Saturday, May 30, 2015

Step Brothers; Why Getting KINDA Old Sucks

"It's the F*cking Catalina Wine Mixer"

I've just sold my dining room table...because I hated it. Definitely time for an upgrade. Anyway, the girl who came to pick it up was adorable. She looked like she was coming to pick up the table for her dollhouse, with her little cute ass. I asked her if it all checked out and if it was ok, she told me that she was a college student so it didn't even matter. 

Hugh sigh. 

Remember when things didn't matter?

Was I ever that young? It doesn't seem like it. It seems like I've been old for so long.


Not to mention, I'm watching Step Brothers. I haven't watched it in a while, but it is reeeeeaaaally touching a sore spot. The idea of never wanting to grow up...just living at home with the fam...eating for free...doing lots of activities and shit. 

Who doesn't like activities?


Rob and I are always talking about what "real grown ups" do. Since moving back to the states we have been trying to change our ways and become more responsible. Paying things on time, cleaning out the refrigerator, not letting the grass grow to our necks, saving money, investing money, getting life insurance- you know, the shit you're supposed to do anyway. It. Sucks. Big. Time. I miss those days when it felt like I had my whole life to make the "right" decisions.

To be honest. I didn't quite know I was old until Rob and I were at a bar and a young black man came in with his pants hanging off his ass and I almost told him to pull them up.  Really! First of all, why were we even in that bar trying to perpetrate!? It was an accident, we were just trying to get out of the house. But when I stuck my hand out to get his attention, I knew I need to go ahead and leave... quickly. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not old. 29 is only considered old when I talk to my students. But it always feels like I am behind the curve on what I should have accomplished by now. Not my professional accomplishments, but my adult shit. That's all I can call it. Adult shit. Knowing how to invest, having a real savings that I don't touch, thinking of buying a house, ect. Who wants to do this shit? 

So yea, Step Brothers really resonated with me today. That moment when dale sets down his book and you get a quick glimpse of clock...that mess said 8:43.  I actually screamed out loud. A high pitched wail of a scream. Because I get that life. I practically run to my bed around 8:15 just to get In hour or so of reading in every night. You could actually see the transition of growing up on their faces. It was sad. All of a sudden life hits you and you have no where to go. Step Brothers, like life, is about being that responsible adult, while maintaining that childlike outlook.

They were miserable as adults. He sold his night vision goggles so he could get insurance! Ohhhh the absolute horror.

I shall not lose my dinosaur. I promise. I solemnly swear I am up to no good, now and forever more.

When did you realize you were old?

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

The Night Circus Gave Me Life



"The Circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. 
It is simply there, when yesterday it was not."

The Night Circus--- 4/5 stars

Isn't that a helluva into? 

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. Nothing against the novel itself, but its not my usual genre. Well I was definitely mistaken. I was so engulfed by the writing and the characters that I begrudgingly put the book down only when it was necessary. That is always the sign of a good book, gets in your bones. 

The gist of the story:

Two practitioners of two different kinds of magic have a continued rivalry where they subject 2 of their padawan (if you don't know what a padawan is, please fall off a cliff) learners to a challenge. From an early age, the two padawans are taught, relentlessly, in the way of their master's preferred magic and the reader is able to see how they differ and how they are the same. 

We get to meet a variety of characters, but they character descriptions are not in depth at all. Let me just say that this novel isn't about the characters. The characters are there as a way of telling a story about the circus. Period. This novel is full of imagery and beautiful language, but the characters are not the focal point, in my opinion. 

Back to the point. 

Well lo and behold, as equally matched young people tend to do, they fall in love and therein lies the rub. Can't love someone who is supposed to be your arch enemy. So they cry a lot and act like they don't want to get all up in each other's nether regions...until they do *side wink*. Annnnnnnnd I'm not going to give away the ending so I'm going to go back to talking about the experience. 

As I said above, the imagery is wonderful. You want the circus to pop up outside your town more than anything. The masters/teachers were pests who seemed to be more like adolescents than actual adults. They were the most annoying characters in the whole novel and not nearly enough detail about them, where they came from, and why they started this challenge thing. While we do get to see someone else who was in the challenge, we don't get many details from them either. So the PURPOSE of the game as background set up for the circus is a little vague and I didn't love it. But again, this wasn't written about the characters per se. However, I would love if Morgenstern would write a sequel (or prequel) going in to a little more depth about the characters. Hands down, my biggest issue is character development. 

When I was done with the book, I just held it in my hands and stared at it. I couldn't accept the fact that it as over. I wanted more of the circus. I craved it. I've been uneasy and on edge, wondering how the game would play out, and once it was over I was left in the most confusing state of what I could only call dissatisfied satisfaction. The ending definitely left something to be desired. There was so much build up and the ending wasn't where I would have like the novel to go. I would have preferred a better climax which is why I gave 4 stars. And it was real build up only to be left wanting more. Ladies, you know what I mean!  They spent so much time and put so much into the details, and they actual culmination of the challenge was super quick. Like a minute man hahahaha. With all they could accomplish, I expected a more fantastical wrap up.

But nevertheless, I thought the book was wonderfully written and I wanted to run away and join the circus as soon as I was done reading. Definitely worth it. 

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Don't Call it a Comeback

I'm sure the 21 of you that actually read my blog are wondering "Where the hell has she been". And without holding anything back, I'm going to tell you.

When I first started blogging, I had a purpose. I was in Korea and I wanted everyone to know all about my crazy experiences there. I still have that blog up and running because it is full of memories that I never want to forget. Then, I started Foodie Getting Fit because I was on a super health kick and all I thought about was getting to my perfect size. I did that. Then I gained all the weight back. Talk about debilitating. So no, I didn't want to put shit on that blog anymore. Once I moved back to the US, I really wanted to kick up my blog again, and Nairobi Nicole was born, but I gotta be honest, I am having some trouble here.

When you start writing a blog, you just want to express yourself and have your opinions heard even if its only to a few dedicated readers. but after 5 years of writing blogs and telling my business to the world, it feels like no one gives a hot damn about what I have going on. And that can make you say to hell with blogging. Truth be told, I have never put my all into a blog. The Korean one was just a matter of whatever I happened to be doing at the time. The Foodie one was just composed of my successes and struggles as someone trying to get fit. But neither of those are the summation of my interest. I no longer live overseas, and I have other things to worry about outside of my waistline. Which begs the question...

What the hell to write about?

At some point, my writing became about what I thought people wanted to hear instead of what I wanted to say. This is where I lost myself. No longer a traveler or a fitness guru, I spent so much time trying to figure out what makes my life interested now. Nothing sucks as much as finding out you are kind of boring. Not to mention the fact that I've been trying to complete 4 classes for my certification and fumbling my way through my first year back in my field. Thinking about fitness and my blog made me nauseous. I added a few here and there, but nothing like what I used to do.

It's funny because a friend of mine recently asked me what happened to my blog, and it was the first time I said the truth out loud. That I was tired of looking for things to write. Tired of trying to be relevant. Tried of caring that my subscription number was as stagnant as my weight on the scale. And to be honest, I almost thought about getting rid of it. I don't want to just talk about weight loss or travel. To be honest, I am quite interesting. I just don't have ONE niche. That was the problem. I'm a Jackie of all trades and I tried to confine my blog to one thing or another. That's impossible for someone like me. I was trying to be something I'm not.

So I am going to try life style blogging. I'm just going to talk shit about my life. Things I try. What I like and don't like. Food I cook or try. Places I go. And anything else I deem worthy. I can't focus on what other people want as a sole motivator for what I write.

So be expecting to see more of me again. More of the real, honest, sometimes potty mouth, me that those of you who have been following me for a while remember.



My life and the random selfies I take for Snapchat (nairobinicole is my snapchat name). Along with my ever present food struggles.


Fitness is still an integral part of my life. But not my focus. I have other things in my life that are just as important.

I read like nobodies business. And I want to do more book reviews on here. Not professional status, just my thoughts. Likes and dislikes.

We all know how I journal my life away. This is another common place journal entry. That quote makes me happy.

Married life is real. And not something I talk about nearly enough. We struggle, but ultimately, we are pretty good at this shit. Gonna talk about date nights, fair fighting, and maybe even have some videos.


And of course, my experiences in the classroom. In the past, I haven't talked much about teaching because we have to be very guarded about what we say. I can't say how much I hate a student or how awful my jobs is some days, because that is frowned upon in the education world. Too bad my blog isn't anonymous. But I do plan on being as honest as I can without lying possible with out all the bad words as much tact as possible.


I'm back. Cue Jay Z.

What would you like to see on this blog?