Friday, November 24, 2017

Countdown to Christmas/Advent Calendar 2017

Besides Halloween, I will admit I still get excited for Christmas time. Things just seem to be more magical in the month of December. Now for the second year in a row life has been hard -- from the stage 2 lung cancer diagnosis for my mother, the numerous celebrity deaths that prove that I am getting older and all of my influences and inspirations are dying, to heartbreak yet again but not as bad as last years and I was able to bounce back from it quite easily and continue on my path of growth as well as find a worthy champion. So for this years calendar -- I am going to keep it fairly small but still bring some fun to the end of the year. For the seventh year in a row, I am doing an activities Advent Calendar to count down to Christmas after reading some great articles online about it. I am big on traditions and routines so here is an outline. Most of the things will be done either by myself, with friends, or with my family. Also, just because there is a date attached does not mean it will happen on that date unless it is specific events with tickets attached -- it is more of a checklist.

November 24th: Go to Brazil first and then walk around the Union Square Holiday Market (Done!)
November 25th Visit Diagon Alley in Newton, NJ followed by attending East Coast Professional Wrestling in Colts Neck, NJ (Done!)
November 26th: Gather clothes and bring to The Bowery Mission. (Done!)
November 27th: Make Christmas mix CD for friends (With the power of Spotify....can share it!)
November 28th: Get holiday cards.(Done!)
November 29th: Wear mistletoe headband. (Done!)
November 30th: Watch the movie Die Hard (Done!)
December 1st: Watch the movie Scrooged. (Done!)
December 2nd: Go bake some french macarons at Mille-Feuille Bakery NYC (Done! It was a lot of fun!)
December 3rd: Start reading one story a day in the collection My True Love Gave To Me (3/12)
December 4th: Watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation(Done!)/Start writing out holiday cards (Done!)
December 5th: Mail out holiday cards. (Done!)
December 6th: Get a holiday inspired manicure. Make sure one nail is sparkly! (Done!)
December 7th: Watch A Nightmare Before Christmas.
December 8th: Visit the Life Size Gingerbread House in Madison Square Park (Done!)
December 9th: Attend ASCW Christmas Chaos in New Eqypt, NJ (Done! Had a lot of fun!)
December 10th: Watch He-Man & She-Ra A Christmas Special (Done!)
December 11th: Get a holiday inspired candle from Bath and Body Works.(Done!)
December 12th: Make Star Wars themed Christmas ornaments.
December 13th: Go watch some ice skaters in Bryant Park. (Done!)
December 14th: Cozy up in some pajamas and watch the Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. (Done!)
December 15th: Attend Ring of Honor Final Battle in NYC. (Done! Has an incredible day even though it was cold and snowy.)
December 16th: Attend Pro Wrestling Magic Kingdom Come: Copacabana (hopefully!) (Decided to not go as I needed rest. Catching up on some Christmas movies instead.)
December 17th: Go see the movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi and attend the Dark Side Bar.
December 18th: Make sure all of my gifts are wrapped.
December 19th: Wear ugly Christmas sweater to work. (Done!)
December 20th: Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas (Done!)
December 21st: Go to Dyker Heights and take a look at some Christmas lights(Done! It was a lot of fun!)/Start my Yule candle ritual. (Done!)
December 22nd: Watch The Original Christmas Classics (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Little Drummer Boy) on DVD (Done!)
December 23rd: Catch up on any Christmas movies or specials. (Done!)
December 24th: Watch Gremlins.
December 25th: CHRISTMAS!!! Watch The Muppets Christmas Carol and open presents as well as spend time with my family.(Done!)

Have a very merry holiday season!

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Book Review -- Bonfire by Krysten Ritter

Should you ever go back?

That is the question that is posed by the debut novel of Krysten Ritter. Yes, that Krysten Ritter -- our very own Jessica Jones has written a book! When I saw that this book was available as a advanced readers copy well before its publication date (released on November 8, 2017) at Book Con on June 3, 2017 as well as Krysten Ritter just rocks (yes I am still bitter about the cancellation of Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 but thank you Netflix!) -- I knew I had to pick this up. There was a little scandal about me picking up this book though but let me just say these four words -- QUEEN OF SMALL TALK.

Now before I get into what the book is about let me preface any possible hesitation you may have about reading this.. You know how when a singer is so famous they get so full of themselves and think they can act too? (AHEM, Mariah Carey) Or just because you can act means you can also sing? Well what if just because she is a talented actress/producer that means she can write a book without it sucking? I have faith in her, but that question is was a Cranberries song. But I will say this -- all of that trepidation and uncertainty was silenced. the further into the book I got.

Here is the book description: It has been ten years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all visible evidence of her small town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands. But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town's most high-profile company and economic heart, Abby begins to find strange connections to Barrens’ biggest scandal from more than a decade ago involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her closest friends—just before Kaycee disappeared for good. Abby knows the key to solving any case lies in the weak spots, the unanswered questions. But as Abby tries to find out what really happened to Kaycee, she unearths an even more disturbing secret—a ritual called “The Game,” which will threaten the reputations, and lives, of the community and risk exposing a darkness that may consume her. With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote, rural town of just five claustrophobic miles, Bonfire is a dark exploration of the question: can you ever outrun your past?

Krysten Ritter has written a gripping and beautifully written crime debut; while not perfect as she falls into the trap that so many action and crimes do where the villain gives a long winded dramatic speech justifying why they were so hell bent on why they destroyed everything. It is tense and suspenseful, drawing in the reader with ease. The greatest strengths of the book lie in the complex character creation and development of Abby, a woman who wants to come to terms with the past so that she can be alive in the present. Ritter presents a picture of a woman paying a heavy price as she gets closer to the truth, no-one believes her, yet despite her life disintegrating around her, she clings on with a tenuous grip with determination.Everything doesn't start coming all together until the last like, 25% of the book but even with that being said I found Bonfire a really compelling read, one I devoured pretty quickly and enjoyed quite a bit. I'll definitely be looking out for Ritter's next book at some point.