XIX | 10 THINGS OF THANKFUL | XIX

I’m not sure how I forgot to mention, but two weeks ago was hell of a work week. It kind of knocked me on my ass and helped facilitate my absence from the Blogosphere. The property had two walkthroughs. One from a potential owner — wanting to go into each unit — and another with one of the higher-ups of the company. This called for extra time being spent cleaning the buildings, property, and my own apartment.

My building is generally always good to go, but the other… well, the other has a section I call the “Dead Zone”. Just to myself. It kind of creeps me out, to be honest. Maybe I will explain why in a future post. It’s silly, and slightly embarrassing, but I have an overactive imagination. Anyhow, it just never seems to look cleaned and it bugs the hell out of me. Needless to say, the entire ordeal did a number on me — mainly the cleaning chemicals.

It lead into a great weekend, however, and a much less stressful week.

Round Two:

1. This past Monday I thought I would ask my grandmother if she would like to play cards. She loves them, so naturally the answer was yes. After resting her eyes for a bit, of course. I imagine she was harnessing her card shark chi. We played 500 Rummy and I pulled out the win at the very end.

2. When Kate arrived, later that evening, we all three played a game. That was even more fun, and challenging, but I was able to squeak out the win again.

3. My mad card skills (skillz). Not really, but when playing 500 Rummy I use a tactic that frustrates my grandmother. All it involves is keeping pairs and runs in my hand, trying to arrange going out in one fluid swoop, but it really works her up. I did this during the last game of the night, before either her or Kate were able to lay down any cards for points, causing them to go negative. I may have sang a little diddy as I did it… you know… to make it more memorable…

4. Continued lazy weekends. Sometimes after a rough week you just have to relax. This was last weekend, though. This weekend was a bit busy.

5. Kate and I finally finished up Breaking Bad. It took about a month and a half to catch up to the recent series finale. When watching a show with someone — something I love to do — you can’t exactly crush and marathon them, unless they are wanting to. Not that Kate wouldn’t have, I didn’t exactly ask, but it’s something I don’t oppose. I like to do this with series that have already ended (though, avoiding spoilers can be a bitch), so you can plow right through them. Breaking Bad was a great show, and would highly recommend it! Please no spoilers below if you have seen it, just in case there are still those attempting to catch up and/or interested in the series.
   
6. I am thankful my girlfriend is already onboard for picking another show or two to watch together!

7. Tuesday Kate and I went to see a play called Tribes. It was essentially about language, feelings, and the ability to accurately understand/express them; specifically via sign language, given the central character is deaf. It was good, but I won’t pretend I will get around to doing a review. If you recall my failings at doing one for Urinetown months ago, and my now non-existent movie reviews…

8. This weekend Kate’s friend had a housewarming party. It was a lot of fun, and I was able to meet even more of my girlfriend’s friends. A handful seemed to take a liking to me, others not so much. I’m good with sticking with those who did…

9. In regards to the work talk above, I’m thankful I have a little more information about the going-ons with my property. Even if having to go through back-channels to do so. As it is, no need for me to wear shades at the moment, because my future isn’t looking so bright. But there are always things to look forward to. Like:

10. This.
    
    

Feel free to leave your Thankful List in the comments below, if you aren’t participating directly with the blog hop!

XVIII | 10 THINGS OF THANKFUL | XVIII

I took a week off as I’ve struggled with thoughts of a hiatus. One with an undetermined time frame. Originally, I thought a few weeks. Come back, start fresh, catch up if able, but not worrying if unable to — much. This is me we’re talking about here…

Then I realized NaNoWriMo is fast approaching, and the likelihood of me being able to blog and write 50k words in a month seems pretty impossible. If I was going to take any sort of hiatus, that would be the optimal time to do so.

So I’m going to attempt a double post weekend, but don’t get your panties in a bunch because it doesn’t amount to the same degree of those who generally double post. It’s simply me catching up to where I should be at. That and I am a little OCD. At least with my own blog series I can control which week I am on as I post them. The TToT keeps on truckin’, whether I am around or not.

Fair warning: I’m not going to bullshit, I may not be able to hop around (and I’ve still not replied to comments from two weeks ago) with everyone this weekend. At this point, I’m just attempting to get words on page, because come November my doing so will be focused in another direction. Sort of. More explanation on that sometime this week. Let’s see if I can actually crank out 20 things I’ve been thankful for these past two weeks.

Round One:

1. My grandmother. I’m always thankful for her, but it bares repeating.

2. On that note, I’m really thankful that her health has vastly improved from the weeks prior. She has been having some ups and downs, but it appears she is on the mend.

3. Even though he can be a complete pain-in-the-ass, I’m thankful for my brother. He has been helping me make my weekly Grandma Day visits while I’m without a car.

4. Three weeks ago (and I believe I forgot to mention before now) my brother got a flat tire during one of these outings. Although he was upset, he was able to get the spare on, find enough money for a new tire — his cost a pretty penny — and still brought me over to our grandmother’s house with no complaints. Well… about dropping me off that is…

5. The Blacklist. Since Under the Dome wrapped up a few weeks ago, my grandmother; girlfriend; and I debated a new show to watch together. The Blacklist won and so far it’s a pretty decent show. I really like James Spader, and it’s all about spies and espionage. My cup of tea.
   
6. Coupons. After years of telling myself I would eventually get into the habit of using coupons, I’ve finally crossed over to doing so. It’s surprising how much you can actually save when you shop smart. Whodathunkit? However, no extreme couponing for me!

7. I’m thankful my girlfriend helped ease me into the couponing stage. She can be quite gentle and persuading… when she wants to be…

8. Getting to see some of my gaming friends. I have so many different circle of friends now that it's hard to divvy up time between them… is what I would say if I had a car and were able to go out… Two Thursdays ago, however, my brother and I were able to go out to one of the local card shops to game with friends. Our appearance at the event — which has been rare lately — was a surprise. It was a ton of fun, and it was great catching up with people.

9. I’m also thankful that I did pretty decent at the event. I tied the first game and won the two after. The atmosphere is laid back and casual, but it’s always nice to know you can still win a game or two.

10. I'm thankful I got myself to write this (and hypothetically another tomorrow…) when it seemed almost certain I would go my second weekend without doing so. Unfortunately, come November, it may be four weekends without…

Feel free to leave your Thankful List in the comments below, if you aren’t participating directly with the blog hop!

[MOSTLY] WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - PIZZA PIE

Last Sunday I mentioned a cooking experiment involving a pizza. I thought I would share some photos from the experience.

This is how the pizza should look, only different. They don't have a pic of the exact pizza, but it was stuffed like such!

This is how it looked before baking. I rolled up the edge and cut the tray to size...

This is how it looked after baking! It's pretty beastly!

I cooked it for an additional 15 minutes, and although the center-top layer of dough didn't fully cook it was still really delicious! Perhaps another 15 minutes, but I didn't want to chance burning this epic creation!

Do you have a Papa Murphy’s where you live? If so, do you have a favorite pizza from there? Do you have a favorite pizza place?

XIII | TRAILER TUESDAY | XIII

The Art of the Steal (9/11/2013):

This movie was already released, but I hadn’t come across the trailer until last week. It looks to be a Canadian release, so I’m uncertain just when it may show in theaters in the States. I like a good majority of the cast, especially Kurt Russell. Something about that Jay Baruchel guy weirds me out, though. He is so scrawny. That aside, however, I think this looks like a good movie. Nothing really original, but may prove to be entertaining. I’d even chance a theater viewing.

Big Ass Spider (10/18/13):

I couldn’t help but post this. I really like Greg Grunberg (of Alias and Heroes) and I recognized his likeness on the poster before looking up the cast. This looks like an over-the-top, campy movie that you aren’t meant to take seriously and one that even pokes fun at itself. It reminds me of Eight Legged Freaks, which I haven’t seen yet because honestly spiders creep me out! At least this movie only focuses on one Godzilla-sized spider? This is definitely one I will be waiting to see via RB/NF.

Diana (11/1/13):

The first of two movies featuring Naomi Watts. While I’ve never been to drawn to her, I am curious how she does in this role. I know very little about Princess Diana, aside from her tragic final moments, so at first I assumed this was entirely fiction. It is also nice to see Naveen Andrews in a substantial part outside of LOST. As it is, most reviews seem to be fairly negative. Another RB/NF title for me.

A Case of You (11/6/13):

Oddly this movie has conflicting release dates. Supposedly it was released (or was supposed to be) in April 2013. I’m assuming it was pushed out, because the trailer is new. Either way, Justin Long was once in the limelight, but has since drifted to the sidelines. He’s been in a handful of movies recently, but none of them have garnished much attention. This looks like a decently cute, romantic comedy, but I fear it will be cliche. Nothing I’d rush out to see right away. Some of the content within the trailer resonated with me, though, and once it’s out of theaters I wouldn't mind checking it out.

Sunlight Jr. (11/15/13):

Another drama featuring both Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon. There is also the added bonus of Norman Reedus! The performances seem solid across the board and I would definitely like to check it out. Again, once its released on Redbox/Netflix.

Need for Speed (3/14/14):

Finally an entry I’m really excited for! I’ve never really played the Need for Speed video game franchise, but this movie looks badass. Sure, the trailer may just be really well done, but it sells me. Seeing Aaron Paul in the lead role is also exciting. Being a fan of the The Fast and the Furious movies, I’ve already seen people draw comparisons and claim that this rips those off. I think Need for Speed will be different, and the fact is the games were out long before The Fast and the Furious movies. Should be some great cars, racing, and action! I’m highly anticipating this movie and will definitely be seeing it upon release.

Did any of the highlighted movie trailers interest you? Any thoughts about Diane? Ever play any of the Need for Speed games? How do you think the movie adaptation will be?

XVII | 10 THINGS OF THANKFUL | XVII

This should get in a bit earlier than my previous forays into the TToT blog hop, but it is honestly the one closest to the point of never being published. It’s just been that emotional of a week, and as I reached the end of the week my enthusiasm for writing in the blog hop had dwindled substantially.

The week started off with my grandmother going into the clinic, for what was believed backup issues, which then lead to her having to be admitted into the hospital. There, they found she was exhibiting an irregular heartbeat and had to have some extensive testing done. I didn’t find out about what was going on, though, until Thursday. She hadn’t called me, though I know she brought various phone numbers with her, my father hadn’t called me, and all my calls to her were met with endless ringing (she is old-school, so no voicemail for her…). Finally, Thursday I was able to reach my father who updated me as to what exactly happened and that evening when she got home she called to talk. She tries not to call my cell phone being I get in trouble for personal use time and have been charged by my company for minutes, but it would have been nice to have been given a heads up. A voicemail, if nothing else…

So when that stressful incident cleared up another, of a more personal nature, reared it’s ugly head. At this point I was in full “Fuck It” mode. Eventually that was hashed out and things hit a mediocre sense of norm. What I was left with, though, was a strong desire to take a break from blogging. I’ve been falling almost two weeks behind on posts anyhow (and that is just TToT posts), and thought a fresh start after some time away would help.

Then I was on the fence. but leaning towards doing the post, even coaxing my girlfriend — who also has been feeling down — to do the same, citing it as the best time to participate. This morning, however, I decided I wouldn’t be a part of the blog hop and/or post any of my blog series this week, and quite possibly the week or two after.

When I hopped onto Facebook this afternoon, my decision flopped yet again after seeing a drawing my friend (and ex co-worker) — who long ago moved to the UK — randomly made for me and posted on my wall. We don’t talk very often, I’d say once every few weeks and that is being generous, so I didn’t take his drawing (and the message on it) as coincidence. It appeared I was being told to buck up and get to it. I will share the picture on Wednesday, but until then let’s see if I can’t crank out a list of Thankfulness and some trailers before then, shall we?

1. I’m Thankful the doctor at the clinic was able to determine there was more going on with my grandma’s health than just having a terrible bout of backup.

2. For my father being able to bring her in and spend hours at the hospital while she underwent testing that first night. I have no actual proof he did this and that he didn’t just leave right away (nor will I ask…), but I want to believe he waited around until discovering she would be admitted overnight. I’d imagine, though, with how many hours of testing that needed to be done, that was determined pretty quickly into the evening.

3. Finally getting in touch with someone to update me on WTF was going on with my grandmother…

4. Despite finding an irregular heartbeat, it seems that the incident was not life-threatening. At least this is what she told me. She was in the hospital for three days, which to me would suggest it was of some importance she be kept in a monitored state.

5. Crooks. My cat has been extra lovey this week and it seems he was able to sense I could use the additional comfort.

   How Crooks views himself in the mirror...

6. I am Thankful for my girlfriend and how supportive — and also cuddly — she has been throughout the week when visiting.

7. The talks my girlfriend and I have had recently. Some about what we are feeling at any given moment, and others about the possibilities of what is to come in the future. I generally avoid talking too much about the future, I’m pretty bad at visualizing it, making it hard to discuss.

8. My girlfriend keeping me calm when anxiety-bound upon discovering the Papa Murphy’s pizza I bought was too big for my oven. After a handful of ideas being tossed around, we opted to fold the edge of the pizza in and cut an inch or so off of their Bake-and-Serve pizza tray.

9. I’m Thankful that, so far, our pizza experiment hasn’t gone completely haywire… I’m freaking starving!

10. Writing. Even though I was (am?) dead set on taking a break from blogging, I was inspired to write up some rough drafts of future entries. Part of the break would be to actually focus on the type of posts I’ve neglected for months now. Those of a more personal nature — sans blog hops and blog series. One post turned into two and ideas for a few more have come to light. They are rough around the edges, but should flesh out easily enough. So even if I do end up taking a momentary leave of absence from the Blogosphere, it will be with the intention of working on pieces I feel I have sidestepped for far too long.

Feel free to leave your Thankful List in the comments below, if you aren’t participating directly with the blog hop!