What I've Been Watching: November

Hi! When I first started putting this month's list together, I was initially going to have September through November in here, then I remembered my mouth and how much I like to run it. lol So I decided to give them their own months, which you may or may not have seen already. In case you haven't, here's September's and here's October's. This month I watched some pretty good tv which was mostly, ironically, on traditional tv. lol Like I said, I never get things right the first time around, which was why I changed the name to "What I've Been Watching" this summer. God loves me anyway. Let's get to the list!

Elizabeth Smart Autobiography

I Am Elizabeth Smart

Blade Runner Killer

Shade: Queens of NYC

Survivor Series

Live PD

Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie

First We Feast/Hot Ones

jacksfilms

I think it was a couple of weekends ago that Lifetime, A&E and Biography teamed up to help Elizabeth Smart tell her story and I really enjoyed it. If you've been under a rock (or you're not American) and don't know who Elizabeth Smart is, back in 2002 she was kidnapped from her home in the middle of the night and after 9 months of captivity, she was finally reunited with her family. She was only 14 at the time so she then dropped from the public eye so she could recover, heal and resume a normal life. Everyone heard different variations on the story, depending on where they were at, but other than in Elizabeth's book, I don't think there's ever been a complete retelling of events. It's been 15 years since she was taken, and she made the decision to tell the story now in her own words. I watched the Autobiography first, where she along with various relatives, detectives and witnesses piece the entire story together for the public. It was a raw, honest look at what happened, both to Elizabeth in captivity and her family in her absence. It somehow managed to be powerful and devastating, heartwarming and infuriating, all at the same time. Despite the horror of what happened to her, there were moments where you could see Elizabeth's dry, rather sarcastic humor on the situation shine through while she was narrating and I admired that she was able to infuse herself, not as a victim but as who she is now, into such a terrifying ordeal without falling apart. It made me extremely uncomfortable to watch but I'm so glad I did. It was a much more complex case than I initially figured it to be and I admire the hell out of Elizabeth Smart for her strength and determination in such a life-altering situation. 

The following weekend, Lifetime came through with their part in it, I Am Elizabeth Smart, which was a film with a complete re-enactment of Elizabeth's story and also peppered with her narration. There was this level of awareness with the film, as certain moments were paused for Elizabeth to ask the viewer a question that exposed how we were all feeling while watching: uncomfortable. She either produced or directed the film, I can't remember exactly which, and even though I'd already seen the autobio the previous weekend I really wanted to watch the film as well. Totally worth it. I haven't been able to find any other listings of the movie on my program guide so if you didn't catch it I don't know when you'll be able to, but the entire saga is worth your time. 

Speaking of true stories, during the Elizabeth Smart Autobiography over on A&E, Lifetime was premiering their newest true crime story, Blade Runner Killer and it too was a great watch. Blade Runner Killer is the story of Oscar Pistorius, and how he went from being an Olympian to being a convicted murderer following the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after supposedly mistaking her for an intruder in the middle of the night. I never bought that story and I'm glad the South African justice system finally came through for the victim's family; last week it was announced that the courts were doubling Pistorius's sentence to 13 years rather than the 6 he was initially given. Thirteen years is hardly enough time to pay for a stolen life, but since that's probably the most we'll get its a hell of a lot better to deal with than 6. The release of this film caused outrage from both families involved, but you know Lifetime. lol They were never not going to release that movie. I always toe the line with films that depict someone's life but don't have the family's approval; it feels kind of inappropriate to go on and tell the story anyway, but at the same time I still watched it so what does that say about me? 

Moving on to lighter programming, I forget how I heard about Shade: Queens of NYC but I caught an episode earlier this month and got hooked. When I first saw it was a show about drag queens I was skeptically excited. By that I mean I was excited to see a show about drag queens that wasn't RPDR, but I was also skeptical because most reality tv follows the same skeleton--gathering a cast full of frenemies and enemies who socialize in the same circles and making them interact for the explicit purpose of creating drama. I don't care for manufactured drama, which is why most of the time I don't eff with reality tv, and I don't care to see producers making gay men play the stereotypical prototype of the flamboyant, shade-throwing, disingenuous queen who also happens to be a one-liner machine. That's what RPDR is for. lol Kidding. 😅 Sorta. But this seems a bit more authentic and so far I like it. I get more of a 'community' feel from this show and maybe I'm judging it prematurely because I've only seen one episode, but in that one episode I saw one queen help another find a church that would accept him for who he is, and another queen help two fellow performers save some cash by creating an item swap. It wasn't full of cattiness, cutting remarks and uncomfortable silences and I liked that. In case it hasn't already become apparent, I'm much more of a "Can't we all just get along?" kinda gal. 

There isn't much for me to add about Survivor Series; it's the last dual-brand PPV of the year so I always make a point to watch it. Also, one Roman Reigns was in attendance so that The Shield could finally(!) properly reunite so obviously I was going to watch, longtime thirst notwithstanding. It was a solid PPV, for once I don't have a laundry list of complaints about it, and on a random note I would really love if they'd cool it on the PPVs and let these people go home to their families sometimes. lol It's bad enough they had to work on Christmas last year. I mean, Walmart's not even open on Christmas. If Walmart isn't open, why is anything else? 

A show I mentioned last month that I've been getting into is Live PD. Still hooked, still low-key embarrassed of the shenanigans broadcasted by my fellow residents, still low-key proud of being featured on the show this season. lol 

My final watch for regular tv is the one I've waited the longest for, Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie. I've literally waited for half my life for this movie. Seriously--I was 15 when the show ended, rather abruptly might I add, in 2002, and I'm 30 now. That 'literally' was factual. lol I liked the Hey Arnold! Movie and was more than a little salty when Netflix snatched it off my screen awhile ago because they never show it on tv. This was the conclusion so many of us '90s kids had been waiting for and not only was it worth the wait, it was perfect. Hey Arnold! was my favorite show as a kid (but it was a very close race with Legends of the Hidden Temple and All That lol) and to this day, I still watch the show all the time. It's not the empty fluff that's on tv now with no substance. When you really break the show down, it depicted so much of how life honestly is, both the good and bad, in a way that I don't see reflected in quite the same way today. I may or may not have cried at the end of the movie because it felt like finally, I was able to say goodbye to an old friend but it was bittersweet AF. It's amazing how attached we get to things like tv shows and movies, isn't it? For those 15 years that I was begging for a resolution because there was no finite ending, it also felt like the door was always open for a return of some kind. I think interest in the show has peaked again, mostly from us '90s kids feeling nostalgic and missing our shows, so I do think a market for a reboot of the show is definitely there. But I kinda feel like a reboot after the fact would dull the impact of the movie so as much as I would love a reboot, in theory, I think The Jungle Movie also served as a potential closing of the book. I imagine that was as bittersweet for Craig Bartlett (the creator) as it was for us. After all, he waited just as long as we did to see this come to fruition. He did recently mention hoping that the movie would spark interest in continuing the show but just as Nickelodeon held the dice for the last 15 years, they hold the dice here too so just in case they decide to make us wait another 15 years, The Jungle Movie was a nice way to say goodbye. The Jungle Movie was awesome, nostalgic, and made me ache for childhood in a way I only do when I'm watching this show. I would say I feel dumb for being this sentimental about a show, but it really was pivotal to my childhood and as I saw on Twitter from others watching the movie, I'm not alone. If you didn't catch it it'll be back on tomorrow but I don't see it on the program guide after that so you'd better DVR it. 

Moving to my last two picks, the first one is the First We Feast YouTube channel, home of the Hot Ones challenge. I first got into this show because I wanted to see the Terry Crews episode and ended up getting hooked. I saw this show pop up from time to time on the trending and recommended lists over the past couple of years but never gave it a go because being the raging emetophobe I am, watching people eat increasingly spicy wings sounded like trouble waiting to happen and I wanted no part of it. lol If I had to recommend 5 episodes to others, I'd go with Key &Peele, Terry Crews, Tommy Chong, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Guy Fieri. Those are just some of my personal favorites. Even though the format of the show sounds terribly elementary to many people--an interviewer getting into a celebrity's head while they eat a bunch of hot wings--there's also something so genius about it in such a simple way. It's interesting to see how everyone handles the sauces; as the heat increases the questions get a bit more complex and personal and I love the moment the celebrity realizes the genius of the show's simple format. It's so much deeper than it would initially appear to be; it's more intimate but without all the manufactured, press-friendly soundbites in other interviews and it's quickly become one of my favorite series on the 'Tube.

Finally, jacksfilms isn't a new creator to me; I've been watching his videos for years. I initially found him through his now-signature series Your Grammar Sucks, which he officially took to legendary status two years ago when he made an hour long episode with over 30 cameos by other YouTubers with a script and dialogue based entirely off of the ridiculous grammar of others. I was recently thinking about how much work, how much creativity, it takes to stretch out a series based off of terrible grammar for years and still make it interesting. Jack's an OG creator; he recently celebrated 11 years on the site and I think he's a great example of how creators have to adapt and shift their content to remain relevant and entertaining on an increasingly oversaturated and drama-run platform.

Pick of the Month: Elizabeth Smart Autobiography, Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie

Throwaway Pick: Live PD (only because I featured it last month)

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Hubble Contacts

Hi! I have a review for you today! 😀(Can you tell I'm excited? lol) I recently had an eye exam but because of my insurance, I can't get my glasses because I'd need to have the lenses shaved down and that's considered a cosmetic procedure so my insurance won't cover it. I've been looking at glasses online for a couple of years now to see if it would be cheaper to get frames I like and be able to shave my lenses, but I hadn't come across anything for contact lenses. I forget exactly how I came across Hubble; I'm guessing I signed up for the newsletter because I do remember reading an email and going to the site to check into it further. So let's get to the quick deets:

What is it? Hubble is a monthly subscription service that provides sets of daily contact lenses. 

How much does it cost? A two-week, 15 pair lens trial period is free, but an automatically renewing monthly membership fee of $30 is the standard charge afterward. 

Sign-up and ordering: Like I said, I remember reading about the trial in an email so I guess I either signed up for the newsletter or came across it in another company's newsletter, I can't remember exactly which. Anyway, signing up for the site and ordering your free trial are extremely easy. After entering your prescription and eye doc in the site form, Hubble confirms your prescription with them and sends out your lenses. The trial box is preset and the monthly subscription is set to automatically renew following the end of the trial, so all you have to do is enter your shipping information and confirm the purchase. 

Site navigation: The site is simple and easy to navigate. All of the important information about the site and its services are clearly expressed and easy to find.

Delivery and cancellation: Delivery was very swift. Within a week of signing up for the trial, I already had my lenses. I ordered the trial back on the 14th, received an email notifying me my contacts had shipped on the 16th and I received them on the 18th. Cancelling the service is done over the phone during business hours, but is also easy and by the time you finish speaking to the customer service rep, you already have a cancellation confirmation email in your inbox. After cancellation, you'll receive an email asking you to rate the customer service rep you spoke to and what reward, if any, you think they should receive for their service with you. Yet another email comes a day or two after that, giving you another opportunity to go into detail about your experience. As of yet, I haven't received any more emails from the company, promotional or otherwise. 

So what comes in the box? 

The box is pretty small and compact, with only the contacts and a small booklet about the company inside. The box for my left contact lenses are orange, while the box for the right lenses are green. On the side is the number of lenses included in the box, so both of mine show the trial 15 lenses. Inside it are three rows of five lenses apiece.

My experience: My experience with Hubble Contacts, from start to finish, was nothing but easy and pleasant. As I mentioned in the 'Quick Deets' portion of the review, ordering, receiving and cancelling were all a breeze, which are extremely important for my personal overview of a service. For me personally, though, the contacts weren't the best fit. The contact was a bit too big for my eyeball and as a result they moved every time I blinked, which hurt my eyelid after awhile. Because they were too large, I could see where the prescription ran out on the contact, which made my peripheral vision trash. lol When the contact is too large, it feels like you always have allergies or dirt in your eye but you can't rub them for fear of scratching your cornea with the contact. I also noticed that the lenses dried out rather quickly. In my left eye, the vision was a bit distorted because I have astigmatism in that eye, so my vision was a little blurrier than the right one. Because Hubble is still relatively new, they haven't yet accommodated those with astigmatism so the slightly blurry vision in my eye was to be expected. I'll keep an eye out for when they update their website on it again.

Extras: After I cancelled my subscription, I received another email asking me to rate the call and the ability of my customer rep to handle my issues. I appreciated that not only was the company aware of exactly who I spoke to but that they allowed me to actually list what the rep helped me with rather than a generic multiple choice survey. I was also asked for my opinion on what reward my rep deserved, another thing I hadn't seen before and really enjoyed. Somehow, the company balanced the feedback from their users with allowing the customer to be part of the reward experience and I thought that was different but enjoyable. The following day I received another feedback email, during which I got another opportunity to tell the company about my experience.

Coincidentally, I found out a week after I got my lenses that one of my brother's friends is also using Hubble and he loves his contacts. He says they fit his eyeball nicely, he doesn't have any issues seeing out of them, and they've almost completely replaced his glasses. His only complaint was that they dried out rather quickly as well, which can easily be remedied by keeping eye drops on hand. I actually didn't realize that until he mentioned it; I have dry eyes so I just figured it was my eyes, not the contacts. My brother's friend doesn't have the same issue I have with my eyes nor is his vision as bad as mine, so for him these have been a perfect and affordable alternative to glasses.

Overall, I like Hubble and I like the concept of subscription contact lenses. I appreciate that they make efforts to set you up with Hubble-approved doctors in order to get all the specifics of your contact lenses correct in your order. At least that's what the website says, because of a detail I'm going to mention below, I don't know that all of the doctors on the list are necessarily Hubble-approved. Regardless, the entire service seems to run very efficiently and my experience with customer service was nothing but pleasant. The packaging was compact and cute, the little card that accompanies the contacts is simple and informative, and the contacts themselves aren't rough on the eyes or difficult to put on. Because I uploaded my regular prescription rather than a specific prescription from a doctor on Hubble's list of partnered doctors, I got the stock size contact, which was too big for my pupil. I also have astigmatism, which Hubble hasn't been able to accommodate just yet, so for me these weren't the perfect fit just yet but I'm willing to return once Hubble has allowed for more personalized contacts and expands the type of lenses they can provide. But if your eyes aren't as bad as mine so your prescription is easier to accommodate, I definitely recommend giving Hubble Contacts a try. The two-week trial period will give you a sufficient preview of their contacts, which is more than enough time to know if it'll be a good option for you. I'd personally give it a little more time, let them tweak their operations a bit and allow for more specificity before ordering from them again.



Mandy's Note: While finishing this review, I read an article that was lightly exposing Hubble; the person filled a fake prescription complete with a fake doctor's name, and the prescription still got filled. I can understand the point of the article because that can be dangerous for people's eyes and the company does need to improve that part of their service but I also think you have to expect things like that when the company is in its infancy and still figuring things out. Hopefully that article reaches the powers that be over at Hubble and gives them something to make a concentrated effort to fix. If you are going to require that people enter their doctor's name to verify the prescription, it should probably actually get verified. I noticed this when I was filling out the form; my doctor's name didn't come up in the list so I had to enter it manually, but my prescription was still pushed through so I noticed it probably wasn't actually verified. I think when doing something like filling contact prescriptions online you should be diligent with ensuring the safety of the contacts you receive as well as their fit for you. Of course there's a risk when doing things like this or ordering prescription glasses, but that's a given. It's an online company. You just have to determine if the risk is worth it or not. For me, right now it isn't but there are quite a few success stories coming out of people who've tried the service. I recommend giving it a look, but do your homework first.

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Being Thankful, part 2

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it)! Even though I don't really celebrate the holiday anymore, I do still identify with the gratitude portion of the day. It's a daily thing for me, which is one of the reasons Thanksgiving doesn't really do anything for me as holidays go, but whatever. I still like taking the time to think about what I'm thankful for in my life. If you've read some of my posts throughout the year, then I'm sure it's not a surprise at all that this has been a challenging year for me. I've had worse years, but 2017 has been especially difficult for me personally and financially, and a lot of the time that's what I'm focusing on. How bad the year has been, what I've been trying to overcome throughout the year. It's easy to be thankful when things are going well and you feel like the universe is on your side. It's a lot more difficult but more fulfilling to produce a list of things to be thankful for when you feel like things are going wrong and the universe isn't on your side, which is why I wanted to make a part two of this list.

I did one a couple of years ago and things weren't fabulous then either, but I definitely had a lot more in the tank then than I do now. Because things have been rather bad, I thought it would be a perfect time to make a list of the good in my life this past year, so that I'd have something positive to look back on the year. I'm always thankful for the little I do have, but it gets hard for me to remember that sometimes when the bad is usually more prominent. 

1. I'm thankful that my foot is finally healed. 

When I did this list two years ago, I'd mentioned that I was grateful I hadn't broken my toe when I hit it a few days prior. I was still on crutches at the time but the swelling and pain had started to subside, so I assumed it was just a really bad bruise. As I updated later, that shit was broke. LOL So now that I'm on the other side of a year of appointments, therapy and a surgery, I am immensely grateful that my foot is finally healed. I'm 7 months post-surgery and my doctor finally gave me a clean bill of health on my toe back in August. The break has caused arthritis to develop in my toe, which has been a real thorn in my side the past two winters, but now that it's healed I'm a little excited to see if there are going to be any long-term changes. Overall I'm just glad it's healed. I'm not in a boot, not in a shoe, not stuck doing 30-minute long TENS therapy treatments every night, no longer having to limp everywhere. I may have arthritis in my toe now and I'm still learning to trust the strength of my foot in general again, but it's no longer broken and as of now, no more surgeries or treatment are on the horizon. 

2. I have a family who loves me. 

I've made no secret of my strained relationship with my family despite still living with them. Things aren't as great as they could or should be and I sincerely doubt that they'll ever genuinely get to where I'd like them to be. That's okay. What I know and what I choose to try to focus on is that, for all of the issues we have with each other, I know these people love me. I know they want me to succeed in life and in the things I do, and I know that they don't want any harm to come to me. That's a hell of a lot more than some people can say about their families and I realize how blessed I am to know that despite the issues we have, I don't have to worry about my family not loving me. I know they do. They just suck sometimes. lol 

3. I'm thankful that I can pay all of my bills every month. 

Another thing I've made no secret of is my strained relationship with my pockets. lol They're usually empty and I'm not very happy about or appreciative of it, but I'm glad that they're empty because I paid all of my bills. I definitely don't have a lot of money but with the little I do have, I can still get everything done. I remember what it was like having to constantly negotiate with bill collectors, I remember having to duck and dodge them back in the day before everything went automated lol, and every month I'm grateful all over again for being able to pay everything in full. My pockets are empty, but my house has heat, the lights work and I can flush the toilet whenever the hell I want. 😂 I never have to worry about not being able to provide these things for my family and that feels really nice. It's very basic, but I will never forget that part of my life and I'll never be at a point where I won't be thankful for the ability to have the basics, even if that's all I have.



4. I'm thankful for my senses.

That probably sounds stupid, but you don't realize the importance of each sense until you have to function without it. I'm a nature buff (ya know, when its warm out) and usually going out somewhere green and lush, preferably with birds, helps me to calm down a little when I'm feeling anxious or stressed out. It's another basic thing that I really appreciate the ability to see, hear and feel. I think that's why I prefer my seasonal inspiration boards broken down into senses rather than how I've seen other bloggers put out their inspo boards--I think I approach the world in a similar way so doing my boards like that make the post more true to who I am. I try to involve all of my senses in whatever I'm doing so that it's a more immersive experience for me, and as a result I find that I enjoy things a lot better than when I just went into something but didn't ever take the time to realize or appreciate how special it was to experience it at all. I know, I know. Corny and probably sounds dumb as shit. But I'm thankful for the ability to experience things with all 5 of my senses.



5. I'm thankful for my nieces. 

I already mentioned being grateful for my family and the fact that they love me, but if you ever wanted to get to the root of my being, you'd have to go through my nieces. My family is my heart. My nieces, however, are my soul. I love them so much it literally makes my chest ache. lol My nieces are 7 months apart so they're nearly twins, but they're two completely different children and it's been so much fun to establish an individual bond with them both. I think the role I relish most in life is aunt. The love of a child is so genuine and unconditional and being able to have the unconditional love of two children warms my entire heart, which is quite cold these days. LOL I didn't think the family--or my brother, for that matter--was ready for any children when they came along, but I can't see the past four years of my life being the same without them. They've gotten me through so many dark times in my life, have no idea how they've saved me and wouldn't understand if I tried to tell them. I'm so grateful for them and the joy they've brought to my life.



6. I'm thankful for my house. 

Let me be clear about something. I hate my house. It's drafty and has no insulation, is terribly structured and in desperate need of repair, to say the absolute least about it. It sucks. It could certainly be in worse condition and I am so grateful it isn't, but truthfully, it sucks. But its a roof over our heads and again, I remember what not having one felt like. I remember sleeping on people's couches, and I remember sharing a bed with my mom and brother because there was no room to sleep anywhere else and the place was crawling with bugs so it wasn't safe to sleep on the floor. I've come a long way. I hate this house the way it is now, it's falling apart and Housing refuses to fix it and wish I had the money to properly renovate it, but it's a roof over our heads. Everyone has their own space, nobody's sleeping on a couch (and if they do it's by choice lol), and for the kids, this is their childhood home. They grew up here. I grew up in a bunch of places, so it was important for my mom and I to give them the stability I didn't get to have. I'm thankful we've been able to do that, even if the house sucks. 😄



7. I'm thankful for the ladies at my mom's church. 

That probably sounds random, but I was just thinking about one of the ladies from my mom's church. She's such a beautiful soul. She brought us some food for Thanksgiving and gave my mom a gift card so we could get dinner and I was just remembering how much I loved her for thinking of us like that. My mom's been part of her church for a little over 3 years now, and she's had four hospital stays in that time. Every time she's been in the hospital, some of the ladies from her church study group bring us food to help lighten the load. I usually have the house on my own when my mom's sick, so it was a Godsend that they thought of us and gave me one less thing to do every day. One lady in particular has come by every time my mom's been in the hospital, every Thanksgiving and every Christmas to give us a gift card so we can buy food and she brings us food when my mom's sick. She gives the best hugs and has the most caring, gentle, loving spirit. Her husband, who is also a sweetheart, has serious health issues and she will spend all day caring for him and still think of us enough to bring us by some food and genuinely ask how we're doing. I remember the first time I met her, she brought some food over and she asked how I was doing. I was tired, stressed out and cranky but something about her just set me at ease. She told me she loved me and I almost lost it right there. This stranger, who wouldn't know me from Adam, told me she loved me and gave me one of the best hugs I've ever received in my life. lol There was something so loving and authentic about it that if she hadn't left when she did, I would have become a blubbering mess. I am so thankful for their generosity to us, for their concern for us, when we needed it the most. I would love to repay them for their kindness and I hope that one day I can.



8. I'm thankful for you!

If this is the first post you've read or you read my posts regularly, thank you for stopping by. I really appreciate you spending a little time with me and hope you make it back to visit again soon.




I know this was a shorter list than the last one but on a superficial note, I just put some nails on and can no longer type properly so I'm using two pencil erasers to type. 😂With this change in conditions, I have to end the list here. lol I'm still trash at typing with nails on so I'd rather not spend the rest of the day making typos and pressing Backspace. It's annoying, to say the least, so I'm gonna go now. What are you thankful for this year? Have an amazing evening and I'll see you soon!

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