Happy Hub: Nine Track Mind, Deadpool, Zoya Blaze, & More!

A word of advice: grab a drink and/or a snack. You've got a long blog post ahead of you. February is the shortest month of the year (even if we do have one extra day this year) and according to my Happy Hub, I made the most out of it. I've written more than I meant to -- I wonder if that says more about my faves or about how I feel about my faves. I won't take up any more of your time with the intro, you've got plenty of reading ahead of you. Gear up and click the read more!

Tunes:

The first thing I was listening to this month was actually carried over from the end of last month. Charlie Puth's debut album came out at the end of January (after the Happy Hub went up) and it's an album I have waited a long time for. I have been anticipating  Nine Track Mind since before it's first release date (in November) and now that it's out, I am able to soak it all in. All of my favorites from his Some Type of Love EP (which is literally all four songs) are on this album and I couldn't be happier. In addition to the songs I already knew and loved, we got a lot of great new tracks. I have a history of listing the entire tracklist when I get excited so I'm going to stick to just one favorite this time, but that doesn't mean the rest isn't just as good. I'd definitely give this album a listen when you have the chance. My personal favorite is Dangerously. I don't know if you've read The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (If you haven't yet it's not for lack of trying on my part. I plug that book whenever and wherever I can.) but there's a quote in there that really hits you with the feels. You'll know it when you read it. Dangerously perfectly embodies that quote. I can picture the look in his eyes when he says it to her with this song as the soundtrack. Oh yes, I could listen to this forever.

Another new release this month is Sia's new album, This Is Acting. It's one of those albums that is so good that you want to go back and replay the song you just heard but you don't want to miss listening to the song that just came on either. Sia, you've left me with no option but to play your album on repeat. I love all her promotional singles as well as her actual singles (although I much prefer the original Cheap Thrills over the remix) and the only songs I'm kinda iffy on are Sweet Design and Space Between. They're both good songs, they just don't live up to the rest of the album. The flow of the album is fantastic. When the next song comes up, the transition feels natural. I recently learned that this album is a bunch of songs that were written for other artists and were either passed up or Sia liked them so much she kept them for herself. That got me thinking how amazing all those songs that didn't get passed up would sound if Sia had kept all of them. Sia can make anything sound good.

As a long time fan of Bridgit Mendler and her music, I was shocked at myself for not realizing her one and only album had a deluxe version. To be fair, I wasn't that in-the-know when her album came out in 2012 and the deluxe version was only available for download but it's been almost three and a half years. Get it together, Yvette. I took a listen to her deluxe tracks and I was the most impressed with Postcard. I had that song on repeat for a while. Not only do I like the sound, but the message is also something you don't hear as much as you should. It's a song about feminism but it also takes into account how feminism benefits boys. It's not a "girls rule, boys drool" song. It's a "society looks down on women and toxic masculinity is just as damaging and invisible problem for men" song. I love Bridgit and there has been some activity on Twitter and Instagram suggesting she might be working on some new material... Fingers crossed, especially now that her show, Undateable, has just finished their third season (with the Backstreet Boys as their guests in the finale!).

Say what you want about them, but I love Disney Channel stars. I'm out of touch when it comes to their shows but I love the actors. I'm also very supportive when they inevitably start their music careers. Dove Cameron is such a darling and she's from Seattle so she has a guaranteed place in my heart. She and her boyfriend, Ryan McCartan (also on Disney Channel), started their band, The Girl and the Dreamcatcher, together last year and the music I have to get to has been so backed up that I've only just now listened to their two singles, Written in the Stars and Glowing in the Dark. They recently released Glowing in the Dark and all the posts on Instagram about their new music video inspired me to take fate into my own hands and check them out. At first, I preferred Written in the Stars over Glowing in the Dark but the latter has grown on me. There's no question that I like the Written in the Stars video more, though. I think Dove looks a lot like Kate Hudson at 2:45 but maybe that's just me. I will say the shot of Dove after the little dance number in Glowing in the Dark is on point. I can't wait to hear more from them, hopefully in the near future.

Speaking of Disney Channel stars, Sabrina Carpenter has just released her new single and it's so different from the sound of her debut album in the best way. This is a completely different side of Sabrina. Her first album, Eyes Wide Open had a very whimsical feel and it was all about love. Thing have changed since that was released and I can definitely see how she pulled Smoke and Fire out of the crap she's been through. This isn't the first time Sabrina has been featured on my blog so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I am highly anticipating her next album, whenever it's coming out. If the whole thing has the same vibes as Smoke and Fire, I'm even more sold. It'd be like the dichotomy of Sabrina. Two sides of the same coin. I'm a Gemini, I love this kind of stuff.

Every time I get in the mood to listen to eighties music, there's always a different set of songs that I rotate through. This time around, there's been a lot of The Longest Time by Billy Joel and Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears. I've kinda been all over the place with this round of oldies but there was a lot of Billy Joel in there. I know a lot of his more famous songs because he's one of my dad's favorites and that's what I was exposed to growing up but I wanted to familiarize myself with more of his music. On the cruise last year, the group Oh What a Night! performed Uptown Girl because they said the Four Seasons is one of Billy Joel's influences and now that I've heard more of his music, I can definitely see where that statement is coming from.

Films:

Deadpool (x)

Deadpool's marketing team has worked so hard to get X Gon' Give It To Ya stuck in all our heads, the least we can do is go see it in theaters. This movie has been so long in the making, there was no way they weren't going to make it the best it could be and it did not disappoint. It maximized its hard R rating to it's full potential. There was no shortage of bloody violence and sex jokes and fourth wall breaks so if that's not your thing, this is a movie you should 100% avoid. It's kinda hard to put into words how amazing this movie is. Deadpool is unlike any movie, let alone any other superhero movies. I'm sure the villain has a playlist titled something along the lines of "My Theme Song" that's just this song a hundred times. He seems like the type. My favorite thing was how Deadpool interacted with all the characters in the movie, especially that cab driver. His interactions with Colossus (which I am no longer mad about but that's a whole other topic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead was hilarious and I super appreciated his relationship with his old, blind roommate Al. That's the kind of banter I want to see. The best part of the movie was the nods to the X-Men franchise and the many Hugh Jackman references. That, and the Stan Lee cameo. That was good. I hope he read the script and was like "There. I want to be in that scene." because that would make the cameo infinitely better than it already is. I don't want to give away too much (maybe I already have) so I would highly encourage you to go see Deadpool if it's your thing. Seriously, don't go if it will traumatize you in any way. Watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off if you're just in it for the fourth wall breaks.

(I used the best line in the whole film for an Instagram caption. I practically had it memorized because Steph and I have were quoting it to each other the rest of the day.)

Burger:

Cowboy burger ft. onion rings (x)

It only took me a month and a half to check off my first burger of the year! I'm carrying over the remaining seven burgers from last year. My original goal was to only have twelve burgers in one year but by the time the year came to an end, I had only had five burgers. Putting a limit on one of may faves made me selective about what kinds of burgers I would eat. You're not going to catch me wasting one of my twelve on a fast food chain. If I'm only having twelve burgers over the course of a year (now two years!), you know it's going to be a high quality burger. I've always had luck with Applebee's burgers but then again, I had only ever had the mushroom swiss. How can you pass up a mushroom swiss?! This time, though, I decided I would try something new. After all, a third of the burgers I've had in this challenge up until this point have been mushroom swiss. I need to give other burgers a chance. Another reason to go to Applebee's is onion rings. 'Nuff said. 

Miscellaneous:

Zoya Aggie (x)

If you recall from last month, I had a nagging feeling that I was forgetting something and, as I was admiring my beautiful (albeit chipped) nails under varying degrees of light, realization dawned on me. By some mysterious force unbeknownst to me, Zoya Aggie had completely slipped my mind. It wasn't until I was ready to take Aggie off that I finally realized what was missing. This gold polish was one I had been eyeing for so long and I put it on almost the instant I got it. I say almost because I had to wait for Amy's birthday. This is the #yamy polish. Zoya Aggie is burnished gold that almost leans brass with this gorgeous and elusive green holo that's only visible if you catch it in certain angles and light. It's the most metallic polish I've ever worn and I fell in love the second it hit my nail. The application was so smooth and and stayed in such great condition for a long time by nail polish standards. If you're thinking of going gold, Zoya Aggie is the one to pick. 

Zoya Blaze (x)

I have never been a fan of the color red in general and, as a result, I've also steered clear of wearing red polish on my nails. Zoya Blaze is likely to be the only exception ever. When I have a special occasion I want to paint my nails for, I'll pick out a color at least a month in advance and set it out on my desk as a reminder. In this case, it also helped me get used to looking at red all the time. I've grown to love the color in the bottle but I'm still not the biggest fan of it on my nails. I do, however, love the holo glitter in there and when it's not in direct sunlight, the red gets really dark to the point where it's almost oxblood. I think it's really cool how it's almost a jelly and yet it's so pigmented. Honestly, I would not have bought Blaze if I weren't trying to complete my Ornate Collection (hands down the best Zoya collection as a whole to date) and I do not regret my purchase one bit. The holo glitter is a lot more muted than it is in Storm or Aurora but it's still present. Now that I've worn it on my nails for two weeks, I can see the appeal, although I'm not sure every red polish will make your fingertips look like pomegranate arils.

This technically happened in January, but it happened after last month's Happy Hub went up, so it deserves a slot in this one. At the end of January, Mikaela and I paid a visit to Alegado and it was such a fun day. You may remember Alegado from last June when we visited him together for the first time since we graduated. It was awesome. This time, it was, dare I say, even better?! It wasn't just seeing Alegado that was memorable (although that makes it even more memorable), we went from a warm sunny day, to a hailstorm in what felt like no time. It was even worse because we didn't make a straight line for Alegado. We had to pick up pizza and drop off my stuff along the way. We were driving across town in torrential hail with two pizzas in the backseat. Then after a parking debacle, we made it to Alegado and shared a good time with him and some current students, including my brother. It was a good couple hours talking about all things ranging from smelly flowers to Star Wars. It was very rewarding seeing my hairstyle spark a conversation. Overall, I'd give it a 15/10 will definitely do again.

Mikaela, Mr. Alegado, and I lookin' good.

I've been having a blast watching Agent Carter, especially since I can watch it live and Steph and I can react to it as it happens. Hopefully my views this season will help it get renewed. I need more Peggy and Jarvis and Sousa and Rose, even. The finale is coming soon and it's been such a wild, emotional season, I'm not sure I can bear not having more. Agent Carter gives me a lot to look forward to on Tuesdays. Another show I've been loving is Superstore. I've been meaning to get to it for the longest time (can't escape Billy Joel) and since I ran out of lunchtime shows (aka 22 minute episodes), I thought now would be the best time to start it. On one hand, I'm glad I was able to binge watch so much of it but on the other hand, I want to have more immediately. I went to Walmart the other day and Superstore was all I could think about. I doubt Walmart has one liners as good as Superstore, though.

Blogosphere:

I've been hard at work on xo, Yvette this month. Between prep for my bigger posts like my Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge and my Companion Recommendations and writing in advance, my mind hasn't left the blogosphere for longer than it takes to sleep. I do have to say that writing in advance feels so good. I love seeing I have one (or more!) blog posts completely ready to publish. It makes me feel so accomplished. I guess there is a lot of reasons to be grateful for two hour specials of your favorite show. It really gets your fingers typing in order to catch every minute and be stress-free for the feature-length viewing. I hope you enjoyed the posts this month because I feel like I did every single one of them justice.


That's a lot of Happy Hub. This post alone took so long to write. I had a lot to say about a lot of things I enjoyed this month. The one downside of putting so much time and effort into my blog is that that takes away from my reading time. Even when I do get the chance to pick up a book, my mind wanders back to what I'm going to say when I'm able to get back on the computer to tap out a couple more paragraphs. It does leave me less stressed overall though so we'll see how that works out. These are the things that made me happy this month but chances are they aren't the same as the things that made you happy! Let me know what you've been enjoying recently in the comments below and let me know if I missed out on any music or if there's another movie I need to see. I'd love to hear your thoughts!


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette