5 Fandom Friday: Characters I Would Name My Fur Babies After

February 27, 2015 Nina Penalosa5 Comments

Before I became a ~~dog owner~~ fur baby’s mama, I always fantasized about naming my future pups after public figures — a Pomeranian named Coco Chanel, a Welsh Corgi named Winston Churchill, and a French Bulldog named Jacque Cousteau. And all the names I came up with for my phantom children were all from TV shows — Chandler from Friends, Lucca from ER, and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls. However, I decided 5 years ago that I don’t want children of my own, and NO, I will not change my mind about it!

Since the original post for this week’s 5 Fandom Friday is “Characters I Would Name My Kids After,” I decided to tweak it a bit and talk about characters I would totally name my future puppies after. As you all know, I have my Rory who was named after Rory Williams from Doctor Who. 🙂

The other name I considered for Rory was Simon, as in Simon Tam from Firefly. The name Rory ultimately won out because I was very hellbent on naming him after someone from Doctor Who, and didn’t care that my family thought the name was “ugly.”

Anyhow, here are the names of characters I would name my fur babies after:

1. Alfred Pennyworth from Batman

Don’t tell Rory, but I adore Mini Schnauzers! They’re one of my most favorite dog breeds because they look like little old men. I decided many years ago that when I do eventually get a Schnauzer baby I will name him after Bruce Wayne’s trusty butler, Alfred Pennyworth. I’ll call him Alfie for short too! 🙂

Fun Fact: Michael Caine has played both Alfred Pennyworth in the The Dark Knight trilogy and the titular role of Alfie.

2. Andy Dwyer from Parks & Recreation

Andy Dwyer is basically a Yellow Labrador Retriever in human form, so Andy is quite a fitting name for a pup! I don’t necessarily want to get a Yellow Lab and name him Andy. I think the name would work for any kind of pup, as long as it had a really silly personality.

3. Burton “Chocolate Thunder” Guster from Psyche

If I were to get a Chocolate Lab, his name would be Guster, but Gus for short and I’d also call him Chocolate Thunder because DUH. Chocolate Lab. In every episode of Psyche, whenever Shaun introduces Gus he always gives him a really silly name, Chocolate Thunder being one of them. I don’t remember which episode it was, but after I watched it I told myself that one day I will get a Chocolate Lab and name it after Gus and also bestow him with the nickname “Chocolate Thunder.”

4. Joan Holloway from Mad Men

I’m more of a boy-dog person, and I think that’s only because I can only ever think of boy names that I like. But one day I’d love to have a fluffy daughter because seeing all the girly things at pet stores drives me mad! I like the name Joan, as in Joan Holloway (I know her last name is Harris now, but i reject it), for a girl pup. She’s my favorite character on Mad Men, and I think her name is suitable for a fluffy little lass. I’d also call her Joanie. 🙂

5. Zoe Washburne from Firefly

Zoe is another name I like for a little girl pup. And if I named my fluffy daughter Zoe, her namesake would be Zoe Washburne from Firefly, of course! Zoe is a BAMF. All the characters I listed are BAMF! So I guess it’s a rule of thumb that all my dog sons and daughters are to be named after fictional BAMFs. 🙂

Bonus Name: Oliver “Ollie” Queen from Arrow:

I started watching Arrow a couple weeks ago — I’m all done with season 2, but I have no idea where to go to watch season 3. WAAAH!!! But anyhow, I love the name Oliver (Ollie for funsies) and think it’s such a good name for a dog! If I had a fur baby named Ollie, I’d dress him up in green sweaters too 😀

Do you have any fur babies named after your favorite character? Or what characters would you name your fur babies after? Tell me in the comments section!

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and SuperSpaceChick to catch up with the latest prompts!

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Sweater Puppies

February 24, 2015 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

A few years ago, I came across this Lady & the Tramp pullover from H&M while browsing #ladyandthetramp on Instagram. There were soooo many selfies of ladies wearing it and exclaiming how much they loved it, and I was stabbed multiple times with sharp pangs of jealousy.

I HAD TO HAVE IT.

Lady & the Tramp has always been one of my favorite Disney movies, and my obsession with novelty pullovers was (and still is) very strong. I dropped many unsubtle hints to my boyfriend at the time that I wanted it for Christmas. He was unable to find it, so I called thirteen (yes, thirteen) different H&M locations that were within forty-five minutes to an hour and a half away from me, but had no luck! I talked a little bit about how horribly I wanted it on this blog post from a couple years back. The desperation was no joke.

I figured all hope was lost and it would never be mine, so I just gave up on it. I mean, it’s just a pullover, right? Or “jumper,” if you live somewhere that has better slang than America. Later that year I randomly decided to look it up on eBay and there it was! And in my size!!! It was almost fate — the only problem was that the seller was based in the UK and her listing for it said “No international orders.” I messaged her anyway, telling her my sob story about how I’ve searched high and low for it and if she would please let me bid on it. Obviously, she was an angel because here I am wearing it in these outfit photos. 😀

As much as I love it, I can’t help but feel slightly weird about how mighty my need for it was. I stalked the auction for it like someone stalks the Facebook profile (or Tumblr or Instagram) of someone they have a crush on. When it finally got down to the last few minutes of the auction, my body was literally shaking. Shaking. Who the fresh hell shakes with anticipation over a damn piece of clothing? Apparently, I do. But… LOOK AT HOW PERFECT IT IS!

Have any of you ever gone completely insane for a materialistic item, or stalked an eBay auction like a lion hunts its prey? Lemme know in the comments!

cheers

pullover: H&M (no longer available) // necklace: Macy’s
shoes: American Eagle (buy similar here) // dress: ???
glasses: ModCloth (buy here)

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The Funday Post

February 22, 2015 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

♥ I meant to post this on the last Funday Post I did, but Jennifer Landa had the classiest Star Wars wedding!

♥ The ladies of Buzzfeed get glammed up red carpet style.

♥ This pug reenacts the Best Picture nominees:

♥ Which Toy Story Character Are You? Apparently I’m Trixie, but I’ve always related to Rex.

♥ Demetria Skye has some of the most adorable Baymax fan art!

♥ Which Hot Alien is Your Soulmate? The Doctor is mine! GERONIMO!!!

♥ Disney magic at its finest:

♥ Very Troubled Child has the most amazing Wes Anderson inspired accessories.

♥ A lazy girl’s guide to Victory Rolls? Yes please!

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My Whole30 Journey

February 20, 2015 Nina Penalosa13 Comments

If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you might know that I did the Whole30 diet. I started on January 19 and finished on February 17, and lost a total of 12lbs! I forgot to measure my belly, hips, and thighs, so I have no idea how many inches I lost, but oh well!

So, what exactly is the Whole30? It’s a diet that is supposed to help you reset your body, aid you in changing your relationship with food, and help get rid of health ailments (inflammation, heart burn, acne, etc). I first heard about it on Diana’s blog Our City Lights (go figure, I find out most things from her), and after she finished she posted the most amazing before and after shot on her Instagram account. Naturally, I became very curious about the Whole30 after that.

I love food, but my relationship with it has always had a bit of a Sid and Nancy vibe (re: volatile). I’m an emotional eater with a sweet tooth that won’t quit. I’m also a bonafide cereal killer — I could kill a whole box of Lucky Charms in one day if I wanted to (this is why I avoid Lucky Charms and opt for Honey Nut Cheerios and Special K). So when I looked into what the Whole30 was all about after reading how successful Diana was with it, I thought I should give it a go. The Whole30 diet has you eliminate dairy (cheese, milk, ice cream, yogurt), legumes (peanut butter!), and refined sugar (practically in everything I love) for 30 days — it’s like an extreme, strictly Paleo diet.

The first two weeks were rough! I felt totally fine on day 1, but then I had the worst stomach cramps. Apparently, it’s natural for your body to react that way during the first week or so because your body is like, “Ugh. The fuck is this?! It’s all natural and healthy. Where are those sammiches, girl?!” And I would’ve totally been prepared for that if I read It Starts With Food all the way through before starting my Whole30 — read that book if you decide to do your own Whole30, it explains everything you need to know about it and its benefits and all that good stuff! I was just way too eager to begin my Whole30. Don’t be like me! Read and plan it out first!

The Whole30 forced me to prepare food for myself, rather than relying on take-out or pre-made food that just needs to be heated. I’m SUPER lazy when it comes to food. I mean… yes, I LOVE to eat it, but I loathe cooking. I find it to be horrendously boring, but I know it’s necessary. Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausages, and the turkey, chicken lime, and grassfed beef patties at Trader Joe’s have all been my saviors during the Whole30! And the 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s made everything tastier. Like I said before, I’m super lazy in the kitchen, so if you’re like me it’s totally possible to get through the Whole30. 🙂

Anyway, my reasons for wanting to try out the Whole30 are pretty much the same reasons why anyone wants to lose weight: to be healthy and to feel more confident about their physical appearance. I’ve been taking kickboxing classes since last May, and I’ve only seen the results in my toned calves and bum. Other than that, my belly was still super bloated as well as every other body part. Relying on exercise obviously isn’t the key, and I knew that I had to step up and be more mindful of the food I ate (or didn’t eat, because I probably only ever ate two meals a day). All my ailments always relate to stress too. I’ve been suffering from stress induced acid reflux for the last 8 years, my skin began to breakout regularly after me and my ex broke up over a year ago, and I’ve been more on edge and prone to multiple anxiety attacks. Blugh! Since doing the Whole30, I haven’t had any acid reflux problems and my skin is slowly starting to get clear again. My disposition isn’t quite sunny, but I’ve been feeling less angsty and moody lately. I’m also a bit more energetic. When I went to my kickboxing class on Tuesday, I was actually able to make through a few rounds of burpees! 🙂

Giving up all the junky comfort food I love wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be. In fact, my cravings for sweets has calmed down. I ate a cookie the day after I finished and I was totally content with just eating one, rather than scarfing down the whole bag that my friend made for me.

However, this gif sums up how I felt 50% of the time…

Seriously. Pizza HAUNTED me. One day I came home from work and found a coupon for pizza taped to the door, right on the damn keyhole! And then my mom asked me to pick up pizza one night too, but then she realized how mean that was. And then National Pizza Day happened on the 9th and it was ALL OVER my Instagram feed! Ugh. And the only compliant places you can go to while on this diet are Chipotle (salad w/carnitas, salsa, and guacamole) or In-N-Out (protein style, tomato, fried mustard). On Galentine’s Day we went to Roam Artisan Burger in San Francisco so I could avoid Chipotle and In-N-Out.

Shanice and Jen also did the Whole30 with me, so we’re going out for pizza tonight to celebrate. Huzzah!

I’m really glad that I did the Whole30 and stuck with it. Even though I’m going out for pizza tonight, I’m planning on sticking with this new lifestyle change with the occasional “cheat” meal because life without cookies and cheese is not a life worth living.

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Le Femme Geek

February 18, 2015 Nina Penalosa8 Comments

I can’t believe Agent Carter is already going to have its season finale next Tuesday. UGH! And Parks & Rec is having their SERIES finale, but that’s an entirely different post! DOUBLE UGH.

I really hope that Agent Carter gets renewed for a second season because I need more Peggy Carter in life. Speaking of which, Barbara of You Fancy Me Mad is hosting a giveaway for one of my Peggy Carter necklaces on her blog! It’s open to all US residents, so be sure to check it out and enter here if you want to carry a bit of Peggy wherever you go. 😀

Anyhow, as you may have noticed this is an outfit post! Yeah, I know, I haven’t done one since my birthday. I’m working on it, I swear.

I picked up this Avengers icon dress from Her Universe during their Black Friday sale last November, and got it for 50% off. SCORE! I love how subtle it is with all the Avengers logos splayed all over it like a polka-dot pattern, and I can pretty much pair it with any pop of color I want. I usually wear it with a green cardigan and pair it with a Loki necklace, but I looked at it hanging in my closet one day and thought, “That would look hella cute with a pink motorcycle jacket!” Except, I don’t own a pink motorcycle jacket, so my pale pink cardigan (that I’ve had for 4 years) would have to suffice. Then I added my Peggy Carter necklace, put a rose clip in my hair, and threw one some black ballet flats, and VOILA! Super femme geek!

I really like the way this outfit turned out because it made me feel like a fancy geek. Ha! See what I did there? Te-he 😉

cheers

dress: Her Universe (buy here) // cardigan: Forever 21 (no longer available)
glasses: ModCloth (buy here) // necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique (buy here)
hair pin: H&M (no longer available) // shoes: White Mountain (buy here)

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5 Fandom Friday: Favorite Fictional Female Besties

February 13, 2015 Nina Penalosa18 Comments

Hey my little ponies! Today marks a very special holiday that Parks & Recreation, my favorite show EVER, has introduced to the world: Galentine’s Day! The original prompt for this week’s installment of 5 Fandom Friday was to list our favorite fictional couples that we ship. But In honor of this momentous holiday, I’m going to be listing my top 5 favorite fictional female besties instead 😀

Have you not seen Parks & Rec and don’t know what Galentine’s Day is? LE GASP. It’s on Netflix, so you have no excuse to not watch it. I don’t care if you’re a busy woman. YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS SHOW. But here’s a little snippet that explains exactly what Galentine’s Day is all aboot:

Without further ado, here are five of my favorite fictional female besties!

1. Ann Perkins & Leslie Knope

A post inspired by Galentine’s Day would be nothing if I didn’t list Ann and Leslie as one of my favorite female bestie duos! Ann loves Leslie even though she can be overbearing and intense, but Leslie just has so much love to give and she means well, which Ann knows and that’s why their friendship works. Plus Ann knows exactly what to do when Leslie needs someone, especially when Ben fails at it. Remember when she stopped them both from getting tattoos by the skeevy pawnshop guy? YOU HAD ONE JOB, BEN!

2. Abbi Abrams & Ilana Wexler

I love Broad City soooo much and these girls are effing fearless! Ilana constantly reminds me that I need to tell my girlfriends that they all have the ass of an angel. She’s extremely complimentary of Abbi, and Ilana even unclogged Abbi’s toilet after she took a dump during a blackout and got rid of the poop when Abbi’s crush/neighbor came over. I mean, THAT is love and a level of friendship I will probably never get to, because poop.

3. Daria Morgendorffer & Jane Lane

300px-Dariajane

Misery loves company, which is why I love Jane and Daria. It’s the basis of their whole friendship! They’re full of snark and wit, and know the true value of pizza. These two definitely set a standard for what I looked for in a friend as a youngin’. Not sure what that says about me, but there ya go.

4. Cher Horowitz & Dionne Davenport

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Another ’90s bestie duo that I love dearly! I watched this movie when I was just a little third grader, and I thought Cher and Di were so cool. Sure, they had their shallow and stuck up moments, but they did help bring Miss Geist and Mr. Hall together, and gave the newbie Tai a total makeover with no hidden agenda. And Di never made fun of Cher for being a virgin who can’t drive. Way harsh, Tai. That’s why you’re not on the list. 😛

5. The ladies of The Golden Girls

Watching The Golden Girls now as an adult shows me that friendships pretty much stays the same no matter how old you are. We’ll still talk about boys, things we hope to accomplish, get into silly shenanigans, and solve problems with cheesecake and ice cream. That’s why I love these ladies!

Happy Galentine’s Day!!! Who are your favorite fictional female besties?

cheers

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and SuperSpaceChick to catch up with the latest prompts!

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The Funday Post

February 8, 2015 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

♥ Marvel is going to have an all female Avengers team called A-Force! Step up with your lady characters, DC.

♥ Which Broad City Character Are You? quiz. I got Abbi, my fave!

♥ The Dating Divas created some super geeky Valentine’s Day cards! They’re “man approved” but I don’t see why you can’t give some of them to your girlfriends.

♥ Zach Braff and Telly explain “anxious” on Sesame Street!

♥ Amanda Jean talks about Bambi and shows how to make a super cute felt flower headband.

♥ All the festivities happening for Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration look sooo magically amazing!

♥ 37 books every creative person should read. So far I own two of them. 🙂

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5 Fandom Friday: My Favorite Funko Pop! Figures

February 6, 2015 Nina Penalosa10 Comments

A friend of mine once asked how many Funko Pop! vinyl figures I own, and I had to stop and think about it for a good 2 minutes. I lost track of all the figures I own, but I know it’s well over 20! With so many choices, how am I supposed to narrow down my top 5 favorite for this week’s 5 Fandom Friday?! I tried my best to not list all my Disney ones to make the list more diverse, but alas. A good majority of my collection are Disney characters (because I’m the biggest Disnerd, duh!).

1. Baymax

My Baymax figure is the biggest figure I own! My friend Jen got him for me for Christmas (he was originally supposed to be my birthday present) and she was super anxious to give it to me because she knew I would most likely buy it for myself. And I nearly did buy him! I put him on hold at Barnes & Noble, and then she had to keep telling me NOT to buy him. It took me a minute to figure out why. Haha!

2. Snow White

Snow White is my favorite princess, and one of the first Disney Pops I ever purchased (my very first Pop! figure would be Batman). I went pretty crazy when they came out the first Disney series — I got Maleficent, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Sulley along with Snow White. But Snow’s the fairest Pop! of them all! I found a set with 3 mini Disney princess figures that had a lil’ Snow White, so now I have two. 😀

3. Mary Poppins

I fangirl’d sooo hard when I saw a preview of the Mary Poppins figure a few years ago. I mean, look at her! She’s practically perfect in every way. 😉 Whoever designed her just completely nailed every little detail from her hat to her umbrella. Perfection!

4. Robb Stark & Grey Wind

Okay, this is technically two, but I’m counting them as one because I feel that I can’t have one without the other. I got Robb at SDCC, and was on a mad hunt to find his dire wolf, Grey Wind. I didn’t know that Grey Wind was a 7-11 exclusive though (I could’ve sworn I saw him at Barnes & Noble when I still worked there), so he proved to be quite a challenge to acquire for a price below $50. I eventually found him at Stockton-Con, and he is the most priciest Pop! vinyl I own (I haggled and got him for $30). I DID IT FOR YOU, ROBB.

5. Loki

I’m sooo happy that Funko came out with another Loki figure with the pointy helmet! I wasn’t really crazy about the one sans helmet, and the first Loki figure they came out with is way too ‘spensive online, and his helmet wasn’t even gold. This one is just fantastic!

What are some of your favorite Pop! vinyls? Have you lost count of your collection like me? Lemme know in the comments!

cheers

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and SuperSpaceChick to catch up with the latest prompts!

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Everyday Cosplay: Peggy Carter

February 4, 2015 Nina Penalosa8 Comments

blouse: ModCloth // skirt: ModCloth // clutch: ModCloth
necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique // belt: Fossil // shoes: Bait Footwear

I adored Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger, so of course I’m completely obsessed with Agent Carter! It’s so awesome that Marvel created a show focusing on such a strong, badass mamajama. Are any of you fangirling over it too? Do you want to elbow Agent Chad Michael Murray in the face as much as I do? Did you watch last night’s episode?!?!?! Because OMG OMG OMG.

Putting together an Everyday Cosplay for Peggy was a bit of a challenge at first because I kept flip flopping between different outfits she wore on the show and in the Captain America movie. Do I stick with her neutral military ensembles, or her sharp blue suit and red fedora number from Agent Carter? I gravitated towards the simple neutral pallet of her military uniform and found some items on ModCloth, such as a the cream blouse, olive skirt, and postcard clutch, to pull the look together. The postcard clutch says “Make up for last time” — it kind of reminded me of when Steve promised her a dance as his plane was plummeting, and he obviously couldn’t keep it because… well, he turned into a popsicle. I’M SORRY I WENT THERE. 😥

I also included a Steve Rogers pendant that just got added to Le Fancy Geek Boutique! I’ve also added a Peggy Carter necklace that comes in two different color ways — one features the same cream lace background as the Steve Rogers pendant, and the other has a maroon floral background.

If you’re fangirling like somethin’ fierce over Agent Carter like I am, leave a comment so we can start fangirling together!

PS: If you’d like to purchase a Peggy Carter or Steve Rogers necklace, be sure to use code GALENTINE15 to save 10% off your purchase! Good until Feb. 14.