Nail Polish Wars

Just bought me some Harry Potter nail care products from Orly!

Does anyone in the older millenial age range remember when companies just sold products and not activism? Like, you found a product you liked because of how it was designed and you bought it. One and done.

I miss those days.

And the reason I'm saying this is because a brand of nail polish that I actually really liked and have owned for a year sent me an email today that was one of the most obnoxiously activist fueled emails imaginable. I do not care. I do not want to know, but now I do, forced to know against my will when all I want are emails about FREAKING NAIL POLISH releases and new color collections! 

So, now I have the absolute power to toss my nail polish and spend my money elsewhere!

Companies STOP with the activism! Normal people do not care what you personally believe and they do not want to be forced to listen to your convictions and stances on every topic under the sun! Make and sell the nail polish! As a normal, non-influencer, non-media-presence other than this blog type of person, I am genuinely done with the activist BS. I do not WANT to know and if you insist on telling me, I WILL walk away!

In other news, I'm gravitating to Orly instead!

Why, you ask? Because they are actually conspicuously silent on certain topics this year. Which has a ton of people butt hurt, but just like those people can flock to the company I just abandoned, I too can flock to Orly and spend my money there because they at least seem like an almost-neutral party. 

Oh, and they've got some Harry Potter butterbeer scented products, which I think is just fabulous. I loved Rowling years ago and I still love her now so it's nice to see a company that isn't full-out hating on her.

So, I've ordered the Ultimate Harry Potter Butterbeer Experience collection, the Breathable Treatments Bundle, and I'm trying their Melting Point breathable collection from Summer 2024 which actually looks super fun. I love 1980s vibes and these colors do have them without being too neon for me like their current collection. I'm excited to try breathable polish for the first time and I think my sad, sorry nails are really going to love it!

I'll say it again, one more time for good measure, all you companies out there, stop selling causes along with your products!

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Star Wars Commentary on Rogue One and Andor

Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

All right, people—let’s talk briefly about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

I get it. Star Wars is now this sprawling universe filled with all kinds of characters and stories. But let’s be honest—most of these stories don’t really align with each other. Rogue One and the so-called “hit” series Andor (and yes, I’m using “hit” loosely here) feel like they exist in completely different realities.

To me, Andor is like the Star Trek reboot movies—a total schism from the original franchise. Sure, people love them, but they don’t fit. And that’s fine, I guess. It happened. It’s too late to undo it—for both Star Wars and Star Trek.

But here’s where things get different: with Andor, I’ve noticed a complete lack of respect for what came before—from both fans and the director. Love Andor all you want. If you’re Tony Gilroy, be proud of the series you created. If you’re a fan, obsess over it to your heart’s content. No one’s stopping you.

Because this is my opinion blog, meaning my personal opinion, I require polite discourse. You have been invited to my table, in my home, which I own. Behave accordingly. If you harass me in any way, I will delete your comment, which is the same as throwing you out of my house for poor behavior.

What’s not okay is the way some people are actively trying to diminish the value of Rogue One within the Star Wars franchise.

I was there—an adult—when Rogue One hit theaters nine years ago. It was a revelation. Nothing that good had come out of Star Wars since the original trilogy. The film was praised for its gritty, emotional story and stellar performances. Felicity Jones brought real depth to Jyn Erso, and Diego Luna was excellent as Cassian Andor.

Those are facts. You can’t rewrite them.

And here’s the thing: dark and depressing doesn’t automatically equal “gritty.” If you’re into a show about politics and fascism (gee, wonder why that’s on everyone’s mind right now?), go for it. But I have issues with Andor not just because of its bleak tone, but because it rewrites Cassian’s backstory. They aged him up. They made him a liar in Rogue One. They even changed his home planet. Why?

That kind of revisionism is unacceptable. And honestly, I get strong narcissist vibes from Tony Gilroy, so maybe it makes sense—he just did what he wanted. Maybe Andor is good. But I’ll never know, because the attitude of the director and the fanbase completely turned me off. And once that happens, there’s no going back.

What I do know is this: Rogue One is not, and never will be, “the worst episode of Andor,” no matter what some snarky fans claim. Instead, as I see it, Andor is that weird offshoot in its own corner, like those Star Trek reboots, that just doens't fit with the story and written canon.

Rogue One isn’t Cassian’s story.

It’s Jyn Erso’s story. It’s about her family and their role in the creation—and destruction—of the first Death Star. Real fans of the original Star Wars saga see Rogue One as a powerful, worthy addition. This is Felicity Jones’ movie. Diego Luna just happened to be in it. And Jyn Erso is one of the strongest female leads in the franchise.

It’s a shame Tony Gilroy, who also worked on Rogue One which just baffles me, chose to undermine something great just to boost his own series and rewrite canon. Explain to me why he is attempting to erase Jyn Erso, a brilliant female lead? And it's almost worse of a shame that Disney is attempting to rewrite history by the new Rogue One poster on Disney+ featuring Cassian first.

The below is what the actual original poster from 2016 looks like, with Jyn correctly as the lead.

And here we have Disney's quickly reimagined poster, presumably to placate Andor fans.

Disney needs to take a hard look at how it manages continuity. They were in charge when Rogue One was made, and they’re still in charge now. The disconnect between Rogue One and Andor is on them. They should’ve stopped Tony Gilroy before he even picked up his red pen.

Because this is my opinion blog, meaning my personal opinion, I require polite discourse. You have been invited to my table, in my home, which I own. Behave accordingly. If you harass me in any way, I will delete your comment, which is the same as throwing you out of my house for poor behavior.

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Honest Mini Review of Poppi - Orange Cream Soda flavor

I should have known better than to buy something just because it’s hyped up. Maybe it’s just the Orange Cream soda flavor—but wow, yuck. It has this sharp, acidic kick that lingers in your mouth, followed by a sickeningly sweet aftertaste.

After finally reading the can (which I definitely should have done first), I realized the acidic bite comes from apple cider vinegar—like in Kombucha, another vinegar-based drink I’m not a fan of. And that overly sweet aftertaste? Stevia. Another hard pass for me.

I get it—this soda is supposed to be “healthy,” packed with prebiotics and other good-for-you ingredients. That’s great in theory, but if it tastes awful, I’m not going to force myself to drink it. I don’t eat Brussels sprouts for the same reason!

Maybe this kind of drink works for some people, but if you’re already happy with diet soda or zero-sugar options, I say stick with those. At least they taste decent—at least, according to my taste buds. Add prebiotics another way to your diet.

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Planning a Disney World trip in 2027 - DW Resorts Part One

Our last Disney trip was in January 2019. It's incredible that by the time we go again, we'll have made it almost a decade without a Disney theme park! I didn't post much about that last trip, but we did have a fabulous afternoon tea experience in Epcot which you can read about here!

Starting Point

Where are we going to stay?

I have stayed on Disney property twice, once in Florida and once in California and I am now addicted to the convenience and pampering. I travel for the luxury and fun of it, and that does mean staying in hotels or AirBnBs that are convenient in their location and in their amenities.

I looked into AirBnBs near Disney World. And there are some nice ones. But I want to literally be flooded with Disney the entire time I'm there, and most of these AirBnBs do not have a Disney theme. Which I get, I mean, people are in Orlando for many different reasons so you don't want to just cater to one theme park. That would be ridiculous. If I were there visiting family (if I had any in Orlando) or there for work (wow, that would be interesting), then I would not be needing or really wanting a Disney themed room to stay in. 

But I'm not going for work or to visit family. I am going for the glorious magic that Walt Disney created with his imagination and the franchise born out of it.

Soooooooooo, with that said, we are staying at a Disney resort in Orlando.

Last time we stayed at The Art of Animation and the The Little Mermaid themed room was super adorable! We loved it. We had to walk what felt like a mile to get to our room but it was so fun to be on Disney property.

Resorts in the Running

Photo Credit: Me

Possible Resort #1: Revisiting Art of Animation

We could very easily stay at the Art of Animation again. I mean, we enjoyed it the last time. It kept up that immersive experience that I'm in love with. And, let's be honest, it is less expensive than their moderate level resort hotels, so it's got that going for it. The only thing I'm not in love with is the walking.

Downside: Disney no longer offers the Magical Express which was a complimentary shuttle and luggage service to and from the airport and the Disney World resorts. I mean, it was fabulous. We handed our luggage off in Colorado and didn't see it again until we arrived IN OUR HOTEL ROOM. So that's a major bummer that it was discontinued in 2022. Knowing we would have to trek to our room in Art of Animation with our luggage is a point against this resort now because there is ZERO fun in that.

The staff and amenities, however, were amazing. It was so cute how the staff rearranged our stuffed animals on the beds every day (yes, we buy Disney stuffed animals at the parks and it's the only way to live!). So fun. There were even massage chairs for our poor exhausted legs in the lobby area so we always stopped there after a day in the parks to massage out the pain before heading to our room. And the dining area for breakfast was convenient. So there were definite perks which is why it's still in the running.

Photo Credit: WDW Magazine

Possible Resort #2: Port Orleans Riverside - Royal Guest Room

I'm a little bit of a "go big or go home" sort of gal. And the moment I heard about this room, I knew it was destined for my bucket list. Remember how I said I love immersive experiences? This is that and then some! I want to be awash in Disney the moment I step on the property!

The argument I've heard against staying in one of these types of rooms is that you don't spend much time in them. I get that. I do. But my goal with this trip is that we will stay 6 or 7 nights. Which means we will have more than enough time to enjoy the parks and also enjoy time at the resort, swimming in one of the pools, and just unwinding with character experiences at different restaurants at the different resorts. We didn't stay long enough last time so we were exhausted x 10, and I do not want a repeat!

If we want to go to a park, there's the complimentary bus service, and if we want to go to Disney Springs, we take the water taxi. There's even an opportunity to book a horse drawn excursion which just sounds so lovely!

So, right now I'm heavily leaning in this direction just because it's a room we haven't stayed in and it's the room of my dreams!

Photo Credit: Trip Advisor

Possible Resort #3: Grand Floridian

This one is just a whimsical, if-only sort of stay. If I had an endless supply of funds, I would book at the Grand Floridian, but for a normal income family, it's a no-go. I'm really just adding it here because it's so beautiful. It's not quite the immersive experience as the other rooms I've mentioned, but it sure is decadent and lovely.

Going with a Travel Agent

I've decided to do something this time around that I've never done before . . . go through a travel agent for this Disney trip. I've already reached out to a company who I think will be fantastic, and I'm already in talks with our travel agent who seems nice and quite knowledgeable. 

I know this may be our last major trip to Disney which is why I want to splurge, and why I want to have as many character experiences and luxuries as possible within my budget. And I know having a travel agent will be super helpful in that arena because they can get us discounts and deals, even after we've booked everything, which is amazing.

I won't name the Travel Agent company until after we've taken the trip, so we've got a few years to go, but when the time comes, I know that I can count on this person to book the room of our dreams at hopefully the best price we can get. It helps that we're flexible about when in 2027 we're going. It would be fun to go near our birthdays, but if we can get a better deal and have more of the new areas open, like Monstropolis Land which should be opening in 2027 and which I do not want to miss, that would be awesome.

Circling back around to the main topic, I am going to do everything in my power and finances to book us a Royal Guest Room in Port Orleans Riverside. But if that doesn't work out and just isn't affordable enough for my budget, we'll go with Art of Animation, a completely worthwhile and charming resort that is the right level of immersive for my crazy.

Look forward to more updates as I continue the planning and talking out phase of the trip!

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