Chicago Road Trip!

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If you have been keeping up with my blog, I spoke about how I was driving to Chicago to visit a friend from college. I acted like a tourist taking pictures of everything while she took me around the city. When you visit Chicago, you walk everywhere! On Friday alone I walked about 10 – 12 miles and Saturday probably at least 7 according to my iPhone.

Chicago has a lot of really good food. My friend took me to Portillo’s which is a chain featuring Chicago-style hot dogs with no ketchup and plenty of pickles. Deep dish pizza is all the rave as well and we ended up picking Giordiano’s and it was heavenly. We also went to this cute little cupcake shop on the “richer” side of town. I knew it was the richer side because the shops were all designer / name-brand clothing. My red velvet cupcake was small and sweet.

[Image features a deep dish pizza with one of the pieces being lifted from the pizza. It shows the cheese coming off the pizza slice]
[Image is a Deep Dish Pizza]
[Image is a hot dog at Portillos]

As far as this trip, my main goal was to see all the museums. Museum campus is right along Lake Michigan and it features the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and the Planetarium. Shedd Aquarium was breathtaking! My favorite part of the aquarium was all the otters because otters are the cutest. The Field Museum has Sue right in the middle of the first floor which is an almost complete T-Rex. Unfortunately, we did miss the planetarium as it closed early, but we also saw the MSI which was the Museum of Science and Industry. My favorite part of the exhibit was the human body portion and the portion about the storm.

[Image is a Beluga Whale]
Beluga Whales!
[Image is Sue the T-Rex]
Sue the T-Rex
[Image is of me putting my hand next to this globe and seeing the lightning pop up near my hand]
Science Rules.
[Image is a huge tornado cloud]
Tornado!

Overall, it was a nice getaway from my normal routine on weekends. I am glad I got to see her and catch up. I am considering making another trip down to Chicago for C2E2.? Don’t know if that will happen, but I have always wanted to go.

November Small Goals

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Happy Friday! As I sit typing away writing up my goals for this month, snow is steadily falling onto the grass and coating the tree branches. It looks like Narnia outside my window and to be honest, I’m enjoying the snow. October has been one hell of a busy month, but one to remember. I cannot believe Thanksgiving is already in three weeks,  this year has been flying by. Let’s recap the wonderful fall month that was October:

Watch the Classic Horror Movies – NOPE 

Me and the boyfriend were planning on watching the classic films, but I ended up participating in a Call of Cthulhu D&D session on Halloween instead. Eventually, I will sit down and have a marathon of these movies.

Yoga Once Per Week – Sort of. 

I usually would plan my yoga days to be on Monday because that’s when I work my 12-hour shift, but sometimes I’m just too tired from work so I come home and crash. Yoga is important to me, so I need to make it a priority every week.

Participate in D&D Sessions – SUCCESS 

As I mentioned, I did play D&D this past month. I was super excited I was able to fit it into my schedule. It ended up being a great time and my character found an old saxophone in the asylum which I would beat people with, it worked out well.

Carve a Pumpkin – Nope 😦 

Unfortunately, this fall activity slipped by me. Maybe next year.

Plan a Trip with the Family – SUCCESS 

I think we all decided to travel to Arizona in February of 2018? It’s not confirmed, but my mom used to have a friend who lived there and she says it’s gorgeous up by the grand canyon. By February, I’m done with Minnesota’s winter which means Arizona would be much needed.

Now onto November’s goals:

Read before bed on most nights (around 5 – 10 minutes)

Reading helps me fall asleep and stay asleep at night. Plus I have piles of books to read, and I’m behind on getting through that pile.

Buy kitty/pet supplies

Me and the boyfriend are starting the process of getting a cat for the apartment. We finished saving for the down deposit required by our apartment building, and now we need pet supplies. I am hoping for sure by December we will have a cat roaming our apartment.

Yoga Once Per Week

I decided to set fewer goals this month so I could put my attention on reading more before bed, saving for a cute kitty, and making time for yoga.

Scooby Doo, Superhumans and Gaming. My Reading List

Posted in Reading/Books by

Reading has been on the back burner these past couple of months. As I scrolled through my reading/books category on my blog, I notice that I haven’t been posting as many book reviews. Reading is a huge hobby of mine and I want to make it more of a priority. I have been bringing my book to work so I could read on my lunch break which I really enjoy doing, but I also want to read right before bed because it does help me sleep better. Take a look at the books I’m currently reading.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

[Image is a book cover. It's a blue book with shattered glass or lightning. It says Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson on the cover]
Image Taken by Me!

Steelheart follows the story of David Charleston, a young man growing up in the U.S. where epics reign. Epics were regular humans when exposed to Calamity (a red sun that appears in the sky) gain superpowers. All epics have used their powers to kill or rule over humans and David’s dad was killed by Steelheart, a very powerful epic. David joins the Reckoners, a small army of humans who engage and kill epics. David and the Reckoner’s attempt to take down Steelheart and other epics in the trilogy.

This series is one of my favorite sci-fi trilogys. I normally never re-read books, but I wanted to be in the mood to finish the third book Calamity. I haven’t read Calamity yet, so to prepare I am going back and re-reading the other books Steelheart and Firefight. 

Warcross by Marie Lu

[Image is a book cover. The title of the book, War Cross, is positioned on a rubiks cube of sorts]
Image Taken by Me!

Emika is a teenage hacker struggling to pay her rent. To make extra cash, she works as a bounty hunter for the police capturing smaller criminals the police don’t have time to track. She is a gamer and used to play WarCross, a popular video game almost everyone in the world plays. The WarCross championships are this week, and Emika tries to hack into the game. She is caught by the game’s creator Hideo Tanaka and offered a position to spy on the tournament to catch other hackers in the game.

That’s the most basic premise to the story I can give because I’m only a couple chapters into the book. The average rating for this book on Goodreads is 4.23 stars so I’m anticipating I will enjoy this book.

Scooby Doo Apocalypse Volume #1

[Image is a graphic novel book cover titled Scooby Doo Apocalpyse Volume #1. It's a Dystopian version of the Scooby Doo gang]
Image Taken by Me!

Imagine if the Scooby Doo gang were involved in killing zombies. This comic brings the team together in a new way to fight off alien creatures. Each team member gets an updated look including Daphne who looks a lot more kick-ass than her cartoon counterpart. I haven’t finished this comic yet, but I will admit it’s a pretty fun comic to read especially if Scooby Doo was a part of your childhood.

Hopefully, I will start posting comics and book reviews again because I miss writing them. Also, Happy Halloween because this post magically coincides with my favorite day in October.

Harvest Festival + Upcoming Chicago Trip!

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October has been one of the first months where I have had plans every single weekend. Sometimes it’s nice to be busy, but I have been craving some downtime. This past weekend I went to a Harvest festival in Stillwater, MN which is a gorgeous river town. This next weekend from Thursday – Sunday I will be in Chicago visiting a friend from college. Hopefully, after Chicago, I should have a couple slow weekends until Thanksgiving. I wanted to share pictures from the Harvest Festival and talk about how excited I am to go to Chicago again.

Stillwater is right along the St. Croix River on the border of Wisconsin. It’s a bright river town away from Minneapolis & St. Paul. There were a couple activities such as the beer tent, but we didn’t participate in those. Instead, we walked around the town and explored. There was a candy shop that was filled with chocolate goodies and I ended up purchasing a dark chocolate-covered Oreo. Nearby was a small bookstore attached to a coffee shop. I did end up buying some books which I know I didn’t need, but I cannot resist a cute bookstore. It turned out to be a perfect Fall date day. The pictures below are from Teddy Bear Park which has statues of bears in the park. Me and the boyfriend wanted to check it out.

[Image is a bear statue. The bear is holding a kid's block]
[Image is me sitting on one of the bear statues]

I have only been to Chicago once and that was back in July 2016 on my birthday. My former roommate from college is from Illinois and is living near the downtown area. We coordinated a weekend where I could drive to stay with her. It’s about a 6-hour drive from my apartment to Chicago which seems long, but I would rather drive that distance than pay 180 – 200 dollars to fly for a 45-minute flight. I already have my podcast episodes picked out for the drive and I’m looking forward to a smaller vacation away from my daily work routine with 2 days of paid time off. I am counting down the days till my tiny road trip.

[Image is the Beane in Millenium Park in Chiacgo. It's a reflective beane statue]
[Image is me sitting on the sky box where you can see downtown Chicago below]

So that sums up what I have been up to and why I haven’t been blogging as much. I try not to let myself get frustrated if I hit writer’s block or I become busy. My blog will be here when I’m done with mini vacations or I have a short 30-minute window to write about what’s on my mind.

Life is Strange Before the Storm Episode #1

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I hate coming up with catchy titles for blog posts. I struggled to write this article for the longest time because I couldn’t come up with a creative title. One month ago I wrote about Life is Strange so check out my review if you haven’t already. I received a comment on the post directing me to Before the Storm, a prequel game released starring Chloe and Rachel. I recommend completing Life is Strange plus the first episode of Before the Storm before continuing to read this post. Also, spoilers are included.

[Image is a poster for "Life is Strange Before the Storm" It features Chloe on the left and Rachel on the right]
Chloe is on the left & Rachel is on the right. *Image from Youtube*

*Final Warning: SPOILERS*

Chloe at this point in time has just lost her father in a car accident. She often has flashbacks to being in the car with her father before he’s hit by another vehicle. She blames Max for not being around and she slips into a depression.

The episode begins with Chloe wandering around a farmhouse where a punk rock band is playing. I like how instead of Max’s optional photos, Chloe carries a Sharpie to graffiti with. It’s fitting to her personality. This is also the event leading to her meeting Rachel because she saves Chloe from these creepy guys at the concert. Throughout the episode, I found Chloe and Rachel’s friendship to be awkward, yet endearing. I personally hope there is a romantic relationship between the two of them.

One of my favorite scenes in the game is when Chloe plays D&D with a couple friends. I start to like Chloe more through this scene because she treats her friends extremely well and seems to have a good time.

One unique game mechanism in Before the Storm is Chloe’s back talk ability. To progress a certain sequence in the game, Chloe has to use her sass to get what she wants. The game gives prompts to choose from based on what the characters say. If you choose the correct response, Chloe can sway characters into doing what she wants. Although every time I used Chloe’s ability, nothing major in the story happened. The mildest incident is chasing off a bully, but that’s about it.

Life is Strange was one of my favorite games I beat this year, and I personally got my money’s worth of Before the Storm. I think Before the Storm has a lot of hype because of how fantastic Life is Strange was. The next episode is available for download on October 19th.

Archie Comics Rejuvenated in Riverdale

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
[Image is a TV show poster for Riverdale. There are seven people on the poster.]

This is probably one of my favorite categories on my blog to write about. I love watching TV shows because once you watch a good show you become obsessed with it for weeks. A couple days ago I was browsing through my Netflix “list” and stumbled upon Riverdale and decided to give it a watch. I finished watching season #1 in two days. I wanted to type my final thoughts on this Archie Comics reboot.

I can’t say I have ever been a fan of the Archie comics. They just didn’t intrigue me and it seemed like a comic about two beautiful women fighting over one guy and I was just over that cliche. The TV show though… I want to go back and read the comics.

Let’s dive into the characters first if you are unfamiliar with the Archie comics. Archie Andrews (played by KJ Apa) is a conflicted teen who is on the football team. He finds solace in playing his guitar. Betty Cooper (played by Lili Reinhart) is the stereotypical girl next door, literally as she lives next door to Archie. Veronica Lodge (played by Camila Mendes) is the opposite of Betty as she’s sophisticated and edgy. Jughead (played by Cole Sprouse) is the social outcast of the group.

The TV show revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Jason Blossom who later is found shot to death in a river. All of the characters mentioned above have somehow been interwoven into solving Jason’s murder. Just when you think you have an idea of what’s going on, the show basically delivers a scene leaving you asking yourself what the heck did I watch? This is surprising since this seems like a creepy/eerie Gossip Girl show.

Usually, in my Bizarre Brunette Binges posts, I talk about spoilers, but I’m going to leave out all spoilers in this post. The next season of Riverdale airs on October 11th.

October Goals!

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October is probably my favorite month because Fall is my favorite season. I love the beautiful colors of Fall and being able to wear a cozy cardigan with cute ankle boots. With the end of September, I wanted to reflect on my month and the goals I set:

Planned Out Universal Studios Trip – NOPE

My second job took over my life and I was unable to do this. I wanted to go to Orlando in February, but me and my family have also talked about an Arizona trip or a quick Vegas weekend trip. So we shall see what we decide on doing.

Rent Two Books from the Library – SUCCESS! 

Unfortunately both books I rented I didn’t like reading. One was a mystery book that took place in MN which you would think would be exciting, turns out it was incredibly boring. The other was an Iron Fist trade paperback.

Participate in D&D One-Shot – NOPE 

No D&D for me this month. However, I joined an all-women-led D&D group meeting at a comic shop in the cities while also being interested in other Facebook D&D events. I’m thinking this will be a way better month to get more D&D in.

Yoga once a week – SUCCESS 

I am actually very glad I included this in my goals. I use the Yoga with Adrienne videos and I have a couple on my favorites list that I enjoy. Once my ankle is better (I sprained it pretty bad), I will get back to this.

50% of my goals were achieved! I would say that’s not too bad. Now here are my Fall / October goals:

~Watch the Classic Horror Films

I have this collection of the classic Dracula, Werewolf, and Mummy movies from the early 1900s. It was a collector’s edition I found at my house that my mom wanted to get rid of. This would be the perfect month to crack open the case and watch them.

~Yoga Once a Week

~Participate in more D&D Sessions

~Carve a Pumpkin

~Plan a Trip with the Family next February.

Podcasts I’m Loving Right Now

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by

The joy of being an adult is driving home to & from work in rush-hour traffic. Listening to a podcast while I drive helps make traffic less stressful and allows me to get lost in the episode. Sometimes I learn something new or I get a new recommendation on a book to read. Plus I just cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen while listening to a podcast so I can be productive while hearing about Ixalan the new Magic The Gathering set.  I wanted to give you a couple podcast recommendations to get through rush hour traffic.

Panels & Pizza:

Panels & Pizza is hosted by Adam Vermillion a local Minnesotan comic book fan. He recruits local Midwest comic writers/illustrators on to his show to promote their work. This podcast is the reason I am able to support indie comics and become more of a comics fan. If you’re not from MN this podcast will introduce you to comics you didn’t know existed.

Once Upon a Crime

This podcast should be downloaded if you’re a true crime fanatic. Esther Ludlow is a fantastic storyteller as she describes the murderer, the suspects, and the towns in which horrific crimes took place. Sometimes it’s so detailed that I cannot even listen to this podcast in the dark because it freaks me out. I usually am listening to this podcast in daylight when the boyfriend is home in the apartment with me.

Dorky Diva’s Podcast

Savannah Kiefer is a Star Wars fan with a geeky sense of style. She writes her own blog which includes Star Wars fashion and does monthly episodes on her podcast.

Coffee With Kenobi:

Coffee with Kenobi is another podcast for Star Wars die-hard fans. What I like about Coffee with Kenobi is that it breaks down the Star Wars fandom into different themes. For example, I like the Comics with Kenobi series along with Lattes with Leia because of the female co-hosts. Also if you’re a Star Wars Rebels fan, there are episodes that discuss the Rebels season. It took me some time to get caught up with this podcast since the first episode debuted in 2014. This podcast will keep you busy for some time.

Magic the Amateuring

Magic the Amateuring is hosted by Megan and Maria and they talk about Magic the Gathering. It’s a great podcast for new players to turn to if they’re starting to play Magic. I like the two female co-hosts as they are energetic and passionate about the game. It’s helped rejuvenate my own Magic the Gathering fandom.

How We Roll

How We Roll is a D&D-based podcast with a couple guys from England and Ireland getting together with alcohol and Cthulhu. The DM creates an intricate story for the players and I enjoy hearing the players laugh when they epically fail a roll. It’s also a great podcast to learn the vocabulary of D&D if you have always wanted to play.

These couple of podcasts should keep you busy for a while. I am a podcast fanatic now and I can’t believe it took me so long to use the podcast app on my phone. What other podcasts are you enjoying right now?

Quitting My Second Job

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Why haven’t I written a blog post in almost two weeks? Great question. My free time has been used up plus I am fatigued. I don’t have the energy to read a book before bed because my eyes feel heavy as my head hits the pillow. I hadn’t seen some of my friends in a month and I went weeks without calling my grandma. Two weeks ago, I made a decision to quit my job at Steamship Coffee and Tea and today was my last shift on the schedule.

[Image shows an order counter. The order counter looks like a back of a pirate ship. There are two big screens and in between the screens are the menu. There are multiple coffee machines and syrups for coffee]
I can change the background on the screens, how cool is that!?

I originally applied to be a barista because I missed it! Being a barista is challenging which is what I enjoyed. I compare this to a real-life Diner Dash work environment. I can be my boisterous self and yell over the sound of the espresso machine pulling espresso shots. It balanced out my career while introducing me to a new set of regular customers.

[Image shows a hour glass like device which is used to make iced coffee. There are several treats underneath the glass cases]
Behind the Counter

As I mentioned, I started to notice changes in my demeanor. I would come home and crash right away or my friends would text me about plans Saturday night, but I was busy working. Me and the boyfriend didn’t have quality time together because our schedules were so chaotic. Thankfully, me and the boyfriend have Sundays off so we can have a regular date day once again. I asked for advice from friends and family who both said maybe I’m doing too much.

Plus my gaming decreased! One reason why I was excited about being a barista was that it was connected to Universe Games. I haven’t had the time to put a Magic the Gathering deck together or roll my Star Wars Destiny dice. I am looking forward to becoming a customer rather than an employee.

I always look at the positive side of any situation because that’s who I am. My co-workers know if they need a shift covered, I’m the first one they will call. So technically I’m “quitting”, but I could still work a shift in the future. Instead of crafting the perfect latte, I’ll be drinking cups of coffee while gaming as a loyal customer.

Life is Strange – Review

Posted in Gaming by

CW: Suicide

Max Caulfield from Life is Strange reminds me of myself at the age of 18. She’s insecure, and timid, yet caring to her close friends. Playing through Life is Strange reminded me of the old high school drama that I experienced. My best friend recommended this game which says a lot because she isn’t a gamer though her boyfriend recommended it to her.  After finishing the game, I can without a doubt say that this was the best game I played this year.

Max is a freshman at a prestigious art school in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. As a talented photographer, she was accepted into Blackwell Academy which is her dream school. During a lecture, she experiences a vision of a tornado destroying Arcadia Bay. In addition to having these visions, she hides in the bathroom and watches helplessly as a woman is shot and killed by a student. Turns out this woman was Max’s former best friend, Chloe. Max awakes in her classroom and is able to rewind time to save Chloe. Max now has to balance her newly renewed relationship with Chloe and uncover how to save Arcadia Bay from the tornado.

Life is Strange is all based on making decisions that will impact the later episodes. I often took a couple minutes to think about how Max would react. It could be something as simple as choosing to comfort a mean girl or more complicated responses like trying to prevent a student from committing suicide. The game is all dependent on how you choose to interact with each character.

*Massive Spoilers*

At the end of the game, Max is looking out at the tornado which will soon be upon the shores of Arcadia Bay. Max and Chloe realize that the tornado was created based on how time has been altered. Chloe pleads with Max to allow her to die to save Arcadia Bay so do you: A. Ignore Chloe and watch as your family and friends perish or B. Choose to rewind time, but not save Chloe and allow her to die so the town will be protected.

I had a difficult time making a choice. After some careful thought, I chose the option to not save Chloe. Morally, I couldn’t justify saving one person and sacrificing thousands. It’s heartbreaking to watch the cut scene as Max is shedding tears knowing there’s nothing she can do to save her.

I’m interested to know what my readers thought about all the decisions in this game and what they chose at the end. Also, I really hope there will be a Life is Strange sequel because I will have that pre-ordered in a heartbeat. Life is Strange is the best video game I played and probably is one of my all-time favorite games.