Tuesday, July 20, 2010

How To: Survive a Road Trip



Every now and then, we must endure a road trip to somewhere we don't want to go to or visit people we don't want to see.  Here is a guide put together from experiance!

Step 1: Music
There are times when conversations get really boring to listen too.  These times are basically when the conversations don't involve Japanese super robot ninjas and unicorn tea parties.  To ensure complete zoning out, noise canceling headphones are the way to go.  Also, remember a charger or else the music won't keep coming!

Step 2: Entertainment
Music is good for escaping conversation, but you need a way to pass the time.  I have been knitting recently, so I have been trying new stitches and such.  My brother has many movies and TV shows on his computer, so he watches those.  I also have Kindle on my phone (as well as a manga reader), so I have lots of reading material.  These things make the time go by so much faster.

Step 3: Comfort
This goes FAR beyond dressing for the weather.  Being in a car for extended periods of time can be quite cramped.  Bringing pillows can help you get a better sleep if hotel pillows aren't comfortable.  If you normally sleep with a stuffed animal, bring it.  If there is anything that will make the trip easier, bring it.

Step 4: Toiletries
This is a no brainer, but you need to make sure you are clean.  Lush makes some shampoo/conditioner bars with condenses things considerably (and you can bring it as a carry-on if you are not checking luggage).  Pack everything together so it is in one spot (this reduces digging for that one item) and keep it in a closed bag (to prevent mess if there is spilling).  Voala!  Everything is good to go!

Step 5: Contact
Having somebody to vent to and makes jokes can really help you keep your sense of humor.  If you don't have that, you could get grouchy and mean, even though you know you aren't that person.  I like to text my boyfriend who understands what is going on and provides me with a distraction of kitty pictures.  Having this small bit of contact really helped me stay pleasant.  There is no excuse to be a mean person when you aren't one!

Step 6: Snacks
You may have different tastes than your parents when it comes to snack choices.  My parents like cookies, but my brother bought jerky.  It is a good way to keep hungry at bay until you can have a meal.  Also, if your parents are like mine, they won't stop for a meal and you need to fend for yourself.  This is a great time to reach for a snack!  You can always restock at the next rest stop if you run out!

Remember: This trip is just for a short period of time.  You can do anything for a week.  When it is done, everything will go back to normal and you can resume your schedule.  Now that I am back, I am watching a ton of Netflix Instant Queue and have kittens sleeping on me

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Things I Love Thursday: Video Games


Sure, video games are a bit dorky, but they are really fun and interesting!  They are full of adventures and fantasy!  They can take you places you can only dream of going!

Fatal Frame 2:  I haven't played the first one (or the second for that matter, but I watched as my boyfriend did), but it is an interesting story where you need to solve the puzzle of an abandoned village.  It is a survival horror game where you take pictures of ghosts.  It sounds silly in concept, but I kept jumping out of my skin.  The puzzles aren't PARTICULARLY difficult as long as you are observant.  Make sure when you play it, you are in a well lit room with at least somebody within screaming distance.  That warning is just for your sanity (I know a girl who thought it would be smart to play a Fatal Frame game in the dark alone...She wet herself).

Final Fantasy 6: Everybody who hears the name Final Fantasy, they freak out about 7,10, and now 13.  I haven't played 13, but 10 was terrible and 7 is WAY over-rated.  I think the reason why people like 7 so much is because it is the first game they played.  FF6 has such a good story, very deep characters, and an interesting twist on the battle system (each Final Fantasy is slightly different with respect to battle twist).  Those people who really like video games know how good this game is, so I am not going to go on about it anymore.

Suikoden 1 and 2:  Now, with most video game sequels, they have nothing to do with each other.  With the Suikoden series, they reference the other games and events.  It is soo cool!  Even some of the characters are the same.  Each game has 124 characters that you can reruit to your castle.  Many of the characters help your castle grow.  The game plays so differently than so many games.  It is refreshing to see something different!

Resonance of Fate: This is a game that I only started playing recently and I LOVE it!  The battle system isn't difficult, but you can make your characters do all kinds of stuff that looks really impressive (so you can show off how sexy the battle system is.  Plus, not only can you customize the weapons, you can customize the outfits that each character wears.  You can buy items from the shop, or find them on the world map.  The game is a series of missions that you must complete.  I am still at the VERY beginning of this game, so I don't know where the plot is going.

As much as I love video games, there are other things to love

Geeking out with my cousin:  My cousin and I never get to see each other.  We used to IM each other years ago, but now we text.  We talk about all kinds of geeky things.  We tell each other about new video games we have tried, anime conventions, and a bunch of other stuff.  She actually scored me an autograph from Nobuo Uematsu (the composer for Final Fantasy).  She makes all kinds of AMV's that are amazing and win awards at these conventions.



Shoes came in: I finally own a pair of ankle booties!  I featured them a while ago, bought them last week.  They came in yesterday and are the most comfortable pair of heels I own.  They are suede and peep-toe and adorable!  The only thing off is the color.  The image displayed on the website showed them to be more of a pinky/purply/reddish color.  They are more of a deep reddish purple.  The color is difficult to describe, but you can't trust color on a computer screen because each monitor displays color differently.  I like the color even though it was different than anticipated.  Even this picture shows up orange on my phone!


Kittens: I know I keep putting them on here, but they are growing up so quickly and are doing all sorts of crazy things.  Tama likes to sleep in Garretts laundry basket, and Haru has taken to trying to climb up people...like me...on my head.  Last night, Haru even tried to get out.  She ran between my legs as I was coming back from laundry, and was just sitting outside my door, staring at the world.  I was able to scoop her up before she took off, but she did give me quite the scare.  Right now, they are sleeping on top of each other by my feet.

Having a clean car:  Since I got possession of the car, it has been an absolute wreck.  Sure, most of it is in the trunk, but I am able to take people around.  I always had to rearrange the contents of my back seat to make room for passangers.  Now, the only things that need to get moved are 2 small stuffed animals.  This excites me more than it should, I know, but what can I say?

Being Sick:  Being sick means being pampered.  It is an excuse to sleep in extremely late, be as lazy as possible, and drink way too much tea.  I even tried the Gala Darling Miracle Potion (lemon, honey, ginger, pain killers, lots of hot water, and some brandy) except with no witches hat.  I did find my cloak though, so I think it still worked.  The potion was vile (as are most potions), but I drank it anyways.  I see the merit in it too.  Whatever part of you feels like death, you have something for it in that potion.  I was even able to get a day off work.


I know I don't live an exciting life, and usually that means nothing happens.  I still find things I love every week.  If I can do it, so can you!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Things I Love Thursday: Celebrity Encounters!!!



So, this week, I had the opportunity to meet a famous singer.  I would now like to take the time to reminisce about the times I have encountered the famous!  I don't have too many memories where I have met somebody of note, but what memories I DO have really count for something!

When I was about 5 or 6, my mom worked at a department store at a mall.  My dad took us to the mall to see my mom, and there was HUGE line to get into the store!  None us knew what was going on for so long.  My dad eeventually figured out that Sherry Louis was in the store signing autographs!  Finally, it was my brothers turn to meet her (and mine.  Respective ages 7 and 5 appx.).  She took time to actually meet and talk to each of the kids in line.  We both got an atuograph

When I was 9 years old, I was on summer break from school.  That summer, I was taking tennis lessons from the local township park.  One day after practice, my parents call on me while I am at a friends house.  I was to come home immediately and pack my bags (as was the running joke all week) so we can leave for New Mexico.  I was to see my first Styx concert!  Now, this is cool enough on its own, but my parents bought tickets in advance.  We got the walk around the concert hall for a half hour before they took paying guests.  In the meantime, we found the concert buses!  We got to talking with the security guard and my dad eventually writes a letter to Styx on my behalf.  We gave the security guard all of the essential details (address,etc.) in addition to the letter.  A few weeks later, I get an autograph picture from Styx in the mail!  I have been trying to thank them ever since, but I don't know how!

A few years later, Styx is touring through Pittsburgh and my parents take my brother and myself.  My mom finds a way to get RIGHT up to the stage and my dad puts me up on his shoulders (I am about 12).  I am SCREAMING "Tommy Shaw!!!" While Glenn is tickling my palm with his guitar pick!  I wish I could have appreciated the moment then because it was fucking RAD!

Earlier this week, I was at work (with my boyfriend) and this girl spots a giant bus drive past on her cigarette break.  She thought it was weird, but doesn't say much of it.  After a few minutes, we get a small group of people to walk in and order.  In this group of people, one of the guys has LONG  curly hair.  I didn't take any notice to it, but one of the girls working walks up and asks for an identity.  We confirm who this is, and everybody is still in utter shock!  One guy gets an autograph while the rest of us get our picture taken with this individual.  Said individual even offers to take out picture (thus negating the entire idea of getting our picture taken).  This, ladies and gentlemen, is when I met Weird Al Yankovic!  He is totally an awesome guy and I would love to have had the opportunity to hang out with him more!

Yes, the HIGHLIGHT of my week is meeting Weird A, but he is so rad that it is impossible to enjoy the experiance!  I was lucky enough to take his order and have difficulty running his card.

LESSON: Don't quit a job because it is boring.  You never know when you will get to meet somebody interesting!

So, i have had some excitement this week!  What about you???

Friday, July 2, 2010

Things I Love Thursday

I know this is a little on the late side, but it has been CRAZY here!  So much is going on that it is UNREAL (I exaggerate.  Mostly I have been at work).  Here is what has been happening HERE!

Travis stopped by:  Travis is my boyfriends roommate from years ago.  They went to high school together.  He now lives in Hawaii with his girlfriend he met on WoW.  Garrett and I had lunch with them the other day and Dana (the Hawaiian girlfriend) is such a treat!  They brought back a BUNCH of macadamia nut candies which were DELICIOUS!!!  Also, at the restuarant, I had tiramisu for the first time in my life.  YUMMY!!

Kittens are feeling better:  When I adopted these little guys, I thought they had a hairball that was stuck.  What I didn't know (and didn't think to ask) was that they had the starting symptoms of an Upper Respiratory Infection.  I took them to the vet and now they are playing ALL THE TIME!!!  It is soo cute and AWESOME!

Having a Clean Apartment: Garrett doesn't clean the apartment at all, so tuffI have to make sure everything is done.  I love being able to walk around and not trip over stuff or walk through a pile of crumbs.  Also, for the same reason, I miss carpeting.  When crumbs get in carpet, you don't feel it as much.

My New NEW Apartment:  I am moving into a larger apartment in 3 and a half weeks.  I was supposed to be in one by now, but things kept coming up with the other residents.  I am now officially moving into apartment number 314 (the number makes me giggle, that is why it is included).

The People I Work With (and don't):  We have lost a TON of people at work.  Management is working very hard to replace them as quickly as they are leaving.  The new people we have are AMAZING!  They are very likable people and are picking up very quickly on what to do.  Also, the people who left were people who, generally, didn't have positive work ethic.  In this list is a manager who went crazy and starting throwing stuff at another employee.  She was also the main reason why all the other slackers quit.

Watching Movies: There are so many movies that I haven't seen that "everybody has seen".  I am catching up on some of those, plus some that just seem really interesting.  All the while these movies are playing, my kittens are snuggled up on me napping.  It is the cutest ever!


Finding Sexy boots: My Divas Closet has such an awesome collection of boots, jewelry, and false eyelashes.  I have my eye on these boots in purple and these boots in Berry, Deep Purple, and Cobalt.  They are on sale, so I need to decide FAST! 

EarthBound:  This is a Super Nintendo game from '94/'95.  It is very silly and childish, but will NEVER be released on Wii Virtual Console because of how many pop culture references there are.  It is funny now many you see throughout the game!  Monty Python, Star Wars, Blues Brothers, and The Little Rascals are just some of the references you will see!

That is it for this week.  I have other topics in mind to write about, so you won't have just all these TILT posts to read.  Until then, what do you love?