I was in Milwaukee, WI this past weekend unwinding with the boyfriend’s side of the family when my phone buzzed saying I was tagged in a Facebook post. Sure enough, Wintendo64  tagged me in the mystery blogger award.

WHAT IS MYSTERY BLOGGER AWARD?

Straight from the creator: “Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging, and they do it with so much love and passion.

The Rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog. Thanks, Wintendo64 for nominating me! Her cosplays are amazing.
• Display the award logo on your blog.
• Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
• List the rules.
• Tell your readers three things about yourself.
• Answer five questions from the nominator.
• Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice, including one weird or funny question.
• Nominate from 10 to 20 bloggers.
• Notify the bloggers by leaving a comment on their blog.
• Share the link to your best post.

My Three Things:

1. I didn’t start reading comics until after seeing The Avengers in 2012. It sparked something within me that led me to read comics. After buying Justice League and Green Arrow, I was led to Image Comics which produces my favorite indie comics. I definitely swing DC > Marvel, but I’m slowly becoming more immersed in Marvel comics as well.
2. I have always wanted to build my own computer. Living in a one-bedroom apartment, I have no room for a desk with a computer. When I upgrade to a two-bedroom apartment, I want the second bedroom to be a library/work room with a desk. That’s where I want my computer to go.
3. Chicago is one of my favorite places to visit.

Questions

What’s a fictional food you have always wanted to try?

Butterbeer sounds like it would be so good.

Dream Cosplay

I have always wanted to cosplay Elektra or Catwoman.

What is your LEAST favorite video game/book/movie?

I will pick one from each category. My least favorite video game would be Call of Duty because they release a game each year with nothing really new in it. My least favorite book would be a toss-up between Emma by Jane Austin and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Emma is a horrible person who’s extremely judgmental and Wuthering Heights is way too depressing of a book to read. Finally, one of my least favorite movies would be Knowing which stars Nicolas Cage… it was really bad.

If you got a ticket to any fictional event, where would you go?

The first competition that I thought of was the Triwizard Tournament from Harry Potter. I would want to watch, not actually participate.

What new game/book/movie are you looking forward to being released?

Avengers Infinity War is by far what I’m looking forward to the most!

I’m going to break the rules for this blog tag and say anyone who reads this post and wants to do the tag is nominated. If you do decide to complete this tag, here are my questions:

1. What is your all-time favorite OTP?
2. What would be your dream career?
3. The worst vacation you have ever been on?
4. What’s one popular movie / TV Show/book/comic that everyone loves, but you absolutely hate?
5. Night Owl or Early Riser?

I have been trying to think about what my “best blog post was”. To be honest, I love everything that I write for BizarreBrunette. All my readers inspire me to keep blogging about what I’m passionate about.

Living in Minnesota allows me to have access to a variety of different comic book conventions. The Twin Cities specifically (which is a group of cities near Minneapolis / St. Paul) has a huge geek population. It’s part of the reason why I feel at home in this Midwestern, overlooked state. Although I would like to attend more conventions out of state, it’s extremely expensive. I wanted to compile a list of different conventions I want to attend in the next five years. It’s almost impossible to attend all of these in the same year and be able to buy a bunch of stuff. Here is my conventions bucket list:

Planet Comicon Kansas City 

I’m going to cheat and include the convention I’m attending this month. This convention goes on for the whole weekend, but me and my friend only bought a Saturday pass. We also are staying in an Air B&B and that wasn’t too expensive to stay in Kansas City for the weekend. I don’t know what to expect with this convention, but I do plan on taking pictures, buying stuff, and blogging about it when I get back.

C2E2

There are the big three conventions all across the United States: San Diego, NYC, and C2E2 in Chicago. This is completely doable for me since I have a college friend living in the Chicago area. She told me if I ever wanted to come to this, she would let me stay with her. Maybe I can convince her to come with me? 🙂 I have been to Chicago twice now and I will more than likely visit again. I have heard this con has grown in the most recent years and I think it would be fun to wander around and possibly meet bloggers that I know.

Dragon Con

My cousin has been to Dragon Con before and I have seen her Facebook pictures, this con looks epic. From my research on this con, it seems like there are fewer celebrities and more panels, merchandise, and parties. As much as it’s cool to meet your favorite celebrities, that’s not why I attend conventions. I attend to buy comics, meet new people and possibly cosplay. Dragon Con would be a dream come true for me to attend such a large event.

Of course, I want to attend San Diego and NYC as well. So many conventions, and so little time. What other conventions should I add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!

Last weekend I attended Minnesota Fan Fest for free because I was technically press. I write for Twin Cities Geek on the side and I was writing various articles about the convention. My first article was about Minnesota Fan Fest’s controversial cosplay policy while also covering local creators’ thoughts about Fan Fest. Minnesota Fan Fest overall was a fun convention, the only downside being the attendance was low. This puts stress on the creators because they want to make money at this convention. Knowing this information, I wish I would have budgeted more money to spend, but I still left with some fun accessories, so check out below what I bought at Fan Fest.

Tee Turtle Octopus T-Shirt

I would have posted an actual picture of my shirt, but it’s in the laundry and has coffee stains on it. When I walked the convention floor, Tee Turtle was the first booth I noticed because I didn’t realize Tee Turtle would be tabling at MN Fan Fest. I probably would have bought more than just the shirt, but I know that I already own too many geeky T-shirts, so I only bought one.

DC Comics Bombshell Figure

I don’t actually need to buy any more toys or trinkets, but I still do. I was hoping for Black Canary or Killer Frost, however, I pulled Lois Lane. She isn’t my favorite character, but I’ll still keep her next to my Leonard Hofstadter bobblehead toy on my bookshelf.

Through the Darque Gates book

I volunteered to be a beta reader for Christopher D Schmitz’s sequel to Wolf of the Tesseract. I was able to score this book for free and I encourage anyone who hasn’t read Wolf of the Tesseract to read it.

Severance Lost by J LLoren Quill

This book combines elements of Game of Thrones with Lord of the Rings. The kingdom Malethya needs a hero to stop the blood mage from wiping out villages. Slate Severance is the protagonist of the story, devoting his life to protecting Malethya. I haven’t read it yet, as it has been added to my book stack.

Madame Xanadu

Madame Xanadu is a psychic private detective living in New York with her black cat investigating a murder scene with supernatural elements. It’s a graphic novel that’s great for mature readers as apparently there may be graphic violence in some of the issues. I love independent comics and this one sounded decent.

Whenever I attend a convention, I always have to budget money for spending. I tell myself not to spend money, but then I walk the floor suddenly I’m handing someone my credit card. Minnesota Fan Fest will be a convention I attend next year and I’m hoping it will grow into something as big as C2E2.

Being a college student has taught me to be frugal with the way I spend money. Thrift shopping at either Goodwill or TJ Maxx has taught me how to have great style on a budget. Thrift stores offer the cutest clothes for cheap. In these past two months, I went thrifting twice so I wanted to share my thrift store haul down below.

Clothes: 

I found this Star Wars Rogue One t-shirt for $3. If you follow me on Instagram, I wore this shirt to my graduation rehearsal on “May the 4th” This shirt is soft and looks great paired with leggings or with a pair of skinny jeans.

This was the dress that I wore for graduation. It was only $10 dollars and it has pockets on either side so I could fit my phone in the pocket. It made it easier to meet up with family & friends after the ceremony.

This maxi dress cost $15 and it was worth the price. It’s more form-fitting than the other dress I bought. I wore this the day after graduation as my family took a day trip to Lacrosse, Wisconsin. The geometric print is different from what I typically wear because I wear black a lot, but I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone.

Toys: 

I didn’t find this at a thrift store, instead, my friend was getting rid of her BB8 Remote Controlled toy. If I didn’t take it off her hands, it would have ended up at a thrift store, so that counts right?

How to Train Your Dragon is such an underrated animated film partly due to Toothless. This was a Build-a-Bear exclusive that I found while thrifting. I couldn’t resist purchasing this.

Miscellaneous:

I found these Spider-Man trading cards from the 30th anniversary of the creation of Spider-Man. I don’t know what these cards are worth, but they were in pretty good condition. I have a big stack of cards that I have been reading through. The picture above features The Avengers but there are cards that feature how Peter met Gwen Stacy, MJ, and other major events in Spider-Man‘s life. I plan on buying card sleeves for them so they don’t get bent out of shape. 

I would say thrift shopping has been a success! I found new clothes to wear and new collectibles to add to my collection. I do plan on thrifting much more in the future.

I am graduating from college this spring. With graduation coming quickly, this semester has been busy due to finishing my internship. With my internship being unpaid, I do have two other jobs that help pay for my groceries and rent. Towards the end of February, I was feeling drained. My friend kept messaging me to hang out with her, however, I felt too tired to do anything else. My friend came to pick me up and we ended up having a chill night watching movies and talking. It was exactly what I needed. It made me realize that something had to change within my schedule. Fortunately, I was able to leave one of my jobs for the time being which has helped significantly.

This year, I realized a few things that helped me get to a better place with everything going on in my life right now. I mentioned this already, but being able to hang out with or call my friends helped me. I’m the type of person who likes to keep things to myself instead of sharing them with others. I think this contributed to feeling overworked because I didn’t talk to anyone about how I was feeling. Being able to share things with my friends put me in a better place.

Besides talking with my friends, I started planning my exercise. Exercise will always be important to me. Once I finish my workout, I feel so much better. I feel like I’m ready to go through my week.

Finally, I have made it a goal to take one weekend a month to go home and stay with my mom and brother. Every time I do this, I come back refreshed for the next week. Me and my mom will watch movies and have good quality meals at the dinner table. I’m thankful that I have a loving and supportive family and I understand that not all families are like mine.

I’m in a much better place than I was a few weeks ago. I’m fortunate that I was able to drop one of my jobs because that’s certainly a privilege. I know that my situation won’t last forever as I plan to move home after I graduate. I simply need to make it through these next few months and once I graduate, it will all be worth it.

This may come as a huge surprise from someone who loves cats, but I really want a dog. Puppy fever is coming on strong lately. I live in a house with two dogs and I like having them around. I have never owned a dog, but I have owned plenty of cats. I think animals provide a soothing sensation to a home and bring much-needed happiness and warmth. I scoped out some dog breeds that I’m interested in because what else is a better way to procrastinate than doing homework.

The boyfriend loves pugs so I may end up being a pug mom eventually. I’m not too picky about dog breeds, but I would love to be able to take my dog on long walks. I can’t wait to own pets!!

 

A couple weeks ago when I was still in Winona for finals week, I went thrifting. Additionally, my old apartment buildings put on a program called Dumpster Diversion. College students could donate various items including clothes, baking items, non-perishable food, etc. Of course, I looked through the clothes because it’s free clothes why not? In that same week, I also browsed at the new Goodwill that opened. I was there honestly for probably three hours though it didn’t feel that long at the time. I had to spend the time going through shoes, clothes, pots & pans, old DVDs, and various trinkets. I wanted to share my amazing finds and I ended up spending 6 bucks… score! 

Basic T-Shirts

Let’s get the most boring one out of the way first. . . T-Shirts. Caribou Coffee where I work only allows me plain colored shirts which I didn’t have enough of. I bought both of these shirts at goodwill for only $6. They look great and don’t look too worn which is one concern that I have with thrifting. The shirt on the right is also a dry-fit shirt which means it also is great for working out. That’s perfect since my gym is right next to where I work so I’m all ready to work out after my shift ends.

Express Beaded Shirt

I absolutely love this shirt! I found it in dumpster diversion which was free. This beading reminds me of a cascading leaf which I think is super pretty. It’s really flattering too, but it’s also really see-through. I’m not too worried though because it will be perfect with a colorful cardigan to layer over when fall arrives.

And finally.. my absolute favorite thing about this haul is…

HULK SWEATER

Someone was trying to get rid of this?! I want to thank the person who got rid of this so I could start wearing it. I also got this through dumpster diversion so again free things. I love that it’s the cover of a comic book instead of just the hulk on a sweatshirt. It’s incredibly detailed and in really good condition. This is a size small so it fits a little tight but not uncomfortable tight. I wore it a couple days ago and it’s one of my favorite things in my closet. It could be paired with short shorts and a necklace in the summer or with black skinny jeans and black riding boots in the winter. It’s so versatile and I know I can wear this a million different ways.

Thrifting is something I really enjoy because fashion doesn’t have to be super expensive. Plus I like spending my money on other things every once in a while so it’s nice to get clothes that aren’t going to break my bank.

Yesterday I found out that my oldest kitty Jasmine has a tumor in her left lung. At this point, I don’t know what was going to happen, but as my mom called me in tears I voted to put her down. Jasmine was turning 17 this year so she lived a very long and joyful life. It still makes me sad as I won’t be able to be home for another week and a half. So when I go home the basement will feel empty as if something will always be missing.

Jasmine has been in my life since I was 5. My dad was a cat person, but my mom.. not so much. However, my dad thought a cat would fit our lifestyle a bit more since my dad and mom both worked and me and my brother were in school. We went to the humane society and fell in love with Jasmine and her sister. Though her sister was adopted before we could adopt her. My mom thought of Jasmine after Aladdin which was my brother’s favorite Disney movie. The name stuck.

Jasmine was timid and would hide in the basement. She eventually warmed up to us, but it took a while. Late at night my dad would get home from work and go down to our basement where Jasmine would leap into his lap and fall asleep. It didn’t take long for Jasmine to become his cat. I remember both me and my brother brought Jasmine to our class for show and tell. I carried Jasmine on our old red deck and held her like a sac of potatoes as my family calls it. My dad yelled at me because Jasmine could have escaped. I used to carry string and dangle it in front of Jasmine and she would bite it and chase me around the house. Jasmine loves lounging on our porch and rolling around on our linoleum with cat nip.

After my dad passed, Jasmine was different. Her late-at-night buddy wasn’t around. After getting the Xbox though, I was downstairs every day at least. I would sit in the recliner and call Jasmine’s name and she would run from the office to hop into my lap. She wouldn’t face me because she was so focused on the TV. I joked that she was my gaming cat.

As unfortunate as this is, I’m glad that I grew up with cats. Cats aren’t the mean creatures that everyone says they are. They’re compassionate, lazy, and loving animals that deserve attention. I will forever be a cat lady and that’s because of this amazing soul that came into my life and brought me so much happiness. I will miss you and love you forever Jasmine.

Today’s prompt is all about our favorite places to buy geek items. I love trying to incorporate geek clothing into my lifestyle and I have random action figures around my room. I love being a geek and expressing what I love on a daily basis. So here are my favorite places to buy geeky clothing and/or items.

Hot Topic

I love Hot Topic. I can find really comfy t-shirts that have cool designs. I bought my Daredevil t-shirt there last year after the Netflix show premiered and it’s my favorite. They sell different kinds of designers including Welovefine and HerUniverse which are both my favorites of mine. It allows me to find these items in a store versus ordering online which is very mixed for me. I also bought my Tardis dress from Hot Topic when I found out I was going to the console room.

River Quest Games

It’s so important to find a local store that you absolutely love. This store is what I love about being a geek. The owner is a good friend of mine and he’s the nicest person I have met in this area. He is constantly trying to create a safe environment for geeks and I appreciate that. There is a wide selection of board games which is what I’m there for. I actually just got a t-shirt from here after interviewing him for an article I’m writing. I love it. It’s great to support a local business

Her Universe

This is similar to Hot Topic since Hot Topic does sell Her Universe. I love Ashley’s devotion to inspiring young girls to like whatever they want. I was once nominated for her Fangirl of the Day and I was so proud. Plus they are planning some activewear sometime soon and I couldn’t be more excited. Death Star workout pants would be so comfy.

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble has become much more geek trendy lately. In the summer they usually have weekly themes that highlight fandoms. They did a week on comics, manga, and Wizard of Oz. I actually just ordered some comic books a couple days ago from here and I can’t wait to post the haul online. I always have to restrict my shopping when I go here, but it’s so worth it.

Design By Humans

I discovered this site by accident, but I love it. It’s a really cool t-shirt and tank top design but designed by artists. So you end up buying support from an artist instead of a site. I think this idea is super cool. I actually found this by reading a fashion blog called Geek Pinata. She advertised the batman and superman shirts she found. I checked out the site and found this cool Bioshock tank top. I had to really resist not purchasing it, but the artwork is really intriguing. I’m not artistic whatsoever, but I love supporting someone else’s talent.

Designed By Humans

Have a Happy Easter weekend! 🙂

I read a post on a blog that I follow who did this prompt. I sent the questions to the boyfriend who filled them out. I read his responses and a lot of them are really spot on. So here is what the boyfriend said about me:

1. What is something your girlfriend always says to you:
   That she loves me.
2. What makes her happy?
   The tiny things like random compliments and showing her that I care about her a lot.

3. What makes her sad?
   When she thinks about her dad or something prompts a memory she has.
4. How does your girlfriend make you laugh?
   By doing random things and just being her weird goofy self.
5. What was your girlfriend like as a child?
   Mariah was always into books at a young age. She would sit and just flip through random pages of books and pretend to read them even though she couldn’t read. She also was a chubby baby!
   (This is very accurate).
6. How old is your girlfriend
   21
7. How tall is your girlfriend
   5 foot 8 inches (lies.. lol I’m 5 ft 6 inches).
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
   Read books and drink coffee
9. What does she do when you’re not around?
   Read, study and catch up with tv shows, relax
10. If your girlfriend becomes famous, what will it be for?
    For being an actress in the next Harry Potter movie
11. What is your girlfriend not very good at?
    She’s not good at call of duty. (He doesn’t know that I have never played Call of Duty with him).
12. What does your girlfriend do for a job?
    She works on campus.
13. What is your girlfriend’s favorite food?
    Cheesy potatoes.
14. What makes you proud of her?
    I’m proud of her for a lot of reasons. If I had to pick one thing, I would say I’m proud of her for being so dedicated to everything she does. She never does anything halfway and she sees everything all the way through. But the list could go on for what I’m proud of her for.
15. If your girlfriend were a character, who would she be?
    Hermione.
16. What do you and your girlfriend do together?
    Watch TV, play video games, play board games, get coffee, do homework
17. How are you and your girlfriend the same?
    We both like weight lifting, cats, coffee, video games, comics, and the same TV shows
18. How are you and your girlfriend different?
    I am more introverted and I consider her a lot more extroverted. (I’m actually very surprised by this answer. I have always considered myself introverted).
19. How do you know she loves you?
    Because she tells me multiple times a day, that she is always there for me, she knows how to make me smile and we have never had a boring time together.
20. What does your girlfriend like the most about you?
    I think she likes the most about me is my caring personality and my dedication to my school work and future.
21. What is her favorite place to go
    Her favorite place to go would be any good book store or coffee shop.

Then I filled them out about him. If you would like to know more about the boyfriend I keep referring to.. here you go:

1. What is something your boyfriend always says to you?

I love you. 😛

2. What makes him happy?

Pugs, coffee, and pre-workout.

3. What makes him sad?

He doesn’t have a pug yet.

4. How does your boyfriend make you laugh?

He always posts random cat videos on my wall because he knows how much I love them. He also posts pug videos and pictures which I’m slowly warming up to.

5. What was your boyfriend like as a child?

He participated a lot in parkour which is where you jump off of stuff. He also was considered “the jock” of his friend group and he likes to play his Xbox. He grew up with cats and his parents are the sweetest people I have ever met.

6. How old is your boyfriend?

21.

7. How tall is your boyfriend?

He is the one that is 5 ft 8 inches. I’m not 5 ft 8 inches.

8. What is his favorite thing to do?

Taking his pre-workout and going to do chest or arm and shoulder day.

9. What does he do when you’re not around?

Working out at snap fitness, watches his TV shows, comes up with new names for his pug, and plays Star Wars Battlefront.

10. If your boyfriend was famous, what would it be for?

I could see the boyfriend saving someone’s life and being on the local news for it.

11. What is your boyfriend not very good at?

He’s pretty clumsy and math is not his strongest subject.

12. What does your boyfriend do for a job?

He works the front desk at Snap Fitness and he works for our campus security.

13. What is your boyfriend’s favorite food?

If it’s edible, he will eat it.

14. What makes you proud of him?

He’s very successful and motivated.

15. If your boyfriend was a character, who would he be?

I don’t know why, but I immediately thought of Snoopy. Snoopy is so lovable and really dorky and that describes the boyfriend.

16. What do you and your boyfriend do together?

We play the LEGO video games together, it’s our annual date night. We also go get coffee together or when in doubt, watch something on Netflix and cuddle.

17. How are you and your boyfriend the same?

I think we are very positive people. He’s generally a very happy person. We are also very determined and we love our cats and video games.

18. How are you and your boyfriend different?

I’m actually surprised by his answer because I would definitely see him as the more outgoing one of us two. I think I’m definitely a lot more energetic than he is though. He’s pretty relaxed.

19. How do you know he loves you?

He tells me he loves me!

20. What does your boyfriend like about you?

Hmm.. I don’t know. I think he likes how caring I can be. I think he likes that I’m 100% myself all the time. I’m a weird, geeky, bizarre person but I never put up a front with that. Also, I make really good homemade waffles so that’s a plus.

21. What is his favorite place to go?

The gym of course.