This is one of the few blog posts where I’m turning off comments. I’m not interested in debate, and since this is my space on the internet, I’m allowed to control that if I so choose. I write for Bizarre Brunette as a hobby and a way to distract from the world that we live in. With that said, I can’t stay silent about what’s going on in Minneapolis these past few weeks. Our communities have been thrown into turmoil, and human rights are being violated. All thanks to ICE being brought to Minnesota. I do not stand or condone what ICE has been doing, and they need to leave Minnesota.

Since ICE has arrived, two people have been murdered. Their names are Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. If you don’t believe that they were murdered, I have nothing else that I want to say to you. If you are watching what’s happening and it’s horrifying to you as well, say something! We, as the people of this country, can come together and speak up about the atrocities that ICE is committing. If you’re able to financially donate, I have been making contributions to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, which is a non-profit that provides free legal representation to low-income immigrants.

ICE is not the good guys. It doesn’t matter if they are federal agents; we cannot forget what they have done to Minnesota.

The Minnesota Vikings are not in the playoffs this year. As a result, the last few Vikings games of the season had cheaper ticket prices. My husband had seen a news clip advertising that Vikings tickets were cheaper. One of the last games of the season was the Vikings playing the Green Bay Packers, and on average, tickets were $70 each. We decided to go to the game at U.S Bank Stadium, and it was a blast.

This is my second Vikings game I have been to. This time, we decided to park at a parking ramp that was farther away and take the Skyway over to the game. For those unfamiliar with downtown Minneapolis, there’s a Skyway system, or walkways connecting several buildings together above the roads. The Skyways connect the Convention Center to Target Field to U.S Bank Stadium. Walking farther away and taking the Skyways was the best way to attend the game. The first Vikings game we went to, we parked close to the stadium, so by the time we left, we were stuck in the parking garage for a lot longer. This time, when the game was over, we were able to walk back to our car and drive out of the ramp at a reasonable time.

It was fun to see the Vikings and Packers play. The Vikings ended up winning, which is funny because the Vikings didn’t need to win since they weren’t in the running to move into the playoffs. It was more important for the Packers to win. Unfortunately, the Packers’ season is now over since they lost to the Bears. As a side note, who would have predicted the Bears to be the team that won the NFC North? Good for them, since they haven’t been good in a while.

This was a fun way to kick off the year.

I started this post series last year as one of my year-end posts. I write my end-of-year book survey and my pop culture year in review, and now I’m adding this to my list. These are posts that I enjoyed writing or posts I’m proud of. I’d love an extra like or comment on these posts if you could spare the time! I’d really appreciate it. Here are some of my favorite posts I wrote in 2025.

Candela Obscura – Mini Campaign

Candela Obscura – Mini Campaign was a post I wrote in January of this year. This campaign feels like it happened a long time ago, not just this year. I love playing other TTRPGs that aren’t just Dungeons & Dragons, and I am fortunate to have found a group that’s open to playing other systems. This was a mini-series that played for a few months, and I’m glad that I was a part of it. I added this post to this list because it was a post I liked writing, and even re-reading this brings back fond memories of our game.

Cosplay Advice I’d Give My Younger Self

Cosplay Advice I’d Give To My Younger Self was another post I had to include on this list. This was a personal post as I talked about what I struggled with when I first started cosplaying. If younger me could look at how far I have come, I think she would be impressed. While I don’t get to cosplay that often, I love getting the chance to write about it. I would like to write more about cosplay in 2026 and hopefully come up with a regular cadence of cosplay-related posts.

When in Rome

When in Rome was one of the posts I wrote to summarize my vacation in Italy. I knew I wanted to plan another international trip, and I learned a lot from reflecting on my honeymoon in 2023. This vacation was relaxing, especially because we focused solely on Italy, rather than hopping around to other countries. It’s tough to choose which post to include, but I decided to choose Rome since we spent the most time there. I love traveling and seeing new places, even if that means traveling within the US. I want to continue writing about travel.

Moonshine Cybin Cosplay

Moonshine Cybin Cosplay is a post that I knew I wanted to include on this list. I’m proud of this post and this cosplay for a few reasons. The first is that this was a relatively cheap cosplay. I thrifted the overalls several years ago, and the bikini top I already had in my closet. I only ended up buying the crown, the green rainboots, and the opossum. I’m trying to find more ways to cosplay on a budget, as cosplay doesn’t have to be financially burdensome. Another reason I’m proud of this cosplay is because of how much this character means to me. I have talked about NADDPOD on this blog, and the fact that I finally took time to cosplay Moonshine was necessary. I liked how I wrote this post and summarized the cosplay and how the cosplay came together.

10 Year Writing Anniversary – Twin Cities Geek

10 Year Writing Anniversary – Twin Cities Geek is a special post because ten years only come around once. Writing for Twin Cities Geek has meant a lot to me. My writing has improved in ways that I don’t think would have happened had I not started writing for them. There aren’t that many people who can say that they have volunteered somewhere for ten years. I am happy to be one of those people. I hope to continue to partner with Twin Cities Geek in any way I can.

Vesper’s Story Came to a Close – The Conclusion of Our Campaign

Vesper’s Story Came to a Close – The Conclusion of Our Campaign is the last post I will include in this list. I still think about this campaign a lot and how much it meant to me. Vesper’s story came around full circle, and I’m in awe that I rolled seven natural 20s in that final session. If you don’t believe me, I have the other players in my group who can vouch for me, I promise! I have grown as a player and have learned how to be a better player at the table because of this campaign. Vesper’s story is going to stick around forever, and there will never be a moment when I don’t think about her. Special shout-out to Badwolf Adventure Studios for running this campaign and letting me be a part of it.

I had a good number of posts to choose from this year. I will continue to write this as an extension of my usual end of year posts because I think it helps round out my year from a writing perspective.

Last weekend, my husband needed to go to Home Depot as he was working on replacing our bathroom faucet. He asked me to go with him, and I declined. I’m not a home improvement person, and unless it’s decorations or gardening, I don’t go. With that said, my husband came home and informed me that Home Depot had its Halloween decorations in its seasonal section of the store. Luckily, my husband needed to go back to Home Depot for something he missed, so this time I tagged along.

There were so many options! I settled on a Grim Reaper along with some outdoor Peanuts decorations. I am trying to convince my husband that we need the 12-foot skeleton; that’s a work in progress.

On top of that, I needed to go to Trader Joe’s to pick up food for dinner. I found my all-time favorite Fall item in stock. It’s their Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate. I don’t like Pumpkin Spice Lattes because they are too sweet for me. I use a little of the Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate, coffee, and almond milk. It tastes like a cinnamon-y cup of coffee. It’s perfect because I get the flavor without the sugary aftertaste.

There are so many things that I love about Fall and I’m glad its here.

I took a little bit of a blogging break which I felt was needed. There were more events on my calendar than usual and it was nice to live in the moment versus figuring out what I needed to write next. I’m happy to be back! This year, I went to the Minnesota State Fair twice and each time, we took my in-laws. My in-laws have never been to the state fair before, so it was fun to see their thoughts and reactions. I wanted to share some photos along with some of the food I tried including an Uncrustable Burger.

Before getting into it, I wanted to talk about the Minnesota State Fair in greater detail. Our State Fair is huge and crowded. I’m the type of person who prefers to go to the State Fair once every three to four years. My husband though, he goes twice a year and more if he’s able to. Going twice this year was big for me. Every time I go, I always take the bus. Several metro stations have buses dedicated to pick up and drop off at the fair. It’s the best way to go in my opinion because parking is a nightmare. This year was no exception, I ended up taking an Uber to the transit station, so I didn’t even have to drive once. We went on a Tuesday and on a Saturday, so my in-laws could experience the weekend crowd versus during the week. I always go during the week because it’s easier to take PTO and have it be less busy than try to manage on a weekend when everyone is there.

One of the biggest draws to the State Fair is the food. There are always new food to try and often, I like to map out where everything is. This year, I tried the Jalapeño Doughnut and the Uncrustable Burger. The Jalapeño Doughnut is a doughnut with jalapeños, cream cheese, and honey drizzled on it. The doughnut was huge and I could have split half of this with someone else. The doughnut was savory versus sweet. The honey drizzle was a nice touch, but made it messy to eat. I only ate half the doughnut before a hornet wouldn’t stop buzzing around me and I had to throw it away. I’d buy doughnuts from this place again, but prefer my doughnuts to taste sweet.

The Uncrustable Burger was something else I tried. The buns weren’t hamburger buns, but were Uncrustable Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches that were fried. My brother-in-law bought this and let me have a bite. Making the Uncrustables the buns seems like a great idea, but the more my brother-in-law ate, the more the sandwiches dissolved. It was difficult to eat as peanut butter and jelly went everywhere. I only had one bite and I had jelly all over my fingers. Was this good? Yes. Would I order it again? Probably not. Besides trying new things, I had my usual favorites. Sweet Martha’s Cookies, Deep Fried Pickles, and French Fries. French Fries sound so basic, but there’s something comforting about getting fries at the fair.

It was fun to attend the Minnesota State Fair this year, but I think next year, I will pass.