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My favorite thing for day 7 of April is CHAPSTICK.
I realize how lame this sounds, but I absolutely can not live without chapstick! Cue the Napoleon Dynamite jokes haha! No, seriously…
I usually always use regular Avon chapstick, but I recently started using this Raspberry scented lip butter from Nivea, and it’s absolutely amazing. It smells incredible and it doesn’t feel sticky.
So do yourself a favor and try it! You’ll thank me later! 🙂
In light of today being opening day for baseball, I’m brought to another one of my favorite things…watching sports games. I was born in NJ and grew up as a Yankees fan. We moved to FL when I was young and I also grew to love the Marlins.
Are you confused by this? It wouldn’t be the first time! LOL! You are absolutely allowed to like two teams…especially since they’re in different leagues! So don’t judge!
Being a Marlins fan, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some amazing people. My niece and I went to FanFest a few years ago and met some of my greatest friends. We even kinda became friends with some of the player’s wives, who are absolutely awesome! One of my favorite people that used to play for us is John Baker. Talk about an all around great person with an equally great wife and family. It’s things like that (being a great person) that make you want to follow a player’s career regardless of what team they play for down the road.
Sports and great people…yes, please!
I also love going to basketball and football games, so I’m not leaving anyone out! There’s just something about being at a game in a packed stadium (well maybe not “packed” for the Marlins unfortunately), that makes the game even more exciting. Hearing how loud everyone gets and rooting for your team with a bunch of strangers? Not sure it gets any better than that!
My post yesterday mentioned that I’d gotten a tattoo of a claddagh and my mother’s maiden name. This leads me to my next favorite thing…TATTOOS!!
I’m all about self expression and art, so the fact that you can display this on your body is interesting to me. I have 6 tattoos at the moment, and am actually thinking about my 7th.
It upsets me when I hear about employers judging prospective employees based on whether or not they have tattoos. I’m about to be 31 years old, I work full time, attend school online, work for an awesome website (Variety Radio Online), I don’t drink or smoke…but I’m tattooed. Does that make me a horrible person? Uhhh…NO! 🙂
So before judging someone who has tattoos, take a moment to ask what they mean to that person. My claddagh tattoo with my mother’s maiden name is a constant reminder of how I was raised with amazing grandparents and I wear it proudly!
For Day 4 of my list of favorite things, I’m going with Writing.
I’ve had a passion for writing ever since I can remember. It’s a way for me to express myself in a way that words can’t. Have you ever written a letter to someone that you knew you weren’t going to send?
Writing can be considered a healthy way to vent, and even give your thoughts physical release.
My love for writing has also driven me to choose Journalism as my major at school. I’m lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to write blog reviews of TV shows for a site called Variety Radio Online as well.
Try it! Go out and get yourself a journal! You’ll thank me later! 🙂
Since I listed my heritage as one of my favorite things yesterday, I thought I’d list something similar today…the claddagh.
A claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ring given to represent Friendship Loyalty and Love, which are three of the most important qualities a person can have. The hands represent Friendship, the heart represents Love and the crown represents loyalty.
There have been theories as to what relationship status a person holds depending on how they wear their ring.
According to Irish author Colin Murphy, the way in which a Claddagh ring was worn with the intention of conveying the wearer’s relationship status:
On the right hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips, the wearer is single and may be looking for love.
On the right hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist, the wearer is in a relationship.
On the left hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips, the wearer is engaged.
On the left hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist, the wearer is married.
I’ve always worn a claddagh ring since I was a little girl and that tradition has passed on to my niece. When my maternal grandparents passed away within 5 months of each other, I even got a tattoo of a claddagh done on my left wrist on top of their namesake. It’s a way to remember two of the best people I’ve ever known along with something that holds a great message.
Another one of my favorite things is my heritage.
I’ve been lucky enough to have been born into two very different cultures. My father was born in Havana, Cuba and my mother is of Irish descent.
There are so many things to love about each side!
Celebrating Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) every year with family and friends is definitely a highlight for me. On the opposite side of the spectrum, having corned beef and cabbage to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is also a lot of fun!
It’s incredible to think that I have one side of the family who doesn’t speak a word of Spanish, and the other side who can either speak both OR only Spanish. It’s always a learning experience, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂
In light of this being the first day of my birthday month, I thought I’d list one of my favorite things each day of the month. First up…the actual month of April!
April just seems to be the month when it really starts to feel like Spring. I’m from New Jersey, so I got to experience season changes, which was amazing.
Not to mention the fact that two of my cousins and I were born in the same week in April, so it was always a time where we’d get together to celebrate.
No matter the reason, April is definitely one of my favorite things! 🙂
Everyone please visit my great friend’s new Etsy store! Whether you need custom invitations, moving announcements, birth announcements, save the date cards, etc., she’s the one you need!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LeighTasticDesigns?ref=search_shop_redirect
Money. Something we all need, but never seem to have enough of. Am I right?
Being someone who has a strong interest in the arts (television, music, movies and writing), I know that many jobs in that field are a lot harder than they seem. It’s not like they’re all fun and games. HOWEVER, I strongly believe that celebrities get paid a bit too much at times.
I mean, you have people who work as many hours as they can, at minimum wage, just to make ends meet. All work, no play. Then you have those of us who make more than minimum wage, but not quite enough to live on our own (thanks Miami). Then you have celebrities who work six months out of the year and have multiple homes in multiple cities, 24k gold toilets, multiple cars, etc. How, you ask, are they able to do this? I shall explain my theory!
I work 80 hours a week and I’m constantly working for eight hours a day. I don’t get breaks. Now, I make more than minimum wage, but I struggle at times. I’m also a full time student. Unfortunately, living in Miami, it’s pretty impossible to live on your own due to the skyrocketing cost of rent. Communities are adding more and more gorgeous apartment complexes that single people can’t afford. The nerve! I have a car, insurance, cell phone, student loans, etc. (as most people do). So why, when I’m struggling and sometimes living paycheck to paycheck, do I have to sulk because I can’t afford that $50 pair of jeans I desperately need?
Well, that’s because companies love sending celebrities free swag in an attempt to draw in more customers who want to dress like said celebrity! Does this confuse anyone except myself? Like I said, people assume that jobs in the arts are easy, but that’s not always the case. I’m no hater, and I give credit where credit is due. Find someone who doesn’t listen to music, watch TV or movies. It’s impossible! The arts are an extremely important part of our lives. To those who make $26,000 a year and struggle to buy clothes and groceries are competing with celebrities who make $51 million a year. So why should that celebrity be given free swag when they can afford it much easier than others who could only dream to make that kind of money?
I remember going YouTube happy after meeting The Script a few years ago. I saw a video where they discussed their income. Whether it’s true or not, I’m not sure, but I’ll share with you anyway! Danny, the lead singer, mentioned that Mark, the guitarist, handles their finances. They had accounts set up and were direct deposited a certain amount every two weeks or so. In other words, this band paid themselves the way people with regular jobs get paid. They didn’t take huge amounts of money and install Swarovski encrusted refrigerators in their kitchens or 24k gold toilets in their bathrooms. They work hard for their money and they live the way we do. I’m sure they don’t have 5 homes collecting dust while some people can’t afford to pay their rent.
Enough with my rant. I just needed to speak my mind, and I really feel that instead of giving winners of reality TV shows thousands of dollars, that money could go to more important things. Rather than companies handing out boxes upon boxes of free swag to celebrities who can afford to pay for it easily, make them more affordable for those of us who also work hard and still don’t make enough money to afford one of those boxes. Just a thought!
🙂
For those of us who were teenagers in the late 90’s/early 00’s, we were sucked into the vortex that was dubbed the boyband phenomenon. Don’t waste time denying it…it was either *Nsync or Backstreet Boys (or 98* for some). It was a time where we worshipped people who were actually good people, and not the Justin Biebers of today.
While some of these former boy bands have reunited and gone on tour together (New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys…and yes, 98*), those of us on the *Nsync side of the ring are left dreaming about a reunion. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Justin Timberlake fan and I love his solo music, but there’s something so nostalgic about the idea of *Nsync getting together even one last time. I mean, did you SEE their VMA performance on MTV??? Granted, they’re older and less agile, but they’re still *Nsync! They could perform with canes and walkers and I’d still go see them perform, and I know I’m not alone! I also know that I wasn’t alone in the depression that followed said VMA performance when we realized that’s as far as the “*Nsync Reunion” headlines went.
Which brings me to my point. This past Tuesday, *Nsync’s record label released a new album. Said new album not only surprised the fans; it surprised the members of *Nsync as well. (Note: I began to write ‘former members’ and just couldn’t complete the action lol) For a group who hasn’t made music together for over ten years, the fact that this album has sold out on Amazon.com and went straight to the top ten on iTunes is amazing. All of the members of *Nsync have commented on the surprise album except Justin (not really shocked there).
The album, entitled “Essential *Nsync,” is a a mix of old songs, rare songs and never released songs and is definitely worth a listen. See the track list below:
Disc 1:
1. “Here We Go” (Radio Cut)
2. “I Want You Back” (Radio Edit)
3. “Tearin’ Up My Heart” (Original Radio Edit)
4. “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You” (Remix)
5. “Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)”
6. “For the Girl Who Has Everything” (Radio Mix)
7. “Are You Gonna Be There”
8. “Music of My Heart” — Featuring Gloria Estefan
9. “Bye Bye Bye”
10. “It’s Gonna Be Me”
11. “This I Promise You” (Radio Edit)
12. “I Thought She Knew”
13. “I Believe in You” — Featuring Joe
14. “If I’m Not the One”
15. “Pop” (Radio Version)
16. “Girlfriend” (The Neptunes Remix) — Featuring Nelly
17. “Gone”
Disc 2:
1. “More Than a Feeling”
2. “Best of My Life”
3. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
4. “Sailing”
5. “Everything I Own”
6. “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You” — Featuring Alabama
7. “Somewhere Someday”
8. “Trashin’ the Camp” — Featuring Phil Collins
9. “If Only in Heaven’s Eyes”
10. “You Don’t Have to Be Alone”
11. “On the Line” — Featuring the On the Line All-Stars/Lance Bass/Joey Fatone/Mandy Moore/Christian Burns and True Vibe
12. “That Girl (Will Never Be Mine)”
13. “Falling”
14. “Feel the Love”
15. “Selfish”
16. “See Right Through You”
17. “Believe in Yourself” (TV Version — Sesame Street)
Now, if you’ll excuse me while I crawl back into my nostalgic cave and dream of a future *Nsync reunion tour!
Hello!
Welcome to my blog, where I’ll be posting all things entertainment, opinions on a variety of topics, and…naturally…witty comments!
First, let me tell you a bit about myself…
My name is Kristin, and I currently reside in Miami, FL. I’m originally from Bloomfield, NJ and moved to Miami with my family when I was very young. I’m of Cuban and Irish descent (odd mix, I know!), and have recently jumped aboard this crazy ride called “My Thirties!”.
In the Fall of this year, I’ll officially be considered a Digital Media/Journalism upperclassman at Florida International University, and I couldn’t be more excited! You might be wondering why I’m 30 and still working towards my Bachelor’s, so let me explain! Upon graduating high school, I’d decided to work and become independent first. It might’ve been the wrong decision to some, but I feel that my decision has led me to a great place in my life. I’ve become an Honors student and a lifetime member of Phi Theta Kappa, which is an Honors Society and an incredible opportunity. I currently work and go to school full time and although it’s exhausting, it’ll be well worth it!
I’ve had the good fortune of meeting great friends in odd places and have experienced many of life’s up and downs in my 30 years of life thus far. I’m a lover of music and find it hard to contain my excitement when I find an artist who diverges from the mainstream market. In addition to being a self-proclaimed dork, I’m a sarcastic, pop culture junkie.
So strap yourself in and enjoy this journey with me! I can’t wait to share life with you!
Kristin
According to Kristin 
