may's fixations

So, I saw this post in my reading list by single dog dare and i wanted to do something similar! i thought it would be cool in the future to look back at my monthly faves, and see what i was interested in. 

TV - The Nanny

So this has been on my watch list for quite some time. I didn't grow up with it, but I was seeing a lot of clips of it on TikTok which inspired me to give it a watch! I loved it, but the final season was a bit of a bust for me. 

But I find the show the same level of comforting I did Golden Girls, which was a LOT. I loved Fran's outfits and her hair, and her dynamics with the family. I liked seasons 1-3, and 4 was okay, but 5-6 were...eh. I feel like as the show progressed, the characters become like...caricatures of themselves? If that makes sense? Like Fran became very bimbo-like and ditsy, obsessing over Maxwell, and Niles was kind of...I don't know his character was also falling flat for me. I did not like that CC and Niles got together! But again, I did enjoy the show for what it's worth.

Today I started watching Sex and the City, so we shall see how that goes.

Hobbies - Persona 3 & Crocheting

So honestly? I actually haven't been gaming a BUNCH this month. But this has been a game that's been on my mind, I got to get back into it.

As always, I am crocheting my granny squares, trying to get through the skeins I have of the granny square yarn.

Music - Frutiger Aero? Sade?

So I wasn't exactly sure what to call it but I've been listening to a lot of Xploshi and Alyzea's music, both of which are popular in the frutiger aero edits. 

I've also been listening to a lot of Sade, and her music, especially when I am driving home or to work. 

Xploshi and Alyzea makes me feel more chill and actually helps me study. 

But that's what I got for this month! Thanks for reading :)

I really need to read more

I've been trying to get back into reading for a couple months. Between school and work, it's hard to make room for new hobbies. So I thought I would make a list of some books I am interested in/were recommended to me!

Starling House - Alix E. Harrow

So I was gifted this book, but the cover itself is really pretty. I love Fantasy novels and the names of the characters on the back (Opal) captivated me. Here's a brief summary from Google!

In Alix E. Harrow's Starling House, the plot centers on Opal, an impoverished young woman living in the dying, coal-mining town of Eden, Kentucky. Desperate to secure a better future for her teenage brother, Opal takes a mysterious housekeeping job at Starling House. There, she uncovers dark supernatural secrets about the town.

The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

My mom gifted me this a while back and thought I would like it. I haven't read it but it's one of my top ones to get out the way.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows an aging, reclusive Old Hollywood icon who hires a struggling magazine journalist, Monique Grant, to write her tell-all biography. Through recounting her seven marriages, Evelyn reveals her manufactured public image and a lifelong, secret romance

Sociopath: A Memoir - Patric Gagne

Another book my mom recommended me. I don't know about much this one. However...judging on my brief Google search and seeing the reviews on this...I am interested to see what the author has to say in this novel!

Sociopath: A Memoir by Dr. Patric Gagne is a revelatory autobiography that chronicles the author’s lifelong experience living with sociopathy. By detailing her journey from a misunderstood child to a practicing therapist, Gagne dismantles harmful stigmas, reframes sociopathy as an "emotional learning disability," and advocates for greater acceptance and treatment

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Another one I don't have a lot of knowledge about! My mother-in-law gifted me this series a Christmas or so ago and I again....have yet to read it.

In Six of Crows, a criminal prodigy named Kaz Brekker leads a crew of six dangerous outcasts on an impossible heist. Their mission is to infiltrate the Ice Court in Fjerda and rescue a scientist who holds the formula for jurda parem, a lethal, addictive drug that amplifies Grisha magic.

I use to be a big reader back in middle school to high school but as I got older, I fell more and more out of it. I like physical books and I don't love audiobooks, so I got to make some time to read, as it's a hobby I don't want to lose. 

So many hobbies to keep up with....not enough hours in a day to do them all :(

Frutiger Aero: The Future We Were Promised

So I love the Frutiger Aero aesthetic, despite my blog being very dark and gloomy. Specifically, I like the music that is now associated with it thanks to TikTok and YouTube. I associate a lot of older Nintendo games with the genre and I also have a couple favorite artists like alyzea or Xploshi. 

With that being said, it leaves me feeling nostalgic for the past, like the old Wii music and games, the Xbox 360 and playing games with my dad and brother, playing Harvest Moon on the PSP...etc etc.

Anyways, I've had a YouTube channel where I wanted to post different music mixes that match certain vibes or just consists of music I like. I had a mix up there but I've learned it got taken down because of Copyright from Nintendo! boo!

If you are into video game music and the Frutiger aero aesthetic, here is a mix to get you ready for the summer season. I think I want to make another Frutiger aero mix soon, as this one is more beachy and tropical. 

Yarn Review: THE Granny Square Yarn (Red Heart)

 

My fav colorway: Grape Granny

So, I'm like three years behind on this review BUT! I wanted to talk about the all in one granny square yarn today, as it feels like this is all I use lately.

Brand: Red Heart

Yarn Name: All in One - Granny Square Yarn

Weight: 4 (Medium) 
Type: Acrylic

First Impression

I first bought this yarn because I LOVED the Grape Granny colorway. But also, at the time, a lot of reviews from my fav crochet accounts were coming out and I was influenced...and bought my first skein.

Texture & Feel

I feel like with most acrylic yarn, it's definitely NOT the softest in the world...but I am not an acrylic hater, and I thing for the price and the amount of squares it produces, it's definitely good for things like bags, scarfs, etc. Plus there are ways to soften acrylic yarn. 

Working with It

I won't lie. This yarn has pissed me off a couple times. It's definitely a yarn you need to have a consistent tension or it's going to be an aggravating process. 

Once you get the hang of it, it's satisfying and mindless. I personally use the recommended hook size for this yarn (5.5mm) but I've seen reviews where people size up or down depending on their tension. 

What I Like

So I HATE weaving in ends, and this yarn is perfect for not weaving in a lot of ends. For a long time I wasn't a big granny square lover because all the beautiful ones have a lot of different colors mixed in and I am just not good at weaving in ends or color changes like that. I also really like their color options they got. Plus, I don't necessarily need to have a project ready, I can just make granny squares and store them until I need them.

What I Dislike

Like I said earlier, if your tension isn't consistent, this yarn can definitely make you mad. Again, acrylic isn't the softest either but I've followed a couple hacks online on how to make acrylic softer, like conditioning it for example.

Projects I've Done

Granny square blanket

Granny square scarf

Granny square tote bag (♡ my favvvv ♡)

Summary

Overall, this ball of yarn has been keeping me going in the crochet craft for the past year since it's a easy project to be produce. I love the ways the squares look when they are done, at least the specific colorways I get. But I can see why people get frustrated with this skein. Personally I still have quite a few skeins to go through and then try and think of a project to do with the squares, so any suggestions are appreciated if you have any ideas. 

I give it...8 granny squares out of 10!

crappy days

 Y'all ever have a day where you are just chilling...having a normal day...and then BOOM! So many bad things happen back to back? 

Yeah today is one of those days. I get home from work and then: A/C isn't working, pets misbehaving/causing trouble, car troubles, homework to get done....boom boom BOOM! Just all at once! 

I get overwhelmed easily, so this domino effect is a one way ticket to overstimulation for me. Especially now? In this heat we are having? Yeah....not a good combo for me....

But hey...sometimes life just be life-ing. And we just got to keep moving and better days will come. I am trying not to simmer on things as it causes me a lot of unneeded stress. These things will be fixed or get better...and it's going to be okay. It will be okay.

Alright let's get these discussion boards done. 

I need to get some hobbies :(

    So lately I have been in a crocheting slump and I don’t know how to get out of it. I’ve never been very an artistic person so the fact that I’m crocheting at all is shocking. To me, crocheting is a very creative craft, and I never come up with patterns, I just tend to follow them on YouTube or on other blogs. 

    These last couple months, I have just not had the desire to crochet or follow patterns or do anything new project-wise which kind of...worries me I think is the word I'm looking for? So..in an attempt to get out of my slump, I went through my saved pins and tiktoks and I thought I would post some some patterns and some pics that I’ve been interested in crocheting and hopefully feel my inner creative fire light up again!

    I’m not really sure why I am burned out from: is it from work? from crochet as a hobby? I don’t really know. Maybe I need to learn a different hobby, I always thought about sewing. I got a sewing machine and never ended up using it, but maybe that’s a hobby I should get into. Knitting has also been a skill I wanted to learn. But for some reason....these hobbies just intimidate the hell out of me! They just seem
so complicated and time-consuming, which is not that big of a problem for me but I also feel like they are expensive hobbies.

    I don’t know. When it comes to my hobbies, but I don’t wanna lose that like that part of me. Crochet was a big part of my life, especially during the pandemic and my college year....so yeah. I don't really want to part with it!

Some pieces I want to make/inspire me!

I also noticed my lack of interest in video games lately,  however recently that's been shifting. I have found something and that's...Persona 3!

 I never played Persona and I know it's a pretty popular game so I’ve recently started playing it which I found to be fun! I’m pretty early on the game and it’s been pretty interesting. I’ve always liked visual novels and the game reminds me of that so that’s a plus. But, the skills, some of the combat difficult for me. The Persona fusing and things like that that still confuse me.  The academic, charisma, and other skills kind of confuses me a little bit but I’ll get there! I want to play the other games in the series, and hopefully get into other games like it. Also the music? Love it. I actually noticed I use to listening to a Persona 4 song without knowing it was from the game! I use to watch the video all the time and thought it was sooooo cool.

    Show wise, I recently finished Modern Family, which is not something I would typically watch. Normally, I honestly watch animated shows or anime. I’ve been seeing a lot of clips of it on TikTok and it just seemed kind of cute and funny. But as the seasons progressed, I just kinda disliked the characters more and more. I liked the earlier seasons, but that also has its flaws...like I didn’t like the weird creepiness with Phil and Gloria. There’s like some weird moments with Manny and the women in his family. but other than that, I feel like I liked the earlier season more than the older seasons. I think I was also just getting bored of the show later down the line, but that’s done.

 

    Now I’m watching the Nanny! Which I’m mainly watching for Fran because she’s very pretty and  I like her fashion style, and her humor. I just like her character from what I’ve seen online so I’m interested to see how that goes. It kind of gives me the same vibe as Golden Girls, which I LOVED. I guess cause it’s like sitcom-y? If that’s the right genre for it? 

    Anyways, sorry for jumping from topic to topic. Just kind of my stream of consciousness on paper right now of where I’m at with my hobbies and interests. It’s definitely something I got to work on because if I don’t practice self-care, I’m gonna be like freaking miserable. And I know it’s so sounds so corny, but like my hobbies are very important to me in my self-care routine and maintaining my sanity.

Movie Review: Toy Story 1 & 2

 So my boyfriend and I have been watching Disney movies recently. Growing up my family was not very into Disney while his family was the polar opposite. Recently, we watched the first two movies of Toy Story and I thought since I started this blog....we can do some reviews!

Ghostie & Salderin Review: Toy Story 1 & 2

Year(s): 1995 & 1999

First Impressions

Ghostie: Honestly, this series was never something on my radar. Like I said, did not grow up with these movies and Toy Story was not one that stood out to me. I remembered bits and pieces of it but that is about it.

Salderin: The series has basically always been on my radar because I watched it when I was little. I've always been a fan of it, and I still find it enjoyable to rewatch.

Plot

Ghostie: So...for Toy Story I thought it was cute! Overall, I liked the story with Woody and Buzz. One thing I did not remember was..... the animation.....oh my god....sometimes it looks very jarring. I also know that for it's time it was probably amazing, and maybe I am spoiled with our movies today but my gosh. So many scenes with Andy and his family looked unsettling. But I can see how this movie is very nostalgic for someone who grew up, the music and visuals are for the most part very cozy and comfy.

With Toy Story 2, the one thing I focused on is I don't remember Jessie acting so crazy and lashing out so much! But I definitely remember this movie more than the first one. I loved the doll fixing montage, something about it was so...satisfying! I actually think I liked this movie much more than the first one, and I loved that we learned about Woody's "history" and even some of Buzz's character history. Still has that whismy <3.

Salderin: I still like TS2 more than TS1. While I do like TS1 and its story, it does mean that Buzz is largely unbearable/stupid (by design) for most of the first movie's runtime, whereas TS2 has Buzz in his more modern, recognizable form (a fiercely loyal friend to Woody), which I find to be a lot more endearing. I didn't remember Jessie being so mean to Woody, but I did also find myself during this Viewing thinking more about how scary it must be for the Roundup Gang to have to sit in storage (presumably in the dark) for unknown lengths of time, where they could theoretically rot and "die." From that angle, I actually think it's kind of cool that they made Jessie fearful of going into storage. Pete's whole thing about wanting to be admired in a museum forever (or whatever he said) is cool and all, but I find Jessie's desire to NOT go into storage to be a more attention-grabbing motive since it's more "wordly" to have a fear of being in captivity as opposed to having a graspable chance at being admired as a nearly inanimate display piece in a museum. That being said though, it's not a bad thing that Pete has a desire that cannot be fulfilled for humans, since this is a movie about toys, after all. It's cool when media leverages it's unique settings/rules where it is able, since situations like the museum/playroom decision are not really things we as humans have to grapple with ourselves; it's a fun thought exercise.

Ratings

Ghostie: 8 Bullseyes out of 10

Salderin:  8 Buzz Lightweights out of 10. I love these movies a lot but I don't personally value them as peak viewing experiences or anything anymore. There was a point that I would've probably given Toy Story 2 a 10 out of 10 though.

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Hello Internet! ♡

 I wasn't someone who grew up on blogging. However, I was recently inspired by a TikTok post I saw by Lilly Ashton after going down a rabbit hole of blogging, trying to make a comeback, I thought....why not?

So here is my first blog post. Hello everyone! 

Now this is going to sound silly, but I am not exactly sure of what blogging consists of. But from my understanding and the couple of blogs I saw, it seems to be like online journaling. It's whatever you want it to be. So I don't have a specific idea of what I'll be posting, but it will likely be crocheting, video games, and things I just find neat. I have always wanted to journal, and this felt like a way to potentially start. 

I don't know, man. We will see if I keep up. 

I'm excited to see more blogs. They are filled with such whimsy, look beautiful, and cover so many different things and topics... again, I'm excited! 

But anyways...thank you for reading. ♡ Stay safe! - Ghostie