Music Monday: The Vinyl Haul

I went on an album search the other day in my parents' attic. My Padre has probably over 700 records or at least that was his last count years ago. I go over and borrow them because as he's told me many of times the only way they'll actually be mine is when he's 'kicked the bucket' and since I'm kinda partial to my Padre, I'm quite fine with just borrowing them. As my mom likes to throw in some of those were hers too and he's not the keeper of the records :)

This haul includes: 

The B-52's: Cosmic Thing

Blondie: Parallel Lines

Black Sabbath: Technical Ecstasy, Volume 4, and Master of Reality

Madonna: Like a Virgin

Prince: 1999

Cheech and Chong's Greatest Hits

The Eagles: Hotel California

Aerosmith

There has been a lot of dancing in the mornings, busting out the air guitar, and rocking out like a complete fool. I heart me some vinyl!

Why Snow White and the Huntsman ticked me off.

Before I go into my spill here, just know that if you read this post I will ruin this movie for you. If you don't want me to ruin the movie for you then you should probably stop reading this right now.

I love fairy tales. I've been on a massive fantasy type kick too. Every time I saw the trailer for the movie, I knew it was going to be awesome.

And then it turned out it kinda wasn't.

You have to know this about me and movies. I just want to be entertained. You can have missing plot holes, cheesy moments, and most of the time I don't care. This is a girl who loves her Lifetime and cheesy B movies for crying out loud. But this one just ticked me off. Is it because I was going in thinking it was goign to be all sorts of epic? Probably so. So this is my ranty post where I will probably not make much sense. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Right at the beginning with the narrator the fairy tale lover inside of me was giddy. The sets were spot on, I felt like I was in the era and as the story started I was in awe of how they portrayed the evil Queen. Charlize Theron freaking rocked that part, y'all! From the facial expressions to the wardrobe to her overall performance I was like CHYEA!! You are wicked as hell.

The effects for this movie were no doubt stunning. They totally nailed it with that. I have been on this massive kick of fantasy type things lately and one is Game of Thrones. I just finished season one before I watched this so in the back of my head I kept thinking when it came to the Queen: Please oh please no incest with your creepy looking brother. I cannot handle that with my 12-year-old niece sitting beside me. Thankfully that line was never crossed. (I don't care how things rolled back in those days, the whole 'pure bloodline' concept is skeezy.)

One of these days a fly is gonna zip into that hanging mouth of hers.

And then Snow White. I'm not a big Kristen Stewart fan. She's kind of like a Jodi Foster to me - not my cup of tea. I guess her acting as improved some, but sweet bejeez she needs to stop pulling a Corey Haim and learn to close her mouth in scenes. It doesn't ALWAYS need to be hanging open. BUT I told myself to be open minded because I really, really wanted to love this movie.

Just like every other girl on the block, I adore Chris Hemsworth so him being the Huntsman was perfection. Seriously how fantastic is he?! If you disagree with me, we probably shouldn't be friends. He just has that charisma about him, and I have a serious thing for rugged looking guys. His entrance of getting his drunken butt kicked around had me cracking up.

So let's fast forward to Snow's escape from the castle, running through the dark woods - which was creepy and again awesome effects - and pairing up with the Huntsman, I was really enjoying the movie. As I sat there watching this adventure they were put through from constantly having to escape the Creepy Brother to all the scenes with the Queen and how she was aging to meeting the dwarfs who were probably a top favorite part of mine, something started to nag at me and I couldn't quite place it until I realized Snow White kinda sucked. Not just because it was Kristen playing her. What kind of personality is this girl supposed to have when most of her scenes involve her grunting and breathing?? I know she was on the run a lot, but it seems that's all she did! A friend of mine said she sounded worse than Darth Vader, and I'm going to have to agree with this one. It was so annoying!

I know this movie was never supposed to be a love story. It's a dark tale and that's cool. I will roll with that. But c'mon - where was the connection between them? You have these two out on a quest to get back to that duke or whatever he was's castle and you can't even throw a few small get-to-know-one-another-semi-deep-type of conversations in? And a lot of this didn't really hit me-hit me until after William joined them and the scene with the poison apple happened. (I did like that scene, Sam Claflin fooled me for about five seconds thinking he was on the Queen's side until she showed her face.) Afterwards where Snow's dead and William goes into kiss her, I'm thinking he needs to be the one that brings her back to life. I know she's been with the Huntsman, but their relationship was flat. At least William and her had this childhood connection and the constant longing to see one another again.

Obviously she didn't wake up when he kissed her. Fine, whatever. It wouldn't be called Snow White and the Huntsman if it wasn't going to be centered around them. So I was cool with that with it until my half drunken man goes to visit Snow's corpse. Him telling her about his wife, how her death ruined him showed a lot for his character so I was a bit aww over him, but then he throws in how Snow reminded him of his dead wife, Sarah. *insert my shaking head here* Whoever put this script together showed us absloutely nothing between these two that would make this statement believable.

Okay, fine, whatever. His kiss wakes her up, she shows up in the middle of the place while everyone isn't freaking out as much as I assumed they would have been and declares they take back the kingdom! Hoorah! Time for the epic battle scene BUT wait a second....you want me to believable that Snow White, who has been locked away in a freaking tower most of her life, can suddenly throw on some armor, grab a sword, and lead people into battle? I did have to get up and pee at one point, did I miss something here? If it's that easy to just charge a bunch of trained knights then maybe I should take up slicin' and dicin'.

But you know what? I could have overlooked all of this. No seriously, I really could have. Like I said, I'm a Lifetime movie watcher, I'm used to the main points being skimmed over. But it was the last let's say five minutes of the movie that just ticked me off to no end.  The fact that there was absolutely no mention at all how that man's lips of magic woke her up from the freaking dead. No "Hey, by the way, Huntsman, thanks for smoochin' me and bringing me back to life so I could use the blessing from the crazy looking dear who turned into butterflies to restore my father's kingdom. Pretty sure I'll be keeping your pretty face around just in case someone tries to poison me." He didn't even get a thank you or a pat on the back! Instead at the very end where I think something great is going to happen like the acknowledgement of it or maybe even a together type of scene, he walks into the room where Snow has been looking for him the entire scene and she just stands there staring at him with her big ole' teeth and the doors shut!!

Lame. As. Hell. Seriously. I didn't expect a wedding or anything, but who thought those final minutes was a great idea for an ending? I've heard the original ending involved the Huntsman dying. I think I may have preferred that now. I also heard there is a talk of a sequel, but it seems pointless to me.

And that is my peace about this movie. What did you think of it?

Perks of Being a Wallflower Trailer!!

Guuyysss.

I am so ridiculously excited about this!

Back in my sophomore year of high school, ya know about oh many years ago, I was in the stage of wanting to rebel against nothing, wanting to find something, and live in every moment. 

And I did.

In between those moments this book came along and it pretty much made more sense to me than any subject I could have learned. I can still remember reciting the poem on page 70 in front of my class where as luck would have it the assistant principal just so happened to be sitting in on. His face was stunned, a bit speechless. But my teacher, Mr. Lawson, he grinned because he knew what it was all about. 

Yea, he was one of those teachers. 

I knew the movie was being made and I jumped for joy. Seeing the trailer, I have this overwhelming squeeze going through me. The cast looks perfect. I can't even tell you the last time I read this, but I'm definitely going to be doing another one, quite possibly my 30th time reading it, before I go see the movie.  

What book hit you in high school? 

currently.

READING: Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. It's all Netflix's fault. Last week I had to have a procedure done and the whole weekend I was in bed so I put in the first disc of season one. Oh man, did I become hooked! Only problem was it was the mail-in type. Wal-Mart didn't have it so I downloaded it to my Kindle. It's long, but I am loving it! I ended up finishing watching the first season and now I cannot wait to read more of the series because it'll be for-freaking-ever before season 2 comes out on DVD.

WATCHING: Since Game of Thrones is all watched up I have went back to my regular scheduled programmed trashed reality TV which includes Jerseylicious, Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding. Don't judge me. All my fall shows are over with and this week all my good summer shows start.


ANTICIPATING: News of my new job! I am really hoping by next week when I call the position has opened up.

LAUGHING ABOUT:  When I was at my parents' house earlier. My mother has this ability to pretend listen. She asked me how some health stuff was going and then averted her eyes back to The Real McCoy or whatever the heck was on and in mid-sentence I say something like, ".....so then I gave birth to a bunch of dragons and became the Queen." She goes, "Oh that's not...YOU DID WHAT?!"

LISTENING TO:  I hit repeat on this song a couple times while at the walking park earlier (clocked in 2.5 miles!) It pretty much describes how my mind has been feeling lately.

EATING: Gluten-free yogurt pretzels as I type. Let's say my diet is getting healthier and I'm slowly feeling better because of it. I just wished I would have done this a few weeks ago since I have plans this weekend that may not happen :(

 
WORKING ON: Since I'm on this big fantasy kick I have been working on Fairy Tale Novel again. I busted out a little over 23K last week on it. I have a better understanding of my characters and am loving them. It's a great feeling to have. Just ask any writer.

WISHING: By the end of the month to feel completely and utterly fine again where I don't have to worry about going places. I'm tired of being a hermit!! Been there, done that and I don't want a repeat.

Currently is over at Sometimes Sweet. I have seen it here, there, and everywhere on blogs and finally decided to join in! 

Going Gluten-Free - HELP!

Over the past week I've had a few tests and one procedure done to start ruling out what all could be causing me to have such bad stomach problems for the past year. I was diagnosed with IBS or what I like to call DIMB (Demon In Mah Belly). That wasn't new news. I got that when I was a teen, but it had always just went in small phases. The constant feeling like crap is having me at my wit's end not to mention embarrassing at times. I have to cancel going out with friends or even going to the movies is sometimes a challenge.

I've been ruled out of colon polyps, cancerous colon options (THANK GOD!), Chrone's Disease, and Celiac's Disease. I still haven't gotten all my biopsy results back, but the more I researched, the more I convinced myself that going gluten free might be a good idea. I'm on Day 8 of being pretty much G-Free and I've noticed a BIG difference with how I've felt. I'm also taking a fiber supplement and having to buy that at the store made me feel like I'm 70 instead of 27.

The fallback to going G-Free is that it's kind of a pain in the butt especially for someone who lives in a very small town where one little section of the grocery store has about 20 items. I'm heading to Springfield in a few days with a cooler in my backseat just so I can go to Hy-Vee and stock up on grocery items. That's a 60 mile drive mind you, but if it makes me feel better than I am all for it. I also ordered a couple cookbooks from Amazon to help me adapt to this new lifestyle. It's crazy to think for the past 2 months my symptoms were a constant me wanting to curl in a ball and die and out of the 8 days, the past 3 of them I have felt normal again.

Here's where I'm reaching out to the interwebs and anyone who happens to read this half-arse blog of mine. Any recommendations on some good brand products to check out? I know some of that stuff taste like cardboard crap, and I do have a budget to maintain and this stuff ain't cheap. Or do you have some awesome websites that show some good recipes? I know quick and easy isn't going to be the best option. Since sometimes I always feel like I'm in a hurry having to spend more than 10 minutes in the kitchen is going to take some time getting used to. Not to mention the fact that I LOVE BREAD AND I CAN LONGER EAT IT!! So far most gluten-free bread taste like well...crap.

Any suggestions, advice, or whatever you can throw my way into getting into the new lifestyle would be GREATLY appreciated!

Top 5 Embarrassing Moments of My Life

There is a lot of back story when it comes to GUS NOVEL.  After all, she's hanging out with childhood friends so embarrassing stories are going to resurface now and then. It got me thinking of some embarrassing stuff that has happened in my life so here they are:

Top 5 Embarrassing Moments

. : UNO : . 

Peeing my pants in the first grade. All I can remember was sitting in my plastic chair and for some reason not being able to get up to go to the bathroom. I told everyone around me, including the teacher, that the big puddle of yellow under my chair was orange juice I had spilled. Even after I reeked of pee all day long, I told kids I fell into a puddle of what obviously had to be dog pee when I walked to school that morning. Why oh why did no teacher send me home?! I mean seriously now.

. : DOS : . 

Popping a boob out in the fourth grade. It's occurring to me that High School wasn't Hell, Elementary School was. I was in the music room before school started waiting with a million other kids to be able to go into our classes when two girls kept staring at me AND THEY WOULDN'T STOP! When the teachers told us to line up I realized my neon green button up shirt was missing a button right in the boobage area and there my little boob was for the world to see. I guess it was more like mosquito bites going on there at the time, but STILL!

. : TRES : . 

Anytime I've ever talked to a guy I find cute. There are so many to list. Example 1: At work a couple years ago this new guy came up to the deli, and when I attempted to act all cool I ending up sticking my hand into a bucket of cake icing. Example 2: The time I met Donnie Wahlburg, froze up like a freak when he grabbed my hand to shake it and stuttered out a very loud: OHHHH-KAAAAY!!! (Apparently he asked me how I was doing so in a way it made sense.) That's all I did though the entire time. Just stood there grasping his hand and nodding my head like a moron. Sheesh.

. : CUARTO : .

My 22nd birthday party. First: It was a freaking awesome night thrown by my roommates Shell, Tyler, and Derek and probably the best birthday party I've had since I was eight. The thing is, when I drink, especially a lot and especially back around that time, I get flat out ridiculous. One of my guy friends brought a group of girls to the celebration. During the course of the night one of them (or maybe it was all, I dunno) had stuck a panty liner on our bathroom mirror (RUDE!!) and wrote something on it with my eyeliner. I was pissed. Shell was pissed. So we marched into the garage where the girls were sitting and I started yelling a few things and one line that I'll probably never live down that went a little something like: "...and the only place my panty liners belong are IN MAH PANTIES!!!"

. : CINCO : . 

All the times I almost passed out then passed out. 

First Time: Picture it, circa 1996, in a middle school gym cram packed with everyone I've known since I could say my ABC's. I'm up in the choir singing and suddenly I start getting really hot and dizzy. It was one of those songs where we had some kind of jazz like hand moves, and I remember the girls next to me trying to pull me around with it and helping me because my body was going completely limp. I never actually hit the ground, but everyone for a week kept asking me what wrong with me, and why I kept swaying around like a drunk person. The verdict of that: Locking my knees too tight in a hot crowded room because I was oh so nervous

Second Time: In Cosmetology school while giving a perm my vision started going blurry. I excused myself from the old lady's do that I was working on and went into the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face, sat down for a minute, and nothing was working.  I came walking out, stumbling every which way to Sunday, and my instructor grabbed me shouting, "Lane! Are you okay?!" I was sweating like a whore in church, my hearing was going in and out, couldn't see for a minute, and after I barely flopped down into a chair. They made me sit there for a while until I could see again and one of my classmates drove me home.  Everyone asked me if I was drunk then too. My mom showed up at my apartment with a thing of food thinking I was starving myself or something. The verdict of that: Blood sugar.

Third Time: Working at Blockbuster one morning when all the managers from ALL the stores were there for a regional meeting. My store manager was in the back getting the room set up, I started getting hot, seeing double, and slowly got onto the floor. The regional manger came over, wanting to call 911, but thankfully my assistant manager agreed with me when I kept repeating not to call. My vision came back, but I was very wobbly as my assistant manager walked me out the door so he could drive me home. Mind you my store was big open glass type of place so ALL these managers are watching me walking across the parking lot when BAM! I hit the ground while a car was driving by.  My assistant manager helps me off the ground, the guy in the car jumps out collecting things that flew out of my purse (pretty sure he grabbed my tampons), and then we continue to the car where once my assistant manger sets me up against his car to unlock it, BAM! I hit the ground again. Finally he gets me home where once again my mom shows up at my apartment thinking I'm starving myself and brings me food. I heard about me eating the pavement from EVERYONE for a month after that. Verdict to that: Another blood sugar episode.

Why music has ruined my memory.

My memory sucks. Some has to do with some choices I made in high school. I can tell you what all happened back there, but my short term memory? It's pretty much shot. I'll walk into a room, and I'll have no idea why I'm there. I can stick my keys in the same spot every day, but yet I still don't know where that spot is. One thing my memory is the worst at is tests. I suck at them. I can cram my little brain for weeks, and usually it doesn't help. Thankfully school is over!

Lately I've been listening to the 'Reality Bites' channel on DirectTV in the mornings when I'm getting ready. (I don't really recommend ever getting DirectTV, btw. I cannot wait for my contract to be up.) Most of these songs I haven't heard in YEARS. But I can sing them lyric for lyric. Is it because it's so catchy?  Is it because it has a tune? Is it because I quite possibly overplayed certain songs (even 10+ years ago) worse than a Top 40 station? I don't know! For some reason music just embeds in my memory.

So you're probably thinking wait Amber, I have the most genius idea for tests! Why not make us songs for stuff? Yeah. I've thought of that too. And I've tried it, but while I can write up a story, I cannot write songs. Old high school self of me could have. That girl used to write songs and poetry like crazy. Adult me.....not so much.

What are some songs that are embedded into your memory? Here's a list of ones from this week that have came up: