Recent Thrifting

My parents were in town last weekend, which means that I got to spend some time thrifting.  No earth shattering finds, but did have fun, as I normally do.  I really need to start going out on my own again.  It had been a while since I had been out, and I really need to go to the other side of the water, since I'm not sure when I was over there last for thrifting,

On to the finds!

First up is this cork board, which I picked up for my office.  I have a large collection of Hawaiian shirts in my wardrobe, so this was a cool find.  The "buttons" are thumbtacks, as well as it has a few hula girl thumbtacks as well.

Next up: A coffee cup for my ever expanding collection.  Coffee cups are what I pick up for souvenirs when we go places, and I also have some pop culture ones.  I normally get coffee when we go to the Waffle House (no matter the time of day), and I've always wanted a cup of my own.  Not sure if they sell them in store, or online, but found this and was pleased.

Not a thrift store find, but I did add this to my blu-ray collection last weekend.  I'm a big fan of The Cabin in the Woods, and kind of surprised I haven't picked it up before now.  I also enjoyed Sinister, and even though I haven't seen The Possession, but that is the genre of horror films I can get Elizabeth to watch with me, so worth a blind buy.

Now onto the books I procured while out.

Some basic genre finds.  I'm happy with the Patterson and Robb finds, as both of those have come out within the last 3-4 months.  Elizabeth is a huge fan of both, and I'm slowly making my way through the "In Death" series myself.  The Midnight Graffiti is a nice horror anthology, with stories from Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Joe Lansdale, and Dan Simmons (among others).

Elizabeth has gotten into David Baldacci recently, so picked up these 4 books to add to our library.

Been a while since I've come across a wrestling biography that I was missing from my collection, and this was a great find (and deal!).  Looking forward to reading about one of my favorite childhood wrestlers.

Lastly, I got lucky (in my eyes) at one store we visited.  For those that may not know, The X-Files is returning to TV (tonight, actually!).  I didn't become a fan of The X-Files until the first movie came out.  I consider myself a casual fan of the series, but within the last 3 years, I really got into it a bit more.  Partially due to the season 10 comic from IDW.

First up, 5 volumes of the Official guides to the series, covering season 3-7.  I know I've got the first volume somewhere in room.  Also pictured is the making of Fight the Future.  Even though I ended up not sticking with the watching an episode a day leading up to tonight's premiere, I am slowly making my way through my rewatch of the series, and these will be fun to follow along with now.

Also found were 7 issues of the official magazine, including two yearbook annuals.  Not really a necessary purchase, but at a quarter a piece, hard to pass up.  Especially with Elizabeth telling me too. LoL.  I almost left them behind, but while waiting in line, I knew I would regret not getting them, so Elizabeth ran over and grabbed them for me.  Fun episode info, interviews, and re-readable (which is another reason I decided to grab them).

Lastly, both volumes of Book of the Unexplained, which were books put out about "The real X-Files... the facts behind the fiction."  They are in-depth guides to the real mysteries of the paranormal and unexplained that Chris Carter used as the basis of episodes for the series.  These are the type of books I used to check out at the library as a kid, and lead to my interest in things like Bigfoot, Nessie, ghosts, and more.

Looking back, I'm kind of surprised I wasn't a fan of The X-Files from day one.  I know I watched the FOX network growing up, as The Simpsons were one of the shows I remember watching with my parents. I really need to add the recently released blu-rays to my collection. Like I stated, a casual fan, but it kind of has moved into becoming one of my favorites.  Hence, these purchases.

I'm really excited for the revival that begins tonight.  Will it lead to another seasonnor a new movie?  Not going to speculate.  I'm just happy to see some of my favorite television characters back in action.

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.

2015 Movie Round-Up

As we start off 2016, I like to take a look back at my movie watching for the past year and turn it into statistics.  I enjoy looking back and seeing what month was most prosperous, and where I feel off track.

Compared to previous years, 2015 was bad.  I only watched 96 movies, which is probably an all-time low for me.  A few changes took place in my life though, and I had to learn to manage time better, and it was movie watching that took the biggest hit.  I have high hopes though for 2016, so as I look back on the past year, I will not dwell upon it.

First off, my 2015 movie diary can be found here.  Letterboxd took over for Pinterest, and I believe it was for the best.

Out of the 96 movies, 63 (66%) were first time viewings, leaving 33 (34%) as movies I had seen before,  I'm happy with this, but is down from last year.

Month by Month Breakdowns

January - 12 (13%)
February - 7 (7%)
March - 6 (6%)
April - 6 (6%)
May - 5 (5%)
June - 10 (11%)
July - 8 (8%)
August - 17 (18%)
September - 2 (25)
October - 5 (5%)
November - 4 (4%)
December 14 (15%)

No real steady viewing habits it seems.

Film highlights of 2015 include:

Theatrical: Mad Max: Fury Road, Jurassic World, Inside Out, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

First time Viewing: The Descent, The Guest, John Wick, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Zodiac, Motel Hell

Repeat Viewing: Groundhog Day (On Feb 2), The Poseidon Adventure, Watching Back to the Future trilogy on 10-21, Introducing Elizabeth to the original Star Wars trilogy

I'm already ahead of 2015, as I went and saw The Hateful Eight this afternoon with Dave.  My first movie of 2015 was on January 13th, so that is a plus in my book.  I'm hoping to blog a lot more this coming year as well.

A plan for movies, I'm not really sure.  I'm hoping to watch at least 2-3 movies a week, and knock some stuff off of my "To Be Watched" list.  But I'm setting no goals, nor making any promises.  I will make the best of 2016 though.