I Am Not A Zombie Fan But I Loved iZombie Dead To The World

I really do NOT get the whole zombie obsession. The concept of dead rotten bodies being cool is really strange to me. But I really did love reading this graphic novel by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred by DC Comic's Vertigo.

When I saw the cover of the comic in the library, I immediately thought "That looks like Debbie Harry of Blondie". Loved the art and the funny strong writing. This is a new twist on the zombie lore. Gwen Dylan is the main character.

This is the first book in the comic series. I hope to be able to find the other books in this series.

No, this did not make me a zombie fan. Warm Bodies the movie was  just passable to watch and I have never watched The Walking Dead but I really enjoyed this comic. I was even grossed out with all the zombie talk will watching Dylan Dog. Yes it was a lame movie but the lead actor is really cute.

Have you ever heard of or read the iZombie comic series?

Thanks for reading!

My Thoughts And A Review - Finding Me By Michelle Knight

This book will make you definitely count your blessings and appreciate your freedom.

Michelle Knight is the first of the three women kidnapped by Ariel Castro. She underwent horrible torture, abuse and isolation at the hands of that horrible man. But don't let that stop you from reading this thought provoking book.

I was amazed and comforted immediately at how insightful and forgiving this strong young woman is. Her book is a book of hope not of despair. Michelle focused on seeing her child again. She constantly demonstrates a huge amount of inner strength to overcome more than a decade of abuse.

Overall, she describes the abuse in a bit of detail but not in overwhelming graphic detail. You understand the horrors Castro inflicted upon the women but she also talks about the small but important ways she took a positive view of life one day at a time.

I read this book in almost one sitting. It is very easy to read and very interesting. We have all see the news reports about what happened and wondered how the women were doing since their release. Michelle has absolutely decided to move forward in her life and live a full life with healing and determination.

How can any of us complain about the little things in life when we realize how horrible things were for this woman and she came out of this terrible situation stronger and with so much hope. I admire her strength and it inspires me to be thankful for the many things I could take for granted.

Every woman should read this book as a warning of being too trusting with strangers. Michelle had a very troubled childhood and it is sad that this horrible thing happened to her. But I am so happy that she and the other women were found and released. I hope peace, healing and happiness for them all.

Freedom is so precious. The ability to go wherever whenever you choose is a blessing and a privilege. Take a moment every once in a while to realize not everyone has the freedom and is in as safe an environment as we are.

Tell me what you think of this book.

Thanks for reading!

Sunset - End Of Great Day

What are you going to let the sunset on in your life today?

I had a small problem that was stressing me out a lot more than I should have let it. Unfortunately, I was still letting that annoying situation bother me as I was about to go to sleep. This is not good for my health and happiness. Of course all of this rehashing the problem without deciding on a definite course of action did nothing to help. 

I should have been confident enough to bring my thought process to a logical stopping place. Let it go. Have faith that things will work out. Acknowledge to myself that I "worked the problem" and move on.

The next day, everything worked out fine. All the stress was for nothing. All of the "worst is going to happen" thinking was completely unnecessary.

At the end of the day, just as the sun is setting, I will remind myself to let go of that day's problems because I know I did my best. Be confident. Have faith. Let it go.

Thanks for reading!

Anthropologie In North Hills Raleigh, NC - My Thoughts

 I had heard so much about this store from so many beauty gurus on you tube so I really wanted to check it out for myself on a visit to Raleigh, NC.

I was in Raleigh to go to the AMAZING Alice In Chains concert on May 7.  A blog post  about that concert is coming soon. 

North Hills Shopping Center is not just a glorified luxury strip mall, it has apartments, restaurants, banks, grocery stores, pharmacy,  a"park"  that is really a stage and entertainment venue  and a four-star hotel.

It is a beautiful well appointed rich people strip mall to sum it all up. LOL!

 This is the entrance to the much talked about store. Love the wood facade. I also love the all caps font. This is the graphic designer in me. Most people do not notice signage or product packaging but I always do. Was not really impressed with the window displays or the fashions on the mannequins.

 This blurry pic is of the drooping plant (from lack of watering) at the front door of the store. I was trying to quickly get the picture before the employees noticed. Very sad for the plant. Definitely not good feng shui at all.

What impressed me the most about Anthropologie was the quality soft fabrics of of the clothing. I knew I was going to get "sticker shock" so I was prepared a little bit for how expensive the prices are. There were a few pieces I would have liked to add to my wardrobe but over all I really was not impressed with the store's collection. 

My strategy for shopping this store for clothing would be to wait as long a possible for a very good sale.Visit the store often and watch the your size in the item then buy it when it is marked down. Buying solid color basics that can be worn for many seasons would be the my main objective. The rich feeling fabrics were the reason for the high prices. I understand this and I am willing to pay a bit more. On the other hand,

throw away like "used toilet paper" cheap thin fabrics and poorly made Forever 21 clothing is a waste of money to me.

My biggest complaint about the Anthropologie was the expensive "fake vintage" items. There is no way I would pay that much money for ordinary yard sale, thrift shop or flea market look a likes. It was so crazy to me that the store basically found an item in a thrift shop redesigned it just a bit, made copies then put in up for sale at an expensive price in their store. Ridiculous.

I expected to be wowed and amazed because of the hype beauty gurus speak so often about this store. Once again when I experience the actually item or location, I really wasn't impressed. 

Do you shop at this store?

Thanks for reading!