Adam Ray Live
My husband had bought tickets for Adam Ray’s tour stop in Philadelphia last year but the show got pushed back to March. “Dr. Phil” started getting big on Kill Tony, and he was doing YouTube videos with the character as well, that it seemed like the Dr. Phil Live show Adam was touring replaced our show date. We held onto our tickets because we were interested in seeing Adam Ray as himself after watching him kill so many times as “Dr. Phil”. We saw his show last weekend where he performed at the Punch Line Philly comedy club for just one out of six sold-out shows that weekend at the club.
Claressa Shields: From Flint to the Olympics
The Fire Inside, directed by Rachel Morrison in her directorial debut and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, was in theaters last Christmas but I didn’t get a chance to watch it until it was streaming. The movie is based on the true story of boxer Claressa Shields from Flint, Michigan, who at just 17 years old wins an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. If that wasn’t impressive enough, USA boxing hadn’t won a gold medal since 2004 and women couldn’t compete in the sport before 2012.
“Unstoppable”: A Man’s Character is His Fate
Unstoppable streaming on Amazon is a film based on the true story of Anthony Robles, a wrestler born with one leg. I wanted to watch it because it was a movie about a Latino that starred Jharrel Jerome from When They See Us and Moonlight as Anthony, and the iconic Jennifer Lopez as his mom Judy. Michael Peña also stars as his high school coach Bobby Williams. Unstoppable is an inspiring story but what surprised me most was Anthony’s character.
5 Ways Critical Thinking Skills Can Increase Your Happiness
I’ve been following writer Margarita Diaz on Instagram for years now and I really love how she’s able to write about important matters with intelligence and logic. Through her writing, I’ve learned not only to process my thoughts better on things I also agree with but can’t articulate as well as Margarita can, but I’ve also picked up some pointers on how to change my perspective. I have many favorite topics that she’s covered but one of my absolute favorite posts, that have helped change the way I think about things more positively, is when she recently talked about Happiness and how to take the route that causes you the least angst. I reached out to her and asked if she would be a guest writer on my blog and contribute a piece about this. I’m so grateful she did because I think we can all learn tips on how to navigate different areas of life better to bring us more happiness and peace.
12 Summers
On a Monday off from work last month, as I walked Sebastian into school with the sun shining on us, it hit me that it was my first summer since I’d found a new job. Exactly two years ago, I went to a tarot reader to ask when I would find a new job, and she said it wouldn’t be soon but that I did have options. Now, I was finally on the other side of that with a new job. I was immediately filled with joy and had one of the best days ever. My old job was twelve years of most of my adult life, with the end of my time there feeling drained. For the first time, I thought I had moved a mountain, leaving an unhappy situation.
Shane Gillis Stars in “Tires”
The coolest thing about Tires, the Netflix comedy series set in the workplace, is that one of its creators wasn’t supposed to get this opportunity. Shane Gillis, a comic from Philly, was canceled in 2019 and subsequently fired before his SNL debut. Comics rallied behind him, he continued doing his stand-up, and today joins comedians Mark Normand and Ari Shaffir on the Joe Rogan Experience to host “Protect Our Parks.” Last year, his second comedy special, Beautiful Dogs, premiered on Netflix, and earlier this year, he hosted SNL. His popularity is just undeniable.
Mother’s Day
I’m a mom to a 6-year-old this Mother's Day, and I can hardly believe how big that is. Sebastian will be starting kindergarten this fall, which also seems unreal. He’s also big for his age, so he looks older. He wears a size 8 in clothes but fits more comfortably in size 10; his feet have rapidly grown to where he can walk around quite nicely in size 2 shoes. I won’t be surprised if he’s the next size up in sneakers by the summer. Once he’s in actual school, it’ll hit me how much of a big kid he is.
A New Chapter
At the start of the year, I wrote Looking Back At 2023 about my less-than-fun year. Well, I’m happy to report that in February, only two months into the new year, things took a turn with the job hunt. Back in December, I shifted my expectations and reset my job alerts with Indeed for case management positions instead of being so stubborn with only looking for writing jobs. I wanted to get my resume noticed with my twelve years of experience in that field and applied to any agency where I could do something different.
Gen V: Superheroes Becoming Humans
To appreciate the spin-off show, Gen V, you have to watch The Boys, Amazon’s original show, which has aired three seasons since 2019 and is based on a comic book series. I only started watching The Boys last year because when my husband first told me about the show years ago, I wasn’t interested in something called The Boys. I just didn’t think it was for me or that I would like it. I’m glad I gave it a chance, though, because I fell in love with the premise: What about the innocent casualties of the superheros’ powers?
Godzilla Minus One: A Timeless Masterpiece
Since December, my husband had insisted we watch the new Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One, a Japanese film written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki that was breaking records and now playing in America. Last month, we asked my mom to babysit, and we went to the theater. I was never really into GodzilIa and had only watched the 1998 version with Mathew Broderick. I didn’t even think about watching the newest addition to the franchise, mostly because I hadn’t heard about it before Albert mentioned it to me. “It’s getting great reviews,” he assured me. “It’s different from the other Godzilla movies because it’s character-driven. They’re calling it a masterpiece.” Well, I had to see about that.
Looking Back At 2023
If you saw people posting highlights of their 2023 on Instagram and cringed, you’re not alone. While last year wasn’t my favorite, and I’m glad it’s over, I’ll start this post with gratitude. You can’t do anything without good physical health, and you can’t be happy if you don’t have the ones you love close to you. I’m grateful to say that I was blessed with another year of health and still have my family and friends by my side. As I look back on 2023, I realize it was a year of learning for me that will flow into the growth I expect to see in 2024.
One Piece: The Great Pirate Era
One Piece, the Netflix live-action series based on the Japanese manga series created by Eiichiro Oda, aired its first season at the end of the summer. It’s set in a made-up world during a great pirate era where the seas are divided into four quadrants: East Blue, North Blue, West, and South. I had never heard of this massively popular manga until someone recommended it to my husband, and we decided to watch it. I fell in love right away with the story and the main character, Monkey D. Luffy, whose dream is to find the hidden treasure, the One Piece, and become King of the Pirates.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah: “Dear God, Stacy Friedman here. And what the hell?”
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is a Netflix film from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions based on the 2005 young adult novel of the same name by Fiona Rosenbloom. It’s directed by Sammi Cohen and stars Adam Sandler and his two daughters, Sunny Sandler, who plays the protagonist, 13-year-old Stacy Friedman, and Sadie Sandler, who plays Stacy’s older sister, Ronnie. Before you say Nepo Baby, they really do a great job and are so natural on camera—I guess that happens when you grow up on movie sets.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: How Mutant Mayhem Humanizes the Turtles
We saw the 2014 remake, where the Turtles were re-imagined as these monstrous-sized figures instead of the stealth ninjas they are. That’s why I really loved that the new movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem opened with the Turtles moving through the city of New York like ninjas as they swiped items they needed underground; they were in and out of the scene like a deadbeat dad. When it was announced Seth Rogen was behind a new Turtles, my husband was ecstatic. We love Seth Rogen’s comedies, so we knew this new iteration would be in good hands.
Our Summer
This summer has been one of change and growth. How appropriate during a new season, right? As I get older and the seasons on the East Coast dwindle to two–a long, cold winter with little to no snow and a short summer–I cling to those precious sunny, hot days where I can walk out in a t-shirt and shorts, carefree and happy, drinking in the sun rays while wearing my sunscreen, of course. Adulting is fun, isn’t it? Summer has become my favorite season because it only lasts a couple of months, so I miss it more. I also find myself drawn to the ocean. I don’t know how to swim, but now I see the beauty and power of the water. My childhood friend and I went to the beach for the weekend at the end of August, and I found such peace as the waves crashed over me. Even though summer can’t last forever, my family and I made the most of it, embracing the weekends and taking a week off from work in mid-July.
My First Runes Reading
Lately, I’ve been thinking about why things don’t happen when I want them to, so I scheduled my first runes reading in the same center where I got My First Tarot Reading. I had wanted to try a coffee reading for the first time, but that service wasn’t available. Before I booked the appointment, I had to ask the woman scheduling my session what a runes reading was. She provided me with the definition, and I was intrigued enough to make an appointment immediately
Workin’ Moms: Go To The Magic
When it was announced that the show's upcoming seventh season would be the series finale, it was hard to believe that one of my favorite shows was ending. How was it possible that we’d already received six seasons of this hilarious and honest show before that? I couldn’t believe how quickly it went. It was also hard to accept that I’d have to let go of this incredible show whose characters felt like friends in this wild journey through motherhood, balancing work and relationships. Even if you’re not a mom, the messages in the final season are relatable to everyone.
The Little Mermaid: Part of Your World
This past weekend I saw The Little Mermaid with the beautiful Halle Bailey in the leading role and was enchanted by her voice. There was no one better to play the iconic mermaid with the siren’s song, an element they added to the live-action version that I loved. Halle naturally embodied the sweetness, innocence, and curiosity of Ariel—she looked and sounded the part. I thought her impressive voice was the best part of the film, and Scuttle’s song, “The Scuttlebutt,” was a great new additional song. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rap lyrics are irresistible, and it’s so exciting to see a Latino involved in these massive productions. I enjoyed the film, but it’s hard to recreate the magic found in animation; it’s what was lacking from the new Lion King.
I Interview My Esthetician
I wrote about my journey with my skin in Barbie World, correcting my acne scarring and redness after struggling with cystic acne from 17- to 21-years-old. For this month’s blog, I wanted to have a conversation with my current esthetician, Stephanie Tarn, to provide you with some tips and information on our skin and skincare.
Burnout
Without even realizing it, burnout crept up on me and smacked me in the face. It’s hard to see it when you’re just doing the same thing every day, but when you start to feel exhausted even after getting the recommended eight hours of sleep, something’s off. Everything lately feels like work, from the actual 9 to 5 to the routine of getting my son Sebastian ready in the morning for school while simultaneously getting myself ready for the day.
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