TV Review: Mindhunter

Has anyone else seen this show? If you haven't please take the time to binge it! It is a really interesting story. It's on Netflix in case no one told you! :)

It is set in the late 1970's - 2 FBI agents one seasoned (Bill Tench played by Holt McCallany) and the other just above rookie status(Holden Ford played by Jonathan Groff) who are based on real-life FBI profilers, John E. Douglas and Robert Ressler. It is based on the book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.

  They find their way through the psychology of why a serial killer kills. They get very close to said serial killers by conducting face-to-face interviews. They are trying to solve open cases by getting into the minds of serial killers such as Ed Kemper who is played by Cameron Britton and what a performance Mr. Britton gave, he even creeped me out but in a poetic way. 

Monte Rissel played by Sam Strike, this one hit a bit closer to home because Monte Rissel actually grew up in the same small town I did. He was gone before I was born, but it's still odd to think about. We didn't find out any more about BTK other than the little we saw at the beginning of each episode. But, I did read that season 2 should give us more insight. Though BTK hits close to home also because he did his killings in the city I currently live in and was living here when he got caught. 

From the pre-credit insights into the beginnings of Dennis Rader (BTK), played by Sonny Valicenti,  getting close to starting his killings to the ending in Kemper's ICU room - this series will put you a little on edge as you find out more and more about each serial killer. I have always been a fan of researching serial killers and yes it can be a bit bone chilling when you find out certain things, it also gives you more information to work with to know how someone else's mind could possibly work when it comes to this type of thing.

 All in all, I give this show a 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait til' season 2 comes out.

Days 12-18: NaNoWriMo 2017

Day 12: I wrote nothing again. I had a bad day and just couldn't get any words to come out. Still giving me a total of 18,336 words total.

Day 13: I was still working on trying to come out of my haze so I only wrote 24 words. Which gave me a total of 18,360 words in total.

Day 14: I did a little better and was able to write 356 words. Giving me a total of 18,716 words.

Day 15: I was still struggling a bit so I only got out 772 words. Which gets me to 19,488 words in total.

Day 16: Though I was quite a bit behind I knew I didn't need to push myself, so I got 1,059 words down. Giving me a total of 20,547 words so far.

Day 17: I was finally starting to feel more like myself, so I ended up getting out 1,697 words. Leaving me at 22,244 words.

Day 18: I really spent some time today reading a really great memoir called A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown, you really should pick it up, it is such a great book. I also spent some time writing today too. 2,966 words to be exact. So I am at 25,210 words total so far. I am supposed to be at 30,000 words at the end of this day, but at least I am a lot closer.

I am behind, but at least I am writing again, I will hopefully catch up soon. With Thanksgiving coming up and 2 major assignments due all next week, it will probably not happen until the last week of NaNoWriMo, but I will handle it. :)

Days 7-11: NaNoWriMo

So, I have fallen behind and caught back up, so I am pretty proud of that feat!

Day 7: I wrote 1,172 words which gave me a total of 10,018, I had finally broken 10,000 words!

Day 8: I wrote 3,298 words to catch myself back up, it gave me a grand total of 13,334. I was happy to be caught up that's for sure.

Day 9: I discovered the wonder that is Scrivner and invested in it, man has it been more than worth it. It is a great tool for sure! Please go check them out if you haven't already. It will help you get organized and keep all of your stuff easily at hand! However, since I spent all day moving everything over there, I literally wrote nothing at all.

Day 10: I wasn't feeling inspired, the pain in my back kept me from being able to relax enough to think about anything else. So I only wrote 902 words, giving me a total of 14,236 words.

Day 11: Today, I buckled the fuck down and wrote 2 different times. I knew since I was feeling inspired I should abuse it accordingly. I wrote 4,100 words! Giving me a total of 18,336 words. Putting me 3 words over my goal for the say.

I am so glad I decided to do NaNoWriMo this year, I am motivated and ready to turn this into something real for myself. I can't wait to see how it all turns out at the end of NaNo though. Fingers crossed I reach my goal without too much of an issue.

Days 4-6 of NaNoWriMo

So I have really been enjoying NaNoWriMo! I am just a little bit above my goal so far.
Day 4: I wrote 1810 words. I struggled a bit this day to get my mind into what I was writing, it will be deeply edited when I am done with the book, lol. I love what I was writing about, I just need it to be more and better.
Day 5: I wrote 1544 words. I didn't struggle as bad, but still a little. I think it was mainly cause I didn't get near enough sleep, so I was tired.
Day 6: I wrote 488 words. It was a busy day, so I didn't get much written, but I am glad I did get some at least.
This gives me a total of 3842 for these 3 days and a grand total of 8846 for the last 6 days.

My goal was to be at 10,000 by the end of day 6, but at least I am close and should be able to make up the loss soon.

Happy writing!

Days 1-3 of NaNoWriMo

 So, here we are on day 3 already. I have to admit, I have found it easier to write than I originally thought it would be. Though I am writing about myself and I am not really putting it in order or anything. I plan to do all that once I've gotten it all down that I want to include.
On day 1 I wrote 747 words, it didn't meet my goal for the day but it was a good start. I got some very important pieces of information down and that is truly what matters anyway.
Day 2 I wrote 2,843 words, which brought me over the goal for the day and brought me over the goal for 2 days of writing. It surprisingly only took me a total of 2 hours. An hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. At the end of the day, I realized I needed to write down all of the stories I wanted to include, so I have a long list now.
It is still only almost lunchtime on day 3, but I have already written 1,414 words. The list really has helped me to get it all down that I want to. I remember certain stories while I'm writing other stories, so it leads to adding to the list.

This is a new thing for me, writing during NaNoWriMo and honestly really getting so much information out about my life. Stories I thought I would never share with anyone ever, let alone considering sharing it in a memoir.

If you are considering writing a memoir. Do so. Truly just do it. I feel so much better because of it. Lots of emotions come out, but you know what that's ok - how else do we heal and move forward? Well at least for me it is to cry about it and let all that toxic shit out.

If you are already doing NaNoWriMo well good! I am glad you are sharing in this experience with me!

Happy NaNoWriMo everyone! <3

NaNoWriMo 2017

Ever heard of NaNoWriMo? If you haven't I really hope you look into it if you are thinking about writing a novel.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is a month-long writing spree for us with a word count of at least 50,000. Now don't let that intimidate you, it is 1,667 words a day, surprisingly that isn't as much as you'd think.

Take some time and check out NaNoWriMo's website! You can sign up for a free account so you can publicly show how much you are writing each day, find some like-minded people you can connect with and learn from as well as give some advise you might have, there is a shop to buy some great swag to show off your NaNoWriMo pride, find local places that are holding "write-ins" where you go and hang out for a few hours with others doing the same thing, and so much more.

This is my first year to join in the fun and I am truly excited to do so! I hope to see some of joining in also! If you do sign up on their website, please, by all means, leave me a comment and I will gladly connect with you on there and we can be NaNoWriMo buddies! <3

Fall Movies I'd Like to See

So, I have noticed a few movies I’d like to see coming this fall, figured I could share. Maybe you'll see a few you'd like to see too! Please leave me some comments with the movies you'd like to see too!

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Home Again - September 8th. Reese Witherspoon plays Alice Kinney is a 40 year old with 2 daughters and a newly ex-husband. She let’s 3 younger men move in with her: Teddy (Net Wolff), Harry (Pico Alexander), and George (Jon Ruchitsky) - hilarity emanates and she finds herself in a love… pentagon? 

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9/11 - September 8th. 5 people (Charlie Sheen, Gina Gershawn, Luis Guzman, Wood Harris, and Olga Fonda) find themselves trapped in the North World Trade Center tower in an elevator. They come together with the help of a dispatcher (Whoopi Goldberg) to try to escape before the unthinkable happens. 











 

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A Bad Moms Christmas - November 3rd. Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn are at it again in this sequel to Bad Moms. This time their own moms are making their lives crazy for the sake of the holidays. 



 

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Girls Trip - Came out in July but I will be watching in the fall. Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Queen Latifah, and Jada Pinkett-Smith are life long BFFs that take a much needed vacation together to Las Vegas. Hijinks and jokes ensue Trust me this is going to make you laugh until you cry. 



 

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All I See is You - October 27th. Blake Lively plays a blind woman who medically regains her sight. Herself and her husband (Jason Clarke) discover disturbing things about themselves. 

TV Review: Star

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So, I am fairly picky about the type of shows I like, so you could imagine my surprise when I was practically glued to my computer watching "Star" on Hulu - when I wasn't able to watch it, I was excited to get back to it. 

Queen Latifah plays a role that not many could pull off. Carlotta Brown is a honest, complicated, graceful, hurting, loving, fierce, and God-fearing. She loves fully and is slowly finding her way through how to love her daughter unconditionally. 

Amiyah Scott plays the character of Cotton. She is beautiful, talented, and transgender. Her mom, Carlotta, hasn't fully "accepted" that Cotton is a woman and is making that a physical reality also. Cotton has issues of her own given her careers, drugs, men. 

Jude Demorest plays Star Davis. She has been through so much in her 18 years having spent her first 7 years with a drug addicted mom and then until 18 in the system, where she was raped and also did things just to get by that most people could never even imagine hearing let alone doing. She is just trying to make it as a singer with her sister and friend. 

Brittany O'Grady is playing Simone, Star's sister. They got separated when they were 7 and 5. Simone has been through many tough situations herself, we even see a scene that will have us gasping and hoping it is over soon. She is only 16 and spent her life in the system also. She is shy, detached, trying to figure out how to deal with what has happened to her over the years. 

Ryan Destiny is Alexandra Crane friend of Star and Simone who all 3 form a girl group. She is the daughter of Roland Crane (played by Lenny Kravitz) who is a famous  singer and completely unsupportive of her daughter and Rose Crane (played by Naomi Campbell)  who is a drunk that has depended on Alexandra her whole life to care for her. 

There are so many other really great characters in this show, they really chose an amazing cast. Some really wonderful cameos by some familiar faces - trust me you will love who pops up!

They also deal with some really honest and heartbreaking topics that actually pertain to real life. You get to hear lots of amazing voices and some really hilarious banter, plus some really caring words, and hard to hear comments. 

This show is classified as a drama and I agree the main premise is drama, but it has so much more to it. 

Take the time to check it out, give it at least a few episode chance, you might just get sucked right in too. 

The new season starts Wednesday September 27th, 2017 and it airs on Fox at 9/8c. 

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Fall Bucket List

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Fall is my favorite time of year. The colors, the crisp air, and the warm clothes. There are so many things I love doing when the air cools down and we can get out of the house without feeling like we drowning in our own sweat. So here is my fall bucket list for 2017!

1. Take photos of the beautiful nature.
2. Sit by a fire of some sort.
3. Drink a warm beverage on the patio at my coffee shop while I do homework, alone.
4. Burn a candle that reminds me of fall.
5. Read a book wrapped in a blanket outside.
6. Take a walk with my Roxxi girl.
7. Take a drive around the lake.

Now I don't have life changing goals for fall, but they are things to help me relax and unwind after work or after a day of homework or even just to enjoy doing with the significant other.  Sometimes just taking time for yourself or you and your partner can really make a big difference! Plus, I mean it's fall time! You get to be cozy in sweaters and fuzzy blankets!

Enjoy the season change and take time for yourself!

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TV Review: Madam Secretary

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I have been "binge watching" Madam Secretary the last few weeks (Ok mainly just on the weekends because being an adult with work and school is a time suck, lol.)

I love that they shine a new light on someone in politics. We get to see a made up home life of the Secretary of State.

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 Tea Leoni and Time Daly are fantastic actors and really play their roles well. I have been watching Time Daly since his days on Wings (yes, I am old enough to have watched the first runs of this show.) I have always adored the brooding look on his face constantly which is interesting considering he is still extremely handsome despite the expression. Tea Leoni has the ability to really play any role handed to her with ease. She embodies everything a true actress needs: range, humor, uncommon beauty, style, and so many other many other attributes.

At the time and I believe they are still, Tea and Tim are a couple IRL which I believe shows in their performance. It is extremely hard to see that connection and admiration when it is two people who are lacking some sort of intimacy. It can and has been done, but it can be truly hard. 

Their kids on the show are smart, determined, and handle their parents busy lives well for the most part.

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All of these characters were well laid out and play an important role in this show, they picked a perfect cast to showcase all of that.

I'm not usually one to be attracted to political based shows, but once I started watching it, I have been sucked in. 

It is hard for me to get completely into a show of any sort, I am usually working in my home office while I binge, so I really have to be into a show for it to keep my attention while I work. 

Take time and check this show out, you won't be sorry! Currently 3 seasons are on Netflix and season 4 starts on October 8th, 2017.

Bout of Books 20: Updates!

 I will keep all my updates on one post, so come back and look through the week! :)

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Day 1: I finished off 1022 Evergreen Place by Debbie Macomber. I started on page 288 and ended on 366, giving me a total of 78 pages for the day.
I have been slowly reading the Cedar Cove series for a couple years now, they are all so good. I just fall right back in no matter how many books I have read between. They are great books for anyone who enjoy non-fiction stories. They are about romance but about so much else too!

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Day 2: I read a total of 64 pages. I started Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han. I am loving the last book in this trilogy. Jenny Han is such a great writer!  I of course read the other 2 books, so I am glad she finishes of Lara Jeans story! If YA is your thing, please check this trilogy out, it is totally worth your time. I have laughed and cried through this series!

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Day 3: I read 62 pages today! 

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Day 4: I read 96 pages today!

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Day 5: I read 104 pages today and finished Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han! Such a great book!  









Day 6: I was so busy I didn't get any time to read at all! 

Day 7: I attended a bridal brunch thing and then spent time with my now adult kiddo, so I didn't have anytime to read today. I do have to say I am glad I got as much read as I did this week tho! 

Next Bout of Books will be lots of fun, I am excited for it to come! 

Happy reading!