I’m disappointed

I have to admit that I’m disappointed in the lack of #MonthLongCelebrationofGolden tweets I’m seeing on my twitter timeline. It’s like Golden and I are the only ones partaking in this wonderful event and that’s a damn shame. Maybe you guys don’t realize the awesomeness that is Golden. So I thought I’d share just a few of the things that make her so awesome.

1.     She’s very loving, I mean really once you get to know her you learn that she’s got a heart of gold. She’d literally do anything she can for the people around her. She loves to surprise people with little things that will make them smile from a surprise bag of fun before a trip to leaving bags of fun for strangers. She’s truly amazing that way.

2.     She’s loyal as hell. She will follow someone to the end of the earth if she believes in the cause/person enough and does not require her to put on pants.

3.     She’s very knowledgeable about many different types of things, which makes a conversation with her endlessly fascinating. From the latest geekery to religion, to movies and tv shows, oh and books she’s constantly reading and thus her brain just continues to fill with both useful and useless facts that she can bounce off people at will.

4.     She’s funny, like makes me fall out of my chair funny. The way she tells a story paints a picture in one’s head that as a wanna be writer I long to emulate but often fail to do so. It’s really the only thing about her that I truly hate and envy at the exact same time. The worst part is she doesn’t really work at it it’s completely organic.

5.     She’s creative as hell. As an artist she is able to see things that other people can’t even imagine but she can not only see it she makes it a reality.

6.     She’s great at her job, it’s not an easy job and frankly not even one I thought she’d be interested in but she’s very good at it. She treats the people she takes care of like humans something they don’t get often by people.

Golden is at this very moment thinking about doing a twitter give a way so that she can share the joy of her BIRTHMONTH with the world. How can you not love someone like that. Someone who literally wants to take her moment and make it special for someone else.

 

So I want each and every one of you to start flooding her timeline with funny pictures, notes wishing her a happy birthday, any and everything you think would make her smile and do it now cause May 31^st will be here soon and thus the end of her Birthmonth. We can’t have that day come without some fan fair.

 

Now follow Golden on twitter so that you can get in on her Birthmonth surprise cause trust me you are gonna want to be a part of that!

-Marcy

 

Lessons of a fangirl

I am a total Bizzaro, but I find it super weird that I am not an isolated incident. My parental units produced for me a younger brother, I'm not really sure why either but still it's happened and it produced two pretty awesome nieces so it's ok. Even though my brother and I share similar traits we are polar opposites! It has always fascinated me that he and I were raised in the same house, by the same parents, went to the same schools, had a lot of the same teachers, being only 3 years apart we even had friends in the same circles.

So how did we become such a study in black and white? What molded me into such a special fucking snowflake? 

We were allowed a lot if the same experiences but it's the way we respond to our experiences that began our different paths. Most of our responses are ingrained in us based on our teachings, likes, and our interests. And there lies our big differences. At some point mine and my brothers interests diverged and I....I took the fangirl path less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. (My apologies to Robert Frost). So while Ray (My brother who does have a name you know) chose normal more traditional interests, I fell into the fangirl life.
 

I fangirl most over tv shows, books, and movies, and when you submerge yourself in a lifestyle you take with you a few lessons along the way. What are some of them? Oh I'm so glad you asked I happen to have a list right here ....

§   Psych (tv show) taught me that having at least one really great friend can get you through anything

§   Doctor Who (tv show) taught me that it doesn't matter where you go, or when you go, or even sometimes who you go with, but that there is always an adventure to be had if you're willing to find it.

§   Scooby Doo (tv show) taught me that the only real monsters out there are people out for themselves, usually hiding behind costumes....working at carnivals

§   Horror movies (movies) taught me that sex kills. That running upstairs to hide gets you killed. That running into the basement gets you killed. Taking heels on a camping trip gets you killed. Having big tits and good hair gets you killed. Essentially just stop what you're doing, look around and realize only 1 of you is going to live.

§   Harry Potter (Book Series) taught me that no matter how unimportant we feel, we are always the heroes of our own stories

§   Shakespeare (Literature) taught me that it's a tragedy when everyone dies and young love never lasts, but that men dressed as women are always funny.

§   Star Wars (movies) taught me that you always need a good copilot when you travel. And even if nobody else understands, your best friend always knows what your saying. (C3PO & R2D2/Han & Chewie)

§   Kung fu movies (movies) taught me that with enough training, no matter how small you are, right will win over might.

§   Marvel (Comics and movies) taught me that even heroes can have a dark side and every villain has the potential to be heroic.

§   1970s Blaxploitation movies (movies) taught me to damn the man and fight the power!

§   Godzilla movies (movies) taught me that even though people may not like you because your ugly, loud and constantly tearing shit up, you just keep on being you and maintain the earthly balance. Also try not to stomp on too many villagers in the process.

§   Quentin Tarantino films (movies) taught me that it is impossible to overuse the word "fuck".

§   The Muppets (tv show and movies) taught me that although we may all be bizzare and we all have our own kinks (A pig and a frog? Gonzo and his seduction of chickens?), we can all come together with a semi famous guest star to create a beautiful song and dance!

§   Zombie (movies and tv shows) have taught me that some are fast and some are slow (I prefer the slow) but that usually trying to hold up in a mall never works.

§   Calvin & Hobbes (Comic books) taught me that to give a voice to the voiceless improves each and everyday. And that you should never get between a stuffed tiger and a can of tuna.

Ok..... So some of these lessons I've learned are practical some are not, I admit that. But knowing what I do, I could probably kung fu my way through a zombie apocalypse better than my brother and that makes me the better sibling. So I win. And in the end, kicking my little brothers ass is what matters.

Golden (@theonlygolden) 

2015 New Year’s Resolutions

HAPPY 2015!!!!!! It’s here … a new year, a new calendar on the wall, a time to reflect and prepare for the next 365 days. So …. Here’s my obligatory New Year’s Resolution post. I don’t normally “do” New Year Resolutions cause all it really becomes is a list of shit I didn’t accomplish. This is because I always put things on it that just frankly don’t pan out. Losing weight, traveling more, relax more … that kind of crap just doesn’t pan out for me. It’s not that I don’t want to do those things they just don’t end up happening, so this year I’m going with things I can actually accomplish. . . .

1.     I want to read more…new books, old books, digital books…. Just books in general. This will definitely be helped as the sequel to Game.Set.Match by JenniferIacopelli called Losing at Love which should come out very soon. The series focuses on an elite group of tennis players at the Outer Banks Tennis Academy and their lives on and off the court and especially how those two worlds collide more than they would like. I can’t wait to find out what happens to these characters next! If you are looking for something to read I can't recommend Game.Set.Match enough, especially if you are a Tennis fan but honestly a non-tennis fan will love it as well!

2.     I want to see more movies in the theater. I’m horrible about seeing something and wanting to see it but then never thinking about it again. I don’t like to go to movies alone and with Golden so far away I’m going to have to find others to sit next to me while I eat delicious popcorn. I’m starting this weekend by going to see Into the Woods with a friend of mine at the Crescent Theater here. An old school theater with a single screen which is a great atmosphere. So check! :D

3.     I want to procrastinate less. Mostly so I’m not spending my entire weekends catching up on things that I should have accomplished days before.

4.     I want to write more. Not just write but actually finish a story and be proud of it.

5.     I do want to lose weight cause I think it will help my knee from deciding at random intervals to stop being a knee. There are times that I am walking along then all of the sudden it buckles and I’m not so much walking as wishing for death. I know that my weight doesn’t help this however I also really like food.

6.     I’d like to travel more, even if it’s just to Birmingham to see Golden. On the bucket list include… New York, Atlanta (maybe for DragonCon), New Orleans, Los Angeles is a long shot I know.

7.     I want the people in my life to have better health in 2015, from my friend still battling breast cancer, or my other friend who has beaten Leukemia (knock on wood), to my “Medical Marvel” I hope my friends have better luck health wise in 2015.

8.     I want to spend more time with my nephews, quality time not just sitting and watching them play sports. I miss them and frankly it’s time life take a back seat while these boys still want me around.

9.     I want to take advantage of my vacation time more, even if it’s just a day or here and there for sanity purposes. This is actually necessary cause i'm soon going to be in that danger zone of use it or lose it and frankly losing vacation time is NOT something I believe in.

10.  TBD meaning I might add to this list as the year goes on ….

 So what are your plans for 2015 or are you more like Golden …

Happy New Year thanks for spending part of it with us!

Marcy

Thankfulness Challenge - Day 10

It is the weekend and I feel like it's the only time that I'm allowed to breathe at my own pace.

Breathe In….. with the good.

Breathe Out….. with the bad.
Repeat.

Not only are weekends important because they allow me the chance to go into emergency shut down and reboot my body and mind for the next week but this past weekend was extra special. Sunday was my mom’s birthday! My mom has done millions of mom things that have made me who I am today. Growing up I received rules and home training like others kids but my brother and I also had a list of rules that existed for literature. It's probably some of the best lessons that she passed on to her children and now she’s doing the same for her grandchildren. She instilled in us a sense of reverence when it comes to books and we were always encouraged to read. Most people find God behind the stained glass windows of a church, but I do most of my worshipping in the hushed tones and antique smells of a library.

So maybe it's not so surprising that reading has become one of my quick escape hatches from the real world, into the Inner Realm of Golden. I love it when I can get so lost in a book, that I experience a kind of culture shock. When I look up and realize that the world I'm reading about isn't the world that surrounds me. It can be sad to realize these people that you have invested such time, laughter and tears with aren't really even people but fictional characters. It can be especially heartbreaking if you have been with these friends through a series of books. It leaves you with a kind of literary hangover and you have to wait a while before you start another book to allow yourself time to heal.

My mom taught me that no matter what you think about a book, even if it is in direct opposition to your personal beliefs you do not destroy or throw away a book. That is someone's art. If it is offensive to your taste then pass it to someone else. Art forms are not mandated to be pleasing to all. This is a lesson I constantly find myself repeating to my niece as she grows.

So for this day I am thankful for books. I'm thankful that I have always been encouraged to read and that I have had access to books. I am thankful for the relief from reality that they have provided me throughout my life, thankful to my mom for passing on her passion of books and hell even to Levar Burton for his contribution to literacy in little Golden's life.

Golden's favorite books, you know those that help me checkout of reality include ...

1. To Kill A Mockingbird -Harper Lee

2. Harry Potter Series -JK Rowling
3. Shadow Hunters series -Cassandra Clare
4. Much Ado About Nothing -William Shakespeare
5. Calvin & Hobbes comics -Bill Watterson
6. The Princess Bride -William Goldman
7. Wicked -Gregory McGuire

These are books that I could, and often do, read repeatedly. Maybe if you are looking for book-cation™ from reality you can check one of these out and transport yourself to another place, time, and reality.

The bottom line is put down the remote, put down the cell phone and READ it does a body and mind good!

-golden (@theonlygolden)

It’s Friday …. Is it too late for a nap!

I have always understood the phrase “Thank God It’s Friday” but never really said it, cause while I love Friday it’s a fun day but it’s also a reminder that in two days the work week begins. Not to mention that weekends have become this never ending stress ball of things to do, people to see, and things to clean. We only have two days and I don’t want to spend one of them running all over town especially when I know the other is going to require at least half a day at church. I don’t like thinking about the fact my weekend is already spent before it even begins, especially this week. As I’ve said it’s been a long week, a good week, a productive week, a successful week, but yes a long week none the less.

Yesterday at this time I was sitting in a hotel room with 6 guys starring at a wall with some text on it. Yeah you might have been expecting something a little more exciting … 6 dudes and a chick in a hotel room and all … but yeah my life is not that exciting. At noon yesterday I was informed that I would need to travel with some coworkers to finalize a presentation to a client. Mostly they wanted someone who could get copies printed/bound as leave behinds. We worked until about 11:30 and I think I fell asleep around 1. I was so stressed about over sleeping that I woke up several times during the night and now all of that is catching up with me. It was a quick trip, overnight and it included a casino. Sadly I didn’t even spend a quarter, which I’m pretty sure is or at least should be illegal. One simply shouldn’t walk into a casino and not play; I mean I should have at least threw a quarter in a slot machine so I could hold my head up high around my fellow gamblers. It was a quick trip but it literally zapped me from any energy I had left in the tank for this week. The guys came back today (long after I did) and they all said the presentation went well and they appreciated everything I did, which is always nice to hear. So fingers crossed it went as well as they hoped and we get some good news soon!

So now it’s Friday night, I’ve watched 3 episodes of Good Eats, and I’m struggling to stay awake at 8:30pm, though no fault of Alton Brown who is an awesome and amazing man, even if he is also a little “Evilicious” and i'm pretty sure he's my elementary school principal just using a stage name.

What’s insane to me is that by 10 pm I’ll be wide awake and lay there until 1am wishing I could sleep, and right now I’m doing everything I can just to make it to 9…stupid second wind! My goal for this weekend is to clean my car. I have a planned road trip coming up (more on that soon!) and I like to start road trips with a clean car, even if at the end of the trip the car looks like Andy Dick on a 3 day bender. So while I sleep away most of my Saturday (ahhh the joy of not having a husband or kids) I hope you all have a nice safe Saturday and enjoy your weekend. (PS I’m two days away from making my goal of a post a day!!! I should come up with something fun to celebrate…..).

 

If you are a loyal reader (can you have a loyal reader on post 5? well if we do ... it's you and we appreciate you) you know Golden has also had a long week so i'm going to close with something that I hope will make her smile....