friday favorites #28: week of august 26, 2016

Two weeks down, how many to go? These first days of school have been brutal. I cannot remember a time when the beginning of school was so stressful and complicated. I think we've made it, though--today actually felt like a normal work day, not a crazy we've-just-gotten-back-to-school-and-everyone-needs-something-from-me day. Hooray!

Here are a few things I've been enjoying recently:

1. BrainDead
"Previously on BrainDead!" are four (three?) of my favorite words this summer. I remember seeing commercials for the show before it premiered, and I thought it looked stupid. How wrong I was!

BrainDead asks this question: What if the fighting and utter inability to accomplish anything in Washington was actually caused by space bugs that were taking over people's brains?

Though this trailer doesn't give you the full scope of how fun BrainDead actually is, it's closer than any of the other trailers I found.


Hands down, BrainDead is my favorite show of the summer. While I enjoyed the pilot, you have to give it at least two episodes to decide if you're in or not...because it's in episode two that the hilarious recap songs begin. (You can read the story behind the songs--and watch the song from episode two--here, and you can watch all the songs--please, only if you've watched the show!--here.)

BrainDead is a 13-episode series currently airing on CBS, and the previous week's episode is available through Amazon Prime each Thursday. If you're looking for something different and quirky, check it out!

2. Yellow & Purple Wax Beans

While I have been loving my green beans this summer, I haven't gotten too many. (I'll need a bigger garden next year!) Today, a coworker brought in these yellow and purple wax beans. I ended up bringing home a plastic sack full of them because I was the last person in the office tonight, so I brought everything that was left. They are so tasty!!!

Unfortunately, they lose that gorgeous purple color when they're cooked, but they still taste great.

3. Hastings' Going Out of Business Sale
A couple weeks ago, I went out to dinner with a friend. She mentioned that we should stop at Hastings, a local bookstore chain, before we returned to Central City. Hastings is closing soon, and everything is on sale. We spent about an hour going through the used movies, and we both came out with way more than we needed!

Why yes, I did just get rid of more than 50 movies. So why not buy more???

A couple days later, I went back with several family members ... and I found more stuff! My absolute favorite finds are these two books:

Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, and this is a very cool illustrated version. And I couldn't pass up Melissa Rycroft's book--it cost me all of $3, and I can't wait to read her take on her experience with The Bachelor!

4. Momentum

This is a web app that I just found out about this week, and I'm absolutely loving it! It's an extension that you can add to Chrome that pops up each time you open a new tab. The image varies, but it never fails to relax me. It's also a great way to keep track of my "to do" list for the day.

5. If Ever I Would Leave You by Susan May Warren

Believe it or not, I actually haven't been doing much reading lately. The Olympics, coupled with the beginning of school, kept me from doing much reading this month. (Don't even ask about the state of my book for the MMD Reading Challenge. It's not even funny.) If Ever I Would Leave You is a quick read, though--I ended up reading it in a couple hours one evening--and it's everything I've come to expect from something written by Susan May Warren, featuring strong characters, romantic chemistry, and realistic conflict. (See my review.)

If you haven't read a Susan May Warren book yet, this novella is a great place to start--especially because it's free!

As usual, I'm linking up with Erika, Christina, and Karli. What are some things you've been enjoying this week?