Captain's Log: February 26

 

Happy February friends!

February has always been my favorite month. Maybe it's the love in the air of maybe it's the fact that my birthday is in 5 days. Either way, I love the transition from winter to Spring, the romance, the love, and the pink and red vibes everywhere.

I talked a little bit about my resolutions last month and how I've been doing. I'm really proud to say, I've actually been KILLING it on my resolutions and plan to go into February with this momentum and continue the all around productivity I have made.

Usually, I divide these logs into what I've been reading, watching, and playing, but because I've been focusing on utilizing screen time more productively, I'll be talking more about how I've spent my time overall this past month.

It's so strange seeing this photo I used to use for my reading sections. It was taken at my first apartment when I had one tiny bookshelf from Walmart. As I write this, I'm looking at the wall of bookshelves in my office in our now 3rd apartment.  I still have that bookshelf but it's smaller than my other two and definitely more packed then it used to be.  

Reminiscing aside, I read a total of 14 books in January, which was a really great start to the year.  Some of the most standout books I read were...

• Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgewick - A story enveloped in Norse mythology about souls transcending through time and what it truly means to love someone. 5/5 stars. I sobbed at work and the writing was absolutely incredible. I listened to the audiobook, which set the atmosphere and the interwoven mythology was fascinating.

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King - We all know I love Stephen King and this book was no different. 850 pages of time travel as our main character tries to stop the assassination of JFK and attempt to do as much good as he can in the process. 4/5 stars. I adored this book but I feel like some of the end was a little...mid. I had a theory on how it would end and honestly preferred my theory. Otherwise a fantastic read.

• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Read - A tale of two queer women training to be the first women in the program in the 1970's. 4.5/5 stars. I loved this book. I heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book but was pleasantly surprised. As a person who adores space and astronomy, and is queer myself, the setting and writing were fantastic and I definitely shed a tear.

• Don't Let The Forest In by C.G Drews - This book about two boys who have to deal with not only the monsters in their heads but the unknown in the forest. 5/5 stars. This book was hauntingly beautiful and I ADORED the writing. I'm so excited for C.G. Drews upcoming book just to experience the incredible atmospheric writing. 

• A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings - A memoir about a woman growing up and living in a fundamentalist Christian world, becoming subservient and oppressed under men. 2/5 stars. I wanted to like this book. The writing was raw and the story was heart-wrenching and I wanted to scream most of the time. However, I felt there were ties to the current political climate that were halfway explored and could have easily been expanded on and I felt the end was too abrupt. 

For more of my book thoughts, you can always follow me on Goodreads or Fable!

I haven't been watching a whole lot of TV or playing video games, though my hands are itching to go back to Stardew and try Sun Haven, as I see my fiancé playing it right now. However, I've definitely been working on my goals that I have set for myself.

Every day, I wake up and intentionally, slide my phone in my pocket, using it only as an alarm to keep me on track in the mornings. I have been doing Tagalog, Japanese, Spanish, and Klingon lessons daily, not only in various apps but with books and taking notes, studying on my own to improve my speech and grammar. I've even found myself thinking (more) in other languages and incorporating bits here and there into my daily vernacular.

I have started the process of joining a gym and telling myself that maybe walking around instead of eating Hot Cheetos might be better for me (much to my dismay) and my watch has definitely seen improvement in my step count.

Every day, I try to stick to a routine of self-care, healthy eating, journaling, reading, practicing languages, enjoying spending time talking to my family or my fiancé, and doing more hobbies instead of just scrolling on my phone. I will say it does feel somewhat easier since I have been off most social media for almost a year and I do still look at screens, though I have swapped my phone for my big iPad to make it a little more inconvenient for me to just scroll through it all day. I still love watching YouTube and movies, but as I have worked on building more of my hobbies, I realized something.

My ultimate goal is to be the interesting person I want to be. I want to learn to play more instruments well, get back into playing the piano and flute and guitar and drums. I want to speak multiple languages, be well read, be knowledgeable about random topics like botany and astronomy and the Renaissance. The other day, I actually intelligently discussed the Cuban Missile crisis and just knowing what I was talking about made me feel...accomplished and like....this is what life is about. Being, living, doing, experiencing. 

I've always wanted to speak multiple languages, so why not now? I'm planning on ordering a flute and starting to play again and eventually, once we move to a bigger place, maybe getting a studio to draw and play the drums and guitar without annoying my neighbors. 

So, I guess all in all, this past month was definitely a beginning in the best way. A beginning into what I hope to will make the journey I've always wanted. 

How was your month? Tell me all about it!

Always, Raineedayze

Captain's Log: We're SO Back

 

Another month (kind of), another Captain's log. It's been a hot minute. Let's see if I remember how to do this. ;) 

If you're new here, Captain's Logs are just a recap of my most recent month. Since it's already almost mid-March, I'm just going to use this one for the most recent few weeks and hopefully next month, we will be back on track. Hopefully. Maybe. 

This year, I really want to work on getting a lot of my backlog played. I'm sure that many of you guys can understand the feeling of having so many games in your library and not enough time to play them. It seems that when I have the time, I have been catching up on being an adult or sleeping so I really want to prioritize my hobbies going forward and play some of the games I've been excited to. 

Of course, in the meantime, I've been playing Stardew Valley as usual. I currently have three farms - one with my sister, one for myself, and one with Jon. I've been spending the most time with my sisters on our shared farm and exploring the updates. I have to say, this game is something so dear to my heart so playing it brings me a cozy sense of peace to my day.

My goal this month is to put some hours into my Steam deck and my Switch and get at least one new game to talk about next month. ^.^

Surprisingly, I've been in a movie-heavy mood lately. Recently I watched Mary Shelley on Kanopy, which is a streaming service provided by the local library. It was fascinating as a lover of classic literature and famous women, there was still a ton I didn't know about her life and Elle Fanning did amazing as Mary Shelley. 

I also have been binging the Godzilla movies. For those who didn't know, I am a huge fan of monster movies and I've been watching the older movies from the 60's and 70's. Something about those movies is so comforting and fun to me and as a lover of all things Godzilla, I'd love to own the entire kaiju collection. This last month we watched Godzilla vs Kong and Godzilla x Kong as well as rewatched the original Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again. 

Another fun fact is I love a good horror movie. I watched Longlegs and Late Night With the Devil. Longlegs was definitely interesting and gave me Silence of the Lambs vibes and Nicholas Cage was absolutely terrifying. However, Late Night With the Devil stole my heart as one of the best movies I've seen. I loved the style, the cinematography, the acting...it was creepy and cool and a total throwback to old school late night TV. 

Lastly, for short term watching, I've been rewatching SpongeBob because...who doesn't love SpongeBob. I still get nostalgic about this show as I think a lot of people in my generation do and it holds up surprisingly well. The episodes are hilarious and the voice cast is surprisingly rich. Jon and I have also been watching Harley Quinn and rewatching Batman the Animated Series. Kaley Cuoco is AMAZING as HQ and the whole show is so funny and makes me love her character even more. Of course, Batman TAS is great as ever. Something about older cartoons just hits different. The storytelling, the animation...it's a love letter to comics and the fans that love them.

As for books this year, I've been SLACKING on my reading. This year so far, I've read 9 books, which is a far cry from my usual by this time, but I have been itching to read more. Here's what I've read so far in March. 

 Most recently I read Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, which was an anthology of short stories translated from Korean. The stories were weird and wild and beautifully written, I was OBSESSED. 4/5 stars.

 I also finished Middle of the Night by Riley Sager which was a thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. Riley Sager writes books that are very easy to sink into with plot twists to keep you captivated. I think this was one of my favorites of his books, and gave it 4/5 stars. 

The other book I finished in March was my most anticipated release of the year, Eric LaRocca's At Dark, I become Loathsome. I have to say, the writing was beautiful as expected from his work but...I was a tad disappointed. It didn't have the oomph I expected and was only mildly disturbing in my opinion. I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. 

Although this last book I technically finished in February, it's my family book club pick for the last month so I wanted to talk about it. That book is Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix. This book was graphic, sad, wild, beautiful, and at times, humorous. I sobbed, I laughed, and I have so many thoughts. Me and my sister were lucky enough to meet Grady at a book signing for this book and he was amazing and you could tell he put so much love into this book. This book is very graphic, specifically about pregnancy and childbirth, but it's raw, real, and so, so good. I gave this 5/5 stars. 

That's all for my month! I look forward to hearing all about your month and anything cool you have been up to. Here's hoping the rest of March is just as lovely!

Always, Raineedayze

Captain's Log: March Wrap-Up

March was the month of getting back on my feet and doing all I could to continue improving myself. I feel like this month, more specifically the second half of the month, I really worked hard on making sure I was doing more and pushing through the big setbacks I had in February. 


So let's recap.

Armada by Ernest Cline | Say Something: A Hate List Novella by Jennifer Brown | The Lost Sisters by Holly Black | The Wicked King by Holly Black | Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond | Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt De La Pena |

This month I read a total of 6 books which wasn't a whole ton of books but more than I had been reading. In terms of quality, I had an excellent month with all these books being 3+ stars! I also accomplished a ton off my TBR shelf so honestly, this month was a win for me.

Captain Marvel | Game of Thrones | The Act | Kaguya-sama: Love is War |

This month was all about catching up on things I had put off seeing. So I'm now on Season 3 of Game of Thrones (and LOVING it) and I finally saw Captain Marvel, which I am going to go see again later this week. I'm just happy to finally be getting around to doing more and getting out of the funk that plagued me earlier this year.

Other Cool Things This Month

Meeting Wonder Woman

• I got a new job! Yay money!
• I bought a bunch of cool things (yay already spending my paycheck)

• I saw my family!

 

Sisterly Love

• Jon's birthday! 

How was your March? Let's chat about it!


Always, Raineedayze

Captain's Log: August Wrap-Up

I know every month I am surprised that the month has ended. But it's super weird that we are already in the fall. It's so surreal that this year has already held so much and it's almost over. So let's recap on August.

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn | Reality Check by Jen Calonita | Gone by Stacy Claflin | Held by Stacy Claflin | Over by Stacy Claflin | Annie's Baby by Beatrice Sparks | Almost Lost by Beatrice Sparks | Calling Maggie May by Beatrice Sparks | The Book of David by Beatrice Sparks | It Happened to Nancy by Beatrice Sparks | Fallout by Ellen Hopkins | The Dirty Book Club by Lisi Marrison | Push by Sapphire |

This month I read a total of 13 books. As you can tell there was a bit of a pattern with my reading this month. For some reason I was just super in the mood to read dark and PSA type stories. I have a very guilty addiction to Beatrice Sparks' books. She wrote Go Ask Alice and toted it as an anonymous diary but things were pretty shady surrounding it so I usually take her books with a grain of salt. But they are addictive and super cheesy sometimes. Also, this month I finished the Crank series by Ellen Hopkins. Jonathan was super into the books and would ask me to recap them while I read so he could enjoy them as well. Another series I read this month was the Gone series by Stacy Claflin. I actually got the first book free on Amazon last month and I read them at work. Man, they weren't excellent writing-wise but the story was again so dramatic and addicting, that I devoured the last two books in one night! 

Overall, this month's books weren't the best rating-wise, but entertaining nonetheless.

The Darkest Minds | To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Ocean's 8 | I, Tonya |

Little Witch Academia (S1) | Disenchantment | Daria | 

All the movies I saw this month were stellar. Ocean's 8 was so badass and empowering. TATBILB was amazing (I even wrote a review of it) and The Darkest Minds was really interesting. I had never read the series but it really made me want to pick up the books to see if the movie did it justice. I also saw I, Tonya this month even though I had been super against it after seeing an interview with Nancy Kerrigan done during the premiere. However, the movie was entertaining to say the least, regardless of where you stand on the actual case. Also the soundtrack was just....gold. 

As for TV, I finished Season 1 of Little  Witch Academia. I really adored the show as it kind of felt like Sailor Moon meets Harry Potter which is just a great pairing. I started watching Disenchantment which has been really good so far. I am doing another rewatch of Daria as well since sometimes I just want to cuddle with Jonathan and have something familiar on the TV.

World of Warcraft | Overwatch | Project Zomboid | Pokemon Go | 

This month I had a lot of stress pushing me down and what better way to de-stress then video games? I started getting back into WoW and it's really helped me push work and life stress away because it's kind of hard to be stressed when you are a hulking Orc woman on a quest. I also started getting back into Pokemon Go now that you can add friends and send gifts to them. I've been catching some great Pokemon with it as well and I bought a Pokemon beanie from Hot Topic this month which I wear while hunting, which totally gets me in the zone.


Other cool things this month:

- I got a full-time job. (Not super cool but money is fantastic!)
- I started drawing again!
- IGGPPCamp!!
- I finally picked up a new headset and fixed my computer issues!
- I bought the DVa Nendoroid and DVa Figma!

How was your August? Let's chat about it!



Always, Raineedayze

Captain's Log: May Wrap-Up

Holy smokes, it's the end of May.

I had a pretty big month, from seeing my family and friends to graduating COLLEGE! In life, my May was pretty eventful. So let's recap!

| Genuine Fraud* by E. Lockhart | A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor | The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard | The Good Girls by Sara Shepard | It by Stephen King | Letting Ana Go by Beatrice Sparks/Anonymous | Jay's Journal by Beatrice Sparks/Anonymous | Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli | Royce Rolls by Margaret Stohl |  

This month was a pretty great reading month for me, all things considered. I read a total of 9 books (technically 8 since I read Genuine Fraud on the last day of April). I enjoyed the majority of these books, and as you can tell, they went from serious dramas to more lighthearted contemporaries to ease myself into summer. 

| Deadpool 2 | Avengers: Infinity War | 1984 (Amazon) | The Cloverfield Paradox (Netflix) |

Riverdale (Netflix) | Bob's Burgers (Hulu) | Lost in Space (Netflix) | Ash Vs. Evil Dead (Netflix) | 13 Reasons Why (Netflix) |

I actually had time to sit in bed and watch ALL THE THINGS! I caught up on Riverdale and 13RW and finally watched a bunch of stuff I had on backlog. I really enjoyed all of the things this month (except Cloverfield -_____-). I'm still going through my lists of "need to watch shows" but it's slowly working!

 | Stardew Valley (Steam) | Overwatch (PC) | Just Dance Now (Android) | Orwell: Ignorance is Strength (Steam) |

I've enjoyed my downtime, but with Jon's new schedule, a lot of my gaming has been solo, more relaxed games. I'm loving easing myself back into playing games and finding the time to de-stress. Plus, the Stardew multiplayer is SO MUCH FUN!


Other Cool Stuff:

•  Graduation!!!
•  I've actually been working out a ton and eating healthier
•  So much drawing and crafting!
•  Job applications!
•  Internet friends!
•  Spending many days at the pool

This is the first month I've felt really free. Summer vibes are real, my dudes. And I am thoroughly enjoying them! I have a pretty exciting June planned,  so stay tuned!


How was your May? Let's chat about it!


Always, Raineedayze

Captain's Log: April Wrap-Up

Holy Moly, It's the end of April!

This year has been going hella fast and I have a lot of stuff to talk about this month. As you may have noticed, there were no monthly goals or posts at all in April here. That's because I spent the entire month working my butt off to officially be ready to graduate college in 10 days!!

I am so so SO excited to finally be done with school and start figuring out what I want to do with my life. That being said, April was a blur of exams, paperwork, phone calls, and spending way too much money to make sure that I will be graduating next week. So, I didn't have a whole lot of time to get online this month. That being said, I actually was able to do some cool stuff so let's talk about it!

| Things I'm Seeing Without You by Peter Bognanni | Ana's Story by Jenna Bush | The Dead Inside by Cyndy Drew Etler | Want To Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman | The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash | Save Me, Kurt Cobain by Jenny Manzer | Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters | Game Over by Various Authors | 

I had an excellent reading month, all things considered, reading a total of 8 books. A lot of these were very dark and thriller-type books and I really enjoyed being able to burn off my stress in these suspenseful novels. Most of these were also random library finds or thrift store finds, so it was nice to read a book completely blind. 

| The Running Man (Amazon Prime) | Lost In Space (Netflix) | Meatballs (Amazon Prime) | The Emoji Movie (Netflix) |

| Citrus (Crunchyroll) | Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (Crunchyroll) | Recovery of an MMO Junkie (Crunchyroll) | Himouto Umaru-Chan R (Amazon Prime | Pokemon Sun and Moon (Netflix) | Star Trek TOS (Netflix) |

This month I actually tried to watch a whole lot of new stuff and actually clear out my list of "should eventually watch". I also spent a lot more time watching anime this month and remembered why I love it. 

As for movies, Jonathan got pretty sick this past weekend so in order to cheer him up, I relinquished my control over the remote and let him choose some movies I hadn't seen. And I loved them all. But let's be honest, Arnold Schwarzenegger in anything is fantastic.

| Just Dance Now (Android) | Hogwarts Mystery (Android) |  Unravel (Xbox One) | Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch) |

Luckily, I had a little bit of time and energy to play some games this month. Since getting on my anti-depressants, I've really been way more motivated to do things I actually enjoy instead of just staring at the ceiling in bed. So even though this is a short list, I'm mostly excited that slowly but surely my hobbies are picking back up. 

Other Cool Stuff this Month: 

• I finally have confirmed my graduation! I have two more exams and then it's the big day!
• I've been way more healthy this past month. More water, less junk food, and actual exercise has been good to me!
•  I got some cool merch and cute things in general. Now to make some room in my apartment! (Pics to follow when I clean my apartment!)

This month was hella stressful, but I was able to get through it. I know I'm probably gonna be on edge until I officially have my degree in my hand, but soon everything will be great! 

Next month's posts may be a bit late since I'll be doing graduation stuff and finals at the beginning, so if you can bear with a week of silence, it will all be great!


How was your April? Let's chat in the comments!
 

Always, Raineedayze

Captain's Log: March Wrap-Up

Holy crap, we are already at the end of March. I have no idea where this year went, but here we are and with it has come some awesome changes.

Before we get into that, let's do a quick recap of what I played, watched, and read this month! 

| Top Ten by Katie Cotugno | All About Mia by Lisa Williamson | I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil | The Sister by Abigail Barnette | The Baby by Abigail Barnette | The Ex by Abigail Barnette | The Bride by Abigail Barnette | Wonder Women by Sam Maggs | Meet Cute by various authors | The Cruel Prince by Holly Black | Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira | Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee | Autoboyography by Christina Lauren |

 This was an excellent reading month for me! I read a total of 13 books, by far the largest amount this year. I continued The Boss series' and am super excited for the new book coming out later this year. I feel like this month also allowed me to branch out from my reading comfort zone as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of the books this month and I look forward to reading more next month.

| American Dad (Hulu) | Glee (Hulu | American Housewife (Hulu) | Bob's Burger's (Hulu) | Family Guy (Hulu) |

| A Wrinkle in Time | Ready Player One* |

*at the time of writing this, I haven't seen RP1, but I have tickets to see it at the end of the month!

I don't really watch a whole lot of stuff. I want to watch more movies but I think I spent the entirety of my viewing on Booktube. Although, I think I'll be hitting the movie theater more next month.

| Mother Simulator (Steam) | Viridi (Steam) | TsumTsum (Android) | Emoji Blitz (Android) |

I didn't play a whole lot of video games this month, though I did find two adorable mobile games that I love. Most of these games were time wasters more than actual games, but I enjoyed wasting my time.

Other Stuff

- I'm treating my depression!

- We celebrated Jonathan's birthday (and St. Patrick's Day = wicked hangover)

- Spring Break!

This month was a big step for me especially, because I am finally treating my depression. My doctor got me on some anti-depressants and though I'm nervous, I feel good that there is a chance I won't have to live under this dark cloud of doom forever. A lot of days have been spent under the blankets, skipping dinner, and staying unshowered with piles of clothes around me. I'm already feeling a bit more of myself and I can't wait to see how I do next month.

I hope your March was fabulous! Now onto April!



Always, Raineedayze

Captain's Log: February Wrap-Up

I talked a little bit about my month in my monthly goals post, but in short, February wasn't the most productive of months, especially when it came to free time.

With graduation looming, I am spending most of time finishing up school and related college things instead of doing anything fun. But I am told it will be worth it.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman | Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu | My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier | The Boss by Abigail Barnett | The Girlfriend by Abigail Barnett | 

This month wasn't the best reading month numbers-wise, but the overall quality was pretty good. I had planned to read 9 books, but the 5 I read were generally great. Any month when I read Neil Gaiman is a good month for me. Also, I fell into The Boss series by Abigail Barnett. It's like the 50 Shades series but with more consent and actual healthy relationships. 

The only book I wasn't a fan of was My Sister Rosa. I left a review on Goodreads that you can check out here, but in short, the book was just so dull. I'm kind of bummed it took up so much of my reading time this month.

Heroes of the Storm (PC) | Cat Goes Fishing (Steam) | Kitty Powers: Matchmaker (Steam) | Orwell: Ignorance is Strength (Steam) |

This month, I did a lot of small gaming sessions when I had free time, usually only for an hour or so. Luckily, Cat Goes Fishing and Kitty Powers, were both pretty short daily games that I could kill a few minutes with. The new Orwell game came out halfway through the month and I was able to spend a day with it. The rest of the series comes out later in March but since the game is so short, I may wait until the whole game is out to play it. Overall, the games were mostly just time-wasters and nothing I really immersed myself in.

How I Met Your Mother (Hulu) | Daria (DVD) |

Harry Potter (rewatch) | Black Panther |

The stress of this month extended to my media habits. No matter how many times I've seen it, I am always bingewatching HIMYM, especially in times of stress. 

I also picked up the Daria box set and have been rewatching the episodes with Jonathan. The show has been one of my absolute favorites for years, and I love the nostalgia. 

For movies this month, we finished up our Harry Potter rewatch and many tears were shed. I also saw Black Panther and wrote a review for it, which you can find here.

Other Cool Stuff This Month

* I turned 23!

* Valentine's Day was a thing!

* More dates!

* Healthier diet and upping my water

* Starting the process of getting back into therapy!


All in all this month was stressful, but I feel like the gave me a chance to reflect and make March even better. 


Always, Raineedayze
 

Captain's Log: January Wrap-Up

It's my first wrap-up post of the year and I  am so stoked to talk about all the awesome stuff I did this month.

I'm super happy actually, because I did so much awesomeness this month and got so much done that I wanted to. I think it really set the tone for the type of person I want to be and I am LOVING my life.

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler | Geekerella by Ashley Poston | They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera | None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio | Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo | The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas | Warcross by Marie Lu | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn | 99 Days by Katie Cotugno |

I had a pretty awesome start to the year in terms of reading. I read 9 books total and started American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Most of these books with an exception of two, were books that I really enjoyed. I also read a whole bunch of new authors like Marie Lu, Adam Silvera, and Leigh Bardugo. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more new authors this year!

 Feel the Snow (Steam) | Fortnite (Xbox One) | Cuphead (Xbox One) | Hearthstone (Tablet) | Heroes of the Storm (PC) |

This month I didn't spend a whole lot of time gaming. Jonathan got me a ton of games over the winter break so I have a pretty full library but I haven't been able to lose myself in a game lately. Hopefully, this will change pretty soon. Especially with the new Overwatch skins!

American Housewife (Hulu) | Supernatural (Netflix) | Black Mirror (Netflix) | The Good Place (Hulu) | South Park (Hulu) |

Murder on the Orient Express | Harry Potter (rewatch) | Ingrid Goes West | 

This month, I started watching shows I had been putting off instead of rewatching old shows (except for South Park, to wind down). I'm trying to finally catch up on Supernatural, since I dropped off after season 5. The rest of the shows are current so I have stuff to look forward to watching every week, which is really awesome and allows me to do something with my time other than sleep.

Movie-wise, I started a Harry Potter rewatch since Jonathan hasn't seen all of them (I know...I was shocked). I'm super excited to have him experience this with me.


 Other Cool Things This Month

I started my last semester of college!

Jonathan and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary!

We spent more weekends out and about instead of at home with Netflix!




All in all, I feel this month was an excellent start to an excellent year!


Always, Raineedayze

Captain's Log 14: August Recap

  

It's already nearly September and that means it's time to step into the Captain's chair once again.

It's so weird, I feel like I wrote my August goals so recently and now here we are!

August has brought many things with it, including the beginning of my senior year of college (WHOA) and some interesting reflections. I also built my gaming pc, attended Iggle Camp, and had a blast living my newly free life after leaving my job.

 In August, I read a total of 13 books!! That is one more book than July, which is pretty great considering I also had to factor in my schoolwork time. I also dabbled into a few different genres this month and read a few books that had been on my mental TBR for awhile.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman | Stardust by Neil Gaiman | Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson | The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti | Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous | The Secret Loves of Geek Girls by various authors | Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson | Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia | Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes | Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes | We Were Liars by E. Lockhart | Grim by various authors | How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather |

I also successfully reached my Goodreads Goal of 35 books! In fact, I have beat my goal by 8 books! I plan to keep going and see where I can reach by the end of the year. 

Out of all my reading adventures, I finally finished all of Morgan Matson's books (and got a tweet from her!) and read some more Neil Gaiman, an author I love but never read as much from.

This month was not my month for TV. I don't have cable so I haven't seen the new Rick and Morty (sob!) and I'm usually exhausted when Jonathan gets home so I've been slacking on Game of Thrones.

Movies: Percy Jackson

TV Shows: As Told By Ginger, Family Guy

When I wasn't reading, I spent a lot of my time gaming. I obviously had to break in my battlestation! 

Skyrim (Xbox One) | Overwatch (Xbox One) | Shark Dating Simulator XL (PC) | Borderlands 2 (Xbox One) | Bioshock (PC) | Portal 1 & 2 (PC) |






I finally beat Portal after a million years. I have awful motion sickness so I had to constantly take breaks while playing but I finally finished it!!! And then proceeded to search for Portal fanfic to fill the cube-shaped hole in my heart. Jonathan never finished them and I need him to so I can have someone to fangirl with!

I also spent some time on Skyrim because of course, Borderlands for that sweet co-op, and Shark Dating Sim so I could write silly reviews!


August Goals - Check In

1. Use my drawing app

I have totally sucked at this goal. I've been using my tablet more as a book instead of drawing and I really need to sit down and put some effort into it. So yeah, huge fail on this goal.

2. Drink More Water

I've actually been doing a way better job at this! I need to consistently track  my intake because if I don't, I tend to slip into dehydration. But I have been drinking water instead of tea and juice and reminding myself each time I go into the fridge.

3. Read 5 Books
 
HA! I laugh in the face of this goal since I doubled it! I am really happy that I was able to read so much and with my school schedule, I've found time to read by reading before class and between labs when I'd usually be killing my phone.

4. Build My Computer

DONE! It is fabulous and I am typing this post on it actually! Plus my new K55 RGB Corsair gaming keyboard came in a couple days ago and is all set up!

Three out of four is not bad and I am pretty stoked to see that I actually accomplished more than I thought I would!

August was an absolute blast and I hope I can continue to do well in September!


Always, Raineedayze