Selected Snippets...

Hey, guys!

It's been a crazy week....we had so many orders come into the office, I had to work over the weekend and I've been working later than usual pretty much every day this week. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

I would say that it's the overwhelming amount of work that prevents me from experiencing anything that's post-worthy...but I think that, by now, you guys have probably figured out that such a statement wouldn't be entirely true. [What can I say? I take my homebody habits seriously...]

As uneventful as my personal life is [at the moment], there are still a few things that I feel must be acknowledged...or at least thrown out into the paradoxical void that is the internet...

- I need to thank the amazing vocalists in Pentatonix. As a lowly free-time blogger, I'm pretty sure they'll never see this post...but you guys are awesome! Discovered your music a few months ago and have been fangirling ever since...

Listening to yall's music helped me get through this week's hellish amount of work...and it's even saved lives! [I'm not entirely positive that I would have been able to not kill some of the people I work with, if it weren't for your music]

But, seriously. All five of them are crazy talented! You've all won my respect and adoration...as a musician, I know what kind talent and dedication it must take for you guys to do what you do, as well as you do...I hope you guys keep making music...I know I'll keep listening to it!

- If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend the Paddington movie...


The movie is based on the Paddington Bear children's books [I don't remember reading any of them as a kid, but I do remember being vaguely aware of the storyline], and it is adorable!

I thought it was a really cute movie...it seemed to cover quite the span of emotions, definitely not typical for a children's movie. [To be fair...it doesn't take much at all for me to cry over a movie...] The story contains some pretty heavy plot points [death of a family member, confusion of moving to a foreign country, the heartbreaking realization of being unwanted, etc], but manages to keep the overall feel lighthearted enough to keep the movie from needing to come with a self-harm warning.

Overall, it was a lovely movie. I asked the kiddo if he enjoyed the movie and he said he'd give it '100 thumbs-ups'....soooo, I think he might have liked it.

- My DVR is a jerk.

Again, my DVR has betrayed me...it decided not to record this week's episodes of Supernatural and Arrow...a travesty that I only discovered when I finally found myself with enough free time to watch this week's episode of Supernatural.

So much disappointment, DVR...so much disappointment...

Thankfully, I'm caught up to the point of being able to visit CW's website to watch any episodes that I miss...

I'll get caught up with them over the weeke....

Wait...

We just got flooded with about two dozen orders for appraisals...and I wish I were exaggerating.

Looks like I'm going to have to work this weekend, too...

/sobs uncontrollably

Aww, now, see what you've done? Who on Earth
is evil enough to make Dean cry?!?

Love Netflix, Loathe Mean People...

For anyone who might be confused on the issue...

Trivializing someone else's concerns/frustrations is not helpful. Not at all.

In fact, it's quite the opposite.

By doing so, you'll very likely find yourself added to that person's already bothersome list of frustrations.

You'd think that society would have evolved enough to have such fundamental social niceties hardwired to the point of being a default response...but it's not. Far from it.

Am I referring to a particular experience? Yep.
Am I blowing it out of proportion? Probably.
Is the inevitable realization that I am likely overreacting something that I plan to acknowledge? /sigh...do I have to?

Ugh.

You know...there's a definite downside to constant self-reflection...

9/10, I reach the point of realizing the faults in my behavior...and 9/10 I feel obligated to adjust it...and then 9/10 I end up feeling guilty over the way I handled my reaction to the situation...[note that at no point is an apology from the other party mentioned...nope...]

/siiiiiigh. Okay. I'm resigning myself to about 45 seconds worth of self-contained seething...

/seethe /seethe /seethe /seethe

Alright...so that's that...

I really miss my Netflix. Way more than I should probably miss a streaming video service. Netflix trumps interactions with terrible people every time.

In other news...

I am about 5 episodes from being caught up with Arrow....

I don't think I could put into words how much I love this show! It really is that good! [If you haven't been watching the show...you should start catching up on it now so that you don't end up 10 seasons behind like I did with Supernatural...]

This chick...she's
amazing...

And I adore Felicity Smoak...can we just talk about how amazing her character is? Yeah, there are other strong female characters, but Felicity is my favorite, by far...

She's brilliant, witty, and awkward...and yet she's also confident in her abilities and she stands up for her beliefs, no matter who the naysayer is...

She's quirky and adorable and she definitely holds her own in the midst of a cast of characters that should be overwhelming...pretty sure that Felicity Smoak is my spirit animal /grin...

Been there, too.../ouch lol

Don't Be That Guy...

/chuckle

Soooooo...chronic negativity in the workplace is a bad thing...

Loads of studies support this statement...

In fact, here's a link to an essay about the effects of workplace negativity:

Workplace Negativity Essay

Short list of reasons why you should avoid knowingly spewing your negative venom all over the workplace all the time:
- detrimental to overall office morale
- people will think you're a jerk
- notable decreases in office productivity
- co-workers will rightfully suspect you might be a jerk
- potential decrease in new/returning clientele
- you'll eventually remove all doubts as to whether or not you are, indeed, a jerk

[I tried to find some sort of semi-serious/informative picture of workplace negativity via bullying...but the search results were mostly hilarious. I mean...check out the gravity defying necktie!]

So, there's that...I'm just going to leave it here...do with it what you will...

Lego, Arrow, and Avoidance....

I promise I'm not the jerk that you
think I am...

Well...

I should probably start with an apology of sorts...

I hadn't originally planned on going almost two weeks between posts...but, every time I sat down and tried to start a post, I couldn't come up with anything worth posting...

After a few days, started a post wound up becoming quite the daunting task...kind of like when you've waited beyond the proper social conventions for responding to a friend or associate in a timely manner...it's not that you truly meant to take weeks to get around to calling/emailing/texting them back...but here you are...weeks later...attempting to respond to a now ancient message...and desperately attempting to construct said response in a way that sounds the least like an inconsiderate a-hole...

Yep...it's like that. [Do people without social anxiety issues have this same problem?]

Now that my awkward metaphorical tap dancing is out of the way, I can post about far more entertaining things!

Legos....Legos everywhere...

This past weekend, Birmingham hosted the Brick Fair...the Lego Convention has been around since 2008, but it's only been stopping in Alabama since 2012.

I'd decided to take the kiddo...and the crowd was much, much larger than I'd anticipated. I'd timed our arrival to be within 10 minutes of the start time...and we still had to wait in line a good 10-15 minutes before we had reached the table to buy tickets. I guess more people like Lego than I'd thought!

There were lots of vendors and lots or pretty awesome displays...if you are [or know] a Lego fan, I definitely recommend paying the Brick Fair a visit next year...

What else.../ponders...

Oh, yes...I've finally returned to watching Arrow...[and it feels like I'm cheating on Supernatural]

Now that I've started watching it again, I can't really remember why I'd put off watching the 2nd season for so long...the 2nd season is pretty amazing!

In the 2nd season, a lot of 'new' characters are introduced [though, some are not entirely new...some are just new to the pertinent story line]...and I would say that it's in this season, more so than the 1st, that you'll see more of the connections between the characters. I consider myself as fairly well-versed in the world of comic books...enough to have realized who some of the characters are before their 'big reveals'....and I am loving how the story has developed thus far [and certainly curious to see what they plan on doing in the future...there are so many possibilities!].

I suppose I've got a slight advantage...playing catch-up removes the agony of having to wait for weeks and weeks to see the next episode. [Having to wait for new episodes of Supernatural is killing me!] And I've programmed my DVR to record season 3 of Arrow...so I'll be all caught up soon enough...

But, yeah. Arrow. Awesome. Watch it.

Lastly...

WTF is going on with our government?

As I'm sure you know, our 'State of the Union' address took place last night. From what I heard, it was more of the same...nothing different form the straight manure that we've been thrown over the last 6 years. I elected to play Disney Infinity with the kiddo rather than subject myself to that bowlful of crazy.

Don't get me wrong...I am very concerned about the state of our nation. But I am adamant that the majority of this country's leaders are not in the same boat. Not by a long shot. Soooo yeah. There's that. It's crap.

There it is....got the awkward 'return post' out of the way...back to blog posting regularly! [That's the plan anyway!]

Anime Bandages...

Hey, guys..

I don't really have much to post about right now...I've been having a bit of existential difficulty lately...I've found myself being genuinely depressed about the continual forward progression of time. No matter how badly you might wish to go back and visit an earlier time, you can't. You just can't. 

Those moments are simply gone. 

The best that I can hope for is that I can remember every detail...I can hope that my mind won't lose those precious images...that I won't forget the things, the little things, that mean everything to me...

/sigh

In a feeble attempt to distract my mind from crippling sadness, I've been trying to make use of the 30 day trial of Crunchyroll Premium that I received in last month's Loot Crate. 

Nothing numbs emotions like binge-watching anime, right?

Yeah...I'd rather be watching Supernatural, tbh...

Bible Studies and Benadryl...

Hey guys...hope you've been having a great weekend...

After a fairly rocky start, my weekend has surprisingly taken a turn for the better!

This morning, I decided that I would join a bible study group. My parent's church has held a few of them over the last couple of years, I've always been invited but never joined one. This Sunday marked the beginning of a study on the book of Daniel...again, I was invited...and this time I didn't have a good reason to decline the invitation. [Though, I'll admit that I probably could have made it to previous studies...instead, I let myself make excuses. /sigh yeah...]

If I'm being completely honest, I really didn't want to go to this one either. Mentally, a ran through the gamut of 'reason' to stay home: I was too tired, I need to take care of stuff around my apartment, I don't have anything to wear, I don't think those people actually like me, etc...

But...I managed to find a decent-looking outfit, got ready to go on time, and, quite frankly, couldn't come up with a viable reason to not go. 

One of my favorite gifs ever!

You know what?

I'm glad that I went. Very glad.

I'm hoping that shaking up my routine a bit will help get me out of the rut that I feel like I've been stuck in for so long. 

In addition to starting the bible study, I've decided that I need to put more effort into positive thinking. I feel as if I'm doing better at it [especially when I consider about 6 months ago], but I know that I can be very quick to fixate on the negative. /shrug Old habits die hard...but I think that's alright, just as long as they die...

Oh! I learned something new today...

I learned that my kiddo is allergic to dogs. [Well...I am 99.999% certain he's allergic to dogs]

This afternoon, we went by to hang out with my buddy Mr. C...Mr. C said he was putting together a new desk and asked if we could come and keep him company. Now, Mr. C has two indoor dogs...the kiddo and I have been over there several times, and never really had any problems, allergy wise. Not today, though...

After about 15 minutes, my kiddo was sneezing up a storm and I could hear that he'd developed that lovely little wheeze sound...you know, that little sound that indicates that you're about to have a harder time breathing than you'd probably like. 

At this point, I still didn't think that the sneezing was anything to be concerned about [I've got an allergy to cats, myself...I'm no stranger to the sneeze-fest]...but then my kiddo turned around to face me and his eye was all nice, puffy, and painfully swollen.

Hilarious in the movie, not so much IRL...

Yep. It was a complete and total Hitch moment.

I immediately took the kiddo to the nearest grocery store and got him some Benadryl. Luckily, the allergic reaction subsided fairly quickly...but I guess I need to remember to add 'dogs' to the list of potential allergies...aaaaand I definitely need to take the kiddo to see an allergist this year....Yep.

From 'Blah' To 'Meh'....

Update:

I just got finished with my hair appointment...

I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.


Here's the picture that I sent to show what color I'd like in my hair...

I'd originally wanted to put two colors in my hair [some caramel and some red] but I'd settled for one color after I'd talked to the lady that does my hair. [She said that she could do two colors but I got the vibe that she wasn't crazy about the idea...]

This picture shows highlights in two shades of blonde, so I opted for the lighter color. Not my favorite shade for myself, but /shrug I thought it might be time do shake things up a bit.

Ah, the lovely 'before' picture. Nothing special to see here. No makeup means that I look about 15 years old, but /shrug oh well. I just wanted to take a picture to use as a comparison.


Here's the 'after' picture. Like I said, I'm not crazy about it, but it's not the worst thing that I've had done to my hair either.


The thing that I do find bothersome, though, is that in normal lighting, the color is so subtle that it's almost non-existent.

See what I mean?

Oh well. Next time I'll just get red. It's what I really want anyway.

Aaaaand I just realized that I take a lot of pictures with that weird smirky face. I should probably fix that.

INFJ + Stress = Yikes...

I know it's been awhile, but I've found some more MBTI [Myers-Briggs Type Indicator] information that I thought was post-worthy.

[I first mentioned MBTI on this post]

I found this site's interpretation of INFJ behavior when exposed to stressful situations to be spot on...it's always a bit refreshing to read an article on your MBTI type and be able to say, "Yep! That's definitely me!"

[/chuckle which is an INFJ thing for me to say...seems like we INFJs enjoy affirmation of our MBTI traits more than most other MBTI types...]

According to Personality Playbook, stress can really do a number on an INFJ:

Normally, INFJs are most thrown off and stressed out by environments that oppose their own personal set of values.  INFJs often become stressed when they are forced to extravert too much without a break to recharge their batteries, working in a place filled with lots of noise, and in places where they must work with those they see as lazy or ignorant individuals. They may become bored and/or frustrated with activities that require attention to lots of details, dictate specific processes that must be handled in a certain way, or environments where they feel unappreciated or misunderstood.

When faced with stress overload, which may come from dealing with unfamiliar environments with overwhelming amounts of details, having to extravert too much or in uncomfortable ways, or having their well settled plans disrupted, INFJs may find themselves “in the grip” of their inferior function, Extraverted Sensing.  During this experience, the individual is likely to do things that are typically completely out of character.  This may include binging on the pleasures of the senses by binge-eating, over-exercising, buying lots of useless items, etc.. INFJs may assume the worst of and become angry with the world, even blaming inanimate objects for purposely causing problems (ex. an ottoman tripping the individual on purpose), and they may obsess over details in the world around them that usually seem unimportant.

Fortunately, going through and coming out of a grip experience can lead to growth and balance of the personality and the person.

Personality Playbook - INFJ

Here's the link to their INFJ page. From there, you can click on links to take you to the pages of the other MBTI types.

Curious to know what your MBTI type is? You can click on the link at the top of this post to visit one of my previous posts...there, I'd posted a link to a site where you can learn which MBTI type you are.

Thoughts? Comments? If yes, please don't hesitate to either leave a comment or send me an email...I love MBTI and talking to others about similarities and differences between the types!

[P.S. - I'm still freaking out about my hair appointment!]

Commitment Issues...

Freaking out a little bit this morning...

I made an appointment to have my hair cut and colored today.

I know I've been talking about coloring my hair for some time now, but I'm still freaking out a little...

I won't panic...I won't panic...I'm panicking.

I think it's because I know that once I let her put color on my hair, that's it. I'm committed. I could always put a dark color over it, I guess...but it'll still take a good 8 months before my hair has grown out enough to consider cutting off the colored bits.

Aaaaand, if I color my hair, it pretty much negates the possibility of cutting my hair into a pixie...for a little while anyway. It would be rather wasteful to spend time and money coloring my hair only to have most of it cut off.

I'd considered calling and canceling...but my appointment is with an individual and not someone that works in a salon. And I know for certain that this lady went out of her to get color and materials specifically for my hair...she sent me a text message saying so!

Ugggggghhhh.

Definite downside to having commitment issues [not that I can really think of any positives, either].

/Gripe...

Just a heads up, this post contains random things that I find bothersome...feel free to skip this post, if you want...

First thing that bugs me:
If you are a seller on eBay [or any site that is similar], don't be intentionally misleading. Jerks are intentionally misleading, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to be a jerk.

I've been doing some eBay browsing...I noticed lots of posts that were touting 'rare' items...items that are listed as 'very hard to find' or 'limited edition' should be just that. I think it's horrible that some of you list items as such when they're the very opposite! Specifically, I noticed some Disney merchandise that was listed as 'rare' on multiple listings...that very same item can be purchased right now straight from the Disney Store site! And for a fraction of the price!

Shame you on you, shady vendors. Shame.

Next thing that bugs me:
AT&T, you need to work on your customer service representation.

I called last week to tweak my U-Verse package a bit [does anybody else think that cable/internet is ridiculously expensive?], and the lady that 'helped' me royally fudged up my cable package. Big time.

I'm crossing my fingers that my bill isn't going to be botched the same way!

Next:
Dear upstairs neighbors,
You are the most inconsiderate couple of a-holes that I could have ever had the misfortune to live near. You walk like a pack of elephants and you have terrible taste in music. And I would know. I hear it quite often.
Loathsomely yours,
Me

And then:
Whomever is walking their little shite of a dog and allowing it to take little shites all over the common breezeways and sidewalks...I hate you. Marginally less than I hate my upstairs neighbors.

You are a lazy and sorry excuse for a responsible adult, let alone pet owner.

I pay way too much for my crappy apartment to have to deal with living in a literally crappy apartment building.

How hard is it to pick up after your dog? Too hard? If so, don't own a friggin dog, genius!

If/when I figure out who you are, I'll then figure out which apartment is yours and which car is yours. Expect some less than pleasant placements of your fecal transgressions.

Finally:
If you are fortunate enough to not suffer the burden of social anxiety, please consider yourself to be truly lucky. Because you are.

However, please do be sensitive to those around you who might not be as lucky.

Yes, it may seem strange to you that there are some people who can get physically ill at the mere thought of an unwanted [or wanted, sometimes] social interaction. It can, and does, happen. Please try to be considerate.

/ponders

Yep, that'll do for now.

A Collector's Dilemma...

Evidently, I need to be banned from eBay... for the sake of my bank account!

A few months ago, I found these Supernatural Pop! figures by Funko at 2nd and Charles...

Love these!

Of course, I bought them both at the same time [how could I pick one and leave the other behind?!?]...and I noticed that there's a tiny Castiel that completes the trio [there's a picture of him on both boxes]. I looked, but wasn't able to find a Cas at 2nd and Charles that day. Little did I know that tiny Cas would be such a difficult one to find!

Turns out, Castiel was a special edition that had a limited release with Hot Topic [naturally, I didn't know this until the year after it was available is stores]. So, now I'm not just looking for a figure that's over a year old...I'm looking for a special edition, limited release figure that's over a year old!

Honestly, it was pretty easy to find one. A quick search on either eBay or Amazon will show you several sites that you can visit to buy one.
What I didn't expect, though, was to learn that there are actually several more figures that must be purchased if I'm going to have a truly complete collection...

Turns out, there were two editions of Castiel released for Hot Topic...one with wings and one without.

Wait! There's more!

Hot Topic also carried a special edition, limited release Charlie figure. And now, there are carrying two Crowley figures [one with normal eyes and one with red eyes].

I've also learned that there are special editions of both Sam and Dean that features blood splattered faces. And there are special editions of both Sam and Dean that feature blood splattered faces and metallic paint jobs for their clothes. [Did I mention that all four of these figures appear to have been released for conventions. And from what I'm gathering, those conventions were in Australia!]

Sooooo, yeah...

What I thought would be a venture to find a singular Castiel figure [and only cost me around $15] is very quickly adding up to a costly endeavor...

Here's the dilemma: do I simply not pursue completing my collection? Or should I spend [more] time and money than originally expected to make said collection complete?

/sigh

I'm starting to think that these Funko things should come standard with a warning label!

Misophonia Triggers...

Found this on BuzzFeed today...I couldn't resist sharing...

24 Mispronunciations Guaranteed To Annoy The Nerd In You

Achievement Unlocked: Poughkeepsie...

I've finally done it...

And there was much rejoicing...

I've finished all nine of the seasons of Supernatural on Netflix!

Luckily, I'd set the current season to record on my DVR so that I wouldn't have to wait until it came out on DVD or Netflix before getting to watch it.

It feels a little odd to have finished all of the episodes on Netflix...

Watching Supernatural has been my 'go to' thing for months...now, what will I do?

I've still got the episodes of the current season...but I should be finished watching them in about a week or so. Then, I'll be caught up. And then I'll join the ranks of those who have to wait a minimum of a week between episodes?!? And what if the show goes on one of those ridiculous extended breaks?!? /faint

On the brighter side, I'll finally be able to join those who like to talk about what's currently happening on the show...no more worrying about accidentally reading a spoiler!

/ponders

Okay, I guess it isn't all tragedy.

Not much else exciting going on right now...

The kiddo starts back to school tomorrow [he's protested it pretty much all day today].

That also means that I have to go back to work tomorrow, too [which I've also protested pretty much all day today].

It's probably for the best, though. The lack of schedule that comes along with the holidays has really done a number on my already feeble sanity...

Well, I've got to go and attempt to reinstate the 'school night' bedtime...followed by a long overdue date with my DVR...wish me luck! [With both! I've heard some pretty dismal things about the current season...]

Oooh! I wonder if it unlocks new content!

What's A Few Wrinkles...

So, here's what my rememberlutions jar looks like.

I realized too late that I was using the wrong sort of paper as I was using Mod Podge on the jar...I probably could have fiddled with it to get some of the creases around the edges out, but the paper was on the verge of tearing. It looks worse in the picture than it does in person [I did manage to smooth it some, but it's still not completely flat]. 

Notice that I did some slight* editing to the Jensen/Dean photo...I couldn't not put the picture on my jar. It makes me grin! [*I don't actually have a photo of him professing his love for me...but I can always pretend!] 

Who knows...I may get tired of my wrinkly-labeled jar and end up redoing the labels...or maybe I'll leave it as it is...who cares if the labels aren't perfect, I'm not either! 

I love my wrinkly-labeled jar!

Old Resolutions For The New Year...

In spite of my complete loathing of 'new year's resolutions,' I found myself mentally making a few yesterday...though, to be fair, they aren't exactly new resolutions...more like goals that I've been wanting to work towards for quite some time and  I've decided to actively pursue.

1. I plan to spend less money.

I spend a lot of money on unnecessary things. Way too much. I know that in previous posts I'd complained about not having enough income...realistically, my income won't increase enough to magically fix all of my financial woes...so I need to do what I can to make the best of what I've got and to also work towards improving things for the future. [Unless someone would like to slide a winning lottery ticket my way...I'd be alright with that]

2. I plan to work on improving my health.

What does this mean exactly? Becoming more physically active? Improving my diet and eating less junk food? Finding some sort of outlet for stress relief? Yes. To all of it. I realize that my actual resolution statement is fairly vague...but I think it will work out better that way. I know that if I make it my goal to eat like a bird or do boot camp-esque workouts thrice daily, there's no way I'll stick to the resolution [nothing like the feeling of failure to make you really want to continue to make goals!]. If I keep the goal as more of a lifestyle change, then I'm less likely to feel like a total failure if I have an 'off' day. 

3. I plan on finding ways to not let the little things bother me.

I realize that a big portion of this has to do with my personality and temperament, but I am starting to see that this will only add to my already staggering stress levels. Sooooo, the extra stress needs to go.

4. I need to learn not to cling to people that aren't making an effort to stay in my life.

I know that sounds like a 'significant other/relationship' type of statement, but it's not. I'm more referring to friends and family. [Not meaning that I intend to push people away...] I realize that people change and as they change, so will friendships/relationships. I need to learn not to always take it personally. If someone acts as if they don't want to be around me, then I won't push it. I've learned the hard way that if someone wants to talk to you, they will [especially if you've already initiated conversation and have very obviously left the ball in their court]. There's no point in beating a dead horse. Even if it was your favorite horsey at one point. 

I'm still going to make the jar thingy, too...I'm planning on going to pick up the things to decorate it sometime today. I'll post to let you know how it's going...

Hope you have a good Friday!