'Waiting For My Real Life' film speaks volumes. I LOVED it.

February 2, 2017.

  Groundhog Day! Did the little critter see his/her shadow? I don't care; I live in the Midwest where the weather will fluctuate despite what the groundhog "says."

  I've spent some time mourning the loss of my Colin Hay wine bottle that I purchased at the first show my dad and I attended two years ago this month. Enough of that, though, because I can always order another when I see him again. And, if I read the website correctly, I can easily order a custom label and request the winery to use the same label that was used two years ago. It might be a stretch and cost extra money, but it's worth a shot. Also, I'm going to do something creative with the remains. I'd love ideas if anyone has a few, or just one!

One year later, and I'm still missing Alan Rickman.

January 14, 2017

  This time last year, I was in a haze, going through my Thursday trying to comprehend what happened that morning. Alan Rickman died, and I was devastated, first confused and unsure how to respond. Was it a hoax? Who would joke about such a thing? But, no, it was true. Alan really did pass away from cancer. From that day forward, I felt - and continue to feel - at complete random times, a sudden sting in my chest, confusion, and an indescribable urge to burst into crying.

  There are many people out there who don't understand how average people get so caught up in "celebrity" deaths. First, Alan wasn't a "celebrity" in my terms. A celebrity is well-known for little to no real reason other than family connection and/or money. Celebrities had their lives on display and are open books. Alan wasn't an open book similar to how so many actors are these days. He was private and kept his personal life with his friends and family within those people only, and I completely respect his lifestyle and choices.

'Happy birthday, Amanda!' said by very few on her big day...

December 21, 2015

  It's almost the New Year.. wow. Where did this past month go?! I'm starting to finally get back on the right track to being the best me, in some area at least. I've been trying to give back this time of year by donating. For Giving Tuesday this year, I donated to my college and high school for the first time as an alumna. I work at my Alma mater (if ya didn't know!), so I didn't give enough to brag about it, haha. It felt good that I was able to make a decent contribution to District 214, though!

Time to get back to being me.

November 24, 2016

Family, Lou's and Alan. Yes, please!

  First off, happy Thanksgiving! It's a beautiful week here in the Chicago suburbs to celebrate being thankful with family and friends. We've already done many things I've wanted to do since arriving in my hometown. We had a family dinner at my favorite spot for deep dish, Lou Malnati's. My brother was such a good sport. He, my sister, my sister's boyfriend, Dad, and I all met up to celebrate the Cubs' World Series win and my birthday. I asked for my mushrooms to be in the shape of a "C" for Cubs, but the cooks didn't listen. Oh well. It was still nice and a relief I could confidently eat a vegan-friendly deep dish pizza! We aren't as close as other families are, but all of us having dinner and not causing a scene was a success and well worth the risk! It's nice to feel like a normal family every now and then, even though I know we aren't. To finish my first full day back, we watched Die Hard, our family Christmas movie. :)

It's National Taco Day!

October 4, 2016

My vegan taco: kale, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, very little quinoa and
lentil (just a tiny scoop from tomorrow's lunch, haha.). You can't forget
chips and extra hot sauce. Today's choice is Valentino's extra hot!

  This is a food I eat 2 to 4 times a week, so this isn't a meal I purposefully cooked for today's National Taco Day. My dad constantly took me to Los Compadres in MP growing up, and the restaurant probably dishes up the best tacos to date. It's authentic, Mexican cuisine. Our usual was a steak taco dinner with an extra taco. He'd eat the beans, I got the rice and we'd each have two tacos.

  I will, more than likely, never be able to have my usual there again since transitioning into a vegan diet (who knows; I may add fish at the least!), but nonetheless... You need to take my word for it and go there if you're in the area (Los Compadres, Dempster St., Mount Prospect, IL). Order steak tacos with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, and onions, and use the in-house Verde salsa to top it off. You won't be disappointed.

  For now, I'll be eating my homemade veggie tacos with as much hot sauce I can get on each without it running onto my hands. Happy taco eating, peeps!