Entertainment Archives - Page 24 of 32

This week in…: Volume 19

May 29, 2015 by Jana 14 Comments

Weekly recap. Let’s get to it for this very slow, boring, uneventful week.

This week in reading…In the middle of Wonder and The Leisure Seeker. Alex Woods, Some Luck, and Big Little Lies are next. Also, this is your friendly reminder for the next Show Us Your Books linkup which happens on June 9.

This week in cooking…I made the easiest dinner the other night, one pot pasta with vegetables. Here’s what you do: Mix 2 cups of sauce (I make my own but you can use jarred as well) with two cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add roughly 8 oz of pasta (or, if you’re like me, just dump in a bunch of noodles until you think it’s enough) and a bag of frozen vegetables. Cook until the pasta is done. Add cheese if you want.

This week in TV watching…Thanks to Kathy, I plan to check out Bosch because you can never have too many gritty cop shows in your life. I also decided that I’m finally going to watch How To Get Away with Murder because I meant to watch it when it aired (and by watch, I mean DVR) and never did. Summer TV sucks so I figure it’s a good time to catch up.

This week in gardening…The husband one again created a huge garden in the backyard. Some plants are doing well (corn, pumpkins), and others (peppers, cucumbers), not so much. He did bring volunteers (I call them tributes) home from my in-laws’ and they seem to be surviving thus far. Our garden is officially the hunger games.

This week in what the fuck…So where I live has two main residents groups. One is public, anyone can join and the other is a private/secret/whatever group. I was a member of both. I’m not very active on Facebook at all so I didn’t visit or post in the secret group with any sort of regularity. I was removed from the group as a result. I know they do that, cull people who they think are lurkers or spies from the public residents group (I know) but seriously, what the fuck?

This week in WHY???…Another installment of The Human Centipede is on its way. I can’t even. If you aren’t familiar with The Human Centipede, please look it up. It is the most disturbing, fucked up thing in the history of everything and I don’t want to describe it or even link to it.

This week in things that are awesome…Did you guys read that Jon Stewart bought a farm in NJ to use as an animal sanctuary for homeless animals? Could he be any more fantastic?

This week in internet reads…Loved this post from The Accidental Missionary (not a blog I read regularly but someone I follow posted a link to this post) about how moms need to stop being overachievers. This post on Social Media Week calls those of us born in the late 70s/early 80s The Oregon Trail Generation since we never really feel like Gen X or Millennials, and how we’re different and why we don’t identify fully with either group. Then there was this list of 14 Things Every Fat Girl Needs to Hear (although I feel like we can take out the word “fat” because every girl needs to hear these). And finally, this interview with Amy Schumer, Kate McKinnon, Ellie Kemper, Lena Dunham, Gina Rodriguez, and Tracee Ellis Ross in The Hollywood Reporter. Ladies are fucking funny, yo.

This week in funnies…

That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend, y’all! See you back on Monday!

Save

This week in…:Volume 18

May 22, 2015 by Jana 10 Comments

This week in reading…Finished True Story: Murder, Memoir and Mea Culpa and Saving Francesca. Working on The Storied Life of AJ Firky and What Alice Forgot. Picked up Forever, Interrupted, Wonder, Big Little Lies, and The Long Home. Full recap of everything during the next Show Us Your Books linkup on June 9.

This week in disappointment…If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that we rescued 3 baby birds living in my daughter’s bathroom vent. We tried as hard as we could but all 3 babies died. And the mother attacked my husband while he was trying to get her out of the attic. So there was that.

This week in dumbassery…I locked myself out of my own blog because I clearly can’t type in my password properly. Then I almost forgot to unlock myself before I wrote Thursday’s post and had to stop at the library because free wifi and I had books on hold anyway.

This week in being social…Despite my general malaise over everything life, I managed to out on pants and engage with people three times this week. And I had a conversation with 2 of my neighbors. Not bad for a hermit with depression.

This week in things that are delicious…My homemade brownies, thanks to this amazing recipe from Hershey’s (note: I don’t use Hershey’s products when I make them. Still full of chocolatey goodness). I do halve the recipe and forgo the walnuts. I’ve also never made the frosting because honestly, the brownies are phenomenal and addictive enough on their own.

This week in listening…I don’t know what I was listening to that made it play, but I heard this song, “You Are My Las Vegas” by Red Wanting Blue, and it’s an adorable song with an even more adorable video. Watch now.

This week in how the hell did I get so old…May 26 marks 25 years since my bat mitzvah. TWENTY FIVE FREAKING YEARS. What the hell? Perhaps I should have saved this for next week’s edition but I’m old and will probably forget so I have to say it now. While I remember. #oldpeopleproblems

This week in talking to my husband…He was pontificating about something space related because he’s reading a book written by an astronaut and I tuned him out because that shit bores me but whatever he said made this happen–

Me: You know that book is not a passport, right?

Husband: Yes it is. It’s a passport to knowledge.

This week in my cat’s body count…She’s killed at least 2 bunnies. Not sure what else. I don’t think I want to know. I don’t know how something so cute can be such a vicious murderer. I think people said the same thing about Ted Bundy.

This week in funnies…

Have a great weekend, y’all! I have yet to be determined plans and I’ll be back on either Monday or Tuesday, depending on how the weekend goes.

Save

A not at all complete list of songs that make me happy

May 18, 2015 by Jana 34 Comments

It’s no secret that the last month has been particularly hard on me. I’m desperately trying hard not to fall back into depression which is more difficult than it sounds. Some days I’m more successful than others and one thing I’ve learned battling this for so many years, it’s that the busier and more distracted I am, the easier it is to stave off the inevitable. I also use different methods for escape and coping. Books are definitely the main one. TV shows, projects, and playing with my dogs are other ones. So is music.

Music is as important to me as books but for different reasons. Books immerse me in someone else’s life. Music is what feelings sound like (I forget where I first heard that quote but it’s essentially perfect). And the best part about music is that just the simple act of listening to one song can have an immediate impact on how I feel. And lately, I’ve been needing songs that make me feel happy because even that 4 minutes of happiness makes it easier to get through the day (I also have song lists for other emotions but that’s another discussion).

So I comprised a list of songs that, once I hear the first few notes, instantly lift my mood:

“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon
“Love and Memories” by O.A.R.
“On the Dark Side” from the Eddie and the Cruisers soundtrack
“Footloose” by Kenny Loggins
“It’s All Been Done” by The Barenaked Ladies
“Paradise by the Dashboard” Light by Meatloaf
“Subdivisions” by Rush
“Jesus of Suburbia”, “Longview”, “Minority”, and “Warning” by Green Day
“Maybe” by Sick Puppies
“Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard
“Lola Montez” by Volbeat
“For the Movies” by Buckcherry
“Do Right” by Jimmie’s Chicken Shack
“All Mixed Up” by 311
“Sometimes a Fantasy” by Billy Joel
“Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon

This is by no means an exhaustive list. These are just the ones that pop into my head first when I think about the songs that make me happy. I probably should get around to making this a full Spotify playlist sometime because some days are bound to be so bad I’ll need it.

I tried to come up with some profound way to end this post but instead, I’ll let this quote do it for me.

What songs are on your list? Which ones would you recommend I add?

Save

This week in…:Volume 17

May 15, 2015 by Jana 14 Comments

This week in adulting…I left my full-time job just about 3 years ago. I finally, just this week, got around to calling the pension office to find out my options regarding my contributions. Still no will but one step at a time, amirite?

This week in cooking…I made whole wheat peanut butter bread. YOU GUYS. It is unbelievably delicious and next time, you can bet I’ll be adding handful or more of chocolate chips. It was crazy easy, too. Peanut butter, flour, baking powder, some sugar, and milk. All things I always have on hand. My daughter had hers with some honey on it. You can also add jam, jelly, Nutella, anything else you feel might work. This is the recipe I used if you want to make it for yourself.

This week in reading…In addition to True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa, I started Saving Francesca plus Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Biography by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Some Luck by Jane Smiley were procured. I have a hell of a reading month ahead of me, especially when you add in all the books I already have). I also think my reading is contagious because the even the husband has two books on his nightstand.

This week in TV…THE FIRST TRAILER FOR THE NEW MUPPETS SHOW WAS RELEASED!!! Yes, I’m screaming, and I’m only slightly sorry about it. For those who are new or who might not know, I am a Muppets fanatic (seriously. Last year, for our 10th wedding anniversary, the husband got me a vintage Muppets lunchbox and it was better than jewelry) so the announcement that ABC was considering an new Muppets show made me giddy. Then they said it was definite and I finally have a show to look forward to this fall (it’ll air Tuesdays at 8PM).

This week in things I don’t give a shit about…American Idol being canceled. I think it’s way overdue, tbh. Anything related to The Bachelor/Bachelorette. There’s something else, too, but I care so little about it I can’t even remember what it was.

This week in things that are awesome…Even though I’m a Mets fan, I can still appreciate when another team does something amazing. It’s why I fell in love with Hank the Ballpark Dog last year and this week, I learned that the San Diego Padres, every year, renew the minor league contract of a brain injured player so he can qualify for health insurance. We hear so much about the crappy actions of athletes and teams, we should pass it on when they do something like this.

This week in internet reads…Did you guys read Alyssa’s post on why blogging is stupid? No? Go read it now then come back. It’s okay. I’ll wait. Now that you’re back, you need to check out both parts to the NYT investigative piece, The Price of Nice Nails (the second half examines the health and medical issues faced by manicurists). It’s extremely eye opening and I read a follow up piece that Governor Cuomo has ordered emergency measures to combat the poor wages and conditions in nail salons in NY. As someone just like this, Elite Daily’s piece, 10 Things People Tough on the Outside but Soft on the Inside Wish You Knew resonated with me. Oh, and in case you missed it, check out my guest post for Erin that’s all about the supreme badassery of Dolly Parton.

This week in funnies…
Have a great weekend everyone! I think I’m going to a local orchard’s strawberry festival on Saturday and then visiting with our old neighbors (we finally get to meet their baby!) on Sunday. It’s a whole lot of plans for a homebody like me but it should be fun. Looking forward to seeing you guys back here on Monday with a topic TBD.

Save

This week in…: Volume 16

May 8, 2015 by Jana 12 Comments

This week in things that make me go hmmm…So, I’m not picking on receptionists or schedulers in doctors’ offices because I know their jobs are busy and hectic and they’re human but twice this week I got phone calls from offices reminding me of appointments that I cancelled weeks ago. I’m wondering why it’s so difficult to delete something, especially a prenatal appointment for a woman that had a miscarriage. Yeah, that one hurt a little bit.

This week in forgetfulness…I did not link up with Steph, Stephanie, and Ashley for the Choose Your Own Adventure challenge. I did participate in April and I’m pleased to report that I succeeded in all my goals! I tracked our spending with Every Dollar, stayed on budget at the child’s cheer competition, and paid in cash for everything at Disney. I even bought these guys for myself AND we came home with some money in our pockets! May’s topic is reading so I’m opting out of participating. I can’t think of any specific reading goals I have that would set the month apart from other months.

Disney souvenirs. You can have your Mickey, Minnie, and princesses. I’ll take my Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker.

This week in trying new stuff…I signed up for the free trial of Kindle Unlimited. I’m not a huge fan of subscription services (although I do pay for Spotify every month) but my library is sometimes seriously lacking in availability of books I want to read and I can’t always get to them in the allotted time frame. And while I still prefer an actual book, my Kindle app is a fine substitute and I’m excited to give this a try. I’ll let you know if it’s worth the $9.99 per month.

This week in sports…My Mets won both of their games against the Orioles, keeping them in first place and me gloating to my husband.

This week in why does this shit keep happening…You might have seen a story floating around the internet about a 20 year old boy killed in a fight with another similarly aged boy and how the latter is not being charged with any crimes (none. At all) and there’s supposedly a cover up because the parents are or were police officers or some other vague details that just don’t make sense to me regarding why no charges are being filed. While I have dozens of things to say about this, I won’t. Because it happened where I live. Not just in my state. In my exact town. It’s literally too close to home to talk about. But if you need to discuss it, please do. What happened simply cannot go without punishment and accountability.

This week in other people’s lives…My friend Jess (who gave me permission to share this) is having some medical issues and is currently out of work. As a result, she spends mucho time at doctor’s appointments, including her therapist. Well, yesterday, after talking to yours truly on the phone for 2 hours, she arrived at her therapist’s office in pjs, sans bra, teeth and hair unbrushed, and basically looking like what you’d expect someone with medical and mental health issues to look like. And the best part is the fact that she gave zero fucks. Because sometimes, there are just no fucks to be given and you roll with it.

This week in movies I’m not sure I want to see but probably will…Quentin Tarantino’s the Hateful Eight. Now, I’m not a big fan of Quentin’s movies as they’re often too bloody for me (says the woman obsessed with Sons of Anarchy) but Walton Goggins is in this one and I adore him. He’s freaking fantastic in everything I’ve ever seen him in so that might be the push I need to see this one. On Redbox, though. I’m not paying $21372 or whatever it costs for a movie ticket these days.

This week in reading…Thanks to the Show Us Your Books linkup, I have an amazing stack of books on my nightstand right now, one more on my Kindle, and then there are three that I found independent of the linkup (for those counting, that’s 8 books waiting to be read. I have 3 weeks to do. Challenge accepted, library!). I love all my fellow booknerds and cannot wait to see what you discuss on Tuesday (yes, THIS Tuesday. Get your posts ready!).

FullSizeRender (1) — I posted this on Instagram the other day. #sorrynotsorry for the duplicate.

This week in awesome…Amy Schumer’s parody of 12 Angry Men (and pretty much everything she’s done lately. If you can, try to find the episode that aired this sketch. I had trouble finding a link to the whole thing). Stephen Colbert funding any and all existing grant requests from South Carolina teachers on an education specific crowd funding site. These kick ass responses to questions in a sex-ed class. This amazing letter from Jennifer Weiner to her daughters.

This week in funnies…

That’s all she wrote this week. Happy Mother’s Day to anyone who’s celebrating whether it’s with your own kids of the two or four legged variety or if you have kids in heaven or if you’re celebrating your own mother (or father) or grandparent or whomever raised you or have a great Sunday if you’re not celebrating at all. See you back on Monday with my highly anticipated soapbox rant!

Save

This week in…: Volume 19

This week in…:Volume 18

A not at all complete list of songs that make me happy

This week in…:Volume 17

This week in…: Volume 16

Connect with Me

Subscribe to Jana Says