The Murtis goes to Washington

Hey friends! Things might be a little quiet around here for the next week or so—I'm heading out for a pre-anniversary vacation with the Mister in Washington, D.C.

Neither of us have been there before, so if you have any suggestions for things we should do/see/eat, let me know!

This is already on the list, natch.

Fancies & Fascinations | The Rock's Instagram

I've never really understood the appeal of pro wrestling. Which, when I think about it, is kind of silly—I mean, I adore ridiculous action movies like The Expendables, which feature a ton of actors made famous in "sports" like pro wrestling. (And MMA/UFC, which is definitely a sport, not a "sport." Please don't hurt me.)

But often, pro wrestlers become larger than their wrestling personas, and cross over into the realm of pop culture. I am very thankful for this, particularly in the case of The Rock.

Over past couple of decades, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has transitioned his pro wrestling career into super stardom. He's one of my favorite actors, and is equally good at action as he is at comedy. (Have you seen The Rundown? You need to see The Rundown.)

When people achieve superstars status, it often seems like they've—to borrow a gaming term—"leveled up." Meaning that celebrities no longer seem approachable or like "normal" people. To a certain extent, this is understandable. But my favorite thing about The Rock is, regardless of his successes, he's never become unapproachable. He seems like a genuinely fantastic human being. A GIANT human being who could crush me with his pinky finger, natch, but fantastic nonetheless. There's no better evidence of this than his Instagram feed.

This is but one example of his posts, complete with People's Eyebrow reference and hilarious hashtags:

AM cardio and the moon's still out, it's hot, muggy and I just heard a mutated bullfrog that sounds like he weighs 32lbs. *slowly raises eyebrow. #IHaveStrongQuads #IWillPuntHimIntoTheCanal #FloridaBoys #AMCardioStartsNow

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Sep 17, 2015 at 3:33am PDT

Seriously. The man knows his way around a hashtag.

But his feed isn't just filled with workout selfies. He recently adopted two French bulldog puppies, and the world collectively fainted when he jumped into his pool to rescue them. (One of them is named Hobbs.* I MEAN.) He also posts heartfelt messages to/about friends and family. If it wasn't for the occasional promo photo for one of his projects or a shot of him at a premiere, I'd feel completely like I was scrolling through the feed of a friend.

I'll give you a moment to go follow him.

Done?

You're welcome.

*Hobbs is The Rock's character in the Fast and Furious franchise. More of my favorite movies.
Special thanks to my friend Ben for showing me the light.

5 Fandom Friday | Five Favorite Things About Autumn

Autumn/fall is my favorite season of the year. Sadly, because I live in Texas, I don't really get to experience much of what I love about the season. But having lived in Oregon and the Northeast, I have plenty of great memories about the things I've listed below.

Five Favorite Things About Autumn

5 | Apples

Although pumpkin spice is the reigning monarch of fall scents/tastes, I prefer apples—apple cider, apple cinnamon, caramel apple. There's an area of northern California called Apple Hill, which is populated by amazing apple orchards. They have a big celebration each autumn that revolves around (you guessed it) apples, and we went frequently when I was growing up.

4 | Back to school

I am a huge nerd (as if you hadn't already picked up on that), and I absolutely loved going back to school each year. Back to school meant new clothes, new school supplies—which I totally still buy, regardless of the fact that I've been out of school for a long while—and new things to learn.

3 | Changing leaves

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I thought I knew what people were talking about when they gushed over the changing of the leaves. Boy, was I wrong. And it wasn't until I was in college at UMass Amherst that I realized the true glory of the trees in autumn.

2 | New and returning TV

I love TV. And I watch far too much of it. But I keep adding new shows to my list anyway. I'm very much looking forward to both my returning favorites and (some of) the new shows premiering this season.

1 | Cooler weather

I much prefer being cold to being hot. I love layers, and sweaters, boots, and scarves are a few of my most favorite things. Like I lamented about above, living in Texas makes it hard to really experience fall weather, but eventually it will get a little cooler and, even if it doesn't, I'll just have to pretend.

Learn more about 5 Fandom Friday and check out the prompts for September.