened up back in February, showcases the biggest collection of Viking artifacts ever displayed in North America, many of which have never been shown out of Scandinavia.

Included in the exhibit are a full scale replica Viking ship, virtual tours of how the ships were made, interactive stations that guide you through a day in the life of the Viking people, not to mention loads of jewelry and metalwork that show off the rich Norse mythology. Needless to say, there were a TON of hammers of Thor and more swords that you could imagine.

The exhibit will run through September, so if you're in or around NYC you should definitely check it out. (Or just take a look at some of the pictures I took!)

The one on the right was a cat charm. Who knew Vikings
were cat people!

This was part of an actual Viking ship

These were ice skates!

If anyone wants to make some Viking bread!