Entertainment Archives - Page 27 of 32

This week in: Oreos, movies, and other stuff

February 13, 2015 by Jana 27 Comments

This week in adulting…dealing with bills. Specifically my county who makes absolutely no sense in the way they issue the sewer bill and then having to choose between magically conjuring up an impossibly obscene amount of money in a very short time or getting screwed 8 ways till Sunday if we opt for a payment plan. Awesome.

This week in TV…I missed the premiere of Better Call Saul. Did anyone watch it? Was it as good as I’m hoping it is?

This week in reading…I finished All the Bright Places. I read it in about 5 hours and a few days later, I’m still not over the last 100 pages. That book wrecked me. Wrecked. Me. I’ll give a full review in next month’s Show Us Your Books linkup (March 10 so mark your calendars) but suffice it to say, I think you should read it.

This week in cooking…I made a loaded baked potato chicken casserole. So delicious and easy. Here’s what you do: layer diced chicken, potatoes, about 1 cup of cheddar cheese, and bacon in a casserole dish. Green onions optional. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are soft. We had it with the steam in a bag broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot medley but you can have it with whatever you want.

This week in binge eating…I’m pretty confident I could subsist on red velvet Oreos and wasabi and soy almonds. Let’s just say I bought the Oreos on Monday and ate a shameful amount of them on the 10 minute ride home from the supermarket. Yep. I couldn’t even make it home before I opened them. Perhaps this is why I need to lose weight.

This week in things I don’t care about…Fifty Shades of Grey. Can everything relating to this wretched book series go the fuck away? I’m 100% confident that the movie is a steaming pile of shit as well that can’t get any worse unless Kanye West did the soundtrack because he’s a disrespectful asshole who needs to shut his trap. There is no way I will see it unless you pay me a large sum of money, have Matt Damon, Chris Pratt, and John Krasinski as my dates, and then shower me in diamonds and first edition books. And maybe not even then.

This week in 40 by 40 list update…I made plans to go to the Cherry Blossom festival this year and figured out how to pay off all of our credit card debt (admittedly, it’s not much but it’s enough that it bothers me) by June. Maybe earlier. One step closer to debt free, which is a list item. I also tried to get Jimmy Fallon tickets but by the time I got to my computer, all the March tickets had been claimed. Sonofabitch!

This week in shit that’s so awesome I can’t stand it…The Breakfast Club turns 30 this year. This is one of my all-time favorite movies and, old as I am, I was still a bit too young to see it in theaters the first time around. Not this time, though. My ass will be in one of those seats. If you want to see it, here’s a listing of all theaters in the country that will be showing it. And you can buy your tickets today. Like I am.

That’s all she wrote this week. I’ll see you guys back here on Monday or Tuesday. If you celebrate it, have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

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This Week In: Doctors, cooking, and other stuff

February 6, 2015 by Jana 14 Comments

No clever intro, diving right in except to ask if I made this topic a Friday linkup, would anyone participate? Please don’t feel pressure to say yes but I thought I’d ask. Let me know in the comments.

This week in being an adult…More doctors! I’m starting to wonder if I’m 37 or 87 and I am so sick of getting blood drawn. I basically have track marks and, seeing as how I have no diagnosis yet, they’re really there for no reason. And I don’t want to even mention the unpleasantness that is coming my way next month. Hopefully after that I’ll know what’s wrong with me and I can get effective treatment.

This week in cooking…I have been killing it with recipes this week. Hoisin meatballs (and I don’t like ground beef so you know it’s good if I’m recommending it), cheesesteak stuffed peppers, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and chicken ranch tacos. I typically don’t do recipe posts because I’m too lazy to take pictures but I think I need to do that with these. Any preferences on which ones I should share?

This week in blogging…I don’t know what’s going on but my comment plugin is eating legit comments from real bloggers and dumping them in my spam comments. So, if you’re commenting and it looks like your comment disappears, it probably didn’t. It’s in spam jail. Don’t fret, though. I check it every day and release the prisoners who deserve it.

This week in reading…Finishing up Denis Leary’s Why We Suck and started Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You. I placed The Girl on the Train on reserve at the library and I’m like 235th in line. Fortunately, Steph saved the day and is mailing me her copy. Which segways nicely into…

This week in travel planning…Since Steph is awesome enough to mail me the book, I’m returning it by going into Philly next month so we can have lunch. I haven’t seen her since roughly 1999 so this is extra exciting.

This week in TV watching…I won’t bother to recap the Super Bowl but let’s discuss The Blacklist. Anyone else watch it? Anyone else hella frustrated by all the commercials? This is exactly why I DVR everything. No commercials. Oh, and thanks for the comedy recommendations last week. I have some new shows to check out now.

This week in updating my look…You guys know by now that I don’t do selfies but trust when I say I had Duggar hair. I cut about 5 inches off my hair AND had long layers added to it. Plus, it’s a new color and I absolutely love the way my hair looks now. And having it cut and healthy makes me not look like shit, which is an added bonus.

This week in saving money…Lowering my cell phone bill (thanks for the heads up, The Consumerist), actually remembering to return my library books on time (no fines!), having my very handy brother in law work with my husband to replace the brakes on our car (saving around $400!), and using my CVS coupons (thanks to the app on my phone!) for stuff we need. Being cheap never felt so good.

This week in sheer awesomeness…Everyone catch Jimmy Fallon’s Saved By the Bell reunion? No? Here it is. You can thank me later.

How was your week? Anything exciting planned for the weekend?

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This week in: Traveling, Baking, Celebrating, and more

January 30, 2015 by Jana 17 Comments

I’d start off this week’s recap by mentioning the snow, or lack thereof, but that seems like it’s all been done to death this week so instead, let’s just jump right in and see what happened This Week in Jana’s Life.

This week in reading…Still working through The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. When that’s done, I’ll move on to All the Bright Places because my library actually has one copy!!! In other news, I’ve checked out The Goldfinch for the 9204723th time and I still have yet to read it. I think I need to surrender the fantasy on this one.

This week in being an adult…I made an appointment with a GI doctor to deal with some issues that have been plaguing me for a long, long time. Longer than I should admit. But I put on my big girl panties and made the appointment. It means I have to postpone my haircut but hell, that’s waited long enough. What’s a few more days?

This week in travel planning…In addition to our big trip to Disney in April, I’m planning some short day trips to get me through the spring. Living in Delaware doesn’t have many advantages outside of tax free shopping but one perk is the proximity to 4 major cities (plus the beach). In less than 2 hours, I can get to Philly, Baltimore, DC, and NYC. I’m actually taking advantage of this in the upcoming months.

This week in celebrating…We’re headed to Long Island on Saturday to celebrate my dad’s birthday (1/28) and my nephew’s (2/1). Plus, I get to see my grandmother who is finally moving back up to NY from Florida! There might also be a surprise addition if time permits. Stay tuned on Instagram for that. (It’s not a new pet. Although I want one because I want all the dogs).

This week in TV watching…Guys, the final season of Parks and Rec is both awesome and making me so sad. I don’t watch many comedies besides this one, Mom, and Big Bang and I can’t not have any on my viewing schedule. Suggestions?

This week in being annoyed by Buzzfeed…Hey, Buzzfeed! Enough with the Harry Potter shit. Also Friends. We get it. You like it. But enough already.

This week in wishing I had more money…I found out Rush and Billy Joel will be performing in Philly this summer. They’re two of my favorites and I’ve seen them before but they’re old and I don’t know how much longer they’ll be around so I feel like I need to go see them now except I really can’t afford to.

This week in writing…My book is getting there! I’ve managed to condense two half started stories into one longer one and I’m working through making it a little more cohesive. Once that’s done, I can work on the second half which is mostly mapped out in my head. When this draft is done, I’m going to need proofreaders and people who are willing to give me honest feedback, even if it hurts my feelings (trust when I say nothing you can say to me will be worse than I say to myself). Anyone interested?

This week in laughing…If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the picture of my daughter’s math homework and you know why this is funny:

This week in baking…Nadine gave her recipe for peanut butter cookies. Because peanut butter is basically one of the best foods ever, and because I mentioned this recipe to her, here’s a recipe for peanut butter cheesecake balls (I can’t remember where I found it originally):

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Balls

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter (I suggest using regular creamy, or the fake natural stuff from Skippy or Jif or whatever brand you prefer. The actual natural peanut butter doesn’t work right in recipes)
8 oz. cream cheese (full fat, of course)
2 tbsp sugar
Chocolate chips (I don’t measure these. I just dump a whole bunch in until I decide it’s enough)

Directions

Mix together peanut butter, cream cheese, and sugar. I found using a hand mixer did a fine job. Probably too much for a regular spoon. This stuff is thick.
Add in the chocolate chips.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Take mixture out of fridge, roll into balls. Put them in the freezer for 15 minutes or so.
Eat.

The original recipe called for them to be coated in melted chocolate but that just seemed like too much effort and way too messy so I skipped that part. Didn’t matter, though, because my family ate them like I’ve been forbidden from ever making them again.

That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday or Tuesday (still trying to work out a good blogging schedule). Enjoy the Super Bowl! Or the commercials! Or just the food!

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6 shows you should binge watch

January 27, 2015 by Jana 28 Comments

If you’re in the Northeast, you’re probably stuck inside because of the snow. If you live anywhere else and you’re antisocial/introverted like me, you’re probably stuck inside because people freak you out. And if you’re a normal person with normal attitudes towards others, you probably just like to binge watch TV shows because, let’s face it, it’s fun.

But maybe you look at Netflix or Amazon and get overwhelmed at the amount of choices you have for shows to binge watch. That’s where I come in. I, your friendly neighborhood binge watcher, am here to give you some guidance on what you should lose sleep over next weekend.

I thought about making this a comprehensive list, comprised of a number of shows from different genres but I don’t watch soap opera-y, overly dramatic shows like Scandal or Revenge and I’ve never seen an episode of Gilmore Girls (I tend not to watch most shows like that) and as far as documentary style shows, I mostly just watch anything with Morgan Spurlock as the host. So, as I mentioned last week, we’re going to stick with violent, gritty crime shows.

Except for the addition of Freaks and Geeks and Friday Night Lights. Watch those, too. Seriously. They’re two of my most favorite shows ever and you won’t be sorry for the time you’ll spend watching them and in fact, you’ll probably watch them each more than once (which is less time for Freaks and Geeks than FNL because F&G only has 18 episodes) and when you’re done with them, let me know so you can tell me that I was right about their sheer awesomeness.

Note: the shows on this list are culled from what’s on Netflix and Amazon, which is why previously mentioned shows like SouthLAnd are not on here. I want to make it easy for you to find them, not have to wait days for the library to find the DVDs.

That said, here’s my list of 6 shows you need to binge watch (that aren’t Orange Is the New Black):

Sons of Anarchy. On the list with FNL and F&G as one of my all-time favorites. If you’ve passed on this one, get yourself right and watch it. Sure, it’s graphic and violent and a bit over the top and you’ll find yourself wondering how Jax NEVER gets blood on his shoes but it’s a well written, engrossing show filled with weird, detestable and also likable bikers, racists, and gang members. Found on Netflix and Amazon

Charlie Hunnam bonus: Undeclared is also on Netflix and he's on that show, too. — Bonus recommendation: Undeclared is also on Netflix and Charlie Hunnam is on that show, too.

The Shield. I watched this after I finished SOA, so it was fun to see all the connections between the two shows (thanks to Kurt Sutter). Vic Mackey, the main character, is one of the most reprehensible, morally ambiguous, yet highly likable characters I’ve watched. The show is nonstop, edge of your seat drama and occasionally, you’ll have to remind yourself to breathe. Found on Amazon

Oz. This show is tough to stomach sometimes. It was on HBO so the graphic violence quotient is insanely high. So high it makes SOA look like a regular primetime network show. It takes place inside a prison and they use actual former inmates as extras and yes, things are exaggerated for dramatic effect but it feels so freaking real, it’s ridiculous. Also, once you watch it, you’ll never look at Christopher Meloni the same. Found on Amazon

The Wire. All I can say about this show is WATCH IT. I thought SouthLAnd was my favorite cop/crime drama of all time but nope. The Wire is. Every one of the five seasons is incredible and its portrayal of life in that world, both on the streets and the politics among the police and city officials, is dead on balls accurate. Season 4 kicked me in the gut especially hard (because kids) and I plan to rewatch all 5 seasons at some point. Found on Amazon.

The Killing. A warning. Season 2 sucked hard. But don’t let that deter you from this show. It’s dark and rainy and there’s all kinds of twists and turns that get you at just the right moment and unlike the other shows, the graphic violence isn’t always gratuitous. There’s usually a reason for it. However, like the other shows, the leads are completely flawed protagonists but it just makes them all the more watchable. If nothing else, watch it for Detective Holder’s one-liners. Found on Netflix

Justified. This show’s final season started last week so if you set your DVR now, you won’t have that horrible lag time between finishing a show and waiting for the next season. I can’t remember how I heard about this one, just that I did and it sounded like something I would like and, fun fact, it’s actually the reason I signed up for Amazon Prime (it’s on Netflix now, too). The show is based on an Elmore Leonard short story, is set in Kentucky and is about yet another morally ambiguous law person, Raylan Givens, and his sworn enemy, Boyd Crowder (played by Walton Goggins. He’s in 3 of the shows on this list. I’m trying to figure that one out). Found on Amazon and Netflix.

Honorable mentions: Hell on Wheels, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, White Collar (a little lighter than the rest), Longmire, Rescue Me, and Prison Break (also a little lighter, and you can totally tell when it started going off the rails but Wentworth Miller).

What are your binge watching recommendations?

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Currently

January 9, 2015 by Jana 22 Comments

Given the serious nature of the this week’s posts, as well as some of the ones I have planned for the upcoming weeks, and the fact that I had a pretty prolonged absence, I thought I’d share with you guys what’s currently going on in my life.

Currently…I’ve been feeling old. Not only have I been getting notifications for my twenty year high school reunion but John Smoltz, Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez–players who I watched when I was in my teens and twenties–were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame, Green Day is going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and I have shirts older than college freshmen. I also find it mildly alarming that when I hear someone is 50, that is less shocking than finding out someone is 25 even though my age, 37, is in the middle. Pardon me while I weep for a minute.

Currently…I’ve been binge watching The Shield and Rescue Me. Like I wondered with The Wire, I genuinely don’t know what I was thinking when I didn’t watch these during their live runs. I might be getting less done during the day and at night, but it’s worth it. If you don’t have the time for two, start with Rescue Me. It’s freaking fantastic and Sean Garrity, played by Steven Pasquale (who can also sing his ass off and the next time he is on Broadway, I WILL be going to see him. And for those who watch current TV, which I clearly do not, he’s on this season of The Good Wife) is in my top 5 TV characters of all time. The show is worth watching simply for him and his banter with Mike the probie is reminiscent of Matt and Landry from FNL and that’s some of the best ever. We just finished Season 4 and it was kind of a mess but I’m not giving up on it. Mainly because of Garrity. I’m not ready to let him leave my life yet.

Currently…I love this hand lotion. I wish Bath and Body Works made all the things in this scent. I would buy all of it. In vats and gallons. Even the body wash. And I don’t use scented body wash.

Currently…I am in the middle of Cary Elwes’s book As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride. I’ll have a detailed review in next week’s Show Us Your Books linkup (on Tuesday, January 13). All I can say now is this is closing in on joining the ranks with Rick Springfield’s and Nikki Sixx’s memoirs as my favorite celebrity memoirs. I’m also reading The Journalist and The Murderer, which is supposed to be a book that Serial fans would enjoy. And you guys know I love me some Serial. I don’t quite know how I feel about the book yet.

Currently…I cannot believe that Dobie is 9 today. My daughter calls him a goat because he eats EVERYTHING (and that once resulted in a very expensive, late night trip to the emergency room) but he is the sweetest, most lovable dog ever. He loves to play fetch and run in the snow and ride in the car and give kisses and has no future as a guard dog but that’s okay. I could not be happier that he’s part of our family.

Currently…I’m trying to warm up because holy fuck is it cold and I don’t like the cold. I haven’t felt my toes in about 2 days despite wearing socks and slippers. Even my outdoor cat is refusing to stay outside. This coldness is bullshit.

Currently…I’m happy to be writing again. It feels good.

I think that about covers it. Have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

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This week in: Oreos, movies, and other stuff

This Week In: Doctors, cooking, and other stuff

This week in: Traveling, Baking, Celebrating, and more

6 shows you should binge watch

Currently

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