Walking Dead | the sydney project

I haven’t been this excited about a Friday since last Friday.

Posted on March 28, 2014 by sydneyday

The weekend is upon us!

I’m hoping for a productive weekend (fingers-crossed I make major progress on my Spring Cleaning). And the weather will be nice, which is a major plus. I really need some nature time & some play time with my dogs. It also looks like it will be a good movie weekend: I have American Hustle and Blue Is The Warmest Color arriving tomorrow!

This weekend also happens to include one of the events I dread the most in the world: the season finale of The Walking Dead. I’M NOT READY!

In other news, I have finally lost enough poundage to fit back into my Karen Hallion “Snow White/TARDIS” t-shirt! It’s one of my absolute favorite shirts of all time, and I haven’t been able to comfortably wear it in public in almost a year. SUCCESS IS MINE! By the way, if you haven’t seen Karen’s illustrations yet, especially her fairy-tale-meets-Doctor-Who illustrations, SHAME ON YOU! They are wonderfully nerdy & adorable & amazing. Here are a few of my favorites (including the one I’m wearing), but there are many more!

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You can get shirts featuring her illustrations on RedBubble, TeeFury, TeePublic (my favorite), and more. She is also on Tumblr and DeviantArt. Just Google her.

Enjoy your weekend! Kirk out!

I hate Mondays.

Posted on March 10, 2014 by sydneyday

This is pretty much how I feel about today:

That being said, it’s helping that my morning (and most likely, my afternoon as well) has been soundtracked by Reignwolf, and would you look at that! My playlist has magically appeared below!

Thank goodness there are quite a few good-quality videos of him playing live available on YouTube, because he only have two songs out. Those two songs–while I LOVE them–are just not enough!

Before I move on to some things I came across this weekend that I feel need to be shared, I have to address something very important: The Walking Dead.

I LOVE, and I mean LOVE, TWD. But it has to be said that I am so incredibly frustrated with this second half of the season! There are too many small groups to follow for a 1-hour show. I’m sick of it. And I know that I’m not the only one. I now understand why AMC was “worried” about this half of the season leading up to it’s premiere.

There have been things I’ve enjoyed, such as seeing more into Daryl’s background. And Michonne’s, for that matter. But by God, if Glenn & Maggie don’t get reunited soon, I’m gonna flip out. At this point, and I cannot believe that I am actually saying this, but I’m ready for the finale. (That left a bad taste.) I sincerely hope next season doesn’t continue with all this. Two, maybe even three, groups I can handle. But this is ridiculous.

I will remove myself from my fangirl soapbox now & get on with things. 🙂

One of my favorite current artists, Loui Jover, posted some new works this weekend. And I love pretty much every, single one of them, but this one stuck out.

One of these days, I plan to own one of his original works.

Now for some funny things I pinned this weekend, because that Mondays need, it’s laughter.

One last thing (I’m back on my soapbox, but this time it’s music-related. Also, it contains adult language, JIK):

The douche nuggets over at Already Heard (in all fairness, it’s actually just one douche nugget), just reviewed Idiom‘s Movement EP. The reviewer is not a fan, to say the least. That’s not the issue, though. Bad reviews happen. It’s just part of it. There is no way you can please everyone. But there is no need to be a dick about it.

My point is this: don’t rely on reviews. Listen, watch, experience things for yourself and make your own decisions. (I, personally, really like their EP, and I’ve been listening to it alot). And if you review something & you don’t like it, that’s perfectly fine. But remember that someone probably worked very hard on that. There’s no need to be a twat waffle (I saw that on Pinterest recently – it’s my new favorite thing to say :)).

And I’m done! At least, I think I am.

Is Monday over yet?

I really need a donut.

Excuse me while I kiss the sky.

Posted on February 10, 2014 by sydneyday

How about a weekend recap? Not that I did anything all that interesting.

I lost count of how many hours of music festival footage I watched this weekend. I know that it was at least 12 hours & I’m positive I’m forgetting some.
I also recorded an episode of Crossroads with Lady Antebellum and the Queen of Rock & Roll (and my spirit animal), Stevie Nicks. I may have watched/listened to it 5 times this weekend. But I admit nothing.
I also may have forgone cleaning my house in favor of a weekend-long Pinterest binge.
Lastly, The Walking Dead is FINALLY back. (Spoilers Ahead – leave now is you haven’t seen last night’s episode!) I really liked (“liked” isn’t really the correct word, since it was a bit heartbreaking) seeing a bit of Michonne’s backstory & seeing that vulnerable side. And I was thrilled when she finally found Rick & Carl at the end. But I’m a bit ~~disappointed~~ pissed with the episode, too. I needed to see the rest of them!! And by the rest of them, I mean Daryl, Glenn, & Maggie. How could they not include them in the mid-season premiere?!

One thing that I missed with weekend was the Beatles Tribute on CBS. (Though if you listen to the likes of Flavorwire, I didn’t miss much.) And there is very limited footage of it online thus far. BUT Spin did post a few videos they found, including the Arctic Monkeys singing All My Loving. No, your eyes do not deceive you. The Arctic Monkeys singing The Beatles. And being that I am more than a little biased when it comes to AM, I love it. Watch while you can.

While we are on the subject: my rock-laced playlist I mentioned last week has been growing as I keep thinking of more & more & more to add. My desk at work is covered with sticky notes of music to add while I eat lunch today. And I still have NME’s top 100 songs lists for both the Nineties and the Noughties, as well as the first 300 or so songs on their list of 500 greatest songs of all time left to peruse at some point this week. It’s starting to swell, which means it’s time to start editing out the stuff I keep skipping. It’s a wee bit painful, but it’s necessary for a successful playlist, sometimes.

I think that about does it for me today. On second thought, one last thing: here’s a little funny to brighten your Monday.

There’s a jungle cat in the bathroom!

This hard for monster! Have pity on monster!

Posted on October 29, 2013 by sydneyday

First thing’s first: Google #tomnomnom & bookmark it. I know I’ve shared it before, but it will never fail to put a smile on your face & brighten your day whenever you need it.

I had a good weekend, even considering the fact my world almost came crashing down when (spoiler alert), one of my top 2 faves on The Walking Dead, Glenn, got the dreaded virus that’s killing everybody in the prison. I’m serious, if Glenn dies, heads are going to roll. I don’t know who’s heads exactly, but it’s gonna happen. Inconceivable!

I got my Cara box all finished & mailed. My witch skirt for work (we are all dressing up as a coven–pictures to come later this week) is now officially done! And while it was fun to make, it was also a bitch to make. I don’t even want to think about how many yards of tulle I ended up using. I think it ended up being about 10 rolls. My witch hat is also done, and so is a nifty little spell book I made. You can’t be a witch without a cookbook! Then I made gumbo, and preceded to eat all of it in 2 days. But I’m still craving it, so last night I made a little stop at the grocery store & got the stuff to make it again tonight! And I’m really looking forward to it.

Every Monday morning, I check my weekly horoscope on the FreePeople blog. I don’t really put much stock in it, but it’s fun to read anyway. This is my horoscope for this week. All I will say is, the first part was just discussed with a friend Saturday evening. Coincidence? Be your own judge.

LEO

July 23–August 22

An urge for freedom and travel conflicts with responsibilities that sometimes feel like a burden, as liberating Uranus in your adventure sector (feel free to laugh here if you, like me, have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old boy) spars with intense Pluto in your daily-routine house this week. Your job or how you spend your time is evolving, and at the moment your future is a bit of a question mark. An old viewpoint may no longer hold water, and being in between workable philosophies could make you anxious.

As a resilient Leo, you prefer to put the past behind you. But when the sun conjoins Mercury retrograde, the moon and the moon’s node (with the proximity of the node turning the new moon into a solar eclipse), you’re called to face the past in order to move forward. Revisit emotionally charged memories, parental issues and childhood patterns in order to work through your feelings about them. In making peace with what got you to where you are now, you’ll shore up your self-esteem and strengthen your determination to work your way toward change you co-create. An emotional truth within you carries the lesson that will allow you to heal.

Now enough with that hocus pocus.

It’s time for some Whovian news! The Doctor Who Facebook page has a new, fun little feature for “The Day of the Doctor.” You can put your name & picture into an “save the date” video! Here is the link to mine. It’s probably the only way I will ever feature in anything Doctor Who related, so I’m not wasting the opportunity. 🙂

You may have seen this. You may not have. It was just released today…yesterday…I’m not sure anymore. Either way, I’m sharing it regardless because: 1) I’m a huge James McAvoy fan, 2) I’m a big Michael Fassbender fan, 3) I’m a big fan of Patrick Stewart & Ian McKellen, especially when they are together, 4) Jennifer Lawrence, and 5) I absolutely love X-Men & have been since I was a wee one. So naturally, when you add all this up, you get a whole lot of excitement for the first trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past! I can’t wait for this movie.

And now for the grand finale!

Since it’s is the week of All Hallows Eve, and I love dark, weird, creepy, macabre, horror, Halloween-themed movies, I decided to throw together a list of essential movies for this time of year. It was originally going to be one list of 13 movies. Then I realized something: Who am I kidding?! I can’t only pick 13! I could list a hundred essentials to fit this category! So, instead, I broke things down a bit. I still, of course, didn’t get everything on here, but it’s a start. Maybe some more will show up later in the week…(FYI: none of these lists are in any particular order.)

13 essential vampire movies:

Underworld (2003)
Dracula (1931)
Dracula (1992)
Near Dark (1987)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Queen of the Damned (2002)
Interview with A Vampire (1994)
Nosferatu (1922)
Fright Night (1985)
30 Days of Night (2007)
Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Let The Right One In (Swedish, 2008)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

13 essential Witch movies:

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Practical Magic (1998)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
The Craft (1996)
The Witches (1990)
Harry Potter (2001-2011)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Covenant (2006)
The Devil’s Own (a.k.a. The Witches, 1966)
Black Sunday (1960)
The Woods (2006)
Suspiria (1977)

13 essential “Halloween” movies not centered around witches or vampires:

The Corpse Bride (2005)
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Exorcist (1973)
Halloween (1978)
The Mummy (1932)
Psycho (1960)
Legend (1985)
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Frankenstein (1931) & Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
The Omen (1976)
The Shining (1980)

Monster tired! Monster done for day!

Foto Friday!

Posted on September 23, 2013 by sydneyday

Yes, I know it’s Monday & this is titled “Foto Friday.” I didn’t get around to posting it on Friday. Or Saturday. Or even think about it Sunday. So, do me a little favor and pretend that it’s Friday while your reading this. Thanks :).

So, not only I am doing the photo-set challengey thingy I mentioned yesterday, but I’m also participating in Blogtember today, which shall also be photos. I think that makes today Foto Friday (aren’t I clever?!)!

Blogtember is up first, because it’s shorter. Today’s challenge is to react to this one word: comfort.

And now to the photo-set challenge!

Four of your favorite TV shows that have aired in the last 5 years.

Four of your favorite TV shows that aired more than 5 years ago.

Nine men you find attractive (looks, personality, talent, everything, etc.).

T-B, L-R: Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, Alex Turner, Alexander Skarsgard, James McAvoy, Ian Somerhaulder, Benedict Cumberbatch, Johnny Depp, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Nine women you think are beautiful (same as above).

T-B, L-R: Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Winslet, Christina Hendricks, Adele, Amanda Seyfred, Zooey Deschanel, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Watson

Last five films you watched.

Six style inspirations.

Eight places you have visited.

T-B, L-R: Positano (Amalfi Coast), Spanish Steps in Rome, Florence, Pompeii, London, Eze, Marseilles, NYC

Four places you would like to visit.

T-B, L-R: Mount St. Michel (France), Hagia Sophia (Istanbul), Romania, Tree Tunnel Co. Antrim (Ireland)

Three favorite types of weather.

Three types, just six pictures: Rain, snow, and crisp & cool Fall days.

Eight historical figures you would like to meet.
T-B, L-R: Mary Queen of Scots, Jane Austen, Thomas Edison, Nefertiti, Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, Joan of Arc, Queen Victoria

Seven things you are excited for in the near future.
T-B, L-R: Thor: The Dark World, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Sherlock Series 3, Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special, Fall weather, The Walking Dead season 4, Halloween

And there you have it, folks!

TTT

Posted on August 27, 2013 by sydneyday

Before I get into Top Ten Tuesday host by The Broke and the Bookish, a couple of things I forgot yesterday:

First off is the casting of Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming sequel to Zac Snyder’s Man of Steel. I’m not crazy about this casting choice, I have to say. I like Ben Affleck. I think he is a very talented director and his is great in the likes of The Town, and Argo, and Good Will Hunting. But remember Daredevil? And Gigli? Yeah. Therefore, my apprehension in casting him as Batman. I hope, I really, really hope that we are all pleasantly surprised by his performance as the Caped Crusader, and I’m keeping a tiny spark of hope alive because I really want this to work out. Only time will tell…
Secondly, this teaser for Season 4 of The Walking Dead. October cannot get here soon enough!!!

And thirdly, a movie trailer I forgot to include yesterday: Rush. I was reminded of it last night while watching Top Gear and couldn’t believe I forgot it.

Now for TTT! This week is top ten secondary characters, which was more difficult than I thought it would be. Here’s what I was able to come up with:

Molly Weasley from Harry Potter
Dobby from Harry Potter
Old Mrs Hempstock from The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Melanie from Gone With the Wind
Cinna from The Hunger Games
Tori from Divergent Series
Dr. Bora from The Historian
Merry & Pip from LOTR
Marthe from All Souls Trilogy

And that’s it for me today! See you lads & ladies tomorrow!

“No Rest.”

Posted on July 22, 2013 by sydneyday

That’s the title of the song I am listening to as I start writing this post, and it pretty much describes my weekend: restless. Starting Friday afternoon, I had one of the worst migraines I have had in a long time, that lasted all through my weekend and is still with me today, though, thankfully, not nearly as bad as it was. I slept some, sure, but it wasn’t restful sleep. And most of my time was spent going back and forth between ice packs and the heating pad wrapped around my head – though it was all pretty much in vain. It didn’t do much good.

So basically I spent the whole weekend laying down on my couch, because every time I sat up thinking it was getting better, it would come back full-force. Sadly it took a few times of getting up and moving around for me to actually put that together.

There is one good things about spending the weekend on the couch – catching up on unwatched movies & TV shows. Friday that didn’t happen, the TV was on but turned down extremely low and I had the eyes covered the whole night. But Saturday, I could I actually watch and listen to the TV without feeling like my head was going to explode, so I took advantage and watched Stoker which I loved – it was weird and creepy in the best way. I watched some of series 4 of Doctor Who, and the whole Rose tease in the Adipose episode gave me heart palpitations. Then I declared Sunday “British Day,” because when I woke up at the unholy hour of 6:30, Gosford Park was on and it was raining. It just felt like a good day to spend only watching British things. So, after Gosford Park, I watched both Bridget Jones movies, some more Doctor Who, and I know there was more, but I’m blanking right now.

While that was all well and good, I didn’t get much of anything done that I actually needed to, namely mowing and vacuuming and bathing the kiddos. So, guess what’s on my agenda for this weekend?!

This past week was Comic Con (you should already have know this), and I wasn’t there. It’s a bit depressing, but there’s (hopefully) always next year, right? Anyway, in honor of SDCC, I leave you with these (be forewarned – Kick Ass 2 and Riddick are the red-band trailers):

Before and After

Posted on June 7, 2013 by sydneyday

This seems to be where this day is headed, unfortunately. “Frazzled” is a good word for it – I feel like a chicken running around with it’s cut off.

Our receptionist is on vacation, and this morning has been insane – all these things I don’t really know how to do need to be done. There’s a important meeting going on, so I have to be on alert for anything they need (which always makes me nervous because I’m not exactly the most graceful or “professional” person–because I get too nervous–and I’m wearing a Walking Dead t-shirt for goodness sake).

On top of all of that stuff completely taking over my morning, I have all my own work to finish for May and we have a girl who just had her baby this week (congratulation to her!), so I have my part of her stuff to done as well. I have more errands to run over lunch than I can actually get done in an hour, and I still have to got to Walmart (aka the 10th circle of Hell – I think Dante would have added a circle just for Walmart/DMV or tag office/IRS, and similar entities) after work to get groceries because I have no food for myself or the dogs.

On a brighter note–because I really don’t want to complain through this whole thing–I sold all three pairs of shoes I mentioned earlier this week, which is fantastic and will help get me almost completely caught-up. Huge blessing – I really needed that. Another good thing: this weekend is book club, which I always look forward to.

And on that note, I can’t spend anymore time on this. But I needed to vent a little.

Happy Friday!

Two Quarters and A Heart Down.

Posted on April 1, 2013 by sydneyday

It’s Monday, which means another work week begins. This weekend went by too fast.

It was a productive weekend, though, due mostly to the fact that I was craving meat like you wouldn’t believe, and I was trying to keep myself distracted by staying busy. Let’s see – I reorganized all of my photo albums, got two baby shower gifts ready to go, scrubbed my carpets (though it didn’t help as much as I hoped), cleaned like crazy, almost got caught up on laundry, purged my closet, reorganized most of my DVDs, and I didn’t give in to my meat craving.

Like I said, productive.

I didn’t make it home for Easter, which is a bit of a bummer, because I miss my mama & my brother and the rest of my family. But I’m sure I will make to see them sometime soon, Mother’s Day at the latest. There is no way I would miss that.

I watched alot of tv & movies as I was being so productive this weekend. I finished the first series of Doctor Who, had a Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy marathon, watched the season premiere of Game of Thrones and (sadly) the season finale of Walking Dead.

I love Doctor Who more and more with each episode – I still can’t believe I waited so long to start watching, and I”m so excited for David Tennant as #10…I love that guy and I have a feeling he is going to be my favorite Doctor (though of course I can’t say for certain until I get to see Matt Smith’s #11).

It’s goes without saying that Nolan’s Batman trilogy is amazing (if you disagree, just leave now). I hadn’t seen all of The Dark Knight Rises until this weekend. I was not disappointed. I loved Tom Hardy’s Bane – great villain. I was thrown, at first, by the voice, but then I started to like it. And then, hearing Tom Hardy describe his inspiration for the voice in the special features, it made sense. Then there was the ending…LOVED it. (spoiler alert) I fell for it. I actually thought Bruce was dead. My favorite part of the ending was Robin entering the Batcave. I vote there be a movie based around Joseph-Gordon Levitt’s Robin. I would definitely watch that…then again, I will watch anything JGL is in because I think he amazing.

The GoT premiere was good, I wan’t blown away, but I liked it, of course. Which that may be because I am slowly dying waiting for Daenerys to get to Westeros. I know it’s a long journey and she has to get an army & her dragons have to grow into huge destructive monsters…but it’s TV…can’t they hurry it along a little? And please tell me that Joffrey is gonna die soon. I hate that little bastard. I’d venture a guess and say most of the GoT fandom agrees.

Now, jumping to the highlight & lowlight of my weekend: The Walking Dead season finale. I am so depressed that the season is over. But I liked the episode. It didn’t play out as I expected – I expected this huge, epic battle, but that didn’t happen. (Again, spoiler alert) First off, The Governor beating Milton to a pulp…that was bruttle. Milton is not made to withstand that kind of thing, he too soft. Then, The Gov. stabs him and locks him in the Room of Doom with Andrea?! Bastard. While we are on the subject of Andrea – did anyone else think that it took her a hell of a long time to get those pliers? I mean, Milton is about to die, turn into a walker, and eat you. Stop messing around and get the damn pliers! I wasn’t surprised that she died, by the way. And I liked the way she died. I was glad that Rick and Daryl got to see her first and that Michonne was there with her.

Back to the prison, I thought the group actually left when Phillip and his puppets showed up. I was obviously wrong, and glad that I was, though I was nervous watching Glenn & Maggie get shot at…but I was nervous the whole episde, it was intense. 27 people were gonna die, and they were two of my four that I couldn’t bear to loose (the other two being Carol and Daryl). But they all survived. 25 of the 27 deaths were The Governor’s people…and they died by The Governor’s own hand. That was the most surprising part for me. Not because Phillip went totally bat-shit, off the reservation crazy & started shooting his own people. It was because, like I said earlier, I was expecting them to die in battle at the hands of Rick or Daryl or Michonne, etc. – not by The Governor.

The look on Martinez’s face during the shootout was priceless. He really shouldn’t have been so surprised. I thought he knew Phillip a little better than that. Then, they get in the car with Gov. McCrazy and drive away. I am really curious to know were they went.

I know I said the most surprising thing was The Gov. killing his people, but I take that back. The most surprising thing was Carl’s outlook on the world. I’m worried about that kid. Hopefully with Rick bringing the rest of the Woodbury people to the prison, the sense of community will work on Carl & bring his humanity back.

So, yeah…quite the ending to the season. I’m ready for #4 now.

Let’s see, what else was I going to talk about?

Oh, my vegetarian challenge. It sucks. I’ve stuck to it, but it sucks. This is much harder that I want to admit it is.

My spinach quesadilla was disgusting, by the way. Why? The tortillas…there is something wrong with them. I don’t know what, but something. They are the same tortillas that I always buy, they weren’t out of date, but boy did they taste (and smell) funky. I took one bite & gagged. So I pretty much stuck to veggie burgers and tomato soup this weekend. But I plan on making either pasta or veggie stir fry to night, which I’m looking forward too.

It’s so hard, but so far, I think it’s worth it. I already feel better, because I’m not eating so much junk. I’m curious to see how I will feel at the end of my two weeks.

I have to stop now, my lunch is over, and if I don’t, I will never get back to work.

Oh, so intricate.

Posted on March 29, 2013 by sydneyday

Happy Friday everyone!

Today is my last day of food freedom – my vegetarian challenge kicks off tomorrow! I’m both excited and weary of it :).I’m trying to decide what to have for my “last meal” tonight. It’s goingto be very weird & interesting shopping for groceries tonight and not buying any meat/seafood/poultry.

By the way, it is definitely baby season! I have 3 baby showers coming up, two next week alone. This is not a complaint,by the way. I LOVE babies, and I love getting things together for baby showers. I’m particularly excited to put together my gift for one of my very best friends, Cynthia, and her little man, who is due to make his appearance in less than a month (and I can’t wait!!).

This is a busy weekend coming up. So much to do! One thing I have got to do is clean my carpets! With three dogs…well, you can imagine they need it. I’ve got cards to make, series one of Doctor Who to finish and The Dark Knight Rises to finally watch all the way thru (I know, I know! I’m a horrible nerd for this, don’t hate me)…just to name a few. Then Sunday is not only Easter, but it’s also the season finale of The Walking Dead, and therefore, Talking Dead (which makes me very sad), and it’s the season premiere of Game of Thrones (which makes me very happy). I’ve got American Gods, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and World War Z to finish…I need a longer weekend, please!

I’m not sure if I’m going to make it to my family’s for Easter (sorry family:(). If I do, it will only be Sunday, which will mean I will be in the car longer than I will actually be there. But we will see, I hate to miss it, especially since I didn’t even really see my dad’s side of the family at Christmas, either.

Anywho, I’ve gotta run & get back to work…and by work, I mean eat snacks and have a Easter egg hunt in the office, followed by (fingers crossed!) getting out early!

Happy Easter!!