VMAs

Did any of you watch? I did watch them! I did- in fast forward. I watched live and with commercials! I was watching for the new Shannara Chronicles trailer, that's how dedicated I am. 

I love love love award shows. I DO NOT! The VMAs though- man that was hard to sit through. I was pretty entertained! I like most of the music because I am not ::cough:: stuck in a past decade when it comes to music. :D I liked a lot of the performances and the people. I will say it felt like the VMAs are what happens when you give your rich kids an award show. 

Where do I begin? Oh Miley... You try, but you are no Maddonna. She did it first, and better. Lady Gaga, well hers is always shock and Art. You're, well, you're a big rainbow mess of Lisa Frank proportions. Here is where we disagree. I was never a fan of Madonna or Lady Gaga so I have no urge to compare her to them. I like Miley. She is a bit bananas, but in a good way. I think she has some really positive things to say about body image and female sexuality and her free the nipple campaign is awesome and so is her Happy Hippie Foundation! I liked her outfits and her song and performance at the end was great! Congrats on the super secret art album. I'll check it out and review later.

Nicki and Taylor Swift seem to be on the happy friend times, and Nicki and Miley are on the outs. Yay girl drama! That was kinda funny. I like both Nicki and Miley, but Nicki seems like the female Kayne, she always seems to be looking for a fight! 

Macklemore is recreating West Side Story. I said the same thing! It was like a stage production. I really enjoyed it! Then he brought out all the old school rappers! That was awesome.

Justin Beiber needs to go back to Canada. I did skip this. My DVR started recording something else so I paused for a moment to fix it and was able to fast forward through this, thankfully. Him crying at the end? I just couldn't.

Kanye is running for president in 2020, future FLOTUS looked like a sausage. He really didn't dress up for the event either! When Taylor was discussing his fashion line and ability to sew, I couldn't help but wonder why didn't he make himself a better outfit?! I am all for being comfortable, but come on.
Same goes for his wife, her outfit was terrible, but she gets a pass due to her pregnancy. She sat there, with a bunch of drunk/high kids, all evening, while pregnant. She can wear whatever she wants! I can't believe I just defended her, I am not a fan, but I am a champion for preggos being as comfortable as they wanna be without ridicule!

His speech was hard for me to watch because of the pauses he kept making, my brain couldn't focus. Also he sort of, but not really, apologized for interrupting Taylor, but followed up with a you didn't really deserve that award though! Classy as always Mr. West. 
I hope he was joking about running for President! He may win popular vote (doubtful), but the electorate would never vote for him, so it would be a huge scandal! He is gonna have to get some better speeches though because his was kind of a mess.  

Demi Lovato- I liked her performance, I liked her song. I liked her outfit... Where have I seen it before? Showtime, Synergy! Her outfit was rad, even if it was Jem inspired, but her performance was not so great. Some singers just aren't great live and that's okay, but she was mostly flat and off key several times, not to mention how very breathy she got, it was hard for me to watch!

Here are some of my favs:
Jamie's picks!
Best quote: "I'm just happy that in 2015, we live in a world, where boys can play princesses and girls can play soldiers."
Best dressed: Taylor Swift! The pants suit was so cute!
Honorable mention: I also loved the fuzzy monster shirt Miley was wearing in her video about her Instagram process.
Worst dressed: Kayne West as expressed above
Best Performance: There was so many good ones (Macklemore and Pharrell were both awesome), but Tori Kelly was amazing and such great singing!
Best Commercial: Yes, I had a favorite commercial, because SHANNARA CHRONICLES!!

Vacation Series, Disneyland 60th!

Happy happy birthday to the happiest place on earth! Jamie and I went- sans kids- with the full expectation of not riding a damn thing. We figured it would very crowded. It wasn't as bad as expected though. 

When we arrived, we received special edition map, and a reprint of the paper when Disneyland first opened. Pretty cool! We also received a neat button pin. The map had the original Disneyland map on the back. 

Then- free cupcakes! They were so very yummy!

There were televisions set up all around the park so we could watch the dedication ceremony. We scored a semi shaded spot near small world. It was pretty good! 

There were also some pretty fun picture spots set up for the 60th. 

I cannot hang with the direct California sun, so we went back to the house for a bit. We returned to catch the fireworks and parade!

The paint the night parade was so cute! All the characters were lit up so magically. For me though, the highlight was the fireworks show. I cried- they projected Imagies on the castle!

At Disneyland, everything is magical. If you get a chance to check out the 60th celebration this year, do so! It is a must! 

Vacation series- vomit fun times!

I know I know- it's been busy. Anyway I still have a couple of more vacation articles- Disneyland 60th and that should be it.

Sooooo- I tend to get sick a lot lately, pregnancy, gall bladder, who knows. All I know is it strikes fast and suddenly. So what do you do when you are in a brand new Honda Odessey when the need strikes? Oh yeah coming from San Diego? In the middle of 5 lanes of traffic? No where near the shoulder?

You try to win the iron jaws award. Sadly, with vomit rising, it may be too late. 

Tips: Try to keep it contained. Use whatever you can get you hands on, purse, backpack, diaper bag, jacket.

I used my jacket. It held up nicely. Unless you have a Birkin, then save the bag. 

No complaining! Do even utter a word about your discomfort. Sit there in shame for you have soiled the upholstery!

Laugh it up!  You're covered in puke, there's an hour left to go. Reminds you of those wild nights of youth. All that's missing is the Taco Bell. Of course that could be the cause of the problem. Gingerly, gingerly... No, that does not mean dye your hair red. (It's a good look though, I recommended it!) it means when you get out of the vehicle keep those knees locked! Move slowly, don't let any spill! Be careful not to brush against anything. Scrub a dub dub! Once you've hosed off- get some cleaner and clean up your mess immediately! Can't let anything like that sit or else it's puke smell forever- and no one wants that. Also, it is wise to leave all windows down to insure proper ventilation. 

Throw those clothes away- or in the washer.  Protip- shake those clothes out! You don't want to end up with a wayward pair of panties at Disneyland. (True story!)

Wtf Day Mail

I personally perfer British publications for my news sources. They don't have any political slants and it's very refreshing. What I DO hate is every time they have an article about a woman they have to have some sort of sexist slant. So and so shows her pins (legs for us U.S. Folks) in a skirt. My least favorite is when they are pregnant. Every single article headline is, pregnant so and so does blah. Why the hell do we need a constant reminder as to the state of her womb? Can she not have a headline based on her own merits (ok yeah Kim Kardashian maybe)? Is being pregnant the best a woman can get? I mean what does being pregnant have to do with anything? These articles have nothing to do with the pregnancy so why even mention it? It seems, well degrading. Let us go back to the times of being barefoot and pregnant with no hope for education. 

Duggar disgust.

Really? Women who blame themselves for their husbands infidelity? I can't even. 

No, honey. It's not your fault. Your husband has a problem. It is nothing you did or anything you can change about yourself. The fault lies purely with him. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3205403/Anna-Duggar-partially-blames-husband-Josh-cheating-using-porn-mother-law-Michelle-s-marriage-tip-NOT-deny-spouse-sex.html

This makes me want to puke. 

The Duggar Disgrace

So in the world of reality television we had 19 Kids and Counting. This basically followed the lives of the "quiver full" movement. Recently it has come to light that the oldest son of this family had molested young women/girls while they were sleeping. Of course the statute of limitations had already passed, so his crimes went unpunished. 

Their show 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled- a smart move by TLC. Now, it seems that during the Ashley Madison leak- he had not one, but TWO accounts. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3205122/I-biggest-hypocrite-Josh-Duggar-ADMITS-unfaithful-wife-revealed-37-million-Ashley-Madison-cheaters.html

That being said- I'd like to share this:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/07/03/how-abstinence-only-sex-education-led-me-down-an-unexpected-path/

Josh Duggar:

My So Called Sleeping

So does anyone else have self aware sleeping? I googled it and I just get a bunch of woo woo lucid dreaming psychic weirdo stuff, but that's not what I'm talking about. I sleep well, I don't need many hours of sleep and I don't wake up easily, BUT most of the time I am aware I'm sleeping and I can actively think about things and make lists and plans and I have full recollection in the morning. I've been told, by disbelievers, I'm really actually awake, but I'm not. I don't hear anything going on around me and I don't dream, or maybe I make lists in my dream? There are no visuals, except words, but I also think in words, which my husband says is very weird. Outside my mind I am a very visual person, but I think that's because I have no pictures in my mind so I need to see it in person! Its like my mind is still operating on DOS. Anyways, my point to this tangent is while in this state this morning I started thinking about kids and sleepovers and here is the downside go my self aware sleeping (and how I know I'm not actually awake) if I get a question or a thought that really intrigues me or bothers me I have to have the answer, it becomes an obsession and then I literally annoy myself awake. Having a phone with the internet seriously made my life 1000 times better, when this happened as a kid I'd often wake up and start crying out of frustration. Seriously, when I was about 6 maybe, I remember sleep-thinking about my toes, I have webbed toes and I began wondering why and what caused them and annoyed myself awake. I woke up and was groggy and annoyed, but I realized waking up wasn't helpful! Everyone was asleep, I had no books on webbed toes, and in my child frustration I started sobbing. My mom came in and asked why I was crying and I said "I have webbed toes and don't know why and I can't understand it!" She looked shocked and a bit amused and told me I was asleep and having a bad dream and stop worrying. She didn't get it. Anyways this post ties into my next one, because of something that I was thinking about in my sleep and annoyed myself awake over.

I can tell from the lack of comments few, if any people are reading, but I'll ask anyways, anyone else do this? Am I crazy? Want to just tell me I'm awake and just have no idea what sleep is? Comment!!

Comic Con - The Bad, the Good, and the %$@$!!! - Part 3, %$@$!!!

I want to start this critique by saying I love Comic Con. Love it. Even before I have the amazing experience I did. It's a place you see people dressed in insane ways, acting in insane ways, and no one cares or even blinks. There are crazy religious people picketing out front and people come to debate them or antagonize them while everyone else ignores them. There is a feeling of acceptance and belonging. My son lost his phone and the DS and both were turned into lost and found. I lost a jacket at Disneyland and never saw it again. Disneyland! I love the atmosphere of these types of places, I feel less reserved, I am more out spoken and just generally more comfortable, even though it's a huge paradox because it should be everything I hate! Large building, super crowded, lots of walking and waiting in lines. Yet I love it. I would just love it to be a bit more organized!

Day 3!
Company arrives! Fellow blogger (or I should say primary blogger since I have written maybe 5 things counting these 3) Shelly has arrived and is joining us! We do things like this well together because we are both naturally tired and bitchy so we have low expectations. Also neither of us is prone to sensitivity so that's always good. I say this because my sister and her son are also going and they are both very prone to sensitivity. They have to stand in line for their tickets, which brings me to critique number 1. Let people pick up their badges the day before! In the afternoon the ticketing people are not very busy, it would not be that difficult to make this allowance and it would cut down on lines and traffic in the morning. Also if you only have a 1-2 day ticket you are out of luck from doing anything because you will spend your morning waiting to get your tickets! It's kinda crap. So sister and Shelly wait for tickets, I head to the back to try and get into the WB signing line. Security is on top of things this morning though! Way to go guys, only took you 3 days. Pfft. They had it very carefully sectioned off and the lines moving in ways that prevented jumpers or the on rush. The way it always should have been. I couldn't even be upset. We went to the general line and just decided to get into the exhibit hall line and try for Funko tickets. My husband got in the doors just as the last ticket was handed out. Aww. My sister could not keep track of us. I gave up on her staying with us. We would get separated, but my husband, Shelly, and I were excellent about finding each other quickly. The WB signings was what I really wanted for Saturday, but I didn't get those so there was 1 panel I wanted to see and it was right before a panel Shelly wanted to see, in the same room! Score! We let the older boys do whatever they wanted because they were annoying. Shelly's adorable son E wanted to play the Transformers game and was VERY upset when he was taken away from there, but then acted VERY well with the promise he could play again! We went to that panel and it was Felicia Day and Allie Brosh and it was amazing! Shelly and E napped. When it was over we moved up and watched the Hasbro Toy panel all about My Little Ponies! Okay, they may have talked about Transformers, Gi Joe, and Jem, but whatever I just listened to the My Little Pony stuff. :D
Day 4!
Last day. Sunday Funday. Lazy day. It's kids day at Comic Con, so naturally we brought NO kids! Except Illy, she is good at carrying things and going to get stuff (she is small and gets in and out of crowds easier). We took it easy, mostly. I wanted Funko tickets! We were toward the front of the exhibit line. We watched a proposal there in line which was super sweet! They let us in and I was searching for the random person handing out Funko tickets, someone walked up to me and whispered "Are you looking for Funko?" I said YES! He handed me one! Yes! Someone guys overheard this and rushed me he shrugged and walked off. Ha! So my ticket said Phase 1 or Round 1 or something with a 1 on it, meaning I got to get in line. They handed me a list of what was available. I checked the couple I wanted and waited...and waited...and waited. We hardly moved. HOURS went by. We crawled along. I noticed people all around me with 'exhibitor' badges and they were checking every box. Ugh. Periodically someone would shout out the ones they sold out. Luckily they weren't the ones I wanted. Then I noticed anyone with a handicap badge walked right into the line and didn't wait at all. What?!? Apparently the ADA badges are easily obtained when you pick up your comic con badge and it comes with all sorts of 'perks' I noticed several people walk right into panels, right passed a long line of people waiting. This is another one of those areas Comic Con organizers needs to do better! Maybe a placeholder instead of walking in? I don't know, but if they don't do something in a year or two you will have tons of people exploiting this system meant to help people and it will no longer be helpful for those who really need it. I did eventually get up and was able to purchase the Pop Figures I wanted and they are adorable!
We took it easy the rest of the day. We watched a Sailor Moon panel. I learned that Sailor Moon is terrible dubbed and good subtitled, or the new ones are and the ones I watched as a kid are okay dubbed? I left early half because I wanted to make sure I got seats for the Buffy musical (end of Comic Con tradition) half because I needed to move around or I was going to fall asleep, it had been 4 days and I was TIRED! Went into the room for Buffy and it was a Batman cartoon! I love Batman cartoons! It woke me up. Buffy the musical was awesome as always and before it Juliette Landau (Druscilla) spoke about a documentary she is making about vampires which sounds really neat! We got her autograph and picture afterwards and she recognized my daughter's name as being from Angel, which impressed me since she was not on the series at that time.

Illy & Juliette Landau

Overall it was a great experience and I plan on repeating it next year. Sadly I don't think Shelly will because she is a big ol party pooper and did not have as much fun as I did (I think it was because she was super tired and worn out from driving in the day before and would have more fun not preggo, but whatevs), but that's okay because I can still count on her visits since I am near a certain 'happiest place on earth' kingdom that I know she loves. :D Anyways that was my super wordy and poorly edited Comic Con experience. I scheduled these and edited them not at all (otherwise they likely wouldn't be published). Hope to see you there next year!

They're always your babies.

Even though they may be adults, when they fall asleep in the car you still gotta snap a pic. 

My oldest, Stephen, and my youngest, Eric.  Brothers forever. 

Comic Con - The Bad, the Good, and the %$@$!!! - Part 1, The Good

Day 2 (Friday) - Comic Con

I went into Day 2 with the same positivity, but a bit of nervousness on being able to keep it up. I was sore and tired and the day before had deflated my bubble a bit. I have to say when Comic Con goes good people it can go really good! Day 2 was the pinacle of Comic Con days for me and made all 4 days worth it!

I started the day going to the back by the boats. I was not going to stand in the general line again so a ton of people can jump into the Hasbro line from the back, I would go straight to the 'exclusives' line. Security was confused. There was a group of us standing in a "not a line" for exclusives. We were told we needed to go to the general line. The problem is the exclusives lines have no where to go but down the stairs so there was no plan or strategy for controlling people from jumping into the line where we were standing. We tried explaining this to the guards and what had happened the day before. They were scrambling to come up with a plan, but it was too late and everyone jumped into their line of choice the moment the lines opened up. It was terrible and felt a bit like cheating, but when there is no organized system in place and the rules are not being enforced what do they expect? I walked right into the Hasbro line and got a ticket. Yes! I would be able to get my exclusives providing they didn't sell out. I felt like a winner. We went to the exhibit hall for a minute, stopped by the MTV booth because I really wanted the Elfstones of Shannara book they were handing out with the new cover. Sadly I didn't get a book, but I got tickets for autographs from the cast of the TV show! Score! Our feet were hurting so we went to check on a panel for My Little Ponies and luckily there were seats! I was so happy and the kids were entertained because we got to see some of the ladies who do the voices actually doing the voices! It was amazing! I sort of love Friendship is Magic series so I may have enjoyed it as much as the kids. Just saying. 

I head to the Shannara Panel after this, I am early, but I don't want to risk it filling up. I get good seats up front and I watch the cast and the author talk. I see the preview and it's amazing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crjkQHnDYu0 Watch it now! I will wait........

Amazing right? I was so excited I am pretty sure I had tears in my eyes like a goof, but I love this book series. Seriously my daughters middle name comes from this series. I named a child after this. That's love. Anyways my daughter wants to ask a question, I point to the microphone. She is second thinking this now lol, "uhhh I have to go to a microphone?" I nod. She shrugs and says okay. I am nervous for her. I hate public speaking and all of that so I thought I was going to have a stroke for her. She asks her question, "Have any of the actors read the book before being on the show?" ohhhh the actors stammer...the consensus is they have now, but had not beforehand. At least they read it. Then Manu Bennett (the actor playing Allanon, he was also Deathstroke on Arrow) tells my daughter she is adorable and asks if she wants a picture! I am dying at this time. She gets on stage with the whole cast and they then say "Mom come get a picture" all my fear of stage fright vanishes as I scurry to get the picture. I am shaking and excited. This is amazing! The picture is on MTV.com #8! I can't help being a proud mom!

After that we went to another panel with the Oatmeal and Hyperbole and a Half author Allie Brosh. I left early to get in line for my Hasbro time. That went pretty quick and I was able to purchase all the goodies I wanted.

How adorable is this?!?

Then it was Shannara autograph time! They remembered Illy from the panel and she got a special message signed on her autograph.

John Rhys Davis, Austin Butler, and Manu Bennett with Illy (and half of me)

I was done after this! It was the best! I had 2 days left and a very full positivity bubble, I knew the other days wouldn't compare, but I was content...

Comic Con - The Bad, the Good, and the %$@$!!! - Part 1, The Bad

I am terrible about blogging. I am not too busy. I am too over critical of anything I write. It all sounds great in my head, but when I actually write it out it becomes a wordy mess. I am very prone to wordiness, but because I know I have this fault I will edit my wordiness and then become frustrated and then I either delete whatever I was saying (the whole edit!) or it sits in Blogger un-published forever. Like this post, so I am going to finish this and post it as three different posts! 

So i have wanted to go to Comic Con since I was a child. My uncle was a huge trekkie and i heard about Comic Con and Star Trek conventions and cool nerdy stuff he went to and it became a dream of mine, way before it was cool. I got a one day ticket last year, which i do recommend going just one day (and Sunday is a great first day) to get an idea of how it works, just an idea though because the rules change.
San Diego Comic Con...some people love it, some people hate it, you can try to make the argument "its what you make of it," but no matter what sort of laissez faire attitude you try to attend with you will likely run the gamma ray of emotions. Especially with a 4 day badge....

Day 0 - Preview Night
I did not get preview night tickets. Not for lack of trying, but they sell out fast. Nonetheless I went and picked up my badges Wednesday night. I HIGHLY ADVISE THIS....we walked in and walked out, we drove to San Diego for a 10 minute event. It was painless and it really does give you a false sense of ease. "That wasn't so bad, I've totally got this!" You think...oh me from Wednesday, you were so naive.

Day 1 - Thursday - The bad
So we decided early on, we have young-ish kids who are easily bored and we like being well rested and typically don't enjoy sleeping on sidewalks, so Hall H was out for us. Panels are fun and I like them, but they also tire my mind because my ADHD brain needs constant stimulation, so waiting overnight or days for panels in a room you can't leave the whole day or lose your spot seemed like a terrible idea. So we woke up at 4 am loaded into the car and drove to SD, about a 1.5 hour drive. Get to our parking spot. My Thursday morning thinking was - this is good parking, its not to far, I don't mind this short walk! So we asked for the general line and we were directed all the way around the back of the convention center....pfft. Several different guards told us several different things, we followed the masses. We pass the enormously long Hall H line, the enormously long Starbucks line, the fairly long line for Friday Hall H, and finally we get to the end and there we stand. I am not too concerned because this is - in theory- the line for everything that is not Hall H, autographs, other panel rooms, exclusives, everything else, so of course it is going to be long. 

We wait until 7 am when the doors open and people shuffle up the escalators and then there is no more line, they let people race to the line they want to go to...exhibit hall line, ballroom 20, autographs, and exclusives are the biggies.  I'm wanting the Hasbro line and we speed walk in that direction....we are ushered to the Sails Pavilion... Hasbro is outside...okay...now its downstairs....hmm...keep walking and walking ....wait this looks familiar....we are near the boats....a bit further down from where were a moment ago in the general line. This is when my wheels start turning....so why couldn't I have just come to this line from the start?!? Turns out that's what A LOT of people did so the Hasbro line was very long. After waiting another 2 hours in that line Hasbro was out of tickets and I had just wasted my morning in 2 pointless lines. I am a trooper though so I am keeping my positive mood! I had been telling myself I was going to have a calm no expectations sort of attitude for a month. Next on my list, get tickets to watch the World of Shannara panel at the Grand Horton Theatre. Its in the Comic Con complex, not the convention center and you have to get a ticket to attend panels there. So I ask what seems like 10 people where the Horton Grand Line is....no one knows anything! Some people try and guess though, which means we get sent walking in circles for 30 minutes. I finally figure out the Horton Grand line is the same line as the Limited Autograph line. Really?!? No sign or label?!? I thought about adding it with a Sharpie, but I didn't. This line isn't that bad, after a few minutes into it we realize the limited autographs people are waiting for are the cast of Doctor Who. That would be awesome! I mean I am already in the line? We wait an hour or so and finally the line starts moving....moving along and then Autograph line is capped right in front of us. Of course it is! Oh well, I am not really in this line for that, although had I not spent 30 minutes looking for the line I'd probably have gotten the autographs, but whatever! Postivitiy!!  I go to the lotto World of Shannara ticket, my husband, my son, and myself get no tickets, but my daughter wins two. Yay! We get back in line. Same thing again, only my daughter wins, but that's good we have 4 now. We head to the exhibit hall and walk around a bit. There are a lot of freebies, but many are given out at either the start of the day or random times. At this point we had walked over 5 miles and my feet were not happy! I am a very inactive person normally, which I am not saying is a good thing, but 5 miles in a day is insane in my world. The rest of the day wasn't too terrible, the World of Shannara was awesome. Afterwards we raced to the Sails Pavilion and got in line in time to get Terry Brooks autograph! I was done after this, my feet weren't working anymore and getting back to the car was a challenge! The kids didn't drive me too insane, although the 12 year old did annoy me on several occasions which almost caused me to lose my happy happy thoughts. Overall day 1 was just a cluster f**k of unorganized nonsense, both by me not knowing what to expect and by the organizers of the convention.....Next Day 2 - The GOOD

Just Stick-ing Around

This is a topic that seems to be attached to much debate right now and so I wanted to write about it and maybe get some discussion going (if anyone reads this?). The topic is Selfie Sticks. :::ducks:::

Selfie Sticks, for those who have been living in a cave, are an extendable pole that you can hold your cell phone in and they are used to take...well selfies.

They have haters! I don't quite understand such hatred for an inanimate object not created for the sole purpose of murdering people ::cough::, but man do people hate these things.
Arguments go: They symbolize the 'me' generation, they are for vapid narcissist who feel the need to document their every deed, there is no need for them and they serve no function/purpose, people do stupid crap with them (only valid point more on this one later) and the hatred goes on and on.

Okay, I get it, but those same people making these arguments, if you glance at any of their social media sites usually have plenty of pictures of themselves. It's not pictures they are against. Which means their complaint is having a convienant way to take pictures? Is this the modern day equivalent to when I was your age we had to walk/write letters/ arguement? We had to ask strangers to take pictures and we were just fine! Okay that's wonderful, but you only did that because that was your only option, that doesn't make this generation terrible for using modern conveniences. Why is it more okay to bother a stranger to use your phone to take a picture (and take a risk of them running off with it), but doing it yourself with a pole is terrible? I am not trying to dump on the haters, but their arguments seem weak. These things are useful and that's what I want to discuss and also some disclaimers about the responsibility that goes along with selfie stick usage!

For starters, I hate pictures. Hate them. HATE them. I run when cameras are brought out and the idea of asking a stranger to take a picture that I would rather jump off a bridge than take makes me want to...well jump off a bridge. Maybe you photogenic photo lovers don't understand this, but it is a phobia like any others and doesn't need to make sense to you. Just know that my phobia is very really and can produce very real panic attacks. Enter my selfie stick...or as I call it my groupie stick! I can now quickly and without thought or production snap photos of me and the kids when we are on vacations or doing activities. They aren't terrible either! Like this one...

Donner Lake in the background. Glad we weren't stuck here I don't think my traveling companions would have made a good meal. :)

I don't know why I don't get the anxiety, but I think it is due to the lack of anticipation. It is quick and I can focus on the technical aspects, angling and making sure whatever I am setting up is in the shot rather than OMG I AM IN A PICTURE. It works and it's handy! This is the first vacation I am in more then 1 picture.
The other reason they are useful is the angle, you can take pictures looking upward....

or pictures looking down on you....

That last one I took while my husband and I were on a ski lift. It was cool, but I made sure it was okay and safe before taking this which brings me to responsibilities!

This is not a new technology. Photographers have been using a professional version for years. This is new to the masses. Cell phones have made these popular and like them or not they are not going away. Places may try to ban them for a time, but eventually those bans will lift. The masses have to catch up and figure out how to use these things without being dicks about it. It will take time and some will never learn. Just keep in mind they are only terrible if the owner is terrible, it's not like it was created with nefarious horrible intentions ::cough::. It can be awesome if the owners are awesome, it does have good purpose. :D

Being courteous and thoughtful of others and where you put your stick (heh) is essential. Never use to your stick to obstruct someones view or put your stick in their face (hehe).  Getting that perfect picture is important, but not whacking people in the face is equally important. If you want to record something stand in the back and use that stick up high not obstructing any ones view, don't stand in the front and then raise your stick,  it is rude to stand in front of others with a raised stick (bwhaha, these innuendos are so funny, because I have a 13 year old mentality). Last, but not least DO NOT USE THESE ON ROLLER COASTERS or in any area in which it may be even the slightest bit dangerous to yourself or others! I posted my ski lift picture to show, yes there are occasions you can safely snap a picture, a slow moving ski lift and there was so track for it to get in the way of or any people I could accidentally murder by its use, but there is no need to snap a photo on a roller coaster with a selfie stick, that is not what they were designed to be used for people. It's people who do dumb things like that that give us responsible stick owners a hard time! 

So what do you think, if there are any yous out there? Pro selfie stick or no? Any additional responsibilities to add? Do you think I can get mine registered as an emotional companion and have permission to bring it places it's banned like people do with their stupid dogs (sorry I meant your beloved family members which I am allergic to and make me feel like death, my stick won't murder you just by standing near you :p)? Did anyone else appreciate my stick humor? :D

Fashion Fridays! comic con- to cosplay or not to cosplay that is the question

And the answer, as always, is 42. 

But seriously, What Would The Doctor Do? Depends on the Doctor. Allons y!

Ok all nerd references aside- let me break it down. There is a lot of walking and huge tracks of lines at SDCC. We saw many a cosplayer. One thing at SDCC is that there was no where to sit! Unless you were at the food court or in a panel- you had to keep moving or security was on you to move. You couldn't even stand still in one place for too long. At one point Jamie and I walked in a circle so we could meet the rest of our group at a certain location.  What does this have to do with cosplay? Well.... How many super heroines wear flats? Comfortable shoes? Yeah none of them. So if you want to stand all day in Sailor Mars' shoes, be our guest. I will happily take a picture of you. 

Also- remember when Adrian Curry was asked to leave comic con because her costume was too revealing? I guess they thought the nerds would just have a heart attack. She was dressed up like Aeon Flux. So, if you had your heart set on a costume like this you may be SOL

http://www.thesuperficial.com/photos/adrianne-curry-got-kicked-out-of-comic-con-for-wearing-this

Now, don't get me wrong, there were some beautiful costumes. And then there were the funny ones. 

It really just depends on how long you're there for and the experience you're going for. Make sure you read the SDCC rules and regulations first. You don't want to be kicked out or banned. Most importantly, have fun!!!!!

http://comic-con.org/cci/convention-policies

Hold the phone. Jen Anniston got hitched?!?

Ok so according to TMZ Jen Anniston and Justin Theroux got hitched last night in a super secret ceremony. I never thought it would happen! Link below. So far there has been no denial from the JustJen camp. 

Ok- wtf a muppet cake? To each their own I suppose. 

http://m.tmz.com/#Article/2015/08/06/jennifer-aniston-justin-theroux-party-wedding-photos

vacation series! The son's girlfriend and what to do if you like her best

So we took Stephen's girlfriend with us to California. I hadn't really interacted much with her, and soon found my self really liking her! Ok so they're both almost 20 and are in college, so I'm really hoping this works out. 

First of all, she's polite, funny, and best of all, she doesn't take any BS from my son. 

So- I asked this question- what am I going to do when she realizes she's too good for him? 

And Jamie asked- what are you going to do when he realizes you like her? You can't like your kids SOs too much 

Of course we asked this in front of them because we have no couth and really don't care that they hear us. Meanwhile- I'll just sit back, enjoy, and hope it lasts!

I have not forsaken thee!

Sorry, it's been a bit hectic here after vacation. Lots going on! I have a few book reviews. Plus I have to finish the vacation series, talk about back to school.

I have not forgotten!