Tag Archives: disappointed

Dec10

Covid Chronicles

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Covid Chronicles

Howdy!! On Friday morning I was ecstatic. I had a short shift, then I was going to get my hair done. Afterwards my best friend was going to come over for our Christmas celebration and a Chinese food dinner and it was going to be a perfect day. Until I got a fateful text from Johnny at six in the morning that his boss had Covid. In an instant, my stomach dropped and my plans flew out the window before I even took a test. Somehow, I just knew and the faint pink positive line on my test confirmed it. I promptly said goodbye to my perfect day and Johnny and I hunkered down together in our covidness.

I believe this is our fourth round of Covid and, I have to say, this time around was a breeze. I felt excellent and would have had no idea we had Covid if we weren’t aware of the exposure. Johnny, on the other hand, felt a little crummy but it was more like how you feel when the weather shifts suddenly. This also made sense for him to feel that way as the weather in our neck of the woods took a drastic dip into low temps with snow. Alas, we were both positive and it positively sucked to have so much we were looking forward to cease to exist…. but did it really?

Lol, listen I was not thrilled whatsoever when my test was positive. However, looking on the bright side – I literally never take time off and my holiday break just came slightly early. I swear, every time I go for months on end without taking a day off, the world says hold my beer and gives me the flu or, in this case, Covid with no symptoms. Minus my big weekend being canceled, this was the best case scenario and I planned on enjoying it!

During my Covid stint I watched So. Much. TV! We’re talking Gypsy Rose Life After Lockup, the reunion of The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives, St. Denis Medical, and so much more. Not only did I have a healthy bingeathon but I also had fun playing Animal Crossing again after three years and one month lol. Once the cockroaches from my house were clear, I got back into the groove of island life and am eagerly awaiting the update in January. I forgot how much I liked playing Animal Crossing after being apart from it for so long. I guess I played my fill when the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic was happening!

It’s funny because I texted my blogging bestie to complain about my positive test and I said something along the lines of “I think people just forgot to test for Covid when they aren’t feeling well”. But the thing is, I forgot too. It has been a long time since Covid was headline news that it was easy to chalk it up to a thing of the past. It is still very real, though, so do be sure you get a few tests as the holiday season approaches. Then, everyone can gather safely together and have a blast celebrating. ❤

My Covid Chronicles read more like a really lazy handful of days off and, hey, I’ll take it. Stay healthy and stay safe, everyone!

What is your favorite lazy day activity? Have you been sick recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug13

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Woman In Suite 11 By Ruth Ware Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Woman In Suite 11 By Ruth Ware Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing the long awaited sequel to Ruth Ware’s The Woman In Cabin 10 called The Woman In Suite 11. I have to admit that it has been a phat minute since I read The Woman In Cabin 10 – it was six years ago so I was a little blurry on the details that were referred to throughout The Woman In Suite 11. However, after reading a summary or two, it all came back to me and this was a fairly decent follow up to one of Ware’s best sellers. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Woman In Suite 11 for violence and sexual assault references. Now, let’s get to it:

We are reunited with Laura “Lo” Blacklock in New York City with her beloved husband Judah and precious children Eli and Teddy. Since her traumatizing experience aboard The Aurora, Lo had her fifteen minutes of fame with her best selling memoir, Dark Waters. However, she has been out of the travel journalist game since having children and processing her near death experience. She’s not over it completely, but she’s doing so much better than before. With her children now preschool age, Lo finds herself seeking purpose and has a hankering for a new writing gig to sink her teeth into.

Like magic, an invitation arrives in the mail for a soft launch of The Hotel du Lac located on beautiful Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The ultra posh property belongs to businessman, Marcus Leidmann, who is expanding his empire to luxury resorts. A handful of influencers and food and travel journalists will be there and Lo considers it a fine tip of the hat to be thought of after not writing for so long. With encouragement from Judah, Lo decides to go for it and hops a flight to assist in the success of the launch with the best of the best in the business. Not only will she be creating articles for the new hotel, but she even has a request from an old contact from the Financial Times to do a profile on the elusive Leidmann who keeps his life totally private.

The Hotel du Lac is more incredible than Lo could have ever imagined and she is ready for an amazing time and to reignite her career. As the other guests arrive, Lo is shocked to find that several people who were aboard The Aurora are also at the hotel. She chalks it up to a coincidence – the travel journalism sector is quite small, after all. It doesn’t mean she has to be happy about it, though, and after a fairly awkward banquet, Lo can’t wait to retire to her room and decompress. R&R will have to wait because in her room there is a note that requests her immediate presence in Suite 11. Thrilled by the prospect of scoring an interview with Leidmann, Lo hightails it to the suite and isn’t greeted by Marcus but the ghost of Christmas past… Carrie.

Lo has not seen or heard from Carrie since they saved each other aboard The Aurora ten years prior. Rather than catching up on the past decade, Carrie divulges a dark secret. Her and Marcus are together and their union is anything but loving. Marcus is a monster as are his plethora of henchmen and employees. As terrible as he is to her, Carrie can’t leave. Marcus knows about what happened on the yacht to Norway and will turn her into the authorities should she escape his grasp. That’s where Lo comes in.

Carrie has a plan that she deems to be foolproof to get her freedom back. Lo doesn’t have to do anything dangerous. All she has to do is let Carrie use her British passport, Lo will use her American one, they will take a train to England, and rendezvous at a fancy hotel as Carrie’s way of saying thank you. What could possibly go wrong? A murder, perhaps? Before she knows it, Lo finds herself as the prime suspect for the suspicious death of one of the world’s most powerful men and Carrie is nowhere to be found. Will Lo solve the mystery in time before she winds up in jail for a crime she didn’t commit? Read The Woman In Suite 11 to find out!

I have read a ton of Ruth Ware books and I have found the majority of them to be incredibly… fine. They always fall under the category of “good but not great” and that is exactly how I feel about The Woman In Suite 11. I found Lo to be super cool in The Woman In Cabin 10 and that sentiment remained in the sequel. She’s an excellent leading lady and is such an easy character to root for, especially in this plot. After all she has been through, of course you want to see her succeed and protect her from the mess she finds herself entwined in. Every time another foot was about to drop in The Woman In Suite 11, I felt so scared for her!

As much as I like Lo, I really found this sequel to be unnecessary. Honestly, it was the same plot as The Woman In Cabin 10 with different details. It made the predecessor feel like a regurgitation of the OG without adding anything fresh or new. And, I’m sorry to say it, I couldn’t freaking stand Carrie who played a major role this time around. She was just SO extra all the time and while I understand the juxtaposition between Carrie being too much and Lo’s steely confidence, it became irritating to a fault. Try as I might, she was a difficult character to get behind fully and that’s how the reader should have felt. And, when Carrie left Lo high and dry with murder charges looming over her, all I could feel was downright resentful.

Overall, I am going to rate The Woman In Suite 11 with a five out of ten stars. If you really want to read the sequel to The Woman In Cabin 10, go for it. You will not be missing out on anything if you don’t though!

What are your thoughts on The Woman In Suite 11? How do you feel about Ruth Ware’s other books? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul23

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Doorman By Chris Pavone Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Doorman By Chris Pavone Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we will be discussing a novel of suspense called The Doorman by Chris Pavone. I read Pavone’s most well known book, Two Nights In Lisbon, about three years ago and it received a lackluster review and star rating. Unfortunately, The Doorman did nothing for me either and will be following suit. This will definitely be the last book I read by this author but let’s chat about it anyways! Before we begin, I will be putting a trigger warning on The Doorman for general violence and sexual assault. Now, let’s get to it:

The Bohemia apartments in New York City are home to the richest of the rich. People so rich that money means nothing to them. It is home to award winners, celebrities, CEOs, and anyone that falls under the category of the “one percent”. Of course, even people with an endless supply of cash have problems and secrets too. They just have the means to cover it up.

In the most expensive suite of the Bohemia, we have Emily and Whit Longworth and their two small children. Whit made his fortune in military equipment and provides supplies for both the good and the bad. Emily has a passion for art, but put a lot of her own self aside to become the definition of “stay at home mom”. Now, she handles PTA meetings, board meetings for places she donates to, and managing the staff that keeps her luxury penthouse pristine. Oh yeah, she also hates her husband’s guts.

A far more modest apartment in the Bohemia is Julian, his wife Jennifer, and their two teenage children. Jules is co founder of an art gallery and has even provided pieces for the Longworth’s suite. He is a freshly turned fifty year old man who lives life as simply as possible and with as little strain as possible too. Julian has a heart valve condition that could kill him instantaneously should he push himself too much. The thing is, he can’t afford the live saving surgery and he might not be able to save his marriage either. Julian and Jennifer’s relationship has come to a standstill and with his own mortality on the line, Jules decides to live dangerously. An affair can’t cause his heart to get any worse, can it?

Finally, we have Chicky. Chicky isn’t a resident at the Bohemia but a doorman to the residents. He sees all, he hears all, and spends his days manning the gates with a huge smile plastered on his face. For as happy as Chicky’s demeanor is, he has his own problems. Chicky is in debt. We’re talking debt debt from hospital bills for his late wife, back rent, and his children’s education. He is on the verge of eviction and the loan shark who he turned to is not waiting patiently for his money back. Chicky’s life is on the line every day and nothing can be done unless he gets a small fortune and fast. An amount that a resident at the Bohemia wouldn’t even miss.

As the stories of our three key players interweave, big changes are in store for all of them and our final character: New York City, itself. Black men are being murdered by the police and the long overdue revolution has finally taken to the streets. On the night of the biggest protest yet, militia style counter protesters arrive. What started out as a safe and peaceful protest has turned to violence as the counter protestors spew their hatred and wield weapons. In their own way, Emily, Jules, and Chicky are all in the thick of the protest and everything will change tonight. For the better? Read The Doorman to find out! Or don’t!!!!!!!

From start to finish, I was ready for The Doorman to be over lol but I powered through. Similarly to my review of Two Nights In Lisbon, I quite liked the story line of The Doorman. Once again, however, my main issue came from Chris Pavone’s writing. The Doorman read like a book that was specifically made for people who live in New York City. It was constantly bogged down with sprawling litanies of different locations both well known and obscure, restaurants, and an endless array of street names. It turned what could have been a relatively straight forward read into something convoluted and generally uninteresting if you are like me and had NO idea about anything or any place Pavone was writing about.

Not only did Pavone name drop every single location that ever existed in NYC, he was just name dropping willy nilly. There were SO many characters that just popped in with no introduction or explanation and if he did finally get around to it, the minor characters in question had already been forgotten. These unimportant additions took away from the key players themselves who all felt close to a cohesive whole but not there yet. At the blessed end of the book, I didn’t feel any type of way about anyone except Whit and not in the good way because he actively sucked. I refuse to not finish anything that I start reading and it was such a happy moment when I could shut The Doorman for good!

Overall, I am going to rate The Doorman with a three out of ten stars. Two lower than Two Nights In Lisbon. I absolutely would NOT recommend this book so skip on it for sure and use your summer reading time to dive into something you really enjoy!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May24

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Tenant By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Tenant By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing Freida McFadden’s newest book called The Tenant. I have a love/hate relationship with McFadden’s books. I absolutely loved The Housemaid series, however, the other books I have read by her definitely did not meet my expectations. Unfortunately, The Tenant was another instance of that and fell under my usual critique of McFadden – “good but not great”. Before we begin our Book Club meeting, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Tenant for violence and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

Blake and Krista are newly engaged and happy as can be. They live in a charming brownstown in New York City and Blake has just accepted a hotshot new position as VP of Marketing at the company he works for. Everything is going picture perfect, until Blake’s world comes crashing down. Shortly after settling into his fancy new office, Blake is fired for selling the company’s marketing campaigns. This is an offense that Blake isn’t even aware he made and has no idea what his boss is talking about. He feels confident that this was all some kind of misunderstanding and will have his job back before the week is out.

That week turns into months of unemployment and Blake and Krista are barely scraping by as Krista’s wages at a laundromat pale in comparison to their mortgage. If they don’t get their money problem solved ASAP, they will be on the streets and Blake finally agrees to Krista’s big idea: Have a tenant move in to help with bills. As they go about the interviewing process, every candidate is borderline crazy and they are ready to give up. Blessedly, Whitney shows up for her interview and is… normal. She’s pretty, has great references, and had her first and last month’s rent ready to go. They were sold.

The first week or so with Whitney goes swimmingly and Blake even has a new temp gig. Embarrassing, yes, but every little bit from the paycheck helps. Then, little things start to happen at the brownstone that never occurred before Whitney moved in. There are loud noises all throughout the night, the kitchen is filled with fruit flies, and Blake breaks into an inexplicable and painful rash. With no other plausible explanation, Blake blames Whitney wholeheartedly and is convinced that she is not who she says she is.

As more and more offenses against Whitney tally up and become even more disturbing, Blake quickly descends into a paranoid state. He can’t trust anyone and barely trusts himself as he repeats the claims in his head. All he knows is that he and Krista don’t know Whitney at all and she could be dangerous. In fact, she could be the reason Blake lost his cushy new job in the first place. But, is she? Or does Blake have his sights set on the wrong person entirely? Read The Tenant to find out!!

Let me start off by saying that I really liked the general story line of The Tenant. Happy couple, hard times, a stranger moves in, and the shit hits the fan. It really is a perfect combination and fits Johnny’s description of “LifeTime movie books” to the T lol. I just wish I liked the book more!! The tension that was building in the brownstone was delicious, a little slow moving at times, but my interest was piqued. Then, the twist happened, which I saw coming from a mile away but it just felt… random. It felt like a lot of build up for a twist that didn’t necessarily need to happen but simply was put there for shock value. This is actually a complaint that I have had with past McFadden books as well, like the plot changed fully on a dime and it wasn’t thought through completely.

On top of feeling wishy washy about The Tenant as a whole, none of the characters were particularly likeable. This book was told from Blake’s point of view and it was interesting to read a LifeTime movie book from the male perspective. BUT, Blake was a major a-hole and it was hard to feel sympathetic for him in the entirety of the read. Once my sympathy ran out, I was ready for The Tenant to be done because it was the only saving grace that the main character had. I can’t say that I felt strongly in favor of any of the characters and that’s not a good thing as I want to feel that connection when I read. The Tenant definitely missed the mark big time.

Overall, I am going to rate The Tenant with a three out of ten stars. If you are a diehard Freida McFadden fan, I am sure you will give it a read anyways. You are not missing out on anything if you don’t, though!

What are you currently reading? What is your favorite Freida McFadden book? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb25

Hadestown At EJ Thomas Hall Review

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Hadestown At EJ Thomas Hall Review

Hello!! This past Saturday, Johnny and I had Part Two of our Valentine’s Day celebration: A night at EJ Thomas Hall in Akron to see our favorite musical, Hadestown. Two years ago, we saw Hadestown for V-Day at Playhouse Square and it was magnificent so I just had to jump on the opportunity for us to see it again. We both went into the show knowing that it wasn’t going to be as good as our first viewing and we were spot on about that. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty about it that we liked. However, this show had some glaring issues that were difficult to look past. Let’s get to it:

First things first, let’s start with the good because there were two standout performances. Jaylon C. Crump as Hermes really helped carry the show and was so solid from start to finish. His vocals were phenomenal and he was exuberant, which was very necessary especially considering the times when the actors on stage just seemed tired. Johnny and I were blessed with seeing Nathan Lee Graham as Hermes at Playhouse Square and, frankly, no one compares to him. Having said that, I could tell that Jaylon found inspiration in Graham’s portrayal and that was good enough for us.

Next up was Nickolaus Colon as Hades who, easily, had the strongest performance of the night. During our first show of Hadestown, the man who played Hades took the dark and mysterious route and that is still my preferred portrayal. Nickolaus had a different approach, playing Hades with anger that boomed and resonated. This was further complimented by his larger than life and looming presence and he made it work so well. We were both really impressed by him and his rendition of “Why We Build the Wall” was one of the best numbers of the whole show.

Finally, we have Megan Colton as Eurydice for Honorable Mention. I loved that she brought some grit to Eurydice’s character and my qualm isn’t exactly directed at her but to her acting partner, Bryan Munar, as Orpheus. Look, I don’t know if he was having a rough night and I am not trying to be mean but he was not good at all. His falsetto, which is such an important part of the vocal performance was simply not there. There was no strength behind it and his performance felt more like one of their first rehearsals rather than a real live show.

Johnny and I were not the only ones to feel this way about Munar. In fact, as we were both in line for the bathroom, literally everyone we chatted with was not impressed with him either and had nothing but negative feedback. He brought the entire show down and because of that, Eurydice didn’t shine as brightly as she should have. This is truly unfortunate and while I understand that everyone has a bad night, I really wish it didn’t happen when we saw it lol. From this performance alone and the fact that he could barely hit his falsetto definitely had me questioning the casting decision.

Last on the “not so great” list was Namisa Mdlalose Bizana as Persephone, which was a major disappointment for me. Persephone is one of my favorite characters of the entire show and I don’t think she was done justice with Bizana’s portrayal. It is no secret in Hadestown that Persephone loves to self medicate with booze and drugs. She is so much more than that, though, and Bizana played her as a falling down drunk. This did little to add dimension to Persephone’s character and Bizana turned her into a caricature. On top of that, her vocals didn’t feel strong enough for such a boisterous lead and she seemed exhausted throughout the show.

It’s funny because I saw Jesus Christ Superstar at EJ Thomas Hall after seeing it at Playhouse Square. I was so surprised because it really was a comparable performance for the most part and there were even aspects that I liked better at EJ Thomas than at Playhouse. Having that experience going into Hadestown made me feel hopeful that we would still be seeing an excellent show despite my ambivalence. I am kind of bummed because regardless of the cast members that shined, this performance felt like a dress rehearsal and not even a good one. Major characters brought the whole cast down and that is a crying shame!

Although this performance of Hadestown was literally nothing to write home about, Johnny and I still had a fabulous time on our date night. Stay tuned for my OOTD coming soon!

What is your favorite musical? Have you seen a play or musical recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan20

CleanBeauty Barrier Support Facial Oil Review

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CleanBeauty Barrier Support Facial Oil Review

Hello!! In mid-October, I had a most excellent skin care haul at TJMaxx. I ended up with several new to me products as well as one that I was really excited about because I truly thought that I had used it before. During a previous haul, I fell in love with a Vitamin C serum by CleanBeauty and had my fingers and toes crossed that I would find it again. I couldn’t believe my good fortune when I saw a CleanBeauty serum on the shelves that I assumed was the same one because, at a glance, the bottles looked exactly the same. But, you all know that old saying about when you assume lol. Rather than my beloved Vitamin C serum, I ended up with a facial oil, instead *face palm*. Take a look and let’s discuss:

I consider myself to be very lucky because my skin type has been incredibly normal all of my life. I don’t experience acne, oil, or dry skin and this allows me to be able to experiment with a lot of different types of skin care. Normally, I do shy away from facial oil products just as a personal preference. However, when I realized I had a case of mistaken serum, I was eager to try the facial oil by CleanBeauty anyways. This Ohio winter has been absolutely brutal, especially within the past few weeks, and I figured it would do my skin good to have an extra protective barrier against the frigid cold. In theory, it sounded great. In practice, not so much.

This product is a prime example of why I don’t like facial oils lol. Every time I apply it, I try to use the smallest amount humanly possible on my face and neck. Regardless of the thimbleful application, this facial oil sits on your skin All. Day. Long. It doesn’t absorb whatsoever and after an hour or so, it just feels like you have residue that won’t come off. I hate it! This facial oil is a pain in the keister to apply makeup over so I just haven’t been wearing any – even on the weekends. Is my skin softer? No question. But, that’s not the end all be all because I have achieved softer, smoother skin with plenty of other products!

If you have extremely dry skin, then I think you will love this facial oil and it will be beneficial. For any other skin type, though, this is a product you can skip on and I cannot wait to use it up so I can kiss it goodbye!

How do you protect your skin during the winter? Which products have you not been impressed with recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov24

A Moment To Complain

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A Moment To Complain

Hello!!! Nothing pleases me or Johnny more than an amazing concert and the most recent one we attended was Alice Cooper. We both like to keep tabs on when our favorites are coming to Cleveland, Columbus, or Pittsburgh and I was simply elated by the news I recently discovered… Jack White would be playing at The Agora in Cleveland in April of 2025. For those of you who don’t know, I am his number one fan and have been for as long as I can remember. In fact, I have a portrait of Jack’s face tattooed as well as some of his lyrics. So, needless to say, I was stoked to hear that he was coming to Cleveland so I could see him for the third time. It would also be Johnny’s first time seeing him live too!

As soon as tickets were on sale, I pounced and was pleased to see that the General Admission tickets were right in front of the stage. This is always appealing because you can get yourself up close and personal with some fancy footwork, which is exactly what I did when I saw Jack White at X-Fest and Stage AE. The tickets were one hundred bucks a pop and I considered it to be well worth it to 1) See my all time favorite and 2) Have the opportunity to get to the front of the stage. I was about to place my order and then everything went terribly wrong. And by terribly, I mean expensively.

Now, I am all for treating myself and would never, ever call myself cheap. However, my purse strings instantly tightened when the grand total for two one hundred dollar tickets ended up being three hundred and twenty dollars because of fees. The fees costed more than one ticket!!! As much as I would have LOVED to attend the show with Johnny, we were both in agreement that the total price was absolutely ridiculous and couldn’t justify it. It was extremely disappointing, to say the least.

This truly begs the question of when TF did ticket prices become so expensive?! My mind was honestly blown by the grand total because I paid less for two tickets to a full fledged two day music festival in Chicago. Unfortunately, Johnny and I couldn’t attend because the pandemic, but you get the point. All week, I have been wrestling with the buy the tickets or not buy them dilemma. And, every time I think that I should just do it, my pride gets in the way because it seems insane to me. I know, I know it’s not good to complain and I am thankful to have seen my beloved Jack White twice. I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been nice to see him thrice, though!!

MAN do I feel better after getting all of this off my chest! And, in conclusion, a big fat middle finger to the dreaded fees that skyrocketed the ticket prices into something unacceptable!

How much would you pay for concert tickets? What is the best website to buy tickets from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct18

Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

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Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

Howdy! It is no secret that Johnny and I revel in all things Halloween – not just during spooky season but all year round. We simply love it and, normally, something like costume shopping would be a complete joy. This year, however, was a totally different story because it proved to be a nightmare. I thought it would be easy as pie to find a costume inspired by sweet treats for our Candyland themed couples costume dreams. This was far from the case and I ended up striking out HARD twice before snagging my last resort costume. Is it what I really wanted? Not really. But, I think with the right accessories I will still be a Candy Queen yet! Check it out:

IMG_9978IMG_9982IMG_9981

Prior to purchasing the Candy Heart costume seen above, I had two options that I wanted badly. The first one was rather expensive but I was willing to pay the top dollar price tag for it until I ran into Issue Number One. The costume was only available in what I guesstimated was my size on a website where all sales were final. Had I been absolutely certain that it would have fit, I would have went for it. Suppose it didn’t, though. Then I would be stuck with a too small costume, no way to return it, and my bank account would be down a pretty penny. So, Option One was a no go.

After having my first plan fall through, I had to pivot and scour through a million costumes I had seen before and hoping something new would pop up. What felt like an endless search resulted in me finding a costume I liked even better than Option One and I eagerly placed my order. Everything was coming up Lil Red for like a day and then… I got an email saying JK because my size wasn’t available after all. I was honestly crushed because the costume was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted, the price was nice, and I had all but forgotten the disappointment of failure for Option One.

With both of my desired costumes officially off the table, I was back where I started – with absolutely nothing. At this point, I was getting straight up pissed lol. In fact, I was ready to just throw in the towel and wear my costume from last year. Had I not made a premature announcement of our couples costume on social media, I would have! So, it was back to the drawing board and fruitless browsing, scrolling, begging, and pleading for something – ANYTHING that would work. You all know I live for online shopping, but this was getting ridiculous.

As I painstakingly searched through every corner of the internet for a candy costume, I came to the realization that I was just going to have to make do. Which brings us to the Candy Heart costume. It is super cute and I love the lace up front with the huge heart smack dab in the middle. While it is cute, it is also pretty basic lol. This is where shoes and accessories come into play. I found a darling pair of candy button platforms to wear with it, which I think will be simply charming. Then, I ordered a candy headband, a giant lollipop to hold, and a pair of lollipop earrings too. When Johnny and I visit Spirit Halloween this weekend, I will buy a pink tutu because the skirt is REALLY short, some sheer pink thigh highs, a pink wig, and pastel hued fake eyelashes. Like I said, I will be a Candy Queen yet!

Shopping for my Halloween costume was legit the worst and I am SO happy to be done with it. Although I had to settle for my last resort option, I still think this costume will offer Candyland vibes once it’s all put together!

What is your favorite thing to shop for? How about your least favorite? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct11

Don’t Watch This Movie!

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Don’t Watch This Movie!

Hello!! Johnny and I are working our way through the 31 in 31 challenge – AKA watching a scary movie every day of October. So far, we have watched a lot of movies that we have both enjoyed. This Monday, however, we watched quite possibly the WORST movie we have ever seen. It was called We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. I was drawn to the description of the movie, which talked about a lonely teen finding herself immersed in an online horror game. And, of course, we liked the fact that it was under an hour and a half long because we both had a long day. Despite its short length, this movie felt ten hours long and not in the good way. Let’s discuss in a spoiler free setting:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!

Okay! Long story short, Casey joins in playing an online game called the World’s Fair. It is a horror role playing game that employs secret methods to gain entry. Once you are in, strangers dictate what you have to do and the players document the “changes” they undergo on video. As Casey goes through her days in a sad limbo, someone from the game contacts her with the concern that she might seriously harm herself or others. Will Casey take the World’s Fair too far? Please, please don’t watch to find out lol.

Let me first start off by saying, the plot of this movie was enticing to me. I love an internet horror story line. I also very much like artistic and thought provoking horror films. So why didn’t I like We’re All Going to the World’s Fair? Because it sucked lol. Johnny and I watched every agonizing minute of this movie hoping that it would get better. Unfortunately, all it did was get even worse and even weirder to the point that we were in stitches laughing about it.

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair was an impossibly slow burn without a big bang at the end. Every scene which could have lasted seconds took minutes because every action was shown – IE: A man walking through the entirety of his home to get to one room. Had there been anything particularly scary about this movie, maybe these lengthy scenes of movement would have felt more charged. Psychologically and visually, though, there was just no horror there. Rather, we were watching Casey’s pointless livestreams or watching pointless videos that she was watching. Whatever sense of anticipation was built at the beginning quickly crumbled because literally nothing happened.

I have seen SO many positive reviews for We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and it even scored a ninety percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The high tomato-meter score was part of why I chose it. It makes me wonder if I was watching the same film as the people who really enjoyed it because this should have been a movie I liked. If you are looking to waste an hour and a half of your life, put it on. I promise you that you are not missing out on anything if you skip on it!

What is the worst movie you have seen recently? What is your favorite kind of movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep7

Groovy Movies: Longlegs Edition

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Groovy Movies: Longlegs Edition

Hello!! There haven’t been too many movies that have come out in theaters recently that Johnny and I have wanted to see. The only one was Longlegs. We had grand plans to have a Middle Class Fancy night on the town of dinner and a show a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the movie wasn’t playing at any convenient times so we just went home. We both still agreed that we would like to see it sooner than later, so we ended up renting it this past weekend. I honestly haven’t stopped thinking about it since. In the good or bad way? The jury’s still out! But let’s discuss further in a spoiler free setting with a trigger warning placed on Longlegs for graphic violence, gore, and highly disturbing content. Here we go:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video.

Long(legs) story short… Agent Lee Harker has been assigned to a serial killer case that has gone cold. In the killings, entire families are annihilated with no rhyme or reason. In fact, physical evidence to place anyone at the scene of the crime is nonexistent. All that is left at every scene is a coded message signed by a person calling themselves Longlegs. A true game of cat and mouse between the FBI and the killer ensues and the only guarantee is that Longlegs will strike again. And soon. Lee Harker must dig deep into her mind and her past because the answers are all there, if she can remember them, of course. What happens next? Watch Longlegs to find out!

OKAY, so when we began our viewing of Longlegs, Johnny and I were SO in. The soundtrack was bumping, the first scene was shocking, and a wild ride of a movie seemed promising. I found Maika Monroe as Lee Harker to be very dull right from the jump and that opinion didn’t change. This was okay, though, because we were exclusively there for Nick Cage. Normally, I would say that that man couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag. As the titular character, however, he was masterful. Eerie, disturbing, and so disgusting to look at that you couldn’t look away. He had me completely hooked and I remained that way until I wasn’t.

The first half of Longlegs was purely procedural cat and mouse. This is mine and Johnny’s favorite type of story line and we were loving it. Then, it took a drastic turn and for the worse. What began as something that *almost* seemed plausible did a total one eighty as it shifted from real life to the demonic. This is when I found my interest fading and fast. Do I understand the delving into the paranormal? Sure. Did I like it? Not one bit. This huge change halfway through the flick seemed haphazard – like a cop out. The supernatural shift also felt incredibly flimsy, as if this was the first thing that stuck to the wall and the director said “okay”. We saw the movie through until the end but my opinion changed to “this was stupid” as opposed to the banner reception I had of the first half.

I feel very conflicted about Longlegs and I think I keep thinking about it because I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I plan on watching it one more time, but I wouldn’t call it a “must watch” by any means. I am going to give it five out of ten stars. Five for the first half and zilch for the rest!

What was the last movie you saw in theaters? What did you think about Longlegs? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah