Things that I'm a fan of...

1. American Horror Story: Coven

This is one of my favorite shows on TV to watch currently, if only so I can ooh and aah over the chic witchy fashion on display:

From left: Bohemian witch, schoolgirl witch, Posh Russian princess witch

The show is about a coven of witches in New Orleans. There is a rival gang across town led by a Voodoo priestess, Marie Laveau (who is played with aplomb by Angela Bassett).  Throw in a bunch of teenage witches making trouble and still coming into their own powers, and you've got a volatile mixture.

One of the things I like best about the show is the incorporation of many colorful legends from New Orleans' past into the story line.  Delphine LaLaurie, a real life 19th century psychopath who tortured her slaves to death, is somehow revived by the coven, and is by turns, manically and hilariously portrayed by Kathy Bates. The coven leader, Fiona, played by Jessica Lange, has a love affair with the Axman, who was a real serial murderer who terrorized New Orleans back in the day.

2. Game of Thrones, the TV show, and the book series

For the past 5 months, I've been barrelling through "A Song of Ice and Fire", the book series that inspired the HBO series, "Game of Thrones". At around 1000 pages each, you would think it took dedication, but I actually focussed on slowing way down so that I could savor the books more.

Based on the War of the Roses, this is essentially a tale of two noble families, the Lannisters and the Starks who are battling for the King's throne. What makes this story a little bit more interesting however, is that there is a third unexpected contender for the throne. Dany Targaryen is a 14 year old girl, and the sole survivor of the deposed family which headed the previous royal dynasty.  She has just hatched dragons, which is sort of like coming into posession of nuclear bombs - a real game changer. She is also learning to become a brilliant leader, unusual for her age and gender.

What's better than 1 Direwolf pup? How about 5 Direwolf pups?

I probably will dedicate a whole blog post to Game of Thrones, but for now, let me leave you with Direwolf puppies, they're like wolves, except bigger and more badass.  They protect each of the Stark siblings with ferocity. We should all have a Direwolf.

3. My Dansko clogs

I bought these black Dansko clogs a little while ago, and now they hardly ever leave my feet. You can walk or stand all day long, and your feet won't feel a thing.  I can understand why nurses wear them. One drawback to the clogs is: you won't be able to win any agility contests.  I find that I'm constantly in peril of twisting my ankle. Also,they just don't go well with skirts or leggings, which won't prevent me from trying anyways.

4. Walking Dead - A Telltale Game

I just finished playing this video game, which is a based on the TV show with the same name. It received some rave reviews. Basically, it's a choose your own adventure game where you play a character in the Zombie Apocalypse. This game follows a different group of characters than those in the TV show, but you do get to meet Glenn, a character from the TV series.

In the game, you get to choose how to respond to situations and people, and the storyline changes based on the choices you make. Every once in a while, you also need to kill some zombies, but I found that to be a small part of the game. I chose to be a "good" character, dealing with things through negotiation, rather than through violence. However, there were many morally ambiguous choices that were not so clean cut to make. The game took about 4 hours to finish, not bad since the game is only $20. And I felt a little sad when the game ended.

Telltale Games is also going to be working on a game with a similar format for "Game of Thrones".

Lee and Glenn fight a horde of zombies.

5. Rebecca Minkoff M.A.B. (Morning After Bag) tote

I just discovered this brand when I was shopping for a tote bag to carry my laptop around.  Rebecca Minkoff totes are practical, have clean lines, and are made from good leather. It works as an everyday purse, but is also large enough to hold my large laptop, a sweater, or a tablet or two.  I got the black version in medium, but I kind of wish I got the orange version (pictured) instead. My mom thought my Rebecca Minkoff tote was so cute, that she immediately bought a similar Longchamp tote, which was way more expensive, and only made out of nylon.

Rebecca Minkoff Orange M.A.B. tote