Chrissy Costanza's Solo Ep "VII"

 I have mentioned Against the Current on this blog before. Their lead singer released a solo EP with seven songs just recently. Chrissy Costanza dazzles with her vocals in this EP. I am listening to it on repeat as I write. Before AtC fans start to panic, Chrissy didn't leave. She's just exploring musically who she is outside of AtC.

If I'm not mistaken, Luke Eisner of Voilá helped co-write a lot of the songs. I do know that he is featured in one track. She is also on tour with them.

I will try to tell you my thoughts on each of the tracks so please note that these are my impressions. Do give the EP a listen and form your own opinions. 

7 Minutes in Hell ft. VOILÀ -

This song felt like it should be the soundtrack for every novel where the "good" girl falls fast and hard for the "bad" boy. Like, they both know that their relationship is doomed but whatever. The heart wants what it wants. Is it toxic? Yep. Will you need years to recover from this? Probably. Still gonna do it? Totally. This isn't going to be 7 minutes in Heaven as we both know there will be no good ending. That is how I would describe it. Basically, it's a dark romance set to music.

But, What If I Fly - 

Hope. That it is the one word that comes to mind with this one. With punchy guitar and drums in the background providing an upbeat feel, Chrissy's lyrics tell a story of breaking out of the cage and soaring. In short, it's beautiful and if she does an acoustic version, you will find me sobbing in a corner somewhere.

Pick Your Poison - 

You know the phrase, between a rock and a hard place? Pick Your Poison is about knowing that no matter what you choose to do, all paths lead to the same end. You just get to choose which end you get. But it will be an end. 

If Looks Could Kill - 

Such a jam! This one is the closest to feeling like a track AtC would release. I would say it has that soundtrack feel. The Grand entrance at a party scene after all your besties gave you the world's best Glow up. That is where I'd place it.

I Tried to Act Your Age - 

This one had me choking up. If you have ever looked back to a time in your life where you lost a bit of innocence and naïvete, this song is for you. It's about looking back and wishing you'd managed to save or say goodbye to that innocence you'd lost by acting more mature than you actually were.

Some Like It Hot - 

This track made me think of a quote I saw on Pinterest. It said " Beware the Quiet Bookworm. They notice more and have dirtier minds than the rest." This is a bouncy pop/rock jam that feels like a nod to those quiet bookworms Pinterest talked about. You know which ones I'm talking about.

You'd Be Right - 

Revenge bragging about your new boyfriend to your still single hung up ex. Very satisfying for some reason.......

In a way, VII feels like a glance back on a relationship that wasn't the best from beginning to end. There were good moments but there were fissures in the foundation of that relationship that doomed it from the get go. I think if you play with the order of that songs, the story they tell will be clearer. 

That's it, folks! I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

The BFF Role by Jaysee Jewel: A review

 Last year, I read a book I found delightful. I really enjoyed it but I forgot the name of the title and the author. I have spent months searching for it through my vast ebook library but couldn't find it. All I could remember was the book cover. I tried Googling it but some how got recommendations for Dark Mafia Romance. Yeah, not what I was looking for. Incredibly, I managed to find the book in my ebook library on Monday. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce The BFF Role by Jaysee Jewel.

'Not every girl wants to be the hero of her own story.

Zilla is an average high school senior aspiring to become a nurse. The only unique thing about her is that she adamantly believes she is living inside a poorly written romance novel and her best friend Cindy is the main female lead.

Taking her role as the best friend very seriously, Zilla dedicates her free time to protecting her best friend from the author’s drama-hungry fingers, preventing the writer from interfering with Cindy’s love life. However, just as things are starting to go well between Cindy and the sweet boy-next-door who just moved in, a rival appears who could screw up Zilla’s plans.

The school’s notorious playboy, Axel Burns, decides to ask Cindy out for prom, singlehandedly turning what was going to be a sweet love story into a love triangle. Zilla won’t stand for it! But when Zilla tries to draw Axel’s attention away from Cindy, she accidentally turns it toward herself and ends up in a romantic side plot she doesn’t want any part of.

Fans of Love, Rosie and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before will adore this trope-subverting, coming-of-age love story about friendship, relationships, and overcoming one’s flaws.'

I found the author's clever use of irony a fun and fresh take on tropes that can be dry and boring if not handled right. Zilla is a snarky and sarcastic bestie that anyone would want to have in their corner. As often as she labels herself a side character, she practically radiates with Main Character Energy, especially when paired with Axel. Zilla and Axel have incredible chemistry. Their banter practically sparking off the page. I also enjoyed the growth and character development that they all underwent. 

 I started rereading the book as soon as I found it. I hope you all can give this book a try. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Memories of the Alhambra: Kdrama partial review

 Memories of the Alhambra is the series that my siblings and I are currently watching together. We have only got four episodes into the show so this is truly a partial review. All I can say is that we like what we have seen so far!

Super brief synopsis time: Brilliant Programmer Kid calls Rich Dude in the middle of the night to tell him that he wants to sell his game to him as the other potential buyer seemed like a "Bad Guy". Programmer Kid tells Rich Dude where to meet him in Granada, Spain then promptly disappears into the ether. Rich Dude arrives at Hostel Bonita, a very run down hostel run by Programmer Kid's Sister. Here's the trailer.

If I tell you more, I will probably give away the plot. The questions it raises about Augmented Reality (AR) and its potential impact on society are very subtle and intriguing. LB4 has recently discovered LitRPG and has found a fondness for it so this series is right up his alley. The other kids feel a similarity to W:Two Worlds, a show they have watched before.  All in all, Memories of the Alhambra has the makings of being a big hit with us all.

As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

If the bag looks old, just say no.......

 On Monday, I reluctantly got up early to put a pot of beans on. The bag I grabbed looked like it had been around for a while but I just wanted to be done with it so I used it anyway. I now regret that.

You see, my mom later told me that she remembered buying that bag....... A year ago. It had looked old and beat up when she had bought it, leaving her to believe that it came out of some hidden corner from storage. Where it then proceeded to avoid getting cooked for A WHOLE FREAKING YEAR. I don't know how I kept missing it. But I wished I had continued to do so. 

The beans were cooked in a slow cooker for over 12 hours and still were too hard. I cooled them down, refridgerated them, and cook them for a few hours more on the stove top the next day. Still had a bit of a bite to them. I honestly don't think I can do anything else to these beans. Sidenote: it gave me the worst gas ever.

So, consider this a PSA. If you have a bag of dried beans and they look like they took a road trip so long ago that are now one with the dust they traveled with, maybe use those said beans to make a Collage. Don't cook them. All you will get is regrets, half-cooked beans and a bad case of gas.

As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Squishmallows, Stove Burners, and 18-inch Lizards.....

 Last Friday, I bought a Squishmallow. I then spent the whole weekend trying to keep my Squishy to myself. My mom and Siblings are constantly trying to slip my Squishmallow away from me. I can't blame them though. Look at how cute it is!

Orin the Orange is its official name. I renamed it Sunshine Squishmallow aka Squishy. LB3 insists on calling it Plushy. He is also leading the charge in trying to take Squishy away. At least we are all on the same page when it comes to keeping it away from our dad. We know that if he sees it, it will become his and getting it back will be hard. We might as well just buy him his own. Maybe. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Also bought on Friday were two new stove burners that we needed. Only thing was, they were the wrong size and weren't for our stove. Undeterred, Mom bought another set on Sunday that match our stove and they came in on Monday while she returned the first set she bought. And they fit.......the burners that we aren't trying to replace. So, earlier today she searched and finally found the correct ones and proceeded to take four hours purchasing it online due to an incorrect zip code. She was about to give up when everything was finally sorted out. So, finger crossed everyone. I should give her some Squishy time so she can cheer up.

On Saturday evening, an 18-inch long lizard crawled out our upstairs bathroom sink and freaked my mother out. We'd taken the drain stopper out for some reason or another and forgotten to place it back. The lizard had a straight shot and took it. Mom was preparing to take a bath and got the fright of her life. She REALLY doesn't like lizards. Especially when they get cozy on her clean clothes that she placed on the counter. LB1 took care of said lizard.

As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Audiobooks that cost nothing!?!?!

 No, I am not taking about Audible. I am talking about LibriVox. When I began my book worm life, I began with books in the public domain because I was a broke teenager who wanted books more than I wanted to shop at the mall (yes, I know that dates me). I never made a MySpace or Facebook account because I was too busy learning when the PD cutoff was and finding new and exciting old books online that I could download. 

Old books are fascinating to me. Contemporary fiction of that time is now considered Historical fiction. It's like getting a peek into the psyche of the time and getting a glimpse of a world that has ceased to exist. Growing up with a History Buff Dad rubbed off on me and my love of old books and history are intertwined. I burned so many CDs full of PD books (I have no idea where they are now). My parents let me be as there are much worse hobbies a teenager could have and the sites I ventured to were safe.

I learned about LibriVox then. At the time, I paid no mind to it as I had no way to really enjoy it. But all that changed when I received my first mp3 player. I filled it full of my favorite Jane Austen novels from LibriVox and the rest is history. As a lover of old books, it made exploring new authors easier and fun. 

LibriVox is a non-commercial, non-profit and ad-free project that is volunteer run. Their mission is to bring the books in the public domain to the world in the form of audio books for free. You can download any audio book there for free. No limits. You are always welcome to donate but you are not obliged. Volunteers read the books for free and post them online. They are always putting up something new in a wide range of genres. I hope that you all can check them out.

As always, feel free to leave me a message below.

Under the Mulberry Tree, We Grill......

 As I write, I am in front of our grill cooking sausages. I was told that I was grilling today as soon as I woke up. I don't think I ever stood a chance.I am covered in mosquito bites. 

Upside of grilling:

1. Get to enjoy the shade

2. Can lay in the grass later with LB7

3.FOOD, 'nough said

Downside of Grilling:

1. Mosquitoes

2. Smoke smell sticking to my body

3. Mosquitoes

As you can probably tell, I am having a tough time with the mosquitoes. I will be keeping this post brief as I am kind of busy right now. As always, feel free to leave me a message below.