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

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!

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???

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?

Things I Love Thusday: Kitten Adoption!!!

I got myself 2 kittens the other day from a shelter.  They are little grey tabbies that are 9 weeks old.  They are so playful and funny!  They were the last 2 left from their litter and I couldn't just take one of them, knowing they would both be lonely!  I got a little boy (named Tama-kun) and a little girl (named Haru-chan).  They LOVE to cuddle (I woke up with Haru-chan on my chest this morning) and get into trouble (Haru-chan likes to hide in the draw of my bed-side table and Tama-kun likes to pick fights).  They love to chase around a laser pointer (I have seen cats who don't like that).  Tama-kun also LOVES the feather wand (it is currently handing from a shelf and he keeps freaking out and attacking it.

These kitties are more than just balls of playful energy.  They are very good cats.  They still have their claws but don't use them while playing (except for with each other).  Also, show no interest in going outside and will let you cradle them.  Haru-chan is particularly affectionate and will lay next to me while I watch TV and give me kisses. 

This is only day 2 with the kittens, but there is so much love to be had.  I don't think I could ever have a bad day for the rest of my life!  These are seriously the best kittens ever!  They have the perfect levels of playfulness, cuddliness, and curiosity.



What was really amazing about getting these kittens is that  when you adopt from a shelter (at least through a pet store), you get a bunch of coupons and free things.  I got a free 20 lbs.container of kitty litter PLUS a free 3.5 lbs. of the food they were already on.  That is enough to ween them onto much better food.  I also got a lot of coupons for things like toys and collars.

The reason I chose to get 2 kitties is because if you are gone all day, they have a playmate.  Also, These guys would have been especially lonely because they were the last 2 from their litter to be adopted.  These guys have already have such a close bond that it would be cruel to take only one.  If I took only one, my kitty would be lonely, plus the shelter would be left with somebody really lonely.  Having 2 kitties also helps when they are in their "adolescent" phase.  They become particularly destructive and having another kitty redirects how their energy gets spent.




In other news, I have been watching Invader Zim a lot recently and I forgot just how awesome it was.  The animation isn't the greatest, but I think it works for how the show is.

Having an apartment that is clean is really nice too.  Between Garrett not putting his clothing away and me doing the same, it gets messy quickly.  We made a point to clean up so that we would worry less about the kittens.

I have some immediate crochet plans for right now.  I need to make a plastic bag caddy so I can keep bags handy for when I need them (and they are VERY  handy)!

Most of my love right now is kitty love, and with good reason.  I have wanted a kitty since I was about 5 years old and have never had  one.  This is a big deal for me and I am a bit excitible over everything!

Want to see the kitties grow up and be playful?  Check out my Flickr account. I will put everything into albums or galleries when I am NOT holding a sleeping kitten.

Things I Love Thursday: Firefly and Serenity

This week is ALL about Firefly and Serenity!  There is absolutely nothing about this show to dislike!  It is an awesome space western that takes place in 2517 and is absolutely hilarious! I present to you my TILT list!

The Characters
Kaylee: Kaylee is a machines genius who is in love with the ships medic.  She loves frilly dresses, hamsters, and al other things cute!

Simon: The medic on board Serenity.  He gave up a brilliant carreer as a highly respected doctor to save his sister from an Alliance (government) camp.  He is in love with Kayee but spends too much time worrying about his sister to take his own feelings into consideration.

Inara: The ships "companion" (glorified whore) is INSANELY beautiful who lives such a glamorous life, has the most extensive wardrobe, and is the most sophisticated member of Serenity.  She is intelligent and gets invited to all the right parties and her room is so well decorated!

Zoe: Zoe fought in the war with Malcolm (the ships captain) and is married to the pilot.  She has her own really odd sense of humor and is an amazing fighter.  She is strong and beautiful!  A very good role model for all girls!

River: What can I say about River?  She is the little sister of the medic and has been mentally traumatized.  She is an amazing character and is crazy funny without even trying (I will put in some quotes).  Also, she is the smartest crew member of the Serenity.


Wash: The pilot has a great sense of humor about crashing the ship, but does get some great lines otherwise.  He is really lovable and cuddly!

Jayne:  This character, despite the name, is a guy.  He is really edgy and likes guns, women, and being "nekkid"  He named his favorite gun Vera and is always looking to start a fight.

Extras

Awesome Quotes (first link sorts quotes by character and second link sorts by episode)

River Tam Kicks Butt at Bar Fight

My favorite episode

Things I Love Thursday

Ok, I know that today is CLEARLY Saturday, but I was having difficulty getting my laptop connecting to the internet (all human error which makes me feel rather silly).

I was also having trouble coming up with a theme this week to...sorry.  But, I do have a list of happy love stuffs!  Here we go!



Toaster Oven: It has a setting just for cookies! Now, I can also get back to eating healthy again! It even came with a quick guide for how to cook many kinds of food and on which setting (and for roughtly how long). It can take a frozen chicken break and cook it through in 40 minutes (I know that that is kind of a while, but sometimes that can be a good thing because then I can do something else while it is cooking)!

Knitting: My mom taught me how to knit while I was up in New York. I sort of knew how to knit when I was little, but I wasn't making anything and quickly got bored with it. I already have a few projects in mind too! One of them is the scarf from when Tom Baker was Dr. Who (this is from back in the '70's). My boyfriend REALLY wants this scarf, and it is a pretty awesome scarf. It is CRAZY LONG!!

Ponyo: This is a new Miyazaki film and it is SOO cute!!! It is roughtly based on The Little Mermaid and is full of the traditional Miyazaki adventure and whimsey! If you have liked any Studio Ghibli film, watch this movie!

Firefly/Serenity: Pretty sure this is going to be my theme for next week. This show/movie is absolutely incredible! The story has you sitting at the edge of your seat and the characters are so lovible (including the not so lovible characters). I will keep the rest of the reasons I like it a secret until I can get pictures, video clips, and quotes for next week. I have been recomending this to everybody I have talked to!

Nice Weather: There is so much I want to do right now because the weather is just so beautiful! I want to plan a picnic, go to the zoo, play frisbee, lay out in the sun, take pictures, and start drawing again (scenery this time, not people).

“Sid Meier Civilization: Revolution”: This is the first of the Civilization games I have played, but it is really fun! There are 16 different nations you can play as and the game starts out in 4000B.C. There are so many different ways to play and win that each game is unique!

Special Mentions: Burlesque dancing, cuddling, Garrett, the colors Pink and Purple, Lush products, nail polish, shower gloves, seeing a cowboy ride a horse (I saw this earlier in the week at work. No joke. He was wearing spurs and leather chaps with side fringe), Managers agreeing that the customers make you want to quit the job (I work at Taco Bell and the people who come in are really mean and order a ton of special items and complain if 1 tiny thing is wrong), Hanging out with my neighbors (because I SERIOUSLY haven't done that since I moved to college), New jewelry stand (it looks like a beautiful Asian style dress on a mannequin and I LOVE it!), Event anticipation (my dad's 50^th b-day, going out to Columbus to hang out with Jenn and Jason of A&G Ohio, Going to to Rochester and Buffalo to geek out with people, and possibly also out to Seater Point and Phili), blankets, AC, and having everything clean!

Lots of love and happy going on here! How about you? I know this is a bit late, but what are you loving this week??