Month 3 is almost over on my weight loss journey (!!) and I'm still sticking to it. Well...kinda sorta. In Asheville, I didn't exactly keep up with my calorie counts via Lose It like I normally do but because I had started that new habit, both the old man and I were way more aware of how much we were eating - which helped us make way better decisions. But since we were on vacation, there were a few exceptions (of course!).
Like this:
That's right, I had the Juicy Lucy milkshake of the month and I HAD to have it with a burger that complimented the bacon flavor, right? Of course. I didn't really count it as "cheating" because I was plateauing and I felt like this could maybe break up my routine. Nah, who am I kidding - I just really wanted it. But you know what? I hardly gained anything while we were gone but I think all of ourclimbing and walking helped. And honestly, the more I think about it, I think regularly breaking up the same old routine with things like hamburgers and onion rings (The Varsity's please!) helps keep my body from plateauing.
Seriously. My weight loss has been slow and steady and I'm enjoying it! I've lost...wait for it... 25 POUNDS already!! I'm so pleased with myself because I've made it this far and I'm sticking with it! And on top of all that - I need new clothes. This is a good thing and a bad thing.
The good thing about that is that I get to go shopping at places I couldn't shop at before. Hooray! The bad thing is that I have a lot of articles that I LOVE and I don't think the hoarder in me can get rid of them so easily. And I don't exactly have tons of money to be throwing at new clothes right about now but NOTHING fits. My bras, my jeans, my shirts...NOTHING fits. The plus will be that the things that I can and will part with will be going to the Goodwill. I wouldn't throw all that stuff away!
Anyway - I hope you guys are having a good week. I'm still all sad panda about the MCR breakup but there's something sweet on the horizon: The new Wavves album! I pre-ordered it (with the hopes of getting the limited edition vinyl!!) and it should be arriving any day now! AND Mr. Williams and Co. will be performing here in about 2 weeks! Can't wait!! It's been way too long!
The day has come for all of us secret and not-so-secret Killjoys / MCRmy members - My Chemical Romance has broken up.
My old man let me know that it was the top story on BuzzFeed's side bar on Saturday. I had to read the article to make sure it was true. I didn't want to believe it. I still don't. It's devastating. I've turned my not-so-secret-anymore Killjoy Tumblr into a mourning / memorial page as I reblog and post random MCR love letters and messages from the incredible fans who have taken the time to make some really awesome GIFs
And so on...
But the burning question is: WHY? Why all of a sudden? And why like this?
It was so sudden and so not like them. I mean, how can you sum up an amazing 12 year ride in such a short paragraph? We were all stunned, of course. Then last night, I saw links to something that Gerard had written via Twitter / TwitLonger.
It was beautiful. I read it over and over - some sections more than others - with tears in my eyes at the thought of Gerard, Lindsey and Bandit chasing this bird around and Gerard feeling heavy-hearted that the iconic band he created that had saved so many lives (including mine) was over.
Tumblr, of course, is taking this terribly but I'm trying to remain optimistic. I know the guys won't stop doing what they're doing - they love it too much! Whether they take a break for a few months or a few years doesn't mean they're gone forever. That's a little TOO dramatic, if you ask me. Gerard's collab with Deadmau5 was only the beginning of things to come. You know he's collaborating with others and he's got comics coming out and all that fun stuff.
Same thing for Frank, Ray, Mikey and the rest of the gang - I'm sure they're collaborating with others in other forums and things, so there's no way it's a total loss. It is a shame, though. My Chem got me through a pivotal part in my life and kept me from doing something I would've regretted forever and the only thing I can do is what I've been doing: holding them very near and dear (and secretly) close to my heart.
Thanks for everything Gerard, Frank, Ray, Mikey, Bob and everyone else who took part in this amazing band.
Killjoys will never die and your memory will carry on.
Today is the old man's birthday and how do we celebrate? Oh, you know, by touring and wine tasting at America's Largest Home! I'm talking about the Biltmore Estate, of course. I had never been before and I have to say that my mom was right - I love it!
The architecture, the opulence, the sheer size of it all! It's spectacular! And even though it was our first gloomy day here in Asheville, it was a great day to tour the Biltmore.
The complimentary audio tour was great because we got our to hear some wonderful history about the house. As we walked the grounds outside and took the tour inside, we tried to imagine just how awesome it would have been to be a guest here. Imagine the parties! Imagine all the fun to be had on the ginormous grounds! The property used to span 125,000 acres and today, it covers 8,000 acres - the rest is part of Pisgah National Forest. GINORMOUS!!
I would love to come back when the sun is out and all the flowers are in bloom. The gardens would be a spectacular sight, I'm sure!
1-The Biltmore House / 2-4-Statues on the property / 5-In the wine cellar / 6-One of 10 in existence, a 1913 Stevens-Duryea / 7-Biltmore architecture / 8-Mrs. Vanderbilt's room, I believe... / 9-Creepy cat doll in one of the gift shops / 10-The Winter Garden ceiling
The Biltmore is a pretty magical place, I'd say. There are pretty neat things going on there. Honestly, if I were wealthy, I might try to rent it out for a week for my family or something! Or I'd rent it out for an entire day for a private tour with their best guides, chefs and sommeliers. But it'd be in the warmer months, of course! Or maybe even Christmas! I'm sure it's crazy beautiful around Christmas time...
Anyways - onto phase three of the old man's birthday: dinner! Phase two was lunch at Rosetta's Kitchen. Their vegan chili is wonderfully spicy and delicious! I highly recommend it!
To celebrate the old man's birthday, we came all the way up to Asheville, NC. At first, I was all, "What in the world is in Asheville?" but now that we've been here for a day and a half, there's plenty!
On the first day, we drove about an hour west to Chimney Rock and climbed a bunch of stairs for some breath-taking views of North Carolina mountain country.
Today, we walked around the college part of Asheville. It felt a lot like walking around Athens, GA. The places were eclectic and there was some wonderful architecture to check out.
Surprisingly, there are quite a few vegan eateries for the old man and so far, they're delicious! I can't wait to see what's on the docket for tomorrow!
We're all caught up on the happenings of Boardwalk Empire season 3 and let me just say these few things...
HOLY CRAP - when Richard Harrow was laying out his guns I was going insane chanting, "He's back! Richard's BAAAAACK!!"
I LOVE when Richard gets in the killing mood. I don't know why. I think it's because he's normally so quiet and reserved and all he wants is a "normal" life but killing is what he does best. So tragic, yet so romantic.
After a roller coaster ride with Gyp Rosetti, I somehow, fell in love with his volatile ways. A man who took things way too personally and went to extremes to fix it was also a bit of a softy in some ways and that, to me, was kinda sexy. I'm sorry. Gyp was a crazy fucker but I liked him in the end. Especially when he broke the glass on that soldier's uniform display and took the hat. I called that so hard and flipped out when he actually did it.
Gyp was a kind of gentle maniac in the sense that he could be so ice cold and have a total poker face the whole time. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, either. And his smoky voice was enough to take the chill off. Read this great write-up about Gyp. My thoughts exactly!
Gillian can GTFO. Tommy needed to be taken out of her care since the beginning and that mess with that poor Jimmy look-a-like was painfully obvious from the moment she first said she had to wait for Jimmy to come home (so she could take his money). I'm surprised Richard didn't say anything. You KNOW he knew that wasn't Jimmy in that casket. Well, I guess he couldn't say anything, really. Gillian had already kicked him out and I think Richard knew Nucky had gotten rid of Jimmy when Richard busted in at the Ritz to deliver some poor henchman to Nucky's office. Meh - probably even before that. Who knows - you can never tell with the "quiet ones".
I liked how they dragged out not knowing Jimmy's whereabouts. Gillian's confrontation to Nucky about how she knew he killed her son was pretty intense and I wished there had been more between them because, after all, it was Nucky who brought The Commodore to see Gillian in the first place and there's all that awkwardly terrible history there...
Billie was adorable. Too bad Gyp blew her up in an attempt at Nucky and Arnold Rothstein. I wanted to see the eventual blowup (no pun intended lol) Margaret would've had at her. And Billie is so preciously quick-witted that I'm sure whatever comeback she would've had would've been hilarious (and extremely bitchy).
Speaking of Mr. Rothstein, how much of an asshole is he?! Holy shit! The way he turned out Lucky and Meyer?! They're just two mixed up kids trying to get a leg up on a good deal! You can't get mad at them for trying. And as ice cold as that was, that was a major power play from Mr. Rothstein. You can't deny that.
Am I the only one who liked Margaret with Owen? They were so cute together! Too bad Mr. Slater went out for an errand and was sent back home in a box. Ouch.
On a much, much lighter note, can we please give a shout out to Richard Harrow for gettin' some much needed lady-attention from his lovely friend Julia.
With all that major shit going down on the boardwalk, I'm glad Richard took Tommy to Julia's - even if her father is a terrible drunk. They will, hopefully, come back to this storyline in season 4 because I'd hate for Tommy to end up all mixed up like the people he's used to. He can rise above if he stays with Julia sans her father. Who knows, maybe her father will straighten out and treat Tommy like his own?
Can I say a few things about Nelson Van Alden / George Mueller?
He bored me to tears with his straight-laced, Bible-reading, Prohibition-enforcing ways. Even when he ran away and "started over" with the nanny, I was all, "Yawn" but this scene CHANGED EVERYTHING
YES! Finally!! I was waiting for Van Alden's "gangster" moment because you knew as soon as they started setting up his character from his first second on-screen in season 1, that he'd turn to the "dark side" of the world he was trying to break up. I was waiting patiently all through the rest of season 1 and all of season 2 but that scene above was THE defining moment for me for Van Alden.
After all that has happened on the boardwalk this past season, I cannot wait for season 4! I want more Al Capone! I'm sure Gyp was a vehicle to start bringing Al more to the front and center - the way it should totally be. I can't wait to see him evolve into the man we know him as today. Exciting!
And maybe, just maybe, I'll stay on top of it this time.
While I was watching Justin Timberlake perform "Suit & Tie" on SNL the other night, I loudly declared: "I'm going to buy the shit out of this album when it comes out".
Damn you, Timberlake! Damn you for bringing sexy back AGAIN!
You know me - I love me some Boardwalk Empire but because I watch it through the HBO GO app on our Roku, I'm a little late to the viewing party. Most of the time, I don't know when the new season is starting until I start seeing spoiler Tumblr posts - which doesn't even upset me because by the time I've convinced the old man to pick it back up, I've already forgotten the spoiler post.
But I digress.
I'm writing this post because I have a very important declaration to make (which I already made on Tumblr).
I had felt it before when Richard Harrow first made his appearance on Boardwalk next to one Jimmy Darmody (another swoon-worthy fella) but my heart strings didn't tug until we heard that raspy voice and saw his handsome face.
This gentle creature scared the living shit out of Margaret's kids but stole my heart in a major way at the same time. And Margaret was gentle and kind to this masked man, calling him the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz in order to calm her children's fears.
But it wasn't at that point that I made my declaration. Oh no, not yet. It was on Saturday that this realization clicked in my heart.
Sunday would've been Nate's 31st birthday and even though we usually celebrate on the day, we moved it to the more convenient Saturday. Robert suggested Taco Mac - an extremely different choice from last year but the choice of Taco Mac turned out to have more sentimental value than I thought.
I arrived early - like I usually do - and sat under the glow of the many MANY flat screens that filled the spaces above the booths. Most of them were on "Movie Mode" or whatever mode it is to make HD look like the 24 frames/sec of film but there were a few HDTVs that had that 30 frames/sec look - which drives me up the wall. On one of those 30fps HDTVs, I saw this lovely commercial - which, I should add, I've seen before...
Um...HEEEEELLLLLLOOOOO DREAMBOAT.
Mind you, I've seen some of Jack Huston's non-Richard Harrow photos from variousTumblrs that I started to follow immediately after seeing him for the first time and I'll have to admit - I love the Johnny Depp-like charm that oozes from him.
Jack Huston deserves more face time (no pun intended) especially with the way he skillfully plays Richard Harrow on Boardwalk. He has proven he's a major player and I feel like he should definitely have more major roles thrown his way. I'll be first in line at the theater, please.
