July Favorites 2018

July has passed. That was quick!

One of my favorite things to look at on blogs and YouTube are the recap posts of people sharing what they have enjoyed over the past week or month. It gives me ideas for stuff I might want to try out or for gifts. The last time we did one of these was in June 2017!

So, without further adieu, here are our July Favorites (not sponsored), sorted by the person:

Helen's July Favorites

 

• Tombow Dual Brush Pens - Primary Set
• Sakura Gelly Roll Pens - Classic Set

• Cat Stand Store Pencil Case
  Easily find the utensil, neatly stores everything, super cute.
• Clear iPhone Case
  So much fun, changing the picture underneath the case. It's like a new case every time, with zero extra cost.

Amy's July Favorites

• HP 15z Laptop -  New Laptop! 
• Sims 4 - We finally got to play it...addicted. Must have expansions!
• Expanded my collection of Harry Potter Wallets from Hot Topic. At the time of this posting, Hot Topic is having a buy 2 get 1 free Harry Potter sale!
• Binge-watching shows on Netflix like Parks & Recreation and The Office 

• Dog movies like Secret Life of Pets, Airbud, 101 Dalmatians, Bolt, and Balto, etc. Having brother's husky and our dog in the same house really put me in the mood for dog-related movies. 

Kim's July Favorites

Books:
Lock In and it's recently released sequel Head On by John Scalzi, are both fantastic science-fiction books about an FBI agent in a robot (threep) body, her partner Van, and their investigations around the complex dealings and relationships surrounding people with Haden's Syndrome.  There's also a well-narrated "history" called Unlocked. I listened to all of these in Audiobook format narrated by Amber Benson (there's also a Wil Wheaton version). Fun fact: The main character's gender is never referenced, so it works with either narrator.

Board Games:

• Seikatsu - A simple, beautiful, fun, quick board game for any age. Best with 2-3 players.
• Mansions of Madness, 2nd Edition - The 2nd Edition comes with an interactive app that really helps keeps things organized with background music and some puzzles. Super fun game based in a Lovecraftian world. It's almost like playing a longer escape room as a bunch of detectives.
• DropMix - The game itself is okay, but what's fun is just mixing music with cards! You could leave it on during a party, connect via bluetooth to a speaker, and just have people change some cards or jam to it.
• Betrayal at Baldur's Gate - If you've ever played Betrayal at House on the Hill then you'd love this game. It's essentially the same game mechanics (with a few changes) with a more fantasy setting (Baldur's Gate world). Always a requested game whenever people visit.

Movies & TV Shows:

• A Man Called Ove - A cute, wonderful and touching Swedish film about a lonely grumpy old man.
• Ready Player One - I was surprised by how different from the book this was. The book was better, with more character development. Still a fun watch.
• Game Night - I actually had low expectations for this movie, but it actually made me laugh out loud. An R rated comedy featuring some board games (very mass market ones) and mostly action. Reminded me of Jumanji.
• Isle of Dogs - I really like how they animated the dogs! It's a very Wes Anderson film. 
• Maquia When the Promised Flower Blooms - I saw this in a theater and there were many tears and sniffles from the audience over this story about relationships with mothers. It's not out on Blu-Ray/DVD yet, so I just linked to the official artwork. Definitely, watch it if you like anime films.
• Westworld Season 2 - Finished Season 2 finally. Oh. Em. Gee. Can't wait for season 3! 

Experiences:

• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Went to a live taping with my partner on a Thursday (where they film both the Thursday and Friday show. Colbert's actually a really nice and funny guy in person! Got a good view from my seat and was able to see all the guests clearly. Tickets are free, it's like a lottery system. Priority means you're guaranteed a seat if you're on time. General means you might get one. Reserve tickets early! It was quite an experience with all the clapping and cheering. Worth waiting in line for if you're in NYC (we were in line for about 2 hours)!
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - Specifically went to see the One Hand Clapping exhibit (thanks to NY Subway advertising). The majority of the museum was filled with works by Giacometti this time around. Tickets are $25, with pay what you want after 5pm on Saturdays (there's a line for that, starting pretty early). Not one of my favorite museums because of the cost, but it's because nearly the entire museum is for a special limited time exhibit. It makes it so that it's kind of a hit or miss, depending on whether you like what's currently there. 

Do you want more?