Just Blogging

5 Things That Make Me Happy

April 12, 2024 — Leave a comment

What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?

I saw this prompt from WordPress and decided, why not? Then, I gave the question and its answer some serious consideration. A couple of my responses are no-brainers. The others…well, they are small things that I suppose I take for granted, but nevertheless, they make me super happy!

1. Family

All-encompassing, huh? Okay. Let me get specific. One of my absolute favorite things in the world is ending my day with my mom, watching either true crime or cooking shows. And I love listening to my dad tell stories about him and his brothers when they were younger. And I love hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law, playing video games or watching documentaries.

2. Music

Music ties in directly with family because my parents are responsible for my love and vast knowledge of music. I can’t live without it.

3. Books

Reading brings me so much joy. I’ll usually choose to read a book rather than watching TV. Curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee (or tea) is my idea of Heaven.

4. My cats

I mean, come on. Duh, right?

5. My coworkers

So I don’t always love my job, but I do have a pretty amazing team around me, which sometimes extends beyond the walls of our workplace. My favorite coworker story? The first time my mom had a seizure, we called an ambulance and rushed to the ER. Well, I had been sending snaps to my work bestie, Rocky. He was at the gym, and when I told him what was going on, he asked if I wanted him to come to the hospital. Before I even had the chance to answer (to be fair, I wasn’t staying on top of Snapchat at that point), the outer doors opened and I looked up to find Rocky walking into the waiting room, still in his gym clothes. It was only about 15 minutes later they let us back to see my mom, but the fact that Rocky sat with me and my dad for those 15 minutes told me that we were really friends, and not just on the clock.

And those are my 5. I’m a simple girl. It doesn’t take much to make me happy. I have to say, though, that this list probably would have been fairly different a few years ago.

Mom ❤️
The brotato
Dad 💙
Marceline
Vlad
Rocky
One of my work moms 🩷 (She loved that shirt so I ordered her one.)

25 Years in the Making…

April 8, 2024 — Leave a comment

Hello, all, and welcome to my new subscribers! One thing you will quickly come to realize is that I always say I’m going to do regular life updates here, then I never do. I guess I just don’t think I’m that interesting, so I never do personal posts unless something exciting is going on.

Which means…

Something exciting is going on!!!!

2024 is shaping up to be a year of awesome tours, whatever your preference may be. For me, this is looking to be the year of nostalgia.

First, I posted on Facebook, semi-joking about driving up to Nashville for Creed and my friend from Georgia was like “Or I can take you to the show in Atlanta.” So, I’ll be seeing 3 Doors Down, Mammoth WVH, and Creed in December.

Then, last week, I reminded my dad about a promise he made in 2016. He said if Marilyn Manson came close and I bought the tickets, he’d get me to the show. Well, that year Manson actually played in Birmingham, but I chose not to go (long story). Now, however, Manson will be in Nashville four days after my birthday – and, much to my delight, Dad’s promise still stands!

Y’all have to understand why seeing Marilyn Manson is such a big deal for me. I have been a fan for 25 years and I have never managed to attend one of his concerts. I was too young when my brother introduced me to his music, and soon after, Manson was banned from Birmingham. (It wasn’t a statewide ban, but seriously, where else in Alabama would he play?) As stated, he was able to book shows in Birmingham in 2016 and 2017, but circumstances were against me and I had to skip them.

Finally. Finally, I will be seeing Marilyn Manson. And I. Can’t. Fucking. Wait.

My dad regrets that promise. Lol. He’s not a Manson fan. He doesn’t hate him or anything, he just thinks he’s boring. My mom would probably enjoy the show, but unfortunately, she started having seizures in December 2022. She hasn’t been officially diagnosed with anything yet, and she has been to a concert without incident since then, so it would probably be okay. However, when she asked her neurologist, she was advised against live shows. And honestly, I would never want to put her through that. Neither of us was thinking when we went to see Shinedown. Or, more accurately, I was under the impression she hadn’t had a seizure since January and the concert was in April. She was put on a fairly high dosage of an anticonvulsant at the end of last year and seems to have things under control, but again, I will do everything in my power not to put her in a situation that triggers a seizure. I’ve held her hand through a few, and it’s scary.

Anyway. That’s my big news. As for the rest of my life… I work and come home. Haha! Y’all know how it is.

I hope this post finds all of you well, and I hope positive things are happening for you in 2024!!!!!

P.S. – Manson looks good again! Well. He looks good for him.

Back to Reality

November 10, 2023 — 2 Comments

I just spent six wonderful days with my brother and his wife in Colorado, and I am devastated to be back home. Well, actually, home isn’t the problem; work is. My job sucks, but I won’t whine here. I’m sure everyone has complaints about their places of employment. Lol.

Anyway, I flew to Colorado Springs last Monday. My brother (Rick) and his wife (Jayne) picked me up from the airport. We had lunch and drove to their house, where we watched “The Osbournes Want to Believe” and ate dinner. We crashed pretty early, and once I’d caught up on sleep, my vacation could fully begin.

Tuesday was relaxing. We got coffee and did a little sightseeing, including the Catholic cemetery in town, then binged “Outer Banks” and made these really delicious grilled cheese sandwiches with blueberry jalapeño jam, smoked cheddar, horseradish mustard, and caramelized strips of bacon. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. Then, we hauled ass down to this really small haunted house, because it was Halloween and we wanted to do something in honor of my favorite holiday.

Wednesday was exciting, as it was the day we traveled down to Albuquerque for the Wednesday 13 Performs Murderdolls concert. This was the main reason for my trip, though I extended it into a nice family visit instead of a two-day run for nothing but the show. I’m going to write a review of the concert, so I won’t go into details in this post. Let me just say it was worth the 4 hour flight and 3.5 hour drive. Meeting Wednesday 13 (and guitarist Roman Surman) was everything. I’ve been a fan of Murderdolls for 20 years, and I thought I might die. Haha! Wednesday could not have been nicer. I told him that he’d always been my favorite Murderdoll and he said “So give me a hug since I’m yours.” I melted. Oh, and he said it was obvious I wasn’t from New Mexico because of my accent.

Ok. I’ll stop. You can read the rest when I share my review.

Thursday was another lazy day. Rick smoked burgers for dinner and we watched TV. He and Jayne had to work on Friday, and I used that time to do an interview with Adam of EverFelt and bond with their cats.

Rick and I stayed up late, finishing season 3 of “Outer Banks.” When I got up Saturday morning, Jayne was at work and Rick had already found our first college football game of the day. Now, this may seem strange to y’all, but this was the thing I was most excited about, besides the concert. My brother and I haven’t been able to watch football together since he moved to Colorado. Our whole family are huge Alabama Crimson Tide fans, and this past weekend was a big game: Alabama played LSU. Jayne was bored, but Rick and I were happy, especially given that Alabama won.

And then it was Sunday and time for me to get on a plane and return to Alabama. I had two more days off work, which was lucky because I came home with the flu. Now I’m back in the swing of real life and I kind of hate it. Just counting the days until my next trip…

Vacation Mode Activated

October 19, 2023 — Leave a comment

I still have 11 days before I fly to Colorado to visit my brother, but my mind has already abandoned the real world. I am so ready to escape my job for a week. Plus, while I’m out there, I get my birthday gift: we’re going to Albuquerque for the Wednesday 13 Performs Murderdolls tour – and my brother bought me the VIP experience, so I’m meeting Wednesday 13!!!!!! I’ve been a fan since I was 15, and I just know I’m going to make a fool of myself.

In other news, I had an appointment with a gastroenterologist last week. I had been having some abdominal discomfort, up to and including mild pain just below my breastbone and slightly to the right. The doctor said it was most likely a pre-ulcer or an ulcer. I was given a medicine to coat my stomach when I eat and another that is supposed to help control my stomach acid. I also had an ultrasound done. Well, the office has not called with the ultrasound results, but the medicines seem to be helping. The only pain I’ve had in the past few days has been at work. One of my coworkers said that suggests an ulcer, because I’m hurting only when I’m stressed. I guess we’ll see. If I don’t hurt at all in Colorado, then the problem is my place of work. Haha!

Just wanted to share another personal post, give y’all an update on things. In regard to the music side of the blog, I have two interviews coming up: hard rockers Sever Red and the industrial metal band Corvin’s Breed (who is opening for Psyclon Nine on their upcoming Infection Divinum Tour). These will both be written, as I don’t yet have the option to do video or phone interviews. I’m also continuing my weekly Bands You Should Know, so if there’s anyone I need to do a brief blurb about, tell me in the comments!

I hope this post finds all of you well! Oh, and if y’all wanted to see a half-assed shot of what was visible in Alabama during the annular eclipse…

I was in the parking lot at work with three other employees trying to catch that. The picture might not be great, but we were having a lot of fun! Lol.

A/S/L?

October 11, 2023 — Leave a comment

Remember the days of AIM and chat rooms and people asking “a/s/l”? Haha! Today’s kids will never know…

Anyway, I don’t actually want to know your age, sex, and location, but if you’re seeing this, it would be cool for you to tell me something good about your day! I feel like I don’t do nearly enough personal posts. I keep intending to change that and I always fail miserably – then I do a post like this, explaining how I’m trying to do more personal posts and that I always fall short. Lol. In my defense, the focus here is music, movies, and books.

For those interested, I’ve been working a lot. I had a doctor’s appointment Monday, but there’s no diagnosis yet: I have to have an ultrasound to check my gallbladder, and I’m on meds to help alleviate the acid in my system, in case I have an ulcer. I’m not super worried; I simply hope I feel better by the end of the month, when I’m going to Colorado to visit my brother again. We plan to celebrate Halloween in Albuquerque, New Mexico, then we’re going to see Wednesday 13 performing Murderdolls. And my brother bought me the VIP meet-and-greet experience for my birthday. Eeeeek!

Hope y’all are having a fabulous October so far! I started Frankenstein, by the way. I don’t know if I like it or not. Victor annoyed me, the way he avoided a situation he created. But we’ll see. I’m about halfway through.

If you’ve made it this far, please leave me a comment, as I mentioned earlier, about your day. Or something you like. Or…whatever. I just want to connect with my followers a bit.

It’s Spooktober!

October 1, 2023 — 3 Comments

Fall is my favorite time of the year. It actually gets below 90° in Alabama, and the leaves are beautiful for, like, three days. Lol. And, of course, there’s Halloween. Given my love of all things spooky, y’all have probably guessed that Halloween is my favorite holiday.

This year, I have issued a personal challenge to myself, kind of an extension of the Goodreads Reading Challenge. See, I have never read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I’m sure you’re thinking “what have you been doing with your life?” Well…I don’t know. Haha! I missed out on those classics, despite my parents having copies of both.

Anyway, sorry for my rambling. My point is, my goal for October is to read Frankenstein and Dracula. What better way to celebrate the season?

Happy October, y’all! If you have any other reading recommendations, I’d be glad to hear them. Drop a comment!

The Mostly Music Spotify Playlist for 2023

July 20, 2023 — Leave a comment

So last year, I started a playlist for the blog and Facebook page, but I didn’t create it until…ah, late summer or early fall. Which means when I did my Top 30 of 2022, I had missed a lot of music.

Well, I created a playlist in January and have been adding new releases every week. I know I’m missing songs, but I am keeping up with as many bands as I possibly can (though I’m leaving out the big names, such as Asking Alexandria, The Smashing Pumpkins, Avenged Sevenfold, etc.; they get enough promotion). I am dividing this year’s singles into three separate playlists, each encompassing four months’ worth of releases, because otherwise the sheer number of songs – and the running time – will become overwhelming.

If you’re interested in checking them out, here are the links. It would be cool if you gave them a listen, or even just shared them. I want to help all these amazing bands/artists to be heard!

Next year, I’m only doing three months at a time. Lol.

Posing as a Travel Blog, a.k.a. My Colorado Vacation

May 25, 2023 — Leave a comment

I spent last week in Colorado. Trinidad, to be exact. I flew out to visit my brother and sister-in-law, and to enjoy five days far away from my job.

We didn’t plan things to do, we just did them. My brother smoked burgers and ribs because I love his cooking. We traveled highway 12 and ventured up to Simpson’s Rest, neither of which we’d managed during my previous trips due to the weather. He took me down to New Mexico, over the Raton Pass, through Carson National Forest, and into Eagle Nest. On my last full day, we drove to Rye and checked out Bishop Castle. I climbed to the second highest level there, but was too chicken to go to the top (especially since it was raining and the stairs and rails were wet).

Other than that, I had downtime with family. We ate good food and watched a lot of Netflix and Hulu. I convinced my brother to sit through the Fear Street films (he actually didn’t mind them), and I think I got him hooked on “Outer Banks.” Oh, and I was introduced to my newest furry nephew, Lucifer.

I could go on and on. However, I’ll just tell my story in pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, after all.

(The cats get uploaded as individual images. I’ll group each day trip into a gallery.)

Lucifer
Lucifer again ❤️
Hanzo
Fishers Peak, taken from Simpson’s Rest
The sis-in-law
My brother
Simpson’s Rest
North Lake
Cuchara
Cuchara
Cuchara
Cruising Highway 12
New Mexico
Bishop Castle
Double rainbow coming down out of San Isabel National Forest
Lake Isabel
Random things

A Whole Lotta Good, But Also Some Bad

January 31, 2023 — Leave a comment

Hello, all! I hope this post finds you well. I just wanted to jump on here and give y’all an update on things.

I have four interviews in progress, though one seems to have stalled out because of circumstances beyond his control. I’m really looking forward to sharing them, Carbonstone’s in particular. I have also been receiving emails from various promoters requesting that I share singles and tour dates for bands they represent. I was followed on Facebook by Paul Crosby Management, which is cool (and if you’d like to follow too, here’s the link 😉).

I have almost finished yet another book for my Goodreads reading challenge, so keep an eye out for my next update post about that.

As for the bad news, I had to miss the Alter Bridge show in Nashville because I was too sick to go. I went to my doctor yesterday and he put me on an antibiotic and a medicine meant to break up congestion and help keep my lungs clear. I was gutted to skip the concert, but there is a bright side. I should be well in time to enjoy my brother’s visit this weekend! And we may have missed Alter Bridge, but I’m taking Mom to her first Shinedown show in April so… I guess we’ll recover. Haha.

Thank you to everyone who even acknowledges this blog. Drop a comment if you’d like, telling me something good – or bad – that has happened lately, or just how you’re doing today!

Cheers!

Thoughts on The Menu (2022)

January 16, 2023 — Leave a comment

I’m not going to call this a review, but I just had to post about this film. I said I was gonna write more about movies this year, after all.

I had to let the movie percolate for a couple of days, and now I’m ready to share my thoughts. (No spoilers, I promise!)

For those of you who don’t know, here’s a short synopsis of the film from IMDb.

“A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.”

When I saw the preview, I was intrigued. I love Ralph Fiennes, first and foremost, and I could easily picture him in the role of a creepy – perhaps murderous – chef. Plus, I had my own assumptions of what the twist would be once the trip went horribly wrong, as it so clearly was going to. Even believing that it was going to be semi-predictable, I still wanted to watch it.

I’ll start by saying up front that my assumption was wrong. I was actually pretty far off. However, and I mean this humbly, my semi-predictable idea would have been better than the reality.

The Menu wasn’t bad, per se, it simply…lacked any excitement. The characters weren’t very likable (except, ironically, the “evil” chef), and it was a story that’s been done before numerous times in numerous settings. There were no shocking moments, or perhaps I’m just immune at this point. It became obvious early on who would survive, and I don’t even want to talk about the absurdity of how that happened.

IMDb categorized The Menu as a “horror, comedy, thriller.” It is none of these things. It wasn’t scary, nor even the least bit creepy. It wasn’t thrilling. And the comedic bits fell flat.

As you can probably tell, I was not impressed. This is one I’m glad I missed in theaters; I would have demanded my money back. Lol.

This isn’t a review, but I would rate this film a 2 out of 5, and the 2 can be attributed only to Fiennes and the performance by Hong Chau, who plays Elsa. It’s watchable, I suppose, so I won’t advise against watching it. However, definitely get it on HBO Max or something.