juxtapose

Tonight I actually found myself both sad and thankful in the same breath, which is a puzzling contradiction. As my 3 tumblr followers know I have recently celebrated my 30th birthday, and with such comes certain life reflections. Now I did come to terms with the fact that I early this year had to call off an engagement and go back to square one of single life (robotic celibate life i mean you gosh darn dog men) but one thing I do regret is the fact that I was about ready to start a family, and well now that's really not an option but that's getting off topic, the real thing I want to discuss is the fact that I had an unrealistic standard to compare everything to because somehow, I managed to fandangle myself the best and most amazing family ever.  TRUTH.

I'm not exaggerating, and anyone whose met my family could attest to that. First off, my parents are still together, they have been for like 26 years. My sexy mom saw my dad while he was a racecar mechanic and took one look at his butt and was hooked. True story. But they are the foundation of what Ive come to define as family and relationships.  They got together a la true love and had me, then got married and had my brother and lived in epicosity ever since. They love and respect each other and are still ridiculously cool and totes in love even now. They have fun and they get shit done and its like this beautiful ballet of what a relationship should be (in all those crazy romance stories but real ...not fake and less Matthew Mcconaughey)

Now thats all like made for TV movie cool, but let's real talk... let's even rock talk here. I'm one of the few people I know that can legit hang out with their parents. Like I see my parents a couple times a week really, I just finished a 2 week vacation with them where we partied and laughed and had ridiculous fun. Now I don't mean the extreme where my parents are alcoholics trying to relive glory days of their youth. I'm talking about they are just straight up cool normal people you can sit at a summer BBQ with and have a few beers and have fun. There isn't any weirdness or awkwardness. And the strangest part is, because my parents have always been cool, I'm just now starting to realize that, that isn't the way most people's family behave. That what I think is normal is totally rare. My uncle (dad brother) and aunt were down the last 2 days and the same situation applies to them so I'm left to wonder is it really just my awesome bloodline? Have I been bred for relaxed chillness? Because they are just as friggin cool and awesome.

Hot diggity damn. I had the single greatest day ever. I cant say why.. but it was and honestly it really got me thinking about those important issues....im not coming back the same girl.  also..... im not even going to sully this up with commentary. heres just some awesome pictures... and well... heres to the new day :D :D :D

We decided to go to the mainland today and stir off any island fever with a trip to Pan heads Pizza which according to my pop pop is the best pizza you will ever have. I love pizza... alot so I was ready for this adventure. i wont go into extreme detail here but you can read my review on trip adviser but it was hyped for a reason. It was the single most amazing pizza Ive ever eaten and the ambiance and service were amazing!! I took a picture of my pizza which was a roasted chicken, roasted garlic, bacon, fresh mozzarella and drizzled pesto concoction of awesome. Also I put my fork in the picture because it was obviously shaped like the USS Enterprise ...and thats ballin.

after coming back to the condo to relax for a bit we were gonna build some sandcastles but it was just too damn hot today so that got bumped to after our boat ride to see dolphins and manatees tomorrow. So we rested and then headed over to peanuts for the comedy auction and beer bingo where we all got the best array of weird and unusual objects. My moum got a big bowl with weird animal print balls in it and a welcome flip flop sign for Barb. Nick got a kick ass dolphins in shades poster, a metal dolphin sign and a coconut man chime, Kathy at last weeks auction got some NASCAR memorabilia and  I cashed in large with handmade art from a local artist in the form of a seashell shadowbox and floating fish on a stick, a hersey kisses tin in the form of a bus, and the best object EVER. The crreeeepiest GIANT clown head PEZ dispenser.... yup. I succeeded in my goal. 

So today was the official day of my birthday and it was very chill, which after the shit show party that was the funk dance party at the Om bar the night before we needed that. I started my day with finally getting some sweet bday greetings a la FB but unfortunately no one wrote me that haiku i was secretly hoping for lol. i did however get a gift from rob and Kathy with some of the best wrapping I have ever seen

It was a giant box of wine (people know me). So we went out to have some lunch sandwiches at Manzanos again. I had the best pastrami panini of my life. I feel like I may have to sneak another one of those in before I leave. we wandered  around Flagler ave checking out restaurant menus for my super special amazing birthday dinner i found this awesome lobster cut out! Also I guess there are wild rooster that just wander around here... sweet.

Those are some goddamn beautiful cocks. We stopped at peanuts for a beer and I was made a super special birthday drink. It was delicious.

I settled on That's Amore for my birthday dinner. It was the best italian restaurant Ive ever been to! We just told them in passing it was my brthday and they did the whole singing and free dessert thing even though no one asked them to. thats damn good service. i dont have any pictures of the dinner as we were all so absorbed with putting delicious in our faces. But I do have some of the desserts!

okay so today was awesome. The family went to the rescheduled race this morning and I went shopping and got all my souvenir shopping done. Hope you bitches appreciate that shit. I had lunch at an irish pub alone and relaxed watching billy madison and iron man once the rain hit. Once it stop we were able to all go out for dinner. We went to peanuts(my dads favourite bar) and there was an open mic jam session! it was awesome. full of singalongs and good times. My nephew Nick preformed on bass with some rad dudes. they  did some amazing stuff

there was also this creepy peanut so i took a picture with it cuz thats what i do.

then we went to the Om bar and saw TPTS and it was AMAZBALLS! like seriously an amazing funk band. my favourite was probably the boys to men cover not going to lie... but dancing was fun too.

Today has been pretty relaxed. I started my morning poolside and then ate a lazy breakfast. The neat thing Ive learned about vacation is I seem to be able to do whatever I want with no current repercussions to my body so long asI take a midday nap. The more you know. We did some shopping today both in supplies and for pleasure and in the plaza we were at I found this little gem...

THATS A MUTHAFUCKINBOSSROSSSTUDIOBIATCHS! totally amazing and cool. Unfortunately I couldnt go in but I made myself feel better by shopping at bells ahah it really made me realize Im a horrible gift shopper though, everyone I want to get something for I apologize in advance...its probably going to be tacky...thats just how I roll but hey at least I was thinking about you.

Oh so yesterday was the Independence day celebrations obviously and it looks like some people had a really really good time because this was at eye level in the bush outside our condo....

I personally wouldnt have abandoned such a cute par of underwear but mindless summer holiday weekend passion does something to the brain i guess. On a completely opposite side of romance, I got to see the brick in the sidewalk where moum and pop pop immortalized their love.

And that was pretty darn cute. I can only hope to one day have that kind of lasting and awesome love. Actually I shall get it most definitely when I program my robot boyfriend once Nicole and i launch our new website robotmingle.com. Ballin. To make entering into my 30s single and such seem less lame my pop pop told his favourite local bar about my bday and i have been added to their calender

I intend to go there for drinks after we grab our Manzanos sandwiches (with bread flown in from NYC daily) and partake in happy hour(s) from 11-7 at the ohm bar...Basically on Monday its a party like its 1999 day. Huzzaa! Tonight though the family left me to go back to the races and hopefully wont be rained out so Ive gotten into a big ass bottle of captain morgans that was left here by either the previous tenants or the booze fairies, it may or may not have been spiked with poison or drugs but Im feeling brave and adventurous so im drinking it anyway! Hopefully later when I go out to the beach to build my sand castle city with all my new buckets and shovels purchased today I wont be struck my lightening in this crazy storm that has sprung up lol. Party on Wayne....

LOTS OF PICS!!!!

WOW this day has been awesome! If i knew how much fun I could have not sleeping, I'd do it all the time! So since the next week of pictures will feature more than just me heres a little background.

New Smyrna Beach Players:

My parentals herein named moum and pop pop. My brother Rob, his wife Kathy and their son Nick. And of course me :) I'll leave you all to figure out whose who lol. Oh and today is mostly pictures.

So I got up at 3am to get ready and make it to the terminal by 4am. Way too early morning terminal selfies.

Then after I bought us a 20 dollar breakfast of water a banana a muffin and a yogurt (eff you airport prices) we bored and got into the air. Id just like to point out that I was amazing. Im a horrible flyer and yet i had not one anxiety attack. Go Me! the free wifi TV on my ipod might have helped. I even looked out the window and took this BA picture

Then we landed. So here is the terminal, some palm trees and our condo!

Then we went out for some food at Barricudas and I went to the first NASCAR race i remember... I guess I was at one when I was 5 and they were filming Days of Thunder so that makes me totally bad ass!

OH and totally weird and random I had a beer at the bar where the serial killer Monster was based off of was finally caught!!

Short entry today as I guess to catch a 6am flight you have to be up at 3am so I have that to look forward to :) Very exciting news, the vacation has now become a triple celebration event. There's my birthday and Nick's graduation and now the fact that my parents officially sold their house!

So it's time to say goodbye to my childhood home and wish mom and dad good luck on their next adventure.

After sitting around anxiously packing and repacking at home and killing time watching the new Under The Dome episode waiting for my mom to get off work we finally got on our way and made it to Buffalo.

Thats the airport as seen from our hotel window. So yeah... Its 10pm. And I have to be on a plane in a few short hours but I am not sure if I am going to be able to sleep tonight. Ugg, this is pretty lame for a first entry... but honestly my brain feels pretty scrambled and my nervous energy is near critical levels.

Humanity's fascination with its own demise has always lent itself to our stories and movies. Dabbling in not only our own physical frailties but the psychological and emotional intricacies that arise when put in a situation with little hope or chance for success. I do not escape this common place so without further ado, here are my favourite apocalyptic scenario movies.

Number 5: Zombieland This is the most recent title in my choices, and also the only comedy in the bunch. I didnt choose the title for either of those reasons however, although keeping a sense of humour about the end of the world is something Ive always appreciated. Zombieland is however more than just a shock thriller offset with cheesy cliches. My favourite part of any apocalyptic movie is the dynamics that are created between the survivors. These arent people that met and came together by any conventional means. Usually the fact that they are survivors is the only thing they will have in common, and this is a very real situation. It seems to scream your friends will not be the ones chilling with you in the aftermath of disaster most likely and you will be forced to coexist with whomever else might be around. Now this movie does unfortunately fall into typical character stereotypes from Eisenbergs awkward nerd finding his inner warrior to Harrison's rough loner overcoming his demons to trust again, but the interaction between the different characters still holds true to the original dynamic and its awkwardness reinforces how hard it would be to be stuck with who you get in the post apocalypse. The plot is predictable and the story itself somewhat anti-climatic but Zombieland uses its modern humour, pop culture referencing and banks on the feel good vibe to keep its package together.  

Number 4: Aeon Flux               Based off the comics that bare the same name. Aeon Flux is the story of a world full of clones that continuously cycle their DNA after a virus wiped out the majority of the world's population. The masses know not that they are clones however and the plot centers around Aeon (an assassin for the rebellion) uncovering the truth behind the existing government. I enjoy this movie not only for it's apocalyptic scenario but also for the dystopian feel of the story. The government has overstepped their bounderies in what they think to be the best interest of the people for the continuation of their species but their ranks much like their own DNA begins to show cracks. This movie unlike my other choices has strong moral undercurrents. It asks not only about the governments range of authority but also how far we can take something as a culture. To what length would we go to preserve ourselves and what effects will the future have from our choices. It also starred Johnny Lee Miller :D

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Number 3: 28 Days Later     This is probably one of the better known apocalyptic movies. With the ever popular Zombie plague wreaking devastation on the world Cilian Murphy seeks refuge from the hellscape he wakes up to. This movie more than others I think demonstrates the desolation and loneliness that can come in end times. A large portion of that comes from the amazing cinematography and usage of the British countryside. What I did find very refreshing in this movie was the idea of the cause being a "rage" virus instead of your typical zombie flesh eating virus, which was an interesting and original spin on the concept. There was also a constant feeling of tension throughout the entire movie that left me feeling like even once the characters were offered any sense of relief there was still an axe hanging above their heads.  I am a big fan of Danny Boyle's directing skills with Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary being among my favourite movies, with 28 days later he did not let me down at all.

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Number 2: Day of the Dead (1985)                This is one of my favourite movies in general not just for this list and I feel Romero's personal best. As with many of his films it expressed not only significant social commentary of the current times but tackled certain moral qualms about the idea of zombification. Most notably with the character Bubs whom I will always affectionately refer to as the zombie with the heart of gold. Just how much of bubs humanity was retain when he became undead. He display higher cognitive function and even recognizes the doctor as a paternal figure. Once killed bubs avenges the death of his "father" and even seems to take delight in the poetic justice served. This is a very human trait as only they and the dolphins murder for pleasure. The movie itself is less about the apocalypse, which has already devastated the world at this point and more about how a small group of survivors deals with their new world in an underground military base. In this we see the darkness that can emerge within people hard pressed in a tough situation. The dictatorial type of behavior that will ineviatebly lead to more suffering and in the end usually a revolt. In this particular case causing their safe haven to be compromised and zombies to overtake it all. In the end zombie -1 humanity - 0.