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Have You Ever? Convention Edition

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I came across this blogging prompt on A Geek Girls’ Guide while catching up on my blog reading. I’m not going to lie, I miss conventions. If I had known the year was going to go the way it did, I probably would have attended C2E2 in Chicago. I’m pretty sure that was one of the last “bigger” conventions that was able to go on as planned. Hopefully later next year we might be able to get back to conventions, but I’m not holding my breath. Now onto the questions!

Have you ever been to a con?

Yes! I’ve been to a few conventions including C2E2, San Diego Comic Con, NYCC, and HeroesCon.

Have you ever traveled far to go to a con?

Since I live on the East Coast, I actually travel to a few conventions. The farthest is San Diego, a cross country flight. But I normally turn it into a bigger vacation. I love to travel though, so it’s not a big deal. I’d even like to attend a convention over seas once, or maybe up in Canada. Of course it does make attending conventions a little more expensive.

Have you ever attended the same con multiple times?

It’s pretty much all I do! I try to add a new convention every now and then but I have my favorites for sure. I’ve been to San Diego 5 or 6 times I think? C2E2 around 10? It all blurs together but I’m a creature of con habits.

Have you ever gone to a signing or photo op?

I’ve done both! These days I lean more towards photo ops. I just think it’s a little “cooler” to have a photo with a celeb and I’m less likely to loose that photo. I know I’ve lost or misplaced a few autographs. They are getting more expensive though so they don’t happen as often. I’m very curious to see how these things work when conventions start back up.

Have you ever cosplayed at a con?

Yup! I’ve only done it a few times, and normally just for one day of the con. I’m not someone that has a full schedule of costumes. I’ve done USO Hawkeye, Catwoman, Black Widow, and Elektra. I’d love to do more in the future!

Have you ever worked at a con?

I’ve never worked a booth but I’ve worked conventions as Press before. It’s a lot of work. You’re running back and forth to interviews, trying to figure out your own schedule on top of what you’ve been invited to cover. It was fun but I’m glad I don’t do it anymore. It became very stressful and took the fun out of conventions for me.

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I hope to see a few others take part in this! If you do, let me know in the comments so I can check out your post!

A Spooky New Tattoo Just In Time For Halloween

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I’ve always wanted a Zero from Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo. It’s something that’s been on my tattoo wish list for a number of years. I could just never really find the time to have one done, or research what exactly I would want. Did I want just Zero? Did I want a scene? There’s a lot of planning that goes into a tattoo! But soon, everything just came together like it was simply meant to be. I recently became friends with Angela We listen to the same radio morning show and that’s how we connected over Twitter. Over the past few months, she’s started her tattoo apprenticeship! I’m sure you can see where this is going. I told her I’d be more than happy to have a tattoo done by her in order to help fill her portfolio and work on her skills. She was 100% down and we started thinking of what to do. I offered a few different ideas and we finally landed on Zero. She sent me a few different sketches before the big day and she really knocked it out of the park. It’s honestly more than I ever imagined!


Isn’t he beautiful? At the moment, she’s not allowed to work with color. Once she’s at that point, I’ll go back and we’ll add orange to the pumpkins and of course to his little nose! Angela was such a pleasure to work with. She had no problem making any tweaks or changes that I asked for. I always stress out about that but like she said, it’s on my body/skin! It should be exactly what I want. If I remember correctly, I think the tattoo only took maybe 2 hours? It wasn’t very long. She has such a nice touch which is important when it comes to tattoo artists. Some can be a little rough or heavy handed. She was very easy to talk to as well. Obviously, I’m super thrilled with my new tattoo and I can’t wait to have him finished around December. If you’re looking for new artists to follow, be sure to add her! You can find her on Facebook as well.

Oh yeah, she’s only a few followers away from 500 on IG! Help her reach that milestone please! And yes, all precautions were taken during the tattoo session. Don’t worry!

9/11: Remembering John Patrick Hart

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I don’t really do much for 9/11 anymore. I use to attend the local memorial service but after awhile, it became too much. But the one thing I’ll always try and remember to do is share this post. I’ve moved blogs a few times since the first time I wrote this. I actually panicked this year because I forgot to bring the post to this blog. Good thing the WayBack Machine exists and I was able to find an older copy.

A few years ago I was able to visit the 9/11 Museum while in NYC. It was tough. It was emotional. But I made sure to stop and listen to John’s sister talk about her brother. I found myself crying for a man I never knew, but had this weird connection with, all because I signed up to help remember those that were lost that day. If you find yourself in New York, you can see John’s name on the memorial at the South Pool, Section S-39.

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A few months ago I signed up for the 2,996 Project. I had no idea who I would be assigned to. I didn’t lose anyone during 9-11 so I didn’t have a certain person that I wanted to blog about. I was assigned John Patrick Hart who was in the World Trade Center, Tower 2, 90th floor on that September day five years ago. I’m going to do my best to write about the man who was lost, and not the event that took his life.

After reading some information on Mr. Hart, it sounds like he was a one of a kind guy. He met his wife of 10 years when she was a flight attendant. She would always be showing off pictures of her two children on an airport shuttle. John would then make it a point to always take the shuttle she was on. After five trips he finally asked her out but there was a catch. He explained that she would have to bring her children. They went out for pizza and had fun bowling.

He was a dad would lend a helping hand at his children’s t-ball games. His sister, Jeanine, said that John was the type of dad that whenever he walked into a room, all the kids would just run to him. He would arrange his work schedule around his kids activities. He made sure his family always came first. He knew how important family was since he came from a large family of 5 siblings and had 4 children himself.

John was a typical guy in some aspects though. He was a huge “Cheese Head” who was a lifetime Green Bay Packers fan. During opening season of deer hunting in Wisconsin, you’d find him out there on his annual hunting trip. When in front of the TV, it would always be sports or shows about wars.

He was in New York City that day 5 years ago to teach a management class. The class was on the 90th floor of the World Trade Center’s south tower. After the plane slammed into the building he had enough time to call his wife at home to let her know he was OK. They think John had enough time to escape the Tower but his wife Laurie said that John felt that it was his responsibility to let those who were arriving for class know they didn’t have to stay.

In my eyes this man was a hero. He helped Laurie after her 1st marriage fell apart and adopted her two children. Not many men would step up to the plate like that. Not many men would ask that the children come along on the 1st date. This dad could have been any of our fathers and he reminds me of mine in a way. A father who always made sure he had time for his kids but did whatever he had to in order to make sure they had what they needed.

I don’t know if any of his friends or family are reading this but if you are, I want to let you know that even though I don’t know you or him, I could tell he was special just by reading the various articles I found. I’m sorry that you lost such an important part of your lives but I know that his spirit lives on inside you.

On this 9-11 I’ll be attending a local memorial service, I’ll be lighting my candle in honor of Mr. John Patrick Hart.

You can find the new list and website here.

Shopping For Your Pet Via Small Businesses

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I think the title of this post sucks but I couldn’t figure out a way to word it. If you’re like me though, you probably spend a lot of money on your pet. I mean, why have a doggo if you aren’t going to spoil them? But you can easily spoil them and support various small businesses along the way. Ever since I started an Instagram account for Roxie, I’ve found tons of pet related small businesses! I’m talking everything from collars to treats to bandanas. And I am sucker for a cute bandana. I thought I’d share a few of them here. If you do like what you see, be sure to check out their Instagram accounts! You’ll find plenty of discount codes there, most of the time for 10-15% off.

A&Z Pet Wear Hawai’i // IG

If you couldn’t tell by the name, they’re a small business based out of Hawaii! They offer bow ties, bandanas, collars, and even key chains. The prices are very reasonable. I think the most expensive item comes in around $22. The patterns they offer are really fun and they just released a few Halloween fabrics! Roxie is wearing one of their lovely bandana’s in the photo above.

Paws Bandanas Shop // IG

Along with bandana’s they offer leash holders! They have fun decals you can add onto your bandana’s as well. Roxie has a few bandana’s from them including one for Halloween.

Resin Bark // IG

Resin Bark offers beautiful resin dog tags. They came in all kinds of shapes including ghosts, bones, circles, and hearts! Plus the colors are stunning. You have a few fonts to choose from as well to make sure your tag is exactly what you want! If you aren’t 100% sure on what you like, they offer plenty of premade tags as well. The best thing about these tags is how light they are! If you have a dog who’s not into loud tags this might be what you’re looking for. Plus they’re easy to care for.

Moose And Lulus // IG

Moose And Lulus offer all kinds of items from treats to tags to stickers! They offer resin tags as well but normally offer theirs via drop format. That just means they make a bunch, then put them up in batches. They offer some really fun themes like “beachy” and “fall vibes.” They even offer an Alien shaped tag! Sometimes they offer customized tags as well.

Ava’s Pet Palace

Ava is a 14 year old girl who started her own pet treat company! She offers treats for both dogs and cats. The prices are a steal at just $6 a bag. They’re home made and feature limited ingredients. This is huge since a lot of pets out there have various allergies. Roxie can’t have chicken, so it can be a bit of a struggle to find treats for her. If Roxie could speak, she’d say her favorite is the Oat & Banana.

Kira’s Pet Shop // IG

They mainly offer collars and leashes. I was trying to find something Hawkeye themed and they had the perfect purple arrow fabric. I had a leash and collar made and the quality is just fantastic. They have plenty of fun patterns like honeycomb, unicorns, leaves, geometric, floral, and more! I believe they offer cat sized collars as well.

I’m going to stop there! This is just a very small sampling of what you can find out there for your pets. I know that you can find a lot of these items at your Big Name Pet Store but why not try and switch a few things out and help support the small businesses that are out there? Especially when some people might be depending on their side gigs because their Full Time job was shut down. Just keep in mind that shipping and creating your items might take a little extra time. They’re human after all, not Amazon. Be sure to read over their shop info to see if anything is running behind, or if shipping has slowed down.

Thursday Movie Picks: Female Buddy Movies

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I don’t mean to go on blogging breaks but it happens. But it’s Thursday and that means it’s time for Thursday Movie Picks. The topic this week is Female Buddy Movies. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them.

1. Girls Trip

Four best friends, known as the Flossy Posse, have grown apart over the years. Yet when one of the friends is offered an opportunity to be a keynote speaker at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, she decides to bring along her friends to turn her work vacation into a girl’s trip. Along the way, they rekindle their wild side by dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to excess.

I thought this movie was hilarious. The cast is great and the movie really did have some heart. If you haven’t seen it, check it out!

2. The House Bunny

Playboy Bunny Shelley Darlingson has lived a life of luxury at Hugh Hefner’s mansion. Disaster strikes, however, when Shelley turns 27 and is deemed as too old to be a Bunny. Kicked out into the real world, the girl ambles onto a college campus and tries to join a sorority. Finding a sorority made up of geeky, awkward girls – Zeta Alpha Zeta – Shelley teaches them the art of attracting boys, as only a Playboy Bunny can.

I thought this movie was cute. The cast is pretty stacked when you look back at it. Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, and Anna Faris! I always find myself watching this whenever I stumble across it on TV.

3. Wine Country

Six women question their friendships and futures when they travel to Napa Valley, California, to celebrate a 50th birthday.

This movie was fine. It’s on Netflix and I checked it out one day when I couldn’t find anything to watch. I almost feel like it’s the “ultimate female buddy movie” because Amy Poehler just filled the cast with her friends.

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Keeping the list short this week as I try to get myself back into a blogging groove. I tried to mix it up a bit. I feel like these films all show different types of women and friendships. I can’t wait to see what movies everyone picked this week. Hopefully I’ll learn about some new movies!

My “Lucifer” Poshmark & Depop Finds

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Every now and then I get an itch to try and find some screen accurate (SA) items from some of my favorite shows and movies. This time around it’s the show “Luficer.” In order to find out what items to look for I’ve been using Lucifer Style along with Worn On and Shop Your TV. I try to focus only on clothing I know I’ll wear like jackets or certain tops.

Sanctuary Camo Bomber Jacket: Chloe Decker // 3×5 // 4×08

Collage By: Lucifer Style

This was one of my first finds! It’s a jacket worn by Chloe Decker in a few different episodes. It’s actually really comfortable and I got it for just $25. The hardest part about shopping online via places like Poshmark is sizing. You can’t return items because of sizing/fit, so make sure you do your search on size charts. I’ve really lucked out and normally go with a larger size if available. It’s rather something be a little too big but wearable instead of too small.

Silence + Noise Stays On Tour Satin Bomber Jacket: Chloe Decker // 2×13

Another really fun jacket! Like I said, I’m trying to stick to things I know I’ll wear. It was hard to find this one in my size but it worked on in the end. Sometimes you just need to keep checking, sometimes on daily basis.

Zara (Basic) Crepe Bomber Jacket: Chloe Decker

When you search for this online, you’ll get a few of those “Hollywood Leather Jacket” sites. Ignore them. There is no reason to pay $150 for something like this when the original didn’t even cost that much. I paid $18 for this. It’s very light weight and will be great for Spring. Plus it’s black so it goes with everything.

Topshop Petite Lattice Stud Sweater: Mazikeen // 2×17

I had zero luck finding this on Poshmark, so I hopped over to Depop to see what I could find. I found one U.S. seller and while it was a size Small, I had to take the chance. This is my Holy Grail item. It fits OK but I went back to search again and found a few UK sellers. I lucked out finding someone who would ship to the U.S. and the larger size is on the way. If that one works out I’ll just sell the smaller size. Fingers crossed!

I’m keeping my eyes peeled for a few more items but that’s my little collection for now. It’s actually been fun to try and hunt pieces down. I’m very excited to see what the new season of “Lucifer” brings fashion wise. I’m sure I’ll see something that tickles my fancy. Anyone else out there looking for SA clothing? Let me know!