Fell off the wagon there for a bit. Never fear – I wasn’t in a bad place in life or anything, just needed a break from the routine 🙂
So let’s talk about the things I’ve been doing! As usual, I’m going to go over the media I’ve consumed since I last updated:
Television
And by television I mean Netflix. Season three of House of Cards was finished in just two sittings. That’s a new record for me – season two took three days. I loved it just as much as I’ve loved the other seasons and I’m excited (and terrified) to see what happens next.
I finished all the seasons of Parenthood that are available on Netflix and still love it. I’m hoping the final season is on Hulu or something (because I don’t steal media, y’all) because I’m really bad at waiting for these things to be made available.
Upon learning that I had seen almost all the Parenthood there was to be seen, I decided to start up Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. As a big fan of Tina Fey and Ellie Kemper, I had high expectations and they were exceeded! I laughed out loud so many times at this show, even more than I did during 30 Rock. That being said, if you’re not a 30 Rock fan you probably won’t be super into this – the pacing and writing are very similar and the nonsensical nature of 30 Rock is very much present in this one. Kemper is like Erin from The Office but older and smarter (believe it or not) as the titular character and her roommate, Titus, was probably my favorite part of the show.
The dude and I have been watching a lot of Adventure Time lately and it never fails to disappoint. We recently played Adventure Time Munchkin for the first time as well, and I think I enjoy it even more than regular Munchkin.
Books
I started a new book challenge through HabitRPG that’s a lot more robust than my initial one. I’m still trying to get 26 books in for 2015, but this list is much more than 26 so we’ll see if I can log even more! I finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and absolutely loved it – it’s incredibly well written and even those that aren’t interested in history can easily get sucked into it. At the same time, it’s so heartbreaking that I don’t think I could watch the movie based on it. I also finished California by Edan Lepucki and loved that as well. I needed something slightly lighter after Unbroken and was really into the dystopian setting of this one. The first half slowly draws you in and when you hit the turning point, you won’t be able to put it down.
I’m currently reading Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan and it’s compelling and terrifying all at once. As I’ve been reading it, I’ve thought, “Oh wow, I’ve caught myself doing that too…am I losing it?” But as I’ve read on and her condition worsens, it becomes clear that I am not. Told from Cahalan’s point of view that is often pieced together through doctor’s notes, first hand accounts by family and friends, and videos, it’s a unique look into what I think is a common fear of completely losing your mind.
Movies
I have seen two movies since I last wrote: the new Spongebob Squarepants movie and This is the End. As a 26-year-old, I preferred the former SO MUCH MORE than the latter. the Spongebob movie was a wonderful 90 minutes of nostalgia and cheap, childish laughs. This is the End felt like it was three hours long and Craig Robinson was its only saving grace.
Food
My week of Pinterest recipes was a hit! I unfortunately didn’t save the list of things that I made but most were very easy and will find their way into my “go-to meals.” I received two cookbooks for my birthday: the Runner’s World cookbook and Ina Garten’s Make It Ahead cookbook. I made my first RW recipe tonight: Southern Unfried Chicken. Having been a health nut in college – and a huge fan of Hungry Girl – I am quite familiar with “faux-frying,” or “baking” as most would call it. This recipe intrigued me because you marinate the chicken in a buttermilk and hot sauce marinade before breading it in a mix of bread crumbs and spices. It packed quite a bit of heat, and though I’m not fooling anyone in trying to pass baked chicken off as fried, it was really tasty without making me feel like crap for eating it. I haven’t tried anything from Ina’s book yet, but I think it will definitely come in handy when I host get-togethers!
What’s Coming Up
For starters, a whole bunch of weddings. Five weddings. I’m super excited for all of them. On top of that, I’ll be signing up for my fourth half marathon in about two weeks, so I’ve been trying to get myself a little healthier and perhaps even a little bit in shape before training starts. I have this awful habit of really letting myself go between major races and I blame most of it on winter (particularly this winter that was insanely cold).
I’ve also got a few trips planned to visit my parents, the dude’s parents, and maybe some distant friends here and there.
Basically, starting next month I am going to be pretty freaking busy. But I promise to make time to update here now and then. Thanks for following!
...And What Would Bri Say? 