May 2022
Hello everyone! Unlike the rest of the year, May kept on the perfect pace time-wise. This whole month, Matt and I have been moving! We gave ourselves 31 days to get out of the place we were living and into the place we are now. I think, at the end of it all, we should be doing this every time we move…it made life so easy to not have to strain ourselves to get out in a weekend!
Either way, the new blog schedule has been because of this, as well as getting ready for Baby G’s arrival. It’s been a big month, and in between moving and unpacking, we did some fun stuff! Let’s dive into it…
Marvel Madness
This month, Matt and I watched both Moon Knight and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I will try to be spoiler-free for the people who haven’t seen either yet!
Moon Knight was a superhero I knew very little about. I was unsure how I was going to like the show until I heard that Oscar Issac was the main character. Oscar Issac is one of my favorite actors, not only because he’s just nice to look at, but he’s an amazing, talented man who fully encompasses every role I’ve ever seen him in. He did not disappoint with his performance in Moon Knight.
Issac plays Steven Grant, a British museum curator who gets caught up in a supernatural adventure thanks to his other personality, Marc Spector. It’s impressive watching Issac switch so effortlessly between the two men, as they are both completely different personality-wise. I think the show does a decent job at avoiding Dissociative Personality Disorder stereotypes, but not treating the topic with too gentle of a touch. It reminded me of Split, the movie with James McAvoy playing a character with DID, but handled in an arguably better, less stigmatized way.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Ethan Hawke in the role of the villainous Arthur Harrow. I think Hawke is one of those actors that my group of peers kind of forgets about…he’s a very underrated actor! I think he elevates most movies and TV shows that I’ve seen him in, and I really enjoyed his role in Moon Knight. The whole plot is driven by his character’s desire to resurrect the Egyptian Goddess Ammut. Khonshu, the Egyptian God of the Moon, takes Marc Spector as his Avatar in order to prevent this from happening. It’s a whole thing! I won’t get too into it so I don’t spoil anything.
There were parts where I was like “????” but for the most part, almost all of my questions were answered in the short series. A lot of people I know did not like the show because it was hard to follow and a bit confusing when it came to all of the stuff happening around Steven/Marc, but I thought that if you pay attention while watching, it’s no harder to follow than other confusing shows out there. I didn’t really think the plot was that confusing, to be honest.
I also know people that are turned off by the multiple personalities trope, and that I can understand more than the “hard to follow” argument. DID is not really handled in the media as well as it could be, and sometimes it’s hard to watch a badly written story over and over with different characters. Even Split, which I really enjoyed, had its problems. I think the difference, however, is simply the writing. Marvel has very rarely disappointed me with their writing teams, and like I said earlier, I think they did a great job handling a character like Steven/Marc.
If anything, the visuals and the music in the show will have you hooked. I think this is a series that shouldn’t be skipped, because whether or not they bring him back, I think Moon Knight is a cool character. The story had me in a chokehold, so I say give it a chance!
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, on the other hand, was fun and campy and ridiculous in all the right ways. It was also Scarlet Witch’s day out, which I was perfectly fine with because Elizabeth Olsen is amazing in the role. I know a ton of people who were bored with the first Doctor Strange movie. I wasn’t one of them, but I will admit that it was pretty forgettable. I can remember how aesthetically pleasing it was, but I barely remember the plot.
Luckily, I didn’t really need to remember the plot of the first one in order to know what was going on in the second. Unfortunately for casual Marvel fans, you had to know a LOT of the lore from a lot of other Marvel projects in order to know what was going on in between the lines. I think a casual Marvel fan would still be able to enjoy themselves with the movie, they would just be a little confused at some lines and some characters.
I can’t go into the plot of the movie too much without spoiling the whole thing, but just know that Benedict Cumberbatch did his thing, Elizabeth Olsen did a GREAT job in this movie, and all of the newcomers were fun to watch. It was also kind of spooky, which I knew it was going to be based on older interviews with the writers and directors, but I didn’t expect the jump scares and the thriller-like scenes at all. I thought Sam Raimi’s direction was brilliant, which didn’t surprise me too much because I love how fun and campy his movies are. I wouldn’t skip this movie, unless you’re REALLY uninterested in Doctor Strange.
Mother’s Day, Technically
I had a tiny little Mother’s Day celebration this Mother’s Day! I at least had people wish me a happy Mother’s Day, one of my best friends gave me flowers, and I was able to buy myself a nice ring with mine, Matt’s, and Olivia’s birthstones in it.
The whole day, though, I felt kind of funny. Of course, I’m going to be a mother…most people argue that I already am because being pregnant is the most direct line to motherhood anyone can think of. At the same time, I feel like I’m not a mom yet! I haven’t gone through any of the “Mom Struggles” quite yet, just the struggles that come with being a pregnant woman.
I didn’t correct anyone who wished me a happy Mother’s Day despite feeling like I wasn’t worthy of the well wishes because I’ll never stop anyone from being nice to me. It was just a strange day since I can’t really relate to mothers that I know on that “Mom Level” quite yet. I’m sure next Mother’s Day I’ll be more willing to accept the well wishes and gifts!
YouTubers Beating Each Other Up? Sign Me Up, Baby!
The first Creator Clash happened this month! Creator Clash was an event that was set up by the YouTuber Ian “Idubbz” and his wife, Anisa. It was a charity boxing event that took YouTubers across all genres and pitted them together in the ring. I first heard of it on Super Mega Cast when Matt Watson and Ryan Magee announced their involvement, and later found out that Arin Hanson from Game Grumps was participating as well.
As soon as the virtual tickets went up for sale, I bought one. Not only was I helping some great charities out (which I wish I could find the names of right now, but they had to do with Alzheimer's and therapy horses), but I would be able to see the fruits of Super Mega and Arin Hanson’s labor. For months, all those guys talked about was training for their boxing matches! I had to see how they went. Plus, I couldn’t travel to Tampa to watch it live, so streaming it live was the next best thing.
The entire event was amazing. I saw some creators that I knew but didn’t watch (like Justaminx and theodd1sout) and I got to enjoy meeting new creators as well. All of the fights were insane, especially when considering that most of the creators on the roster had never boxed before being asked to be in Creator Clash. I had so much fun watching the fights, and felt very proud of Matt (who lasted 22 seconds in the ring, but still did his best), Ryan (who was in one of the two fights that lasted all 5 rounds and lost on technicalities instead of TKO), and Arin (who was fighting HarleyPlays, who is MASSIVE).
Every person involved in this event really gave it their all, and even though technically there were “winners” and “losers”, in my opinion they all get credit for even stepping into the ring in the first place. Boxing is hard! Boxing is scary! I couldn’t handle being punched in the face by a twelve pound glove with even just an inkling of power behind it! I’d die!
As a fan of Super Mega, I was especially impressed with Ryan’s performance and frankly, his physical transformation. My husband can tell you that I’ve had a crush on Ryan Magee for years, and watching him take his training seriously enough for there to be a noticeable physical and mental change was inspiring and attractive not only to me, but most of Super Mega’s fanbase. I felt a little too proud during his fight, which I’m sure entertained Matt more than the actual fight!
Another fight that I enjoyed was Hundar from Muscle Party versus AB from the H3 Podcast. Their fight was so technically perfect (according to the commentators, anyway), and the two of them both held their own in the ring. Plus, Hundar in particular was kind of intimidating and I enjoyed watching him use that to his advantage.
The entire stream is up on YouTube, so if you’re interested in watching a bunch of YouTubers fight that otherwise would never throw a punch, click here! It was genuinely a good time, and I think people who are even casually into boxing (or YouTubers) can find some entertainment from the event.
Music Obsessions
This month, Hayley Kiyoko announced her next album, “Panorama”, with her lead single “For The Girls” coming out about a week ago. I get a little too into Hayley Kiyoko music videos (she’s just…*chef’s kiss*) so I haven’t seen this last one, but I LOVE the song. SOHN also came out with a new song that I love as well, and I’ve admittedly been listening to little else except dark pop/electronica and the Moon Knight soundtrack.
I threw some oldies but goodies on the playlist as well, since I had my Spotify on shuffle while packing and cleaning this month and heard some good ones. So, as usual, this playlist is all over the place! If you’re interested in listening to it, you can check it out here!
The month of June is looking to be a busy one as well, at least for Matt and our brother in-law. They are finishing a room in our new place for Olivia’s nursery, and it’s going to be quite the project! I want to be able to have it done before the end of July (Olivia’s due date is the 30th) so that when we come home from the hospital, we don’t have to worry about putting anything together and moving it in…it’ll just be in there.
We also have so much to unpack, so I’m hoping we can be all unpacked by the end of June as well! I want to be as prepared for my baby’s arrival as possible, and I think with the help I have around me, as well as the personal drive to get it done, I’ll be able to make it happen and get everything done so I can just enjoy little Olivia’s arrival. Of course, life never happens the way it should, so we’ll see what actually happens! I’m sure I’ll be writing all about it soon.
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