When Did I Start Listening To Lana Del Ray?

So I'm going to admit I was on the "Hater Train" for Lana from the beginning. Everything about her screamed manufactured music barbie. Then when I found out that was exactly what she was, I hated her more.

"Blue Jeans" Lana Del Ray

An interesting fact, one of my favorite singers is Hatsune Miku. She's not a person. She's a program. However, I listen to her frequently, and love most of her songs. I don't hate her for being "fake".

"Tell Your World" Hatsune Miku

So this video did a good job of bringing me in to reconsider Lana Del Ray.

Idea Channel: Is Miku Hatsune A More Authentic Pop Star Than Lana Del Rey?

Alright, so Lana is a plastic figure sent to trick us into thinking she is as hip as it gets. I made my piece with that eventually. Then I actually gave her songs a chance. You know what? I liked a few. To think I wouldn't have a few more good songs to add to my playlist if I didn't give her a chance. It should be about the songs themselves first and foremost. We're just so sucked into this media blitz that we have to consume the artist themselves before we even really listen to their work.

So children, today's lesson is don't judge a book by its cover. That cheap glossed shallow book might come out with some cool songs....that she didn't even write.

Is this what she looks like without makeup?

When Did I Start Doodling?

Everyone doodles. Whether it's on a napkin at a bar, a test paper, or a bus seat. We naturally try to balance out our boredom with doodles. You can ask any of my high school teachers that I was not lacking in the doodle department. I'd draw everything from octopus creatures to talking cupcakes. Chances are if I've got nothing important to do, I'm doodling.

One of my favorite pass times on the internet is using an online sketch program and saving all the doodles I create while on the net. Most are pretty silly, but some I try to actually be a little serious and make something I'd be proud showing someone. Like on Friday, I drew the doodle you saw at the beginning of the blog post. It's certainly nothing special. It's just a simple woman's face. But, to me, I prefer going very simple, clean, and with a tiny pop of color. That's my doodle style.

I named it "Dream" since it has that peacful look about it. Doodles are also a nice way for me to think of story ideas. Who is this woman? What's her name? What's she dreaming of? What problems does she have? I think that is my main creative process in any writing class. Who do you think the woman is? Does she have a story to tell?

When Did I Buy C2E2 Tickets?

The answer is last Friday. What? You don't know what C2E2 is? Let me take you on a journey. A journey of Nerds, Geeks, Otaku, Collectors, Gamers, TV show enthusiasts, Book Lovers, and general kids at heart. Once a year they converge onto McCormick Place in Downtown Chicago to do what they love most; be themselves. C2E2 stands for Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. It's a young convention, it's only been around since 2010. I've attended every year so far, and I really love what it has to offer.

Why do I go to C2E2?

1. I like comics. My husband has a nice little collection, and I just enjoy the story telling.
2. The Entertainment Guests. This year I'm looking forward to getting Adam West, Felicia Day, and R.L. Stine's autographs.
3. The discovery. Every time you turn a corner, you're gonna see something new. Some of this stuff you're gonna end up loving and wondering how you didn't find it sooner.
4. The outfits. Commenplace at these conventions is dressing up like your favorite character. Whether the outfit was handmade, cost $50, has electronics, or looks straight up bad ass, you can feel the love from the fans here, and that's what makes it feel welcoming.
5. Churros. No lie, there is a stand in the convention center that has the best churros ever.

This year I hope to be among those who dress up. Here is a picture of me in 2010 and 2011 with my favorite Cosplayer. Also, The Joker is among my Top 5 comic book characters <3

C2E2's first year in 2010.

C2E2's second year in 2011.

When Did I Start Watching Vampire Diaries?

Okay, I have a confession. When I was in middle school, I read the first Twilight Novel. You know what? I liked it. The last one came out my freshman or sophomore year of high school, and by then I kind of fell out of "love" with the storytelling. I understood there was much better literature out there. When the Twilight movies came out, I knew I had to watch them all, because I have a principal of finishing what I start. So I watched every single movie. The last installment was a vast improvement production and polish wise in my opinion, but still it bordered on ridiculous. But, going to the movies shouldn't be about seriousness, it needs to be about escapism.

I like the idea of vampires, and I probably started reading about them back in 6th grade. I discovered a book of Chinese legends and they have a version of the vampire called the Jiangshi. It's a funny looking stiff reanimated corpse that hops around (yes, like a bunny hop) at night sucking peoples life energy out. From there I did a U-Turn to the European version of the vampire, and sprinkled in any other vampire folklore I could find. It was terribly interesting for me. Then I heard about Twilight and was sort of disappointed about the "glittery" approach. But still, it was a nice enough read for a 12 year old.

Now I'm 20, and I'm no less interested in all kinds of creatures. When I heard about Vampire Diaries from all my friends a while back, I dismissed it as another Twilight wannabe series that would eventually die out in popularity...but it didn't. It's just been renewed for its 5th season. I finally decided to give it a shot. My husband, being the peach he is, joined me in this endeavor. We have finished season 1 & 2. I was not disappointed. I'm a little late on the bandwagon, but I really like Vampire Diaries. It's a lot darker than you'd think a CW show would like to be, it's got a BELIEVABLE romance in it, a rich folklore of its own, excellent acting talent, and it keeps me hooked for the next episode.

Not every Zombie, Werewolf, Witch, Vampire flick/show/book/or comic is gonna be a hit. By now you're probably tired of sifting through the thousands of options. But if you're looking for a solid show that seldom disappoints, I recommend The Vampire Diaries.

Oh, in case you're interested, this is a list of all the "supernatural" shows I'm currently watching:

1. The Vampire Diaries (The CW) It's got Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, and who knows what else.
2. The Walking Dead (AMC) Zombies and crazy ass people.
3. Grimm (NBC) Creatures hiding as humans only Grimms can see. Also a good cop show.
4. True Blood (HBO) It's got naked humans, witches, vampires, werewolves, faeries, and southern accents. Although, the main character Sookie has this gap between her teeth...look it up.
5. Being Human (SyFy) It's about a Vampire, Werewolf, and Ghost being roommates. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, I know, but it's really very good.

You know why I watch Vampire Diaries, right?

When Did I Stop Sleeping?

That's a bit of a loaded question, considering the start of this blog was done in a fit of insomnia. Can I tell you something personal? I love sleeping. There was a time not too long ago all I did in my free time was sleep. Hours and hours and hours of sleep. I let more than half the day go by. You know what? I enjoyed it more than being awake. I could create more interesting, interactive, and meaningful scenarios in my dreams that I could hope to achieve in my waking life.

Then, something happened. I met a boy who gave me a reason to stay awake. I'm now married to this man. Then an obstacle came up. I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't anymore. I had violent nightmares, flashing disturbing images, and haunting voices. I divulged my concerns to my doctor, and she gave me pills. I then had no trouble going to sleep, and I did it at a pretty acceptable time.

I find I still sleep way more than I should. I take "cat naps". I nap during the day. Then, when nighttime comes, I stay awake hours, if not the whole night. I read news from the day, I watch movies, I read, or I find another 100 ways to occupy those late night hours. Well, other than watching my husband sleep.

I'm either sleeping too much, or awake too much. Polarized is not what I'd call healthy, but it is my normal. Do you have a normal sleep schedule? Do you cling while sleep attempts to drag you away? I never cling. I'm a willing abductie.

When Did I Get Such a Handsome Husband?

HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY TO MY HUSBAND, JAMES!

(Yes, this IS my handy work, thank you very much.)

GOOD NEWS: My husband is the most attractive, intelligent, and caring man I know. He's been there for me since the day I met him, and he seems to only be getting better as time goes on. He's been working tirelessly for 9 months now to get into the Navy. He got a great ASVAB test score, has done all his paperwork, and lost about 50 lbs in total.

Tuesday we were told we were almost at the end of the journey. All he had to do was stay at a hotel Wednesday night, Thursday morning he'd have his official physical, and the same day he could sign his contract for the rating he wants.

BAD NEWS: His Navy Recruiting Office seems to not give a damn about their job. Just before they were about to take my husband to the hotel, the Head Officer decided to measure James 1 more time. He claims James had "shrunk 3 inches" since the last time his height was measured. In fact, for months, they had been telling us James was 6 feet tall. Now they came up with 5 foot 10 inches. That means he'd have to lose another 24 lbs before he could finish his process.

I'm frustrated because my husband has done everything these people asked for, and now they are the ones who have so immensely screwed up. Now my husband has to be the one to pay for it? Our bad, we can't even use our equipment to measure height correctly, but just lose another 24 lbs.

I never want us to be as disappointed as  we were today. We're still trying to collect ourselves.

MORE GOOD NEWS: Since James was home, I decided "Screw It!" and made him a bunch of cupcakes and cake. If he was gonna be home on his birthday, well we were gonna have sweets. He could only have 2 cupcakes, but it's more dessert than he's had in forever. His face made me forget the utter craziness of the day. I love you James.

When Did I Get Such a Weird Gecko?

This is Kakushi. His name means 'hidden' in Japanese. He's a Leopard Gecko. 

We've had him a little more than half a year now. His favorite place to sleep is inside this decorative version of a Japanese Stone Lantern. In the beginning, with Kakushi being so small, I wasn't worried about him getting in or out. Now, he's grown a bit. Mind you, he can fit inside it perfectly, he just chose this particular time to stick his head out while sleeping. We have 3 other Leopard Geckos, but they are female, so Kakushi has a bachelor pad of sorts.

In unrelated news, my husband James went into the recruiter office today for some measuring. Tomorrow (His birthday) he'll stay at a hotel, and Thursday morning he'll get his official physical. Then if everything checks out, he'll be able to sign a contract the same day. Big progress!

When Did I Start Liking Mondays?

Mondays get a pretty bad rap. "Ugh, first day of work." or "Crap, back to school." But is any of that REALLY Mondays fault? Did it ASK to be the beginning of the “work week”? Did it ask to be that hellish day we have to go back to school? Nope. It didn’t. So I think we should apologize to Monday about all the flack we give it our entire lives.

Why am I making peace with Monday, you ask? Well I'll tell you! I'll tell the whole world!

Yes, that all hated day, Monday, I will not be working. I just received my new work schedule. Not a Monday in sight! What will I do with all the free time? Probably sleep...BUT WHO CARES!?

When Did I Start A Blog?

Funny you should ask. I started a blog around 5:00 am on a Sunday because I'd already Queued 35 films on Netflix and had absolutely no intention of watching any at the moment. Okay, yes there are other reasons I've wanted to start a blog, but starting one for no real reason seems like a perfect way to begin. Nowhere to go but up.

Proper introductions are in order. My name is Adela. I turned 20 about a month ago and I'm feeling a little...lost? Is that the right word? I mean, I should feel lost at 20. On my birthday, I remember thinking "When did I get here?" I just got married a few months ago to my high school sweetheart, James. He is turning 23 in a few days and is in the process of joining the Navy.

And up comes another reason I want a blog. I'll admit, I'm afraid I'll be terribly lonely with all the time apart I'll have from my husband. How does a blog help, you ask? Just get a puppy? I don't think I have any more room...I own 4 leopard geckos, a corn snake, and a chihuahua that could out eat a football team. I think writing down what I'm doing every so often, catch little nuggets of thought, I'll reread it a few days later and think "See, you're not doing so bad, are you?"

For now, I think I'm going to eat some fruit roll-ups and watch one of my extensive choices a la Netflix Queue. "Rosemary's Baby" might not be a good idea.