The Friday Five, 12/29/17: 5 things I've been up to this week

I have had this entire week off from work, and while I have been doing a lot, really all I wanted to do was sit at home with a good book. Instead, I visited my parents for about 5 days, I'm going home later today, and then I'm headed to the Kalamazoo/Portage area tomorrow through Monday (New Year's Day) to visit some friends.


What I've been up to this week:
  1. Seeing a concert. Last Saturday, I headed to the new Little Caesars Arena (Detroit) for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, which was fabulous. You can read about that here. 
  2. Hanging out with friends. I met up with my Disney World travel friend last Friday, at Sy Thai in Birmingham, and we also stopped by Starbucks Reserve for a minute, because she hadn't been. I met another friend for coffee on Tuesday, since he lives in my parents' area, and I'm seeing college friends this weekend when I travel to the Kalamazoo area. I'm also going to a dinner party tonight which should be fun—a friend is cooking an Italian dinner from scratch. 
  3. Eating way too much. I usually alternate some home-cooked meals with eating out, but this week I've been either eating out or eating crap (frozen appetizers, etc.) all week. Hoping to get back to "normal" after January 1st.
  4. Mall shopping. I stopped by 12 Oaks (Novi, MI) a few days ago because I always buy a calendar the last week of the year ... it's 50% off if you wait that long :). The calendar store, usually a temporary store in the mall, ended up being HUGE this year, and both the calendars AND the entire store were 50% off. I ultimately bought a calendar and also two games (one board game, one card game), one for my collection and one for my Kalamazoo area friends'. 
  5. Seeing movies. Kind of a given since I have this week off! From Saturday to Tuesday, I saw four movies:
    -The Greatest Showman, which I'd give 4.5/5 stars (the music was fantastic!)
    -The Shape of Water, which I'd give 3.5/5 stars
    -Father Figures, which I'd give 2.5/5 stars MAYBE (somewhere from 2-2.5 stars, anyways; it wasn't very good)
    -and Molly's Game, which I'd give 4.5/5 stars.
    Molly's Game is only out in limited release right now, so only four theaters in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area have it, but I'm hoping it will expand at some point ... right now only MJR Troy and AMC Livonia (Detroit area) currently have it, as well as Rave Cinemas and Quality 16 in Ann Arbor. 
Fresh rolls (veggie) at Sy Thai, Birmingham, MI

Popular Posts

Review: Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins

Image
*Disclosure: I received a gift card to try the new Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Baskin-Robbins launched its Polar Pizza last month (July), as I talked about in my recent post about them, and because this past month was crazy busy for me, I didn't get to try the Polar Pizza until this past Sunday. My parents and I went to the combined Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins near them, in Novi, MI, to split one of the ice cream pizzas.
Read more

Upcoming and GIVEAWAY: Mamma Mia! at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, April 23-28 {ends Dec. 12}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. MAMMA MIA! will be playing at the Fisher this April, from April 23-28, and I'm excited to see it—I'm a big fan of the movies but I've never seen the Broadway show. About the show: Since premiering in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, the irresistible musical has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, all unfolding to the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, has now been seen live on stage by 65 million people across the world and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again. To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $4 billion at the box office. MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway in 2001 where it played for a record-breaking 14 year
Keep reading

GIVEAWAY: Duel in the D, February 10 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit {ends 1/10}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with 313 Presents. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I had a great time at Duel in the D last year—I'm a UM alum, but I had only ever seen ONE hockey game in my life at that point, and this was the second one.  I'm looking forward to it again this year, and one of my lucky readers will win a 4-pack of tickets to experience it as well! About the game: The return of college hockey is headed to Little Caesars Arena with the annual “Duel in the D,” presented by Meijer, set for Saturday, February 10 at 8:30 p.m.  The fans of Hockeytown will be treated to one of the most intense and exciting rivalries in college hockey, as the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans men’s ice hockey teams will add another chapter in their storied rivalry and clash for the “Iron D” Trophy.  The “Duel in the D” matchup features the most-played rivalry in college hockey. The game will mark the 346th all-time meeting between the h
Keep reading