Captain's Log 11: May Wrap Up

Hey ya'll

So, if you've been reading for a while, you may have noticed I haven't been doing my Captain's Log posts every Monday. I decided to move my Captain's Logs to the end of the month so I can kind of recap my month. I noticed that oftentimes, I wasn't reading/watching/playing anything new because, let's face it, nobody spends one week on a game never to return!

So, here's my May recap!

This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp, To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han, Fireworks by Katie Cotugno


Total: 5 books read

Goodreads Goal

Beginning of May: 12/35

End of May: 17/35

Overall, my reading for this month was very good considering all the other stuff I had to get done. I thoroughly enjoyed all the books I read and now I just have to make room on my shelf!

Movies: Lego Batman, Pandorum, Bicentennial Man

TV: Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, Bridezillas, Naked and Afraid

Jonathan is happy because I finally saw Pandorum and Bicentennial Man. I am so bad at watching movies! But both were very good and we both loved Lego Batman. 

I've been catching up on the new episodes of Bob's Burgers and Family Guy, and even though I've seen all of Bridezillas, it's my guilty pleasure. Jon and I both started and binged on Naked and Afraid and it was so crazy! Jonathan likes the roughing it aspect and I love the drama! It was nice to finally get into a show together that neither of us had seen.

Heroes of the Storm (PC), Overwatch (Xbox One and PC), Magikarp Jump (Android), Mario Run (Android)

Overwatch is currently having their anniversary event so I'm grinding for the D.Va skin! I've also been super addicted to Mario Run and have gotten pretty far in it. It's good to pass the time. Magikarp Jump was okay, nothing too special. Heroes of the Storm was supposed to be just for grinding for the Officer D.Va skin, (can you tell I'm a D.Va main?) but I love it now!!

Other Goals

I didn't set any May goals (oops!) so I will have to get back on track with some awesome goals for June!

May was fun and I can't wait to see where the rest of summer takes me!



Always, Raineedayze

Raineedayze Reads: This is Where it Ends

Hey ya'll!

I went on a pretty crazy book shopping spree this past weekend and I have been dying to start working my way through the pile. The first one I finished? This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp!

This is Where it Ends tells the story of a school shooting using 4 different students as the narrators and goes through each minute of the terrifying ordeal. The book uses a mixture of tweets, text messages, and blog posts to also give some insight to other students and the surrounding community who has now been rocked by the tragedy.

Reading this book broke my heart. Many of the characters have strong relationships with their siblings and just imagining something like this happening to my siblings really freaked me out. Also, the community was very reminiscent of the town I grew up in, which reminded me of how easy it is for something like that to happen.

One thing I loved about this book was amount of details that the reader was privy to. I feel many people may think there were a lot of questions left unanswered, but I think the lack of details really helped bring me back to high school. I think sometimes books have details about character's lives that no one could possibly know and so by having the four narrators, it made the story more real. The truth is, most high school students know each other, only in passing, and when disaster hits, the students have to make extremely fast decisions and be there for each other to survive. 

Obviously, this book can be very upsetting for some readers so approach with caution, but I have to say, this book was great. My tears would agree.

Overall Review: 4/5

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Let's chat in the comments or tweet me @raineedayze!

Follow me on Goodreads here!

Always, Raineedayze

Legos, Love, and Rocky Horror

Happy Memorial Day!

This past week was pretty long. I didn't get to post a recap of last weekend because I got pretty sick. If you follow me on Snapchat (@raineedayze), you saw my descent into laryngitis. It was pretty intense!

Last weekend, Jonathan and I went to go watch Lego Batman. The movie was so much fun and we couldn't stop laughing. And I may have teared up a little bit..

Sunday night, I spent most of the night reading the Lara Jean trilogy. I just finished the review for it so it should be up soon!

Monday, I felt a little off after work and took a nap. Tuesday morning, I woke up with a pretty high fever and ended up having to stay in bed the entire day. It was pretty brutal.

Then on Friday, I got an email from the Aztec theater, letting me know I had won two tickets to go see Rocky Horror Picture Show Saturday Night!! I never win anything, so I was so excited!! 


Saturday, I woke up with absolutely no voice! Jonathan made fun of me all morning. Luckily, I wasn't in pain but it was very frustrating to not be able to talk much! Eventually it came back, albeit raspy, and he kept calling me Tara Reid.



In the afternoon, Jonathan and I went downtown to pick up our tickets and grabbed dinner before the show at a cute little Italian restaurant on the river. There, I had AMAZING ravioli and Jonathan had some pretty yummy pasta. We shared a margarita that was bigger than my head, which left us feeling giggly. The Texas heat was relentless so it kept us a little cool as well.

Rebecca and I with the nicest and funniest showgirls ever!

The show was so much fun! The showgirls hosting were so sweet and complimented my dress and I had a delicious drink called a "Dammit Janet", which I thought was super cute. A lot of people left the theater early though, since I think most people thought it would be an entire drag performance, instead of just a movie screening. On the plus side, we ended up having two whole rows to ourselves so we could stretch out comfortably! Plus, Rebecca and another one of my sorority sisters, Justina, also won tickets so I was able to see them!

It looks small, but it's 60 oz of pure deliciousness

The rest of the weekend was spent playing Overwatch for anniversary skins and snacking on watermelon (it's in season finally!!). It was perfect.


Always, Raineedayze

Raineedayze Reads: To All The Boys I Loved Before Trilogy

Hello sweeties!

I just, and I mean JUST, finished up the third book in this series and I really wanted to get my review up before my May Wrap-Up post!

I know I'm slightly late to this Jenny Han party, but oh my goodness, this trilogy was beautiful.

The series starts off with To All the Boys I've Loved Before, which follows Lara Jean Song Covey, a Korean-American teenager living with her two sisters and father, on the cusp of her sister's departure to college. Lara Jean is a sentimental girl, who has a hatbox of her favorite memories. She also has a habit of writing letters to all the boys she's ever loved and putting them in the hatbox, never to see the light of day. But, when her letters mysteriously get sent out to all the boys, Lara Jean comes face to face with her heart.

The second book in the series, P.S. I Still Love You, follows up directly after the events in the first book. Without giving too much away, this book allows us to really understand the motivations behind characters and see them as more than how they first appeared. I read through this book in one night because I couldn't put it down.

The final book in this trilogy, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, follows Lara Jean in her senior year and her prospective future. This book took me longer to read, due to outside obligations, but the ending made me cry. It was such a great note to end this trilogy on and I felt it was tied together so nicely. 

This series as a whole was incredible. The family bond between the Song girls and their father was well-written and had me texting my sisters to tell them I love them. The single father taking care of his three girls was also a very interesting dynamic. I grew up with a single mom so the entire dynamic of being a kid while also having to take on more responsibilities, such as taking care of your siblings and being there for each other, was very familiar.

Also, this series made me so hungry!! While reading this, I baked muffins, cookies, pancakes, cakes.....Darn you, Lara Jean!!

The books displayed a lot of character growth, even for the minor characters and by the end, everyone had full-fledged stories and motivations and it was so wonderful to be immersed in this series for a bit.

Overall Review: 5/5 

What are your thoughts on this series? Which book was your favorite? Let's chat in the comments or tweet me @raineedayze!

Follow my reading journey on Goodreads

Always, Raineedayze

5 Fandom Friday: 5 Shows I Would Un-Cancel

Happy 5 Fandom Friday!

This week, we are talking cancelled shows. As nerds, I'm pretty sure we have all dealt with that horrible feeling when one of our favorite shows gets taken off the air. It's even worse when said show gets cancelled right after a HUGE cliffhanger. 

I know this feeling all too well. So let's remember these shows. Gone but never forgotten.

5. Firefly

     I am pretty sure no list of prematurely cancelled shows would not have Firefly on it. I adore the show and got Jonathan into it, only to have to break the news that there never was a second season. Pretty sure he never forgave me for that one.

4. About A Girl

     I'm pretty sure some of ya'll are scratching your heads, wondering what the heck I'm talking about. About a Girl was a show that premiered on The N/Noggin/TeenNick in 2007. The show was about a girl who moved into a house with 4 guys. Hmmm.....where I have I heard that before? Anyways, this show was so funny and ended on the HUGEST cliffhanger. I will forever wonder if Jesse and Amy ended up together.

3. Regular Show

     I love Regular Show. I loved the art style, the characters, and the crazy nonsense Mordecai and Rigby managed to get themselves into every episode. I also adored all the pop culture references. Sadly, this show was cancelled after their 8th season last year. I will absolutely miss it.

2. Reaper

    I adored this show. Not only was the main character Brad from Grounded for Life, the premise was just insane. In case you missed this show, which apparently a lot of people did, it follows Sam, a guy who finds out (on his 21st birthday) that his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was born. Now, Sam must become a reaper for souls that have escaped Hell. I know it's a weird premise but oh my gosh the show was just so good. It was briefly renewed for a second season but cancelled again right after.

1. Black Box

    This show was one of my favorites to watch with my mom during it's short run. The show followed Dr. Catherine Black, an esteemed neurologist who secretly suffers from bipolar disorder. The show dealt with the stigmas that are often associated with mental illness in a very real, raw way. I absolutely loved this show and would have loved a few more seasons!

Honorable Mention: Perception

    
This show followed Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuropsychiatrist with schizophrenia who helps the FBI using his hallucinations and amazing perception abilities. As a person who also deals with mental illness, I loved the idea of being able to use my mental illness as a strength and not a weakness. 


What shows would you "un-cancel" if you could? Let's chat in the comments, or tweet me @raineedayze!


Megan's Blog


Always, Raineedayze

The Geeky Girl Tag

Hey guys! Happy Geek Pride Day!!!


                                                            

For Geek Pride Day, I decided to do the Geeky Girl Tag and I invite all of you to join me in celebrating our geekiness!

I found this really great tag on Heather's blog and I knew I had to take part. This tag was originally made by Cassie who you may remember from my Gamer Tag post. 

So, without further ado...


1. What is your must-have tech gadget? 
     I absolutely love my gaming laptop but for my daily tasks, my Fire tablet is probably the greatest thing I've ever gotten. I'm able to carry my whole library on it, plus surf the web and watch movies. It's great!

2. Which house do you belong to at Hogwarts?
     Ravenclaw!!!

3. Who is your favorite Doctor?
     10! David Tennant brought a lot of brilliance and showed the genius of the Doctor.

4. If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be? 
     Oohh...this is pretty tough. Probably Usagi because we could eat burgers and gossip. Or Leslie Knope.

5. What is your gaming console of choice?
    I play my Xbox One most but I love my Wii a little bit more.

6. If you had a super power, what would it be?
     Teleportation, just so I wouldn't have to drive anywhere.

7. What is your favorite fantasy world?
     The Harry Potter Universe.

8. If you could be any fictional race, what race would you be?
     Hmm.....maybe a blood elf?

9. Star Trek or Star Wars?
     Trek all the way!

10. List your top 5 geektastic movies or TV series
      - Rocky Horror Picture Show
      - Harry Potter
      - Star Trek: TOS
      - Wonder Woman
      - Sherlock

11. List your top 5 video games
      - Overwatch
      - Super Mario Galaxy
      - Destiny
      - Animal Crossing: New Leaf
      - Donkey Kong Land


Wow. I had so much fun with this tag! Let me know if you decide to do this tag by linking it below or tweet me @raineedayze!

Cassie's Blog

Heather's Blog


Always, Raineedayze

5 Fandom Friday: 5 Favorite Animated Movies

Happy 5 Fandom Friday guys!


This week's prompt comes from Sally over at The Indoor Adventurer! Definitely check her out for some nerdy awesomeness! 

My love for animated movies knows no limits

Animated movies are some of the greatest treasures to gift our eyeballs. I am a huge Disney fan but I love animated movies as a genre. Fun Fact: I actually spent a while debating on changing my major to Art and Animation! So, in no particular order, here are my top 5 animated movies!








5. Tangled

     This movie is beautiful, funny, sad, and silly all rolled into one. I fell in love with Flynn Rider and Rapunzel and I am constantly singing the soundtrack. Also, can we talk about the lantern scene?? One of my favorite movie scenes ever. I shed a tear every time I watch it. 



4. The Book of Life

     I went to go see this movie with Jonathan as soon as it came out. As a proud Latina, I've always been so happy when my culture is portrayed in films (correctly...looking at you BVS). This movie was so fun and had so many talented stars lending their voices to the characters. Plus, the art was beautiful!! I would love to cosplay as La Muerte because she has got to be the most beautiful character ever created in a movie. Plus, their was a PIG!



3. Wreck-It Ralph

     One of my absolute favorite movies. So much so, that Jonathan and I dressed up as Ralph and Vanellope for Halloween (shown above)! I adored the video game theme and the sassy spunky personality of Vanellope!



2. Corpse Bride

    
 Obviously, Tim Burton had to make it somewhere on this list! Although everyone loves Nightmare Before Christmas, I have to say, Corpse Bride is my all-time favorite Tim Burton film. It's so sad and beautiful. I also adore the music. I feel this is one of the darkest animated movies I've ever seen and it definitely holds a special place in my heart.



1. Mulan

     Mulan is my favorite Disney Princess. She was so brave and I love that she risked her life and literally saved ALL OF CHINA just so her fater would not be called into war. Plus, Mushu has to be my favorite sidekick ever. 



Honorable Mentions

The Lego Movie



    I hesitated about putting this on the list since it was more CGI than "animated". However, this is a movie me and Jonathan quote all the time. Plus, Everything is Awesome has to be the greatest theme song ever. This is a keychain I got for my birthday from the Lego Store of my favorite character, WyldStyle!






Alice in Wonderland

 I used to read this book all the time. I love the original animated film, much more than the newer live action film. It always gave me a creepy feeling but I adored it! The characters are drawn beautifully. Plus, I love the mean flowers. 





What are some of your favorite animated films? Did yours make my list? Let's chat in the comments, or tweet me @raineedayze! 

Megan's Blog
Sally's Blog



Always, Raineedayze

Date Weekend and Graduation

This weekend was pretty fabulous!

Friday after work, Jonathan and I headed to WingDaddy's for some much-needed margaritas and quality time. We each got a Bomb-Pop Rita to start off with and it was so cool! I love Bomb-Pops, especially in the summer, so this was the perfect treat to end the semester on!

I ended up also getting a Marco Polo margarita which tasted exactly like a Sour Patch Kid. The candies were also swimming around in the (extremely large) glass!

We then headed off to Target to kill time before our movie (Lego Batman), and I ended up going a little.......crazy. 

Jonathan must love me a lot!

After, shopping around, we both were a little tired so we ended up heading home instead of the theater, where we watched Mulan and had a couples spa night in. Yeah, we are one of those couples.

Saturday, Jonathan had to work so I spent time blogging, cleaning, reading, and generally having a relaxing day at home. I could not wait to start on the huge pile of books I had waiting for me! I ended up finishing This is Where it Ends and should have my review up pretty soon!

 

Marta

 

Marta and I at dinner

Kathy and I

Becca about to cross

Sunday, I went downtown to see two of my best friends, Becca and Marta, graduate with their Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology!! I'm so proud of them. Sadly, Karina and Jonathan had to work, so they had to miss the festivities, but we are all hoping to have a get-together very soon!


All in all, I had a fantastic weekend with some fabulous people. It's weekends like this that help me get through the week.

Always, Raineedayze

5 Fandom Friday: Planets I Would Like to Visit

OMG! IT'S 5 FANDOM FRIDAY!

This week's prompt comes to us from Heather at Just Geeking By!

I love outer space. Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed of learning about the massive universe and was fascinated by science fiction movies, especially the different creatures and wild planets! So this prompt was so much fun to think about.

In no particular order, here are 5 planets (real or otherwise) that I would love to visit! 

Here's some mood music for you while you read this post!

5. Saturn

     Yes, I chose a real planet to start us off. I've always been fascinated with Saturn. Maybe it was the rings, or just the iconic shape that plasters itself in my head when I think of "planets". I once did a report on Saturn and spent the entire time thinking I was so lucky because I got the best planet! (and also I wasn't the poor kid who got Uranus!)


4. Rosalina's Observatory (Super Mario Galaxy)

     While not a "planet" per se, I've always loved this game and the music. The observatory is kind of like a planet since it's where Rosalina and the Lumas live. Also, the music is great to listen to and the whole feel is so magical and beautiful.

3. Transsexual (Rocky Horror)

Not a planet

    
 I love the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is my all-time favorite movie. I would love to visit the planet that birthed out Frank-N-Furter and after reading Revenge of the Old Queen, I need more of this planet in my life!

2. Gazorpazorp (Rick and Morty)

    
A female-run planet that is super mega girly? Yes, please!! Plus, the fact the the entire main cast in this episode was voiced by the women of Farscape only made me love this planet more.

1. Gallifrey (Doctor Who)

    Obviously, I would have liked to visit this planet in it's prime, and not destroyed. How could I resist going to the place where the universe's greatest hero was born? 

What planets would you like to visit? Let's chat about it in the comments, or tweet me @raineedayze!

Be sure to check out Heather's blog and Megan's blog for more awesomeness!

Always, Raineedayze

The Gamer Tag

                     

Hello lovely geeks!

I found this wonderful tag through the Geek Girl x Blogger network on Facebook. This tag was created by Cassie over at Zombie Goddess Beauty. Make sure to check out her fabulous blog!

As I've said before, I'm a pretty huge gamer, so when I stumbled on a tag about gaming, I was so down. Here we go!

1. What is your gamertag?

      I am raineedayze everywhere on the web, which includes my Xbox and Steam. It was my twitter handle and luckily, nobody but me uses it on anything!

2. PC or Console?

     I think it really depends on the game. Personally, I love playing my consoles more than my PC, however for games like 7 Days to Die, Minecraft, and Terreria, the console just doesn't cut it!

3. Console of Choice?

     I probably spend most of my time on my Xbox One, but I love my Wii more than anything.

4. Handheld of Choice?

     I play my 2DS most but my favorite handheld was my original GameBoy.

5. Keyboard or Gamepad?

     Usually I would say GamePad but I've been spending so much time on my PC lately that the keyboard is feeling more natural at the moment.

6. Single player or Multiplayer?

     Multiplayer typically, especially if I stream them. Recently, I've been super stressed with school and work that I've been craving single player games so I can get lost in them for a bit.

7. What was the first game you played?

     Super Mario World or Super Mario Bros 3

8. Hardest game you have ever played?

     Paper Mario on the GameCube. I got stuck on one level and then lost my game in the move, so I have not touched it for like....10 years. 

9. What was your first gaming system?

     The N64. It was the family console though. My first console (that I didn't have to share) was my GameBoy.

10. What is your favorite game of all time?

      Donkey Kong Land for the GameBoy. Played this game so much my mom took away my Gameboy, fearful my eyes would fall out.

11. What is your current favorite game?

      Overwatch and Animal Crossing: New Leaf

12. What is your favorite video game genre?

      Goofy shooters like Overwatch, Gotham City Imposters, Microvolts, and Team Fortress

13. Favorite Video Game Character

      Hmm...that's tough. Princess Daisy and Dva are probably my all-time favorites.

14. Video game character you hate the most?

      The bad person in Life is Strange. If you've played the game, you know who I'm talking about.

15. What new game are you most excited for?

     Destiny 2

16. Favorite video game company/developer?

      Blizzard. Their games are just so gorgeous and the characters are fabulous. Plus, the cinematics!!

17. What game systems do you currently have?

     Ooh boy! We have 4+ regular laptops, one desktop, one gaming laptop, 2 Xbox Ones, 2 Xbox 360s, 1 2Ds, 1 3DS, 1 GameBoy, 2 Wiis, 1 WiiU, 1 Sega Genesis, and am currently in talks to get my old N64 back.

18. How long have you been gaming?

     Hmm....about 19 years on and off. 

19. Longest gaming session?

     Hmm....we've done a few weekends where we gamed the majority of both days. I would say, in one sitting about 13 hours. I get really bad motion sickness so it was a huge achievement. 

20. What game have you clocked the most time on?

    Oh man....maybe Overwatch?

Oh my gosh. This tag brought so many good memories and now I can't wait to game. That tag was so much fun! I can't wait to see ya'll's responses. Let's chat about it in the comments, or tweet me @raineedayze!

Cassie's Blog

Always, Raineedayze