nerding out...

it’s summertime! & sunbathing & cookouts & all that goodness are the norm for the weekends. i agree…we like to do that too, buuut this weekend we were ready to comic book convention it up! enter heroes con in charlotte, nc. most of our faves were going to be there. we had our books ready for autographs, our sights set on seeing some major cool costumes, & of course, the excitement on our faces. i know, so dorky, but hey…that is my clan. we adore stuff like this & we weren’t disappointed. not to mention the fact that stan “the man” lee was in…the…building! omg! (his tickets sold out super duper fast, but just knowing…i mean, how awesome is he?)

i have always loved comic books; superheroes. my personal icon…diana prince, wonder woman! i always felt like she was the person i wanted to grow up to be. okay, so i’m not an ‘amazon’…darn technicality! but she is still so cool to me to this day. (afterall, i did sport those underoos back in the day) really, being interested in both art & the written word & it’s like, comics just fit…right? add a hubs who enjoys the same; has an outlandish collection, & a monkey who is addicted to all things ‘sonic the hedgehog,’ reading everything, & generally ready to explore new things. aww, it’s a match made in krypton!

so, besides being totally amped, i was amazed to find the very kind & warm demeanor of the hundreds of brilliant artists in our midst. i wasn’t expecting them to be all stuck up, but c’mon…some of these guys & gals have been doing this for ages. & yet, no air…no, “yes, i know i’m the poo” type attitude. they seemed so excited to talk & greet & sign & draw. we met some fantastic folks. you could tell that they loved their job & were stoked that we loved it, too. the hubs found an incredible print created (& then signed) by his artist-crush nei ruffino & shi great bill tucci. (she was adorable & he was just all over the place nice guy…ha) seriously, i wanted to buy more comics just because. i will add more frequent stops by the local comic book store for monkey (& me); added to our weekly library trips, as well. 

& although i did not get any killer pics of the walls of comics or many artist & writers or many truly rad get ups (because i was too busy being in my element), i did capture some highlights. & monkey was happy to be my visual sidekick! (he’s cuter than me, anyhow)

go joe! cute that weapon away from her!

& the day just might be saved...wonder woman is here!

learning avenger tactics...

"who you gonna call?" also, i must see this movie now!

a bit o' swag...

monkey, noooo...not the dark side!!

lunchtime macgyver...

in between shopping trips to the market can be rather challenging for me. luckily, i had lunch for the guys yesterday (good ole chicken fries standing by in the freezer), but me for…not so much. but not to worry, i work well in a pinch. so, after flipping the cabinets a few times & going back & forth to the fridge several times (i always think that food will just manifest itself between trips) the brainstorming began. & suddenly i am on an episode of freaking ‘chopped!’ (have you seen this? it’s awesome. anyhoo…) i find myself with some tri colored bow tie pasta, a can of garbanzo beans, & some veggies.

into boiling water the pasta goes. i cook on med-high heat for about 8 minutes (i prefer mine to be just slightly above al dente) hey, ever thrown pasta at the wall to see if it sticks? if it does, then it’s done. man, i love that trick!

next, i grab my can of garbanzo beans (or chick peas) & drain them. i prefer to rinse them in the can to save on dirty dishes…trust me, i had plenty of those waiting. drain & fill with cold water & drain & fill with cold water…rinse & repeat. until all those little bubbles are gone.

now, i totally suck with measurements & stuff, as i do none of that unless i’m following someone else’s recipe (& then usually change that as well) so bear with me.

in a bowl, i combined:
beans, ¼ chopped red pepper, ¼ chopped vidalia onion, a splash of canola oil, a splash of seasoned rice vinegar (okay a couple of splashes…yum), crushed red pepper flakes/kosher salt/pepper to taste.

after draining the bow tie (so fancy) pasta & letting it cool off under the running water…yada yada…done. it was lunchtime. plus, i had made enough for two lunches! so, guess where the leftovers or today’s portion went…yep, you guessed it, in a mason jar!

it’s kind of fun putting random things together to concoct yums. or for me, at least…dorky? it’s cool, i will own that with no hesitation.

oh, & then there’s this…an over sized basket filled to the brim with fruits & vegetables from the moms & pops. they really know how to make this girl smile. cannot wait to play with this surprise deluxe! (apples, peaches, pears, oranges, bananas, lettuce, onions, radishes, bell peppers, tomatoes...is it my birthday?)

holy cornucopia of awesomeness, batman!

*ps…my amazing cousin/soul sister, beth, suggested swapping out mayo for greek yogurt on a sammie. tried it. loved it. oh…em…gee! thanks, lady!!





no, i'm not drunk...

what is real? what is fake? social networks these days are bumming me out. & guess what? i really don’t need the sadness or distrust of the human race written in black & white to add to my own shit right now. harsh…i know. it just reminds me of the boy who cried wolf. we all have yucky days, it’s true. & i can totally relate to all that jazz; it just seems that the same folks are constantly screaming for help. but, what gets me most are the paper cut out (semi) perfect lives. are you serious? this makes me happy for you if it’s all sunshine & lollipops in your world (sincerely) or are those the ones who are dissatisfied the most? secret script among posts? you realize that i’m an analytical sonofagun, right? i’m confused, you guys. (keeping in mind always, that you absolutely “cannot believe everything that you read”…so true)

i adore seeing pics of babies & animals (i will always “like!”) i love accomplishments & good days & snarky remarks…i dig the clever & sarcastic (it is my personality). & i will quote song or text or unoriginal ideas (in quotation marks, people) as i am feeling a song or movie, etc. that’s just me. will i say that i’m not feeling up to par online? every now & then. will i say that i am sad? possibly. but, not all the time. whether i am experiencing these woes or not. (should i really share every single time? um, nope) i would hope that the people who know me best aren’t concerned when i post some random randomness about who knows what! (maybe they don’t know me…who’s to say)

oh, & i love the ones who “hate drama,” they are the very 1^st to report on it. perhaps i forget how old i am or how old some of my “friends” are. you see, in an ordinary day, i speak to no one…not physically. on sociologyexperiment.com i am a profile picture with views or comments or simply an ‘eh’ on a newsfeed.

i so miss the memorized phone number or the note in the mail (snailmail) with no significant value other than a kind hello. alas, i am a slave to text. i am far too busy for a voice on voice phone call…i’m kidding, but not. how do i change this?

don’t get me wrong, i heart the internet. without it, i might’ve never gotten the chance to connect with real people that i know & love. i have discovered

lots of things, in fact. heck, this blog, is “online.” i just wish that some old school ways could emerge. & i am guilty…100%, as i live by the iphone & die by the iphone…big. sigh. isn’t that completely pathetic? (i swear, i use it for everything but what g. bell would’ve hoped for)

agh, what’dya do?  for now, i guess i want to continue my love of phone/laptop outreach with the hopes of getting part of my homegrown normalcy back. who knows, maybe i can help to jumpstart the handwritten word (been trying to get better at it for so long now), the ‘hey, how ya been’ phone call, or better…face to face interaction!

i’m definitely going to fine tune it…& maybe, just maybe, i can let some lovelies in my life know what’s going on first hand (instead of you all reading about it); if they’ll let me. so many things i need to get off of my chest. & you won’t have to read or guesstimate on socialscopedot…well, you know.

& i swear that i am not trying to be critical on what any one person feels they need to put out there at any one moment. trust me, i have vented some doozies myself…& i’m actually doing that right now. forgive me? agree? or not? you can totally let me know. (actually, i would love it if you did…just be nice…ha!)

*how far off of the gamut is this mess right here? whoa, make sense much, ash? (hence, miscellane-ash…ya ya)

wannabe...

right now. at this moment. i wanna…

·        fly a kite

·        get on a plane & fly somewhere…anywhere. ooh, bora bora? yes, please!

·        scuba dive

·        replace most of the doors in my house

·        be a better housewife (because i suck at it)

·        find a job

·        grow a money tree

·        have a game night or a girl’s night or just a fun night

·        reconnect with the world

·        be closer to my sister

·        paint something

·        make some cool dyi thinga-ma-jigs

·        bake

·        be like a super, wonder woman organizer

·        blow bubbles

·        get a new haircut

·        make people feel pretty

·        be done with school (only 63 weeks left…i think)

·        be thin…ugh!

·        like exercise again

·        dance more

·        laugh more

·        be the gal everyone wants in their life

·        not have mosquitos in the back yard

·        finish already started projects

·        finish a book

·        finish a thought

·        take pictures

·        take a nap

·        paint my nails

but mostly, i wanna…

·        “really, really, really wanna zigazig ah”

(for right now, anyways!)

insomnia?...

i’m thinking this is why i can’t sleep at night. the thoughts, oh, the thoughts. is this normal?

regardless, here we go. things that i don’t get out in another fashion…

·        the tooth fairy has been fluttering her wings around these parts lately; 3 times in like, less than a month.

·        i could care less that i’m not oober skinny anymore, i just want to fit in my clothes. is that too much to ask?

·        people get a little too crazy with their emoticons.

·        do you ever get halfway through a ‘draw something’ picture & forget what the heck you were drawing?

·        over talk of zombie apocalypse! actually these idiots lately could be great poster children for that ‘above the influence’ campaign. i’m thinking something like “friends don’t let friends eat their friends. drugs are super dumb” or whatever…i’ll leave that to the marketing creatives.

·        armed with coffee & concealer just doesn’t cut it in the wee hours any longer. working on heavier artillery…stay tuned.

·        let’s face it, school is scary, but i still persevere. awesome or delusional…the jury’s still out.

·        is it a good thing that i’ve become such a great rain driver?

·        there aren’t many problems that i can’t solve without music. but i’m versatile…it may be loretta who speaks to me or tori…imogen today. perhaps iggy pop tomorrow?

·        i have the most boring hair in the land.

·        a channel that only shows golden girls & designing women…yes, please (this would make me a hermit, for sure)

·        in a perfect world, i would receive texts on how wonderful i am on a daily.

·        i’m going to bring back blue eyeliner & “farrah” feathered hair…you just watch.

·        dairy queen commercials at one o’clock in the morning should be illegal.

·        if i had lush, gorgeous grass in my backyard, i could possibly rule the world.

·        i have a confrontation with tammy whynest-whynot everyday…missy is trying to test me.

·        is it sad that i am intimidated by a chicken? (i try to stand my ground!)

·        i want to be on a bowling league…but only so i can have a rad shirt with my name on it.

·        daydreaming until i can get back to the beach.

·        i think my galoshes are so cool.

·        the voices in my head have been awfully quiet lately…okay, maybe just right now.

·        i am still trying out this whole meditation thing. (i need positive vibes…keep ‘em coming)

·        being jobless is making me feel sad. will i ever feel useful again?

·        baby fever is over (i’ve come to terms), but tattoo fever is making me feel super creative.

·        man, i have so much laundry to catch up on.

·        i still don’t get HD; i mean, kind of, i guess…sorry, i don’t see that much of a difference. guy thing?

·        there’s a huge, wooden board with my name on it waiting to be diy’d…if it doesn’t rain tomorrow, i’ll get to it. *fingers crossed*

jarring...in a good way...

it’s no secret that i am totally obsessed with the thought of planning ahead meals. & if they can be individualized into mason jars, well then sign me up. (i’m such a dork…it’s cool.)

today, i finally got around to doing a new jar that i have been wanting to do for weeks now. salads! yes, i am very excited as i love a killer salad, but don’t always have the time to prep one. & restaurants…well, sometimes their lettuce looks a bit questionable. & this is not my genius idea at all. totally saw it somewhere…pinterest, maybe?! (probably)

but i wanted to share with those who may not have seen it or had never thought of it as an option:

mason jar salads: (build from the bottom up)
dressing of choice
(veggies that handle being cozy with dressing)
onions
bell peppers
carrots
cucumbers
tomatoes (i was out of those today unfortunately)
lettuce
toppings: (optional) fruit, nuts, granola, cheese, fresh herbs/flowers, etc.



i just did 3 to start & mine were pretty basic today. i had lettuce left over, so into a 4^th jar it went (so i won’t forget that it’s in the crisper browning away)

& the good news is that they will keep in the refrigerator for several days. so be creative! i can’t wait to try different variations, all fruit salad, etc. salads to go…yum!



super sunday...

you know the moment when you would give anything just to break away from your everyday surroundings? even for a few hours? this was so me last week. i needed new scenery. i wanted to get in the car & just drive. maybe because it’s summertime or because it has rained every freaking day or maybe it was boredom. can you actually die from that…boredom? it’s probably just an expression as i am clearly still among the living. & moving on…

i really wanted to step out of my own reality & into a dreamlike state, but in real time. & i really wanted to feel some sand between my toes. there was only one solution…beach day trip. heck, there is no excuse not to drive an hour & ½ - 2 hours to wonderful charleston, sc. it’s too close!

after slumping around all day saturday trying to figure out something to do & then being held captive inside due to very angry ground hornets (the hubs thought he could do some simple raking around the bushes…whoa, attack!), we decided that night that the only solution to turning our frowns upside down would be a sunday drive.

i was so excited when i woke up sunday morning. & when i say excited, i mean like stupid excited…almost as if i had never been anywhere before. i didn’t get much sleep & then had a bit of a belly ache (i battled a funky sickness all last week from some sort of food poisoning, not that i’ve ever won an award for best digestion to begin with anyways…& too much info? sorry.)

i was even excited despite the whole swimsuit situation i was about to embark on. you know what’s worse than having an old tired bathing suit that you’re sick of looking at? having an old tired bathing suit that doesn’t fit…ha! oh my goodness, you guys, this was bad, but oh well; who cares…i’m off to the beach! on a more positive note, it did fit a little better after i realized that the top was on wrong…it was working against me on the flip side. fixed & out the door we go…cooler with drinks, snacks, & sammies…check. bag with towels & sunscreen…check. chairs, extra clothes, etc…check, check, check.

it doesn’t take but about 30 minutes into any destination before the monkey in the back seat is asking (everybody all together) “are we there yet?” & i was right there with him catching every other sign to see how many miles were left. ever notice how incredibly long it takes to get somewhere, but the trip home seems so much shorter?

so, we make it to big bridge heading into mount pleasant! monkey was stoked & so was i remembering the old, terrifying one & how it would actually sway as you rode across (but that was a long time ago).

the only choice left was which public access to set up shop. we drove to isle of palms…kept driving…kept driving…”uh, can we just stop somewhere?” & we did…the lovely homes & cool shops & great restaurants can be distracting.

we landed in sullivan’s island. amazing. moved in on a sand bar-esque area; it was like we had our own ginormous wading pool to chill amidst a huge span of smooth, luscious sand. not a super ton of people, & all families; cute kids playing, paddle boarders, kite surfers, perfect clear sky…awesome. the afternoon was ours. every minute was a relaxing escape. the beach equals tranquility for me. & the fact that it was semi-spontaneous added more loveliness. we even managed a walk around fort moultrie on the way out. what a great place for picture taking. monkey & i looked for ghosts, but didn’t see any…maybe next time.

what a great day. only one day, but we’ll go back. we have all summer to make longer trips. peace of mind was restored at least; that has to count for something, right?

*oh, & let me also add that while all this yummy break from reality was going on, your girl, ash, tried a different “sunscreen” from the boys. the high octane spf/waterproof standby for monkey is a no brainer; not to mention the fact that he’s like waffle house hash browns when i get through with him…smothered & covered…good to go. (the hubs also uses this.) but, i just had to be different & attempt coverage while achieving a little bit of browning action. just a little…i am so freakishly pale. but no such luck. i am currently sporting some nice patchy burns in the weirdest spots. ya ya…lesson learned (but no complaining…totally worth it!)

ps…monkey says we can totally move to the beach. oh, he is so my kid!