First, a warning: I am one of those geeks. You know the ones. The ones who are still obsessed with Harry Potter long after it stopped being cool. The ones who could tell you the entire history of the Marauder’s Map faster than they could tell you their own social security number. The ones who look at the Daily Prophet prop design and think, Yes, this is a level of detail worth dedicating my life to. If that’s you, too? Welcome, my friend. You’re in danger. Because The Magic of MinaLima is the most unnecessary, extravagant, glorious purchase you will ever make. And you’re going to love every second of it.
Category: Random Musings
Books: Passing by Nella Larsen – The Drama, the Chaos, the Devastation
Listen, sugar plums. If you’ve made it this far in life without reading Passing by Nella Larsen, then congratulations: you’ve survived a profound cultural drought. But the time for ignorance is over. Because this novella? It’s not just a book. It’s a 155-page masterclass in literary mic drops, emotional gut punches, and the art of subtle, simmering chaos. You think you’re ready? You’re not. But let’s dive in anyway. Meet Irene and Clare: Frenemies Who Will Ruin Your Soul On one hand, we have Irene Redfield: middle-class, stable, sensible, and armed with the kind of tightly wound self-control that screams, I am just
To Build a Fire by Jack London: The Quintessential “I’m a Man, I Know Better” Cautionary Tale
Listen, sweet summer children. We need to talk about hubris. Specifically, the kind that convinces you to take a jaunt into the Yukon wilderness when it’s colder than an ex’s heart out there, armed with nothing but a pair of mittens and a Good Ol’ American Can-Do Attitude™. This is the exact brand of arrogance that Jack London explores in To Build a Fire, a delightful little tale about one man’s casual stroll through a subarctic hellscape. Spoiler alert: it does not end well and I spill all the deets. Act 1: The Stage Is Set (For Failure) The story
A Study in Scarlet – Sherlock Holmes’ Fever Dream
The TL;DR on Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes makes his debut in *A Study in Scarlet*, and it’s got all the classic elements of a Sherlock story: murder, intrigue, and the kind of deductions that make you go, “Okay, dude, but like… how?” But then, as if Arthur Conan Doyle said, “You know what this story *really* needs? A hard pivot to the American West!”—suddenly, there are Mormons in Utah, and I’m left clutching my tea wondering what just happened. Watson’s Broke Roommate Saga: A Relatable King It starts innocently enough with our friend Dr. John Watson, who, much like every
The Life and Times of Kristen
It’s been awhile. It’s been hectic. It’s been life-changing. And I’m still recovering from it all. Once upon a time, a pandemic hit the globe. My man and I hid in our house and took walks at appropriately safe distances from other pedestrians. We planned. We enjoyed the small break from having to “head into the office”. We were both still receiving paychecks and felt incredibly blessed. I had chosen this most fortunate time to go back to school, to get my Masters. In the process I had quit my previous job and easily found a new one that aligned
Self Portrait #7: The Refusal to Make Resolutions and a Happy Blogiversary to Me
Today marks the anniversary of the day that I officially wrote my first post and hit “publish”. It happened on New Years Day becauuuuuse, DUH! Resolution. And I’m beyond happy that resolution was one I followed through on. But the idea of a resolution never really suited me. At one point, I decided to change the word to goals (or better yet, as one meme suggests, to label goals as “side quests” is much more fun). Goals felt more defined, less slippery, more tangible. But after 2020? I don’t think I’m the only one to give a profound “#$%* goals!”
Self-Portrait #6: What Did You Accomplish While the World was Experiencing the Apocalypse?
I’m not going to lie–I honestly believe I had a successful 2020. Mostly because I made it *through* 2020 in one piece, but I did get some things done while quarantining drained my life energy away: I got married! Yes, after three years of being each others’ everything, we finally tied the knot on August 29th, 2020. I started my Masters program and ended my first semester with a 4.0 GPA. I started a new job, which has been exciting and nerve wracking all at once but it’s progress (and let’s face it, being able to start a new job
Triple Header Favorites! Five Favorite Things from April, May and June 2020!
These are so late that I almost didn’t post. ALMOST. But I figured, why not? April: Boxed Wine: So I might have fallen into the quarantine trap of drinking wine every single night… and afternoon. I’m kicking the habit now but if I’m being honest this was pretty high up there in April! Milano Cookies – I didn’t eat much in April, being a tad bit depressed. One thing I did munch on was these cookies. I may have suffered from a decreased appetite, but even then I didn’t want to miss dessert! Ahava Hydration Cream Mask – Did anyone
Blogs & Vlogs – BASE and ThisThatBeauty
I’d like to bring “Blogs and Vlogs” back to once again highlight some of my fave people to check out on the interwebs. Although a full 50% of those highlighted have been women of color, unfortunately none of them have been black. I’d like to correct this omission and reveal two who have had me addicted to their blogs for the last year. BASE – aka Beauty and Style Edit Although this site was built for and caters to women of color, I’ve been enjoying it for months. I’ve particularly enjoyed their recent series in which they ask various women
Now You Too Can Join the Sweat Fest!
If you’ve been reading for awhile, you might remember my adventures in Barre or Strength and Sculpt. Despite the incessant whining I did about sore muscles, the classes were awesome, and something I continue to try to do. Since lockdown began, these classes were cancelled. The good news is, my instructor Colleen Freese has started a YouTube channel and now not only does kick ass workout videos, but will do livestreams of her classes. The best part? It’s all for FREE. Check her classes at Colleen Freese Fitness on YouTube!