September Favorites

I made this thing...

Hope you like it.

xoxo,
Liz

Part 2 - Agra, The City with the Taj Mahal

Let's journey back in time once again for another chunk of my adventure in India. On Day Three, we left New Delhi in a large van toward the city of Agra. Agra is technically 2.5 hours away from New Delhi. An easy jaunt south of the big city in order to see one of the wonders of the world, the Taj. Did it take 2.5 hours to get? No, it did not. It took closer to 5. This is one of the many lessons I learned while I was traveling around India. Here are some others:

1. Plan for five hours to get from any city to another city. The roads are terrible. 

2. Do NOT take pictures of animals when they are being pressed upon the windows of the vehicle because people will want money for those photos you just snapped.

3. Sometimes, your driver will pull over and exit his vehicle in order to pay a tax. You have no idea this is happening or where he goes or how he knows to pay a tax. It simply just happens.

4. There are a lot of speed bumps and pot holes. Prepare your stomach accordingly.

5. Have snacks. Lots of snacks.

In the van ready to go!

Nick ignoring monkeys

Agra Fort

Agra Fort

Agra Fort

Our Tour Guide - We are looking interested

Agra Fort

After Dinner at the Oberai Hotel

And then the next day, we saw the Taj!

It was overcast the day we saw the Taj Mahal but it was still beautiful.

#WorthIt

We saw the grounds and all the buildings and then we headed to the van to go to Jaipur. I'll probably get that post up in like a month. :)

Love you, mean it.

xoxo,

Liz

#HeForShe

I'm just going to put this here. 

And look at that, I posted about feminism. In a post a couple weeks ago, I responded to an article about inadequacy and how I do not feel like taking on more serious topics.

Times are a changing. It's a lot easier to talk about serious topics when someone, Emma Watson, so eloquently speaks about serious topics and defines things and makes me proud to be a human.

If you would like to support equality between the sexes, check out the new campaign, #HeForShe. 

http://www.heforshe.org/

I support it. 

xoxo,

Liz

I Made a Video

I made a video with my advice on how to survive your high school reunion. YouTube is kind of frustrating because of all the copyright stuff so I continue to learn what music I can use and how much of it I can use and when I shouldn't use it at all. I have not turned on AdSense so I'm not making any money from the videos I post on YouTube but at the same time, I don't want my channel to be tagged as breaking rules and stuff.

Which begs the question, how do people get away with lip syncs and covers and all that stuff??

Also, I'm still waiting to be able to customize my thumbnails so these ugly ones can be done with. Sorry, this post turned in to a little bit of a frustration rant.

I'm making my September Favorites video this week so plan on that for Thursdayish. :)

xoxo,
Liz

OKTOBERFEST HAPPENED!

I love holidays that include dark beer and meat on sticks. 

That's what I did this weekend. What'd you do?

xoxo,

Liz

How To: Survive High School Reunions

Yup, we're going there. Succinctly and efficiently.

Numero Uno

Be your most confident self which can be achieved by follow these next few steps.

Numero Dos

Get your hair done, makeup done, nails done, etc.

Numero Tres

Don't try anything new with your look. Go with ole faithful.

Numero Quatro

Wear comfortable shoes. There will be lots of mingling. You have to walk around and talk to the people you want to talk. Also, you don't want to be a sitting duck at a table for someone to find you that you have absolutely no interest in talking to. 

Numero Cinco

Wear clothes you feel beautiful and confident and comfortable in. 

Now for some other tips.

Numero Sies

Know that everyone is just as nervous or anxious as you are about this whole event.

Numero Siete

Have some questions you can ask like: Where are you living now? How are your parents doing? How are your siblings? Do you like this venue?

Numero Ocho

Be observant of wedding rings.

Numero Nueve

Try not to whisper about specific individuals because they could appear as if from no where.

Numero Diez

Remember to have fun! Dance! You may not see these people again or at least for a very long time. 

Breathe. Reunions aren't as scary or awkward as people build them up in their heads. You see people you like, you see people you never really cared to know and at the end of the day, you get to hang out with your friends.

xoxo,

Liz

Fall TV Premieres

It's the most overwhelming time of the year. It's the time to make sure all of your shows land on your DVR and none of them are left out. But what about all of the new shows you want to watch? Do you go ahead and subscribe to the whole season? Just one episode? If you go the one episode route, then you have to decide quickly whether you will invest in those characters or if they just aren't worth your time.

I went through my series list on my DVR just now. I have forty shows on the list. FORTY SHOWS. My only saving grace is that they aren't all on in the fall. Thank, goodness. Whatever will I do? 

Every year around this time, I sit down with my computer and each network's website and decide who gets in to my lineup and who does not. Here are some of the new shows coming out this fall that I am interested in. Some of them because of the story and some because they have actors I like and I want them to succeed. 

ABC: SELFIE, Manhanttan Love Story (clip below)

This is in addition to the ABC shows I already watch, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Nashville, ONCE (Which I'm a season behind on) & Revenge (also a season behind on).

NBC: The Mysteries of Laura, Marry Me

In addition to Parenthood & The Blacklist (I'm practically a full season behind on this one, oops).

CBS: No New Shows, Just Criminal Minds, 2 Broke Girls & Mom

Fox: Gotham & Red Band Society

In addition to New Girl, The Mindy Project, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

TheCW: The Vampire Diaries

ABC Family: Pretty Little Liars when it comes back at Christmastime.

FX/FXX: The League, The Americans, Fargo

I think Married & You're the Worst will be over after like next week but I currently watch those as well. I haven't started SOA but I know people love the absolute S#*! out of that show. I'll add it to my very long list of Netflix watching that needs to occur.

USA: Covert Affairs, Playing House

I gave up on White Collar and I still feel guilty about it.

TNT: Rizzoli & Isles, Franklin & Bash, Dallas

I wish I had watched The Last Ship so we'll see if I find time to go down that path. Also, I should confess that I'm incredibly behind on Dallas... I truly have good intentions where TV is concerned. I just don't have enough time. I need a job where all I do is watch TV. Find that for me.

TBS: I want to watch Ground Floor. I like Rory Scovel. I'll give his show a chance.

AMC: Mad Men, The Walking Dead

I'm behind on both. I'm starting to see a theme but as I look at more television websites I see more shows that I should be watching. 

MTV: Finding Carter, Awkward

#cantstopwontstop 

Showtime: Homeland 

HBO: Nothing right now... I have lots of catching up to do on Boardwalk Empire. 

I have some work to do which has been made incredibly clear by this post. Here is a good link that has start dates of shows and entire list of all the possible shows you could be watching. http://www.tvguide.com/special/fall-preview/fall-preview-a-z.aspx

Happy television watching, y'all!

xoxo,

Liz

Why I Need a Nap

I worked 65 hours last night. This isn't me complaining. It's just a fact. And then I overbooked myself over the weekend with social commitments.

One of those social commitments was my high school reunion. Have you had your high school reunion, yet? It wasn't nearly as awkward as I expected it to be.

Dinner at Meddlesome Moth

We Fancy

Melissa & I at Community Brewery

Ashlee & Me with her Homecoming Mum

As you can see, I had a great time. I'm going to compile a list of things you can do in order to survive your reunion and make the most out of it. I typed that so I may be held accountable. 

Go forth and allow yourself to be nostalgic on occasion, remembering all the stupid stuff you did and all the fun stuff you did. It's healthy.

xoxo,

Liz

Responding to Inadequacy

Y'all need to read this and then read that... those words written below.

Yesterday, I was going through websites that the firewall would actually let me look at and ended up reading Louise's blog post from Monday about the feeling of inadequacy in response probably from negative comments on some sort of social media. Louise is the sweetest, bubbliest, real and inspiring person. And completely relatable.

She and I are around the same age and according to her post, we have recently realized certain things about the world that make us a little angry. Yet, we focus on the pretty things that make us happy.

I don't feel confident at this time to discuss issues that I truly have strong opinions about. Unfortunately, expressing these opinions is not a strong suit of mine therefore, I don't talk about them in casual conversations. I have lots of thoughts on feminism, healthcare in the US and the growing economic divide between poor and rich in all countries. Yes, you read that correctly. These are things I have opinions on, but I won't talk about them.

Do I feel inadequate because I cannot discuss these things? ALL OF THE TIME.

I like things. I like makeup. I like traveling. I like fashion. I like YouTube. I like Podcasts. I like you.

Those are things I feel comfortable discussing and recapping and recommending. That's just the truth.  In Louise's post she discusses things to make you happy. I agree. Happiness to me is about control. Control of the topics I want to talk about. If I do not have control of something, I don't want to waste time talking about it or thinking about it or stewing about it.

If you would like to talk about the far more serious topics I mentioned earlier, I will be happy to give you some links to people discussing it that I like to read and most of the time agree with. :)

Pretty much it's a lot of vlogbrother videos with a sprinkle of other sources but really, it's just vlogbrothers.

#dftba

xoxo,
Liz

New Orleans, My New Favorite

Even though I was only in town for three nights in the past two weeks, I jumped on board with a quick weekend trip to New Orleans with my best friends. We went because Georgia Tech played Tulane in the Green Wave's new stadium. Historically, Tulane is not the "football school" like LSU and the students have not participated in tailgates and hosting other schools for football games. Georgia Tech, I learned this past weekend, is a school that travels well to out-of-town games. New Orleans was overrun with Yellow Jackets which was quite exciting for us!

Because we Dallasites had a later than preferred start to our journey, Bourbon Street had to wait for us to go out around 1:30 in the AM. And we did indeed go out. You can't drive all eight hours to Nola and not go out for at least a night cap. The late night experience was also humbling because everyone else on Bourbon Street was, well, three sheets to the wind. #scandalous 

Our little group kept it calm and reserved. We had iced Irish coffees at Molly's. 

Saturday was greeted with tired eyes and sore bodies but also excitement for college football and yummy food! Chris and Rik took is ladies to Mother's for meat. So. Much. Meat. And a Bloody Mary. 

After lunch, we jumped in a streetcar to take us to Tulane for the game. Our friend Daniel is an alumnus and got tickets for those that wanted to go to the game. We made it to campus early enough to tailgate and watch college kids be college kids. 

While the game was going on, I hung out with one of Daniel's friends who I am going to say is a free-spirited, hippie of New Orleans. She is super sweet and we had a lot of philosophical discussion. Not my personal forte but I tried. I met some of her friends which just confirmed my first impression. 

And yes, I decided the best way to capture my time in Nola was by taking selfies with drinks. I'm not sure why. Maybe I just wanted you to know I was having a fantastic (not at all sober) time.

I was rescued by my friends after the game. We showered and napped and Melissa encouraged me to get clothes on so we could go eat oysters!

It's my birthday this Thursday so they pinned money to me. Tradition in Nola is for people to pin a dollar to the birthday person and the money is sign so people wish you happy birthday. It was really nice. I felt special. 

Because oysters aren't super filling, we had to get late night yums yums. 

Dat Dog is amazing. Eat there. After eating, we power walked down Bourbon back the hotel because we had accomplished greatness. I wore my new booties which are incredibly comfortable and if you're looking for that type of thing, you should invest in these. I typically don't wear heels but these were like pillows on the bottom of my feets. 

On Sunday we at brunch at Jimmy J's which is a super cute, super tiny cafe. But look at the fooooooood!

Yum! 

And now, I can't travel any more this year. I'm spent. But we all know that's a lie. I'll probably go somewhere next week. 

Laissez le Bon temp rouler!

xoxo,

Liz

Bumbershoot Fashion

Here's some outfit inspiration for a festival when you want to look cute instead of like a hippie.

Bumbershoot by pizlierson on polyvore.com

Or a teenager in your middriff top and leggings. I still can't get over how "naked" teenagers like to be out in public. Every teenager needs to watch more "Criminal Minds" so they understand the level of gross that is out there in the world. You guys, there are gross people out there in the world. Cover your tits and ass, please.

Gracias.

Rant aside, festival style for the most part is crazy to me. I don't think I would buy clothes specifically for a festival. I took things I would wear every day and made them more casual or sporty.

For Seattle, the weather was beautiful. It was in the 70s which meant that I was able to wear long sleeves and not sweat the entire weekend. Success!

I promise this is my last post about Bumbershoot. I just needed to be thorough. :)

xoxo,
Liz

Festival Wisdom

Top things I learned from Bumbershoot

1. Crop tops and high waisted jean shorts are definitely back in style and they look about as good on people today as they looked in 1993.

2. Do not stand on the floor near a stage unless you want to be squished and have pot smoke blown in your face at an alarming rate.

3. If the comedian you want to see is super popular, show up an hour prior to showtime in order to get in to the venue. Preferably, get to the festival site when it opens to get a special pass if possible.

4. Comedians don't like babies. They may like them when they aren't performing but babies are quite distracting when you are attempting to make a room of people laugh with your bits and what not.

5. Always bring cash to a festival. Most places will not take credit cards.

6. Locate the restrooms as soon as you arrive so you can control how much water you drink.

7. Festivals appear to be more fun to those who have a special someone they can enjoy it with. Mainly because this partner of yours can serve as a leaning post, a beer-getter and a place-in-line saver. They will also dance with you when you feel the urge and will not be embarrassed by you because they love you.

8. Corn dogs are an acceptable festival food even in Seattle where everything is just a touch more pretentious and granola.

9. If you take a backpack to a festival, include the following things: a blanket to sit on, an umbrella, a rain jacket, sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, snacks, an iPhone charger, headphones and a book to read.

10. Be open to experiencing new things whether that is music or art or comedians or vendors. Don't constrict yourself to only the familiar. You may enjoy something new and exciting.

Go forth and find your inner hippie!

Liz

Bumbershoot 2014, A Quick Recap

Because yesterday was Labor Day, I took a day off. So, Mondiary is now Tuesdiary for the purpose of this blog. What did you do over the three-day weekend? I went to Seattle for Bumbershoot and it was fantastic. Exhausting, but fantastic.

My cousin lives in Seattle because he is a fancy man so I am incredibly grateful for the free place to sleep and shower and play Mario Kart and eat piroshki made by my cousin's fiancé.

Saturday was a full day of music and teenagers and comedy and standing in lines and eventually a bus ride home. 

On the floor for Panic! At the Disco #terrifying

Space Needle at Night

Sunday we saw Doug Loves Movies, the podcast I am most loyal to and love the most. I actually won Doug's Twitter contest to guess who the panel would be. Score!

The "ghost" panel for Doug Loves Movies
Doug Benson, 'Werner Herzog,' Rory Scovel, W. Kamau Bell & Ken Jennings (L:R)

Free Lattes at the Starbucks Gold Lounge

Monday we saw Capital Cities and they put on an amazing show. Their energy and ability to keep the crowd engaged made seeing them an awesome experience. They got the crowd to jump and grapevine and also to take their shirts off. No lie.

Capital Cities

Next we went to Paul F. Tompkins portray H.G. Wells in his podcast where he interviews other comedians impersonating authors. It was pretty funny. He did break out in to a chorus of "Skyfall" which rounded out the whole thing quite nicely.

Queued Up for Dead Authors Podcast with Paul F. Tompkins

We also saw Neon Trees and Foster the People but evidently I only took video and my phone was in a constant state of almost dead. I am currently trying to piece together a vlog post on my YouTube channel with snip-its from the shows we saw.

I had an excellent weekend being a festival person even though I am continually terrified by teenagers. Before the past couple of weeks with the No Filter Show and then Bumbershoot, I didn't understand why YouTubers would be overwhelmed or freaked out by a mass of teenagers. Now I understand. I'm on the same page, people. Teenagers all fangirl crazy are terrifying. I need to stick to 21 and up shows so if they can make a festival that is 21 and up, I'm in. :)

I hope you had a magical Labor Day and I guess it's time to put my one white dress in the closet until spring... maybe. It's summer in Dallas until October so I may bend the rules a little bit.

xoxo,
Liz