Second Hand Superhero

A new outlook on life.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:00 +0000

I'm going to get serious with this post. I know this is a very touchy subject for so many people, but I want to get this off my chest. I am not, not have I ever been "fat and proud", "Cheerfully Chubby" or "Courageously Curvacious". I mean no disrespect to people who have the confidence! But that's never been me.

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For more than 15 years I've been battling my weight and my health. I suffer from a number of illnesses, many of which can be attributed to stress and anxiety. I'm not dying. I don't have cancer. But I'm not very healthy either, and haven't been since I was 9 years old.

Me at age 9. I took dance religiously since I was 2. After I was 10, I had to stop because I was too heavy.

Right after my 10th birthday I was hospitalized off and on for the better part of a year. The doctors had me on a lot of medication and when they introduced a new pill into my regimen, my body rejected it. And I got very sick. In order to help me out, they had me on a number of steroids. Within a year I had gained more than 40 lbs. I was bullied and got into fights constantly. I was teased at school, my local hangouts and even Sunday school. And over the next 5 years I had to change schools 3 times to avoid harassment.

Me at ages 13, 14 and 15

All of that changed in High School. Per my Jr. High principal's suggestion, I applied to the magnet program at a different affiliate and got away from the people who bullied me in Junior High. High school was amazing and it's where I finally found "my people". It was then I began to be dubbed 'Queen of the Nerds' and I've never looked back. When I walked across the stage at graduation I received a standing ovation. I cried.

Fast forward to the present. I'm 25 years old, happily married and I have a full time job and many friends who love me. Yet still I felt something empty inside. I've let stress overtake my life and play the victim all these years. Who I felt I was was taken away from me when I was 10. And I've never once looked into the mirror in the last 15+ years and accepted that I am this person. A constant reminder of my demons that have followed me all these years.

So this past year I made a promise to myself...

I will stop playing the victim. I will stop letting my weight and my anxiety define me. I will get down to a size 10 and look fantastic at my brother's wedding. Losing weight is not my main focus. Being fit and being healthy is! And I've taken up some new life style changes to get me there.

Yoga at home every day.
Weight training
I go running at least once a week.
Training for my first 5K.
Dancing, Hoola Hooping and other fun activities.
Little to no alcohol.
Absolutely no aspartame, artificial sweeteners or caffeine.
Healthy meals, all three meals.
I have a bed time.
Low GI diet.

Our diet is now a Low-GI diet to help me control my stress and anxiety. In just 2 weeks I've noticed a world of a difference. I feel so much stronger and more confident. I'm using Fitocracy when I can remember. And Reddit's amazing nutrition, loseit and fitness communities have been a big help.

I may not be brave enough to wear a bikini this summer. Or to wear a Slave Leia costume at comic con just yet. But I feel confident. And that's all that matters.

Here's what has improved in just the past few weeks:

My skin and hair are healthier.
My body is toning up. My posture is improving.
I've been grinding my teeth at night less.
My insomnia has pretty much disappeared.
My headaches are gone.
Panic attacks are becoming more rare.
My happy-silly attitude that I was known for in HS has returned.
I feel like my old self again.

My goals are simple. To overcome my stress. Take back my life. And feel confident in the body I was given. By eating better and living a healthier life style, I'm taking control of the things that were holding me back. I'm happier. I stress less. And I actually love myself when I look into the mirror.

Today.

Thanks for being so supportive.

<3 Stephanie

Weekend in full bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:17:00 +0000

Random weekend adventures. A field of flowers hidden in Carrolton, Texas

my fantastic husband. <3

With the weather starting to settle out and "spring" in full bloom, I've been getting a lot of practice with my camera. I've still got a lot to learn but in the few months I've had my Nikon D50, I've learned so much. Over the past weekend, Jeremy and I drove past this field and had to pull over. It was such a great photo opportunity and I'm really getting the hang of going full manual on my camera.

Flowers and bugs aside, this weekend was great. We grabbed the latest issue of The Walking Dead, #110 and it did not disappoint! Mother's day was also fun. We taught my mother and aunt how to play Phase 10, though it ended in a draw because they had to leave before the game was over.

Happy Monday everyone!
<3 Stephanie

And then she chopped off her hair

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:40:00 +0000

before //// after

I probably should've mentioned, but the purple didn't last long. My hair just seems to be the type that doesn't want to hold color. I had burgundy dyed over it a month ago and even that faded out extremely quickly. So I went back to the salon last night and had them do what I've been dreaming of for a very long time... chopped off my long hair!

I had short hair for the longest time in High School and college. It wasn't until the last few years that it's been long. But I never really felt happy with it. It was either up or it was down. A pony tail or a bun. And ever since I cut it off, I feel like my old self again. Short hair really suits my personality.

Jinkies.

<3 Stephanie

Lumpy Space Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:33:00 +0000

Last week I had a ridiculous urge to bake cupcakes. My original intention was to make my own funfetti cupcakes, but after adding the sprinkles into the batter, ALL of the food coloring rubbed off, turning the batter a faint grey. That's when I had the idea to turn these into something new!

I used Wilton Gel colors in purple and pink. My purple gel had started to congeal, so I used a tiny amount of almond milk to get the color out of it. The result was beautiful purple cupcakes and icing.

You don't have to go fancy with the mix either. I used a store-bought white mix and added the zest of 1 lemon to give it more depth of flavor.

I've got one more box of cake mix sitting on the counter. I wonder what I'll make next? Maybe some Jake cupcakes using carrot cake or orange zest.

<3 Stephanie

Free Comic Book Day 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:06:00 +0000

MAY 4TH WAS FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

These were our main targets and we got multiples of each.

Randoms. I definitely wanted the Atomic Robo.

Little kid comics, The Tick and more.
The Kaboom! has an amazing Adventure Time comic inside.


Keith's had an overflow of Graphic novels & comics and gave them away in our grab bags!

My Dale from TWD made an appearance!

22 comics, 4 graphic novels and 1 book.

"May The Fourth" and Free Comic Book Day were this last Saturday, and to celebrate we went shopping! Jeremy and I stopped at two different comic stores and scored a ton of free comics in celebration of FCBD. Including an exclusive The Walking Dead comic.

Our favorite store had a Buy-2-Get-1-Free sale on everything in the store. And Keith's Comics had special grab bags for the first 30 people in the store. We took advantage of our outing and bought my Dad a present. As well as a Sonic Screwdriver toy for Jeremy. We had a fun time and my Dale costume was a huge hit as always.

Missed it this year? Keep an eye out for it, it's the first Saturday of May.

<3 Stephanie

Life, lately

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:26:00 +0000

I know that lately I haven't been posting as much. So I thought I'd give a little insight as to what's going on and some words of encouragement that I am in fact still, blogging, even if it's not every day.

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Both my husband and I work full-time jobs in the hosting industry. This means that we basically run the internet, which of course is a 24/7 gig. We have to work special projects on our off-days sometimes, and every few weeks I am on call. We also work different shifts, and so by the time I get home I want to spend as much time with him as I can. This often means that working on my blog is lower on my priority list. Lower, but not forgotten.

For the longest time, I would stress myself out over writing blog posts. I would freak out about maintaining readerships and relationships. But overtime, I've calmed down. Looking around I realized that many of my other blogging friends also take breaks, and don't always post every day of the weeek. And it's ok for me to push this back. After all this blog is for me first and foremost. And even when I do come back, the counts bounce back up.

I am also getting more comfortable with taking my camera out everywhere I go. In fact, there have been dozens of times we're I've taken photos with the intention of blogging about them and not being able to.

This past weekend I snapped some shots of our Free Comic Book Day hull, and hopefully I can write a quick post about it this week. We got some good stuff!

Anyway, the point I am trying to make is this. I am blogging to the best of my abilities. And I am trying to keep up with you as best as I can as well. I love hearing from you all and I've formed some amazing friendships over the past few years between my blogs. If I seem to space out, don't worry! Hit me up on twitter, instagram, email or anywhere you know how to find me.

I may be busy from time to time, but I'll never stop blogging.

Here's to another busy Monday!
<3 Stephanie

Why it's awesome to be a nerd

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Ready for the most amazing words to come from Wil Wheaton's mouth? In a message to a lady's newborn daughter, Wil explains why being a nerd is awesome.

"I think a lot of us have realized that being a nerd... it's not about what you love but how you love it" - Wil Wheaton.

Reasons why I find it awesome to be a nerd
1. // I'm never bored!! My house is filled with toys, computers, video games and board games. I bake nerdy inspired things. I'm a total bento nerd. I'm even a tea nerd! I'm a nerd everything. Nope, never bored. Who has time to be bored?

2. // You can always be yourself, or Batman. Translation? Sometimes it's fun to dress up as someone else, especially someone you love from a movie/show/comic. I do this often. And love the compliments I get from fellow fans at conventions and parties. It's why I do it.

3. // - To meet other nerds! It's fun being super into something, but like I stated above it's even more awesome to find others who enjoy it too. I think this is my favorite aspect of being a nerd.

4. // Because there is always more to learn! Fandoms keep the things we love going. Things evolve and change and develop. Firefly is still extremely popular, despite it's premature cancellation. Pokemon is still creating new games and shows 13 years after it's initial release. Spiderman and other comic heroes have had countless reincarnations. Magic-The-Gathering has made yet another come-back. Vinyl records are big again. I've got my POGs ready for when those make a comeback.

5. // Because It's how I've met all of you.

What are some reasons you find being a nerd is awesome?
What are some things you nerd out over? Books? Sci-fi? Blogging? Tell me in the comments below.

<3 Stephanie

Fishing with the Family

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:51:00 +0000

Jeremy and I went down to Toledo Bend in Louisiana this weekend for our annual family reunion.

Our view of the lake from inside the cove at Dad's camp.

Dad & Jeremy

Jeremy baiting the lines.

We did pretty good.

Jeremy, our Aunt Carol and I with our two biggest catches of the day!

Beautiful sunset at Toledo Bend.

This weekend was so wonderful. We got pretty sunburned, but it was totally worth it. This is the first time that it just got to be Jeremy and I handing out with Dad which was a great bonding experience. It's also the first time I've ever been fishing!! We went out on the lake and pulled up and re-baited 3 lines on Saturday and then pulled them back up on Sunday. It feels so great to know that we caught these ourselves! We had plenty of fish and noms while in Louisiana. We caught about 80 fish, although most were less than a 1lb. Dad will freeze these and we'll eat them throughout the rest of the year.

<3 Stephanie

Thrifty Finds: in Denison, TX

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I went to Denison, Texas on my day-off work. I went specifically to pick up a new mid-century-modern piece for our home. But with all the antique shops in the area, the temptation was too great.

Here were some of my finds:

Super adorable tray to a child's tea set.

I was so tempted to buy these, but left them behind.

vintage video games

My small garden

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Behold, my beautiful herb garden!

Thai Basil, Thyme, Lavender, Cilantro

Thai Basil

Wedgewood Thyme

Lavender

Cilantro

I painted this 'Where the Wild Things' pot a few years ago.

Speaking of wild things, did I mention we have gargoyles protecting our balcony?

** Not pictured is the rosemary and sweet mint.

A few weeks ago Jeremy and I went to a local farmer's market and nursery. I got a big tip from a friend about this place and I'm totally in love. We planted them on our balcony and they've really started to bloom.

We picked up a bunch of our favorite herbs and decided to plant them in a small garden on our apartment balcony. Nothing super fancy, but all beautiful and delicious. Jeremy's been helping to water the plants during the week since he gets home before I do. But on the weekend, these babies are mine.

Grown anything lately?

What I've been drawing #5

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:30:00 +0000

It seems like I haven't posted any doodles in a while. I don't have much free time to draw these days, but occasionally I'll get a small spat of creative drive and sketch something out.

LEFT: took me about 2 hours from start to finish. See it full-size here.

RIGHT: a quick doodle of my current Gaia character.

I'm afraid to somewhat ashamed to admit that I frequent Gaia Online. It's a great place for me to log-in, pick someone random to instantly draw, visit with them on chat and then be done. When I draw for Gaia, I usually host on Livestream. It's so great to meet people from around the world. One time while on Livestream I met someone who lived a few minutes away! Crazy.

My Doctor Who / Pokemon cross-over masterpiece!! Tom Baker as Sylveon and K-9 as a Porygon.

This is a current work-in-progress that I can't quite find the time to finish. It's a gift for someone on Reddit and unfortunately I've spent the last month on it. I unintentionally put a lot of pressure on myself for this one because I plan to put it up for sale as my first piece on Society6. Oh lord, help me find the strength.

<3 Stephanie

IN THE PRESS: I party in Dallas

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:24:00 +0000

Hey guys, remember that time I built a cardboard Winnebago and dressed up like a man? Well the Dallas Observer does. This morning I awoke to find out that I made it on their "100 People We'd Want to Party With in Dallas" list.

My cosplay friend over at Princess Mentality Cosplay also made it on the list at #70!

Thank you, Dallas Observer.
I'll take you up on that drink any time! ;)

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<3 Stephanie

A weekend in Louisiana

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Jeremy and I went down to Louisiana this past weekend...

Our Nephew got married on Saturday and we stayed with Mom in Kinder. It was wonderful. For the first time we actually weren't rushing or fighting holiday traffic on the roads. The restaurants weren't packed and the food was amazing as always.

We visited some friends in Sulphur, LA on Saturday night after the wedding. I got to meet their new baby girl and they had a crawfish boil for us. It was amazing and I ate 7 lbs worth, no joke!

We went through at least a dozen of these bowls.

We got lost on the drive home and stumbled into Davy Crockett National Forest.
It was so beautiful. The best detour ever!

I took many photos of the wedding and a whole bunch around Dad's farm. I'll be sure to share more pictures later this week. I love visiting our family in Louisiana. I can't wait because we're going again to visit the camp in a week and a half!

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<3 Stephanie

Currently -- 4.2.13

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:09:00 +0000

I got this idea from abhaya. A lot has been going on and changing in my life and I think it would be great for me to mark it down from time to time.

Thinking About // Life. My life has been filled with so much anxiety lately. There have been so many changes both in the last month and the upcoming weeks for Jeremy and I both at work and at home. Last month we did the adult thing and filed our taxes jointly for the first time ever. All of our bills are 100% moved over to the new place and I pulled my credit report to make sure everything was kosher. Our schedules still don't parallell and I'm feeling the burden of eating late dinners and mix-match sleeping schedules. It's taking some getting used to, but by introducing Yoga back into our daily routines and my new found love of the hoola-hoop, I'm hoping this spell of anxiety is finally on it's way out the door. We went walking out by the nature preserve on Sunday and it felt great. We haven't gone walking in months. I hope we do that more often.

Listening to // Superstar by The Carpenters. haha weird, right? It was on the radio when I went on my thrifting adventure on Friday and has been stuck ever since!

Drinking // Community Coffee now makes unofficial K-Cups!! This is something I've been wanting for years now and I'm hoarding a stash in my filing cabinet.

Liking // the way our apartment is coming together. I'll take photos once we've tackled the laundry problem. We still don't have a washer/dryer and the dirty laundry piles have taken over.

Anticipating // this weekend. Jeremy and I will be driving down to Lake Charles, Louisiana for our Nephew's wedding. I love getting to see Jeremy's family, as none live up here in Dallas. and can't wait to delicious Cajun food.

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<3 Stephanie

Vintage photos: 1980 Sci-Fi Convention

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:30:00 +0000

NOPE, SORRY. No April Fools Day blogs posts from me this year. Instead, I've brought you some amazing nerd treasure.

Ever wonder what a Fantasy/Sci-Fi convention might have looked like in the year 1980? Well wonder no further! I came across these gems over the weekend and could not get over how fantastic these photos from Westercon 1980 are!

Cosplay sure has come a long way during the last 33 years. But still, you can't help but appreciate how far fandom has come. I've finally gotten Jeremy interested enough that he'll be making his cosplay debut soon enough. :)

Can't get enough of how amazing these all are? View the rest here.

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If you could dress up as a character at a scifi/fantasy convention, who would you choose?
My list is pretty endless. <3

<3 Stephanie

And then she dyed it purple!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:30:00 +0000

tada!

A friend of mine and I had a girls-date this weekend and dyed our hair. It's been almost 7 years since the last time manic panic has touched my hair. And I felt it was 7 years too long. And I love it. Jeremy says the purple really makes my blue eyes pop.

The colors are Purple Haze and Voodoo Blue by Manic Panic. I'll admit, I'm not too fond of the voodoo blue. It faded during the initial application/rinse and didn't turn out as bright as I had hoped. Next time, I'll remember to buy two boxes of bleach. And to make sure it washed out ENTIRELY before adding the color.

1. One last look at my natural color. // 2. In the shower cap for 4 hours. // 3. The colors are so bright! //
4. Still some bleach/natural hair color poking through. But nothing a few touchups can't fix.

And for those of you who are curious, a close up of my bird brooch:

I bought this blubird pin, along with another, at Canton. $10 for the pair.
Come to later find out they're Takahashi birds! If they're
original, they could be worth up to $200 a piece. @__@

I saved some of my original hair so that I can later reference what my natural color is. For whenever I finally decide to go back to something natural.

The only down side I've really noticed is that people wont make eye contact with me, nor as they as friendly as I'm used to. I'm a very friendly person and can always draw a smile. So that was a bit of a shocker. But it' ok, I'm over it. My hair is still awesome.

Any way, I hope you appreciate my impulsive hair color decisions!! My family was really polite at Passover sedar last night which was more than I was expecting. Hopefully when my manager comes in tomorrow (he was out today) he likes it too. Hah!

Keep it classy, readers <3

<3 Stephanie

Follow me on bloglovin'!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:13:00 +0000

Hey everyone, just a quick reminder to all my Google Readers that the feed service is going away. So if you haven't already, follow me on Bloglovin'. I don't yet have the blog up on Hello Cotton, but if that's what some of you use, I'd be glad to set that up. Thanks for being such wonderful readers.

Also, if you follow me on Instragram, then you're away of a recent change with my appearance. I'm pretty excited to show it off. Jeremy and I took a lot of photos, and I'll be sharing them this week. I can't wait. :)

Anyway I gotta run. I've got Passover food to finish preparing for tonight's sedar.

Happy Monday Everyone!!
(And happy Passover to all you observing Jews!)

MINIPAPERCRAFTs by Gus Santome

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:45:00 +0000

I'm a crafty person. While it's fun to make things on my own from scratch, there are other times that I love to follow someone else's tutorials. Paper craft is one of these hobbies, and I am always on the look out for fun projects.

I recently came across a blog by artist Gus Santome and oh man, I feel like I hit the paper-craft jackpot. He's got categories all across the nerd spectrum covered and is still releasing more.

Here are some of my favorites:

Disney villains, Ursula and Maleficent, look so beautiful. And the Hulk is absolutely adorable. I

Adventure time & Star Wars. Two of my favorite loves. <3

I'm printing out a couple of the sheets from the Adventure Time paper craft to send to my 'Redditgifts Adventure Time' exchange, among other cool things.

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If you're into paper crafts, or just need some time to kill, I urge you to check out his blog, there are tons more to choose from.

And if you're like me, make sure that you're full up on printer toner!! I'll definitely be making some of these soon. :)

<3 Stephanie

DIY: Record frame focus wall

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

I've always had a pretty nice record collection. I especially love to collect old records from movies and television shows with beautiful cover illustrations. Now that we have our new place, Jeremy and I finally got around to placing our frames on the wall.

I'll admit, at first I was intimidated. But with a little bit of patience, time and some materials you can frame records or any other picture frames in a perfect grid. Here's how!

Materials you'll need:

level
wrapping paper (make sure you have enough to cover the space you'll be hanging on)
a pen to outline the records with
hammer and nails
record frames
tape (I used blue painters tape)

Frame your records, if possible in matching frames. I got these on sale at Michael's craft store.

Using the back-side of the wrapping paper, measure your frames out. Ours was generic cheap stuff from Walmart. I love this stuff because it has 1" grids on the back. Outline the records once you're happy with the placement, one at a time. Measure out and mark a place for each nail. I used a stencil made from the wrapping paper grids so that every nail was in the same exact place.

Using your level, make sure your template is level on the wall. Double check all the outlines to ensure that they are equally level. Once you've found the perfect fit, tape it down.

Nail into the wall where you marked on the paper. If you look closely, you can see the orange dot from my stencil where the nail is. Adjust nails if need be to ensure that all frames are level with one another.

After placing the first nails, test to see how they fit one row at a time. Once you're happy, remove the frames from the wall and gently pull off the paper stencil so not to pull out the nails. Place the frames back up and you're done!

Enjoy your sexy record collection.

A few tips:

Lay your records out ahead of time, before getting out the paper. Play with different orders and when you think you have the right one, snap a picture and use it for reference when placing them on the wall.
Bring a buddy! Four hands are better than two, especially when trying to level and tape down a giant piece of paper to the wall.

Do not hang records in direct sunlight. The sun will damage the art and they will fade quickly. Even in indirect sunlight, they'll fade over time. So it's best not to frame someone you might want to keep in mint condition. All of my records are like-new or older.
Step back every now and again to make sure that you're happy with the placement. We measured the distance of our couch and matched the middle of the frames to the middle of the couch.

When in doubt, grab the level!! We used ours A LOT!

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I'll make another post about our record collection soon, so stay tuned for more detailed shots of the records on our wall, as well as some of my other favorites. :)

And If good lightning will permit it, I'll share more photos of our fantastic living room soon. I don't get home until after the sun begins to set. Natural sunlight really shows off our stuff the best. :) Stay tuned!!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to staring at my sexy record frame wall. Seriously, I'm totally in love with it.

<3 Stephanie

1 Year ago, we got Minerva

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:34:00 +0000

1 year ago, we got Minerva. Well, technically a year ago yesterday...

Jeremy and I are pretty sentimental with our cats. I mean, how could we not? They're so full of personality and affection. I never had a cat before dating Jeremy and now we have two. So if I seem like I've turned into a crazy cat lady, it's true. But two is definitely out limit for now.

Minerva was so tiny, she could fit in the palm of our hands. It's amazing that a kitten who was too afraid to leave her cage at the pet store rescue is now the most social cat I've ever seen. She still gives high-fives and cuddles up by our heads during bedtime. She'll talk your ear off and tell you when she needs sometime. Every day is a new adventure with her, and even though she's more than a year old and well past her kitten phase, there isn't a day that goes by and she doesn't act as innocent as the day we got her.

Minerva is also the first pet that has truly been my own. It's been a learning experience. Linus was already 5 when Jeremy moved in, so I missed the kitten phase. It's been a lot of hard work and there have been a lot of bumps along the way. She had a lot of kennel diseases that came from being boarded in the rescue with so many other animals. But it was worth the countless vet trips. Because she's my baby girl. And one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for.

Happy got-cha day Minerva.
Mama loves you. <3

Lazy days and Thirfty finds

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:50:00 +0000

With the move being completely over, I have all this free time on my hands. It's wonderful and I feel like a heap-load of worries have been lifted off my shoulder.

Lazy days are the best days.

This past weekend was the real first weekend of no obligations. Last week I was on-call at my office and like fate should warrant, I was called in at the most inconvenient times.

Saturday was great. We went shopping at the big Half Price books in Dallas. Jeremy and I scored 5 read-along-books with their records still in tact. And listened to them all afternoon long.

My new obsession is collecting children's read-along records.

We had two of our friends come over that night for a game night. It was so great. We broke out Zombicide and spent more than 6 hours playing. We had to bend the rules a little bit to prevent our demise, but everyone had fun so no worries. It's such a longgggg game, but so fun. The time went by so quickly.

Here's a random silly kitty photo to complete today's post.

Also this weekend, Jeremy and I made another run to Ikea and Michaels and picked up a ton of frames for the apartment. We are 99% done with putting everything up and away. Once we're finished, I'll post photos of our apartment. It's so wonderful and everyday I get full of excitement with how well our place has come together.

I hope you all had a fun weekend. Do anything fun?

<3 Stephanie

Collections: The Walking Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:11:00 +0000

** please excuse me while I fangirl all over this post**

I am hopelessly addicted to the walking dead.

I've got the nick-name:
My local comic shop refers to me as 'The Walking Dead girl' and knows me by name. They will even put TWD titles and specials in my subscription box that I forgot to ask for, just in case I wanted them. It's a great feeling being considered one of their regulars and to be given a nickname. One that I definitely cherish. ;)

I'm up to date on the literature:
Speaking of comics, I'm currently up to date on all of them (#108 comes out next week). I've read both of the novels currently out and am glued to my television every Sunday night when the show comes on.

TWD Comic Compendium #1 (Comics #1- #48)
and the first two installments of The Governor novels.

Comics # 49 through #107.
- The Michonne Special.
- The Governor's Special.
- The Liberty Annual 2012 (Michonne special)
Multiple special edition reprints.
All #100 special covers (except the white cover variant)
- The Survivors Guides A to C & C to H
(They only published the two).

I read the Magazine and subscribe to r/TheWalkingDead on Reddit.
A large portion of my reddit karma may or may not come from this subreddit. ^___^

Articles like this one give great insight into how TWD universe comes to life.

I've made lots of costumes:
I have even cosplayed as a few of the characters. And built the infamous 1979 Chieftan Winnebago out of cardboard and love.

I've met some of the actors from the show:
And gotten their autographs. I eve got kissed by these two lovely ladies at Sci-Fi Expo last month. Laurie (Andrea) Holden's idea. She totally wants me. ;D

I felt like a million bucks. It was so hard to keep a straight face.
I was like WOAH!

Original Artwork:
Jeremy and I are currently saving up to buy an original Charlie Adlard inking. They start at $200 and most of the ones we've found we like are in about the $400 range. We've got a hookup as one of his sellers is local. I should have enough saved up by April.

One of these drawings *points* by this man! image c/o

DID YOU KNOW:
Bear McCreary, composer for shows like Battlestar Galactica and Eureka, does the musical score for The Walkin Dead? YUP! Just one of the many reasons why TWD and Bear McCreary are both awesome.

Let me fangasm some more:
I'm so excited for the third installment of The Walking Dead novels. It's said that the final book in this trilogy will take place when Rick and The Governor encounter one another and will be told from The Governor's point of view. I'm so excited.

While it's been said that the canon of the books, comic and novel stray from one another, I really feel like the books tie in so well to the comics. Kirkman has even been released a throwback story to the Governor recently, similar to that the Michonne Special. First produced in the Liberty Annual, 'The Governor Special' is a great read for both the comic, as well as those who have read 'Road to Woodbury'.

I am The Walking Dead's ultimate fan.

And I'm not entering the silly contest. I think that because there are so many fans out there, it would be hard to compare them to one another. Instead, I thought I would share my love for the show here on my blog. While it would be so fantastic to get to go to a red carpet premiere and meet everyone, I just don't feel that I need the stress of comparing myself to others in our geekdom. Why hate on one another? We are all lovers of Kirkman's zombie universe. Though, I wouldn't hesitate to chop of your lims or stab you in the head if you turned. Sorry friends, safety first.

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NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO TELL ME!
Are you a fan of The Walking Dead? If so, what are you into? Do you watch the show? Read the comics? How far have you gotten?

<3 Stephanie

** And please, if you're posting about any spoilers to someone who hasn't read or watched TWD,
kindly use the "[SPOILER] tag before your comment. :)

Sunbathing this past Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:11:00 +0000

I finally got around to uploading all the photos from my Nikon D50. After going through a few hundred photos, I've decided that my cats are obviously my favorite subject. As well as Jeremy being goofy.

I took them over the past weekend and they are definitely some of my favorites. It was such an amazing, lazy day. The first we've had in months. Linus is great about posing for pictures. He'll sit still for such a long time, allowing me to get dozens of photos. Minerva on the other hand... I'm lucky if I get even one photo with her sitting still.

There's a big tree filled with birds and squirrels next to our apartment.

He'll sit up here for hours.

He hates sharing his favorite spot with his little sister. But that doesn't stop her from taking over.

I had to run back and take this photo of them sunbathing. They looked so previous.

Look forward to plenty of amazing photos by yours truly. I've borrowed a super amazing Nikon macro lens from a coworker and am hoping to give it a test run this weekend.

Also, I'm going to see if Jeremy and I can stop by All-Con this weekend to get a few photos of some cosplayers.

I'm still an amateur photographer by far. But I'll take any learning oppurtunity I can get. :)

<3 Stephanie

How to save photos from Instagram

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 20:40:00 +0000

If you're like me, then you probably use Instagram to share photos from your phone and then blog about them later. You've also discovered that there is no "save as" feature. But have no fear!! Pull your hand away from the print screen key.

While print screen is an easy way to capture what's on your screen, it leaves less to be desired when it comes time to crop your photo just right. This post will show you the simplest ways to find the direct image URL so you can right click and save without using browser extensions or ad-ons.

** This tutorial is for Firefox and Chrome users with a Windows operating system.
Have a Mac? Let me know if this worked for you!

FIREFOX USERS
(You have it the easiest!)

1. Go to instagram and click the picture you want to save, so that it opens up in the foreground.

2. Right click and select 'View Background Image'. Wala! You've find the file source of the JPEG.
3. Right click and 'Save as'. That's it!

CHROME USERS

1. Go to instagram and click the picture you want to save, so that it opens up in the foreground

2. Hover over the picture, then right click and select 'Inspect Element'.

You'll see a bunch of crazy code and some boxes. Under "Styles", you should see "background image" with a url. That's your image file!!

3. Right click the link and open it in a new tab or window.
4. Right click the image and 'Save as'.

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I hope you guys have found this simple tutorial helpful!!
And remember, you can follow me on Instagram here.

<3 Stephanie

The seemingly never-ending move

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:02:00 +0000

It's been 27 days since we got the keys to our apartment. 27 DAYS!!! And yet it feels like only a handful have gone by. Jeremy and I have been so swamped with using every single free moment to move stuff over to the apartment. Go furniture shopping. Build said furniture. Return furniture because it was missing pieces. Build it again. Move more stuff. Vacuum and Steam clean. And all of this mostly on our weekends and for an hour or two most nights of the week.

No wonder people usually take a week off when they move. It's so much more work. Jeremy and I's only experience with moving has been from one apartment to another. Something that can usually be completed in a weekend. But moving from a 2-story house into a 2-bedroom apartment has proved difficult. Especially when we only have a Honda Civic and a Mini Cooper at our disposal.

So I apologize for my absence this month. We are on the final stretch of days before we hand over the house completely to the realtor. Saturday to be exact.

It's crunch time!

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On a more positive side note, Kayla from Kaylanaut and I can finally show you the cool illustration I did of her and her family. :3 I'm so proud at how it turned out. She also sent me some fun bento accessories as a 'thank you' and I absolutely cannot wait to use them!! I have two bentos sketched out and ready to make. I'll try and get them posted next week.

I also have a fun vegetarian recipe for all you taco-night lovers. I'm going to teach you how super-freaking easy it is to make this:

Also next week, another rant piece about sexism and geekdom. I have some points I'd really like to make and would love to hear your thoughts.

And finally of course, I'll post a cool tour of our apartment. It may be way smaller than our house, but there are so many amazing things and collections. I can't wait to show them off!

Keep it classy, readers.
<3 Stephanie