Since this time last year, I've had a weird obsession with cover bands. Well, not an obsession but I really, really like to hear average folks sing popular songs that I like to listen to. I recently found a great disco cover band and I've seen them play the Dallas area 4 times already :)
I last saw them play at the Wildflower Festival in Richardson TX and as usual, they were amazing --> click here to see the photos I took.
Big afro wigs, tight & bright colored pants, lots of energy: Le Freak!! boogie oogie oogie :)
Go to lefreakband.com to catch their performance schedule. WARNING: Cougars come out in droves to see these guys and hop on the stage and act like groupies. So, be prepared to see a 40 yr old or 50 yr old breast jiggling and drooping on the stage- ha!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
#74 - write nightly in a journal for one month
i've always heard people claim how great journal-writing is: it can be poetic, therapeutic, relaxing, inspiring, etc.
so, i decided to try it for a month and see what comes out of it.
overall, it didn't seem to help clear my mind or organize my thoughts very much. i read back over everything i wrote in the past month and it just seems like a lot of sophomoric jibberish. to be fair though, i didn't write down my hopes and dreams for the future...mostly just my day-to-day frustrations and rants.
i definitely won't continue to write every night, but maybe 2 or 3 times a week i'll jot down my feelings and opinions about different things going on in my life and in the lives of people around me. maybe 6 months from now i'll go through my journal again and see how/if my life changed.
so, i decided to try it for a month and see what comes out of it.
overall, it didn't seem to help clear my mind or organize my thoughts very much. i read back over everything i wrote in the past month and it just seems like a lot of sophomoric jibberish. to be fair though, i didn't write down my hopes and dreams for the future...mostly just my day-to-day frustrations and rants.
i definitely won't continue to write every night, but maybe 2 or 3 times a week i'll jot down my feelings and opinions about different things going on in my life and in the lives of people around me. maybe 6 months from now i'll go through my journal again and see how/if my life changed.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Operation De-Funk
On Friday night I started 'Operation De-Funk'.
For a long time I've been stuck in a funk...I haven't felt inspired to do anything except work endless hours at the office and at home, or spend hours upon hours checking email and my Facebook.
Well, this came to bite me in the ass when I realized Friday night that I missed an important job fair on March 5th. I found out about this job fair back in November 2008, and I was so excited for it. Alot of top companies were coming to Dallas with a huge list of job openings, and I saw it as my chance to move on to a new career. But guess what happened?
I totally forgot about it. In between work and my pure laziness, I forgot about the job fair until a week after it happened. I was (and am still) so mad at myself.
So as of March 13th, I started 'Operation De-Funk'. I spent the entire night making a very detailed list of every single thing I need to do to get my life back in order. Some of these things are already on my 101 list. But what I tackled on Saturday the 14th is my tax return!
I'm not sure why some people are so stressed out during tax season. But, I don't own a home, I'm not making car payments, I don't have stocks or bonds or valuable assets, and I don't own my own company....so I guess that's why I have it so easy during this time :P
I submitted my tax return and I'm now waiting for my money to come through to my account :) I'm actually surprised by how much I got back! And once I receive the money I'm not spending one dime of it...I'm immediately putting it towards the balance of my oldest credit card. With that money and some other money I've saved, I should have that card paid off by May!!! And then I'll have only one more, which I hope to have paid off by the end of summer.
Once I pay off those cards, and close one department store card that I don't use anymore, my credit score should go up, up, up! At least, I hope it does. I'm hoping to buy a nice, used car this year and I'll need the best credit possible to make that happen.
This is the financial part of my Operation De-Funk. It involves paying down my unnecessary debt like credit cards, continuing to pay my student loan debt on time and whenever possible I pay a little bit more than the minimum payment, and overall just being financially responsible. Meaning, I've cut down drastically on how much I spend going out, eating out, and going shopping. I also monitor how often I go shopping for food and hair products, and I watch how much I spend on each trip.
This week I'm going to work on the physical part of my De-Funk. I have already schedule an appointment with my eye doctor, so I can get a current prescription for new contacts and a new pair of glasses! And although I'm terrified to do this, I'm going to look for a dentist to go to *screams* I haven't had a dental checkup in over 10 years :( Luckily my teeth and gums don't hurt, nothing is rotting, and everything looks and feels fine, but I still think I should make sure everything is ok. But if he tells me I need a root canal or something like that....excuse my French but I'll cry, tell him to go fuck himself, and I'm running home and crawling underneath my bed. Nooooo!!!
For a long time I've been stuck in a funk...I haven't felt inspired to do anything except work endless hours at the office and at home, or spend hours upon hours checking email and my Facebook.
Well, this came to bite me in the ass when I realized Friday night that I missed an important job fair on March 5th. I found out about this job fair back in November 2008, and I was so excited for it. Alot of top companies were coming to Dallas with a huge list of job openings, and I saw it as my chance to move on to a new career. But guess what happened?
I totally forgot about it. In between work and my pure laziness, I forgot about the job fair until a week after it happened. I was (and am still) so mad at myself.
So as of March 13th, I started 'Operation De-Funk'. I spent the entire night making a very detailed list of every single thing I need to do to get my life back in order. Some of these things are already on my 101 list. But what I tackled on Saturday the 14th is my tax return!
I'm not sure why some people are so stressed out during tax season. But, I don't own a home, I'm not making car payments, I don't have stocks or bonds or valuable assets, and I don't own my own company....so I guess that's why I have it so easy during this time :PI submitted my tax return and I'm now waiting for my money to come through to my account :) I'm actually surprised by how much I got back! And once I receive the money I'm not spending one dime of it...I'm immediately putting it towards the balance of my oldest credit card. With that money and some other money I've saved, I should have that card paid off by May!!! And then I'll have only one more, which I hope to have paid off by the end of summer.
Once I pay off those cards, and close one department store card that I don't use anymore, my credit score should go up, up, up! At least, I hope it does. I'm hoping to buy a nice, used car this year and I'll need the best credit possible to make that happen.
This is the financial part of my Operation De-Funk. It involves paying down my unnecessary debt like credit cards, continuing to pay my student loan debt on time and whenever possible I pay a little bit more than the minimum payment, and overall just being financially responsible. Meaning, I've cut down drastically on how much I spend going out, eating out, and going shopping. I also monitor how often I go shopping for food and hair products, and I watch how much I spend on each trip.
This week I'm going to work on the physical part of my De-Funk. I have already schedule an appointment with my eye doctor, so I can get a current prescription for new contacts and a new pair of glasses! And although I'm terrified to do this, I'm going to look for a dentist to go to *screams* I haven't had a dental checkup in over 10 years :( Luckily my teeth and gums don't hurt, nothing is rotting, and everything looks and feels fine, but I still think I should make sure everything is ok. But if he tells me I need a root canal or something like that....excuse my French but I'll cry, tell him to go fuck himself, and I'm running home and crawling underneath my bed. Nooooo!!!
Monday, February 16, 2009
#1, #4, #7, #10 and others
I haven't updated in months but I have been working slowly and surely on my 101 list.
#1 - I watched 15 episodes of Bleach. Pitiful, I know. I'm going to try to watch 1 episode a night until I catch up...the episodes are only 20 minutes each, and if I can't make time for that then I'll know I'm mismanaging my time.
#4 - Thanks to a friend I met recently, I have finished Cowboy Bebop! And now I'm closer to my goal of making 5 new, potentially long term friends :) (#86)
#7 - I tried downloading, streaming, and even searching the library to find Sinatra movies, and it hasn't worked out to well for me. I don't like to buy movies unless it's something I really really like. There's too many movies out here in the world to keep watching the same ones over and over again, so that's why I never built a large collection.
Anyways, today I re-joined Blockbuster Online, and hopefully I'll be able to find all of the Sinatra movies there. Let's hope!
#9 - Joining Blockbuster Online will also help me finish Ebert's Top Films list. One day when I'm not lazy I'll find the list and get it online for everyone to see.
#16 - I joined a gym recently so I can work on losing 15 pounds of fat :( So far I have lost 2 pounds. It's so easy to pack on the pounds and so hard to sweat them off.
#55 - last month I went to the Meyerson to see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, so I can cross this off the list. I'm so glad I went, and I have two more performances that I'm going to in the coming weeks. In fact, I'm going to see Branford Marsalis this coming Friday!
#74 - Around New Year's I bought a journal, and I've been writing in it about 3 or 4 times a week. Starting tonite, I'm going to try to write nightly for one month.
I'm very proud of how much I have accomplished so far, and how much I've been working on this list over the past few months. My life has taken alot of crazy ups, downs, and turns lately, but at least I always have this list of positive and uplifting things to do, which has kept me grounded and sane.
#1 - I watched 15 episodes of Bleach. Pitiful, I know. I'm going to try to watch 1 episode a night until I catch up...the episodes are only 20 minutes each, and if I can't make time for that then I'll know I'm mismanaging my time.
#4 - Thanks to a friend I met recently, I have finished Cowboy Bebop! And now I'm closer to my goal of making 5 new, potentially long term friends :) (#86)
#7 - I tried downloading, streaming, and even searching the library to find Sinatra movies, and it hasn't worked out to well for me. I don't like to buy movies unless it's something I really really like. There's too many movies out here in the world to keep watching the same ones over and over again, so that's why I never built a large collection.
Anyways, today I re-joined Blockbuster Online, and hopefully I'll be able to find all of the Sinatra movies there. Let's hope!
#9 - Joining Blockbuster Online will also help me finish Ebert's Top Films list. One day when I'm not lazy I'll find the list and get it online for everyone to see.
#16 - I joined a gym recently so I can work on losing 15 pounds of fat :( So far I have lost 2 pounds. It's so easy to pack on the pounds and so hard to sweat them off.
#55 - last month I went to the Meyerson to see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, so I can cross this off the list. I'm so glad I went, and I have two more performances that I'm going to in the coming weeks. In fact, I'm going to see Branford Marsalis this coming Friday!
#74 - Around New Year's I bought a journal, and I've been writing in it about 3 or 4 times a week. Starting tonite, I'm going to try to write nightly for one month.
I'm very proud of how much I have accomplished so far, and how much I've been working on this list over the past few months. My life has taken alot of crazy ups, downs, and turns lately, but at least I always have this list of positive and uplifting things to do, which has kept me grounded and sane.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Let's throw another character in the mix:
I've already started collecting reference pictures for Gogo Yubari. I also learned how to make her weapon!!!
It's gonna be a race to see which cosplay outfit I finish first: Spike, Yumichika, or Gogo!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
#5 Done- Watch “The Sopranos” (entire series) (86/86)
I actually finished 'The Sopranos' a few weeks ago, but I was lazy and didn't post about it.
My short opinion of the series: I really enjoyed it. Character development and story plotlines were very interesting. The last episode did not tie up the loose ends, which I felt was appropriate.
Long Opinion:
After 6 seasons and 86 episodes, I realized I had an intense connection to all of the characters. I even started to feel a bit weary as the sixth season started, because of everything that I saw each character endure.
Throughout the series, I heard Christopher Moltisanti, Paul Gualieri, Tony Soprano and the other mobsters state their various reasons for why they entered the crime family. Most did it because their fathers and grandfathers were mobsters. Others were drawn into it because they liked the women, the money, and the feeling of being untouchable. But as always, there's certain things people have to give up in order to enjoy the perks.
To avoid giving out spoilers, let's just say Christopher had to end a part of his life that was very important to him. Adriana learned that no one is safe, and everyone is expendable. Carmela endured more pain than most wives will ever experience. Tony got to the top, and then wondered why anyone would ever want to be the Boss.
Shows like 'The Sopranos' are the reasons why I watch dramatic TV shows and movies. So many people believe that TV is sensationalized and it conditions us to believe unrealistic situations. I completely disagree with that point of view. True, I don't know any crime families and I realize organized crime is fascinating to many people. But at the same time, these characters, and characters in many other series, experience everyday situations just like people in the 'real world'.
'The Sopranos' covered:
psychiatry and the stigma surrounding it
adultery
drugs
marital and familial problems
dementia
past actions catching up with people
homosexuality
rape
death
...and many other topics. Doesn't sound sensational or overblown to me.
This series also took on a 'real life' approach with its series finale. Alot of people were upset because the show ended with a lot of questions still unanswered, but I liked that it ended that way. Nothing in life ever ends in a clean, timely way. The point of ending the show without answering questions is to show that Tony's life, and organized crime in general is ongoing. There's always going to be problems, people are always going to die, and every day is just a struggle. Yes it's depressing, but it's Tony's reality.
I give this series 2 thumbs up!
My short opinion of the series: I really enjoyed it. Character development and story plotlines were very interesting. The last episode did not tie up the loose ends, which I felt was appropriate.
Long Opinion:
After 6 seasons and 86 episodes, I realized I had an intense connection to all of the characters. I even started to feel a bit weary as the sixth season started, because of everything that I saw each character endure.
Throughout the series, I heard Christopher Moltisanti, Paul Gualieri, Tony Soprano and the other mobsters state their various reasons for why they entered the crime family. Most did it because their fathers and grandfathers were mobsters. Others were drawn into it because they liked the women, the money, and the feeling of being untouchable. But as always, there's certain things people have to give up in order to enjoy the perks.
To avoid giving out spoilers, let's just say Christopher had to end a part of his life that was very important to him. Adriana learned that no one is safe, and everyone is expendable. Carmela endured more pain than most wives will ever experience. Tony got to the top, and then wondered why anyone would ever want to be the Boss.
Shows like 'The Sopranos' are the reasons why I watch dramatic TV shows and movies. So many people believe that TV is sensationalized and it conditions us to believe unrealistic situations. I completely disagree with that point of view. True, I don't know any crime families and I realize organized crime is fascinating to many people. But at the same time, these characters, and characters in many other series, experience everyday situations just like people in the 'real world'.
'The Sopranos' covered:
psychiatry and the stigma surrounding it
adultery
drugs
marital and familial problems
dementia
past actions catching up with people
homosexuality
rape
death
...and many other topics. Doesn't sound sensational or overblown to me.
This series also took on a 'real life' approach with its series finale. Alot of people were upset because the show ended with a lot of questions still unanswered, but I liked that it ended that way. Nothing in life ever ends in a clean, timely way. The point of ending the show without answering questions is to show that Tony's life, and organized crime in general is ongoing. There's always going to be problems, people are always going to die, and every day is just a struggle. Yes it's depressing, but it's Tony's reality.
I give this series 2 thumbs up!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
AnimeFest 2008
My sister and I spent Labor Day weekend (Friday August 29- Monday Sept 1) at the Hyatt Regency hotel for A-Fest. We got there Friday nite, got a room, and stayed until Monday afternoon.
It was amaaaaaaazing!!!! Click here to see the photos.
I cosplayed as Gin Ichimaru from Bleach, and my sister was Soifon (also from the anime Bleach).
By far, the most popular animes were Bleach, Death Note (I saw more L's than I could count), and Naruto (boo).
This year I have two more opportunities to cosplay: Halloween and YuleCon in December. I'll be Yumichika (Bleach) for one, and Spike (Cowboy Bebop) for the other. Basically, when Halloween comes, whichever costume is finished is the one I'll wear :) Or, I'll be Gin Ichimaru again.
Yumichika:
Spike:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
