Traveling with a Medical Marvel

Dragon Con trip is nearly here. My bags are packed, electronics are being charged, it’s gonna be a fun couple of day but only if you plan correctly. As you know dear readers my partner in crime Golden is a true Medical Marvel and as such requires a little forethought on my part before we depart. 

There’s a few things I have learned over the years that I’d like to share with you all ….

A week before the trip I start taking an over the counter cold medicine in the mornings and sinus medicine in the evening, even when I’m not showing any symptoms. See a scratchy throat for me is just annoying for her it leads to a month long process that sometimes goes two or three months. Sometimes I’ll throw some other cocktail of pills in to the mix but have found those two tend to keep the nasty at bay, at least somewhat. It’s a Con… there’s gonna be Con Crud. The least I can do is attempt to keep my germs at home, or at the office.

I also make sure to pack lots of medicine such as Tylenol, sleep aids, over the counter pain pills, non-drosey sinus medicine, and even a pain relieving cream. We may not use any of those but the odds are at some point we’ll need at least one of those items. Golden travels with her own arsenal of pills but her’s are far more expensive and potent that mine and thus stay in the room under lock and key so my stuff is to solely get us back to the room for the good stuff.

Wet wipes are always a good idea. Especially if they have anti-bacterial stuff in them. Also Band-Aids. Sadly, for this trip my beloved glitter my little pony Band-Aids have finally run out and I couldn’t find any more so we are going with sesame street. Apparently, there is a new autistic character and this was one of the roll outs for said character. What ever they were still the cutest ones on the shelf cause I’m not wearing a princess Band-Aid nope not gonna do it ….. 😊 I mean little boys still get hurt right, where are my ninja turtles or even transformers, avengers, anything ? nope ok …. Sesame Street it is then. Sigh …. I’m grown people I don’t need Elmo on my boo boo. It’s a Con … there’s gonna be boo boos. 

Hand sanitizer is a must, a travel size bottle usually gets us through cause frankly we don’t really use it like we should but we carry it like the shield that it is. Ready for battle should we decide it’s necessary

We have not found that electrolyte packets or airborne type medicines do much for us. Mostly cause they are gross so we don’t want to take them. We bought them a few times thinking that we would but repacked an up-opened box each time. Ohhh the internet just revealed these come in gummies now … wonder how that would do soaked in vodka … I mean gummy bears in vodka are amazing …. Right?!

However, my most important job of this trip is knowing when to push her to keep going and knowing when to say ok it’s time we slow down, rest a bit then jump back out there. Cause Golden wants to do all the things, and will do all the things even if the next day she can’t move. It’s a 4 day Con people, gotta pace ourselves. People watching is a great time break activity. We find a spot and plant as we watch the people go by. Sometimes that’s also an excellent opportunity to go find food and refreshments.

So if you see us at Dragon Con and we look a little rough remember it’s a Con you are supposed to look a little rough and also being a medical marvel can be exhausting.

Marcy @beaslma

Golden @theonlygolden 

Into the Unknown

So tomorrow I’m getting on a plane to go to our Tampa office to help with a project. I’ve never really done that before and I’m not really sure what to expect. I mean I’ve been to other offices in a bid to try and get them to utilize a new piece of software but not to actually work on something with them. See we have a client who requires that our firm “prequalify” to do work with them and this year that office is taking that task over from me and my office. It probably should have been theirs from the beginning, but I won’t bore you with that. The point is they now want to “run the show” when it comes to this task and it was suggested I come “down to help them” since it’s their first time. I took this task over from a coworker when she retired about 5 years ago. So I’m not a novice but I wouldn’t call myself an expert either. 

 

Instead of spending last week preparing for this trip and these Prequals I spent it doing a submittal in literally 4 days. Technically I did the submittal in a day and they ignored it for 2 then we finalized it on the 4^th day. I spent the week before that helping another office with their submittal while finishing up another submittal that was mine. Last week I also got another draft out that’s due the week after I return but we also have a holiday in which I plan to do not a damn thing and then at the end of that week I’M GOING TO SEE GOLDEN OR I’M GOING TO GO INSANE AND START FLICKING PEOPLE IN THE EAR! I’ll start with the Ear then flick other things should the need dictate. Either way I’m going, and people just need to be ok with it. I digress…I think that submittal is in good shape which is good cause it’s going to need to be sent out early. There’s another one that my boss will need to finalize and submit while I’m going but we don’t have a snowballs chance in haties of getting but I sent out the 2^nd draft of that one on Friday so it is in good shape too. My boss might feel differently but that’s his problem now ha! 

My point….i haven’t just been siting on my duff.

My second point …. At this point in the month we have typically spent about 3-4 weeks working on this prequal project. 

My fear is that the office is waiting on me to get there to START anything and that’s just not going to fly. They want to run this thing so I’m going to let them, we’ll see how it all shakes out in the end. The good news is that we have enough people that if we don’t add anything we are still a-ok in our pre-qualifications, so that’s taken some of my stress away but for the last few years we have picked a category and focused on it to “beef up” and that’s not happening this year. A lot of things at my place of business is changing and it gives me a great deal of anxiety … the not knowing the plan stuff. In the past I’ve also not really known the plan but I was too dumb to realize it. I liked those days. These days where I know there’s something going on but there’s nothing I can do about it stresses me like you’ll never know. The next year and a half will be a big eye opener for me and several of my coworkers …. Even if they don’t know that yet.

I spent today doing laundry and packing and getting ready to go on this trip. I’m going to try and enjoy it. I like the people I’m going to work with. They want to take me to dinner Monday night which is nice. I don’t really need them to babysit me all week so I hope after that we all just chill after work and not necessarily together. I’m used to working 7:30-6pm but I don’t know what their work days look like. Do they work through lunch ? Do they go to lunch? Will I be expected to go with every day? I mean I might need some getting away and dealing with my anxiety so I can walk back in to the office for the rest of the day. Lots of unknowns for the week ahead. I am taking my head phones and a charger for my phone cause when I need to I’ll just plug in, check out, put my head down and get to work. At the end of the day that’s what I’m best at.

I’m also kind of excited to get out of the office for a while. I’ve never been to Tampa before I wish I had a little more “play time” to wander around and see what the place is all about but I don’t think I’ll have a lot of play time. I do get in pretty early tomorrow (Sunday) but I won’t have a car. Thankfully god created Uber for that reason. I hope to explore some tomorrow if nothing else I’ll need to venture out for food. I’d like to stop at a wallgreens or CVS and get rations of the week, drinks snacks etc, but I think I’ll wait on that for when I have the car Monday night. 

 

It will be a fun week, and the mantra will be as soon as it’s done I can start planning my trip to see Golden cause she and I are going to see her soulmate Godzilla and I will actually be spending her actual Birthday with her, something I haven’t done in years cause I usually take advantage of the holiday but this year I’m going for her actual birthday and I’m super excited. I see really stupid stuff in her future, we’ll see if I can pull it off.

Wonder what kind of cake she wants? I like chocolate so yeah that’s likely what’s going to happen cause it’s about me as much as her right?! 

Oh hey, while I’m at it … check out my super awesome Cousin Ryan Bergenty and his NASCAR blog via Yankee Racer, he’s the Car Chief for the #1 car (see dude on far right above)… which just happens to be on my TV right now …. He’s a pretty good behind the scenes tell it like it is kind of guy. It’s a fun read so check it out. He married my cousin Ashley and they produced the cutest little person earlier this year. They are a cute little couple and I’m proud to call him family. She I’ve called family or years so I’m proud to say that too.

http://yankeeracer.com/category/ryan-bergenty/

That reminds me i still owe you guys a recap of my NC trip after I left the SMPS conference .... it's coming .... ha! :D 

Anyway … hope everyone is having a good week . . . . . what are your plans for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend?!

Marcy

@beaslma

SMPS SERC – Travel Day

 

So on Sunday I woke up earlier than normal, grabbed my bag, and headed to the airport for my first ever SMPS SERC (Society for Marketing Professional Services Southeast Regional Conference). Last year my boss got to go in Atlanta and this year is my turn. As I walked out the door the handle on my bag broke and I thought well aint that a bitch. I hoped it was not an omen for the trip. I soldiered on cause I wasn’t repacking that bag into another bag at that point. I mean come on bag that wasn’t cool at all. 

The plane ride was uneventful which is just how I like em. It was my first time traveling American Airlines and no I wasn’t in the 737, I checked that last week. The plane however seemed really really really small. Like stupid small.  I’m usually a Delta girl, I like the brand, the people are always friendly and I just feel comfortable in their planes. However upon booking this flight I realized that my connection in Atlanta to Charlotte (cause you can’t do anything with Delta without it involving Atlanta) would have been taking off in Atlanta at the same thing that American would have been putting my luggage on the carousel for me to pick it up in Charlotte. AKA this time a direct flight won.

Upon arriving in Charlotte I went to find my rental car, another first for me, I chose Avis instead of Hurts my usual go to. Why did I choose Avis …. Cause one that’s what American Airlines was affiliated with, two I was able to get the car I wanted. See dear reader I’m in the process of thinking about my next car. My current Sonata is about 6 years old and while I’m like it to last a few more years I’m starting the process of thinking about it now. I’m ready for something different. I’m thinking Hyundai Kona (cause I love the look of it and the fact it’s kind of a newer car), but have also looked at the Santa Fe (I’d like to stay in the Hyundai family. I’ve also thought about the Honda CRV as an option. So I’m using this trip as a “test drive” of a vehicle of this type. I ended up renting a Hyundai Santa Fe. I do like the car, I liked the way it drove. I spend 90% of my time in my car alone so it’s hard for me to justify a car like this but I think I’m past just having a sedan. I do need to make sure mom could climb into it.  My conference is in Asheville, NC but I have friends who live in Charlotte, NC. So I’m going to spend a few days after the conference ends hanging out with them. I do kind of hate having to rent a car on Sunday so that I can use it Thursday and Friday it’s just chilling in the parking lot for a few days which seems like a waste. Oh well ….that’s adulting.

Upon arrival in Asheville, NC (about an hour and a half from Charlotte) I drove into the hotel resort and was blown away cause it’s kind of tucked away and like crossing a portal to another kind of world. The resort lobby was beautiful, the detail they put into the place was amazing. Walking up to the front desk the guy could have ben a little nicer but whatever maybe he was near the end of his shift ….whatever. He definitely could have told me how to get to my room with a little more detail but I’m sure he’s giving that speech a billion times and just doesn’t think the complex is very hard to navigate cause he does it daily. This resort has different areas that you could be staying it each with a fun different kind of name. However there are ZERO signs, I take that back there are signs but they are very hard to see. I finally found my room and realized that they spent the majority of their money on the lobby. The room is nice don’t get me wrong but this room could have been at any hotel. None of the charm or love that the lobby has was also utilized in the rooms.

At this point I was starving, it was after all close to 3pm and I hadn’t eaten anything yet. So I decided to jump back into the Santa Fe and drive around the area. I was disappointed. As beautiful as the complex around the resort is the area around it left some to be desired. I did make a stop at a local convenience store for some snacks and drinks for the next few days.

Day 1 was just a travel day. The actual conference starts Monday am with registration and some events in the afternoon. So I worked some on Sunday just to put my mind at ease. A few things I needed to get done so that others could do their part while I was around. This made me feel better about sleeping in Monday morning and just chilling a little bit. I think I might need professional help.

This is my first conference I’m looking forward to how it goes, I’m also looking forward to meeting some new people.

I’ll check in a few times this week to tell you how this is going for me …. Giving up Social Media and Soda for lent has been hard. I love getting an Icee on road trips, couldn’t. Just about every drink I like has soda in it. So no drinking. Every event talks to sharing this or that on Social Media. If you are interested they are asking people to use #SMPSSERC in any of their posts.

Marcy  @beaslma

DRAGON CON 2017

IT’S TIME!!!!!!

We have made the trek to Atlanta, we had minimal drama on the road, and have our badges in hand, and have checked into our A-MAZ-ING room, which happens to be within view of last year’s Dragon Con hotel, awkward. What this means for you dear reader is that DRAGON CON IS IN EFFECT. This is not a drill people, we have trained for this, we are ready….well after a nap. Once the nap is done we will be ready to roll.

On the way here we were immediately halted by a tractor driving down a 2-lane roadway in front of us. We couldn’t get around him so being the awesome person she is Golden yelled out the window for him to pull over which he did the first chance he got. So mad props to you sir. Then we were stuck behind some jerkoff in a Dodge, I have some previous PTSD trauma from a Dodge which I won’t bore you with here … I’m on vacay and don’t want to think about it. Once we got out from behind him it was smooth sailing until about an hour out of ATL when I-20 ground to a halt. Mad props to the CRV with DRAGON CON OR BUST written on their windows. I hope you got here safely.

First stop once we hit Atlanta was the parking garage near the Sheraton to stash the Hyundai while we went to get our badges. The line for the badges was smooth and awesome as always. For the last 4 years that’s been the easiest part of the Con. I can’t even imagine the amount of time and effort the volunteers put in for this event and I appreciate every single one of them. Give them a high five this weekend and remember most of the time they only hear the negative so throw some positivity their way too!

Our hotel is stupid big. Like for reals. The last member of our crew will be here this weekend and once she does she can bring like 40 people and we’d still have room for all the things. OK 40 might be a stretch but at least 3 or 4.

We are getting ready to head down to the Marriot for the Dragon Con countdown for those of you already here, come join us, it’s quite exciting when the countdown stars. If you are still traveling may you be safe.

Let’s have a great time this weekend !

Happy Con

Marcy  & Golden

#SayWhatMG

Nearly time for Dragon Con !!!!

It’s officially two weeks away from Dragon Con which starts Friday Sep. 1^st and runs through Monday Sep. 4th (AKA Labor Day Weekend).

Two weeks from now I’ll be wandering around downtown Atlanta looking for a place to put my awesome chair that Golden got me for Christmas/Birthday and people watch that is in the shade or better yet downwind from a very powerful air conditioner after watching the DragonCon parade lead Stan Lee, the 2017 Grand Marshall, through the hot and humid streets of well…downtown Atlanta.

Those of you not new to this Blog know of Golden and I traveling to Atlanta for the last few years to people watch, cosplay, and see all the pretty things and people that Dragon Con has to offer. Actually Dragon Con was the first thing featured after we started this blog so long ago. This is year 4 for us, tho I honestly don’t remember when we were not going. Golden is better at Cosplay than me, I like to blend into the wall and look at all the pretty. I can’t imagine people wanting to take my picture and also the aforementioned humid/hot weather makes a costume feel … well …… like a lot of freaking effort. See we are never lucky enough to be in a host hotel, no matter how hard we try, which means we either rely on Uber or the Dragon Con Shuttle buses and costumes just aren’t practical. That’s not to say Golden hasn’t made a good show of it over the years, but yeah I’ll just wear my jeans and nerdy shirts instead.

  

This year the forecast is showing 40% chance of rain but here in the south that could mean that it’s raining at the front of the hotel but not the back, or that it will not rain at all … really it’s a guessing game so put your jacket in your backpack and be prepared for anything. That’s the best advice I have for DragonCon. The first year we went, Golden had a plan, and written out schedules of things to do and we quickly became overwhelmed and did very little on the list. Do all the things, quickly changed to … well we can do that next year I guess. If you come with a plan it will quickly be destroyed, have a vague idea of what you’d like to do but remain flexible. That’s the best way to enjoy the Con with minimal stress … well except for in the tunnels between host hotels on a Saturday. On that day take extra anxiety meds and be prepared to be claustrophic, but know it will only be temporary. That’s not to say Panic Attacks aren’t a thing, and I’ve had more than my share at Dragon Con but find a corner, find a chair, get some water, breathe it out and then … get back out there. You only live once right?

So many fun things to do …. Just a few options are listed below:

·       Dragon Con Blood Drive: I encourage all my fellow Dragon Con members to give blood this year. I myself won’t be giving after passing out last year and face planting on the sidewalk (due in part to high blood pressure which hopefully is now in check after several doctor appointments and the insane heat that is Atlanta in late Aug/Sep) resulting in new glasses, a busted and bloody face, and a massive headache that lasted for days. Golden has insisted that I not give this year, as has my boss, the rest of our Con group, and well my family. I guess I’ll listen, but only cause I know others will step up in my absence … right?! Please and thank you. Give Blood… Save a life.

·       The Dragon Con Parade is a MUST view .. it’s a great way to see all the pretty in one place. It will take place Saturday Sep. 2^nd and start rolling at 10am. So either be in place by then or just stay your respective hotel and watch on TV (that’s what our lazy bones did last year – it wasn’t too bad). I had to admit being out there with everyone watching it all walk by just gives you a feeling of community like nothing else.

The parade begins at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Linden Avenue, then heads south on Peachtree, east (left) on Andrew Young International Boulevard and north (left) on Peachtree Center Avenue. It will end on Peachtree Center Avenue between John Portman Boulevard and Baker Street, in front of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Then everyone heads to the food court, like for reals the food court becomes as crowded as the crosswalk between hotels so be prepared to stand in line. There’s a lot of line standing but it’s typically worth it.

·       Fan Tracks: Check out the Dragon Con website for a list of fan tracks because they most definitely leave no one out. There’s a track for everyone. The Britttrack is celebrating 20 years of fun which includes a ton of “British” themed panels (Dr. Who, Sherlock, Harry Potter, music etc.,) each year we have attended the Yule Ball, which is always a good time. The first year of DragonCon we stumbled upon a Dr. Who panel discussion which was really interesting. Their schedule is tentatively posted here, cause everything is subject to change even as you start the last day of the Con. Another panel about cussing the British way is happening this year. It always makes for a fun time.  

·       The Hall of Fame is a great place to people watch. It’s located in the Marriott hotel in a bank of ballrooms and is the place for meet and greets (tho note that often they will have you line up else where and then march through the con with a guide to get your meet and greet on). That keeps the lines from blocking walkways and makes for interesting conversation as you wait in line. Ask Golden about the overzealous Pop Art guy we met while waiting to meet Felicia Day. The end result was that I’m not allowed to talk to people anymore. Ha! The times for the Hall of Fame are crazy weird …. And by that I mean the first year we went to Dragon Con it always seemed to be closed. Typically it’s open from about 10am – 5pm, sometimes later, sometimes earlier. It’s posted people look it up it’s definitely a must walk through area. Plus air condition. I tell you that air condition and chairs will become your new best friend at the Con. Trust me on that. For the entire list of featured guest click here.

People that I’m interested in seeing this year include (in no real order) Melanie Scrofano, Zachary Levi, Nathan Fillion, John Barrowman, Julie Benz, Jewel Staite, Matt Smith, Frank Conniff, William Shatner, Bill Corbett, Alton Brown, Don Rosa, Sean Gunn, Wallace Shawn, Tad Stones, John Cusack, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Nick Blood, Elizabeth Henstridge, Casper Van Dien. That’s just to name a few and Dragon Con is still announcing guests. My favorite part of the walk of fame is how artist, actors, actresses, writers, gamers, Puppetters just hanging out and they are all in one room just being awesome!!! I really love when voice actors are sitting there and bust into the characters on the poster behind them and I’m instantly 9 years old again in front of my TV reliving my childhood. It’s a fun feeling one I can’t wait to feel again. Also if any of the above have Social Media -- let's be real they all do -- follow them cause it's fun to see the Con through their eyes.

·       Good Eats Panel - This year … for some reason … Alton Brown is coming, which is totally cool and I’m thrilled about it but confused as well. I mean ok … he is a culinary geek and so he’ll fit in, plus he used to (may still) live in Atlanta so it makes sense but yeah weird too (which might be the very definition of Dragon Con now that I think about it). He’s doing a Panel in the Marriott Atrium Ballroom on Sunday at 4 (which means Golden and I might have to split off as she heads to the Wynonna Earp panel also happening Sunday afternoon). Alton is getting ready to do a Good Eats Reboot which makes this culinary fan so excited. I do hope he gets “W” to join him but Itchy or Twitchy, or his “neighbor chuck” would be fun too. Wonder what Elton is up too … and of course his mom (ABs sister whose name escapes me at the moment .. MARSHA! … so many possibilities I just hope the more recent version of Mr. Brown (Angry Alton from Cutthroat Kitchen) stays away tho BA might be fun.  

·       The Dragon Con Comics and Pop Art Alley is always fun and located near the Vendor Hall. Among the Con goers there are artist of plenty that show up to display their illustrations, sculptures, paintings and it’s fun to see these artist and their points of view on the world around us. Look for it it’s worth the effort to find.

·       If all that were not enough there’s a freaking arcade guys ….. like old school arcade games we all grew up with wishing we had one more quarter, as well as board games and other gaming rooms to enjoy!!!!

I haven’t started packing yet, well mentally I’m making the list of the things I’ll need, chargers for all the electronic things, hotel reservation printouts, my Dragon Con post card, a jacket, a hat, the lap top, headphones, MP3 player (for night time when I NEED sleep but can’t shut off the Con goers in the hallways) bathroom stuff, geek t-shirts, my Dragon Con post card, my camera, cards for the camera, flash drives, my dragon con post card, power strips for the hotel, comfortable shoes, money, and of course my Dragon Con post card, but haven't put a single thing in a bag yet. Seriously don’t forget the post card, I can’t STRESS that enough.

I should start napping now to prepare my body for the Con, tho every year long about Sunday the Dragon Con Coma hits me and hits me hard, it never fails. I am ok with that as long as the Con Crud stays well away from my crew this year, but it never does. Ha!

How about a Dragon Con roll call ... if you will be in Atlanta hit us up so if we should see you we can give you a high five. I might even let you borrow my chair ... insert your laugh here ... get your own chair!

Stay safe out there and let’s have fun and not add to the death toll tally that GDOT seems to think needs to be across the interstate - no that's not stressful at all GDOT ... really it's not ... totes is. 

Marcy @beaslma

Golden @theonlygolden

#SayWhatMG

Random Thoughts

So it’s been a while since I posted and it’s not that I haven’t been thinking of you guys or wanting to post but it’s just …. I have so many things I want to write about that all of it ends up a jumbled mess in my head … this happens on occasion and I have decided it’s time for another random thought’s post so that I can think like a normal human being again.

Adulting

I’ve talked a few times on this blog about being an adult and how I try so very hard to not be an adult however I am one. I went on vacation last week to the beach. On my way home from the office on my last day of work before my trip I stopped at the local liquor store to buy supplies. Upon getting home some 4 days later I was unpacking to realize I NEVER OPENED MY SUPPLIES. However that didn’t bother me as much as it hit me that I didn’t even think about opening my supplies. Like really? That bottle is still in the brown paper sack I took it home from the store in. That’s messed up on so many levels. If that weren’t enough, tomorrow we get a new employee and my boss will be at another office so I get the job of showing her around the office, getting her hooked up with HR, telling her what we do, and showing her where she can find things. Like I’m the 2^nd in command. Which I guess I was aware of but now it seems more official. That sounds like a job for a grown up …. Am I that person?! When did that happen? That sounds so …. Responsible.

DragonCon/Cosplay

So it is July …. You know what that means … it’s time for that all important decision …. To Cosplay or not Cosplay and why is that so hard for me? I always think of these ideas and then decide they are dumb or no one would get them or I’d never be able to do them justice so I decide not to do them. Then I get to DragonCon and boom there’s the costumes that I thought about or I’m reminded that everything is fair game at DragonCon. It is not uncommon to see amazing cosplay, as well as mediocre cosplay and blow your mind cosplay and it’s all ok. Last year I saw several Quail Man costumes, something I thought about then decided no one would remember or get it. This year I’m thinking about Daria from MTV days when you know MTV showed music and only a few other programs. I also thought about something that will allow me to use my new awesome chair Golden got me for my birthday/Christmas. I also thought about Jeanette Miller from the Chipmunks. I can totally pull that off nerdy girl who loves books.  However I know me, I’ll make all these plans, get up there and chicken out. I like to blend into the wall and in costume that’s not really what it’s about. Golden’s better at this Cosplay thing than I am. She’s better at a lot of things than I am but I don’t want to give her a big head. Maybe as DragonCon nears I can get Golden back on this blog … what do you say @theonlygolden ?

Travel and fun with Friends

As part of my New Year’s Resolutions at the end of 2016 I wanted to travel more, and spend more time with friends. So far I’m making good on that promise. Earlier this year with my friend Christina and I made the trip to Auburn for the weekend and traveling with her is always an adventure and fun. Of course I went to Birmingham in May for Golden’s birthday and got to hang with her and Marible. I just returned from a trip to nearby Orange Beach to see Journey with my friend Katie, at the end of Aug/Sep we will be going to DragonCon with Golden, in November I’m also going to Disney with Golden, and today I added to my itinerary with a tip to Nashville in October with my friend Christina to see Ed Sheeran for whom I've gone straight stupid for. I’m super excited about this trip. It’s been a while since I went to a full on concert in an arena and we have awesome seats. I am fighting my fear of the world by going out and about and putting myself into situations that normally make me nervous and scared. I have decided we are all going to die someday, I might as well be happy while I’m here and not have regrets, well not have a lot of regrets anyway. Besides fear of the unknown is no fun ... right. Now I just need to work on the writing thing.

Prayers for this nation and yes even this President

I’ve thought on several occasions about writing an open letter to our current sitting President but know he’d never see it, even if someone could read it to him, so I think it’s a giant waste of my time. However, every time his orange ass is on my TV or in an article I’m reading I am once again reminded of the point of letter. For full disclosure, I didn’t vote for him, I don’t care for him, but he’s what I have ended up with. That being said I need him to succeed and before you all grab the pitch forks and for a riot let me explain. If he can pull this off then the idea that anyone can be president lives on. Granted that person has to have money and there are limitations on who can and can’t be president but if he tanks it, and it looks like he’s going too, then for the rest of our lives anytime someone “outside of the box” runs for office they will point to his big orange ass to explain why that’s a bad idea. It’s not a Republican VS Democrat thing it’s a human vs human thing. Let me also add that I trust Trump far more than Pence and if the powers that be that are trying to impeach Trump win then we end up with Pence and I’m not sure that’s a world I want to live in. So I need everyone to relax and let’s see what this dumbass can accomplish before you know he nukes us all into non-existence.

Social Media/Elevation of the current rhetoric  
As some of you may or may not know during Lent this past year I gave up social media in general. No twitter, no facebook, no Instagram, no notifications, all I kept going was e-mail. It was everything I dreamed that it could be. It’s been about 4 months and part of me wants to go back. I purged a lot of my “follow” list when I got back on all my social media platforms and I definitely don’t use it like I did before the “break” but there are days where it’s still too much bullshitting and this person bitching about this and that person bitching about that and these guys over here wanting to bitch about something else and the others complaining that no one gives a shit about what they want to bitch about. Here’s the thing… it’s a giant world out there and we are all allowed to have different opinions the issue is when we completely dismiss the difference of opinion simply because it’s not mine. That being said the way we dismiss one another also upsets me. While in college I took a Rhetoric class and I remember telling the teacher that I thought people were being too sensitive about it, sometimes a writer talking about a dog is just that a dog. I want to go an apologize to that teacher now. I’m witnessing it first hand on a daily basis. it’s not that we have intelligent arguments that could sway the person being talked to, no that might make too much sense. Instead we use juvenile name calling and hastags to belittle and attack one another and then those same people bitch because our President is doing the same thing on a daily basis. Our children are watching people, well not my children cause I don’t have any but my nephews for sure. They see us acting like childish bullies on the internet and then we wonder why they are doing the same. Let’s elevate the conversation or not have it at all. It starts with us and Social Media is key to this change.  

I’m sure there are more but for now this is enough …. Thank you for letting me have my brain back.

Marcy

@beaslma

Visiting Golden .. Missing Golden …. VBS

This time last week I had made the 4 hour drive (that I can make in 3 …. Beating my GPS estimated time is my favorite thing to do …. Just saying) to Golden’s house for the final part of the #MonthLongCelebrationofGolden a hang in person with one of my favorite people on this planet. One of the best parts of the trip was finally getting to meet my new fur-niece Mighty, whom I’m not convinced knows her name but is still pretty freaking adorable.

I mean really … look at her … how would you yell at her? Golden and I haven’t figured it out yet cause you tell her something and she looks at you like a little stuffed animal and suddenly you forget why you are angry …. That’s her super power.

Last Friday we met up with Marible and got some dinner, some adult beverages, and saw Guardian’s of the Galaxy Volume 2. I admit I enjoyed the 2^nd one better than the first but I don’t know that either are movies I want to watch over and over again. My favorite part is the beginning of the movie where Baby Groot (possibly a close 2^nd to the cutest thing on the planet – of course Mighty is #1 in that category) dances around without any care in the world while everyone tries to keep him from dying.

That’s actually in the first 10 minutes so there you go read into that what you want. Then we came back to Golden’s where Marible left her phone in my car which led to the stupidest moment of my life. I found Marible’s phone and immediately said “You need to call her and tell her we have her phone!” Golden looked at me and said… “Really?!” I was like, “yeah I don’t have her number!” she looks at me and says “think about this for a second….” I will not disclose how long it took me to understand why none of this made sense. It was funny that Golden then tweeted Marible to tell her we had the phone and we also called her dad. She eventually came back and we gave her the phone and the problem was solved but I felt like a major idiot. It was not my best moment.

Then on Saturday at the crack of dawn we got up for the Annual trip to the Birmingham Zoo. A Birthday tradition for Golden, one that I’m happy to be a part of even if it was crazy hot. We got to ride the train, see all the animals, spend time with the family, and have a nice relaxing day getting some exercise. It was a fun day, a LONG day but a fun one. I think we were both asleep by 9. We are not nearly as young as we used to be. Sunday we did a whole lot of nothing and it was everything I’ve ever dreamed that it  could be. We watched Dr. Strange, a movie I hadn’t seen before but wanted to. Then watched several episodes of Wynonna Earp which I liked by was really taken aback by  how careless she was with her “peacemaker” when it’s the one thing between her and well her being dead. I can see myself watching the upcoming season, I’ll need to watch the rest of last season but I think it’s one of those shows that I’d be ok if I didn’t get to watch the episodes I’ve missed.

On Monday we had breakfast with Golden’s parents before I headed south. Leaving is always hard not cause she and I don’t talk throughout the week but because I don’t get up there nearly as much as I should not to mention that drive home. While I can do it in 3 it’s still a lllooonnnngggg drive which eats up a good part of the day. Again, I ask ... where the hell is my portal to other places science … I mean seriously get on that … what are you even working on!!!!!

So that was my Memorial Day weekend …. It was a good weekend but this “short week” felt really long. Next on my agenda is getting ready for the Church’s Vacation Bible School in which yours truly will be leading the “science” section of the night. I’ll keep you posted as I start to prep for the 4 day event … I’ll admit I’m really nervious about it. I’ve participated in VBS before but never “led” a section of it. When we joined our new church I decided I was going to get more involved and so far that’s what I have done. I’m scared to death I’m going to make a fool out of myself. The theme however is “Super Heroes” so at least it’s an area I’m familiar with.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Marcy

Nerdcation is in effect!!!!!

So yesterday I drove to the meca that is Golden’s house and today we drove to the meca that is the Sheraton Hotel in Atlanta to pick up our Dragon Con badges, from there to the Hilton where we will call home for the next few days.

This is our third straight year to attend Dragon Con which turns 30 this year. That’s a milestone birthday and we are here to celebrate. Here’s watermelon vodka in the fridge, a Wonder Woman cup with my name on it and most important my best friend sitting on the other side of the room. This weekend is gonna be awesome.

We are chilling in the hotel, calming down our hearts from the drive here, I tell you driving in Atlanta is INSANE tho I admit I think it’s a combination of too many freaking exists and too many people not really knowing where they are going and then all of the sudden their exit is there and they have to get over causing a giant cluster*uck on the interstates of Georgia which apparently has had 954 people die, as of a few hours ago. This is something Georgia feels the need to advertise, I’m not sure why I guess they think we’ll see that number and think I need to be careful? We saw that number and thought what is wrong with you Georgia so they might want to rethink that campaign. It also did make me wonder if I get in a wreck on the interstate but then die at the hospital would I count?

Soon we will venture out into the world to find food and share in the awesomeness that is DragonCon fun we hope to be at the Marriott when midnight hits for the Dragon Con midnight countdown cause that was fun last year. Kind of a we made it to the Con celebration.

Once again Atlanta has all the things this weekend, football, business conventions, book festivals, hot air balloon festivals, a sound circus, all the things. Spread it out some Atlanta!!! The third member of our crew, Maribel will be her Saturday afternoon then our crew will be in full effect.   

If you are at Dragon Con hit us up …. @beaslma     @theonlygolden           Maribel

See yall soon!!!

Marcy

I don’t know what to say …… so here's random thoughts to get us through

I’ve written several blogs of late, then shit happens and I think we’ll a stupid blog about the Olympics, the Tony’s, music, really anything seems very inappropriate right now, I’ll wait. Then I’ll write something else while I’m killing time get ready to post it and another serious thing happens, looking at you Dallas, looking at you Baton Rouge, looking at you police, looking at you the people police are supposed to protect, looking at you Orlando, looking at you France, looking at you Rio, looking at you politics … just so much going on in the world that seems to deserve these words that I just can’t string together so I don’t post. Then inspiration hits me and yet again something happens that just makes me sit back in my chair and think …. Damn.

I don’t doubt that I possess the power to talk about these events but what can I say that’s different than what anyone else has already said? If I just state the same thoughts that everyone else is saying what’s the point? Especially when they are all saying it so much better than I could. I think part of the problem is that there’s too many people out there giving their opinion on what people should do, could do, and how things could and should be different if things were different. There’s a lot of anxiety and passion on all sides of these stories and I’m not wanting to diminish any of that passion and I’ve already talked about my anxiety of exactly what these event breed and represent. So I won’t go there again, you can click the link and read that again.

So I’m sitting here tonight thinking that my stupid posts about the Olympics, music, and other randomness that might take people’s minds off of the world which is becoming really scary and really stupid and I don’t wanna be a part of it anymore.

So ….. here goes … my random thoughts from the last few months that really are for no other reason than because I wrote them and well here they are. . . .

Olympics

We are heading into the home stretch in the Road to Rio, the trials have wrapped, the teams are set, bags are packed, and plane tickets are in hand as the greatest athlete’s around the world head to Rio to sort out whose the best of the best. I love the Olympics. I love the stories behind it. I love the drive of the athletes who have worked their entire lives for a single moment to change their lives. My favorite events are of course Gymnastics, the Diving competitions, the cycling events, Volleyball, Tennis, and some track and field. I get excited watching an unknown rise above the rest on the world’s largest stage. I also get excited when a veteran has one last shot at glory before riding off into the sunset.  My boss has already been put on alert that my phone will be on and I will be watching during the day, I’ll be tired from watching through the night what all I missed, and it’s going to be rough for a while but I’ll get my job done. It’s what I do. He’s aware and he understands, tho I’m not sure he really gets it. Have I mentioned I LOVE the Olympics.

The Olympics can also be really heart breaking. Already it has claimed it’s first victim. I was so excited with John Orozco was training for the Olympics after working his tail off to make the team and tore his ACL. He’s out. He was on the team in London and frankly it didn’t go well. He’s had one heck of a time of late losing his mom, having some other injuries of late but he needed to go back. To say London didn’t go well is just the biggest understatement. See to understand how bad it went he was the Simone Biles of the Men’s Gymnastic team back in London. He choked. The entire team did. It was their worst two days of gymnastics likely for some in their entire lives. Going to Rio was his redemption, was his way of saying that’s not the gymnast that I wanted to show the world. He was fantastic at the trials, he’s been fantastic at his last few meets, and now he has to sit on the sideline and watch his fellow teammates get on the plane. I cry for Orozco, I know there’s a reason this has happened, I know there’s a bigger plan for him, I just … I just can’t see that path right now. The man who is so into social media finally posted today and I cried again for a man that I’ve watched for years try to realize the dream that he’s had since he learned how to tumble and today he wrote that his Olympic dream will never be realized. I can’t imagine I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now, or what he does next. That’s the thing about the Olympics, when you walk away like a Michael Phelps it’s ok, but when the choice is taken from you that has to be brutal.

John Orozco Instagram

So see the Olympics gives and takes away. The drama has already started from Rio not being ready, to the quality of the water the athletes have to swim in, and the athlete’s haven’t even arrived yet. This Olympics is going to rock! August can’t get here fast enough.

DragonCon

It’s almost time for DragonCon, I received my progress report booklet last week and am very excited about the people on the list so far and look forward to more announcements as the 30^th year of DragonCon gets closer. Once again this is the time of the year where I think yeah ok I’ll start looking at or for a costume, then start seeing other Cons and the level of Cosplay out there and I know I can’t compete. For one if you aren’t in a host hotel, and we are not it’s a giant pain in the arse to get back and forth even on a shuttle bus. For another it’s Atlanta, in late August .. and frankly it’s hot enough out there in regular clothing much less all the paraphernalia that comes with cosplay. So I’m going to leave that up to Golden, I’ll just follow her around and make sure she doesn’t walk into traffic cause she can’t see out of her mask. Oh and this year we are staying at the hotel near the aquarium so I’m hoping a trip to the aquarium is in my future. Better yet I’m driving so yes… GOLDEN we are going to the aquarium. Get ready.

Travel

So this summer I had plans, I was going to take a few days off and do something fun with my nephews, I was going to go here…there…and yonder and really enjoy the summer. That hasn’t and didn’t happen. My nephews just got back from an amazing trip with my brother and his wife (basically his entire family went, not sure why I said it the way I did) to the grand canyon and back. It was a pretty epic road trip from the sounds of it, they made stops in Roswell, at the Alamo, hiked up and down the canyon (they arrived the day that lady fell off the ledge and died – turns out some hikers were passing her and she stepped back and just fell off the cliff. Can you imagine how that had to have felt. The earth is under you one second then not. I can’t even …. Shudder. They had a great time. I on the other hand have sat on my duff at work or at home and haven’t traveled…. I’ve had this desire to go to the beach and I’m not sure why. My body is soooo not beach ready, I’ve never really had a draw to have sand in all the areas but suddenly I’m feeling this need to hear the ocean and watch the waves. The sound of it, the look of it rolling … It relaxes me. I thought I had a trip planned to see a friend and do just that but we’ve postponed that to December. So once again the only travel I’ll do this summer is DragonCon. I guess I did take a few days last May for Golden’s Birthday but that feels like it was a million years ago. I used to travel a lot … what happened…. ? How do I get back to that? Where do I want to go? Who knows, I’m not even sure the destination is the goal at this point, but I’m also not sure what the point is if the destination doesn’t matter.

Missing Internet Friends

What do you do when an internet friend that you spend a ton of time talking to about your various interest and become such a part of your day or week that you get so used to them being there that when they suddenly are not it’s hard to handle? I had a friend that I talked to on the internet via twitter, we would DM and tell each other about our days, if I had a crappy day I’d talk to her about it, she’d give advice as an outside person who could be very objective or we’d have conversations about the entertainment industry and I would talk her through or try to explain the crazy that was going on in the United States.

She and I would have these amazing chats and debates and it would always teach me something and I MISS HER MORE THAN I SHOULD seeing as how I don’t really know her. For as much as she helped me I like to think I did the same with her, but who knows. She was a big fan of the Tour De France and seeing that it’s nearly over and not a single tweet about it has come from her account proves to me that she’s either left social media all together (tho I think she would have told me that, plus none of our mutual “friends” have heard from her either). So I can only assume the worst. I tried to look her up but haven’t found anything about her and it makes me super sad that she has just vanished. Her last post was last Dec. before that she and I both were at loose ends with work and life but would always touch base and say hi …. I’m afraid my friend is gone and I’m sad that I never got to say good bye and thank her for what she taught me and to tell her that her voice and our conversations of the last few months would have been welcoming and allowed me to process what’s going on around me better. She and I would have had a field day with the political environment taking over the US and the Brexit situation. Then again I’m also glad that she’s missing some of that cause I wish I could miss some of it, heck I wish I could miss ALL of it. I miss you so much @ireno9 and if you should ever see this, I hope that wherever you are you are finally at peace and resting well. I also hope someone is watching your two dogs.

So there you go, some random thoughts from Marcy that I felt the need to share they aren’t going to change the world, they might not even change your day but I posted and that’s something cause here of late I didn’t feel that I had anything worthy to say and getting past that was a big step for me. I have more to come, if only because I think we could all use a distraction in today’s crazy world.

Everyone stay safe out there,

HUGS

Marcy (@beaslma)

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