Thrift Stores... AKA Spend All Your Money Here Stores

My best friend is getting married in two weeks, which is incredibly exciting! In all of the lead-up to her wedding, there have been a lot of last minute details and errands needing to get done... one of which being constant checking of the local thrift stores for frames we can re-touch, vases for the happy couple's new home, maybe even the occasional Christmas decoration (cause she is gonna need it eventually... right?). Here's the problem with being the bridesmaid to tag along on all of these adventures...

I have no self control at thrift stores. None. Zero. Any sense of self control goes immediately out the window the second I enter a Goodwill or a Unique and even occasionally a Savers. Because that clock is SO CUTE. And it's only $10! But these candlestick holders are amazing and so unique (no pun intended), and only $8 each, which is a total steal, so I have to buy them. To not buy them would be irresponsible as I'll just end up buying a more expensive pair of candlestick holders later when I could have bought this pair for $16. 

And wait, you're telling me that everything is 25% off today? Well then I will get those basically brand new shoes I was looking at but don't really need, and even that vase I was looking at! And yes, that chair is full of cat hair and dirt, but it's only $8, so I can vacuum it and save it even though I literally have no room for a full living room chair in my tiny bedroom... right? 

Yes, that clock is slightly crooked... but it was $10 and has an elephant on it...

Long story short, thrift stores are my crack. I love looking at all of the hideous pictures frames and pieces of furniture and then looking on pinterest to see just how exactly I can make this hideous frame beautiful. I truly love it. But man oh man, does it kill my bank account. 

Being a recent college graduate, I have zero dollars. Strike that, I have negative thousands of dollars (yay private school student loans). Generally, I am pretty good about saying, "I have no money right now. I can't go shopping." But when it comes to thrift stores, all that goes out the window. 

There are two sides to this story... on the one hand, why not look? What's the harm? There have been plenty of days that I go to check out the local Goodwill and find absolutely nothing of interest. And hey, I just killed 30 minutes digging through some shelves with a good friend and had a great time and spent zero dollars. On the other hand.... there are the days that I walk into the store and I think that the thrift store gods have smiled upon me and blessed me with a car-full of kitchen supplies, picture frames, and home decor that is literally going to go home and be stored in a box while I live at home with my parents because I have no money. It's a vicious vicious cycle... but hey, someday, my house/apartment/cardboard box is going to be adorable.

Thrift stores are great. They are a way to get one of a kind items for super cheap. Or a way to get mass manufactured things that look one of a kind for super super super cheap. They are a perfect way
to kill time with friends on a Saturday afternoon and possibly spend no money or possibly spend your entire budget for the week... but you got a lot, so it's okay. They are also a lifesaver when it comes to decorating a wedding! The deals we have gotten my friend have been astounding! My deals have been great too! Whether or not I actually needed any of the things... well, that's another story.

Heads up to all of my thrifters out there.... Monday (Labor Day), all the thrift stores (at least in our area of the Twin Cities) are 50% off. So, maybe try your luck and see how many treasures you can find/how much of your bank account you can spend. As my friend would say, "it's a great deal though, and it's so. you." So it's fine.

Have fun adventuring through your local thrift stores! I know I always do.

Post-Grad Life

So, I have been out of college for two weeks now... and I gotta tell ya, I can't tell if it's the epitome of bliss or boredom. 

So far, my days have primarily consisted of binge netflix and hulu plus watching. I have officially caught up on all my shows, including Revenge, Game of Thrones, New Girl, Parks and Rec, SNL, The Mindy Project and even shows that I fell way behind on, like Once Upon a Time and The Big Bang Theory. But I also started a brand new show after the insistence of one of my college professors... and I'm so glad I did! HOLY SCANDAL. What is this show and how have I not been watching this since its first episode?! If you haven't been watching this show, don't make the same mistake as me and keep putting it off... watch it. Tis a gem.

Other post-grad activities have included starting a serving job at BWW, catching up with friends, seeing Godzilla in 3D (don't waste your money... it's slow and not worth the insane movie theatre prices), laying in bed all day and pretending I am going to read the Game of Thrones books but then just turning on more Scandal, making homemade mac and cheese, doing hair and makeup for high school prom goers,  finding an apartment in Louisville, eating popcorn and kit kats while watching more Scandal, playing frisbee with my big dork of a puppy Clark, constant naps, and even the occasional shower.

Did I mention that while I am writing this I am watching Scandal? And holy heck is it great.

Welp, hopefully post-grad life will pick up here in a bit. Soon I start nannying, actually serving, and rehearsals for The Tempest. For now, I am just going to enjoy these days of pajamas, netflix, and naps whether they are bliss or boredom... because I know they are going to end oh-so-soon. 

Here's to the summer and the adventures to come! Can't wait!

Welp, it's been a while...

Hey friends.

So, it has been a while since my last post. I had planned to just keep the blog up while I was in Ireland, but the world has so much more to explore and observe! So, here we go! Round 2!

Quite a lot has happened since I was in Ireland/my last post. I traveled all across Europe... from different parts of Ireland, to Scotland (Edinburgh and the Highlands!), Prague, Auschwitz/Poland, Budapest, Rome, Florence, Pisa, Valencia, London, and even Liverpool. Whew. It was awesome. I have so. many. stories. from these adventures, and will have many things to post about during my more inactive travels.

After my jaunt across Europe, I returned to the States and finished school at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. I graduated two weeks ago with my degrees in Theatre Art and English Literature. I am currently living with my parents in a suburb of the Twin Cities and will be acting in a show this summer in Hopkins, MN.

Next, my travels will take me to Louisville, KY in August to work at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, a Tony-Award Winning (awesome) theatre company! I will be there for nine months (through next April) working as their Marketing and Public Relations Intern.

Needless to say, I have many adventures to tell you about and many adventures that are forthcoming that I can't wait to both experience and tell you about!

It's been a bit of a break from blogging, but adventures never stop happening. :)

Never stop exploring, friends.

Irish Observation of the Day #5

Irish Observation of the Day #5 - Faucets. What. The. Heckity Heck.

Ok. So, the faucets here (at least, most of them) have separate spouts for hot water and cold water. That includes the faucets in the bathrooms, the kitchens, etc. 

Here’s the problem with that…. The water is either SCALDING hot or FREEZING cold. No such thing as washing your hands or dishes in plain old, wonderful, warm water. 

Instead, do you feel like burning the top layer of skin off your hands, insuring that they are nice and clean? Or are you feeling risky and would like to take a nice hand ice bath instead? 

I know. They both sound so tempting. 

It’s hard to decide for us too some days. 

I think this particular observation is best summed up by a picture the lovely Courtney Quist sent me:

Irish Observation of the Day #4

Irish Observation of the Day #4 - The Voice of Ireland is nowhere near as good as USA's The Voice.

Ok. So there are obviously some similarities... it is essentially the same show... except one takes place in Ireland and the other in the USA. Both have 4 "celebrity" judges, with one being the incredibly sexy bad boy but actually really sweet guy (if Adam Levine and their guy, Bressie, would sing something together I would be in heaven cause it's Adam Levine and a schmexy Irish man singer)

so you would think they would be about equal right??

wrong. so. so. so. wrong.

The Voice of Ireland, in all honesty, is just painful. I couldn't tell you who any of the "celebrity" judges are... and from talking to people who actually live in Ireland, they don't seem to know a whole lot about them either, and they all seem to prefer USA's The Voice as well.

Also... I was at least hoping for some decent singing by the people auditioning (because even if the show is not as good, you have to have good singers, right?)

Well, yes. There were some good singers. But the actually good ones MAYBE got one or two of the judges to push their buttons.

On the other hand... there was this one AWFUL girl (her voice itself I guess wasn't the worst...) BUT she would have NEVER gotten through on USA's the Voice. She sang Diamond and... ugh... I can't describe my frustration. Courtney and I literally had our jaws dropping cause we were in SHOCK that they all pushed their buttons. I tried to find a video for you guys, but couldn't. She just STOOD THERE. Nothing about it was entertaining. 

Clearly, I was frustrated.

BUT while looking, I did find my favorite performance that I have seen on the show so far (the one instance that I agreed they should turn around). Here is a link for you guys so you can get an idea of what it's like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK763Sq8MAI

The judges are also SUPER mean to each other! It's actually kind of funny... but sort of terrifying and uncomfortable too. In the US, the judges get competitive with one another and tease each other. But these guys are vicious! Especially Jamalia... she's awful. I have no idea why almost everyone picks her if they have a choice. 

Anyways, I will keep watching I am sure and maybe it will get better... but I sure hope to God that that one chick doesn't go through the next round.... cause she's terrible.

Irish Observation of the Day #3

Irish Observation of the Day #3 - DVDs are significantly cheaper.

This was one Sara and I just happened to discover by stopping at Dunnes (one of our favorite stores... sort of like a mini Super Target...) and glancing over the DVDs they had in stock. And then I noticed when they were advertising commercials on tv for DVDs on New Release.

But they are significantly cheaper. Like, New Releases, which normally run right around $20 in the US run somewhere in the range of 10 to 12 euros... or 13 to 16ish dollars. 

For example, I bought The Dark Knight Rises for 10 euros, or right around 13 US dollars. It runs for $15 dollars on Amazon.

So I saved two dollars! Yay! 

(And, as an added bonus, I now get to watch Christian Bale as Batman whenever I wish... aka one of the most attractive men on earth. Especially as Batman/Bruce Wayne.... don't even get me started on my never ending love for him... that could be another whole blog.)

Don't you dare try to tell me that's not one of the most attractive faces you have ever seen.

Therefore, Alex Beaulieu, you would love it here. Not necessarily for Christian Bale, but because of the cheap DVDs that you love even more than I do. :)

Strange observation about Ireland.... but one I figured was interesting enough to share!

Irish Observation of the Day #2

Irish Observation of the Day #2 - Every bar sells Pringles.

Yep. Every. Single. Bar. Sells Pringles.

You know the little cans of Pringles? Well, at every bar/pub in Ireland, next to where all of the alcohol is, there is a stack of those little cans of Pringles for sale.

I have yet to see someone actually purchase said Pringles... but, they're there. And that's what counts.

Maybe the Irish have a fascination with Pringles? Maybe it's just more deep fried potatoes for them (we'll get to more about that later).

Either way, fun fact for you for the day: Every bar in Ireland sells Pringles. 

So if you are ever in need of a salty, deep fried, potatoey snack while drinking a Guinness or a Bulmer's, don't worry. They got ya covered.