Just Blogging

It’s Been A While

October 15, 2025 — Leave a comment

I haven’t shared a life update with pictures in ages, it seems, so here we go!

I turned 38 back in August. I was spoiled by my BFF and her husband that weekend. They took me to dinner, then I crashed at their place and did nothing but eat junk, watch movies, and swim. (Oh, and indulge in her fantastic cooking!) It was a much needed break from reality and did wonders for my depression. When we went out, I got dolled up and, honestly, I looked cute as hell. So cute, in fact, that we were barely inside the restaurant before a waitress ran over to tell me how cute I was. Lol.

My two work besties showed up, as well, which completed the perfection that weekend was. I spent Sunday with my parents, who bought me a red velvet cake. Then, on Tuesday, one of my older coworkers left a homemade lemon cake for me. I felt very loved.

In early September, I attended the Carbonstone show in Birmingham. They opened for Julien-K, Spineshank, and The Union Underground. Hanging out with Corey and Chrystal again was a balm to my soul. I also got to meet Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh from Julien-K. I almost chickened out, but Chrystal made me say hi to Ryan when he walked past their merch table, then Ryan was like “Come over here” and led me to their merch table. I bought a vinyl of my favorite album, Death to Analog, and we took a couple of selfies. It was an extremely good night, capped by my college football team winning their game.

Chrystal
Corey
Ryan and Amir

And now, it’s October. My favorite time of year – spooky season – is here. Which means, of course, that I’ve been living on fall drinks from Starbucks and Dunkin, and my mom and I have been exploring local cemeteries. Our most recent day out was spent at Athens City Cemetery. We actually have family buried there, but we kept our ventures to the older graves.

This is the Confederate Circle, taken from a bit of a distance.

October, November, and December are my favorite three months of the year, even if Christmas doesn’t excite me the way it did as a child. This year, though, my brother and his wife are back in Alabama, so maybe Christmas will regain some of its magic!

Hope all of you are doing well ❤️

Life Update: Why I’ve Been Inactive

August 7, 2025 — Leave a comment

I guess it started with the panic attack.

I had never had a panic attack, but there I was at work and suddenly, it was like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t draw a full breath and I was jittery. I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

It wasn’t long after that I decided to put the blog on hiatus. I was constantly feeling like I couldn’t breathe when I was at work. And yes, there were a lot of things to be stressed about, but no more than usual. I thought maybe I could deal with the job stuff if I wasn’t putting pressure on myself to post here every day.

Then, it got worse. I was unhappy at work. I cried more times than I care to admit. My boss gave me a two week unpaid leave of absence, hoping the break would help. However, at this point, it was no longer just work. I was miserable, period.

I didn’t care about anything. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, and each time I tried, I couldn’t hold onto the conversation. I wanted to sleep all the time. If I hadn’t had to go back to work, I’m pretty sure I would have simply laid in bed and done nothing. That mental state made my job much harder.

I hid out at my best friends’ place, and I sought solace with a coworker who is fast becoming one of my favorite people. These respites were a blessing, but they weren’t going to solve the bigger issue.

So now I’m on a low dose of an antidepressant. It seems to be helping. I’m not as stuck in my own head as I was. I’m not really happy, either. I’m just…here. Existing.

I don’t feel that I’m ready to come back to blogging full-time. I miss writing, though. I’m still keeping up with the 2025 playlist because I owe that to all the musicians out there, and I just updated my reading challenge. (I hadn’t done that since May.)

In other news, my birthday is this week! My best friend is going to spoil me with dinner and painting and horror movies and swimming. We’re gonna get dolled up when we go out; I bought a new dress and everything!

I hope this post finds all of you well, and I hope I’ll get motivated to start blogging again soon. Maybe seeing Carbonstone in September will help with that…

I Took a Vacation in February…

April 7, 2025 — Leave a comment

I visited my brother in Colorado for his birthday. He and my sister-in-law have moved since I last saw them, and their new home is in the middle of nowhere. Actually, it’s in an area considered to be a ghost town, which is right up my alley, haha! Needless to say, I wanted to explore all the deserted structures nearby, but we also visited Bishop Castle, North Lake, Monument Lake, a few cemeteries, and Lathrop State Park.

It sounds like we were constantly running around; however, we had plenty of downtime, too. We lazed around the house with a fire going, watching horror movies and TV shows (mostly of the cooking variety). My brother caught up on “Outer Banks,” and his wife and I got him hooked on “Squid Game.”

It was so relaxing. I didn’t want to come back. We’re already planning my next trip. I want to go out in the summer, because I always seem to go when it’s cold. On the other hand, Marilyn Manson is touring in September and has stops in both Denver and Albuquerque, soooo…

Anyway, here are some photos from my trip.

The most haunted building in Trinidad
Monument Lake
North Lake
Bishop Castle
Lathrop State Park
This was at one of the cemeteries in Aguilar
Same cemetery
Another Aguilar cemetery
Walsenburg cemetery
Not far from where my brother and his wife live. I Googled it and the area is defined as a ghost town.

Who Is a Band or Artist You Listen to That Might Surprise People? [QOTW, 4/6/25]

April 6, 2025 — 1 Comment
  • “I listen to Kelly Clarkson. Girl can SANG!” – Alchemy Within
  • “Pearly Drops. Been listening to them quite often lately.” – K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
  • “The Zombies.” – Naked Sunday
  • “I used to have a secret love for some 2000’s pop, like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Ke$ha.” – Deathmare
  • “The Byrds.” – The Immaculate Crows
  • “80’s/90’s country! Sawyer Brown is a fave. Other than that, I listen to a lot of girl pop with my daughter. Olivia Rodrigo is punk AF.” – Deadly Vices
  • “Colbie Caillat.” – Seethe
  • “Limp Bizkit. I’ll own it.” – Gillsaw
  • “Kool and the Gang. Fucking love those guys, and they don’t have a single bad song!” – Robbie Ekblom, Jr.
  • “Taking Back Sunday. People are really surprised to hear I like a lot of emo bands.” – Encircled Throne

If You Could Collaborate With Any Artist, Living or Dead, Who Would It Be? [QOTW, 3/17/25]

March 23, 2025 — Leave a comment
  • “So hard to choose one, but I’d probably have to go with Layne Staley. His style is so unique and full of vibe and emotion. 1B would be Emily Armstrong, new Linkin Park singer. Great songwriting with Dead Sara and new LP stuff and great voice.” – Deadly Vices
  • “Trent Reznor!” – Winter in May
  • “Peter Spilles of Project Pitchfork! His music inspired me to start writing many years ago.” – K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
  • “Trey Anastasio [Phish].” – Til Fauna
  • “Tommy Stinson [The Replacements/Bash & Pop]. Just a great songwriter.” – naked sunday
  • “Love to work with Impending Doom.” – Encircled Throne
  • “I’m gonna get shit for this, but I wouldn’t be the man I am today: Marilyn Manson.” – Deathmare
  • “Devin Townsend, for sure. He breaks all rules and molds.” – Gillsaw
  • “Frank Black of The Pixies.” – Revolution Rabbit Deluxe
  • “Coheed and Cambria.” – Overlay
  • “Jonathan Davis.” – After the Apocalypse
  • “Idles.” – Televised Mind

Favorite Disney movie? [QOTW, 2/9/25]

February 9, 2025 — Leave a comment

I decided to go with another fun question this week – favorite Disney movie? We all have one, right? (The answer to that is no, as I discovered. Lol.)

For the record, I have more than one: The Little Mermaid, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Aladdin, The Aristocats, and The Princess and the Frog. My list would be even longer if I included Disney’s work with Pixar…

Anyway, here are the responses I got from some of my followers.

  • “This is gonna show my age, but I’ve always been partial to The Sword and the Stone.” – Marco, After the Apocalypse
  • “Peter Pan or Toy Story.” – Steven, Justin Holt/f1oater
  • “Dragonslayer!” – Richard, RJ Archer and the Painful Memories
  • “The Great Mouse Detective.” – Xavi, The Lürxx
  • “Deadpool 3 [Deadpool & Wolverine].” – Bryce, Psycholand
  • “Maleficent.” – Mandatory Affect
  • “Moana! Mainly because my daughter and I watched it so many times together.” – Deadly Vices
  • “I don’t watch Disney. I guess when I was younger it would have been The Little Mermaid or The Aristocats.” – Synthetik Blonde

What was the first album you ever bought with your own money? [QOTW, 2/2/25]

February 2, 2025 — Leave a comment

I decided to change the title format for these posts. Anyone reading, feel free to leave your answer in my comments!!! Not all the questions will be catered to bands/artists.

  • “Underoath: They’re Only Chasing Safety.” – Seethe
  • “Rob Zombie: Hellbilly Deluxe.” – TJ, K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
  • “Mine was a cassette. T-Rex: The Collection. It had a cool photo of Marc Bolan on the cover!” – Richard, RJ Archer and the Painful Memories
  • “Mariah Carey: One Sweet Day. Guilty as charged.” – Martin, Naked Sunday
  • “First CD purchase was two. Bought both Slipknot’s and Flaw’s debut albums.” – Encircled Throne
  • “Foreigner: 4, in 4th or 5th grade.” – A/V Cult
  • “Mötley Crüe: Decade of Decadence.” – Deadly Vices
  • “Bon Jovi: Slippery When Wet, when I was in the 3rd grade.” – Mandatory Affect
  • “Sum 41: All Killer, No Filler.” – The Welcoming
  • “Europe: The Final Countdown, when I had just turned 9.” – Xavi, The Lürxx
  • “Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction on cassette.” – Marco, After the Apocalypse
  • “The first album I bought was KISS on vinyl.” – Scot, Road to Ruin
  • “My first two records, I got them together, were Toto’s Through the Looking Glass and Dream Theater’s Scenes From a Memory.” – Kyle, AV/drum tech, ex-Edge of Destiny

Question of the Week [Jan. 26, 2025]

January 26, 2025 — Leave a comment

Hello, all! I have started a new feature for this blog. Each Monday, I will be posting a question to my socials for bands/artists to answer, then I will compile them and share the responses here on Sundays.

I shared the first one this past Monday, the 20th, and it has gotten quite a reaction! As you’ll see, some bands specified who was answering and their roles, while others didn’t. Check it out.

Who are your biggest influences? (You personally, not the band as a whole.)

  • “Dio, Def Leppard, KISS, Elvis.” – Joe (vocals), Freaky Things
  • “Black Sabbath, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Motörhead.” – Michael Jahrling (vocals/bass), Rail Rage
  • “Descendents, NOFX, Blink-182, The Ataris.” – Brad (vocals/guitar), Frick
  • “Mainly Creedence [Clearwater Revival], Slade, Status Quo, and The Donnas.” – Richard (vocals/guitar), RJ Archer & the Painful Memories
  • “Layne Staley, Chris Cornell, Scott Weiland, Maynard James Keenan, Jonathan Davis, and Seether.” – Adam (vocals/writing), EverFelt
  • “Tool, A Perfect Circle, Cave In, Periphery, Thrice, Coheed and Cambria.” – The Welcoming
  • “Lyrically, I am inspired by Jonathan Davis [Korn], but also heavily influenced by bands like Project Pitchfork, Skinny Puppy, and Spahn Ranch!” – TJ (vocals/et. al), K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
  • “Black Sabbath, Deep Purple/Rainbow, Judas Priest, Metallica, Rush, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Voivoid, Death, Godflesh, Brutal Truth… I could go on.” – Ritchie (guitars), Gravehuffer
  • “I pull influences from everywhere, mostly heavy stuff but [also] pop all the way to country, on rare occasions.  My faves, though, are Chelsea Grin, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Bring Me The Horizon.” – Joseph, Encircled Throne
  • “Bob Dylan remains my greatest influence/inspiration, as far as songwriting. As far as musicians… Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, and Herbie Hancock.” – Bruce Nielsen  (songwriter/guitar/harmonica/bass), The Immaculate Crows
  • “Phil Collins, Taylor Hawkins, Tony Fernandez, John Bonham, and Chad Smith.” – Alex (drums), Neon Society
  • “Lzzy Hale, Tim [Rise Against], and Peter Steele [Type O Negative].” – Nico (vocals), Little Evil
  • “Maynard [Tool, APC, etc.], Noah [Bad Omens], Poppy, and Devin [Honey Revenge].” – Allie Riot
  • “Trey Anastasio [Phish], Jerry Garcia,  and Jimmy Buffet.” – Vesper (vocals), Til Fauna
  • “Wes Borland, Jerome Dillon, Tim Skold, Andy LaPlegua [Icon of Coil/Combichrist], Marilyn Manson, Richard Patrick [Filter], and Trent Reznor.” – Mike Novo (drums), Kendall Cage
  • “John Lennon has been my biggest influence. Noel Gallagher [Oasis], in terms of songwriting.” – Izzy (vocals), Lazy Ghouls
  • “I’m pretty predictable when it comes to this. Metallica was the ultimate for me. Aside from that… Nirvana, Alice in Chains, STP. And the classics: AC/DC, Eagles, CCR, Ozzy. I went through a country/blues phase, so Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, Fred McDowell. Newer stuff? I dig Unpeople, Post Profit, The Funeral Portrait, Ayron Jones.” – Anthony (guitar/songwriting), Deadly Vices
  • “Sparks, Trio [aka ZAM], Iron Maiden, Japanther, CRASS, and Darkthrone.” – Buzz (songwriting/recording), Buzz N’ Bangs
  • “I’m old-school. Geezer Butler, Steve Harris. A few modern players like Alex Webster and John Myung.” – Mike (bass), Welcome Eternity
  • “DJ Ashba and Jeff Beck.” – Sabú, The Lürxx
  • “On guitar, Izzy Stradlin, late 60s/early 70s Keith Richards. On vocals, Roger Daltrey, Steve Marriott [Humble Pie/Small Faces], and Jon LeSte.” Xavi, The Lürxx
  • “Frank Zappa.” – Acting Human
  • “Gene Simmons and Angus Young.” – Wayne, Element 117
  • “Korn, Linkin Park, NIN, and lots of 90s pop, especially Savage Garden.” – ruin the mind
  • “Pearl Jam, The Cult, Foo Fighters.” – Winter in May
  • “Dissection, Megadeth, Halfway to Gone, Cradle of Filth, Queens of the Stone Age, Alice in Chains.” – Marco (guitars), After the Apocalypse
  • “Classic rock artists like The Beatles, Aerosmith, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin.” – Steven, Tin Zelkova
  • “BRMC, The BJM, The Pixies, Idles, Fontaines DC, Amyl and the Sniffers.” – Televised Mind
  • “Thrice, Killswitch Engage, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Tom Petty, Smashing Pumpkins, Jimi Hendrix, The Warning, Pennywise, RHCP, Metallica, Velvet Revolver.” – Mandatory Affect

Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025

January 1, 2025 — Leave a comment

It’s day one of a new year, and while I am not known for preaching positivity, I will say that we all have a chance to make 2025 great.

I don’t know how y’all fared in 2024, but it wasn’t such a terrible year for me. I got to see and meet Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria/We Are Harlot) with my mom, and she amused him so much that he told a story about her on Facebook. My dad took me to the Marilyn Manson/Five Finger Death Punch tour for my birthday. I have been a fan of Manson for almost 25 years, and it was my first time seeing him. As an added bonus, The Funeral Portrait opened the night (and they were phenomenal). And while we’re on the subject of concerts, I finally made it to the promised land: one of my best friends took me to see Creed for Christmas! I missed them during their heyday – I was, like, 10 – and that always depressed me. I was so excited about their reunion, and they were worth waiting for. Mammoth WVH and 3 Doors Down were the openers, and both bands kicked ass!

On a personal note, my best friend moved back to Alabama! I had missed her and her family terribly. I gained self-confidence this year. My friends and coworkers helped immensely with that challenge. I like myself better at 37 than I did at 17.

The negatives for 2024 were huge, I will admit. We lost my paternal grandmother in October. She was my last grandparent, the one I spent the most time with and knew the best, so when I say that it’s been a struggle… More than my own grief, I’ve been very concerned about my dad. It’s only been two years since his youngest brother passed. Now it’s just him and my uncle Chris. If you could spare a thought for them, that would be lovely.

I’m also stuck in a job that doesn’t make me happy, but I plan on changing that as soon as possible. I guess that’s a minor complaint overall, though it does impact me almost daily. Still, I’m thinking positive! I will find something better in 2025!

Happy New Year to all my readers/followers! I hope this January 1st finds you well. Drop me a comment and tell me a good thing about your 2024, or tell me what you’re looking forward to in 2025.

Here are a few pictures from the past 12 months.

Danny Worsnop
Jericho Rose
Me and Dad at the Marilyn Manson show
Birthday!
Halloween with the bestest and her family 🎃
With Jesse at the Creed show 🤘🏻
Creed at State Farm Arena 🔥
Christmas 🎅🏻

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.)