random thoughts about 2012... and 2013...

truth be told, 2012 did not start off great... the passing of my father on jan 5, 2012 was simultaneously difficult and, in a way, a blessing... meaning, he had been suffering, and in his opinion, not really living, given all the pain and restrictions of being riddled with cancer... so, while sad, it was hard to not be glad that he wasn't suffering anymore...

still... with the first anniversary of his death bearing down upon me, i can't help but be sad sometimes... i have tried to be extra-positive this holiday season and really enjoy it, and really be there for my kids, who last year, spent a lot of time alone while i was taking care of my dad... and i can honestly say that i have truly enjoyed THIS holiday season... 2012  has had its ups and downs, for sure... but i'm ready to bring on the new year!

so, for 2013, i have compiled a list of goals? tasks??  i don't know what to call them... from experience, i know that calling them "resolutions" has no effect on me whatsoever... here's the list...

eat healthier
exercise more
get my new blog going (details coming soon!)
get my budget in order
plan for some BIG changes coming in 2013
watch my kids become adults, graduate high school, and start college and their grown-up lives
smile more
stop hating pictures of myself
tone down the sarcasm (who am i kidding... :)
say no when i need to
make new friends (something i've started to do in 2012 and am loving!)
meet johnny depp (what?)
get over this shy, wallflower thing i've been doing my whole life

2013 is going to be a busy, and amazing year!  i mean, it's got a '13' in it, so how can it NOT be a great year??

random new fall tv reviews... 2012 edition...

hey... has anybody else checked out any of the new fall tv shows this season?  yeah??  me too...

chicago fire - great balls of fire! this show is worth watching for the shirtless firemen alone, but, surprisingly enough is a pretty decent show story-wise, as well... it kinda makes me wanna buy a house in chicago... and set it on fire... of course, i'd wanna be trapped in the house, so kelly severide (taylor kinney) could save me... i'd probs need mouth-to-mouth...

go on - this is my favorite new fall sitcom this year... matthew perry's character is recovering from the death of his wife, which makes the "com" part of sitcom that much more tricky... but the wacky characters in his support group, combined with his own egotistical spirit, make a great combo for funny...

revolution - i've only watched two episodes of this... with subsequent episodes piling up on my dvr... but i love it... and everyone's pretty, cuz that matters... i saw a funny tweet by rainn wilson that referred to it as "when models have no electricity"... that's pretty damn accurate!  i have a feeling, though, that it may go the way of past dramadventure shows such as terra nova, life on mars, and off the map... canceled after one season... fingers crossed it doesn't...

homeland - yes, i know this isn't technically new THIS season, but it IS new to me... as i just discovered it and spent many hours getting through season one and every episode of season two over the last few weeks... i'm finding this show seriously addictive... especially season 2... and of course i'm now annoyed that i have to wait to watch it week to week... sundays take a long time to get here...

there's a few other new shows (arrow, beauty and the beast, and elementary) just piling up on my dvr that i hope i have time to watch sometime soon... i'll update this review accordingly once i decide if i like them or not :)

what new shows are you watching this season?

random beliebers...

O.M.G.  wanna know what happened on october 9, 2012??  do you???  my daughter and her friends (pictured here) had their lives changed f.o.r.e.v.e.r. after attending......  wait for it.... wait for it....

THE JUSTIN BIEBER CONCERT (here in our town)

this photo, taken right after the lights went up... right after his last song (Baby... for those wondering... the ending lyrics of which are "I'm gone....") right after he disappeared into a small square hole in the stage... this photo, represents exactly what was happening during the ENTIRE concert...

they pretty much cried through every single song... they could barely sing they were crying so much... except for that part in Boyfriend where he talks about "chillin' by the fire while we're eatin' fondue..."  they SCREAMED that part... and looked as if they were having seizures... the good kind of seizures... you know,  the kind of seizures one has when in the same room as Justin Bieber (even a GIANT room and you're SUPER far away from him.)

point is, they will all remember this forever... they will live to tell this story to their children... and grandchildren... this story about seeing Justin Bieber live and in person...

have you ever seen/met anyone that you were so excited to meet/see that you cried??

that will happen to me the day i meet Johnny Depp... seriously... cue the tears...

random fall fashion... that i hate... a lot...

bad floral...

recently i went school shopping with my daughter... besides the fact that i really hate shopping... especially when the mall is super crowded... we also had to deal with a couple of fall fashion options that were... not great...

more bad floral...

the most prominent U.G.L.Y. fashion trend seems to be the bad floral print... they're putting these on pants, tops, hats, scarves, gloves, and anywhere else they can stamp it... i like the sound of music as much as the next guy, but seriously, who thinks walking around looking like grandma's sofa is a great idea?  it's not...







and then there's the lace... on every damn thing... why?  lace is itchy and mostly not cute...

itchy lace...

really? these are NOT pants.

stuff i do like:  hi-low skirts, denim jackets, and boots... always boots :)

what fashions do you hate this year?

random reviews... consolidation station...

so... i started this other blog awhile back called "i simply reviews" where i was reviewing reviewing reviewing something for you, but maintaining both blogs is becoming a bother... so consider this consolidation station!

i'm including links here to all of the cool stuff i reviewed over on "i simply reviews" and i will do future reviews right here on random liana... they will be random reviews... just like they were when they were simply reviews :)

thanks for stopping by!

i simply reviews

the hunger games (book)

titanic 3d (movie)

catching fire (book)

downton abbey (tv)

jack and jill (movie)

espresso chocolate chip shortbread cookies (recipe)

an officer and a gentleman (movie)

mockingjay (book)

why my third husband will be a dog (book)

lies that chelsea handler told me (book)

joy the baker cookbook (book)