Yes/No Detroit

This week has been an odd one because I was in Dallas Sunday through Tuesday for work, and I feel like I've been playing catch-up since then (and Wednesday definitely felt like Monday for me).  Giant Eye sculpture, Dallas What I've been up to this week: Traveling to Dallas for work . I was there for two days and two nights, which is usually the shorter end of my work trips, although next month for the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis I'll be there for the same amount of time. This time was for SNX, which is a snacks conference. I was also able to see a friend who lives in Dallas, which was super nice because I hadn't seen her since 2018, when we met on a group trip. I saw the Giant Eye sculpture (pictured above), too, which I had seen on Google Maps and was definitely intrigued by; someone else asked me if it changes images, like the Sphere in Vegas, but it does not. Eating out . Last Friday, I met a friend and her boyfriend at Imperial in Ferndale, which is one

all photos courtesy of: Quiver Distribution *Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Quiver Distribution.  I received a screener of this movie in order to facilitate this review. The opinions listed here, however, are my own. I saw that Irena's Vow was going to be playing in theaters this upcoming week only (April 15th and 16th) and it looked like an interesting movie—I generally find World War II movies informative, albeit sad, of course. About the movie: Quiver Distribution will be partnering with Fathom Events for an exclusive nationwide cinema premier of Irena's Vow, the incredible true story of Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish Catholic nurse whom, through extraordinary coverage, risked her life to help hide Jews persecuted by Nazi Germany during WWII. The film debuts on April 15th and April 16th in theaters across the country. Each screening will be accompanied by exclusive video footage featuring Jeannie Smith, Irena's real-life daughter; Ro

I spent the beginning of this week in Indiana for the eclipse, and then we drove back Tuesday, so it's been a shortened but very long week, since I've spent most of it playing catchup. Ice cream flight at Browndog Barlor, Northville What I've been up to this week: Traveling to Indiana . We were there Saturday through Tuesday, and the eclipse was Monday. Indiana got 100% totality and it was pretty cool to see; I snuck a half-second look without glasses when it was at totality, too, and it was a neat sight. I also met more of my fiance's extended family —his aunt and uncle came in from Minnesota, and another uncle from Florida—and we broke out some new games, too, such as UNO Show 'Em No Mercy (see pic below), which was fun. Eating out . In Indiana, we mostly ate homecooked meals, but on the last day, we made it to their new Raising Cane's. I LOVE Cane's and the only one in Michigan right now is in East Lansing, although I heard they are opening one in Canton

This week has passed by fast, and this weekend we are going to Indiana to see the eclipse on Monday with my fiance's family—some relatives are coming in from Minnesota, Idaho, and Florida, too. Pizza buffet at Tomatoes APizza, Farmington Hills What I've been up to this week: Eating out/getting takeout . Last Friday, I brought Pink Garlic to my fiance's house, which is always tasty; they're in Oak Park (basically OP/Berkley line) and have the best Indian food in the area, IMO. On Monday, we both had the day off work, so we went to Tomatoes APizza (Apizza?) in Farmington Hills for their lunch pizza buffet—I hadn't been there in many years, but it was still very good, and $12.99 gets you all the pizza you can eat, plus salad, chocolate piadina (like pizza crust with Nutella—OMG, so good), and unlimited soft drinks. And yesterday I tried out Sunrise Thai, in Madison Heights, for takeout, and it was also very good; I ordered Pad Cashew, Thai iced tea, and a single spring

*Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this film in order to facilitate this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I didn't get to see Lisa Frankenstein in the theater, but it looks fun—kind of like Edward Scissorhands— and I'm curious to watch it. Two of my lucky readers will win a digital code to own the movie! Read below for details. About the movie: Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse star in Focus Features’ 80’s inspired dark comedy, LISA FRANKENSTEIN, available to own as a Collector’s Edition with never-before-seen bonus content on Digital March 29, 2024, and on Blu-ray and DVD April 9, 2024, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The electrifying bonus material includes a hilarious gag reel, deleted scenes, and featurettes that give a behind-the-scenes look at Diablo Cody’s inspiration behind the film, Lisa’s relationship with Creature, plus a feature commentary by director Zelda Williams.   LISA FRANKENSTEIN is directed by Zelda Williams in her fea

Welcome to the last Friday Five of March—it felt like this month passed by very quickly. April will be fairly calm, although I technically have two trips (going to Indiana with my fiance to see the eclipse + his family, and Dallas for work) but May is going to be insane (three weddings + a work trip), so I'll enjoy the relative calmness while I can. Doordash from Namaste Flavours, Farmington What I've been up to this week: Getting takeout . Last Friday or Saturday, I believe it was, my fiance and I got Doordash from Namaste Flavours, in Farmington, which we hadn't tried before (see pic above) and it was very good. Gobi 65, a cauliflower dish, is one of his favorites, and this place had it. In the picture above we also got chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, a spicy paneer dish (for him, not me), and garlic naan. We also ordered lassi's (yogurt drink), but unfortunately I much prefer a mango lassi; these were sweet, but not really flavored.  On Sunday, I saw my parents

We are now past what is dubbed "Fool's Spring," because we probably have one to two inches of snow here already today in Michigan, and there will be more later, which I am not happy about because I need to drive somewhere later. EveryPlate mushroom, pea, cream pasta What I've been up to this week: Birthday/housewarming party . A friend of mine who lives in South Lyon had a 40th birthday/housewarming party, which was nice because I got to see her condo (and of course, her)—she moved in last year. I think this was the first time I've been to a party/get-together with 10-20 people since 2020, although I'm probably wrong on that ... it was nice not to wear a mask. She also had food catered from a local Mediterranean place, which was also tasty.  Hanging out with friends . After the housewarming party, we actually headed to another friend's house nearby in South Lyon, and we had drinks and pizza with them; they live only about 5 minutes from my friend. We had f

This was a busy travel week, as I was in Miami for a conference from Sunday through Wednesday. I also snuck in dinner with friends and a few movies (one in the theater, and two on the plane). JW Marriott resort, Aventura, FL What I've been up to this week: Traveling to Miami for work . Technically Aventura, FL (about 40 minutes from the Miami airport, and probably 30-40 minutes from Miami Beach area). I didn't get to see the beach this time—when I went in 2019 with a friend, we stayed five minutes from the hotel I stayed in this time (Residence Inn, across the street from the host hotel, JW Marriott), and were beachside, which was super nice. I was there for the National Confectioners Association's State of the Industry conference, which had a lot of interesting panels. Normally on work trips I'm using to running around to appointments, but this was the opposite (a lot of sitting at panels and networking).  I also was lucky enough that two of my Yelp friends from Califo

This week wasn't exceptionally busy, but next week will be, since I'm going to Miami for work from Sunday to Wednesday. Dessert trio at Witch's Hat Brewing, South Lyon What I've been up to this week: Booking wedding vendors . I felt accomplished this week - we rebooked our photographer and videographer (long story there, but our original person, who was doing both photography AND videography, had to cancel on us) AND we also booked our DJ. In addition, we secured a place for rehearsal lunch, which will be the day before with our immediate family and wedding party. We still need to book a florist; someone for dessert; tuxes, so to speak; and also order invitations, and after that I feel like most of the "big stuff" is done.  Going out to eat . On Friday night, we were in Royal Oak, because we have to get our wedding rings (his + my eng ring + my wedding ring) cleaned every six months to maintain their warranties, so we did Pastaio for dinner. It was my second t

*Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this film for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw Migration in the theater a month or two ago, and just rewatched it again this weekend, and it's a very cute movie. Two of my lucky readers will win a digital code to own the movie! See details below. About the movie: Spread your wings and get ready to soar with the Mallard family, whose vacation goes awry in the animated comedy MIGRATION, now available as a Collector’s Edition on Digital, 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 27, 2024, from Illumination, the creators of MINIONS, and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. “A great movie for the whole family,” (Despierta America), MIGRATION features a star-studded comedic voice cast and over an hour of never-before-seen exclusive content with even more fun for families and fans to enjoy. See how the Mallard family came to life with “Taking Flight: The Making Of” featurette, learn more about your favorite c

*Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this film for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw Poor Things in the theater a few weeks ago and honestly wasn't a huge fan of it, but I was still thinking about it days later. I did a rewatch with my fiance this weekend (first time watch for him) and actually liked it a lot better the second time—it's one of the more unique movies I've seen recently. One of my lucky readers will win a digital copy of the film! Scroll down for details. About the movie: From acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, Searchlight Pictures’ award-winning Poor Things will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu on February 27 and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD from March 12, with exclusive bonus content. Winner of Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress (Motion Picture Musical or Comedy) for Emma Stone at this year’s Golden Globe Awards®. It has been

Another long week—not super busy, and we actually have a weekend at home for once (we were supposed to go to Cincinnati, long story there), which should be nice. Free cheese bread from Green Lantern What I've been up to this week: Hanging with my fiance's family . My fiance's parents were in town from Indiana last weekend, so we had a lot of good meals with them, and also they came over to my condo on Sunday, and he and his dad helped move one of my bookcases out. His parents also got to FINALLY meet my parents—this was the third attempt, because on attempts 1 and 2, someone had COVID each time! We got some pizza from Domino's and also free cheesy bread from Green Lantern, the new Southfield location, since I had a coupon.  Dining out/doing takeout/cooking . On Friday night, the first night his parents were in town, we got takeout from Sidecar Slider Bar, in Farmington, which is always tasty. On Saturday, we went to On the Border, in Northville, which unfortunately wasn

*Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this movie for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I didn't get to see All of Us Strangers in theaters, but I'm looking forward to watching it on digital. Three of my lucky readers will also win a digital code! About the movie: A compelling exploration of love, family and grief, this unique film from English director Andrew Haigh is Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (96%) and has been described as “a beautiful, disorientating dream” (Jake Kring-Schreifels, The Film Stage) that “you won’t be able to stop thinking about” (Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist).  Unanimously lauded by critics (both the LA Times and USA Today named it Best Film of the Year) and nominated for 6 BAFTA Film Awards, Searchlight Pictures’ All Of Us Strangers will be available from all major digital retailers (Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu/Fandango) and is also currently available on Hulu. The digital release will also allow fans to de