I took a week off from writing to catch up on my comic backlog, plan my wedding, and learning to throw an axe. It was my fiancé’s birthday last weekend, and he requested we book a reservation for axe-throwing. The Burrow is where we booked our reservation. Besides axe-throwing, they have a full indoor mini-golf course and an arcade. There’s also a restaurant and a bar with beers on tap. I was surprised that they let us order beers while we threw axes. Throwing an axe was intimidating at first, but I would gladly go again.
There are four axe-throwing lanes, with one lane being able to accommodate a bigger group. The instructor was friendly and gave us a quick rundown on how to throw an axe correctly. There’s way more involved than you would think. It’s your abdominal muscles holding you in a good posture, the upper body strength to hold the axe, and power as you throw the axe with enough force to hit the wooden board.
My fiancé picked up on axe-throwing quickly. The instructor started telling my fiancé about the axe-throwing leagues they have during the summer. It took me way longer to figure out how to throw an axe. I was nervous when I first started. I have seen numerous axe-throwing videos where someone would throw an axe, and it would rebound backward. The instructor started going into their safety measures and how they built their lanes, which made it a safe experience. Once I felt comfortable, I started sticking the axe into the board. I got one bullseye!
I would happily make another reservation at The Burrow. My fiancé and I had a thirty-minute reservation, which I thought was plenty of time for two people. For a group of four or more, I would say an hour would be needed, so everyone has the time to throw. For those not in Minnesota, I would recommend researching axe-throwing places and their safety measures. Throwing an axe was a fun date night for both me and my fiancé.
In less than six months, I will be getting married! These months will fly by, and I still have a lot of planning to do. This past Saturday, my friends and I drove down to the winery to see the venue. It was such a fun time, and I consistently think about how fortunate I am that I have the best of friends.
Leading into the day, my fiancé dropped me off at my friend’s apartment. As we walked by her apartment, I saw that my friends had rented a luxurious SUV! They rented the car, so we could all have a couple of glasses of wine and no one had to worry about driving home. My friends brought two bottles of champagne for us all to share as we drove up to the winery. It made the day feel so special.
If I haven’t mentioned this before, I’m getting married at Four Daughters Winery in Spring Valley, MN, which is south of Rochester. It’s located on the border of Minnesota on the southeastern side of the state near Wisconsin. My fiancé and I chose the venue because everything was on-site, there was plenty of parking, and it’s a gorgeous place. They have held many weddings at the venue before, and it will be nice not to have to worry about doing all the setup myself.
Of course, we ended up taking pictures as we always do for any girls’ day extravaganza. The pictures give a hint of how beautiful this venue truly is. The room where we had our wine is the room where we will be having dinner for our wedding. I love how rustic the barrels feel in the space. We are getting married in the Fall, and I think the barrels add to the feeling I’m going for.
Planning a wedding makes me truly thankful for my friends. They have gone above and beyond for me and making this feel like a once-in-a-lifetime moment in my life. I know they have something up their sleeve for my bachelorette party and I’m excited to see what they have planned. I love my friends, I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.
I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend! For Easter, my fiancé and I visited his family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With COVID, we would normally quarantine at his parents’ house and watch TV. However, with both of his parents being vaccinated, we decided to go do something. For the Easter weekend, I convinced my fiancé to go to the 11th Annual PEEPS Art Exhibition at the Racine Art Museum. From the title, all the art pieces were made out of PEEPS or were inspired by PEEPS in general.
The exhibit was open from noon to 4 PM. We arrived at the museum at 12:15 and there were already people waiting outside of the museum. Each ticket was $7 which I thought was a good price to see the PEEP room along with the whole museum. As we paid for our tickets, there were dots on the floor representing where to stand to be socially distanced. The museum had a cap of 50 people, so someone was counting how many people were being sold tickets. The PEEPS exhibit was in one room with a walkway with various art pieces. My favorite had to be the Baby Yoda made of brown and green PEEPS glued together. There were also several Bernie sitting on a chair PEEPS along with a Harry Potter-themed one as well.
With COVID, I missed going out and doing random activities. I would happily go to this exhibit next year. It was such a fun way to spend the Holiday.
It was one year ago when I canceled my trip to Seattle for Emerald City Comic Conand spontaneously drove to Michigan. On the way home, I checked my work email, and to my surprise, we all were able to work from home the following Monday. At that time, I had no way of knowing this would be semi-permanent. While 2020 was a rough year for almost everyone, I have found myself reflecting on what this pandemic has taught me. I wanted to share what I have taken away from this experience.
Be Appreciative of My Experiences
Before COVID, I was always planning the next vacation. I would finish my trip, and a week later, I would plan my next destination. Since I wasn’t able to travel, I found myself going through old pictures and reliving memories of previous trips. One example was reading through my travel journal. Reading through my past vacations made me hopeful for the future and helped me to feel less isolated. It made me appreciate all of the life I have been able to live. I was always living in the future, not as much in the present. I don’t want to lose the travel bug I have acquired, but I also want to live more in the moment.
Paid Sick Leave
While the stimulus checks are crucial, I hope the United States re-evaluates the need for sick leave. In previous jobs, I would show up sick because I had no other choice, as I didn’t have paid sick leave. While I think the pandemic would have been the same regardless of paid sick leave, I think this would have made a difference.
Activism!
By staying home, I have been able to save money. Since I had more money left over, I was more aware of how I spent my money. I found myself trying to donate to various nonprofits. After the murder of George Floyd, I started donating to the NAACP, Black Lives Matter, and the ACLU.I want to leave the world a better place, and donating money here and there helps. I’m fortunate that I’m able to do this, as I was employed throughout the pandemic.
What Makes Me Happy
Playing video games, reading books & comics, and exercising all got me through this pandemic. It was a stressful time, and to get through it, I needed to figure out ways to destress. Additionally, I had to analyze my coping methods. Last April, I found myself relying more heavily on alcohol. It was a Friday staple to drink and play video games. The morning after, I woke with a headache. I found myself having to analyze why I was using alcohol in the way that I was. I still drink, but I find I’m more in control.
I’m elated because I feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel. My mom received her first dose of the vaccine. While I wait for my turn for the vaccine, I realize how much COVID has taught me about myself and life in general. I’m excited to be able to attend conventions, see friends regularly, and go to my favorite brewery.
I haven’t written a personal post in a while, so here it goes. Wedding planning has taken up the majority of my time. This week, I was organizing my hair and makeup schedule for the bridal party, along with booking our hotel block. I’m trying not to get stressed with having to remember everything I need to book. Throughout this experience, I’m discovering I don’t like planning events. I’m going wedding dress shopping next weekend, and the actual dress shopping isn’t even the part I’m most looking forward to. I’m excited to gather my friends together and to get their honest opinion when I try on dresses. With this post, I wanted to share what I have learned from planning a wedding, along with documenting this experience.
Planning a wedding is a lot of work, so I find it’s crucial to be organized. My fiancé works in finance, so he created an Excel sheet with our vendors and what we owe. Additionally, we have been logging any down payments or payments made throughout the year. I have also been using my planner to log any checklist items I need to complete for that particular week. This helped me gather almost all the addresses I needed for save the dates. It helps make wedding planning more feasible versus forgetting what I’m supposed to be doing this week.
The fun part about wedding planning is having an opinion on how the wedding should be. I’m all for the Fall theme. We are planning to have white pumpkins on various shelves at the winery, which will feature pictures of loved ones who have passed. Our floral arrangement will be a mix of dark red, orange, and mustard yellow. I still haven’t picked out centerpieces for the tables, so that’s a work in progress.
While the wedding will be a fun day, I’m more excited to say I’m married to my partner. He is a lovely human who is respectful to anyone he meets. He has always lifted me when I’m down, and I love his knowledge about cars. He will fix things on my car and take my car to get the check engine light looked at. He is someone whom I want to grow with as we go through the various phases in our lives. After our wedding in October, we will be buying a house. There are a couple of trips I want to go on before I’m fully ready to have kids, but that’s something we both want eventually.
I realize this post was less of a “wedding planning” and more of a personal tone with the relationship I have with my fiancé. I plan on documenting some aspects of our wedding planning, as that’s been taking up a lot of my time. Time has been flying by, and before I know it, it will be time to walk down the aisle in the vineyard.
Last week, I reached out to a friend of mine. She lives in Minneapolis, and we have been friends since third grade. I reached out to her regarding wedding information; however, we ended up talking for much longer. The week after, she called me again, and we ended up talking for almost an hour. Whether our conversation was about wedding stuff, anime, or playing The Sims, it was refreshing to hear what was going on in her life. It’s sad because the thought that went through my head originally was “she’s probably busy, and she won’t answer”. My assumption was incorrect. This post serves as a reminder to check in on your friends.
I was watching the news with my fiancé this week, and I saw a news story that made me sad. Mental illness is skyrocketing in the pandemic. This is unsurprising. It’s a stressful time of trying to stay quarantined, not seeing older family members, and avoiding events or groups of people. I find myself longing to attend conventions again. I miss being around people and cosplay! I haven’t planned any cosplays in a while because I have no place to go. I’m an introvert to a certain degree, and even I find myself feeling lonely or missing old aspects of my life.
My friend and I are set to hang out sometime today, and I can’t wait. I’m hoping we will play Sims, watch anime, and play with her new puppy. This is my reminder to you to reach out to anyone you haven’t seen in a while. Send them a text, Facebook message, call, or DM them on Twitter. It doesn’t matter if it’s been six months since you last reached out. It feels good to receive a message from someone I haven’t spoken to in a while.
Four years ago, I wrote a post titled Wanderlust & My Travel Bucket List. In 2016, I was still in college and excited to graduate. As I re-read the post, I realized I actually crossed off a few of these places. I wanted to revisit this topic to update my list, recap where I have been, and look to the future when the borders open.
Wanderlust *noun* a strong desire to travel.
Universal Studios Orlando, Fl DONE! February 2019
This was my first trip listed in my post four years ago. I didn’t even list this as Universal Studios because I was so focused on seeing the Harry Potter portion of the theme park. This trip was planned for February because that’s my mom’s birthday month. It was also an excuse to leave and go somewhere warm. This was one of my favorite trips I have ever taken, and I’m glad I made this a priority after I graduated from college.
Seattle, Washington – HAHAHAHA 2020.
I was supposed to go to Emerald City Comic Conin March of last year; however, I canceled my trip due to the pandemic. It was 100% the right decision to make. I hope to go to Seattle one of these days.
London
I convinced the fiancé to go to Europe for our honeymoon. With the borders being monitored, I want to wait to go on a honeymoon until it’s safe to travel to Europe.
New York City Comic Con / A Bigger Con Partly Done! Planet Comic-Con in 2018, New York Trip in 2018, and C2E2 twice.
This goal is partly completed. Since 2016, I have attended Gen Con(Indianapolis), C2E2twice (Chicago), and Planet Comic Con(Kansas City, Missouri). In 2018, we flew to New York, but not to go to New York Comic Con. Once attending conventions becomes safe again, I want to attend NYCC in all of its glory.
Reading my Wanderlust post reminded me how much I have accomplished since graduating from college in 2017. Going through 2020, I struggled with the insecurity of “not doing enough” with my life. 2020 felt like a wasted year. I realize in saying this that it’s a privileged thing to say. None of my loved ones tested positive for COVID-19. I’m still healthy as I’m sitting in my apartment writing this post. My main hope for 2021 is to speed up the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine! Bring on the herd immunity!
I have always wanted to start a comics pull list. I started reading comics in college; however, I wasn’t particularly fond of the comic book store in my college town. This meant starting a pull list back in Minneapolis wasn’t feasible since I wasn’t driving home consistently. Once I moved to the cities, I struggled to find a weekly comic series. I found reading trades easier than comic issues. Now, I have at least a couple of series I’m trying to read weekly, so it made sense to finally start a pull list. I’m excited to continue supporting a local comic book store weekly and get new comics! Wednesdays will have meaning for me again.
I started my pull list at Hot Comics and Collectibles. Hot Comics recently moved to a new store location in Minneapolis. It’s a quaint little shop, and it gives off a cozy vibe whenever I stop by. Hot Comics has three retail locations, with two of these locations being within reasonable driving distance from my apartment. When I knew I wanted to start a pull list, I wanted a comic book store close to me. This would be a place I would drive to weekly to pick up my comics, and nothing is worse than dreading a long car ride. Winter in Minnesota makes driving unpredictable, and I’d hate to miss picking up my comics because of poor driving conditions.
So what’s on my pull list? At the moment, I have three titles on there so far. If you have kept up with my posts, this shouldn’t come as a surprise as to what’s on my pull list. First, I have Finger Guns. Finger Guns is such a fun comic series. I’m all caught up on the story, so now I’m waiting for issue #6 to release. Besides Finger Guns, I have the latest Doctor Aphra series on my pull list. The new Doctor Aphra series made me a fan of the character and her adventuring team. Finally, I have King in Black on my pull list. King in Black is a Marvel crossover where the heroes are fighting Knull, the god of the Venom symbiote. I haven’t been reading Donny Cates’ Venom series, which supposedly leads up to King in Black. I never felt lost reading King in Black because the story is clear and easy to understand.
Despite having a pull list, I will continue to read trade paperbacks. There are certain series I started way too late, where I don’t think I will ever catch up to the current comic issue. It took me a long time to feel comfortable reading comics and to have the confidence to start a pull list. Let me know if you have a pull list and where your pull list is in the comments below.
Before writing this post, I read my “2019 Pop Culture Year in Review.” Many of us had such high hopes for 2020. I’m trying to stay positive for the most part, but I can’t help feeling COVID-19 took so much from me. Conventions, trips, seeing my family all have been canceled, put on hold, or decreased. While quarantine allowed me more time for my hobbies, I found myself missing social events. This is my fourth Pop Culture Year in Review post and it’s likely the most different recap I have written.
Movies I Saw in Theaters:
Rise of Skywalker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey was the last movie I saw in theaters before the pandemic hit. I miss seeing movies in the theater. I hope theaters will bounce back after the pandemic. Birds of Prey was my favorite film of 2020.
Since being in quarantine, I made a point to watch movies I had never seen before. These included the Blade movies, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Ready or Not, The Normal Heart, BlacKkKlansman, Ghostbusters re-make, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. My favorite movie I watched for the first time this year was BlacKkKlansman.
TV Shows I Watched:
Girls
Fleabag
New Girl (finally finished the whole series this year)
You
Barry
The Mandalorian
True Blood
Normal People
Challenger: The Final Flight
The obvious choice of the best TV show in 2020 is The Mandalorian. The second season topped the first season in many ways. Pedro Pascal’s back must hurt from carrying the Star Wars franchise. Besides The Mandalorian, I loved Fleabag. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is an excellent writer and Fleabag allows her to shine.
Video Games I Played:
Spy Fox in Dry Cereal
Monster Prom
Sims #3: Supernatural / Late Night expansions
Kingdom Hearts 3
Star Wars Battlefront II
Costume Quest II
Nancy Drew and the Ghost of Thornton Hall
Hidden Through Time
Marvel’s Avengers
This year I experimented with games on Steam. I uninstalled programs on my laptop to make space for my Steam games. My favorite game I purchased on Steam was Hidden Through Time. It was such a soothing hidden objects game. While other gamers were playing Animal Crossing, I played a lot of Sims. There’s something comforting about simulation games while being stuck inside.
My favorite game I played on a console was Costume Quest II. Costume Quest II is a game that appealed to my love of Halloween. I was able to play it for free on Xbox Game Pass, although I’m considering purchasing both Costume Quest I and II on Steam to re-play them.
Another fond gaming memory was spending hours playing Star Wars: Battlefront II. I played Battlefront II for most of the summer. It was such a great way to unwind from work, crack open a beer and play as Lando.
Gaming in 2020
Star Wars Outer Rim: Playing as Jyn Erso.
Star Wars: Outer Rim
Tattoo Stories
Virus < how fitting
Vampire: the Masquerade Roleplaying
Ravine
Hocus Pocus
To be clear, I played all of these board games before the pandemic started. The highlight from this year was the Vampire: the Masquerade one-shot. My character was named Karen and she was the “talk to your manager” vampire. She would only feed on managers. I had a lot of fun playing her in this one-shot.
Once quarantine began, I didn’t play nearly as many board games. Besides board games, I missed playing tabletop roleplaying games in person. Dungeons & Dragons podcasts filled the void of being able to roleplay in person.
Graphic Novels / Comics I Read this Year:
The Weirdos
Chandra IDW Issue #2
Pumpkinheads
Teen Titans: Raven
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Omnibus Edition
Wolvenheart Issue #2
Birds of Prey
Batgirl #1 Rebirth
Lucifer
Waves
Ghost in the Shell
Eat and Love Yourself
Ghosted in LA
Doctor Aphra Issue #1 & #2
She Said Destroy Volume. #1
Glitterbomb Volume #1
For Goodness Sake
Joker 80th Anniversary Edition
Cult Classic Volume #1
Berserk Volume #1
Finger Guns Issue #1 – #5
I read way more comics and graphic novels this year than in 2019. The graphic novel that stood out to me this year was Eat and Love Yourself by Sweeney Boo. This graphic novel discusses some intense topics involving body dysmorphia and eating disorders. It was an emotional read. I adore Sweeney Boo’s art style. I follow her on Instagram where she posts her art. Besides Eat and Love Yourself, I enjoyed Ghosted in LA published by Boom!
As far as individual comics, I was impressed by Doctor Aphra. It captured my attention within the first issue. Finger Guns is another comic series I enjoyed reading. I read through all five single issues quickly.
2020 Pop Culture Moments
Phoebe Waller-Bridge winning all the awards
QUARANTINE!
Celebrities & the “Imagine” video
President Trump advising people to drink.. bleach?
President Trump losing the election
Podcasts I Couldn’t Stop Listening To:
I Weigh hosted by Jameela Jamil
Ain’t Slayed Nobody
I didn’t listen to as many podcasts in 2020 versus 2019. Once I started working from home, I wasn’t listening to podcasts on my bus rides. I still listen to Not Another Dnd Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Science Rules, however, the podcasts listed above were podcasts I discovered in 2020.
Jameela Jamil’s I Weigh features Jameela interviewing various actors, activists and friends. At the end of every episode, she asks her guests “what do you weigh?” meaning what gives your life meaning other than the weight of your body. Jameela Jamil seems like a lovely human being.
Ain’t Slayed Nobody is a Call of Cthulhu roleplaying podcast. This podcast takes place in the 1800’s Wild West era in the United States. Each episode is well-edited, there’s a recap at the beginning of each episode, and the keeper does an excellent job telling the story. Ain’t Slayed Nobody releases their episodes once a month for their main campaign, but will often feature one-shots as well.
Catchiest Song in 2020
Conventions I Attended in 2020
I forgot I attended C2E2 this year. The convention was in February before COVID-19 hit. I debuted my Punisher cosplay. The cosplay is comfortable. The only change I would make is to wear my new black combat boots versus my workout shoes. At C2E2, they had the outfit Jon Berenthal was wearing on display. It was pretty cool to see.
Personal Memories
Top Three Memories of 2020:
Traverse City, Michigan (replacing canceled Seattle Trip)
I’m fortunate to still be employed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I have been working remotely since mid-March, and my company has extended working remotely until March 2021. Being quarantined, I have been able to save money since I’m not spending money on traveling, going out to eat, or at breweries. When payday approaches, I budget out a portion of my paycheck to donate back. I wanted to list my favorite nonprofits to donate to.
Before I launch into my favorite nonprofits, I wanted to make a statement. If you live paycheck to paycheck, I understand giving isn’t a possibility. In my first position out of college, I didn’t have much leftover to donate. I’m excited to be in a new position where I make enough and have money to give.
The Trevor Project
I have discussed The Trevor Projectmultiple times because it’s one of my favorite LGBTQIA+ nonprofits to give to. The Trevor Project helps young LGBTQIA+ individuals under the age of 25 by providing access to crisis intervention and suicide prevention. It breaks my heart how young LGBTQIA+ folks are abandoned by their families. Society has moved forward in some ways, but clearly not enough. The Trevor Project provides resources, education, and a hotline to call for assistance. I believe in The Trevor Project, so I try to give to them often.
Center for Reproductive Rights
I’m pro-choice. I believe anyone capable of getting pregnant deserves a choice in their reproductive health. I want reproductive rights to be protected. The Center for Reproductive Rights is trying to advance reproductive rights throughout the globe. Reproductive rights don’t mean abortion; they also mean the protection, accessibility, and affordability of birth control. This is a cause I’m passionate about because of how many people in our world are impacted by the lack of reproductive rights or healthcare.
Black Lives Matter
I’m based in Minneapolis, and while I’m passionate about my city, there needs to be change. Philandro Castile, George Floyd, and Jamar Clark are names to never be forgotten. I have white privilege in the sense that I have never feared the police. I believe in Black Lives Matterbecause of their work to bring awareness to this movement.
Feline Rescue Inc
Feline Rescue Inc. is where we rescued our kitty, Athena. I’m a cat person, and while there are so many cat people in this world, I believe cats are at a higher risk of abuse. Cats have a bad reputation based on outdated stereotypes. I could start crying if I think about all the mistreated cats in our world. I will continue to adopt cats for as long as I’m on this Earth. Feline Rescue Inc.is local to MN, but I encourage you to find your local animal shelter or cat shelter and give them some financial love.
Feeding America
There hasn’t been a COVID-19 financial relief since March, and many who are unemployed are struggling to afford food. Feeding Americaallows for monetary donations to be routed to a local food bank.
2020 has been awful. Donating to these charities gives me a sense of purpose. If you’re able to financially give, I encourage you to do so. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, I hope that here in the United States, we get a financial COVID-19 relief package soon.
Bizarre Brunette 