6.30.2012

Magic Mike!

Grade: A-
Date: June 29, 2012 - Opening Day
Location: Citadel Stadium 16
Notes: It is more fun if you can sneak in some vodka to add to your slushy...

Wow.

I can't say much for the plot of this movie, because honestly I wasn't really listening, but the eye candy is sure to please! In terms of dancing, Channing Tatum really outshined the others in my opinion. In one particular set, he was performing for Navy wives and he gave the best performance I have ever seen of that kind - not that I have that much to compare it to...

I wish there would have been a little more material there for me to care about Magic Mike's love interest, but I really didn't. In fact, I kind of just wanted him to take it off a few more times. I also found it hard to believe that in 7 years he had only saved $13,000. Did that seem low to anyone else?

All in all, it was a fun flick that all of my girlfriends and I went to go see together. We had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Oh, and things really do get better with age... here is a photo and article of Channing during his real stripping career.




6.27.2012

Girls and Guns!



My girlfriends and I are in a group that we call the Dilettantes, which by Webster's Dictionary means "an admirer or lover of the arts." Basically, some of us decided that instead of getting together every month to drink, we get together every month to do something cool... and then we drink. ;)

June was my month to plan and we went to ATP Gun Range for their biweekly "Ladies Night" which IS.SO.FUN! We got to shoot semi-automatic and revolver .22 caliber ammunition - 50 rounds - and our paper men were totally dead by the time we were done with them!




The best part was we learned a little bit of everything; safety, stances, eye domination, and best of all - how to load and reload our guns, all on our own. Although I grew up in a household full of them, I finally, at 30 years old, can say that I feel so much more at ease with guns!


On to Bottles and Brushes next month!

6.26.2012

Environmentally Friendly Drano :)


If your kitchen sink drain gets clogged, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain and add 3/4 cup of white vinegar, then put a stopper in the drain hole. What sounds like popcorn popping will start. After about 5 minutes, the noise will stop and you can remove the stopper and turn on the water. The drain will should be clear! This works great on any sink, and it's environmentally friendly and a very easy fix!

"Environmentally" is kind of a hard word to type and say... green? sustainable? eco-conscious? Whatever the word, it is a guilt-free/cheap/easy fix and you probably don't even have to go to the store!


6.25.2012

Mutant Grape!

I bought a couple pounds of grapes the other day because I really enjoy a frozen grape treat! I am secretly hoping this snack will replace some of my ice cream cravings, and so far so good...

... but look what was on the bottom of the bunch! Like 4 grapes in 1. If you are wondering, yes, I did eat it. ;)



6.12.2012

I am a French Bulldog!


I made this poster after finding a similar one online, but I modified to reflect my experiences with Minnie. I love being a Frenchie owner and these are some of the funnies that I have come across! (and I am totally going to sew her an outfit like the one on the bottom middle)

One especially funny encounter was when a little boy said "Whoa, that ain't a cat, that's a pitt-bull!" haha! Never heard of Minnie being compared to a cat before, or a pitt-bull. :)

That is our dearest Minnie on the bottom right. What she really has come to be is 99% clown, a pistol for about a minute a day, naps for the rest of the day, happy-go-lucky, light of our lives. I love my dog!

6.07.2012

Goals - Life - Happiness. Hopefully.


I started doing some thinking about "horrible weeks" because I frankly was feeling like I haven't had a great one... and boy, in the grand scheme of things I am so wrong.

For starters, on Friday after a night on the town I was heading home. A car pulled out right in front of me about midnight and I gave my horn a little honk. It was an un-marked police car and he flashed his lights and pulled over. Of course, only I would honk at a damn police car. I pulled behind him and he got out and told me that contrary to my belief he did NOT pull out too close in front of me. Whatever you say officer. He also told me it was unlawful to honk my horn in the City of Charleston after a certain hour because of a noise ordinance in the area. I did not know that. He let me get go and I got on my way. I was furious, but why?

Then we lost our kickball game. Boo Hoo. During that game I got a guy "out" at second base (for real, he even admitted it) and he was called "safe." I was furious again, but why?

On the way home from my kickball game, I pulled a little past a stop sign when I stopped so I could see around a building and if it was safe to pull out into traffic. By doing so, I blocked the sidewalk and a homeless man yelled at me because he had to go around my car on his bike to get to the sidewalk on the other side. Did I seriously feel judged that this homeless man, who probably didn't even have a license, was critiquing my driving skills? Who Cares? I did.

A tiff with my husband, a snide email from my boss, pissed about having to order [another] Coach bag?, and voila, I have had the "most horrible week ever." Seriously Jo? You know what you need?

Perspective.

Some people in this world are dealing with abuse, children who don't know when their next meal is coming, how they are going to pay that next bill, the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of a limb... I tend to think it is all due to my blessed life why I get so upset over the stupidest things. You know who gets upset over petty shit? Someone who has nothing better to complain about!

I have had some excessively great weeks in my life as seen [here] and although I have felt a little "goal-less" since completing my registration exams, I think I have found some new goals to help me appreciate what is good in life and in turn, maybe that can only happen by helping others, especially those who are less fortunate.

I recently read this post on a minimalist blog about why you shouldn't have goals, but I tend to disagree. Maybe the goals he was talking about dealt more with monetary things, but I tend to think a purpose driven life, whatever your purpose, is important. Without goals, how am I supposed to get out of bed in the morning? 

My new task is to have goals that make me a better person, a more loving wife and sister, a more dependable and caring friend, someone to look up to, someone who appreciates the simple things in life, someone who chooses happiness...

I think I have found my new goal. :)

P.S. If you google "happiness" this is the first image that comes up. Very simple, don't ya think?

6.05.2012

Coach Fail : Update

OK, so remember this [post]? Well, I have an update...

After I drove my happy ass to the Coach Outlet and gave them my 1 week old broke-ass-bag to send off in that last post - a few weeks later I get a voicemail that says the bag can't be fixed. They are sorry. They are also sending me a merchandise credit for the amount we paid.

Sounds good, right? Like I should just be able to get another one? Not so.

I can't find that bag anywhere on their site and what good is a different site to me when all I have is a merchandise credit for Coach.com? OK, I settled down by this point, because I found this bag online that I also like. Come on, I am reasonable, right?



I go to order it and the damn site won't accept my "merchandise credit" correctly. Thankfully I caught that before I pressed "submit order" or the whole amount would have gone on my visa, yes, I actually owe Coach MORE money.

At this point I am annoyed and call the number provided. That was actually pretty easy to do - gave them my order, my merch credit #, my credit card # for the remaining balance, and voila. Too bad that lady sounded kinda bitchy - as if somehow I was annoying her for trying to spend some money at her place of employment.

Oh, and I get to pay for shipping on my new bag too. Zing! You got me Coach! But just this one time... Kate Spade anyone?


From Charleston, South Carolina to your computer. I hope you enjoy. :)