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Nerve

Posted on July 7, 2016 by auburnchick

Last week, the Mr. received an email invitation…

We were invited to a screening of the movie Nerve.

I pulled up the movie trailer because I had not heard of it.

The trailer looked good, so we decided to go.

I had to go to the theater early to pick up our tickets.  Note to self:  always take my Reel Rewards card.  You have to be a member to get the invitations for movie screenings, and they need to see the card to distribute tickets (limit of two per card).  I was extremely upset when I saw people being turned away.  I had not taken the card.

Now, bad moment here, okay.  Just forgive me.

The lady in line behind me offered me her key tag…the Reel Rewards one…so I wouldn’t have to leave.  The guy in front of us had told us that they weren’t using the numbers for anything.  Y’all.  The drive to the movie theater takes almost an hour because of traffic, not because of distance.  I live in a tourist town, and this is high season for us.

So, I handed over the keys with the card on them and was given two tickets after the lady WROTE DOWN THE NUMBERS.

Yeah.  My heart was convicted.

The lady behind me took her turn and was asked if we were together because YOU CAN ONLY GET TWO TICKETS PER CARD.

We were so busted.

I stepped forward, handed the lady the tickets, and fessed up.  I explained that I had left my card at home.

Why or why don’t I trust God in even the smallest matters?

Sheesh.

The lady behind the counter told me that she could look up my card by my phone number.

:::hung my head in shame:::

I felt horrible.  She was extremely gracious as I apologized, face as red as could be.

I got my tickets, but my heart felt so soiled, a bit of joy robbed from the experience.

I had four hours to wait, so I did a bit of shopping, coupons in hand.  Ulta always calls my name when I’m at this mall.

Then, I visited Red Brick pizza and ordered my favorite vegan combo and sat down to read.

It was such a pretty day, so I was able to sit outside after I finished eating and read some more, finishing my book and starting another.

The Mr. met me at the theater around 6:30, and we waited to be allowed into the theater.

The movie finally started!

Let me tell you, I quickly fell in love with Dave Franco.

Swoon.

He was simply adorable in this movie.

Swoon.

Sorry, Mr.

His chemistry with Emma Watson was spot on.  She was precious in this role, her character so lovable.

The premise of the movie is that Vee (Emma) is a goody-goody who lives in the shadow of her best friend.  She finally gets mad and decides to play a game called Nerve, where “watchers” create dares for the “players.”  Each dare has to be recorded on the player’s phone while the watchers look on.  For each dare completed, the player earns money, with the earnings going up the longer the player stays in the game.  The ultimate goal is to win in the finale.

Through “fate,” Vee meets Ian (Dave Franco) when she chooses him to complete her first dare on.  They pair up quickly, their numbers of watchers goes up, and the dares get more elaborate.

Eventually, things turn nasty when Vee tries to quit the game, a big no-no, and has to find a way out.

What I Liked

As mentioned before, the chemistry between the characters.  Oh mercy.

The premise, which is actually two-fold.  You have a girl who’s becoming her own person, which I totally love.  I see my students fall into the traps of unfulfilled dreams all the time.  Vee’s story is their story.

Mainly, the movie is a commentary on the influence of social media and our fascination in “watching” others’ lives evolve through it.  I loved how the movie opened and completely identified with all of it…the use of technology…the Macbook…even answering the phone on the computer.

The scenery.  New York at night…all lit up…so beautiful.

The action scenes.  The Mr. and I actually held our breaths at various points.

What I Didn’t Like

In the first five or ten minutes, there is full rear nudity…gross.

Shortly after that, there is a conversation that had some sexual references that made me very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, this didn’t continue.  I simply don’t understand why producers think they need to include such stuff in the opening of movies and television shows.  Totally unnecessary.

I also didn’t like the prevalence of underage drinking.  The mass party scene painted underage drinking in a favorable and NORMAL light.  I cannot be okay with this.  Yes, I know it happens, but seriously.  If you’re putting a movie out there with a good message, you can eliminate some of this stuff.

My Overall Opinion

The Mr. and I agreed that the movie was cute.  Would we pay to go see it?  No.  It would make a fun movie rental though.

With that said, I think my teenage students will love it.  I hope they see the bigger picture at the end of it.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Patriotic Hodgepodge

Posted on July 6, 2016 by auburnchick

I hope you had a great 4th of July!  I certainly did!  It’s time for the Hodgepodge.  Play along by answering on your own blog and linking up with Joyce.

1.  How did you welcome the month of July, and tell us one fun thing you did to celebrate the 4th. (or the weekend for any non-USA residents playing along today).

I welcomed July by spending time with my hubby.  It’s just the two of us now, and we don’t lead an exciting social life.  I started off the 4th with a Hammer and Chisel workout.  I just finished my first round of the program (two months), but I decided to do one more round before starting a different Beachbody program.

The Mr. went shopping to pick up food to grill out for dinner, and then we headed to the pool.

I’ve been reading A LOT…books from my classroom library so I have firsthand knowledge of their plots when recommending reading material to my high school students.  The pool was fairly quiet until about 3pm.  We then had the pleasure of watching young families with their little kids.  Ahhh.  The memories.

Later, the hubby grilled out (veggie burger for me…meat burgers for him), and we just laid low afterward.  Molly, one of my furbabies, is terrified of fireworks, so I spent the evening loving on her.

2.  Right now..what’s your favorite red thing? white thing? blue thing? 

I’m loving the new head wraps that I purchased from Hippie Runner.  Shout-out to Rebecca.  I saw a picture she had posted on Instagram and immediately ordered my own set…patriotic of course.

3.  Wave the white flag, raise a red flag, fly your freak flag…which ‘flag’ have you flown most recently? Explain. 

I had to look up the freak flag saying.

That is me.  To a T.

I’m unique, I think.  Well, we all are, of course, but I definitely march to the beat of my own drummer.

One of the things I do is record myself dancing…usually toward the end of the school year when summer is on the horizon.

Here’s the most recent dance I did.  Keep in mind that school was officially out…as of maybe twenty minutes before I filmed.  I was a little nervous about someone walking in and seeing me.  LOL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHzFmvh7VMY

Be jealous of my moves, y’all.  Or be thankful that I didn’t feel completely free to cut loose like I could have.

heehee

4.  According to Cond Nast Traveler these are the seven best places to visit in July-

a boat safari in Botswanna’s Okavango Delta, Riviera Maya Mexico (it’s whale shark season and apparently you can swim with them), Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, Pamploma Spain, St. Petersburg Russia, the Fuji Rock Festival at Mount Naeba Japan, the Salzburg Festival in Salzburg Austria

If time and money weren’t factors would you want to see any/all of these? Which would you most like to see and why? 

I think I’d go with the boat safari.  The opportunity to see animals in their natural habitats would be incredible!!  I also wouldn’t mind going to Austria.  My dad’s side of the family was from France and Germany.  Seeing that part of the world would help me feel connected to them.

5.  Grilled cheese, pimento cheese, or mac and cheese…your favorite from the cheesy treats listed?

Vegan mac and cheese please.  Yum!

6.  What makes you sweat? 

Literally, the humidity that we are experiencing down here in the South.  Figuratively, classroom observations by administrators or District people.  Lord have mercy, but when you’re talking about watching kids in action, there’s no telling what you’re going to get…even with the teenagers I teach.

7.  Your favorite movie with a ‘patriotic’ theme of some sort?

The first movie title that came to mind was The Patriot.  The things our nation’s earliest soldiers went through to secure our freedom…at great personal cost…wow.

I have to mention one other movie that I thought of.  The hubby and I saw 13 Hours when it came out, and we rented it a week or two ago.  That movie made me cry both times because it’s a true story.  I’m so grateful for those who serve all over the world…especially in the Sandbox, as the Middle East is known.  Their lives are constantly in peril, and the politics in such matters are too much for my brain to comprehend.

8.  My Random Thought

Mischief is afoot in Chez Auburnchick.  Care to guess what I’m up to?

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 6 Comments »

Looking Out My Window

Posted on July 5, 2016 by auburnchick

I’ve been having a bit of fun with the new camera lens I bought for Rooster’s graduation.

I’ve discovered that I can stand inside my house and snap some pretty good photos of visitors.

No, I’m not that nosy neighbor peeking out of my curtains.

heehee

I’m talking about looking out of my back window to my yard.

I saw this little one shortly after my summer vacation started.

A couple of days later, I saw what may or may not have been a different winged friend.

This guy or gal, as the case may have been, found a little snack before flying off to a new perch.

A couple of weeks later, I noticed Gambit staring out my French door.  He was sitting extremely still, concentrating on one thing…

He was quite pitiful.  He loves to run after squirrels.  They always beat him to the trees, but the fun is in the chase.

I wouldn’t let him out because I wanted to snap some pictures.

I’m a mean fur mom that way.

This guy found a little something for dinner.

He scampered around looking for more.

Something piqued his interest…

This is probably my favorite photo of him…

When I was finished, I quietly opened the door.

The squirrel won the race again.

Filed under: Pets | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

4th of July – A Fresh Perspective

Posted on July 4, 2016 by auburnchick

Today, we celebrate the 4th of July.

As a new Air Force mom, I am looking at this holiday from a different perspective.

Today, when I think of the founding of this country, I am beyond thankful.

Thousands of people made the brave decision in the early days of the founding of this country by going against the tide to secure this nation’s freedom.

Over the years, countless citizens have sacrificed their time and, ultimately for many, their lives, to ensure that we continue to enjoy our freedom.

Several times during Rooster’s graduation weekend, we had the privilege of hearing new Airmen recite the Airman’s Creed.

It matters not the color of the uniform or the creed spoken.  Each branch of the military consists of self-giving individuals.

I think I used to take this for granted.

I no longer do so.

As you celebrate, take a moment to lift our country’s servicemen and women in your prayers.  It is because of those who blazed the trail all of those many years ago and those who presently serve that we continue to live in the Land of the Free and the Brave.

Filed under: Air Force | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar?

Posted on July 3, 2016 by auburnchick

Are you singing the jingle in your head?

heehee

As a vegan who’s, conveniently, been lactose-intolerant for twenty two years, I miss out on a lot of treats.  Sure, my waistline is grateful; however, my taste buds are not.

One of the things I remember from my childhood is eating Klondike Bars during the summer…during the winter…whenever we had them, quite honestly.

Well, I haven’t had one of these in years and years.  I mysteriously became lactose-intolerant when I was twenty four years old and about seven months pregnant with Rooster.  Overnight, I found myself unable to eat ice cream.

It was with quite a bit of excitement when I came across a recipe for Healthy Klondike Bars on Instagram.  I follow a gal named Detoxinista.  She has a blog where she posts health-conscious recipes…many of which are vegan.

The list of ingredients was rather small; I had nearly everything I needed except for the raw cashews, which the Mr. picked up at Publix for me yesterday.

I soaked the cashews, as directed by the recipe, while the Mr. and I lounged at the pool.

Then, I got busy mixing the “ice cream” batter and placed it in a loaf pan.

The batter wouldn’t be ready until later in the night, so I waited until today to finish the bars.

I melted my coconut oil for the chocolate topping out in the sun.  I figured I might as well take advantage of the summer heat.

I had an oopsy when I poured cold maple syrup into the coconut oil/cocoa powder mixture.  The chocolate seized up on me.  Shame on me.  I’ve been watching Food Network like crazy and had seen home cooks make the same mistake.

Thank goodness I’m sort-of smart.

I took the bowl back outside, and it didn’t even take a full minute before the chocolate had warmed up and was silky smooth.

The Pioneer Woman better watch out!  Auburnchick is fast approaching her skill level.

heehee

Popping the loaf out of the pan wasn’t exactly as easy as I’d hoped, probably because I’d accidentally spilled some of the batter outside of the paper between it and the pan, and then it froze, sticking the paper to the pan.

Sheesh.  I can make anything difficult.

Then, it was time for the messy part.  I cut the loaf into eight parts and got ready to add the chocolate topping.

According to Detoxinista’s blog and the comments that followed (because I tend to overthink and over-research everything), a spoon was the best utensil to use to apply the chocolate.  It would otherwise seize up (ahem) and freeze when it touched the loaf.  There went my idea of dipping the blocks in it.

The spoon, though, was not easy.  Ugh.

Then, I had an idea.

I pulled out my little brush…the one I use to oil my cooking pans…and dipped it in the chocolate.  Then, I “painted” the chocolate onto my bars.

This worked okay.  I figured out that I really needed to dab the chocolate because the bristles of the brush were starting to freeze up with chunks of chocolate.

Go ahead and admire my French manicure.  I did it myself last night.

Booya!

Anyhoo, when I finished with the tops and sides of the blocks, I turned them over and covered the bottoms and filled in the spots I’d missed.

Then, I set everything on a plate lined with parchment, took a picture of my not-so-pretty and definitely not-so-even bars, and set them in the freezer.

The aftermath looked bad, but it was a snap to clean up because most of the chocolate was on the paper.

Biting into the “Klondike” Bar…oh my.

What would this lactose-intolerant vegan do for a Klondike Bar?

Why, she’d make a stomachache-free version of it herself!

Filed under: Vegan | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Redneck Crossfit

Posted on July 2, 2016 by auburnchick

About a week after school got out, we had a storm.  It wasn’t really that bad, that I remember, but as I sat in the house, I heard a loud noise.

When I got up to check it out, I saw this…

Yep.  That’s my tree, and that’s my fence.

It looked as though the tree had been thrown through the fence.

We’ve had a problem with our trees the last couple of years.  I don’t know if they have a virus, but they are slowly dying.  Large branches fall nearly every time it storms.  That’s why I wasn’t initially concerned about the loud noise.

Ha!

Now, you know I’ve been working out with weights for about two months.  I thought I could move that tree out of the yard.

If you heard thunder just now, that may have been the universe laughing at my stupidity.

heehee

We needed a chainsaw.

The teacher who has a classroom beside me saw the picture I posted on Facebook and offered her husband’s services.  He would bring his chainsaw.

I was all about that!  I didn’t want the Mr. to have another excuse to make a purchase at Home Depot and, possibly, hurt himself.

She came the next day, bringing her husband and her young son, and they got right to work.

What a sweet family!  Not only did he cut my tree into chunks, but he climbed over the fence into the neighbor’s yard, with the neighbor’s permission, and fixed the sprinkler head that my tree had broken when limbs had fallen on it.

It was such a humid day, which made the job a little tougher.  I was even more grateful for my friend’s generosity.

They left, and I began clearing the debris.

Oh word, but trees weigh a LOT!!!  I should have taken pictures of the chunks.  I guess I forgot.  Some, I was able to carry in my arms.  A few, I had to turn, end over end.  I was reminded of tire turning exercises that athletes do to get stronger.

Now, you know I’m all about my blog, even when I’m not exactly blogging regularly (cough, cough).

I set up my phone and recorded one of my trunk-turning trips across the yard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-6k2ZFM5AY

Oh yeah.  I was wearing my heart rate monitor and saw, afterward, how many calories I burned doing this.  It was major, y’all.

I think I may have just created a new form of exercise.  Who needs a fancy gym?!

My efforts were worth it.  My yard was clean by the time the Mr. got home.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

A Dirty Tale

Posted on July 1, 2016 by auburnchick

Last Saturday, after the Mr. and I returned from a day at the beach, we discovered that the house was a little warmer than usual.  We figured it was just us, being hot from a humid day, but one look at the thermostat told us otherwise.

The temperature on the thermostat was 77.  I had it set to 75.  This wasn’t good.

I turned it down another degree and waited, but nothing happened.

Uh oh.

I tried a few things…turned off the air…turned it back on…turned off the circuit breaker…still nothing.

The weird thing was that the unit in the garage would be working, but it wouldn’t come on in the house, or if it did, it was only for a few minutes.  It was holding steady at 77.

I knew I’d have to call the air conditioning people, but I wouldn’t be able to do that until Monday.  Ugh.

I googled, because I don’t like to give up, and read that the issue could be due to a number of reasons, including a dirty filter or a low level of freon.

At 11pm, I removed my filter and ran outside to rinse it out.  I’d put monthly reminders on my phone to tell me to clean it, but I’d ignored them…for the last few months.

Sigh.

I usually let my filter dry before reinserting it, but time was of the essence, so I shoved it back in and prayed.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, the first thought that struck was that I had not had trouble sleeping, like I would have if the air had not been working.  Sure enough, the thermostat reading said 75 degrees, my pre-set night time temperature (I’ve been manually cranking it to 74 lately).

I thought I’d fixed the problem but still resolved to call the air people.

We went to church and lunch afterward.  When we got home, the temperature was again at 77.  While I watched, it climbed to 78.

This was definitely not good.

I was a bit freaked because we’d only had the unit about four years.  We’d had a brand new one put in after our old one quit on us.  I’m sure I probably blogged about it.

The strangest thing happened Sunday night, though.  The air kicked in again, and it was 75 when I woke up.

I called as soon as I looked up the number.

Praise the Lord for the company I used.  The guy I talked to scheduled me for an appointment THAT DAY between 12 and 1.  “Ma’am, will you be home?” he asked?

Um, ya think?

Heehee.

I had a couple of errands to run, and in the middle of my second one, I got a phone call from the technician.  He was about to leave another appointment and wanted to know if I was home.

It was 10am.

Thank goodness I live in Podunk, USA, where everything is close to each other.  I turned around and got home just as he was backing into my driveway.

He opened up the pipe you see below and immediately diagnosed the problem.  It wasn’t draining properly.

The reason why the air kicked in at night was because by then, the gunk had drained enough for the unit to turn on.  There’s a floaty thing (I didn’t get a picture of it) that automatically shuts off the unit when the water level reaches a certain height in the drain.  This reminds me of how a toilet runs after a flush, so the water eventually stops filling the tank.

I already knew how to prevent the buildup…by pouring bleach into the drain each month.  Yep.  I was right.  Oh my.  How had I not been doing this?

He blew out the drain and even added a chemical solution to finish the job.  We ran outside to double check.  Yep.  Fluid was running through the drain again…the waste removal had been a success, as evidenced by my neighbor’s door…

Oops.

The technician checked the foils inside my garage unit, but everything was clean.  Thank heavens.  He said it costs $450 to clean those, which is why you have to keep the filter clean.

Ahem.

We walked to the outside unit, and he quickly determined that those coils needed to be cleaned (no $450 charge for this, though).

He took the fan out of it and then sprayed down each side with a chemical solution.  Then, he used the hose to clean each slat, first from the inside of the unit out, and then outside the unit in.

It was a messy job.  I saw a lot of debris pour out of it.  He explained that when the fan is running, it sucks in air.  Whatever is in the air gets sucked in too.

Y’all, I live in Florida where it storms a lot.  I’m not too far from the beach, so we have breezes regularly.  There’s lots of junk floating around in the air.

This was yet another reason to get my unit checked yearly, which I’d always done up to a couple of years ago.

Guess who signed up for their yearly maintenance plan?

Yep.

They’ll be coming out twice a year, once in the fall, and again in the spring, to check the heating and cooling units.  THEY will call to remind me, but I have NEW reminders in my phone.  Reminders to pour the bleach and clean the filter as well as to call for those appointments.

These are reminders that I won’t ignore again.

Filed under: This-n-That | Leave a comment »

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