Zombies 4 Breakfast’s First Blog Giveaway!

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Dude. Giveaways are awesome, right? Who doesn’t love free stuff?

FREE! It’s my second favorite 4 letter F-word!

So I would be remiss if I didn’t offer you a sweet blog giveaway at some point. And that point is NOW.

I don’t have much to give, honestly, aside from the silly little DIY projects I make on occasion. So I’m offering this little Wanderlust shadowbox art that I made.

Join the giveaway and win this shadowbox at zombies4breakfast.com

It’s a 6×6 inch shadow box fame. The lovely old map that I used for the background is removable, so you could replace it with a different picture if you’d like. The frame color is more teal than the pictures suggest.

You’re wondering how to enter now, right? Of COURSE you are!

Well, for starters, you’ll need to be age 18 or older, and you must live in the US.

CLICK HERE to go to my entry form!

OR use the form on my Facebook page!

This Giveaway ends at midnight on June 20th, and the contest winner will be announced on June 21st!

Please share this with friends and on Pinterest by pinning the shadowbox image above!

Good luck everyone!

The BEST True Blood Recaps on the Interwebz!

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This gif is from the io9 recap

Guys, do you watch True Blood?

I’ll be completely honest. I do not. I didn’t watch last season, and I probably won’t watch this season either.

It’s a shame. I loved the first three seasons, but the whole series has gone off the rails into crazytown–and they’ve been crazytown residents for awhile now.

HOWEVER!!!!! There is a silver lining to this cloud of True Blood insanity, and that silver lining is the True Blood recap series on io9.com.

Meredith Woerner has earned my forever-love for penning some of the funniest, most ridiculously entertaining recaps that I have ever read. Last season’s recaps were filled with fun, whimsy, and shameless adoration for Christopher Meloni, and I’m seriously IN LOVE with the Pro/Con format that she (brilliantly) empolys. I fully anticipate that these recaps will delight me for many weeks to come.

The first recap for the current True Blood season is here.

And here is a giant list of a BUNCH of the ones from last season, if you have time to kill and want to spray whatever you’re drinking all over your computer.

Vintage Arcade Games + Craft Brews = BEERCADE!

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These are all pics from their website gallery, since my pics turned out horribly

These are all pics from their website gallery, since my pics turned out horribly

This weekend Javi (the boyfriend <3) and I hit up an extremely awesome bar in Chicago: the HQ Beercade!

Located in the Lakeview/Lincoln Park area, the HQ Beercade is a bar featuring a HUGE selection of old school arcade games, as well as a number of pinball machines. Bonus? They’re all FREE TO PLAY.

Yep, I said it. F-R-E-E!!!! Continue reading →

“In A World” movie looks completely friggin’ adorable and awesome!

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I’m going to be posting A LOT today, guys, so sorry in advance. I just wanted to share this awesome trailer with you!

I really like Lake Bell, who wrote, directed, and stars in this comedy. Additionally, if I wasn’t already in love with my boyfriend, I would probably be stalking Demetri Martin because he’s basically nerd-girl catnip to me.

To sum up: awesome lady-written script + great cast of wonderful comedians = awesomeness. Can’t wait to see this movie!

My Geek Origin Story

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This is how my family rides Disney's Tower of Terror

The Williams clan does the Tower of Terror. How does YOUR family ride rides?

Geeks, particularly superhero and comic book geeks, have a love affair with origin stories. How did the hero become the hero? What prompted her to start her never-ending fight for justice?

Since I am the protagonist of own tale, and since Father’s day is coming up, I’d like to share my personal Geek Origin story. It starts with my parents, Pam and Bruce.

Here they are, being naturally awesome, which is their usual state of being.

Left: Mom and Dad posing at comic con in 2011 Top: The whole family together at my Uncles' wedding Bottom: My mom fends of a zombies at the Chicago Wizard Con, 2012

Left: Mom and Dad posing at comic con in 2011 Top: The whole family together at my Uncles’ wedding Bottom: My mom fends off a zombie at the Chicago Wizard Con, 2012

They are high school sweethearts who married at the ages of 20 and 21, respectively. I was soon to follow. While pregnant with me, my mom spent a lot of time watching Thunder Cats. (She likes to refer to herself as a “Thunder Cats Ho”). I’m confident that her cartoon-watching affected my gestation in a postive manner. Continue reading →

Zombies for Breakfast: The Book Review

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Hey guys! Remember when I found that paranormal romance book with the same name as my blog?

I promised you a review and I aim to deliver!

Before I start though, here’s a minor Disclaimer:

I’m not really a romance-reader. I’ve read an absurd number of books in my life, and there are many genres that I greatly enjoy, but romance really hasn’t been one of them. It’s not that I don’t LIKE romances, per se. I just get a little tired of their formulaic nature. Of the romances I have read in the past, they’ve all been paranormal. I read Soulless last Christmas when I received it as a gift, and I’ve read the majority of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.  And also one very strange Handsome-Highlander-is-accidentally-transported-into-modern-times-and-sexes-hot-young-historian type book. Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to disclaim is that some of my complaints about Zombies for Breakfast might actually be more about the general recipe of the average romance novel. But I might not know that, since I’m not so familiar with them.

[End Disclaimer]

Okay, moving onward!

My overall impression of Zombies for Breakfast, by Rebecca L Boschee…..was pretty good! I thought her style of writing was really entertaining and thouroughly descriptive. The story was cute, if a bit hoaky, and it was fairly predictable. But–it was also very original. The zombies were less like traditional zombies and more like age-less, non-decomposed vampires that required 8 or so hours of sleep in a small, dark space or their limbs start to detatch and decompose.

Things I disliked about the book: Continue reading →

An Honest Discussion About ‘Happily Ever Afters’

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I found this image on Pinterest along with the caption “Disney Happily Ever Afters”, and I’m curious: Does anyone else find it a little…disturbing?

I just feel like there’s so much more to life than marriage and babies. No offense to married folks. Or babies. Those are both things I definitely want in my future.

However, my opinion is that wifedom and baby-makin shouldn’t be the end-all be-all of every heroine’s happily ever after. Or anyone’s normal life for that matter.

In Beauty and the Beast, Belle sings, “I want much more than this provincial life,” and I’ve always found that very relatable. Who doesn’t want “adventure in the great wide somewhere”? And why do those adventures have to end at an altar? Or with a child? Sometimes the most exciting adventures happen when the whole family participates (The Incredibles, anyone?). And sometimes women choose not to have children. Or aren’t capable of it.

It’s taken me a long time, personally, to reconcile the fact that your life doesn’t have to follow a specific time line. My parents were 21 and 22 when I was born, and as a kid I expected my life to follow the same pattern. I used to say that I wanted to have children by the time I was 25. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *stops for breath* AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA hahahahahaahahaha!)

Now that I am 25, and living happily with my boyfriend, I’m actually in no rush to get to the altar. The ceremony and the rings and stuff…that’s awesome. I look forward to it. But really, I’m super happy with my life the way it is. I get to hang out with my best friend EVERY DAY. We cook meals together and lay on the couch watching Arrested Development. We go on adventures. I’m more interested in actually living my life than in upholding superfluous time limits that society has set for me. I get to create my own wibbley wobbly time line. And I get to cherish the time I have with my boyfriend, and the fun we have, without all those kid-having responsibilities. We can worry about that later.

Not all of the Disney movies end with actual marriages. Is it so inconceivable to the think Shang and Mulan might go off and have years of adventures and successful military careers before deciding to settle down? Can a happily ever after be achieved without marriage and children?

I’d also like to point out that Pocahontas and John Smith don’t end up together, so no kids for them. But whatevs. I’m just being nitpicky.

I know the artist was just trying to convey what they thought to be the logical next step in each story. And the drawings are quite sweet and heartwarming. I’m just curious why someone would want to end every Disney Story in this way.

Honestly, I’m using this picture as a jumping-off point to start an honest discussion. What do you think? Are there better ways to convey ‘Happily Ever After’? And is this message the kind of message we want to be teaching young girls? Continue reading →

Healthy Protein Pancakes–My New Go-To Breakfast Food

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I’ve never been much of a breakfast person. It’s not that I don’t like breakfast food–I’m a HUGE proponent of breakfast-for-dinner. Or lunch. I’m just not particularly hungry early in the morning. In fact, when I was in highschool, just the thought of eating something before 9am made me queasy.

Since I usually arrive at work around 6:45am, I’ve had to force myself into a breakfast routine. Especially since I’m actively trying to lose weight and get in shape.

These protein pancakes are my new favorite things to have in the morning. I usually cook them a night or two ahead of time, and then pop one in the microwave for a minute or two in the morning.

The recipe I use is from the Tone It Up! program. I haven’t paid for any of their nutritional plan services, nor do I use their special protein powder (Sorry guys! I’m poor!), but I have been testing out a few of their recipes. I really like this one!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup egg whites
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 2 tbs vanilla almond milk
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbs ground flaxseed
  • After above ingredients are mixed together add 1/2 banana (mashed)- mash first, then add!!
  • Add a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries

I would like to point out that these pancakes, while delicious, are EXTREMELY HARD TO FLIP OVER. I’ve made them a number of times now, and my pancakes never look like the one pictured above. I always manage to flub them somehow. Also, mine turn out darker, but that might be because I toss in a bunch of frozen berries, and the batter takes on a bluish-purplish hue.

Here’s a side by side comparison:

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Hahahahahahhahaha! Yeah.

I cut mine in half to make sure the insides were cooked fully. (You should probably do this too. You don’t want to be eating uncooked eggwhites.)

Despite how hideous my pancake is, it actually tastes delicous and keeps me full all the way until lunch time, which is pretty amazing.

Do any of you guys do the Tone It Up! program? Or do you have other go-to diet breakfast foods you love?

 

3 Modern Fairytale Movies That Make My Heart Swell with Happiness

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I love fairytales. As a kid, I was drawn to the magic, adventure, and, of course, the happily ever afters of the princesses and princes. Now that I’m older, I find myself fascinated by the evolution of the stories themselves. I never had the opportunity to take any Folklore classes when I was in college, and I’ve always regretted it. Ghost stories, urban legends, and fairy tales are all a reflection of their environment and the culture in which they were written, and it’s so interesting to pick apart the different morals, themes, and lessons being taught in the old Grimm’s unabridged fairy stories–a book that I’ve read cover to cover multiple times.

Nowadays we prefer to fracture and rewrite existing fairy tales rather than produce new ones, which is a damn shame. So I’ve gathered together a little list of ORIGINAL modern-day fairy tale movies that I completely adore!

#1. Penelope

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‘Penelope’ is the story of a girl who is cursed with a…slight physical deformity because of her rich, blue-blooded family’s past wrongdoings. While the eponymous main character and her family attempt to break the curse (which can only be broken when she is ‘loved by one of her own kind’), Penelope is forced to go on a journey of self-discovery, involving hijinks, a one-eyed paparazzi with a vendetta, a vespa-driving Reese Witherspoon, and a sexy gambling addict. The movie’s final twist is really phenomenal, and the ultimate message is a crucial one that we should be teaching young girls everywhere: love yourself the way you are.

Continue reading →