July Favorites

Wow. We're already ten days (most likely 11 by the time you read this) into August! Where has the summer gone? It feels like it's literally slipped through my fingers and we're barreling towards the end of the year. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. This year has been incredibly odd. I've also had a real bad case of summertime sadness, but that's a story for a different post. I'd really like to introduce a new type of post - my end of the month favorites. So, without further ado, let's get to the things I was jamming with during the month of July! 

• Micheladas at Disneyland - I am going to be so sad when this seasonal beverage is no longer offered. This tomato juice/beer combo is so refreshing on a hot summer day. Which just the right amount of spice...SIGH. Disney is kicking it up a notch in the snack/drink department and this foodie is trying to make the most out of her pass.

• Green hair - I installed a green unit this month and while I was unsure at first (I've never had green hair), I have quickly fallen in love and think emerald hued locks will be here to stay for a while.
• Handmaid's Tale - Just like everyone else, I got sucked into this show and it's warnings about our possible dystopian (not-so-distant) future. While I definitely think the criticism's about it's blind spots were valid, it still hit a hard nerve with me. 

• Reign - Okay, thanks to my mom and Netflix, I got sucked into everything that is Reign. This is a show that had been on my radar and after catching a few random episodes, I knew I eventually wanted to dive in. And I did. And now I'm beside myself because it's over. The costumes were not period appropriate, but they were GORGEOUS. There was so much DRAMA, and ROMANCE, and MAGIC. And of course, because it's a CW show, ridiculously good looking young people. 10/10 would binge again.

• Retrowave - A discovered a whole new genre of music thanks to my friends Cristina and Daniel and I am OBSESSED. "Retrowave is a musical genre and growing culture that harnesses the sound, drive and sheer passion of the 80's-90's. It is one of the most refreshing sounds to hit the music scene and has been long overdue." Via NewRetroWave. It is everything in that exerpt and more. It's given me life.
• Muna - I also became OBSESSED with the band Muna. They're three queer girls from LA who make dark pop and their album is AMAZING. I've included my favorite song of that release on the July playlist. Don't just take my word for it - they're opening for Harry Styles on his upcoming US tour.

• Banana Pudding - I had the best banana pudding I've ever had at a party on July 4th and now I'm lowkey obsessed with the desert - and I never really cared for it before. 
• Laura Palmers - Half lemonade. Half coffee. I know it sounds crazy, but it's tart and acidic and totally refreshing. 
• Green Crush - I'm all about agua fresca when it's hot out, and the only place I know where it's readily and quickly available is Green Crush. The offerings at Green Crush are a bit sugary, and they are only located in malls, but they're still great. 

• Face Masks - Dude. Summer is rough on the skin. Take care of your precious faces. I've been doing approximately two masks a week and still had some skin flareups from travel, stress, sun, sweat, etc.
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - Picked up a copy at SDCC and read the whole book in about six hours. I am all about SnowBaz and wish there were more books. It basically takes all of the subversive things in Harry Potter that fans complain about and makes them canon. Perfection.
• DreamDaddy - Damien Bloodmarch is my sweet goth Daddy whom I love with all of my heart. Fight me.

And to finish things off - here's the July playlist. 

Love you all. Be kind to yourselves.

xo.

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All photos in this post are the property of their respective owner's and I am using them at the mercy and with the thanks of Google image search. 

SDCC 2017

Well, well, well. Another San Diego Comic Con has come and gone. What a week it was. I'm still super tired, to be quite honest.Comic Con is always full of disappointments - it's impossible to see and do everything there is - and this year seemed heavy on the disappointments - but I still loved it and can't wait for next year?? I'm definitely ready to unpack what happened and all of the great news that came out of SDCC, so let's get to it. 

WEDS

The #nerdgirlgang spent their fourth Comic Con together! Our Wednesday started off with me picking up Sirose and Kirsten and then heading to the store for snacks. We had time to kill before Nicole's plane from Seattle landed, so we stopped at a new Boba/Ché shop called Bambu in Gardena and I HIGHLY recommend it. The drinks were delicious, and the woman behind the counter was a total boss. We headed to the airport and for once, traffic wasn't bad. We circled a few times, and then picked up the fourth member of our girl gang, Nicole, saving her from what has been an awful flight. We hit the road. My god, the drive to San Diego was awful. It was great until we hit Oceanside and then it was basically stop and go the rest of the way in. We left the airport at about 1:45 and didn't make it to San Diego until about 5:45 (and we only made one quick stop for In N Out). And as the chosen driver, I was absolutely EXHAUSTED. We checked into the hotel and the girls let me rest while they ventured out for more snacks. When we were reunited we made our way to the Gaslamp and made our way to Oscars for dinner ceviché. It was utterly delicious. Do not skip this gem the next time you're in SD. We walked through the Gaslamp and other areas outside the Convention Center getting the lay of the land and trying to figure out what was where. While it was Preview Night, none of the outside activations were open yet, so we couldn't check them off our list. We headed to the Bay Front to find out more information about the super secret Westworld activation - it was the one thing we all REALLY wanted to do this year. Information was slim, and while we saw the Delos set up, we couldn't gather much more info, so we went back to our hotel room to get some sleep for our early start the next day. BTW, Nicole made us all the CUTEST matching back patches and we had matching backpacks and we just looked like the cutest, coolest girls all week-end.

THURS

The whole weekend is a blur, but especially Thursday. We woke up super early so we could get in line for Westworld: The Experience, only to find out that the line had already reached it's capacity of 120 people at about 6am. We were incredulous at that small amount of people, but when we read the Variety article, it all made sense. Since our hotel we right next to Tram stop, and having realized how our hotel was the last stop on the free SDCC shuttle, we made a group decision to pay the $15 for an SDCC all-weekend Tram pass, and it was worth it. Definitely keep that as option for your transportation needs during Comic Con. We rode down to the Gaslamp and I split off, because I working Thursday. That's right, after years of dreaming of working at SDCC and not just going as an attendee, my wishes were granted and through my amazing job, I was able to work at the Her Universe Fashion Show! Like I said before, the day was a complete blur and I barely remember it. It was long, magical, difficult, but oh so rewarding and I'm really proud of myself, my coworkers, and all of the contestants. The OC Register did a pretty legit article about the show, so here it is.

After the fashion show, I headed over to a party hosted by Kraken Rum, that Nicole's cousin Andrea was kind enough to get us girls into. It was a blast! Until it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, Kraken knows how to throw a party, but the DJ was really odd. She played a trap remix of The Fun Song from Sponge Bob, then the theme from The Fairly Odd Parents? Like, what? Also, there were some creepy dudes at that party. We wished we could have stayed longer and danced more, but it was still great. We headed back to the hotel and passed the eff out.

FRI

Exhibit Hall day!! We all woke up really early to hit the floor. Nicole, earlier than the rest, because she did an AMAZING cosplay of Pink Lars from Steven Universe - which I just now realize I didn't take a single photo of. Believe me, it was fantastic. Nicole, Kirsten, and I ran around the hall floor together taking it all, before splitting up for a bit. We met up with our friend George and were all able to snag a Comic Co Exclusive Steven Universe 7" record. We also made new friends in line named GG and Meredith! After running around the hall floor for a while (where I met Greg Grunberg of Alias and some AMAZING WOC Comic creators and Babs Tarr and got some signed books) we headed back to our hotel room, where I took a lengthy nap. I was still worn out from the day before. That evening we headed out to a DragonBall Z themed party hosted by NerdOut, where our friend Katherine, their brand rep, was cosplaying as Bulma. It was a super fun party!

SAT

We slept in on Saturday and went to have our traditional Irish breakfast at Dublin Square, but breakfast was kind disappointing, to be honest. We think they must've changed ownership or something, because the food just wasn't on par with previous years. We then headed out to attempt as many outdoor activations as we could, but the weather really dampened our moods. It was incredibly hot and humid this Comic Con. INCREDIBLY. It made everything uncomfortable. Add that to the record breaking amount of people in San Diego for this years Comic Con and doing anything outside was difficult. There were a lot of cool things though:

• The American Horror Story Zoetrope
• The Blade Runner Experience - A Virtual Reality showing of the trailer with a noodle meal and cocktail afterwards
• Legion had a Virtual Reality experience
• Broad City's life size coloring book
• The Netflix Experience that covered many of their shows, including Stranger Things
• IT had a scavenger hunt that ended with a VR showing of the trailer
• The Tick was showing the pilot in an air conditioned dome
• Adult Swim on the Green had an upgraded Meatwad Dome
• Knighthood castle photo-op
• The Lego Ninjago photo-op
• The Game of Thrones Experience
• A secondary Netflix/Game of Thrones photo-op

And those are the ones that I remember seeing/walking past! There were more. Virtual Reality and photo-ops reigned supreme this year. And of course, like every year, there were several crews walking around offering up free swag. My favorite were a group of a women promoting Atomic Blonde and handing out copies of the soundtrack on cassette tape. It's a great soundtrack and I am so stoked for that movie. 

We headed back to our room, I napped again. Later that evening we ordered a mess of Thai food, as is our tradition, and played the new Steam game DreamDaddy together! It was probably the highlight of my weekend; taking turns playing, each of us reading a different chraracter, and turning it into a drinking game.

SUN

Another early start. Pack up the room. Check out of the hotel. Enjoy the continental breakfast. Run through the Exhibit Hall one last time. We ran into Tyler, one of the creators of DreamDaddy and had a lovely chat with him. He revealed one of the most rewarding characters to romance is Goth Dad - Damien, and that made me happy, because he was definitely my pick. I split off from the group to watch a panel. My very best friend, the light of my life, Phoenix was on a panel about Queerness and Fanfiction and the panel was so warm, educational, and affirming. Her friends and colleagues were also so fucking lovely. We also started talking about ideas for panels at other cons/next year's SDCC, including one about race and fanfiction - so fingers crossed, I'll be a panelist next year. I met up with the girls, we made our regular Lucha Libre stop for burritos and enjoyed an easy drive home - we were home in time to watch Game of Thrones and Insecure. 

WHAT A WEEKEND. It was over in the blink of an eye. I can't wait to see my ladies again; there were rumblings about Emerald City Comic Con and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

NOW. About the news that came out of the weekend - 

• A pretty comprehensive trailer round-up thanks to Twitter. 
• We don't deserve the beauty that is Ruth Nega
• The new Star Trek series looks amazing.
• Once Upon a Time has jumped the shark and now airs on Fridays. 
• Stranger Things second season is going to be the end of me.
• Wonder Woman 2 was confirmed
• Ben Affleck is still going to be Batman
• Hey Arnold and Rocko's Modern Life are back and I'm really emotional
• Midnight, Texas looks interesting. I want to read the books from the hype at SDCC about the show.
• RIVERDALE. I LOVE RIVERDALE.
• The Originals is ending.
• READY. PLAYER. ONE. All aboard the hype train! 
• And more

There wasn't a lot of "news"? I think this article does a good job of explaining the cultural shift that's happening with Comic Con. It's going back to being fan-focused and while still a huge marketing event, that's not really the stress? I'm excited to see next year and how that plays out.

Until the next con - LA City Comic Con?

xo.

D23!

Whoa! So, I'm late on writing and posting this, but because I basically left for San Diego Comic Con right after it was over; I didn't have a chance to think/talk about this at all. BUT. I had my first ever D23 experience this year! My friend Melissa asked me to escort her to the every other year event, and of course I said yes, because if it involves Disney, Horror, Sci-Fi, or Punk Rock, I am there. I had a lot of fun! We only went for Sunday, and didn't attend any panels, but it was still a fantastic experience, and one that I'd love to do again.

If you've been to a larger convention than you won't be surprised by D23 - it's got all of the old familiars; badges, badge pick-up, long lines, an Exhibitor's Hall, swag being handed out, exclusives for sale, panels, crummy food, and more people than I'm comfortable being around in one day lol. I will say, that the D23 line up at the beginning of the day was not what I expected from Disney - it was very organized or accesible for people who need consideration - and I hope that changes in the future. After a few hours in line and in the sun, Melissa and I made it inside to the Exhibition Hall. I didn't take very many pictures, as I was pushing Melissa's wheelchair. That said, the Exhibition Hall didn't seem very full, and friends who have attended D23 before generally agreed and told me there was less to do this year. It was my first year, so I was super impressed! There was a lot of cool Disney merchandise for sale, tons of beautiful and unique cosplayers, and a few interactive activations including a Ducktales Money Bin to jump in (which I sadly missed the chance to partake in, due to poor communication of instructions), and a Pirates of the Carribean walk through. Disney Animation had a large booth with maquettes and models and animation stills. Even Jelly Belly was in on the game; making Disney themed art out of jellybeans.

The news that came out of D23? Let's jump into it!

Movie News -

Toy Story 4 - TS4 will be coming out in June 2019 and I don't know how I feel about it. I think the third installment ended that series perfectly, but I am excited because Rashida Jones worked on the script. So, I'm really torn.

Ralph Breaks the Internet - Nearly all of the Disney princesses will be in this movie with their original voice actresses. Pinch me, I'm crying.

The Untitled Pixar Film That Takes You To A Suburban Fantasy World - Written by Dan Scanlon who also helmed Monsters University and that's basically all we know. I'm still in.

Coco - Not much new news, but I'm still stoked for this one.

Frozen 2 - Nothing really new revealed. I'm not really a Frozen fan, so...

The Incredibles 2 - They talked about the advances in animation and how that has improved the way the Parr family interacts with each other. I can't effing wait for this movie, I love everything about the first one.

A Wrinkle in Time - The first trailer was released and WOW. I've actually never read the book, so I'm going to make sure to do that before the movie comes out, because I am hella hyped for this movie. Ava Duvernay can do no wrong.

Dumbo - They confirmed a live action version, helmed by Tim Burton, is on the way. Meh.

Aladdin - Casting for the film was announced, and my god, Mena Massoud is handsome.

The Lion King - They showed footage; I haven't seen it. I'm cautiously excited for this movie. I like the voice casting and I liked The Jungle Book, but us this necessary?

The Jungle Cruise - Apparently they're adapting the ride into a movie starring The Rock? Idk man.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Nothing new released. I'm still over the moon excited.

Avengers: Infinity War - A trailer was shown and while I refuse to watch it (it has leaked online in poor quality); it sounds amazing.

Disney Games News -

Kingdom Hearts 3 - Will be released 2018. FINALLY.

Marvel Powers United VR - I'm not excited about VR, so this means nothing to me. It's coming though.

Star Wars holochess game with augmented reality - WHAT?

Disney Parks News-

West Coast Parks:

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - Among the beautiful models that made me cry; they revealed that guests will get to experience things like flying the Millennium Falcon and jumping right into a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. BB-8, Chewie, Hondo, Rex and Kylo Ren will be interactive characters spotted in the 14 acres. There will be a Cantina. So freaking excited!

Pixar Pier in California Adventure - Paradise Pier will be turning into Pixar Pier in the next few years. I'm really sad about this. California Adventure is becoming more Disney property oriented and while I understand it; I miss the OG California-ness of the park. That said, I'm ready for new prizes along the boardwalk; I've won and given away so many of the current offerings.

Pixar Fest in Disneyland - Disneyland will host Disney characters for the first time in 2018.

Paint the Night Parade - Paint the Night will be coming back, but it'll be in California Adventure now.

“Radiator Screams” – Cars Land Halloween Overlay - Just what it sounds like, and I'm stoked.

Avengers-themed “Universe” at California Adventure - The Avengers will be expanding their presense at California Adventure.

East Coast Parks -

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - Florida will be getting theirs after LA, BUT - The Walt Disney World Hotel is going to be a luxurious and immersive Star Wars-themed hotel with views of space from each room – sounds like Star Wars Westworld and I'm intrigued and weirded out.

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway - The first ever ride based on Mickey is coming!

Toy Story Land - They're getting a whole land based on the Disney Pixar classic.

Epcot - Epcot will get A LOT. A new Ratatouille attraction in the France Pavilion at World Showcase, just past the Eiffel Tower. A new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction toward the Epcot entrance, replacing the Universe of Energy attraction. New “Green Mission at Mission: SPACE” will take guests on a tour around the Earth (younger kiddos will get to join in on the adventure for the first time). New table service dining experience across the way from the Mission: SPACE attraction invites guests to travel above the Earth for a great meal and view of outer space! New “circle vision” show in China!

DUDE. The highest rated attraction at Shanghai Disneyland, Tron, will be coming to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in a brand new area near Space Mountain! I. Am. So. Jealous.

A new theater based on “Willis Wood Theatre in 1920’s Kansas City” will be coming to Main Street to feature live performances.

There will be a new Minnie Van Service to shuttle guests between parks.

International Parks

The Disneyland Paris Hotel is getting a Marvel upgrade. “Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel.”

And that's a wrap on D23! I wish I had more photos for you guys or could speak more to my experience on the Exhibit Floor, but it was honestly an exciting and tiring blur of Disney! I would 10/10 reccomend you check it out next time it comes around.

JUNE PLAYLIST

So, I've planned on re-vamping the playlist posts to be a round-up of my monthly favorites, but I really didn't get my shit together in time to re-cap June. Ah, well. Grace, not perfection. Anyway, here's some shit I've been listening to.