Laces Optional

When I first saw the behind-the-scenes pics/video of Richard filming ‘Berlin Station’ wearing Converse brand All Star sneakers without laces, I was intrigued.

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how did they stay on without slipping if there were no laces? I’ve worn similar shoes throughout the years and when I leave them untied, they flop around all over the place! over the next few days whenever I saw these pics of Richard in the shoes, I would ponder. then I saw a candid of Christian Bale in Converse brand All Star sneakers without laces

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…what? this was too much of a coincidence. off to Google! and what I found is that Converse now makes ‘Chuck Taylor All Star Slips’

 

The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Slip offers our iconic Oxford silhouette, but renders laces optional with an effortless, slip on design. Easy on, easy off. The washed canvas gives it a well-worn, lived in look. The classic All Star heel patch, vulcanized rubber sole, brushed metal eyelets, reinforced rubber toe cap, padded footbed and cultural authenticity remain intact.

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and now it all makes sense! Just another day in the life of a fangirl.

 

What? Who? Richard?!

I was finally able to get my husband to sit down with me this past weekend and watch the first episode of Hannibal that Richard is in. the episode was a bit of a prelude, bridging past storylines to future ones, so a lot was lost on us– I’ve read the first few chapters of the book and have seen a few episodes from the first season, so I knew enough to get us through. 

important thing to remember: Francis likes to exercise in his underwear
important plot point: Francis likes to exercise in his underwear

Husband’s reaction:I didn’t realize he had such a noticeable scar, has it always been that pronounced?” What? Who?  your guy, Richard or whatever“. first- Husband knows darn well what Richard’s name is. you can say it out loud, it won’t hurt you!

Richard *BAM!* Armitage *POW!*
Richard *BAM!* Armitage *POW!*

 

second- it’s not like Husband hasn’t watched Richard before. we watch all three Hobbit movies regularly, he’s seen the Strike Back episodes that Richard is in and The Vicar of Dibley ones too. he’s even watched all three seasons of Lucas North with me…

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feeling defensive at my reaction to his question, Husband replied “well, I don’t spend all day looking at his face like you do!” while this may be true, one would think a massive lip scar would be memorable. I’m chalking this up to the talent of Hannibal’s make-up department, instead of Husband subconsciously blocking out Richard’s face.

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Son’s reaction (he walked by and unexpectedly got pulled into watching): he loved the crime scene reenactment. the way Will sees what is presently there and then switches to an overlay showing what happened there previously. the way the blood trajectory was mapped out with red string was cool but do they really do that at crime scenes? seems like a waste of string when the same could be done a lot easier with some kind of computer program.

 

Son lost interest after that and went back to gaming, where he’s an arms dealer with a temper. I keep telling him that he can’t just shoot everyone that annoys him. the customer is always right! 

sure, I can get that Glock for you in purple. no problem!
sure, I can get that Glock for you in purple, no problem!

My reaction:Hannibal’s accent is hard to understand. the cannibal innuendos were kind of gross, as was Will’s cabin-so many dogs, so many soft fleshy dog bellies. 

oh no! not the dog bellies!
no! not the dog bellies!

if Francis had only had access to a home computer, he could have thrown all of that drive and creativity into photoshopping and fanvids. Bryan Fuller’s gain is 1D fandom’s loss.

Zayn 4eva!
Zayn 4eva!

and, of course, we can’t forget my most prominent reaction: must control breathing while watching exercise scenes with husband. do not blush, do not blush!

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so when the discussion among us turned to which movies starred Laurence Fishburne and which ones Samuel L. Jackson (a common mix-up it seems, though Laurence will always be “Stokes” from Cadence to me), I eagerly joined in. Blush is still visible: deflect, deflect! 

hey, Honey! look at this new chair!
hey, Honey! look at this new chair!

Do You Want Fries with That?

While on a roadtrip recently to visit with family, we stopped for lunch and ended up getting into a political debate. Surprisingly it wasn’t just my husband and I that were debating, our two children joined in as well. Between the four of us, we were getting quite loud and I had to remind my family that were weren’t the only ones in the restaurant. This brought to mind a certain quote from an interview of Richard’s:

 

“I find New Yorkers incredibly engaging. They’re like Parisians …cool and confrontational, in a good way, in a good way, like they like a good debate. …you walk into a restaurant and it’s not full of people silently sitting in front of each other like it can be in England; it’s full of people pointing fingers in each other’s faces having a really good political debate, or whatever.”

 

Our debate took place in a Midwestern McDonald’s but that seems fitting, in an All-American kind of way.

we need a burglar, not a hamburglar!
I said we needed a burglar, not Hamburglar!

 

It was kind of ironic seeing as how I’d spent the majority of the trip trying to avoid controversial discussions, as I always do during gatherings with extended family. So it struck me as funny that it came pouring out over a quick meal of cheeseburgers with my husband and kids. I guess I feel safest with them and know that whatever I say won’t cause them to treat me differently afterwards.

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no, you do! (feel the love)

 

Once upon a time I’d throw my opinions in the ring with the best of them, but I always walked away feeling badly. I let my passions get the best of me and either offended who I was conversing with or walked away feeling bitter because I was offended myself.

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These days I prefer more an exchange of ideas rather than an actual debate. I don’t need to be right but I do need my conversation partners to be willing to entertain various viewpoints.

Big Mac, Fillet-o-Fish, Quarter-Pounder, French Fries, icy Coke, thick shakes, Sundaes and Apple Pie...
Goofy is a dog that acts like a person, yet he has a pet dog named Pluto. should I go with an animal cruelty angle or civil rights?

 

All in all, I try to bow out of heated discussions during Holiday get-togethers whenever (and however) possible.

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The risk to personal relationships, not to mention my own peace of mind, isn’t worth it to me in the long run. If you need me, I’ll be at the kid’s table; the “grown up” table is overrated.

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What’s What

My husband was watching a DVR’d episode of “Agents of Shield” recently and I decided to watch along. Most of the time I only half pay attention, usually occupying myself with something near by within hearing distance- it gets confusing trying to follow who is good, then bad, then good again. I know enough to be able to follow the storyline though so I wasn’t totally lost. At one point in the program I noticed these guys in a picture that was hanging on the wall:

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I perked up and said, “hey, those guys are from the first movie!” (Captain America: the first Avenger) to which my husband backed up the program to see if I was right (18 years of marriage and he still doubts me. when is he going to learn?) Then the characters in the show started talking about fighting Hydra and how they were going to take them down even if it might seem like a never ending battle. to which I said…

-say it with me-

Cut off one head…two more shall take it’s place.

Hail Hydra!

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Then I felt all proud of my geeky self. see, I know what’s what! (thanks Richard!)

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this is what, and then some…