Category: Personal / Information / Etc.

A Year(ish) in the Life of a Newbie Wrestling Fan

Posted April 9, 2018 / Media, Personal / Information / Etc. / 1 Comment

If you told me a few years ago that I would spend roughly 6-7 or more hours per week watching wrestling (sometimes closer to 10-12 if there’s a pay-per-view), I would have laughed at you. Seriously. I was never super interested in WWE or wrestling in general, and was one of those buttholes who completely wrote it off as “fake.” I remember watching on and off with my cousins throughout my childhood (late 90s/early 00s) and had a few classic wrestlers I loved at the time. My interest waned over time and I didn’t really get it. When we learned that some friends of ours liked wrestling, Chris decided to pick up watching RAW on Monday and Smackdown on Tuesday, just VERY occasionally. He played the WWE 2k15 games with the guys and enjoyed it. I barely glanced at the TV (usually just to scoff like a jerk sometimes) and would read a book while he watched and built Lego. I sloooowly started to turn my attention toward the TV a little bit more. I saw Morgan’s post (which is truly one of my favorite posts ever and I’ve read it a million times; check out her new blog here!) and became more intrigued by it all. I’m going to quote her post here because she makes the best points about this: “Wrestling is fake.” I’ll be the first person to tell you, wrestling fans know that WWE is scripted. And we don’t care. That’s different from fake by the […]

In My Bag

Posted April 4, 2018 / Lifestyle, Personal / Information / Etc. / 7 Comments

A looong time ago, I did a guest post on Rachel’s blog about what’s in my purse. I still use that purse from time to time but lately they’ve gotten much smaller. I used to carry around a huge bag to and from work because I wanted to make sure I could fit a book in there. However, since moving to the city, I’ve found that I need something a lot smaller. I was using a really cute pink-ish bag from Charming Charlie for a while and decided to treat myself to something new during the Kate Spade surprise sale. Kate Spade Prospect Place Rima | I couldn’t resist this one when I saw it, even though I did narrow down my choice from 6 purses in my shopping bag. Whoops. I was looking at some larger totes for when I’m back in the office (still need one, but might check out an outlet sometime this summer), a backpack purse, and a few wallets or wristlets. I decided on this one because it looked small enough to be a nice cross-body and large enough to fit my Kindle/iPad depending on what I’m reading. #priorities Jessica Simpson Wallet | I bought this a while ago because my other Coach wallet was getting beat up AND was too big for the smaller purses I started to adopt. This one is tiny and doesn’t include a section for checks, which is fine because I basically just use those for rent now anyways! It has cute […]

Add It To My List – March 2018

Posted March 26, 2018 / Add It To My List, Personal / Information / Etc. / 4 Comments

This linkup is hosted by Lauren and Bre, where you’re able to share what you’re currently recommending to people in real life. You’ll likely see movies, shows, podcasts, books, household items/purchases, technology – the list goes on! The linkup happens on the last Tuesday of the month, but I’ll be posting on the last Monday or Wednesday due to Top Ten Tuesday. Add to your shopping list Trader Joe’s Favorites: Pita Bite Crackers, Olive Tapenade, and Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning It’s no secret that I’ve been addicted to TJ’s lately. It’s not quite walking distance to my apartment, compared to the Hannaford right across 2 parking lots, but it’s worth the two second drive to get there. I try to go in between Hannaford trips. One of my new favorite snack combos are their Pita Bite Crackers and the Olive Tapenade (I got the one in the jar instead of the fresh one because it was cheaper by a few bucks). These crackers are truly some of the best I’ve EVER had and my new olive tapenade obsession continues with this stuff for only $2. The seasoning apparently took the internet by storm a while ago and I’m late, but seriously… This stuff is the best. It’s basically like if you took whatever random seasonings are on top of an everything bagel and put them in a container. The first time I tried it was on avocado toast and it was unbelievable – so much flavor! I’ve […]

Current Podcast Rotation

Posted March 22, 2018 / Media, Personal / Information / Etc. / 0 Comments

I’ve posted two podcast recommendation posts in the last year that focus on some of my favorite topics. I usually listen to only true crime, with maybe some comedy or wrestling mixed in. You can read those here and here! I wanted to take a minute to show which podcasts I’m currently rotating through on a weekly basis. I spend a lot of time finding old podcasts and catching up on back episodes before becoming up-to-date, but there are plenty of others that I listen to weekly/monthly as new episodes come out. I’ll call this my “current podcast rotation” if you’re curious to know what I’m playing every week. This is accurate as of February/March. True Crime The most common podcast that I listen to is the general category of “true crime.” There are a lot of one-off podcast that have one story in one season that I’ve listened to, but there are some that still come out with new content as of right now. The ones below are either individual story episodes (one case per episode) or season-long stories (one case per season). I kind of like the individual story ones more because it’s quick and easy; the season-long cases usually get too dragged out for me after a while. Criminal This is one of my longtime favorites and I love how consistently the episodes come out! The host even made a spin-off podcast (coming up later in this list) that I’ve been listening to. This show features little […]

Weight Loss and Health – Calorie Counting Apps

Posted March 21, 2018 / Food & Drink, Goals & Planning, Personal / Information / Etc. / 4 Comments

I started calorie counting back in 2016, I believe, when I saw Lindsey was using Lose It. I loved a lot of elements of this app (more than My Fitness Pal, which my other friends used) and had success for a few months. I lost some weight, and then the holiday season came. Oddly enough, even though I paused the calorie counting, I kept that weight off. I started counting calories again with Lose It when I moved to Maine, for about 200 days (it tells you the streak). Last month, the Bella Twins (some of my fave wrestlers/personalities) posted about a 90 Day Challenge they were doing with LifeSum. It’s another calorie counting app, but they have a bit more in terms of analyzing overall health and lifestyle changes. There are more features (especially when you buy Premium, which I had done with Lose It as well). I’m here today to talk about my weight loss/health journey through these two apps, as well as pros/cons for each one! DISCLAIMER: I will be reviewing both of the apps fully but know that I did upgrade to premium subscriptions for both of them, so some of the information may be for the free versions but some may be for premium only. I also am not a health professional by any means, so don’t take my word for anything in terms of calorie counting being the healthiest or best option for everyone. I know what works for me, so that’s what I do! […]

How I “Meal Prep” – AKA Slay the Leftovers Game

Posted March 16, 2018 / Food & Drink, Personal / Information / Etc. / 4 Comments

I’ve been thinking about this post for a while and seeing Steph’s recently gave me a push to post it. I live with my boyfriend, which means I have to sometimes modify recipes for two people, or make a huge batch of something that we’ll be sick of in a few days. There’s no easy way to cook for two people without extra math or work. I’ve gotten the hang of it recently though. The trick for me is to prepare meats and other ingredients in a more simple way, so the cooking is out of the way early and all in one shot. Here’s how I slay the leftover game so we don’t get sick of eating the same thing for days, and a few recipes I use for multiple day meals. Cooking for Two Modify recipes to fit your ~family size~ aka couple. I do this when it’s really easy to do the math. If there’s a recipe that makes eight chicken breasts with sauce and some kind of side, I will cut the recipe in half so we each can eat two pieces of chicken. (More on that later.) If there’s a recipe for a HUGE batch of soup or stew, I will either cut the recipe in half so we don’t get sick of the leftovers, or freeze it when applicable. Eat “complicated leftovers” meals for lunch the day (duh). I call them “complicated leftovers” when you make a full meal, instead of just basic meat prep that […]

Holy Grail Products

Posted March 14, 2018 / Health & Beauty, Personal / Information / Etc. / 6 Comments

I love reading holy grail posts for beauty, so I wanted to do my own with a little twist. I do have some non-beauty items here, like random technology or kitchen-related purchases. I go through phases where I feel the need to revamp everything and try a bunch of new items (especially as far as beauty goes), but these things have stayed pretty consistent over the years. I’m good at sticking with the stuff that really works. Here are some items I’ve used over the past handful of years that have been repurchased countless times. Products Used for 5+ Years John Freida Frizz-Ease Daily Nourishment Leave-in Conditioning Spray | My hair is naturally very straight and thin, so I don’t have to blow dry or straighten. It dries perfectly straight within an hour of showering. I know, I know, don’t hate me. The one problem I do have though is FRIZZ. If I don’t use this spray, my hair will turn into a frizzy mess ASAP after it dries. I spray this on the bottom 3/4 of my head and comb through. It detangles, makes it smooth, and keeps it smooth all day. Wet Brush | This is my second go-to hair product. I’ve had a Wet Brush for years because it really works so perfectly on wet hair. It detangles nicely without pulling. I can’t imagine using anything else for brushing my hair. I have a couple of these around! iPhones and Apple Products | I’ve been buying iPhones and other Apple products […]

My New Skincare Routine (After One Month)

Posted March 9, 2018 / Health & Beauty, Personal / Information / Etc. / 7 Comments

After trying some new face cleansers and skincare items in 2017, then deciding they were my favorite after just a month or so, I actually went off and tried a completely new routine for 2018. One of my favorite items that I listed from Lush actually slowly made my face break out (I think – I can’t tell for sure but it’s really the only new thing I was using during that time). I saw this thread on Twitter/Tumblr where a user talked about their skincare routine that seriously cleared up their acne. I don’t have too bad of an acne situation, but there are enough pimples to bug me. I’d love to wear a clean face out for errands and not feel all red/blotchy. I started this new routine on February 9th and now, around a month later, I wanted to share my routine and feelings about it. My Skin Type/Other Details & Goals Before I get into things, I don’t want to lead anyone astray about doing this routine. If you don’t have the following skin conditions/type, then maybe it won’t be the best for you. I’m NOT an expert on things like this and honestly I never cared that much about my skin, which is horrible. Confession: I didn’t even remove my makeup before bed until I was nearly out of college. (I actually had less acne back then; go figure…) Skincare was never a priority for me but I still got angry when I broke out […]

If We Were Having Coffee…

Posted March 8, 2018 / If We Were Having Coffee, Personal / Information / Etc. / 6 Comments

I LOVE reading personal posts from other bloggers and seeing Jamie’s “If We Were Having Coffee” feature take off is so fun. Laura and Lindsey also have some great spin-offs of this feature too. I was very tempted to also make mine margarita-related (like Lindsey) but coffee is so ingrained in my daily life that it just makes sense to keep it. If you’re not familiar, it basically involves a fake little conversation about what’s been happening in our lives lately. Read on to see what’s been happening lately and feel free to chat back in the comments! If we were having coffee… I’d tell you how I did my first one of these exactly two months ago today! It’s kind of weird how time flies by so quickly. I’ll probably talk more about that later on, but thought it was worth noting that I inadvertently developed a schedule for these posts. I try to keep some posts like these a bit more loose because I should just post them whenever I feel like it, but other memes are more scheduled. I try to have a mix on my blog. Usually the beginning of the month and the end of the month have the most “scheduled” things between wrap-ups, TBRs, and other monthly/quarterly link-ups I participate in. Do you have a blogging schedule? If we were having coffee… I’d obviously talk about booooooks. February was a slow reading month for me because I was basically reading MY PLAIN JANE all month. Whooops. […]

A Day in the Life (2/21/18)

Posted February 23, 2018 / Lifestyle, Personal / Information / Etc. / 4 Comments

I’m taking a cue from lifestyle bloggers and vloggers who share daily vlogs about their lives for this feature! I’m not sure if it will be a regular things around here or not, but I always am fascinated by people’s daily lives and routines. I’ll be sharing various pictures and descriptions of a day in my life – what I wore, what I ate, where I went, what I did, and more. Let me know what you think in the comments! 9:00 – 11:00 AM I start work at 9 AM and since I currently work from home, I usually wake up right around then. Yes, I’m lazy. Today was no exception. I got up, got my coffee, turned on my computer, and checked my email. I have a candidate for a job that was made an offer from a client last night (yay!) so we worked toward scheduling a call for 11 AM. I moved on to making a quick breakfast once my emails were dealt with. Because we’re heading home to CT tonight for a few days, we needed to finish up our eggs. I made a little fried egg on toast with an apple and cashews for breakfast. I’ve been using the LifeSum app to count calories and track how healthy I’m being, which is fun! Once I put in my food, it tells me if I’m high or low on carbs, protein, and fat. I try to remedy it by changing up what I’m eating. I learned […]