The Five Year Engagement Movie Review

I love Judd Apatow movies so if you are weird enough not to, then perhaps you won't like this film.  But if you're like a normal person, chances are you will.  Emily Blunt is adorable as ever and famous faces galore make cameo appearances.  Jason Siegel co-wrote along with starred in this great couple's date film.  I didn't go with a significant other but I definitely had lots of actual laugh-out-loud moments that reflect the well-constructed blend of Hollywood humor smattered over a very realistic situation.  There are scenes that can resonate with everyone, regardless of your current relationship status.  As a singleton I found myself going Mmmm, yep.  Been. There!  For me this is so appreciated. I'm done with the vomit-worthy, stereotypical films that depict a perfect life where a couple's biggest battle is fighting over who gets to do the dishes and rub the other's feet.  You can connect and understand both of the characters and why they feel the way they do.  Frustrations and temptations come into play, not unlike the everyday but what I loved best was something I felt I needed a little reminding of: no one is perfect and therefore no one is really perfect for each other.   Challenges in a relationship can make you hate a person one day -- you get bored, frustrated and even overwhelmed or tempted to over-enjoy another's company.  This film captured all of those aspects and gave a brilliant performance. There's a Knocked Up feel except this time the focus is on an impending marriage instead of an impending baby.  It's not quite as funny as I thought Bridesmaids was but it was well-written, well-directed and well worth seeing!

Liar, Liar

This article from Forbes.com teaches you how to read lies.  Which should be great if your goal is to be a lie-reading secret agent like me. 

The Downsides & Obsessions

I'm trying not to suck at this blogging thing so I figure keeping it up is the main idea right?  Good.  Glad we covered that. 

Aside from listening to "Take Care" by Rihanna & Drake 20 times a day, I've also been really busy working extra hours (for free because I clock out since I don't want to hear it about how I "can't" have overtime and I hate feeling crammed into a work day when there's a shit ton going on) and I finally got Windows of the World, the wine book.  I started reading it and it's awesome.  It's exciting when I read something and already know about it!  It makes me feel a little more legit.  But honestly, I think it'd be a little overwhelming if I'd never heard any of the terms before and hadn't been around serious winos for a year and a half.  I've discovered that the downside of learning more about wines is how quickly I can taste it when it's not good.  I got Sutter Home's Chenin Blanc.  It's not bad, but it tastes cheap, which at $5.99 at Jewel Osco, not really surprising.  And I knew I didn't want to spend $15+ on wine... well that and the Whole Foods & Trader Joe's was closed when I left work a 10pm...

I need to get going on painting my apartment though.  Because I've been sleeping on my couch for nearly 2 weeks and that's sad.  Especially since the areas aren't done aren't near my bed...

Ugh, time to do something before I drink too much wine and become completely unfunctional.

Amazon Dot Drain My Bank Account

I think that amazon.com and I are starting to have an unhealthy relationship.  These "wish list" thingies I'd never bothered with before have become addictive.  When you want something you can add it to a list which you can organize any way you want, have as many as you want and put in various kinds of order.  You can mark items from low, medium or high priority, by low to high or high to low price... all sorts of stuff.  And while that may sound basic it's not.  When you're window shopping you pass lots of things you want, but you don't keep them in a little basket that says "save for later."  So all that stuff you wanted is always there to look at when your tax return makes you feel like a millionaire.  You can make them public or private, you can share them and basically send it out like a gift registry, only you don't need a baby or a wedding (which is nice for us single ladies who have no plans on getting married soon).  And the worst/best part is that when you look at an item, below they give you similar items other people have looked at.  I have 3 lists right now -- one for "shoes" which is also bags, watches and random things no one really needs, home accessories since I'm trying to re-do the place and Christmas/Birthdays.  I like it for Christmas & Birthdays because it helps me lay out items I'm looking to buy this year and financially prioritize.  Plus, it keeps tabs on pricing.  If items go down in price it alerts you "this item had decreased to [price] from [old price].  You save [percentage]!"  Which is good and bad because I often feel like I should buy it when it gets cheaper before it's gone.  But you know, it's nice to know I didn't rush to buy it cuz now look -- it's on sale!  Even more!

This year I've really wanted to get my finances in order while also improving my wardrobe and my shoe collection.  I'm going to be a "real adult" and I wanted to dress and prioritize like one.  Eating healthy, working out, writing, reading, learning about wine...  I wanted to pay down my credit cards to $1000 each (I only have 2!) or less (at the rate I'm going most likely much less).  I wanted to pay all extraneous bills and to have a little savings account.  Rent, student loans, phone bills, electric and cable will never go away but it's nice when any remainder can be put into a savings account instead of looking at my bank statements going "well, just bread this week."  So with that on the horizon I found the most striking watch I'd ever seen.  It's $230 and there's only 2 left in stock which means I need to get it soon.  $230 is the amount I pay each credit card plus what I add to my savings account each month.  The back of my head is at war: "Look at that watch.  How, classy.  How refined.  How exceptional!  What a statement you'd make!" While the other half argues: "Are you stupid?  There are plenty of watches you added to that list that are just as nice, people will still think you're classy and they're UNDER $100.  You could pay off a bill with that money.  No fancy shopping sprees til 2013!  Not to mention the fact that you want to go on vacation next year!  That watch could be half a plane ticket!" ...  "Yeah, but that's one plane ride, this I can have FOREVER!"

And you know how that goes.  So it sits there, in my wish list as I drool on myself at 9 in the morning while not working out.  I just bought some nice clothes and furniture for my apartment this past weekend.  My hard attempts at being financially responsible get squashed by my wish lists and amazon is basically the only online retailer I use (it's easy, they already have my credit card info so I don't have to type in the numbers each time along with my address and I've had good purchase after good purchase so I trust them).  My mom always calls me up and says "hey, can you get something online?"  And right to amazon I go.  She's delighted when we get it in 2-3 days, sometimes sooner because of course I have amazon prime which you pay for annually and you get free 2-day shipping on all purchases that qualify.  I love the dependability, the quality merchandise but I don't love the fact that between whole foods (wine and guacamole!) and amazon.com my bank account is running on fumes. Buuttt that's probably my fault.

Take Care by Drake ft. Rihanna

This is my current song obsession.  At first I was like "eh, it's a basic beat, simple melody..." but the more I listen to the words the more I like it.  Drake & Rihanna are also adorable together.  So I hit the repeat button...a lot.  I have to laugh though every time Drakes says "it's my birthday, I'll get high if I want to."  I think of the original "it's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to" and the look on her face if she'd heard how someone turned her hit into a drug reference 50 years later.  These are the kinds of things that keep me amused in life.  Well that and hitting the repeat button (like that Selena Gomez song "Like a Love Song" which I also was obsessed with for about a week).

"Beez In The Trap" by Nicki Minaj

I love Nicki -- her crazy outfits and curves I could only hope for.  However this new video popped up when I was youtubing music and I thought Oh Dear.  I really don't see the need for her to be dancing like a booty dancer in a 50 cent video anymore -- she's Nicki! -- or playing to the girl-on-girl fantasy.  I encourage her to rock the green hair, but I also hope she her new tracks have some more super bass.  This one just didn't do it for me.  But you be the judge!

Renovations

So I am trying to make the most of my studio apartment on my small budget.  I've done the research and have gotten as far as trip to Home Depot for some paint.  I've never actually painted anything outside of art class before.  If my parents ever painted they never let me help so I felt a little lost in a big store not really knowing what I wanted and a vague idea of what I should get.  I settled for a light whitish blue color but on later thought, I realized I drilled some holes into the wall and may need to smooth that out.  There's a perfect corner bookcase I want from target.com but it's gone up another $30 to $199 and somehow $200 seems less justifiable than $170. 

I wasn't going to be so head-on about redoing my place but I'm getting a cat soon and I wanted all of the place good & done before I got her.  She's a barn cat that my parents have and I want to give her a good home.  She's also very skittish so I want to ready my apartment and make life as comfy as possible while also being a place I want to live.  I've lived here for 2 years telling myself "I'll get somewhere bigger next year."  But this is the easiest and most affordable arrangement I have right now.  I'm blocks away from anything I need including work so I don't even have to pay $90/mo for transit.  Other places I've looked at aren't any better for the price.  So while I would love a small porch area to sit outside, I'm just gonna have to deal with leaving the windows open til I have a job that pays me like a real adult.

In the mean time I'm going to be pushing myself to be financially responsible.  It's gonna be a pain because my work schedule is all over the place and doesn't allow me to get a second job.  On the plus side, I really enjoy what I do and so I'm just going to have to be fiscally conservative for probably the next 2 years until I pay off my credit cards, get a handle on my student loans, pay off all my medical bills and finally have a small savings account. 

For my apartment renovations I intend to take pictures and show my progress and ideas of improvement.  The problem with all the "small spaces" I read about is that they make the pictures look pretty & organized but unless you own 2 pair of socks and some tupperware, it's not realistic for people with stuff.  I constantly try to get rid of things and I intend to spend the week getting rid of books and random things I just don't need.  With some creativity this place has a lot of potential.  There's a nice amount of space for a studio but this is going to take some time because I can't just drop $3000 to do all the things I want.  So baby steps.  I took an $80 trip to home depot this week and I will get my $200 corner cabinet from my next pay check.  I already have some items I bought from IKEA and my mom got me a really awesome table who's "chairs" double perfectly as a corner table near my couch and a night stand.  The place is kinda dark so I'm going to need a floor lamp.  Ideally I'd get a new bed set that I found on amazon.com but exchanging that for the futon my parents got me sophomore year of high school is going to run me around $500 even if I use the "mattress" that came with the futon. Otherwise I'd be out at least another $500.

I've realized that the most important step I need to take in starting this process is knowing where my stuff is.  That may sounds odd but it's true.  I put things where they fit and cram things where I use them.  But if I got rid of stuff I know I don't need (clothes, books, and things that just sit there for no reason) then I can assess where I cram things.  For example, I always have the same hair products sitting out in my bathroom because I use them everyday.  It's dawned on me that the point of organizing isn't because you're putting things where you think they look best (which I used to do only to have everything look messy again a week later), but to make the things you use look as nice as possible.  With that in mind I realize that being a girl most of my stuff is hair items, clothes, makeup and various bathroom products.  The point of the corner bookshelf in my living rooms space is that by the time I went through everything, I could fit all my movies, books and various documents on 1 bookcase.  This would make everything look much neater and less spread out throughout my apartment.  Then the second challenge is kitchen stuff.  My mom also got me new dishes and silverware.  I have some wine glasses but little room for actual food, which I don't need a ton of living by myself.  So all my food, whether it needs to be or not, is usually in my fridge.  I always get the question "Why is [nonperishable food item] in your fridge?"  My response?  "Well where else am I gonna put it?"  One glance at my kitchen space usually justifies that answer.

So later this week (hopefully Thursday), I will post pictures of my space because I'm sure you're thrilled to see the messy habitat of a 24 year old.