Mr. Blue Fish and Mr. Red Fish

This past Tuesday, we lost our little friend, Eli (or as he was previously known, Levi).  I was really hoping he would be around for at least a year, but he did surprise us, making it past March of this year.  Now that we know Frances' sister and niece are coming to visit us, I was really hoping her niece, Ceci, would see him again.  After all, she was the one who helped me choose our little blue betta.

R.I.P. Eli, or as Ceci called you, "Mr. Blue Fish"

So today I headed to our local pet store for a new fish buddy.We wanted to avoid a blue one since it was too early.  So now, I present to you...

Sheldon

We wanted to name him before Ceci arrives.  I don't think she's very imaginative with names just yet.  I was afraid that she would name him something similar to the previous betta fish, something like "Mr. Red Fish".

Welcome Home little Sheldon and Rest in Peace little Eli.

Weight Milestone... and what I thought of Man of Steel. Also, what I want from DC.

First order of business:

Last post I had mentioned that I have to go to the dentist due to a bad molar.  Now, I'm waiting for a call back, and fortunately my tooth has not bothering me.  However I've had to watch what i eat to cause as little pain as possible. 

That being said, I've been weighing myself here and there, and this morning I hit a major milestone....
I'm at less than 200 lbs.  New weight:  199.6 lbs.

So, Congratulations to me!

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Man of Steel review (Caution If you've not seen it yet !!!)

This morning Frances and I saw MoS and I've got to say:   I really liked it!!!

Unlike the previous film, which was of a dialogue film versus this was more action packed.  Now, I didn't hate the former, but did find it a bit boring, lacking punch, which is what I want in a Superman film.  That's the reason why Superman Returns was like more by critics versus the audience and vice versa with this film.

Now, there's two type of people for these type of films:  the comic book community and the movie community, and I belong more to the latter than the former.  Reason being that, even though I've always been fascinated by superheroes and mythology and the sort, growing up I didn't get much of a chance of reading comic books so growing up I relied more on watching shows, cartoons and movies.  It wasn't until after high school that I would go to Borders bookstores and read graphic novels and comic book stories.  I'm the type of guy that knows a lot more than the average non-comic book reader but less than a comic book reader.  So when I watch a comic book movie I look more at what the film consists of versus what was pulled from their sources.  Same goes for movies based on novels or anything else for that matter.

First, I was very happy to see Chris Nolan's touch in this.  I think having him be part of bringing Supes back was great.  I really like his films especially the Dark Knight trilogy.

I was happy too when I found out Michael Shannon was cast as Gen. Zod.  As I watched the film, however, I think my joy for his portrayal went down a few points.  I liked his portrayal of Zod but did not love him.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by Faora, Zod's right hand.  I really liked her. 

One thing I really wanted to see:  Zod's famous line from Superman II, "Kneel before Zod!"

Now, because Nolan came on board, I wonder if they tried to copy some of what worked in Batman Begins.  One things were the flashback scenes.  They felt a bit misplaced. 

One last thing was that the movie was a bit slow moving at first.  Yet also felt that some of the scenes were rushed or suddenly cut and then... the action began and the movie's pace was much faster.

In the end, as I mentioned before, I really liked the movie.  I do think it's a wonderful way to bring Superman back to the big screen and start that new DC cinematic universe that we've been waiting for.

So what would I like now?  For one, I was glad to hear that they may work on MoS2 before finally bringing a Justice League movie.  I think DC shouldn't rush into it to be at par with Marvel.  Rushing it may just crumble what they are trying to achieve for us fans.

Second, I hear that Supergirl and Lex Luthor are coming on board for MoS2.  Supergirl as a supporting character would be better than an attempt at a solo film any time soon or later.  Also, as for Lex, I hope they reinterpret him more as a real threat versus what has been interpreted by Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey.  And for a third film (in case it's a trilogy) I'd like to see Doomsday.  Give us the Death of Superman!!!  After all, we all know Superman comes back.

Lastly, eventually I'd like to see comic book movie crossover, so DC and Marvel, get to working at it.

Dentist?!.. Well you know the drill

I don't even know when was the last time I went to the dentist.  I'd say 15-20 years ago.  Now I HAVE to go... and I'm super scared.

Over 3 years ago, Frances and I were at a theater when I chew on something and that chipped some of a molar which now is a "dead" molar.  It didn't bother me until one day two years ago I was driving to work and was chewing gum to clean some of the food from the breakfast I had just had when the piece of gum hit the inside of the molar and caused an extreme amount of pain which I didn't make much of afterwards and learned to chew on the other side of my mouth.  However I knew I would have to go to the dentist eventually.

And so here we are.  I was hoping to postpone going until November of this year when I would be able to get dental insurance, especially because Frances and I are planning our wedding and it's been getting hard to save (especially after some auto issues and last month's events).  If not til November, at least until I start my new part-time job to have a little extra.

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If you notice, I've added my Day Zero list.  I have a few still to add so if you have suggestions so if you have any suggestions I'm all ears (eyes).

Party time is (almost) over

Frances and I took most of the week of 4/30/13 to have time to see our families and friends before the wedding and quinceañera.  Unfortunately we were so busy running from one place to another that time flew by.  Nonetheless, everything came out very well and we had an absolutely great time.

That being said, congratulations...



...to the newlyweds

 

... and to the Quinceañera.

By the way, my Facebook profile pic was taken at the wedding.  ("That's one sharp couple", I hear)

Now that those two are over, time to get on with our week 'til Saturday when we're off to one more wedding.  Ha Ha!

 

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In my last blog post I mentioned that I needed a new laptop.  I finally gave up on my messed up laptop a day ago (from writing this post) and so decided to go to my local Best Buy for a new computer.  I decided on a Toshiba fairly similar to mine, same components.  The previous two laptops I've had have been Toshibas so I decided to stick with what I know.

 

To be honest, I'm not very fond of this new Windows 8 program.  I've been told to give it some time and that I'll get used to it, which is fine, but for now that I'm still getting used to the changes I'm certainly hoping that technology is not getting the best of me... Why, technology, why?  I'm only 31.  Wish me luck!!!

 

 



High School Class of What????

Wow, what a slow month it's been.  I think it primarily has been slow for us because we're just so excited for our family events in a just over a week.  I don't know if I've mentioned this before (I'm sure Frances has in her blog) that from 4/30/13-5/5/13 we'll be back home in the southern part of the Chicagoland area due to a wedding and a Quinceañera that weekend.

Come to think of it, I have started something new this month and am planning a few other things...

1.  I've started doing the 100 Snapshots challenge.  You can see the list here and view the pics on my Flickr page here.  I don't think they have to be in order but I choose to do it that way so as to not overwhelm myself.  Anyway, feel free to browse my other photos as well.

2. I want to start playing tennis.  I used to play when I was in high school, but since 1999 (my senior year), I haven't set foot on a tennis court.  I miss it and may start looking for others to play with after the week of May 5th, so if you're from Cincinnati and don't mind playing with a rookie, let me know.

Yours truly, top row, 4th from the left

3.  I want to vlog again.  I started vlogging over a year ago but I think I lost interest because I found myself too boring.  I've started re-watching a few vloggers and am now watching some new ones too (The Shaytards, Arturo Trejo, It's Judy's Life and Jenna Marbles).  They're inspiring me to start again.  I just don't know how to go about it; I don't know whether to only post videos here or also on YouTube.

4.  Work part-time.  I recently applied for a Spanish language interpreter position here in Cincinnati to work part-time.  One reason for the part-time is to make sure that I'm a good fit for the company, not just from my point of view, but also from theirs.  Plus while keeping my current full-time position and obtaining this new part-time one, I'll be able to save up for a new laptop, a new camera, a new car, and most importantly, for our wedding.

...and did I mention a new laptop

By the way, I passed my written and oral tests for the interpreter position, so next comes orientation.

Pre Mid-Life Crisis part 2... and my (non) Facebook update

We went home this Easter weekend.  Our original plan was to go last month at the end of February due to one of my niece's turning 15 but due to a couple things here and there we had to push it a month.  Now, even though we went home for "vacation" purposes, it turned out a bit different for one of us (let's leave it at that for now).

This weekend back home I noticed something:  I was a little saddened with the changes people are going through as time goes on. I understand my nieces and nephews are growing up, but then I really took notice of my brother-in-law, of how much older he's getting even though he's only 11 years older than me.  And I can understand why:  the construction industry is not so great right now; 4 kids to provide for, 1 of them celebrating her "Quince" in a month, the other in a year and a half, as well as other things.  I also noticed how my brother is suddenly had a gray-hair growth spurt.

Easter Sunday we went to Easter Mass early in the morning.  This church we went to, I used to be a part of and hadn't set foot in it for approximately 10 years.  I saw old friends who are now older and kids who became teenagers and teens who are now married with a kid or two.

That being said, it brought back the Pre Mid-Life Crisis feeling I had a few months ago (see post).  As happy as I was to see people I grew up with, it made me think of my mortality.  I'm only 31 years young but nonetheless it makes me wonder about my future.  I can only hope for the best.

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A little update on my "no facebook" month (see post).  I was successful in not incorporating Facebook in my life, not for a week or for a month, but for the whole 40 days of Lent.  It's not much of a sacrifice but I was sucessful.  I finally logged back on yesterday and posted a pic...

...and updated my banner to what I also have here, but to be honest, I don't miss it.  I realized I can do without it.

New Banner, Nice! and a little bit about Mr. Rogers

Woo Hoo!!!  New Banner!!!

Since I changed the way my blog looks a few weeks ago I've also wanted to change the banner but I'm not very good with that sort of stuff.  So the awesome Frances took it upon herself to work on it on one of the days I was working.  And as you can see, she knows me quite well, being the superhero fan that I am.

(By the way, Frances just started a new blog, check it out.  Also don't forget to check out her Etsy shop.)

Now, to be clear, I am more of a DC fan than a Marvel fan (but due to my blog's title, it was only appropriate to use Marvel characters.  Unfortunately for me too, Batman is not a part of the Marvel Universe, so can't be pictured on it.

For anyone new, so there is no confusion, this blog doesn't focus on comics (my favorite character is Batman) but rather a sort of "A Day in the Life of ...".  On occasion I may blog about a comic or character or (my love of) movies .  The reason that I don't focus on comics is that I'm not an expert.  Nonetheless, all are welcome to be a part of my life.

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In other news, I hopped on the scale today and am excited to tell you... I'm at 200.6 lbs.  I'm actually quite happy with that result.  Now, as many know, I never focused on reaching a certain weight but now that I'm there I'm just tying to get to 199.9 lbs being that I don't remember the last time I weighed under 200.  I know it's not much of a challenge but rather the excitement of it.

I'll leave you with this little bit of trivia I learned recently:  Mr. Rogers liked to weigh 143 lbs because it takes 1 letter to say "I", 4 letters to say "Love" and 3 letters to say "You".

For other facts about Mr. Rogers, check out the video below:

Eli Schmeli

Meet Eli, our Betta Fish (who's original name was Levi due to his blue color).

This first week of March we decided to have a day in honor of Eli being with us one year, but Netflix sent us a different movie I requested, and I wasn't able to find a dish I've been wanting for a long time, so plans changed.

Eli's Day was going to consist of having our Sushi Bowl for lunch and "Caldo Siete Mares" (7 Seas Soup) for dinner...

Sushi Bowl

Caldo Siete Mares

...as well as Frances and me taking a trip to the Newport Aquarium and, finally at the end of the day, watching Finding Nemo.

Maybe next year, buddy, maybe next year (or next week).

Happy Pi Day

Happy Pi Day Everyone and Happy 134th Birthday Albert Einstein.

This is actually the first time we celebrate Pi Day.  I was really hoping to make a pie today but unfortunately I couldn't find the time or the right recipe.  (I did actually find a healthy pie to make but will have to wait until next year.)  I also wanted us to watch a movie about Pi or Pies.  I searched and found out there is actually a movie titled Pi but after watching the trailer found no interest in it.

Instead we decided to watch a more recent movie that came out this week, Life of Pi.  As of this writing, I find this film visually wonderful.

So what about dinner? 

Every Saturday we choose our meals for the week starting for Sunday, the next day.  This past week I didn't choose many items so most of our meals were chosen by Frances.  So when I asked her what dinner was for Thursday the 14th, she stated pizza.  Great choice, Love!

Thai Veggie Pizza

And now, dessert...

Since I didn't make anything I asked Frances that if I would buy some pie what would she like.  She's never had Key Lime Pie, so I bought a store brand pie but nonetheless it was delicious.

Key Lime Pie and Strawberries with some of the Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate

First time Indian Food experience

Today was our first time at an Indian Restaurant.

For so long I've been wanting to try Indian food but I've always been somewhat afraid of trying it being that it'd be a new experience and not didn't know what to expect.  So finally we decided to try a local place here in Cincinnati, the Indian Bistro.

I didn't get a chance to take pictures but one...

What is this?  Delicious!

Don't ask me what I ate though.  I didn't get a chance to write down what was on my plate.

Now I was hoping to avoid the buffet and order from the menu but as soon as we were seated we were asked if we were going for the buffet.  And being that we were new to this new food experience, I had to say yes immediately.

Nonetheless, it was very delicious.  Looking forward to going back soon.

No More XXLs

Frances keeps telling me that my clothes are too big on me and I agree (even though I keep telling her they're fine).  See, for a very long time, I kept buying XXL clothes.  But thanks to our new healthier diet lifestyle, I feel much better wearing the few XL clothes I have left.  Sure, they do still look a bit big on me, but they sure don't look as big as my XXL shirts and sweaters.

I left my pants out of this for now.

So how many shirts/sweaters do I have left, you ask?

     Sweaters:  24... 14 (donating 10)
     Polos:  17... 9 (donating 8)
     Dress Shirts:  20... 4 (donating 16)
     T-Shirts:   40... 21 (donating 19)

I was thinking of selling them on eBay but being that I already had some items of clothing on there and wouldn't sell, I decided it would be too costly to put them on there.
    

No Facebook for a week and/or until Easter.

I tried to challenge myself to not log onto Facebook for a week and I did it.  That included no sharing or liking pages.  However, being that I started on Ash Wednesday, I'm trying to make it until Easter.

It hasn't been difficult just at times out of habit while bored at work I'd try to log on my phone; once I realized I was logged off completely I would remember.

I've been fine for a week.  I'm sure I'll be fine until Easter.  As Frances said, I haven't missed much.  But don't worry if you want to add me now, I'll respond soon.

Valentine's Day 2013

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone (Happy Belated Valentine's if you're reading after the 14th).

About a week or two ago I was told I would be working this week during the day shift to train for some other products so I figured our Valentine's Day would be pushed back to the weekend.  Thankfully my training was pushed to about a month from now which was perfect, now I was able to plan a nice day for us even though Frances had to work.

First order of business:  I made her breakfast in bed, which I've been wanting to do for a long time (see my Day Zero Project.)  For breakfast I made French Toast... well sort of.

She watched this in bed while I made breakfast

French Toast & "Abuelita" Hot Chocolate

Making Mexican Hot Chocolate first

French Toast Kabobs for breakfast...

... with a side of Cinnamon Rolls

Josh Groban is joining the party

Breakfast in bed for my lady

Afterwards she had to leave for work so later in the day before she would come home I prepped our dinner.

First our sauce which'll come in later

 

Sautee garlic for a few seconds

Add asparagus...

... And then some Mushrooms

After removing the veggies, time to cook some of the shrimp

Nice and brown

Making room for the sauce

Re Add the veggies

Chopping up some cilantro...

... and add to the rice

Dinner is cooked

Coconut Shrimp with Garlic with a glass of St. Gisbertus Pomegranate & Lime Cocktail

 

No Longer a Fan of Buttered Popcorn Smell

It's been a very successful month with our Vegan Project.  I myself am happy to experience foods that include others items aside from the norm.  I'm also very happy at my results, going from 255 lbs in March of last year, which was my heaviest, to 204.2 lbs as of this morning.

So what have I learned:

1.  Going Vegan is not easy.  It requires change.  For one the biggest challenge is converting to not only avoiding meat but also one has to give up any type of meat products such as eggs, milk, cheeses, etc.  I wouldn't exactly say what we eat is limited but we do have to adjust to other alternatives.

2.  I can't be a Vegan forever.  To be honest, I absolutely love this new change but I'm not going to change it all.  After all, I still do enjoy a nice, juicy steak.  And I think it'd be rude to deny foods all the time.  My biggest challenge would be when going back home to see our families (good thing there were no family events in January).  Plus going vegan does require giving up more than food such as watching what one wears.  Nonetheless we have decided to keep as much of this food lifestyle as long as possible with the exceptions of visiting others or date nights and so forth.

3.  I have the (will)power.  I love junk food, especially chocolates.  Now since we started this new healthier lifestyle almost a year ago I diminished a lot of fast food and candies and chips and soda.  However every once in a while I'd go to the dollar store on my breaks and get me a chocolate bar or swipe my card in the vending machine(s) at work.  However that had to stop January first being that I was afraid of breaking my promise.  It wasn't until a few days ago that I finally had the "courage" to swipe my card, but not before going on Google and looking up what's safe.  My options (at work) were limited to Skittles, Twizzlers and pretzels.  In this whole month I'm happy to say I've only had two packs of Twizzlers, spending a whopping $1.80.

I was telling Frances just a few days ago that while I eating my lunch at work there was a co-worker popping popcorn behind me.  As it kept popping and popping and as the smell got stronger I realized, "I don't like it".  I never thought I'd say that but I really disliked it.  Now I'm taking a wild guess here but I imagine it was extra butter popcorn but maybe I'm in denial and defending her and the popcorn.

Also that same day while checking the news online I saw that many people had gotten sick from meat.  It's funny what one realizes when making certain changes.

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So a few days ago I created a small post (as well as posted on Facebook) that I'm looking for books to read so if anyone can suggest something to read, anything and any type of book, just leave me a comment so I can look for it at my local libary.

 (no that's not a misspelling.  I did that on purpose) 

Must-Watch Films

I have A LOT of movies yet to watch so it's a good thing that at my job there is plenty of downtime and I get to log on to Netflix and watch some films.

I put a list of movies to watch on the left side of this blog.  They consist of Yahoo's 100 Movies to Watch (‎from 8/1/11) and at least 60+ of IMBD's top 250 (from 1/20/13).  I originally wanted to choose 50 but there are some that I do want to watch.

So from this list, what have you watched and is among your favorite?  What have you told yourself for a long time you're going to watch?

3 Years Together (and there's many more to come)

We've been planning for some time Date Nights and today was officially our first one although it was more of a Date Day.  Our original plan was to celebrate our 3 year anniversary which was Saturday the 12th.  Due to me having to work then we decided to do it today which was our day off together.

We began by going to the Cincinnati Library downtown.  They had the Golden Legacy event where they featured original art from 65 years of Golden Books.

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

We brought our little guy, Pepito

I remember this

... and this

And how could I forget the Poky Little Puppy

Afterwards we went to our lunch date.  Due to our Vegan project this month it was only obvious that we go to a Vegan Restaurant.  We decided to go to the The Loving Cafe. 

This was our only way in and out of the parking lot.

Choices

Looks like someone got their food first!!!

First came our appetizer of course:

Grilled Dumplings

This was my first attempt at Tofu.

 And finally our dinners:

Buffalo Wrap (don't worry, it's Gardein Strips) and Raw Pizza

Looks like my Love is hungry

Yoinks

Mmmmmmm, Buffalo Wrap

So that was our first Date Night.  We were also going to the movies to see Les Miserables but in the end it didn't happen.  But it was still a good day for us.  And I got to check off some of my Day Zero Project:  #7 Take France on a date once month, #13 Try 5 new restaurants, #27 Try 5 new foods (done).  But of course, thanks to the woman I love, we got to make some cupcakes:

Ingredients, check!

No Valentinas were used in the making

vrrrrrrr

Baby Fatz says they're almost done

A little glaze and....

Baby Fatz presents:  Vanilla Chai Cupcakes!!!!

So as you can see, it was a great day.  I'd also like to point out that I bought a little something from the library:

We just brought him in and he's already chasing cars.