Recently

Watching: No spoilers, don't worry!

End Game - Dustin and I went to see End Game last Saturday at 8 am.Without giving anything away I will say that I wish Captain Marvel was in it more, I'm super happy with how it all wrapped up, and my boy Hawkeye couldn't look any more bad ass with his new 'do. Also I cried like 15 times. 

The Perfect Date - This is a super cute teen romantic movie. If you're not obsessed with Noah Centineo then you must be living under a rock. He is just the cutest! This movie is about him starting a dating app to earn money to go to Yale but then he falls for someone FOR REAL. Yeah, it's super predictable but in the best feel good way.

Listening to: Podcasts. You know me and my podcasts. I'm always looking for a new one. I've been listening to Crime Junkie lately. It's similar to My Favorite Murder in that it's about true crime and two women host but that's where the similarities end. Ashley is the host and talks to Brit about whatever story they've decided on for the week. I love Ashley's voice and the way she tells the stories but there is a lot I don't like about the Podcast too. I don't like how G rated they try to be. I get it if you're on the radio but Podcasts are for cussing. I also do not like how rehearsed every episode sounds. I don't actually know if they have a script and just follow it each episode but it surely doesn't sound "off the cuff". The stories themselves are good enough for me to keep listening (for now at least) but MFM all day every day. 

As far as music goes I'm listening to a lot of random songs on shuffle right now. Here are some of my faves though. 

I know that I'm a handful baby, uh

I know I never think before I jump

When I'm back on the East Coast
You hold me down
And I'm followed by your ghost
All over town

I've been tearing around in my fucking nightgown

24/7, Sylvia Plath

Writing in blood on the walls

'Cause the ink in my pen don't work in my notepad

We were gentle to begin
When I pushed you around to break you in
Now whenever I try to be clear with you
I only end up feeling see-through

Fuck all the haters you see on the 'Gram

Just mind your own business and be a good man

Be a good boss and be a good friend

Trying out: Two new beauty products. But let me back up a bit. Last Friday I went into Ulta to buy It Cosmetics CC Cream as recommended by four friends. I had the sucker in my hand while I was browsing and then one of the lovely ladies of Ulta asked me if I needed help. I asked her what she thought of the CC cream I was holding in my hand and she gave me a look like "Nah girl." She asked what I was looking for. I told her I wanted something light, with some color correcting, and UV protection. She said "Do you have 5 minutes?" and I said "Sure!". She had me sit down in the chair and she put the It Cosmetics CC cream (just so I could see for myself) on half of my face and another CC cream (no idea which brand) on the other side and then handed me the mirror. I think my expression said a 1,000 words because she's like "You hate both, right?" and I nodded. I legit look 10 years older, maybe more. Neither CC cream did me any favors. They were both so heavy and noticeable and my thought is a CC cream is supposed to be light and fresh looking. I was anything but. She then told me how the It Cosmetics CC cream was actually the worst one on the market. Not only was it heavy but it had so many ingredients in it the list covered TWO sides of the box. Another woman who worked there came up to join my CC cream lesson and also agreed with her on how bad that It Cosmetic brand was. Then she told me a story about how a bio chemist came in one day to grab some samples for some kind of experiment and mentioned you should never use a product with that many ingredients. THE MORE YOU KNOW aka the more I know because when it comes to makeup I don't know shit. So she took off the cakey CC cream on my face and tried another CC cream that is new from Lancome on one side and just a powder on the other side. The powder didn't look bad but the Lancome looked great. I still looked like me with it on but a little better because my skin color was smoother (plus it has UV, antioxidant, and pollution protection!). Both women commended me for wanting less. I have always been so intimated by girls who wear a lot of makeup, not because I feel less than in beauty, but because I feel less than in knowledge and skill. I'm almost 34 and I've never put on foundation in my life. I've never worn fake eyelashes. I've never highlighted or bronzed or lip-lined. And that's ok. I'm no better or worse for not having any of that be apart of my life. These two women were so kind and helpful and wouldn't let me leave until we found something I was happy with. It wasn't about them even trying to make a sale (because they don't make commission). They genuinely cared. They also used the PUR joystick exfoliator on my face because I had a ton of dead skin just hanging out being a goddamn nuisance. I was instructed to use it once a week in the shower for glowing, even looking, exfoliated AF skin. Done! I know they were probably trying to kill the clock by doing their job and helping me out but they did so much more than they could have realized because I feel a little better about myself because of their words and their products. I even hugged one of them at the end of it all. It's the little interactions like these that give me hope. 

I'm also going to be trying intermittent fasting. I've heard great things about it and a lot of people have been able to lose weight while doing it. The Fidak fam were the ones to push me over the edge. So now I'm all set up on the Life app and today marks the second day I fasted. I've been doing 16 hours (usually I start around 6 pm and stop at 10 am). This would be super easy for someone who isn't a "breakfast person" but I am so it was a little hard especially on the first day. I've always been the person who can eat the minute they wake up and plus there is just the whole routine of making breakfast. Even the cats know when it's time and follow me into the kitchen hoping for a treat themselves. Honestly it wasn't terrible by any means. I do get pretty ravenous when there is an hour left to go if I'm being honest. It's nice to have friends doing it with you who you can gripe to or cheer on. Even Dustin is giving it a go but I'm convinced it's only because Joe Rogan does it. Whatever the inspiration it's nice to be kind of on the same health kick. He and Fiddy (I can't call him Blair because I was introduced to him as Fiddy so now that is forever his name. ) are doing some intense fasting. Fiddy completed 48 hours. I KNOW. I know. It's nuts. Dustin is currently trying a 30 hour fast (he refuses to get on the same app as us so I can't really track him - ha!). He's 24 hours in and currently asleep on the couch as I write this. Fasting is exhausting or maybe just life is. 

Another thing I tried (I know, look at me really giving shit a proper go!) is my first book club. I don't remember how I found it. I believe it was my dear friend google but I joined about a month ago. I downloaded the book, read it (this is key in a book club), and showed up to my first meeting with a bunch of fabulous women that I did not know until yesterday. We met up at Ivanhoe Park Brewing which is a super cute and book club friendly place I had never been before. I can't speak on behalf of their adult beverages since I opted for a water but everyone seemed to enjoy theirs. The organizer for the Orlando chapter was so friendly and informative and explained how it all works. Once everyone arrived we went around the table and all said our name, job, and favorite childhood book. Then we got into it. She would steer the conversation with certain questions and ladies would chime in here and there. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone a little bit just by their feelings about the book we all read (spoiler alert: most of us were not a fan). The conversation flowed and even when we went off topic about cults and amnesia romance we all just got each other - or at least I did. It can always be a little intimidating when you meet a new group of people but everyone was so welcoming and respected everyone's viewpoints and most importantly was just there to have a good time. At the end of the night the organize gives out books that others have donated or books the club read awhile back. I'm really pumped to make new friends and have these meet ups once a month to look forward to.