2017 New Years Film + Life Goals

2016 was one hell of a year - a spectacle we couldn't help but watch in slow motion no matter how much we tried to avoid it. Many events will make it memorable: cinematic disappointments (Suicide Squad), nostalgic surprises (Stranger Things), political train wrecks, protests, the loss of icons - to name a few. If I ever have kids and they ask me what 2016 was like, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have enough words to describe it - confusing, bombastic, heated, inspiring, one for the ages.

To keep the chaos a little controllable and sobering, I had a wee list of things to do: matched my reading goal, committed to daily walking routine, drank more water, post more on instagram, survived the Captain America marathon, and perhaps the big one of all - dress up as Matt the Radar Technician for Halloween.

Like all good, bad, and the ugly things the world endured, they have to come to an end. Or at least roll over into a new start. 2016 put us through a lot and we were all ready to wave Bon Voyage.

But pointing fingers or throwing my hands up at a set of numbers also made me realize the kind of power I want to give 2017. And that's to see how much I can throw at it and see what it can withstand rather than the other way around. Create, read, watch, write, speak up, donate, work harder, relax better, wrangle my anxiety, try new things. If there's one impression the past twelve months and a bad-ass woman left on the world, it's not to have time for bull. There's no better time like the present.

+ Start A Bullet Journal. *hopping on the bandwagon* My journals are a bit messy, they have a rushed collection of lists and thoughts - but they are also too disorganized. Bullet journals looks like fun and might help me organize a few notebooks.

+ Read 17 books. My next goodreads challenge.

+ Keep up with Walking Dead recaps and Wonder Women series.

+ More Instagram. I just really like it.

+ Cosplay/dress-up for Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Wonder Woman (2017)

+ Complete my to-watch list. So many movies I desperately wanted to see ended up with limited releases, so I missed a lot of 2016 movies. And, the other half of the list are movies I always felt like watching but forgot. Can't wait for a time in the future when I think of those same movies and go "Hey, I saw that! FINALLY."

+ Write more movie reviews. I fell a little behind with this last year, failing to put into words what I thought about a movie or not feeling they were terrible enough to warn people against or inspire to take a chance on. So I'm gonna try to do both a little more.

+ Follow a Blog Calendar. Ideas are great to have, but I'd like for them to do more than pile up on each other in the draft section.

+ Health skidded sideways out of nowhere halfway through December, so hoping with some diet changes I can get back on track.

+ Continue #27Lessons. Turning 27 was strangely monumental. So many light-bulb moments went off at once of things I struggled to understand or put into practice. It inspired me to tweet a little hashtag of musings and will be sure to add more.

+ Get a new laptop. This one's going.

These are some things I have in mind for the next year. What are yours? What do hope to have done a year from today? Good luck on all your dreams and ideas!

2016 New Years Film + Life Goals

Happy 2016, everyone!

What does your 2015 bucket list look like? Mine is sadly incomplete. I've always been someone whose made new years' resolutions, but I'm not a perfectionist about completing every single item. I did, however, like to finish at least more than half. But. . . .last year - I failed.

My inability to get things done is not from a lack of ambition, at least I don't think so. Exhaustion seemed to be at the heart of my lack of determination. There were some hard times that left me in an emotional fog - one that I hope not to let happen again in 2016.

2015 wasn't an entire letdown. I managed to accomplish a little: enjoying long walks around my neighborhood; worldbuilt and plotted more stories; drank less coffee; started a personal writing blog; graduated college; watched nine years of The X-Files in nine months before the revival; covered GeekyCon; stuck to a posting schedule; completed every Walking Dead recap for the latest season so far; kept my Letterboxd account updated.

"Failure" can happen for many reasons. I may not have done all that I wanted to, but I keep trying. Last year taught me that there are goals that just don't fit me; ones I've tried to complete multiple times but nevertheless lose my passion. And, there are right goals too; ones that just need a little bit more inspiration and determination to pull me through.

From 2014 I put into practice what I learned about time management. I figured out more along the way where I really value my time (less social media + less internet + more writing + more blogging). But I also had a major wake-up call: if my bucket list was so empty, where I did spend all of my time? I'm sure there's more I did, I just can't remember it all - which makes me want to create and fulfill more memorable goals for the next 365 days.

BLOG GOALS:
Stick to a Daily/Weekly/Monthly Schedule: I enjoyed little series I started like Stars I Love, Hidden Gems, and Fancasting that I would like to keep active. There are some blog challenges I have in mind too. I also would like to do more seasonal and timely posts; topics that fall in line with a holiday, month, or season.

Netflix Watchlist: Almost 50 movies are on my Netflix watchlist, and they've been there for a while. I'm going to be active in actually watching them.

Empty out my draft queue: Let's not get crazy here. There are like 96 posts in my draft queue! On top of my other blog ideas, I doubt know if I'll make a dent. I would like to lessen this amount but am not deluding myself to hit zero.

PERSONAL GOALS:
drink more water;
commit to daily walking routine;
read 16 books;
reach fictional writing word count goals;
handle time management better;
make more geeky crafts;
post more on instagram;
cosplay/dress up for movies like Captain America/Independence Day;
get more Walking Dead actors to tweet me.

Eat, Drink, and Answer Halloween Questions!

I'm a huge nerd for questionaires. On a little old website called LiveJournal, friends could send each other questions and memes about their favorite fandoms and life in general. Mostly these days "ask box" challenges are passed around on tumblr. Grabbing a Halloween-themed ask over on tumblr, I thought it'd be fun to answer some of them here. I tag anyone who wants to do the same thing here or on tumblr, and feel free to leave a comment of your answers!

Bat: If you could transform into any kind of animal, what animal would you be?

As a swimmer, and someone who loves to travel, I'd transform into a bird - probably a duck. A lame choice probably but they are so cute and have the best of both worlds: land, water and people at parks feed them all the time. They have it made!

Black Cat: Are you superstitious? If so, what are you superstitious about?

I'm not superstitious but I'm a little stitious.

Broomstick: If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be?

London, London, London. I would flee across the pond in a heartbeat to explore the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio and Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station. The rain and trains would be more than welcoming after dwelling in Florida heat for ten years and driving two hours anywhere to find something exciting to do.

Candy Corn:What food disgusts you the most?

Not sure why candy corn is used as a food to disgust 'cause I love it. I'm not sure there is a food that disgusts me.

Cauldron: What is your favorite thing to cook?
I'm not too bad at cooking anything pasta. I seem to have an automatic mental timer on getting every kind of noodle the right consistency.

Cobwebs:One place you would never want to get lost in in the dark?

Anywhere alongside a highway or back road. NOPE. No, thanks.

Coffin:Are you claustrophobic?

Yes. It's not an extreme case of claustrophobia, but it kicks in at times. Watching films with isolated locations doesn't scare me as much, but in real life, I have to be aware of where the exits are. I need to know a way out in order to keep my cool. Visiting houses with low ceilings, or at Disney World sometimes you can be herded into a crowded room with little to no queue to the actual line for thirty minutes - I can feel dizzy or trapped.

Demon:What is your worst flaw?

Jumping to conclusions. A writer can bounce all over the place and exaggerate something small  to the inth degree in seconds, usually playing a real-life scenario into something fantastical- at least in my own mind. 

Eerie: One thing that always creeps you out?

Frogs. Frogs, and Frogs. Florida has helped me confront every creepy crawly there is - including surviving a poisonous spider bite. But I will NEVER get over frogs.

Fright: What is your biggest fear?
With phobias, it's frogs and heights. In life, maybe finishing life with things left that I wanted to do or see and was capable of achieving but didn't feel confident enough to do it.

Ghost: If you could be reincarnated, would you come back as another human or an animal? If an animal, what kind?
I don't know if I'd like to come back as anything or anyone else at all. If I did come back, I think I'd want to be myself - a polite ghost....I also think I just figured out what I'm superstitious about - talking about becoming a ghost in my afterlife....

Haunted House: If you could be roommates with anyone of your choice, who would you pick?
Veronica Roth, Emma Watson, and perhaps the 10th Doctor who drops in every once and while to take me on a grand adventure.

Hocus Pocus: What is the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?

This isn't a sassy answer, but anything human nature is capable of doing to each other. On a lighter note, also somethings that my sister and I have joked with each other because we're pretty freaking crazy together.

Jack-o'-lantern: Do you have any scars? If so, how many?

I have one on my leg but I have no idea where it came from. Woopsies!

Monster: What is your favorite scary movie to watch in the dark?
The Birds. It's my favorite Hitchcock movie and has just the right amount of thrills.

Potion: What is your favorite thing to drink? Alcoholic and non alcoholic?

Java Chip Frappacino - nice blend of coffee, chocolate, and whip cream. Also, Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer - they're both wonderfully sweet but not overly sugary.

Pumpkin: What is your favorite food around the holidays?
I'm not sure if it's a "holiday" food but mash potatoes poured with butter or gravy. It's such a yummy comfort food.

Spooky: What was your last nightmare about?

Not sure it was a nightmare but I had some wicked dreams of joining Scully and Mulder on solving some of their cases. The dreams were awesome but also creeped me out with encounters of strangers with supernatural powers.

Vampire: Which one are you? Early bird or night owl?
For insomnia's sake, I'm a night owl. I can stay up very late, get up in the same morning on a few hours of sleep and keep going - but that's not very healthy. If I could get on a good schedule (which is my newest goal), I'd be an early bird.

Witch: If could have the power to cast any kind of spell, what kind of spell would you cast?

My first instinct was to pick Accio from Harry Potter, but then I thought that I wouldn't want to get lazy over time from always beckoning things to me. I'd like to go with something doing with flying or bringing light into my life when I needed it, like Lumos or Expecto Patronus.

Zombie: What is one food you always overeat?
Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream. Yep. Just can't have one scoop, gotta have the kitchen sink sundae too.

This Is How I Work Blogathon

Fellow blogger Mariah at a A Space Blogdessey changed things up a bit by starting a blogathon about her process and asking us some questions about ours. Inspired by other bloggers, she asked us to join in a challenge to show us how we work. Thank you to Mariah for hosting this blogathon. Enjoy the look behind the scenes about how this blog survives staying active every month.

What apps can my not live without? Netflix seems like a pretty obvious one to give a shout-out to. I also really love WPS Office, which allows me to write and edit documents. Sometimes writing is much easier on my tablet punching in every letter one by one rather than facing my keyboard and a blank screen. Google Keep is also easy for creating small notes and ideas in one place.