Pump it up!

Weather
Well ironically enough we have been having bipolar weather here. Some days 50s, others 40s with cold winds and today it was sunny and in the 70s. I believe tomorrow it will rain and go back to the 50s and even colder by the weekend. I blame the winter weather happening in the northern states. Yes, my family is finally getting snow. Go figure huh! **Update: Since I wrote this a lot of changes in the weather happened. Not only in Texas, but also in Illinois. My family finally did get snow, yes, but not only that but very harsh winds and it went below zero, to negative 27 degrees and feeling or actually feeling negative 17 degrees. The state declared to tell everyone to stay home and if you needed to work then be careful being outdoors and do not talk. I think I have never had to experience that, but only heard of it since I left and I think it has occurred twice since I left my hometown. My family is ok and they did stay home from work and I am glad.**

"But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more"
No copyright infringement intended there! Well we are getting there at least, but that's a lot of walking. So far, we have been staying in 2 1/2 miles, give or take a little. We decided to add a mile once we complete a week with the same miles. It feels nice after the walk because it seems we can do more, but the sun doesn't stay too long for us to continue and our dogs, Ok one dog... Puppy, tend to stop at every pole sign or fire hydrant, but what can you do. So we will continue to do this until we can manage to jog and then eventually run. 

We have also decided to cut back on ordering out or buying food from restaurants and also eating healthy. Now, anyone who knows me or has been around me growing up I am very very picky and don't like healthy things or vegetables. I have grown to enjoy certain vegetables now and adapted myself to with some since my husband, Eric, knows what I like and don't like. Oddly enough he has found ways to add those veggies that I don't like in dishes he created from scratch or let me have my glory of making them into bigger chunks for me to remove them in my time. But back to the topic at hand, we have found other things to cut back in and add into our eating habits for them to be healthier. We never thought they would taste yummy or come out great, but you just need to try them out and see. Ironically I read an article on CNN stating that its not the exercise you need to worry about to loose weight, as my husband is trying to do to get healthy, but its the food you consume. Found this article right around the time that we started and decided to get healthy and be healthy for the new year. One thing that was a big hit for us was Cauliflower rice. Google it and it has been a replacement for us for actual rice, something we both miss dearly, but its for the best. 

Goals

We both have goals for this new year. I'm sure some were mentioned or heck, even talked about in the last blog post I did here not that long ago. Yes, one goal is to actually get healthy, exercise, run, and basically be more active. Another goal for both of us is to be more social. Between both of us, I am the more social person, who likes to go out to stores and just be out and have fun and not be stuck indoors. Eric, on the other hand, is a homebody and can just stay home and play video games all day. We both need to become more social and the only way to do so is to go out or have date nights with friends or just have game board nights with friends. Sometimes some people just can't commit to meetings that were planned and I have been through that or knew of such meetings and never was invited. It sucks, yes I know, but now I believe we both have friends that can keep these commitments and heck even make plans thinking of us or just without a second thought invite us right away. So I do believe we have this goal already in great progress with the new friends that maybe soon enough can call family if not already there.

Another goal of ours is traveling. We already have several planned out for the first half of the year. As always we made it a tradition to go to C2E2 in Chicago and we have already booked all for it. Within that goal, for me, I will take more photos of cosplayers and hopefully they turn out great this time. We do have another convention to go to in June with friends and we will make it as a tourist type of mini vacation as well, with all of them. I also believe they have planned another outing with them, of the camping type. I never have done camping cause of the fear of bears and well bugs, mainly all due to my parents. I really don't mind experiencing an event of that sorts once in my life and then I can just take it off my bucket list or just be able to say that I have done it to someone else. Well at least that won't be a goal that's broken or can't be done since there's already steps or plans happening. Another goal of mine, with the help of my husband, is to organize and decorate my house to my liking in which is already also in progress. Being active & eating healthy, traveling, being social with game nights/study groups/vacations, organization and so much more that I'm sure I can't even remember are things being written for us and need to be planned and they are in progress.

Movie reviews:: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter & Snow White and the Huntsman

Movie Reviews:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

I was a little skeptic about this one at first. I know I wanted to see it and it did look interesting, story line and all, but I also wondered if it was worth seeing. So saw it Saturday night of its opening and I walked out amazed. I knew it was a book to begin with, since my sister was the one who told me of it and about it, so I was a little bit interested in seeing it since the book itself mentioned it was going to be a motion picture soon. Alas, I loved it 'cause of the action and how it was put really well together with the history. I walked out amazed and saying, "Well now I know how we won the war. A history lesson seen and done very differently and I will never see our former president the same ever again....but even more awesome!!"  I'm sure, everyone who sees it would say that in one form or another, but it would be said. I just loved the action most of all, it makes you want to be there or you wanting to be Abe Lincoln with that axe in your hands. The story line, of the common sense twist, just fit so well together with everything else. I'm sure Seth Grahame-Smith, the author of the novel, took time to research everything and I do mean everything in order to make the book and tie it all together with him becoming a vampire hunter. I'm also glad that the author himself got together with Tim Burton to make the movie as great as it is and I'm sure as close as how the novel is to a tee. Sadly, I'm not a bookworm, so I cannot compare the two, but if the author was willing to work with Tim Burton for the movie, then I'm sure its close to the novel. For the novel info and pricing, click the title: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The author has other books possibly similar like this one, like "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is another I know of by him as well. My rating on this movie is 5/5 stars.... its excellent, perfect action, bloody/gore-ish, history ties well with vampire hunter aspect, and a review on your history lesson!! I would see it twice with no hesitation.

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Snow White and the Huntsman

This one caught my eye 'cause it was a different interpretation of the Disney version. It looked more Gothic like and dark, something never done to a Disney movie before, so I like that. The story line known to everyone is still there, but it's been twisted a bit more to the dark side. There were some parts of the movie that caught your attention in how they did it, with graphics especially. Some scenes were beautiful, just the environment they were at were...magical, basically and you'd be amazed as the characters were entering that scene. Some parts known to everyone are there, but again with twists involved and the ending is part of that as well. I liked the art, the determination, and basically the twists they made into it, that does include the darkness. Only thing I didn't like is Kristin Stewart and no not cause she's from the Twilight series, but cause she has no life into her acting...she doesn't add more into it, more of herself either...almost lifeless acting cause she HAS to do it. I give it a 4/5 for this movie. My sis had a valid point...they should make more Disney movies this way, Gothic dark like, lol!

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Must see Movie list:

1. Dark Shadows
2. Men In Black 3
3. Snow White and The Huntsman
4. Madagascar 3
5. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
6. Brave
7. The Amazing Spider-Man
8. Ice Age: Continental Drift
9. Ted
10. Chernobyl Diaries
11. Silent Hill: Revelation 3D 

I have yet to see some that are out already and wouldn't really mind to see them. I know there will be one out soon by the creators of "Paranormal Activity" and "Insidious" that looks very good, scary good. I can't remember the name of it, but when I do I will add it to the list up there. If anyone is wanting to see ones that I haven't and are out already, don't hesitate to tell me!! I do need to get out more cause of something occurring with my health at the moment that needs me to actually be out more, so I hope you guys can help out in that part...2 birds with one stone type of deal. Course I'll add movies to this list later, as I see some that really will interest me and if you want a review on any of the ones I will be seeing, please don't hesitate to ask for one!!

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Traveling..

Very brief, I will be out of the country for a week. I will try to log onto my computer when I can. If you need me for anything, please either leave a message on my email, Facebook, or with Eric. It'll eventually get to me in one form or another, but due to me being out of the country...I won't be able to have my phone on at all. Just a heads up to all!

What's in a name?

Well there's not much to say in my end. I did my chores around my room and well, chores in the kitchen...so not much new there. Be warned, my life will turn boring very soon, since I won't be going out much during week or so until the weekend. I would like to go out and change that, but I don't like hanging out by myself, so yeah. Anyways, we'll see what happens right?

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Learning to Fly

I never explained my nickname from the internet, heck no one has ever asked me where I got it from. I'm guessing that's why I just never felt the need to explain it, but since I'm sure there is a quiet audience reading my blogs, aka people who don't post comments and the alike, I guess I can explain my nickname. On to the explaining shall we?

I never really had a nickname before this one. Sure, people know me by a short specific name, but that's outside the internet world and I'm not talking about that. Where did I get this nickname? Why this one? Why not a shorter one or just something different? Well, a friend of mine, who is no longer a friend of mine in these days, introduced me to Pink Floyd the band. I got to hear many of their songs and started to like them a lot, since I can relate to their lyrics. Once I hit "Learning to Fly" and listened carefully to the words, I came to realize I really relate to this particular song. I've also seen the music video to the song and well, fell in love with it as well. 

At first when I saw it, I was just at odds with it since it didn't fit well with the lyrics and what they said. Then with time it sunk in more and more. I really like it to the point of downloading the video and converting it for my Psp. Once it sunk in, I got really fascinated by birds and well flying. Just thinking deep with my life and comparing it with this song, it hit well. I was always trapped in my life, didn't go anywhere, didn't get invited to anything while I was in high school, and once I hit college... I felt freer. Graduating, going to college, traveling there on my own- buses, trains...something I never done before; I just felt free. 

I was confident of myself and well felt dependent doing all of that on my own, heck my sister never went to college, so I was glad I was the first to do so in my generation in the family. The song stuck with me, the name of the song stuck with me and hence why I keep using it. Once I hit another site called "Gaia Online", I met many friends there and they shortened it for me to Fly. No not as the annoying pestering bug, but as the word Fly...soaring. I have learned to fly on my own, as in traveling on a airplane, which is something I always wanted to do on my own. One day, when I have the time and money to do so, I would like to travel around the world, at least once or twice a year. 

 

There is another song I like, that revolves around the word Fly. It is by U2, another great band, with great lyrics and beat that fit the lyrics perfectly. The song, ironically, is called "The Fly". You would be hearing me say or type up some of their lyrics in Facebook or just mention any of these bands in my profile. I love them that much because they can relate to anyone. I was fortunate enough to see them twice in concert here in Chicago. I wish I was able to see them this year at Solider Field, but I wasn't able to sadly. If they ever go back to touring, I would definitely go to it and hopefully get my boyfriend to see them in concert.

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Well, this was only some of the bands I do like and listen to and the explanation to my nickname online. Don't make fun of me for it, since it does have meaning to me, but now you know why I stick with it every time.