Sweet Shit Round Up
April 2021
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It’s the last Friday of the month and the last day in April which means two things: 1. my birthday is only FOUR days away (I accept shares of this blog, praise, and job offers as gifts for those still looking *Exaggerated WINK*) and 2. it’s time for a round up!
Books
Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly
- Seems like this month I influenced my own damn self after writing my 412 article about lesser known Pittsburghers because I felt the need to check out Nellie Bly’s book of her New York World articles about her time in a women’s insane asylum. Ya’ll…if you can believe it, the 1880s were a bad time for women. It took almost zero effort for Nellie to get committed, and I mean zero. Like she stayed up all night at a women’s boarding house and kept going on that she needed to find her trunks and that was enough for all the ladies at the house, the police, a judge, and several doctors to find her totally insane and send her off to the asylum. She, and us as the reader, can rest easy knowing she’ll have a way out after only a week but many of the women she finds herself locked up with don’t have the same luck and they’re just as sane as Nellie. The book is pretty short but it’s interesting and a great look at the treatment of both women and the mentally ill during the 19th century.
TV/Movies/Youtube
- The very first round up I ever wrote included The Circle’s first season so it’s nice to finally revisit it. Season two came out earlier this month with three to four new episodes coming out each Wednesday until the finale. For those who have yet to experience the joyful mess that is The Circle, it’s a reality show where a group of people are all isolated into their own apartments where they create profiles to interact with one another. They can be honest about who they are or they can make up a totally different personality all in the hopes of being the most popular/influential person in the circle and winning $100,000. This season feels even more messy and dramatic than the first with an almost immediate heated rivalry, loud ass shouty talkers, and someone catfishing as a well known former boy-bander. It’s honestly pure magic and I’ve been looking forward to it each week…if you love messy trashy reality tv like I do, you’ve got to add The Circle to your list!
- Scare Tactics was one of my favorite shows of the mid 2000s so when Netflix came out with one of the co-creators newest project, Prank Encounters, at the end of 2019…I was sold. Prank Encounters doesn’t differ too much from its predecessor, they both involve putting allegedly unsuspecting people into frightening situations and catching their reactions on film. They even use a couple of the same actors! But on Prank Encounters instead of targeting one individual per scenario, they target two which helps the targets to maybe feel less like they’re being set up…I mean if someone else is equally as terrified as you it can’t be fake, right? What I don’t need though is Gaten Matarazzo as the host who “runs” things behind the scenes. Why you here, kid? That Stranger Things money not doing it for you anymore? I don’t need the cuts to him in the van acting like he’s in charge of something….you’re not Tracy Morgan my dude. But otherwise…Prank Encounters is the cheesy, horror based prank show I’m always looking for and the second season surprised me by showing up on Netflix earlier this month. If you like pranks and horror…go check it out!
Mortal Kombat Movie
- The Mortal Kombat movie FINALLY came to HBOMax last Friday for its month long run and it is perfect. When I say perfect I mean in the sense that it was entertaining, the fight scenes were rad, there was the right amount of gore, and the characters were on par with the ones I know and love from the games. Overall, I think this movie did the game series justice. Is it a cinematic masterpiece? Nope. But no one is looking for award worthy storytelling in a Mortal Kombat movie…they want the blood and guts and to see Mileena gnashing her teeth or Jax losing his arms or Kung Lao twirling around with his razor hat….and this movie gives you that and more. The new character of Cole is 100% unnecessary but I mean I get it…it helps to have a non-involved character for the uninitiated audience to identify with. If you don’t mind violence and want a fun two hours, go throw it on. Hell, go find the original movie from the 90s while you’re at it too. Make a marathon out of it!
Welcome To Night Vale (Weather Free)
- As you may know from past rounds ups, in this house we listen to podcasts to fall asleep and I recently wanted to get back into Welcome to Night Vale from the start and make an attempt to catch up to current episodes. I’ve always really enjoyed the strangeness of WTNV that’s also mixed with a weird kind of wholesomeness and it’s been years since I first listened but you know what I don’t like? The Weather. If you’re unfamiliar, The Weather is a music segment in each episode that signals the near completion of the episode. Now, WTNV is a PERFECT podcast to fall asleep to with host Cecil Baldwin’s soothing voice to lull you into calmness and serenity but then BAM The Weather shows up and you’re wide awake with your adrenaline surging. But, dearest reader, I discovered a beautiful soul on Youtube who has done the work of editing out The Weather of every single episode. It’s God’s work and I’m eternally grateful. I’m too interested in the ongoing story to try leaving it on at bed time yet but I love skipping The Weather and just sticking to the story without interruptions. UPDATE: I CAN’T FIND THEM! They’ve disappeared. When going to find a link to include I discovered the original channel I had found no longer exists! I’m devastated….Joseph Fink, give me weather free episodes!!
- This month has been HEAVILY taken over by Dungeons & Dragons after I decided I wanted to try my hand at running a game for my friends. Since that decision, Jonathan and I have been watching a lot of D&D related content on Youtube and that’s how we found the Dungeon Dudes. Kelly and Monty have been so helpful in learning the ins and outs of the game (not that I’ve retained all of it) and I highly recommend their channel if you’re new to the game or just want to learn a few things….cause there’s so much to learn and they really seem to tackle any topic you could want. They also run a D&D campaign of their own, the Dungeons of Drakkenheim, that can be watched on Youtube or listened to on Spotify.
- I wasn’t kidding about the D&D take over and there’s probably fewer better known Dungeons & Dragons groups than the Critical Role team. Lead by Matt Mercer, Critical Role showcases a cast of voice actors as they take part in a long form campaign with weekly episodes. They’re currently 130+ episodes deep into their second campaign, “The Mighty Nein,” and this month I wanted to see the fuss surrounding them. And ya know what, in one month we’ve already gone through 36 episodes as of this writing and those things aren’t short…so that shows how good they are. The episodes are great background noise while you work but even just sort of listening will get you invested in these characters storylines and having you picking favorites. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried (and I mean fucking CRIED…like a stupid amount over a little bird girl) and this month has really shown me the power a game like this can have over its players and its audience when it’s done well.
Products
- I got a new toilet brush at the end of last month. Exciting stuff, right? But listen…I hate your average toilet brush. They’re gross, you can never REALLY get it clean after using it, the bristles shed EVERYWHERE, and they’re always kinda ugly. So I started looking into silicone toilet brushes and found this guy and ya know? It’s lovely. It doesn’t shed, it’s easy to clean, it’s sleek, and, though I didn’t find those kind until after I had already made the purchase, there’s ones that have a drip pan on the bottom you can take out and empty/rinse so the brush isn’t just chilling in its own dirt water. You can get this guy in a floor stand style or with a wall mount if you prefer to keep your floor clutter free. It does a nice job of cleaning the toilet and doesn’t make a bigger mess like usual toilet brushes so it’s definitely worth looking into if you’re due for an upgrade!
- Birkenstocks are so damn expensive. They’re also kind of ugly but people swear by them so I’ve been interested in giving them a shot. Luckily, Amazon is full of Birkenstock knock offs and I got me this pair. I’m like 96% sure they sent me the wrong color but I’m not that bothered about it because these shoes are surprisingly nice for a fraction of the price of the originals. I’m HOPEFULLY starting to wind down on the break-in period because that shit has been no joke…my arches aren’t that great so the insole was rubbing and it left me with a few blisters on both feet so be warned. But when the rubbing isn’t happening these sandals are pretty comfortable so if you’re willing to live through the bad for a few wears, the good might be worth it.
- I’ve always had a mild obsession with rattan bags for which I blame Rose on the Golden Girls who was always carrying around these cool rattan clutch bags that I desperately wanted to find. Well I finally bought a rattan of my own! This crossbody bag is a unique round shape (unique to me at least cause I’ve never owned a round bag before) that has one main compartment to throw your essentials into. It’s not a giant bag by any means but I love the look of it and it feels perfect for the summer months. The only problem is that in my search for this beautiful bag I’ve discovered even more rattan bags I want to add to my budding collection!
Miscellaneous
Seeing Vaccinated Friends
- Vaccines man, ya know I love them! And I’m beyond hyped that all of my friends are fully vaccinated too so we were finally able to all meet up for the first time in a year when my friend Steve came home for the weekend. The eight of us headed to a shelter at one of the local parks, brought snacks and drinks, and just hung out for four hours catching up and enjoying getting to be in each other’s physical presence. It was awesome! You should def get a vaccine and give it a shot.
How’d April go for you? Find any sweet shit you want to share? You know the drill, tell us about it in the comments below!