Recently

WATCHED: 

Flow (HBO) - I've heard about this movie for months and the second I heard it was coming to HBO I added a reminder to my phone to check it out. It deserves all the hype because it is such a beautiful film about the friends we meet along the way. There were some anxiety inducing scenes but overall this little bud went with the flow. Just a heads up there is absolutely no talking in this movie, even amongst the animals and it still was engrossing to watch. Like foreign movies with subtitles it really makes you put down your phone and pay attention the whole way through. 

The Wild Robot (Peacock) - Roz, an intelligent robot is shipwrecked on an uninhibited island. This movie got me in a way I haven't been got in a long time. I was full on ugly crying toward the end. Was it the whole found family element? Most likely. The scene where the opossum talks about her litter had be dying (pun totally intended). 

GOT TATTOOED during a fun little Valentine's Day flash event at The Mermaid's Muse. Katie and I took off early on a Wednesday, grabbed Parlor Donuts, and then went down the road for our appointment. The shop was all set up for the Galentine's Flash event with refreshments. There was also a canvas set up on an easel so that everyone could collaborate on an art piece together.  I'm so curious how it ended up turning out. 

Katie went first with the dragonfly tattoo on her shoulder and a Darlin' candy heart on her arm. I, too, was getting the dragonfly but was having a hard time with placement. I originally wanted to  put it on my arm but since it is more fine lined Kaylee didn't think it would be as cohesive. Then I thought my upper thigh but it didn't feel right either. Then bam it hit me, she's got to go on the front of my ankle. The minute I suggested it both Kaylee and Katie were like "YUP!". Sometimes you're dead set on placement in advance and other times you just got to pivot when it doesn't feel right. I ended up with the cutest little dragonfly (as did Katie and everyone else who might have gotten one!). I originally wanted my first tattoo to be a dragonfly but I didn't like any of the options I could find back in 2003 so I went with a butterfly per was required for all millennials. I love that I finally got my dragonfly all these years later. A full circle kind of moment. 

 

READ the third in the Empyrean series, Onyx Storm. No spoilers below, I promise! 

I fell deep into the Fourth Wing world and then had to wait over a year for the third book to be released. Of course it came out when I was sick so I didn't even start it until a week after. It was such a slog to get through. It felt like a filler book. This series could've easily been wrapped up in a third book but since there is a 5 book arc already planned we got this book. I'm hoping I'll appreciate it once the series is complete but it's not likely. 

DOING MY BEST to find joy in all of this shit. I wake up and am bombarded by horrific news event ever single day. I try and treadmill-it-up at the gym and I am met with several TV screens showing that gross orange face. Between rights being taken away, planes going down, and everything in between it is EXHAUSTING as fuck to be a empathetic human being at the moment. But it's all I know so I continue on, with maybe even more naps than before, in order to rest my tired soul.

But the joy is there. It's in a double date hockey game. It's being chauffeured around Lake Eola on a giant swan. It's a Moo Deng hair clip. It's a new tattoo.  It's trying new foods with old friends. It's long distance phone calls with one of my favorite people. It's getting a text of a photo of my cousin's dog acting like a cat. It's being able to truly help someone at work. It's sending snail mail because I love it and I love who I'm sending it to. It's a market with friends. It's when I roll over in the middle of the night and feel two cats curled up next to me. It's when I'm really feeling myself in the outfit I chose for the day. It's a funny meme in my DMs. It's a fresh haircut. It's singing along to a song on my way home. It's a Girl Scout cookie. It's just having done my skincare routine, teeth brushed, retainer locked and loaded, while I snuggle into bed.

Recently

Celebrated: Thanksgiving and having an entire week off of work. That is a total of NINE days where I just did whatever I wanted. And OH I DID. It was a nice balance of busy bee meets bed rot bear.

Thanksgiving day was as chill as it gets. We watched a little bit of the parade (even though it gets worse as the years go on), Dustin cooked 80% of the food (including his famous sous vide steak), and I got to FaceTime with my favorite cousins.

In my almost 39 years of Thanksgivings I've experienced them all; the big ones with every family member in attendance, the ones where I had to start the day at my mom's gathering and end it at my dad's side, the ones where Dustin and I were driving all over central Florida just to see everyone, the ones where we hosted framily (friends that are family), and of course a few that were just Dustin and I. The older I get the more I love the ones with less people and all the chill. I want it to be as stress free as possible. I want just a  perfect little day with delicious food and the people who mean everything to me - and that's exactly what I got. 

   

Got up at 5 am on a Friday for: Taylor's new era's book and TTPD: The Anthology vinyl. I was so impressed with the efficiency at Target. We all waited in line as an employee came by and asked what we were here for Taylor-wise, and then we'd get a text once it was ready at the service counter. I was out of there by 6:15 am. Once home, I went Christmas crazy and got everything decorated. 

Danced with: My silent disco dolls Nicole and Alyssa. We first met up at The Greek Corner where the only negative was the parking situation. After our delicious meal, we were off to the Science Center for some fun. The first time we went was back in June and was so much fun we were all like "yeah let's do that again!". I would say this time around was made so much better because it was actually cold outside. We got hot and sweaty inside with the Dinos and were immediately rejuvenated once we stepped outside on the balcony with the fresh crisp air while Flo Rida's Low blasted in our ears. 

There's another coming December 21st. Slide into my DMs if interested. Yes, I would absolutely go again.

 

   

Learned from my therapist: all about the vagal state. She said I was probably in the dorsal state currently but I am "ventral enough". LOL I agree! I hadn't had a therapy session with her in at least a year but she reached out right after the election to check in on me because I had been on her mind. The timing was really perfect. Maybe she has some kind of therapist intuition? Overall I've had a great fucking year but it started to crash down a bit recently. She explained the vagal state and how once in dorsal you have to work your way through sympathetic to get back to ventral (where I have been for quite awhile). But nothing gold can stay and I'm trying to roll with the punches the best I can.

I really love her and will continue seeing her as needed but as you know I would prefer in-person sessions. If yinz know of any great Orlando therapist please send their information my way.

 

Got tattooed: by Katie aka @thestabbat on IG. When she posted this Stevie design up for grabs (along with a lot of other cool designs from Lana to Billie) a month ago I was like omgomgomg it must be mine. My biggest hurdle was placement. I originally wanted it on my arm but I just had a gut feeling the design would look so much better on my leg. AND IT DOES LOOK SO GOOD THERE. Katie was amazing. We talked about our cats and music tastes and then it was all over and I was walking to my car with blood dripping down my leg. So it goes with fresh tattoos.

Stevie is a bad ass woman who I've always looked up to since I was a kid listening to her via cassette in my mom's ugly brown 1980 Toyota corolla. Her raspy voice, her lyricism, her strength, her convictions. I love that someone from my mother's generation consciously chose not to have kids or get married. She followed her heart in her art and said fuck the social norms. I love how openly she speaks about her abortion. I just love how she is unapologetically herself and a champion for women. Also, her new song The Lighthouse has been on repeat since it came out a couple months ago. I highly recommend it for any one in need of anthem for this moment.

 

Saw live: Four Year Strong at The Beacham! Dustin and I have both heard of this band forever (they've been around since 2001) but never really gave them a listen. They came up on Dustin's Spotify and he quickly became a fan. Then he made me listen to some of their songs because he thought I'd like them too. He described them as a "harder New Found Glory". He was right! I do love them and they do give off hard NFG vibes. So he and I became Four Year Strong obsessed this year listening to their past albums. They also had a new album come out in August (analysis paralysis)which was chef's kiss - you betcha ass it's going on my top albums of 2024. So of course we snatched us some tickets to their show - which they totally killed. 

It's so fun discovering new-to-me music from well established artists. Did you discover any new-to-you musicians this year? Tell me!

 

Hung out with: The Finer Things Club! Well, we originally were scheduled to meet up at Pocha 93 the Friday after the election but both Antonia and myself bailed. The wound was too fresh to go out, but in true Gaya fashion, she soldiered on. She RAVED about it and asked me to go back with her a few weeks later. She was able to get a decent group together and we all enjoyed the shit out of the food. Thankfully Antonia and Euridice were able to steer me away from the real spicy stuff. Gaya cannot be trusted with that task. Worth the hype for any Korean BBQ fans. 

We invited Pat and Jessica over to our side of the world to hang out to grab some lunch and laughs. Pat and I are similar so I knew he was going through it too (since the election). We're all just taking it day by day trying not to totally lose our shit. But community always helps, even just for a little bit. There is something about being in the presence of people you love that can help heal your soul as cheesy as it sounds. Go see your friends! Hug them real tight!

We lunched, we did a lap around Lake Eola with the most gorgeous weather, and continued on through all the small shops on Corrine Dr.

I also was happy to introduce Pat to the world of giant skeleton yard ornaments. Palm Coast needs to step it up in the big skeleton game because how had he never heard about these?

Recently

Listening to:

✨Chappell Roan

Yes, yes I've finally stopped living under a fucking rock. I have to give Nicole all the credit because it was back in May when she texted me "Have you heard of Chappell Roan?". I am embarrassed to admit that I had not. Then I went over to her house for a lil dinner party days later and all that was playing was Chappell. So I made a mental note (and an actual note because I can't remember shit) to follow up with her when I was ready to move on from TTPD. Sorry not sorry that TTPD had me in a chokehold for months. I couldn't listen to anything else. I TRIED and I'd get half a song in and boom I was down bad crying at the gym...yet again. But then in July I watched/listened to the music video for Casual. Nicole started it and Casual completed my transformation into a Midwest Princess. I immediately bought The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. It is a perfect album. Chef's kiss. No notes. I listened to that sucker on repeat for a month. That was until...

(I also have listened to School Nights and while it is good, it doesn't come close to Midwest Princess in production, lyricism, and musicality. Also I read on a reddit post someone called it "cursive" singing which is a perfect way to describe it. Very Billie Eilish. Very one-note. Very fine. I, too, am glad she found her own voice.)

I heard you like magic

I got a wand and a rabbit

-Red Wine Supernova

Knee deep in the passenger seat and you're eating me out

Is it casual now?

-Casual

It's comical, bridges you burn

Karma's real, hope it's your turn

-My Kink Is Karma

New crush, high school love again

The rush of slumber party kissing

I'd love if you knew you were on my mind

Constant like cicadas in the summertime

-Naked in Manhattan

I want this like a cigarette

Can we drag it out and never quit?

-Guilty Pleasure

And when you wake up next to him in the middle of the night

With your head in your hands, you're nothing more than his wife

And when you think about me, all of those years ago

You're standing face to face with "I told you so"

-Good Luck, Babe!

✨Sabrina Carpenter

I've been a Sabrina fan since her Girl Meets World days. She was easily the stand out on that show with her sharp tongue and Shawn-like tendencies. I've kept up with her here and there since the show went off the air with new music she'd release but wasn't necessarily wowed. However, I did really enjoy some of her Christmas songs. I saw her pal around with Taylor as an opener on various dates for The Eras Tour. I was always like good for you girl! I was happy to see all of her success when the world lost it over Espresso, albeit not for me. But then Please, Please, Please was released and again was hooked by the music video. Are yinz watching music videos still? You should. Because I am and it can totally change the way I feel about a song. PPP was added to my rotation immediately. It wasn't but a few weeks later that her whole ass album was released along with, you guessed it, another music video - this time for Taste. Oh I was HOOKED. Then I gave the rest of the album an ol' once over and that girl didn't miss, well except for Espresso, but I think I'm the only one who doesn't like that song. And who the fuck am I? An almost 40 year old cat lady. A nobody! So I don't even count. I just switch out Busy Woman (her bonus track) for Espresso and VOILA an A+ album. I love that it's a perfect mix of pop, 90s R&B, and country. You'd never think those three stylings would work but boy do they! Her country adjacent songs are what I was hoping to hear from Kacey's latest album - but nope. I'm still bitter over the let down Deeper Well is. Ok back to Sabrina, she also worked with some of Taylor's faves, so no wonder I dig it so much. 

Well, I have a fun idea, babe, maybe just stay inside

I know you're cravin' fresh air, but the ceiling fan is so nice

And we could live so happily if no one knows that you're with me

-Please Please Please

We were goin' right, then you took a left
Left me with a lot of shit to second-guess
Guess I'll waste another year wondering if
If that was casual, then I'm an idiot

-Sharpest Took

You're so sad there's no communication
But, baby, you put us in this situation
And I promise the mushrooms aren't changing your life

Well, you cracked the car and abandoned the wreckage
Fuck with my head like it's some kind of fetish

-Dumb & Poetic

This boy doesn't even know the difference between "there", "their", and "they are"

-Slim Pickins

You don't have to lie to girls

If they like you, they'll just lie to themselves

We love to mistake butterflies for cardiac arrest

-Lie to Girls

So much to shave and lipstick to reapply
Maybe for you, though, I could accommodate

-Busy Woman

Both of these women have unleashed their clever ass lyrics, unapologetic sexuality, and beautiful voices into the world with these two banger albums and I am so here of it. 

Ate: August's Finer Things Club meet-up was at Chuan Fu in Winter Park. It went exactly how they always do - we laughed a lot, we ate a lot, and as per usual Rob was late and ordered enough food for all of Orlando. The only difference is now he looks like he is about to start a cult. 

Read: Quite the variety as of late. 

I absolutely love Rainbow Rowell (I mean, Dustin won't let me live down the time I met her at the Orlando Public Library and nerdily said "I've read all of your books.") and was super excited when she announced Slow Dance earlier this year. She's been focusing on graphic novels and comics in recent years so it was extra exciting that a new adult fiction book was on the horizon. Of course I read it within a week of its release. It's a second chance romance, will they/won't they that flashes back to high school and college moments to understand how these two characters are in their 30s and not together. It was no my favorite of hers but still solid as hell and really enjoyable. 

Anna Tendler's Men Have Called Her Crazy is another I've been waiting months and months for. It's a modern day Girl, Interrupted of sorts; where she recounts her stay at a psychiatric hospital and in doing so looks back on the ding dong men she has encountered throughout her life. I enjoyed this book immensely as I am such a champion of mental health and it's worth a read just in that regard. However, I would be lying if I said I was super disappointed that her ex-husband (you know, the one that left her for Olivia Munn) did not get a single chapter and barely a mention at all. This huge part of her life seems pretty pivotal to the whole theme of the book. It left me wondering why she chose this. Did she sign an NDA in the divorce? Was it just too soon to really delve into? Or maybe she just didn't want to give him any more attention.

I have had Crescent City on my Kindle for at least six months. I started to read it and was overwhelmed within the first few pages so I told myself some other time. Then my co-worker started reading it at the urging of her cousin and flew through the 800+ page book and told me I better try it again. FINE. So I have. I'm about 20% in and I'm enjoying it a lot. However, the first part of the book was A LOT in different ways and then just gut punched me. So I was honestly a little annoyed. But this is the same author of the ACOTAR series ,which I loved, so I am trusting all things will come together. I mean, I still have like 600 pages to go. HA! Many of my fellow ACOTAR girlies have said they love the Crescent City series even more so. I will report back once I'm finished. 

Watched: More lovely British shows. I just can't ever get enough. Extraordinary is so clever and hilarious. It follows a 20 something woman who has yet to get her superpower in a world where just about everyone has one. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is based on the book (although I never read the book and now that I saw the show probably never will) of the same name. It's a quick (only 6 ep) mystery/thriller about a teenage girl investigating a murder of another teenage girl. 

    

And circling back to music videos, it was thanks to Sabrina Carpenter's Taste video that I finally watched Death Becomes Her. This camp classic from 1992 has always been on my radar but for some sad reason I had never had a chance to watch it. So I found it on Amazon and enjoyed it quite a lot. The casting is superb and the themes are ever so relevant as many scramble toward botox and surgeries to keep up their youthful appearance while unfortunately, a lot of the time, to their own detriment. But we all have to do what makes us feel the best and if it's drinking an ancient potion so you can battle it out with your sworn nemesis in a mansion - so be it!