Author Archives: Bizarre Brunette

Peacemaker (2022)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
Image is a promotional image for the show Peacemaker. It shows Peacemaker in the front with his hands on his hips. His eagle is to his left on the ground. There are several characters in the background. Behind them appears to be a bloodied american flag.

I mentioned in my previous post that my husband is enjoying the Peacemaker spin-off show on HBO Max. For those unfamiliar, Peacemaker was first featured in last year’s DC romp, The Suicide Squad. Directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad introduced Peacemaker (played by John Cena), a character obsessed with maintaining global peace, who would kill anyone to achieve this. Shortly after The Suicide Squad was released, it was announced that Peacemaker would be getting his own series. When I originally heard this, I wasn’t interested. Peacemaker wasn’t the member of The Suicide Squad that stood out to me the most. My husband badgered me to watch the series with him and give it a chance. I’m glad he did because Peacemaker is such a fun, dark, and witty show.

The show begins with Peacemaker (real name: Christopher Smith) waking up in the hospital after the battle in The Suicide Squad. He makes his way back to his father’s house to pick up his pet bald eagle, Eagly. As Peacemaker tries to resume his normal life, he’s confronted by A.R.G.U.S agents who need his help with “Project Butterfly”. As more information is disclosed to Peacemaker throughout his mission, he realizes this is serious and could lead to an alien invasion if “Project Butterfly” isn’t stopped.

John Cena delivers his lines in a way that’s impossible not to laugh. Joining Peacemaker is his ally, Vigilante (played by Freddie Stroma). Vigilante is another comic relief; however, his lines are delivered in a dark way as Vigilante kills everyone and shows no remorse for his actions. If you’re not a fan of dark humor, this show is not for you.

The A.R.G.U.S agents create this cohesive team as everyone has a role to fill. There’s Emilia Harcourt (played by Jennifer Holland) who’s the combat-heavy character. She’s a hard shell to crack; however, as the episodes have continued, it’s clear Peacemaker is starting to grow on her. Besides Emilia, there’s Leota Adebayo (played by Danielle Brooks), who offers humility to the team. She isn’t trained to kill and often struggles with making the tough choice. It’s a nice balance between her and Emilia. Technical support is provided by John Economos (played by Steve Agee), who has a big moment in the series with a chainsaw, which I won’t spoil. The team is well-balanced, and it’s been so fun to see them start to connect with each other.

I never thought I would say this, but Peacemaker has been an absolute blast. I went into watching this show thinking this was not going to be something I would like, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I hope Peacemaker gets a second season, as I’d like to see more Suicide Squad members make an appearance.

Avocado Breakfast Sandwich & Coffee – Valentine’s Day 2022

Posted in Life Lately by
This is a photo of a Valentine's Day card. On it it says, "You're the cutest wife" and there are two llamas on it. There are two scented candles in front of the card.

Happy Valentine’s Day! While Valentine’s Day means a lot to some, I personally don’t care much for the day itself. I think there’s a lot of stigma still with those who don’t have a romantic partner, and I think that sucks. Happiness doesn’t equate to being in love or with someone romantically. Galentine’s Day is helping to normalize being single, but the stigma still exists. My husband and I don’t create huge Valentine’s Day plans; as a result, however, we still had a date day to ourselves.

My and my husband and I celebrated Valentine’s Day a day early because we didn’t feel like going out today. We made reservations at Hope Breakfast Bar in St. Paul. Hope Breakfast Bar is a brunch spot that took over an old fire station. I prefer a savory breakfast as opposed to a sweet one, so I ordered a spicy bagel and avocado breakfast sandwich while my husband ordered Pina Colada French toast. Here’s the weird thing: my husband’s French toast had cotton candy on the side. Cotton Candy?? Why would you have Cotton Candy underneath French toast? My husband swears the menu didn’t list this; otherwise, he would have asked to leave it off. We joked about how funny it would be to order and say, “Can you please not put cotton candy on mine, thanks”. I would definitely come back to Hope Breakfast Bar, especially because of all the breakfast options I’d like to try.

After breakfast, we drove to Nina’s Coffee Cafe. Nina’s is also located in St. Paul near the Cathedral. As a side note, St. Paul is a city with beautiful architecture and restored homes. Nina’s is in this beautiful red historic building. I ordered their special called the Love Potion, which was a latte with Oat Milk topped with a dusting of sugar and cardamon. My husband ordered his usual iced mocha with dark chocolate. We took our coffee and drove home, so we could have a lazy afternoon before the Super Bowl.

My husband and I like to exchange small gifts for Valentine’s Day. I bought my husband a Peacemaker Pop Funko since he loves the show on HBO Max. I received three mini candles with assorted scents, along with a pack of Oreos.

While I’m not big on Valentine’s Day, this was such a chill way to celebrate the day. I’m all for drinking coffee and eating breakfast food.

February – Romance Reading Month

Posted in Reading/Books by

Every February, I read romance. It gets me in the mood for Valentine’s Day, and it allows me to target the romance books sitting on my TBR. I wanted to share all the books I want to read in February, and once February ends, I will write a recap post where I review the romance books I read. I have set high expectations this month, so I’m not sure if I will get to everything. Here are all the romance books I ideally would like to read this month

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I read Eleanor & Park back in 2015. This had been sitting on my re-read TBR for a while. Eleanor & Park, written by Rainbow Rowell, is about a budding high school romance between Eleanor and Park. I re-read Fangirl last year, and I realized I didn’t love the book as much as I thought I did. I’m curious if Eleanor & Park will hold up or if I will feel the same way I felt for Fangirl.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

I had The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling on my Spooky TBR last year, although I ended up not getting to it. I’m debating between reading this now or saving it for October. The Ex Hex is centered around Vivienne Jones, who puts a curse on her ex-boyfriend that should have been mild. However, her ex returns to their town, and all hell breaks loose. As mentioned, I may save this for fall, but I have no doubt that I will read The Ex Hex this year.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

A romance that takes place at a local Renaissance festival? Sign me up. Well Met follows Emily and Simon. Emily is roped into signing up for the Renaissance festival while Simon’s family runs the festival. I have had this on my TBR for a long time, so I’m glad I’m finally going to read this.

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

If the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise were to include plus-size women, that’s the premise of One to Watch. Bea Schumacher is a plus-size fashion influencer who loves the reality TV show Main Squeeze. When she’s contacted by Main Squeeze to be a part of their show, Bea agrees. She doesn’t think she will actually find love unless she does. While I’m personally not a fan of The Bachelor, I think this book will still appeal to me.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

I hear so many good things about Talia Hibbert and her books. Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek who creates a list of things she wants to do. Chloe meets Red, and she enlists him to help her accomplish all the things she wants to do. I like the chronically ill representation, as there are so many people out there with either chronic pain or chronic illness. Representation is so important.

This is an ambitious TBR for February. I’m most excited to read Well Met, One to Watch, and Get a Life, Chloe Brown.

Professional D&D – Badwolf Adventure Studios

Posted in Gaming by
Image is a screenshot of a character sheet from D&D Beyond. The character is Levenia Monterro. She's a half-elf Blood Hunter. There are all her stats, initiative, and her armor class.
Screenshot taken by me from my D&D Beyond account

The toughest part of playing Dungeons & Dragons is finding the time. I have joined several D&D campaigns that fizzled out. I joined some campaigns where I didn’t connect with the players, and another campaign that fell apart because we couldn’t find a time that worked for everyone. Professional D&D is on the rise, where you can pay a Dungeon Master to coordinate your gaming group. In Minneapolis, Badwolf Adventure Studios is a professional D&D studio that will run games for you.

I found out about Badwolf through a Facebook ad. I figured I’d contact the studio and find out what this all involves. I was contacted right away and put into a group that met every other Thursday. This was perfect for me because it didn’t feel like a full-time commitment. There was a session zero where I worked with someone to develop my character. I didn’t feel uncomfortable asking questions, and while I have been roleplaying for a while, 5e D&D rules still confuse me, so I wanted to be in an environment for beginners. Badwolf is a great place to learn how to play, whether you’re a beginner or have been roleplaying for years.

Since this is professional DMing, there is a cost. Each session costs $25. For some, this may seem expensive; however, I find that it’s worth it. When players invest in their session, everyone is more than likely to show up. The most frustrating part of D&D is when players don’t show up for their sessions. Since everyone is committing financially, this has removed this frustration from gameplay.

In my limited experience with Badwolf, I can’t recommend them enough. Everyone was kind and friendly to beginners. It’s clear our DM knows a lot about the game and doesn’t have to constantly look up the rules. Once my group is finished playing through Curse of Strahd, I immediately want to dive into another campaign. If your area doesn’t have professional DMing, it might be worthwhile to talk to a friend and pay them for their time. Professional D&D is a game-changer for roleplaying, and I’m happy to have found a long-term D&D campaign.

My Favorite TV Shows That I Have Never Finished Watching

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by

I don’t force myself to watch shows that I’m no longer interested in. I used to do this more frequently in college, but it took the joy out of watching TV. I found myself keeping track of certain series I love and noticed a pattern. There are shows where I watch certain seasons, and then I can’t bring myself to finish the series. It could be that the show took a weird turn, or the show lost its spark that kept me invested. I still consider myself a fan of these shows and wanted to list my favorite TV series, even though I won’t watch every episode.

Agents of Shield: Seasons #1 – #3

I loved the first few seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The cast had great chemistry together, and each character had something to bring to the team. I loved the chemistry between Jemma (played by Elizabeth Henstridge) and Fitz (played by Iain De Caestecker). The first few seasons were addictive, yet I found by the fourth season, my interest in the show declined. I have re-watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at least twice, and I can never seem to finish the series.

Scandal: Seasons #1 – #4

Scandal is another show where I gave up watching after finishing season four. I felt Olivia Pope (played by Kerry Washington) and President Fitzgerald Grant (played by Tony Goldwyn) were such a good couple early on, but then it felt like they were playing games with each other in later seasons. They either need to be committed to each other or break up. Scandal also went in a different direction than what I was looking for. The first few seasons of Scandal are great TV, but I just can’t finish it.

24: Seasons #1 – #5

24 follows Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer (played by Kiefer Sutherland), who helps prevent terrorist attacks on the US. The first five seasons were thrilling to watch. There were great plot twists, and each of the CTU agents was interesting to follow. Season five was a gut punch with the death of some major characters, including former President Palmer (played by Dennis Haysbert), Michelle Dessler (played by Reiko Aylesworth), and Tony Almeida (played by Carlos Bernard). I remember feeling so heartbroken over their deaths. This was one of the first TV moments where I had attachments to these characters, so when they died, it was shocking. After season five, there were some weird moments. I pretend the other seasons of 24 don’t exist, and it’s only seasons #1 – #5.

What shows have you started and haven’t been able to finish? Let me know in the comments below!

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Posted in Reading/Books by
Image is a book cover for the book, The Guest List by Lucy Foley. It's a gray book with a rocky hill in the background. There's a mansion on the hill. The Guest list is in yellow chunky font. In smaller letters it says "You'd Kill To Be On It"

One of the reasons why I love to read is the feeling of finishing a great book. For a few days, the book I finished reading is all I can think about. It could be the setting, the characters, or how the book turned out that stays with me. I finished reading The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and it’s hands down one of the best thrillers I have read. It’s a close contender to being one of my favorite books I read in 2022. That may be too early to say, but that’s how much I loved this book.

A wedding party flocks to a remote Irish island. The wedding is breathtaking until someone is murdered. As the story progresses, secrets are revealed, and it seems like everyone has an ulterior motive.

One reason I loved The Guest List is the setting. The wedding takes place on this remote Irish island, with a chapel, house, and lavish tents set up to house guests. There’s a small Celtic cemetery located nearby, giving this island a haunted feel to it. I took pauses while reading The Guest List to imagine the island in my mind. The setting helped solidify the story and made me want to continue reading.

The Guest List is told through the perspective of several key characters. Usually, I’m not a fan of this type of storytelling because it’s tough to keep everyone straight. However, Lucy Foley does a great job at balancing all of the characters. I felt drawn to Hannah and Olivia specifically. Hannah was the character I connected with the most because she’s a middle-class outsider to this rich lifestyle. Olivia is a character who is struggling mentally, and I just wanted to reach out to her and give her a hug. Olivia is someone I wanted to see succeed and overcome her struggles.

In The Guest List, there’s a big reveal that I predicted early on. In some cases, I become disappointed when I can predict the plot of the book, although, in The Guest List, I was more excited to see how everything came together, even if it was something I could see coming.

The Guest List was everything I wanted in a thriller: an intriguing setting, a sprinkling of characters to root for, and a few twists throughout. I don’t have anything bad to say about The Guest List. I have since added a few of Lucy Foley’s other books to my TBR on Goodreads as I’m curious to read more from her. I rated The Guest List five stars on Goodreads.

Controllers & Coffee BizarreBrunette Gaming Update #3

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2022 so far has been a strong gaming year. I have set gaming goals for myself to achieve this year as I want to tackle my video game backlog. Additionally, there are a few games I’d like to re-play, such as Life is Strange, as there have been two new games released that I haven’t played yet. I wanted to share my latest gaming update, starting off 2022.

Consoles

I have been mainly playing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy on my PS4. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this game has been a blast to play. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is made by SQUARE ENIX, who produced Marvel’s Avengers, which was mediocre. I only bought Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy because the game was highly rated. This would be the perfect game to play next year before the next Guardians of the Galaxy film is released.

I have also gotten back into Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I played for two months straight last year, and then I took a hiatus. Animal Crossing can get repetitive, especially because I still owe 400,000 bells on my house. I ended up missing the game, so I have been playing regularly throughout January. I named my island MaplePeaks as I love fall. I want to make a spooky/autumn-themed island. I still have a lot of work to do to make my island what I want.

PC

I have been playing through Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy. Whenever I play a Nancy Drew PC game, I like to play it in one sitting. I haven’t had a chance to finish the game, but I hope to in the next week. Besides Nancy Drew, I did try playing Parkasaurus, which is a simulation game in which the player builds a zoo with Dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the game lagged on my PC, so I ended up uninstalling it from my laptop. If I upgrade to a gaming computer, I may give this game another shot.

Board Games

With the current spikes of COVID-19, I haven’t been out with friends playing board games. I hope to have a board game night soon. This is the one section of my gaming updates that I haven’t been able to share anything new, which makes me sad. I love board games as it’s a huge part of my gaming identity.

Roleplaying

Image is a screenshot from my D&D Beyond account. It shows a character named Levenia Monterro. She's a half-elf blood hunter, level #3. It shows her stats below.
Screenshot taken by me from my D&D Beyond account.

I shared in my last gaming update, but I’m in an ongoing D&D campaign. My group is playing through Curse of Strahd, which is a campaign centered on a cursed prince who is a vampire. My character is named Levenia Monterro and she’s a half-elf Blood Hunter. She is a blood mage, meaning she uses her own blood to cast spells. I love playing with her. I selected Eldritch Blast as a cantrip, and I have been wreaking havoc in battle. I haven’t been in an ongoing D&D campaign since 2019.

I want to get back into Adventurer’s League as well with my other character, Zehiri, a level #3 Tiefling Paladin.

Miscellaneous

My husband, for Christmas, bought me a handheld Dig Dug electronic game. Dig Dug is my favorite arcade game, and I played it a lot when I was a kid. I tend to play Dig Dug a few nights a week before I go to bed.

I love sharing these gaming updates. Gaming has been one hobby that I have found decreased over the past few years, and I feel that sharing these updates has helped get me back into gaming regularly.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
Image is a movie poster for Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. It shows a man clutching his fists staring straight ahead. Behind him are glowing orange rings.

Why did I wait so long to watch Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? Am I the only one who felt that out of all the Marvel movies, Shang-Chi was the one that was least advertised? I have started to fall behind in watching Marvel content, as I still haven’t seen Black Widow or Hawkeye on Disney+. I’m hoping to get caught up shortly before I’m accidentally spoiled. I watched Shang Chi, and this film rocked.

Shaun aka. Shang-Chi (played by Simu Lee) is a valet in San Francisco alongside his friend, Katy (played by Awkwafina). During the bus ride to work, Shaun is attacked and fights in expert hand-to-hand combat, shocking Katy. Shaun reveals to Katy his real name, how his dad is evil, and his sister is someone he needs to protect. Throughout the film, Shang-Chi finds out more about his family and discovers a plane he knew nothing about.

One of my favorite action sequences is at the beginning, where Shang-Chi is fighting on the San Francisco bus. The bus served as a perfect backdrop as Katy drove through hilly intersections. Speaking of Katy, Awkwafina plays her perfectly. Katy is the getaway driver and provides the one-liners throughout the film. The best one-liner is after she hears about Shang-Chi’s identity, she says, “You changed your name from Shang to Shaun? No wonder your father found you.” Besides both Simu Lee and Awkwafina, this film features a ton of talent, including Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung, and Meng’er Zhang. I have been a big fan of Michelle Yeoh ever since Tomorrow Never Dies, Yeoh abolishing the Bond girl stereotype.

One thing that surprised me about Shang-Chi was the nods to past Marvel films. I can’t say anything more without spoiling the film, but there was one tie-in to a previous Marvel film that completely changes that Marvel film for me. While Shang-Chi has been out for months, I don’t want to be the one to accidentally spoil a film for someone.

I’m glad I finally got around to watching Shang-Chi, and I wish I had been able to see it in theaters. I hope to see Shang-Chi, Katy, and Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) in future Marvel films. I checked the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast list, and I didn’t see Simu Lee listed, so I hope I’m wrong. Shang-Chi can be streamed on Disney+

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Posted in Reading/Books by
Image is a photo for a book cover for The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. The book cover is a violet color with magenta flowers on it. There's a vial sketched in gold. It looks like a vial that you would store an old perfume or elixir in.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner was the first book I read in 2022. I originally had this on my Spooky TBR last year, but I ran out of time to read it. The Lost Apothecary has a fascinating premise centered around this apothecary offering poisons to women wronged by men. I enjoyed this book, although there were a few instances that stuck out to me about the story. The story wraps up quite conveniently, which I feel was a bit implausible.

A woman is scorned and seeks help from an apothecary. Poisons are easily dispensed, and women stay silent. Nella Clavinger, the woman running the apothecary, keeps track of everything prescribed and preserves the women who want more. Eliza Fanning is a young girl who was sent to Nella by her employer seeking a poison for her rotten husband. In the twenty-first century, Caroline Parcewell discovers her husband’s affair and finds a vial with a bear on it, leading her to look for this hidden apothecary. The three women are connected at various parts of history by a secret and enchanting place.

Out of all the stories, I found myself gravitating towards Nella and Eliza. I enjoyed reading Nella’s back story as it relates to why Nella started adding poisons to her shop. Eliza’s story is relatable as she’s a young girl who leaves her rural town to explore a brand new place. Caroline’s story was more realistic, yet the most implausible, as she seems to put together the existence of the apothecary despite not being a trained historian. I’m sure Caroline is incredibly smart, but I just found that she may not have been able to do it on her own. I would have loved a partnership between Caroline and Gaynor, a librarian whom Caroline met. I think it would have been great to see two women using their strengths to lead this investigation.

Another annoying part of the book to me was that no one wanted to tell Eliza about her period. There’s a scene where Eliza gets her period for the first time and leaves a chair with a blood stain. For whatever reason, NO ONE thought to sit down with Eliza and explain her period until the latter half of the book. Eliza thought her period was from a spirit, which, understandably, she’s 12. I thought that was so odd. I wouldn’t say this ruined the story by any means, but I found it rather questionable, especially because this book is built on women supporting women.

Overall, I’m glad I read The Lost Apothecary as I thought it was a solid book to start the year off with. I’d recommend this for anyone remotely interested in history, London, and fantasy. I rated The Lost Apothecary four stars on Goodreads.

Seeing NADDPOD Live!

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Late last year, I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw that NADDPOD had listed tickets for their live show in Minneapolis. I was ecstatic! Minneapolis gets skipped over, as Chicago is the bigger Midwestern city. After confirming that NADDPOD would be in Minneapolis, I immediately purchased tickets. Originally, I was going by myself because I didn’t know anyone else who listened to the podcast. My husband offered to come with me, so I didn’t have to go by myself. He’s so sweet. As a disclaimer, I think we should normalize going to events or doing activities by ourselves. I’m happy I was able to see NADDPOD live.

Image is a photo I took for my Instagram story. There is wording that says "Omg yayayayayay" in black shading and white letters. The image is a post card that says "Not Another D&D Podcast" It shows a group of four characters walking through a forest. There's an old man, a taller bearded elf man, a shorter elf in braids, and a blonde halfling boy walking. There are three dates at the bottom - 1/6 The Wilbur Boston, MA, 1/7 The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL, and 1/8 Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, MN.
Insta story picture (b/c I’m the worst at taking pictures)

To start off, NADDPOD is a Dungeons & Dragons podcast. There have been two campaigns so far, with a third on the way. Their most memorable campaign was Bahumia, DMed by Brian Murphy. The campaign centers on three characters: Moonshine Cybin (played by Emily Axford), Hardwon Surefoot (played by Jake Hurwitz), and Beverly Toegold V (played by Caldwell Tanner). I credit NADDPOD as an influence for getting me into Dungeons & Dragons.

Each NADDPOD live show is a one-shot centered around their characters in Bahumia. In this show, the characters competed on a Bahumia version of Survivor. The show featured several funny moments where the characters and the NPCs were gossiping about who to vote off the show. Additionally, the characters participate in Survivor-like challenges involving dice rolling. While this is meant to be a light-hearted show, some dice rolls put me on edge. One example is when Hardwon was one of two left in a challenge. The crowd was rooting for Hardwon to get immunity in the challenge, which he did.

The show started at 7 PM, and it ended close to 9 PM. I thought that was perfect because sometimes D&D podcast episodes can get long. I rarely listen to one NADDPOD episode in one sitting, so I’m glad that their show wasn’t longer than two hours.

I’m so glad I went to the NADDPOD live show! I’d definitely go again if they ever visit Minneapolis; otherwise, I’m open to traveling to another state to see their show, too, as I’m a big fan.