Blogmopolitan - Shaken, Not Stirred

Sometimes someone comes up with a really great idea and the only appropriate response is "why didn't I think of that?!".. Well, Erin a few months back came up with a really great idea. It's called The Blogmopolitan Quiz. Ya know, like the quizzes in the Cosmopolitan magazines that celebrities do? Yea, it's like that but for bloggers and it's damn genius.

I participated during her 2nd Blogmopolitan Quiz and now she's here with round 3 (if you click on this link you can find a blank quiz for yourself!) and it's also fantastic, dangit. My favorite part is going to Erin's link up and clicking around and reading everyone else's quizzes. Because I'm nosey. So if you need me today, that's where I'll be..

Also, it's #backthatazzup Friday so here's a recent jam that I've been digging a lot lately.. A lot, a lot.

On repeat. All day long.

"but mama raised me good, mama raised me riiiiiiight.."

Loved It Or Loathed It? My Vegas List

What happens in Vegas.. Ends up on my blog.

I can't remember if I mentioned the reason for this Vegas trip. This Vegas trip was for my baby sister's 21st birthday.

So you could say it was her best birthday ever.

On the plane ride home I started thinking about Vegas and compiling a mental list of things I absolutely loved and things I didn't really like as much. Since Vegas is a pretty popular vacation destination, I decided to share my list. Of course, these are my own bullshit opinions, but you should read them anyway, because.. Pictures. And also, take pity on me and just read it.

Loved It
>> There are so many things to see and do in Vegas. So many things. Even if you don't like to gamble or don't like to drink, there are a hundred ways you could fill your days and nights. There's so much to do and see in Vegas that if someone was there and said they were bored, you have my permission to smack them upside the head.

>> Bellagio fountains. I loved them so much! Well, first I should mention that the Bellagio was my favorite hotel/casino that I got to see. But the fountain shows are out of this world and so fun. At night they have a new show every 10-15 minutes with music and water shooting up everywhere and yes. Loved everything about that.

>> The dry heat. This is a personal thing, because I live in Indiana and we deal with a humidity problem. So in the summer my hair frequently can't handle the humidity and just gets.. unreasonable. My hair loved Vegas. Loved it. It was so glorious. Also, 107* in Vegas is not the same as 107* in Indiana. The difference is almost mind boggling.

>> When you're gambling at a casino, you get free drinks. Well, $1 drinks, because you should always tip them a dollar, but basically a free drink. As many as you want, so.. yea, fun.
>> There are so many things that are exclusively "Vegas". By that I mean that there are so many stores, so many restaurants, so many architectural structures that are only in Vegas. I mean honestly there are just hundreds and hundreds of things that you won't see anywhere except for in Vegas and I love special things like that.
>> Constant entertainment. There are mini shows everywhere, in every hotel/casino or things constantly happening. Nothing stops, no one sleeps, it's crazy!
>> The open container laws! I don't know about other cities and such, but I know that here in Indiana you can't walk out of a bar or restaurant or casino carrying a beer and you can't just walk around on the streets drinking a vodka tonic. In Vegas that's totally legit and pretty much expected. It was so weird for me and completely hard for me to understand. You get a drink in one casino and can walk to another casino drinking it, then put that glass down in that casino. Such a hard concept for me to grasp.

>> Winning. I got a little too excited when I won $20. One time I won $200 and about lost my shit. Winning is fun.

Loathed It
>> There are so many things to see and do in Vegas. I know I said I loved this, but a little piece of me hated it too, because we had some FULL days. We filled our days to the brim and I still feel like we missed out on so much. It's kind of insane how much longer my list of things I didn't do is than my list of things we did do. You could easily go to Vegas 50 times and barely scratch the surface. Which is kind of cool, but also a little bit of a bummer.
>> Casinos and hotels in Vegas allow smoking inside the buildings. I'm not a smoker and I don't particularly like smoking, so that got to be quite annoying. Everything kind of always smells like smoke and you're constantly sitting at a slot machine next to someone who is smoking. Some hotels/casinos did a decent job of pumping fresh air in (i guess that's what they were doing) so you couldn't tell as bad, but for the most part everything always reeked of smoke. I was ready to get home and wash my clothes (which smell like smoke) and breathe some real fresh air.
>> I paid $6 for a water bottle and that just grinded my gears, so I'm mentioning it now. The water also tasted like shitty tap water.
>> Losing. As fun as winning is, losing sucks just as much. I mean, obviously.

Other than those things listed above, I really can't think of too much else to say except that I definitely, without a doubt, think that everyone should Vegas at least once in their lifetime. Just to experience a different world, if nothing else. Because it definitely is its own little world out there in the middle of the desert.

OH, my only other actual comment involves children. Vegas is just not a family vacation type of place for anyone under 21. It just really isn't. Maybe I'm particularly salty because I was hit with a stroller more than once which made me incredibly cranky, but I don't think kids have any business being in a place like that. Especially since they won't be able to fully enjoy it and neither will you. So it's a waste of cash money.
That's my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.
I'm kind of hoping you leave it, because I could always use the 2 cents. #BrokeAsAJoke

FYI - I'm Alive.. And Home

Wait, what day is it?

In case you missed it or in case you're living under a rock, I've been in Vegas. I arrived back in Indiana late last night and this time zone bologna has really got me screwed up. Also, being in Vegas Thursday through Monday has me screwed up. But you'll have that.

I had intended to write a little review of sorts (but not quite a recap because you don't like that ish) about Vegas for today, HOWEVER, my sister and my Ma have some photos on their cellular devices that I would like to get ahold of and I am unable to do so at this time. Which is putting my Vegas post off until tomorrow. Honestly, when does my life going according to plan? I mean, really?

#nofilter, bro

I am happy to report that things should start to level out and return to "normal" now.

Last night when I wasn't sleeping, because time zones are a bia bia, I had a random stroke of inspiration and scribbled several blog posts down in a good old fashioned notebook. I'm excited because some of those darn scribbles were really good ideas, which should mean some really promising blog posts coming your way.

I'm feeling generous since I came to class fairly unprepared today, so here's a sneak peek of what is to come..

>> 2 new recipes
>> A new edition to Man Candy! (previous editions - Actors Edition and British Edition)
>> A peak at my To-Read bookshelf
>> 21 day fix anyone?
>> How I blog
>> Another Vlog?
>> A FAQ post

Speaking of FAQ..
I have a few questions that I get asked a lot and I've addressed some of them and others I've just never gotten around to dealing with, but I figured I'd make one big post about it. So, if you have any questions, legitimate or random as hell (please submit ridiculously random ones, please please please) then now is your time to get them answered! Comment below or you can email me privately (kstoll129@gmail.com).

Okay, short and sweet today while I get back out of vacation mode again. These last few weeks have kicked my booty, I tell you what!
Happy Monday.. err.. Tuesday..

Things I Really, Really Needed To Share With You

I have important shit to throw at you today.

Now I'm laughing a little because "important shit" is almost an oxymoron, right? If it's "important" then should I really refer to it as "shit"? Probably not.

Why don't I just erase that opening sentence and start over? Why am I writing like this is a diary and I'm talking to myself? Life's greatest mysteries, kids. Don't try to understand me.

This post has already gotten out of hand. I've said shit three four times and I'm having conversations with myself and you're all probably out there talking shit crap about me and saying things like "why doesn't she just get to the point? why is she rambling like a psycho? why am I reading this?".

HAHAH, I crack myself up.
So, anyway, I'm probably not alone in this, but I have so many things bookmarked on my computer. Any good article I've read or something I want to remember, I just bookmark it. For some reason the last 2 weeks I've bookmarked a ton of things with the intention of tweeting them out at random times because I think people NEED to read/watch these.

Problem is that I always forget to tweet them. However, these are things I really want to share with everyone and I think they're worth your time to check them out. Seriously. So damnit, this is my blog and I'm going to force feed you guys these links/articles/videos and you're going to like it!

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If for some strange reason you haven't listened to Sam Smith's version of Whitney Houston's How Will I Know, then you need to do that, immediately. Such a good cover of such a good song!

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I came across this awesome blog post by Nicole Antoinette about how it's okay to be a beginner. I can't even tell you how much I needed to read this article. This is so well written and so motivating and I so recommend reading it! I was blown away by some of the points she made and I have quoted her article out loud multiple times since reading it. There is no shame in being a beginner.

Also Nicole's bio starts off with "I'm Nicole Antoinette, and I'm obsessed with helping you build a bullshit-free life" and that's all it took for me to want to read every post she's ever written, ever.

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Next up I want to point you all in the direction of Elite Daily. The brand themselves on being "The Voice of Generation Y".. Which is us. I've become slightly in love with this website, so there isn't necessarily a specific article I want to point your toward, but more of just toward the website as a whole. It's got a little bit of everything, including real and actual news.

But it doesn't stop there. They have so many different things that I can't even go into them all, but I'm telling you that you should at the very least check them out. There's humor, there's current events, and there's also a lot of articles about things people actually want to know. Honestly, it's a little like having a ton of really, really good blog posts in one spot. I check Elite Daily every day.

It has my stamp of approval.
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I've mentioned this guy before, but I'm going to mention him again, kind of. Joe Santagato is funny. Rude and inappropriate, but really funny. Every Thursday he does a podcast with Kate Wolff (who is a stand-up comedian and mom and funny as shit) and I listened to them all last week (there are only like 3) and I laughed a lot.

I'm telling you right now, if you are easily offended then this podcast isn't for you, at all. However, if you aren't easily offended and you don't mind listening to 40 minutes of people talking about sex and drugs, then this is for you. Also, bonus, there should be a new podcast today since it's Thursday.

I'm throwing another disclaimer on here because I just know that someone is going to listen to a podcast and then send me hate mail. So listen to me - If things like talking about 69 or talking about taking a girls virginity and getting a receipt for it so you can return it offends you, then don't listen. I'm not kidding, this is not a drill, there is not joke here. I think it's funny because I take it for what it is, which is a joke. They're comedians. But if you can't handle the heat, then get out of the kitchen.

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I actually have a lot of other things I want to throw at you guys, but I leave for Vegas in a few hours and I haven't finished packing and my sister has been blowing up my phone and I have a lot of things that need done.. Like now.
So, I'll force feed you guys things I like another time.

Much love.
Peace and sisterhood and all that jazz.
Vegas, here we commeeeeeee