Friday, December 25, 2015

Poppin' Off- Star Wars:The Force Awakens *spoilers*

I've waited a week, its time to talk Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So here's the deal: there will be spoilers. If you have yet to see the movie and don't want to know what happens, please leave and come back after you have seen the movie. Otherwise, you will be ruined, and I won't be blamed for ruining your Star Wars experience because I warned you.


One more time, before I start, there will be spoilers!!! Okay, ready? Good. Let's talk some Star Wars.

This movie had been so anticipated, it was a touch ridiculous. The merch has been in stores since summer. It was almost to the point where it was like, there was so much Star Wars that you didn't even care if the movie was out or not, you could just see it depicted pretty much everywhere you looked. So was all the hype worth it? I say yes, although there were a few big things that bothered me.

The opening happens, and you find out that the First Order are the new bad guys, and the Resistance are the new good guys. They are both on a mission to get this missing map piece that will show them where Luke Skywalker is. Then we pan out to the new Han Solo in Poe Dameron, who is sent to Jakku to get that map piece. Very quickly, we meet pretty important characters in BB-8, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma and the Stormtrooper with a heart, FN 2187 (or Finn, as he will later be known). Things get hairy pretty quickly, Poe gets captured, but gives BB-8 the map piece beforehand, and tells him to run. While Poe is getting interrogated, BB-8 makes his way through Jakku and eventually meets Rey, the scavenger who is savvy and sassy and missing her family desperately. Fates intertwine when Poe and Finn escape the First Order and land in Jakku. While Poe disappears, presumed dead, Finn ends up finding Rey and BB-8, and that's when all the fun begins.


After Rey, Finn and BB-8 escape Jakku on a piece of garbage (aka The Millennium Falcon), some of the best parts of the movie happen, at least in  my opinion. When Finn gives BB-8 the thumbs up while talking about his past, and BB-8 responds with fire, my heart swelled. I didn't think I could love another Droid like I love R2D2, but BB-8 stole my heart right there. And also, there was this:

"We're home."

But that only leads to heartache later on. And I still can't believe they killed Han Solo. *remember, I warned you there were spoilers* Anyway, other highlights of the movie for me were the Stormtroopers themselves, who were often the source of the comic relief. (shout out to Daniel Craig for the Stormtrooper cameo!) And I liked that Rey wasn't a defenseless little girl, she was way stronger than Finn. But I worry that the role reversal will cause problems later on, maybe once Finn realizes that he is stronger than he thinks (he might be a touch Force sensitive, seeing as how he did pretty well with the lightsaber for never using one before, and Kylo Ren kept getting weird vibes from him in the village).

Of course, there were things I didn't like. The main one, which I already mentioned, was that they killed Han Solo!! That was so upsetting to me. And the worst part was, they didn't even do it in a way that he deserved. Once he walked out on that bridge, I think we all knew he was a goner (past Star Wars movies have taught us that you never go out on the bridge while dealing with the Dark Side!). But the fact that he didn't even fight back, and that Kylo Ren just did it, and then flung him off was just terrible. Han Solo was too good of a character to go out like that. Kylo Ren himself I had a real problem with. He was such a brat with total anger management issues. And as soon as he took off his helmet, I was like, what's up Professor Snape, where's Harry Potter? They couldn't have cast someone that looks even remotely like Leia or Han? (Because, Kylo Ren is Leia and Han's son, Ben) I mean, Rey looks like she is a Skywalker undoubtedly once she's next to Leia, and for the time being, its not known if she's related to them or not. So why didn't their son look like a relative? The under utilization of Captain Phasma was something else that I didn't like. She was built up to be this huge super villainous Stormtrooper, and she barely got any screen time, I mean, I guess they're setting her up for the next movie, but they could've used her more this time.



Overall, despite it being a roller coaster of emotions, I really enjoyed the movie. My family and I saw it late-ish Thursday night, and we had purchased our tickets through a gaming store here in town. They had bought out the theater, so we didn't see any previews (and yes, I was looking forward to seeing the new Star Trek trailer) and they gave away prizes (my son was the only one of the family that didn't win anything). The theater was filled with your mostly stereotypical nerds, and it was fun. Everyone laughed and cheered and gasped at the right times and it was nice. Although, by the end of the movie, most of the people had decided that it was Disney drivel and that Jar Jar Abrams had ruined the saga (it kind of reminded me of that part in Clerks 2 when the customer comes in and argues with Randall over the better trilogy, Star Wars or Lord of the Rings). I didn't agree, and I look forward to seeing it again at least one more time in theaters, and of course owning it when the time comes.

Have you seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens yet? (hopefully, since you've made it to the end of this spoiler filled post) Let me know what you thought about the movie in the comments below!

Merry Christmas!!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas or just a wonderful day if you don't partake in the Christmas festivities.



Here's a playlist I made for the day, I hope you like it. And side note, I think the whole Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack is fabulous, I would've put the whole thing on here, but I think that defeats the purpose of a playlist :) Also, Ariana Grande's Christmas and Chill EP is a pretty fun. I'm not much of a fan of hers, but its a quick listen and holiday-esque. 




What are you listening to right now to get you through the day? 

Monday, November 30, 2015

Casual Costume- Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones by krystellemt

So my husband and I did a total binge watch of Jessica Jones over the past couple of days and I am in love!!! Jessica Jones is the perfect superhero in my opinion because shes not out there flaunting it, she just wants to help people and reconcile herself with her really shitty past. Never mind the fact that shes pretty relatable and has a cool job (a private eye! get paid to be nosy, my dream job lol) Above is a little inspiration board/casual costume/gift guide for the Jessica Jones lover in your life. The DSLR, messenger bag, bad-ass attitude and enemies sold separately :)

Thursday, November 12, 2015

BlizzCon 2015 Cosplay Panel

Here is my recap of the cosplay panel from BlizzCon with a few relevant YouTube videos thrown in. I needed a break from all the Legion talk, so this was the only time my husband and I split up for panels. I thought the panel was pretty cool, although I was disappointed at how the main objective seemed to be to promote the Blizzard Cosplay Reference Kits (three of the five panelists were Blizzard employees). I don't cosplay (but have a definite interest in doing so), but I thought these were good tips for beginning cosplayers. More experienced cosplayers, is this true?

Sneaky Zebra- BlizzCon Cosplay Video

The Panel:
*Keikei Day- Moderator (Blizzard employee)
*Rachel Day (Blizzard employee)
*Lorraine Torres (Blizzard employee)
*Allison Trinh
*Jordan Duncan

Rachel showed us pictures of cosplays from past BlizzCons. She talked about how the cosplays have progressed over the years. Blizzard employees have their own cosplay group.

Lorraine - Cosplay Basics

Where to start?
-Pick your project
-Do your research (She really pitched the Blizzard Cosplay Kits here)

What to Use:
-Safety equipment while crafting
-Your time wisely- manage that shit!
-Google!- techniques, pattern making, etc
-Use everything to create costumes (craft supplies, thrift store buys, etc)
-Premades/commissions (commission pieces if short on time/skill)

Jordan- Prop Building

Design, Plan, Build
-think about LEDs, wiring, batteries
-plan your molding/casting process with those listed above in mind
-use Adobe Illustrator for patterns (ability to make patterns in layers for adjustments, etc)

Assembly
-shaping and scultping of pieces
-filler, primer and sanding
   -then molding:
  •      prep the mold
  •      make a mother mold
  •      cast the mold (hollow cast for weight)
  •      clean the prop
  •      paint!

Allison- Large Cosplays (she was Winston in the BlizzCon Cosplay contest on Friday night)

Pre-planning
-shipping/trasnportation of cosplay
-personal safety in costume (fans, water, handler)
-fitting into a larger costume/form (braces/pads)

Hoop Based Costumes
-easily scaled/add or remove hoops as needed
-lightweight and collapsible
-hollow for air circulation

Heads
-plastic canvas (lightweight and not durable)
-balaclava (tight fitting and easy articulation)
-resin/fiberglass (heavy and durable)





Jessica Nigri- Deathwing Costume Creation

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

BlizzCon 2015 Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm Panels

Here are my recaps of the Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm panels I went to during BlizzCon. BlizzCon was like information overload, so I know that I'm forgetting a lot of stuff!! I bought a notebook on Friday night so I could start writing down what I'd heard that day, and so I could take it to panels with me on Saturday lol. The smart blogger would've come with a notebook though...oh well, maybe next year (if I get so lucky!).

Hearthstone Panel

-the new adventure is The League of Explorers (Egyptian type feel)
-discussed all forty-five (!) new cards
-will earn all four new heroes at the completion of each wing/the adventure
-Reno Jackson, Brann Bronzebeard, Elise Starseeker, and Sir Finley Mrrgleton are the new heroes
-Discover! (class specific or neutral depending on your deck. its on a lot of the new cards)
-first wing of the adventure opens on Thursday, November 12th, 2015

Heroes of the Storm Panel

Character Development
-Eighteen weeks to test a character.
-Two hundred Blizzard characters on a list of potential HotS heroes.
-Things considered while choosing a character to add: how many of that type currently exist in the game and the character's silhouette.

New Characters
*Cho'gall

  • Two players controlling one hero. Cho is melee, Gall is ranged. Each part has his own talents, but they have attacks that work together. 
  • Cho'gall can't be purchased. He will be given to every BlizzCon attendee and virtual ticket holder. Those players can then pair up with other players and so some battles together as part of a quest for the player to get Cho'gall. The original Cho'gall holder can earn gold once they give four people Cho'gall.
*Greymane

  • Shapeshifter since he's a Worgen.
  • Fight from afar and finish up close.
*Lunara

  • Permanent speed increase.
  • She doesn't walk, she prances.
Other News
-Gul'dan is coming.
-Pre-order Overwatch Origins and get Tracer as a Hero.


Are you guys excited for any of the new changes to Hearthstone or Heroes of the Storm?

Monday, November 2, 2015

SuperKind- Random Acts of Kindness the Superhero Way!

Back in the beginning of 2014, I did a giveaway with a company called Datevitation. The owners are Alex and Olga and they make these really cool personalized love coupons. Their company has since expanded into other custom products (Sillywise), and their most recent endeavor, SuperKind, was actually created by their six year old daughter, Eva!


SuperKind is the cutest way to spread a little kindness into the world. Each SuperKind set includes 16 custom kindness cards; 16 custom stickers; and a certificate to affix the stickers. The cards and stickers are personalized with your child’s face and name. If you don't have a child, they can totally be customized with your face and name :)


Once you get your kit, the idea is for your child (or you), to perform the task listed on the card. They give the card to whoever they've just done the RAOK for, and then that person is supposed to complete that task within three days. After your child completes the task though, they get to find it on the certificate that comes in your SuperKind kit, and cover it with a sticker. Once the certificate is complete, its a nice keepsake to show how awesome your child is. If you are adulting while doing these, I think they would be fun to do at a convention. I mean, superhero awesomeness is already kind of a theme there. But if going to cons isn't your thing, doing these at the office could be fun too. Just don't be surprised if these cards show up at your retirement party. 



The Kickstarter doesn't end until December, but its never too early to start RAOKs. If you share the campaign on social media, you can get the Kindness Cards and a special Christmas Bonus Pack for free! Both are PDFs, so you can print them from the comfort of your own home (you don't even have to wear pants!!). Visit the Kickstarter page immediately for those details and make all the children in your life happy this holiday season. 


Please check out this campaign and share it with anyone you think would enjoy it! There are lots of perks too, so go take a look and let me know what you think.

Find it on the Web:
#SuperKindClub

Mixtape Monday #12

Happy November! Here are a few songs that I have been listening to lately. Its not a big list this time since I shared a lot of them on MM #11. I hope you have a fantastic week and a great month!!

My House- PVRIS


Used to Love You- Gwen Stefani


Hello- Adele


Through It All- Spoken


Push and Shove- No Doubt

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

I Almost Died. And That's Not An Exaggeration.

This Thursday will make two weeks since I received a phone call that scared the shit out of me. My doctor called me at about almost ten o'clock at night and told me that I needed to get in an ambulance and go to the hospital right away. My blood count was three, and by all technical doctoring, I wasn't supposed to be alive.

I suppose I should back it up a little here. I have been feeling sick for a while now. In July, at SDCC to be exact, I got bit by a black widow twice on one of my legs during a panel. I waited until I came back home to go to an urgent care (so...like two days after it happened). because my leg had gotten so swollen that I couldn't put my foot in my shoe, and the leg itself was getting hard, not to mention purple. And some other things as well, so I went, because everyone told me that if I didn't I would best case scenario lose my leg/foot, and worse case die from the venom. So I went and I got a few different meds and I took them and I got really sick. Now if these bites and these meds are actually related to what's happening right now, I don't know. But I do know that I didn't feel this way until after taking them, so its a possibility. At first, after finishing them, I just got really sick to my stomach, That's pretty normal with antibiotic use though, so I ignored it. But it never completely went away. And I started getting really tired all time for no reason. My migraines got worse and more frequent, and walking got hard. Yeah. It got to the point where even taking a few steps would leave me winded. Then the dizziness set in. In those last few weeks, I couldn't really even shower, because as soon as it got remotely warm, I would get to passing out point. I started missing my kids' soccer games. I slept all day long. Literally. I would get up to take my kids to school, sleep until it was time to pick them up, get up to get them, then go back to sleep. And that was it. That's what made me go to the doctor. I couldn't do anything, I felt like such a loser, My house became a complete wreck (I'm still trying to fix it)......everything just got bad. My doctor just thought I was anemic, that's why he'd ordered all the blood tests. I guess its a good thing he did. I probably shouldn't have waited a week to get them done though. Things might not have been so bad if I had done them sooner.



I stayed in the hospital from late Thursday night until about 6pm that Saturday. I was given four bags of blood to try and get me to a halfway decent blood count. I had so many bruises from all of their really painful blood draws and failed IV attempts. I wasn't allowed to eat the whole time I was there. They were anticipating procedures that never happened. They wanted a colonoscopy, but one of the medicines for that made me violently ill and curled into a ball of pain and I couldn't complete it. The doctor that was supposed to perform that wouldn't offer any alternatives (and there are other ways to clear out down there) and said that if I wouldn't take all the meds he wanted me to, then he wouldn't do the colonoscopy. So he didn't, because I couldn't finish them. The hospital fought with me about it, saying that I had refused the procedure, which was crap, but after that, I told them I would see my own GI doctor and that I wanted to go home. The hospital was horrible, I never saw any doctor, just nurses and CNAs. Everything was relayed through them, because the doctors couldn't be bothered to grace my room with their presence for not even a moment. I'd never been to that hospital before, and I hope I never have to go back again. We have better ones in town, and I wish I had gone to one of those instead. I was eventually allowed to go home after I had tested a 9.5 hemoglobin count and so very glad. That count still isn't very high, but at least I wasn't going to die. I had so many people tell me they didn't understand how I was still around, and that was scary.


That's what's been the hardest for me, I think. The fact that I should've died and I didn't. Although, I guess I was getting ready to. That's what all the sleeping was, me getting ready to go. I probably would have if I didn't have to get up so frequently to pick up my kids and stuff. Everyone keeps telling me that I'm still here for a reason. Like I'm destined for greatness, or I'm supposed to do something important. I don't really know. Am I supposed to get some mundane 9-5 job and be a productive member of society now? Am I supposed to create the job I've always wanted, or try and find somewhere where I can feed my spirit? If I don't do anything awesome, am I going to end up in the hospital again? Or will I not get that chance this time? I have a lot of questions, and nobody to help me find the answers to them. I have found myself randomly bursting into tears a lot lately. I feel really unsure about a lot of things, and scared. I still have a lot of doctor appointments and tests in my near future, and what if what they find is bad?

So this is where I'm at right now. Not in the best of health, but at least I am alive. In the hospital, I tortured myself by watching the Food Network pretty much the whole time. (If I can't eat it, I will watch people make it!) It really inspired me to want to cook more, even though I hate the actual process of cooking (and with my picky kids, making food at home is a nightmare, they never eat it). I tried to make a sorta Thanksgiving right after I was released, because I thought I might not get one. It didn't turn out well at all. Its very discouraging, so I bought some of the Pioneer Woman's cookbooks in hopes of making some edible food. And I have this feeling like I need to be doing more, doing something, I just don't know what. Hopefully I will figure it out soon.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Mixtape Monday #11

Happy Monday!! Here are some videos of songs that I am just loving at the moment. I hope you like them too!

On My Mind- Ellie Goulding


Confident- Demi Lovato


Same Old Love- Selena Gomez


Powerful- Major Lazer ft Ellie Goulding and Tarrus Riley


Downtown- Macklemore and Ryan Lewis


Uma Thurman- Fall Out Boy


Cake by the Ocean- DNCE


How Deep is Your Love- Calvin Harris and Disciples

What songs are your current faves? Let me know in the comments below!

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Quests- Paso Robles,CA/Lindsey Stirling

I have decided to start a new series on the blog called Quests, and its basically a way for me to share my little road trips or adventures with you while keeping with my WoWish theme. For my first Quest, my husband and I went to see Lindsey Stirling at the Vina Robles Amphitheater in Paso Robles, CA on August 6th, 2015.

It was a very last minute decision to get tickets, but my mom was wanting to take the kids for that weekend anyway, so we just asked her if she'd take them for an extra night. Luckily, she agreed and we got to see one of the best concerts we've ever been to. On the Ticketmaster site, the time for the concert was listed as 7pm. We made it there about 7:15pm because of some traffic issues. Lindsey's first opening act, Olivia Somerlyn was almost done with her set when we arrived. Since my husband and I were super hungry, we ate the overpriced vineyard food (which was delicious) and sat behind the walls around the amphitheater seating (so the vineyard club members can't see into the amphitheater and get a free show lol). so we didn't get to see any of her performance. She sounded good though, and had a bit of a Taylor Swift vibe- very happy and grateful and loving of all of her fans.

The next act I was pretty excited to see, and that was Robert DeLong. They play Long Way Down on one of the local radio stations (the same one that has the creeper DJ that lusts after Meg Myers), which is a huge (and welcomed) departure from what they usually play. My husband had no idea who he was, but loved his show and was a fan by the end! Robert DeLong is the epitome of a one man band, but not in the cheesy, cymbals on the knees, monkey on the back kind. His show was visually stunning, and it was done in a video game type way. It felt very Ready Player One (for all of my fellow book lovers), and it was great. If you get a chance to see him perform, do it!

Robert DeLong 

And then....it was Lindsey's turn. I am a huge fan (one of my first Mixtape Monday's was dedicated to her), so I was very excited to see her! Her show was so amazing! It really made me regret not keeping up with my violin playing. Not that I was super spectacular when I did play, but seeing her play did make me miss it a whole bunch. The show was very visually stunning, which you'd sort of expect, since she's playing the violin and not singing. But everything was great, her dancing was terrific, and I loved her costumes. She even did a medley of video game songs for all the gamers out in the crowd. What was almost as interesting as her show were the people in the audience. There was such a mix of people, it was really incredible. Lots of kids, quite a few older people, and a lot of people in various stages of cosplay. 


My phone died pretty much right after her set started, so I don't have a lot of pictures, but that's okay. The experience was enough. Before one of her songs (Transcendence), she shared that she wrote it because she had gone through a period of time a couple years ago where she was really depressed. She said that she didn't like who she was at that time, almost didn't recognize herself. She shared that she had gone through all these things to make herself a happy person. She tried therapy and happiness exercises...basically had to train her brain to not be depressed anymore. And its not like she was minimizing anyone's struggle with depression, she said that she still has rituals that she does to keep herself in her current state, so that she doesn't slip back into that depressed person. Its not been a secret around here that I suffer from depression, and while I have yet to find a pill mix that works for me, or to see a therapist (because the one I was referred to seems to never have the time), hearing that she found a way out of her depression gives me a tiny sliver of hope that I can eventually find a way out of mine. And I wasn't expecting that from her concert at all. 


After the concert was over, we got some food from the slowest Taco Bell ever (and I never eat from there, but it was like the only thing still open) and then drove home. That was an experience in itself, because when we were close to town we almost hit this lady that ran into the street for no reason! My husband swerved to miss her, and she ran at the car again, and he swerved again, and then she disappeared back into the trees by the side of the road. I checked the news the next day, to see if she'd tried that with anyone else and they weren't so quick to miss her, but there was nothing in the papers, so I hope she got to wherever she was going okay. 

Friday, August 7, 2015

Poppin' Off- Summer Movies

Happy Friday everyone! I haven't made it to the movies too much this summer, but within the past few weeks I've managed to make it out a few times and I thought I'd share my reviews with you. *As always, if you haven't seen any of these movies but plan to, and you want to do so spoiler free, you should probably not read this until you see the movie. Spoilers have a tendency to pop out sometimes.*

Ant-Man

I really liked Ant-Man. Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) is your average dude who gets out of prison and through the help of his friends (Michael Pena and T.I.), manages to stumble into Hank Pym's (Michael Douglas) house and ends up stealing a suit that can turn him into a tiny human that can, among other things, help him control ants. Ant-Man fights an Avenger (Falcon), a bad guy (Yellow Jacket) and gets the girl (Wasp). The movie is filled with comedy, more than the average Marvel movie, but there is a good amount of action as well. And for everyone that said that Paul Rudd couldn't do it, you were mistaken. Ant-Man didn't require the casting of a Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth because that's not the type of superhero that Ant-Man is. He's much more of a Mark Ruffalo type, and Paul Rudd pulled it off flawlessly. I look forward to seeing him with the reset of the Avengers. 


So...about Pixels. It's probably one of the worst rated movies of the summer (seriously, read all of the reviews, the hate is real and also very entertaining), but I didn't think it was all that terrible. Adam Sandler makes a particular type of movie, and I think you have to know and accept that before going into anything that he does. With all that in mind, Pixels was cute. It had all of the video games I grew up with, and Ashley Benson (Hanna Marin on PLL) even has a small part as Lady Lisa. Yes, its very unlikely that Kevin James or anyone remotely like him would ever be President of the United States, and of course its super unlikely that aliens are going to see a time capsule of footage from a video game contest in 1982 and come to Earth attacking as said video games, but the movie is still fun. And its kinda fun to think of Olaf (Josh Gad) and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) running around being big ole nerds and fighting these alien video games too. There have been so many articles about the movie about how it missed its chance to take on serious subjects like how our lives and technology are changing, but when does Adam Sandler ever make serious movies? I think I've seen him in one....maybe. Anyway, its a fun movie if you don't go into expecting too much and like retro games and songs from the 80's.



Tom Cruise is once again Ethan Hunt, running away from bad guys, being seduced by a hot chick who can't decide if she's on the good side or the bad side, and receiving comic relief from Simon Pegg and the rest of his team. I like a good spy/action film, and this one did everything it was supposed to do. In the previews alone, you learn that his team is being hunted by a group just like theirs called the Syndicate, and in the film you learn that his team gets disbanded and Hunt disappears, becoming a wanted man by the CIA. The Syndicate is a group that causes major catastrophes around the world; like power plants blowing up, corporations going bankrupt, starting civil unrest in third world countries.....everything conspiracy theorists think governments do in real life. Of course, with everything that happens, Hunt's team has to reunite to save him, and there's plenty left open at the end to suggest that this is not the last we'll see of Ethan Hunt and the IMF. 

Which movies have you gone to see this summer? I still really want to see Trainwreck, Magic Mike XXL, and Paper Towns. Have you seen them, or have any suggestions? Let me know in the comments!

Friday, July 31, 2015

Poppin' Off- Netflix Picks #2

Netflix and I have still been copious amounts of time together, so I thought I'd share some more of what I've been watching lately :) And there might be spoilers. I don't know, I try to describe things without giving too much away...

Knights of Sidonia
This anime follows Nagate Tanikaze from his journey as an under-dwelller to top pilot. Sidonia is a ship, but it looks like a planet and they are fighting an alien being called a Gauna. Its a pretty involved plot, as most animes are, and based off a manga. There are hermaphrodites, a bear that's a cook, and all kinds of cool science-y things. Apparently episodes are still currently airing in Japan, while Netflix only has two seasons available. This article on Forbes sums up KoS quite nicely.

Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online is the first anime I seriously sat down and watched. It has a very WoW element to it, which I think is why I was drawn to it. The virtual reality aspect to it really isn't too far off, which is another draw. Not all of SAO is on Netflix, my husband and I had to continue our watching of it on Hulu and then Crunchyroll, but there is a good amount to start with. The premise is that everyone logs into the game one day, and finds out that they are trapped in it. The only way to escape the game is to reach the 100th floor and defeat the final boss. If you die in the game, you die in real life, thanks to the VR set up. Kirito, the main guy, was a beta tester, so he navigates the game fairly well. The problem is, he tries to go it alone, as beta testers are considered cheaters, and have targets on their backs. Along the way, Kirito does pick up a few friends, including Asuna, who becomes much more (but that's for another story arc). This one is a lot of fun if you like playing games like WoW or any MMORPG. 

Attack on Titan
So I'm a little late to the AoT party, but this one is really good! I mean, once you get past those horrible Titan faces! Like seriously, could they have made those any creeper? I definitely understand why so many people cosplay this now, its pretty amazing. I really love Eren and Mikasa together (I've only watched what's available on Netflix, so if something horrible happens to them, I don't want to know!!), so I hope they get to continue being in each other's lives. So for this one, there are Titans, big creepy people that run around killing people and destroying cities and then the non Titan people learn that some of their own can transform into these creepy people and fight them. Eren (our main dude), can transform into a Titan, and it is weird. I need to read the manga or find more episodes or something because I want to know more!! 

What have you been watching on Netflix? Let me know in the comments below.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

SDCC 2015- Friday


Another year, another SDCC in the bag. As usual, my husband and I only had badges for Saturday and Sunday, but went down to San Diego on Friday to see what we could do outside of the convention. Every year we always debate going down on Thursday, or getting a badge for one more day, but I think that this year really solidified our decision to go down on Thursday next year, if not with an extra day's badge, then to at least check out more of the outside of con events (like some of the Nerdy Girlie's parties!). Even with the day of badge freeness to explore, we still missed so much of the off site stuff that we wanted to do. It gets bigger and bigger every year folks, seriously.

Once we made it to our parking at the Ace MTS lot, we headed to the Conival, which was occupying the space in Petco Park that has housed NerdHQ in previous years. Conival was a joint effort by Nerdist, Geek and Sundry, and Amy Poehler's Smart Girls (and of course, Legendary Pictures....)

Conival was probably one of my favorite things about SDCC this year. There was so much to do and I didn't feel overwhelmed by crowds. Of course, I was only in it for Friday, so maybe it got crowded over the weekend. There were tons of photo booths everywhere, a free Slurpee spot, laser tag, and there were free mini panels running all weekend long. And they weren't just YouTubers like some of NerdHQ's free panels were last year. These were legit panels, like Felicia Day, the cast of Orphan Black...those were the ones I saw while I was there (clicky here for Nerdist's full lineup). I actually wandered over to Felicia's panel by accident. I had no sense of time at that point and thought I'd missed her panel, so when I saw on a screen that she was going to be doing a book signing, I went hunting for information. Sadly, I didn't get into the signing, but I did get to see most of her panel, and I got to meet her brother Ryon, who was so nice! He put up with me trying to get into her signing, and when other fans came up to him, he was totally cool. He told one guy to send him an email about a business idea after the guy talked his ear off forever, and this other girl had asked him to be in a little YouTube film she was making, and he agreed and shot it right there! Not too many people would do that, so big high five to him.

Felicia Day at Conival

After spending a good amount of time at Conival, we went over to NerdHQ. NerdHQ was at the New Children's Museum and I have to say, I didn't dig it. The building is pretty much a big concrete slab, so throw in hundreds of electrical devices, hundreds more people, and have minimal air circulating in there- its a recipe for disaster. I'm honestly really surprised that their computers and gaming systems didn't crash from overheating. There was like, no air conditioning in that place at all. We went to NerdHQ on Friday because we made reservations to play Star Wars Battlefront and Project Morpheus for the PS4. The reservations for Battlefront weren't necessary- downstairs there were consoles to play on with minimal waiting. I tried to play it and I sucked. I am not a console gamer by any means, PC gaming is much more my speed. So to say that my PS4 Battlefront experience was humiliating would be an understatement, and I'm pretty sure I proved the stupid boys behind me right that "girls shouldn't play games." Yeah, it was that bad. After that, we made a few passes through the Loot Crate line to try and win stuff, but with no luck. Dani from Fangasm was working the booth, so that was cool (I really liked the show lol). She also proved to be the most levelheaded booth attendant, treating everyone according to the rules that Loot Crate had set (you had to have a bulls-eye to win a good prize, not just one of the bracelets). On Saturday, Dani wasn't working, it was just dudes, and that rule would not be followed if you were a pretty girl. Anyway, after our sad attempts at Nerfing for loot, we went upstairs for our Project Morpheus reservations. Those were actually kept, and I ended up giving mine to a little boy in the standby line who let everyone know he'd been waiting for an hour and he really, really wanted to play! He reminded me of my son, and fresh off my horrific fail at console Battlefront, I wasn't in the mood to play another game. I guess I missed out though, my husband said it was awesome. Virtual reality is the new movement in console gaming, so get ready :) The booth guys all gave different answers on when it would be available though. One said November, one said March and the third one said at the start of the next quarter. So some time soon your Playstation will have virtual reality capability- if you can afford it. I did suck up my humiliation to try Battlefront for the PC though. The wait for that was super long, and since all the computers were upstairs, it was also a very hot wait. The game play was fun, similar to WoW in most of its commands, so I figured out how to at least move lol. At the end of the game I wasn't completely at the bottom of the battleground, but I was pretty close. And I did manage to kill some people, which is more than I can say for the console version. The console version was like a first person shooter though, similar to Call of Duty or other games where you can co-op and work towards objectives, but its not in a battleground setting. The console game was a PVP setup, so if you've ever played any game where there's a battleground with rankings, that's exactly what PC Battlefront played like. 

After trying all that out, my husband and I went back downstairs and were looking around, and we saw that they were shutting down the NerdHQ photo booth. We asked an attendant why and he said that Stephen Amell (you know, the guy that plays Arrow) was getting ready to finish a panel and they were going to do a Smiles for Smiles with him. We asked where the line was and jumped on in! We had to get super up close and personal with the other people in line though, and I hate lines like that. One of the volunteers mentioned that the fire alarm had been pulled on Thursday night (resulting in a super heavy fine), so we had to be ultra close together and close to the building so the fire marshal wouldn't get angry. That was the first rumbling of trouble I heard while I was there, and certainly not the last. While the volunteers were very good in some areas, they lacked in others. But I also heard from another volunteer that it was because they lacked in leadership (meaning Zachary Levi), so I don't know.....

While we were waiting, an ice cream cart wheeled by, and I got a Ninja Turtle ice cream. I was super excited because I hadn't had one since I was a kid and I was super hungry. Pro tip- don't eat green ice cream before meeting a celebrity. 


There was a lot of debate among the volunteers on if we were going to even get to take pictures with him because they gave priority to his panel, and he was pressed for time. But they really stepped up, and were super efficient with the line, so we all managed to get in. And I would also like to point out that Stephen Amell is really nice and totally didn't mention my green smile. 

To round out our day, we ate at Bootlegger. If you've been reading KMT for a while, you know that we ate there last year on our anniversary/last day of SDCC. We pretty much had the same things to eat too! We started with the Crispy Deviled Eggs, then he did the BYOBurger, but I had the Chicken and Biscuits instead of the Chicken and Waffles. I can be picky about my gravy and biscuits, but these were very good. 

Monday, July 27, 2015

Mixtape Monday #10

Here's a little summer video playlist that's been helping me drag through this summer. Seriously, this summer has been a lot of suck and happy music/music with an upbeat has been an essential. I hope you enjoy!!

Natalie La Rose ft Fetty Wap- Around the World


David Guetta ft Bebe Rexha, Afrojack & Nicki Minaj- Hey Mama


Skrillex & Diplo ft Justin Bieber- Where Are U Now


The Weeknd- Can't Feel My Face (audio only)


Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft MO- Lean On


DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge- You Know You Like It


Taylor Swift ft Kendrick Lamar- Bad Blood


Max ft Hoodie Allen- Gibberish


What are you listening to this summer? Lots of pop? Or is rock more your thing? Let me know in the comments!

Sunday, July 26, 2015

ModCloth Pop Up Coming to SF!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.**

ModCloth's fabulously fun and unique online fashion shop is headed to the heart of San Francisco from July 30th-August 17th! Explore their colorful collection of dresses, tops, cardis, and more in person, try on exclusive styles, and get sizing and fit help from their terrific team. Drop by and browse their Union Square location, or book a free appointment to skip the lines, guarantee a fitting room, and shop with 1-on-1 assistance from their friendly staff (hurry, spots are limited). ModCloth can't wait to meet you!

To book an appointment, visit: http://www.modcloth.com/fitshop-sf Or call us: 1-844-FITSHOP 



Lucky ladies in Northern Cali, I hope you take advantage of this opportunity and stop on by to check out all of the cute stuff ModCloth will bringing with them. Let me know if you go and if you buy anything :)

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Swimwear at Modcloth

I know it's mid-summer (where did time go?!?!). but I thought I'd share this fun swin-fographic from ModCloth, and some of my favorite bathing suits from their site. You can never have too many swimsuits!! And right now, there's free shipping on orders that are $50 or more (US only and that's on anything, not just swimsuits). Yay!








I could go crazy in ModCloth's swim section, there are so many cute suits! And now is the perfect time to buy them, so many are on sale :) What are your favorite suits from the site?  Let me know in the comments below.

**This post contains affiliate links to ModCloth. If you make a purchase after clicking these links, I will make a small comission, at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting KMT**

Monday, June 22, 2015

Mixtape Monday #9

Happy Monday everyone! Something about Maroon 5 just makes me think of summer. It might be that I associate them with summer because I listened to their very first CD a lot after I got my very first car, which was in the summer. Or maybe they just have that perpetual summer vibe. I'm not sure. Anyway, today's Mixtape Monday is all about Maroon 5- enjoy!!

This Summer's Gonna Hurt (Explict)


If I Never See Your Face Again ft Rihanna


Harder to Breathe


One More Night





Here are the rest of my favorite Maroon 5 songs. I figured I wouldn't torture with all videos. And the last one is just Adam Levine with the Lonely Island guys, but I figured I could still slip it in here :)

Friday, June 12, 2015

Five Fandom Friday- Favorite Fictional Dads


Since Father's Day is coming up soon, it's only fitting that there is a FFF about our favorite fictional dads! I was raised by just my dad until I was thirteen, so dads hold a super special place in my heart. Here are mine, in no particular order:

1. Red from That 70's Show 
There isn't a dad on teevee I love more than Red Forman. He is so sarcastic and rude and I think it's wonderful. And nobody can say dumbass like Red can.

2. Homer Simpson from The Simpsons
Homer is largely a failure as a dad, but sometimes you can really see the sweetness in him. Remember the episode where Mr. Burns puts that horrible plaque in his work station that says "don't forget, you're here forever"and he covers it with pictures of Maggie so it reads, "do it for her"? Homer shows that you don't have to be perfect to be an okay parent. 

3. Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
So he was mostly known as Uncle Phil, even though Ashley, Carlton and Hilary were his children, so he counts as a dad too. He's one of my favorites because he wasn't like other sitcom dads, all dopey and doing completely ridiculously shtick-y things. He was funny, sarcastic and it was a little bit real too. He took in Will, and became a father to him in a way that Will's dad never did. I think the show celebrated that you don't have to be the bio dad to be a dad. And I have to be honest, when he passed away, I was a little sad.

4. Tim the Tool Man Taylor from Home Improvement 
I guess I'm really showing my age with all my favorite fictional dads, but that's okay :) Tim is another one of my favorites because he always tried to be so macho, but most of the time he just jumbled it up so bad. And it was always fun to see him get stuck to things lol. Plus, I had a big crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas at the time, so of course I watched Home Improvement to see him too. 

5. Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire from Mrs. Doubtfire
This movie is silly and great and Robin Williams is fabulous. A dad is willing to dress as a lady and become a housekeeper in his ex's house to be closer to his kids? That's a dedicated dad. I mean, of course he was a mess in the first place, which is why they're exes, but he realized that he sucked and tried to fix it. And of course, seeing the dudeness in him come out when he's dressed as the old lady is just hilarious. 


Who are your favorite fictional dads? Let me know in the comments! And thanks to Megan and Kristin for coming up with the Five Fandom Friday concept and to Darling Stewie for the new FFF graphic.