Quick Hits – February 2017

February was a busy month in the entertainment department for me.  With my staycation week, I was able to fit in a few more things than normal.  I chose to write reviews on the two movies I actually saw in the theater and the two books I liked the best of the ones I read this month.

Warning:  Although I tried not to delve into plots too deeply, there are potential spoilers in the reviews below.  Read at your own risk.

Movie:  A Dog’s Purpose (2016)

This movie relies on emotional ups and downs to make you feel like you have seen something profound, but really there was not much there.  The basic story is a dog who has been reincarnated multiple times trying to figure out what his “purpose” is.  Each death brings tears, and each life brings renewed joy.  I admit I cried during several of these transitions.  What comes between each transition are fairly normal snapshots of people’s and dogs’ lives.  The dog has an impact on the wellbeing of the people around him, but this is not exactly a new concept.  There is little connecting plot throughout the film other than the dog’s inner voice which occasionally spouts platitudes like “learn to just be”, and a rather forced plot twist to connect one of the earlier lives with one of the later lives.  This movie expertly manipulates your heartstrings, but the overall story is just not worth the time.

Book:  The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee (2016)

This book was fantastic.  I see it come up in the best books of the year lists all the time, and I have to agree it is worth the read.  Lilliet Berne is a famous soprano with a mysterious past.  She is approached by a novelist who is working with a composer on a new opera.  They want her to originate the title role, which would be a sought-after milestone in her career.  The only problem is the opera’s storyline is eerily similar to her own life story which she has carefully guarded except for a small group of loved ones.  She sets out to confront each of the four people who know it, telling us her story along the way.  Hers is a story of survival, including all the gritty details that come from that type of background.  I admired her, though maybe not necessarily liked her always.  The book is extremely long and written in extensive detail, but the end result is so beautiful I did not mind.  Her story was interesting on its own, but Alexander Chee colored it with operatic and French history which really cemented the narrative in its time.  It reminds me of older novels which are kept for the art in their words as much as the stories they actually tell.  Strangely it has also left me with a weird desire to see an opera and learn French, but still I would recommend this to literature enthusiasts.  It is a time commitment though to enjoy it as it deserves.

Movie:  La La Land (2017)

Everything about this movie attracted me to it.  Ryan Gosling, check.  Emma Stone, check.  Singing, check.  Dancing, check.  Romance, check.  Rave reviews, check.  How could I not go see it in the theater as soon as possible?  It is definitely one of the best movies that I have seen recently.  It reminds me of the old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, which I adore.  And yet the singing and dancing format does not seem dated or overly cheesy in this film.  Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone were perfectly cast, talented enough to pull off the roles but not so powerful in the singing/acting department to seem inauthentic in the slight awkwardness of the whole film.  The storyline is maybe a bit predictable as romantic comedies naturally are, but this is why I like them.  (Spoiler alert) I personally like the somewhat sad ending to the whole film.  Sometimes life does not always work the way we expect or want.  We have to make the best choices for ourselves and let the other pieces line up as they may.  It is enough to appreciate what was possible, even if it is not what ended up being in the end.  Overall, this was a lighthearted and fun movie.  I thought it was well done, and I really want to go see it again.

Book:  The Gentleman by Forrest Leo (2016)

This was refreshingly different than anything I have read in a while.  It is written in an old narrative style, complete with chapter titles that are a summary of the chapter content.  The Gentleman tells that story of a poet who accidently sells his wife to the devil, and his adventures trying to rescue her.  It is an absolutely ridiculous story, but it was so much fun.  It is written as the poet’s own factual narrative of the story, full of his own arrogantly bizarre observations about the events and other characters.  However, the narrative was edited for publication by the poet’s cousin who inserts his own footnotes with more humorous commentary on the story and the poet.  I laughed out loud through the whole thing.  Forrest Leo has a very well written book with an easy and humorous tale.  Its very nature made it a hard story to predict, something I am finding rare in today’s novels.  Do not take it too seriously, but have fun.  It is definitely worth a read.

Overflow:

Book:  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (2003) – Maybe. If you are 

     reading the whole series, you probably need this one too.  It is poorly written though.

Movie:  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) – Yes

Book:  The Muse by Jessie Burton (2016) – Yes

TV Series:  Supernatural:  Season 11 (2015-2016) – Yes. Amara is a much better nemesis than

     the last couple seasons.  Plus they have a couple really good monster of the week episodes

     this season.

Book:  The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (2016) – Yes.  It is easy to read and entertaining, 

     but a bit on the predictable side at least where it matters.

Movie:  Think Like a Man Too (2014) – Yes.

TV Series:  Enlightened:  Season 2 (2013) – Maybe.  Season 1 was better.  This one gets a bit

     more bogged down in the take down Abaddon storyline and focuses less on Amy’s personal 

     journey.

See you next week! 

Two Looks: February 2017

This is a new feature that I hope to post every other month.  Each time I will post two looks that I have put together from my current wardrobe.  My biggest motivator is to challenge myself to think more closely about how I dress.  While I think my look has improved over the last couple of years, I still tend to fall into the frumpy category sometimes.  I hope this will be a fun way to start learning to put together complete outfits that I am proud to share with others in a fashion blog.  Part of me also just wants to add my unique voice to the everyday person’s fashion conversation.  I become frustrated with fashion bloggers who seem to buy way more clothes than I do, spend much more money than I can (and I am not on a particularly strict budget), and feature clothing that is too young, too casual, and/or too formal for my life.  While I do expect to do a mix of clothing styles, it will likely be heavily weighted toward work clothes rather than casual or dressy since I spend 5 out 7 days in a professional office environment.

Disclaimer:  This is my first time ever attempting anything like this.  Therefore, I request that you please forgive the amateurish photo work below.  The lighting was bad.  The photographer (my husband) was not particularly enthusiastic about my request nor does he have much practice taking style shots.  My posing is equally awkward because I was uncomfortable being a model and unknowledgeable about how to best show off my outfits.  My hope is that with some practice we will get better with the photo work.

Look 1:  Basic Work Outfit

Sweater:  Worthington (several years old, probably bought at JC Penney) I chose this because it is long-sleeved, but thin enough that I can layer cardigans over it if needed in the office.

Skirt:  Roz & Ali (several years old, probably Dress Barn) I like the heavier material for winter, and the textured pattern was a nice break from the solids I normally wear.  This skirt hits right at my knees which is where I try to stay for office wear.

Boots:  Impo (last year, DSW) These are one of my favorite recent shoe purchases.  These are so cute, but I still find them comfortable enough to wear all day.

Jewelry:  Most of this is old, and I am not sure where it was purchased.  The earrings are a Christmas gift from my mom, but unfortunately I do not know the brand.  I tend to stay pretty minimalist with my jewelry.  It just feel overdone to wear statement pieces to the office.

Look 2:  Jeans Day Friday - This outfit makes me feel tall and beautiful.

Shirt:  Grace Elements (Gift from my Mom couple years ago, my guess is Macy's) I actually hated this when I opened it, but it has become one of my favorite pieces.  I love the uneven hemline and the artsy look to it.

Jeans:  St John’s Bay (JC Penney, http://www.jcpenney.com/st-johns-bay-back-flap-pocket-bootcut-jeans/prod.jump?ppId=pp5008130452&catId=cat100250096&deptId=dept20000013&urlState=/g/st-johns-bay-womens-jeans/N-bwo3xD1nopgwZ1z0nvau) I need to wear heels when I wear these, but I love the way they fit.

Boots:  Unisa (DSW, same boot in brown http://www.dsw.com/shoe/unisa+finli+bootie?prodId=363850) I love the strap detail on these.  Plus they are super comfortable.

Jewelry:  Again very basic items that I have owned for ages.

Other Information:

Hair:  Natural curl with John Frieda Curl Reviver Mousse

Face:  Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water, Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in Fair Bisque, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, Benefit Cosmetics Box o’Powder Blush in Dandelion, Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara in Black, LAQA & Co Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in The Boss Lady, and Lord & Berry Ultimate Lip Liner in Bare

What do you think?  I am open to styling suggestions if you have them.

See you next week!

Fitbit Not For Me

I have been wearing a Fitbit on my wrist almost non-stop for more than a year.  I have just made the decision to stop wearing it.  Here is a review of my usage of the gadget, and the reasons behind my decision to abandon it.  I wore the Fitbit Charge HR model.  My husband bought me it for Christmas last year, so I do not know exactly what he spent on it.  My research shows this model was selling for about $150, and now you can get it for about $100.

When I first opened my Fitbit, my reaction was unenthusiastic acceptance of wearing it for several months.  My husband has a habit of buying me electronic gadgets that I am usually not interested in using.  I had heard of Fitbits, and other fitness tracking devices, but I never really considered getting one for myself.  Although I go through periodic spurts of trying to be healthier, I am not much of a fitness enthusiast and the idea of counting my steps did not excite me.  However, I know he tries hard on these presents, so I usually make a good faith effort to use whatever the item is.

After a few months of using it, I actually started to like having it.  I first became fascinated by the sleep tracker.  Every morning I would pull up the Fitbit App on my phone so I could see how restful my sleep was the previous night.  It was the perfect proof for my complaints that I do not sleep well and that often I wake up in the middle of the night.  Over time, I used many of the applications available on the device.  Aside from the sleep tracker, my most commonly used were the step counter and the calorie counter.  For steps, I started my goal at 3000 steps a day and worked my way up to 6000.  I will even admit to pacing around my house late at night trying to hit my goal.  The calorie counter worked nice to keep track of how much food I was eating.  A lot of common foods were already loaded into the program, reducing the need for me to do much research.  I also liked that it would track my calories against an estimate of burned calories to help me determine how balanced my day was.

However, my enthusiasm began to fade as we neared the end of the year.  Once summer was over, it was harder for me to hit my 6000 steps and thus not as much fun.  I began to find the calorie counter to be time consuming.  While it was more convenient than online research, it was still a lot of effort to log every single thing I ate.  My sleep patterns never really improved, or even varied much, so looking at them lost its fun glow.  Additionally, after several months of daily use, my Fitbit started to show its wear.  The battery does not last as long as it did at first, and it has stopped telling me when it is getting low.  I find myself randomly wearing a dead Fitbit on an ever increasing basis.  The screen has cracked on the side.  The plastic strap has basically disintegrated.  I expect it to fall off my wrist any day now.  I think it is still under warranty, and I have considered getting a replacement, but I doubt ever I will.  The truth is, I just do not want to wear it any more.

Some Pros:  1) I do think it actually makes you more aware of your health.  It did improve my step count over the course of using it, and it did make me note how much junk I ate.  2) It was easy to set up and use.  I had no trouble initializing the watch and syncing it to the Fitbit App on my phone.  3) If you have friends also using Fitbits, you can connect over the device to encourage each other or compete against one another.

Some Cons:  1) It wore out too quickly.  I do not think I was particularly hard on it, but after a year of daily use it will not last much longer.  2) It was not completely accurate.  I often found it registering steps when I was talking with my hands and not registering steps when I was pushing a shopping cart.  Additionally, the calorie counter seemed to rely on input from users which resulted in some foods entered at multiple amounts.  I would then have to research it anyway if I wanted to be sure I picked the right one.  3) It was not the best fashion statement.  It looked like a bulky rubber fitness tracker on my wrist.  Plus I felt it limited my ability to wear other watches and jewelry on that wrist.

In the end, the Fitbit is just not a good fit for me right now.  It was an interesting experience to track all my activity for a while.  However, I am not that dedicated to putting forth the effort to maintain the amount of data needed to make it useful.  I would rather wear my regular watch, attempt a more consistent workout schedule, and work on making healthier food choices, all without tracking every move I make.

See you next week!

Straight Talk to the Snowflakes Out There

Millennials have a bad reputation for being whiny little “snowflakes”.  As a millennial myself, albeit on the oldest end of that group, I find this rather offensive.  And yet, I cannot disagree that to some extent we seem to have earned this reputation.  I hear from various corners of my life all the whining about how unfair life is and how if “X” would just happen everything would magically fix itself.  What I do not hear is people taking responsibility for their own success.

I do very much consider myself to be a success.  Am I the richest person, or the most famous, or the most talented?  Of course not, but I am very proud of what I have managed to do for myself.  Let me tell you a bit about my success story.  First, here is some background on my upbringing.  My dad is a high school graduate, no college education, unskilled blue collar worker.  My mother is a high school graduate, no college education, low pay administrative worker.  They made enough to pay their bills (or at least they would have if they had been better at financial management), but not much more.  I lived in a low income dying former steel city and graduated from its very poorly rated public school system.  I understand that there are many people starting from a much worse place, but my point is there was no silver spoon in my mouth.  Now where am I?  I have a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration.  At 34, I have so far had a great career where I have been promoted several times to the Accounting Supervisor role I now occupy.  I have several future career paths available to pursue as I desire.  I make much more than parents have ever done, and it is more than enough money to cover all my bills, save for retirement, save for emergencies, and have fun.  I may not be buying my own jet any time soon, but I can certainly relax, do what I want within reason, and not have to worry about anything.

My whole point is that life might not be fair.  Not everyone gets a million dollars at 18 to try to invent themselves.  This should not stop anyone from being successful though.  I made my own success by doing what was necessary to get myself there.  I took responsibility for my future, and because of that, I am able to reap the rewards.  Here are some truths that you have to recognize if you want to be like me and be successful in life.

Be realistic about your starting point.  It is necessary to acknowledge your starting point.  You have to be clear about where you are right now, where you want to go in life, and what you have to do to get there.  For example, I mentioned that I went to a terrible school.  I knew I did not want to stay in that town though, trapped in poverty and no opportunity.  I buckled down, learned what I could from the teachers who cared, got good grades, and did well on college placement exams, so I could get academic scholarships to go to college.  Wherever you are in life be honest.  What do you need to do better?  A GED?  AA Meetings?  Management training?  An attitude adjustment?  Now go make it happen.

Be honest about your abilities.  We have a whole bunch of special snowflakes out there who think they are the next best thing just waiting to be discovered.  But truthfully, are you really good enough to get that?  No matter how much we want to be, most of us are not going to be Carrie Underwood and become a multimillion dollar country star after a season of American Idol.  No matter how much we want to be, most of us are not going to be Mark Zuckerberg or Sidney Crosby or J.K. Rowling.  I wanted to be a ballerina, but honestly I am not flexible, I get dizzy when spinning too much, and quite frankly my boobs are too big to ever be a ballerina.  So be honest with yourself.  If you honestly think you have what it takes to be a superstar, then by all means find a way to get yourself in the spotlight.  If you do not though, it is much better to pick a solid, achievable Plan B for life and regulate the passion to hobby status.

Make tough choices about your priorities.  Sometimes you have to make choices in order to achieve what you want.  Few of us are lucky enough to have all of the options available to us whenever we want them.  Most of us have to determine where we want to spend our time and money in order to reach our ultimate goals.  I wanted to leave my horrible first job and move somewhere other than western PA.  I started saving my money with fervor so I could afford the transition to a new area.  I did not go out with my friends all the time.  I did not buy a lot of clothes, makeup, movie tickets, etc.  I did not do much traveling.  I knew that I needed to give myself the financial cushion to be able to make the leap I wanted to make comfortably.  What do you want to achieve?  What do you need to get there?  When you are faced with choices, think long term?  What is the best thing to do with your time and money now to get where you want to go?

Understand the concept of stepping stones.  It would be nice to always have the perfect life, the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect everything.  We cannot always jump from where we are now to that perfect place.  If you are the janitor, chances are you cannot expect to be the CEO next week.  If you currently live in a tiny bedroom rented off someone else, you probably cannot expect to purchase a McMansion by the ocean as your first house.  It is necessary to recognize that settling for less than perfect now might give you a step in the right direction to get you closer to that magical endpoint.  I personally would love to own a single family home with a good chunk of land somewhere away from the Northern Virginia traffic.  It really is not feasible right now.  Those houses are way more than I can afford anywhere remotely close to where I work.  So instead, I bought a three bedroom townhouse with an itsy bitsy yard.  I may not be living where I want right now, but I am slowly building equity knowing that down the road that can be rolled into something bigger and better.  It is OK to accept less than perfection, especially if it is better than what you have right now.

Define success in your own terms.  Last but not least, define success on your own terms.  I feel like I see so many people competing in their lives.  Everyone is shouting “see what I bought, see what I did, see where I went” trying to top each other’s experiences.  If you truly want these same things, then keep working toward them.  However, it is acceptable to step away from that all and invest your time, money, and effort into other things that will be more satisfying.  I constantly have to tell people who try to push me to keep climbing the corporate ladder that it is not what I want.  Many people love the idea of being in charge of it all, but not me.  I do not want the responsibility or the time commitment that comes with that type of role.  I understand that I may make less by remaining in lower level management or transitioning back to analytical roles or by changing to an academic path, but the money does not mean as much to me as finding something that makes me feel good about what I am doing and does not stress me out.  If you are happy being a poor, struggling artist, then do not let anyone tell you that it is not a worthy life to live.  If you want to be rich even if it means 80 hours of work a week, then do it.  It ties back to being honest about where you are, what you want, and what choices/steps do you have to make to get there.  Your life is not wasted if you supported yourself doing what you wanted and were satisfied with the results.

While I started this little talk by singling out Millennials, it really applies to everyone.  Life is unfair.  Get over it.  Instead take responsibility for yourself, decide what you want, what is actually possible, and do the work to get yourself there.  I do not think everyone can be anything they want to be.  I do however think that everyone can make themselves better than they are, if they are realistic about how the world works.

See you next week!