Oh, What a Weekend!

What a fantastic weekend this past one was. There was so much going on, but at the same time, I had lots of time to lounge around and relax and get caught up on some much needed sleep. 

Firstly, I went to see The Hunger Games on Friday with Sara and Amanda. After doing my first internship at a middle school in a grade eight classroom, I learned quite quickly about the newest phenomenon that is The Hunger Games. So, last month, I sat down and powered my way through the first book of this trilogy. I think this was the first time that I've read a novel where I quite literally couldn't put it down. Considering this was a novel written for young adults, I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat as a woman of 23.  

Needless to say, there was much hype between my friends and I about the release date of this movie. We all knew it was going to be so fantastic. But much like any book fan thinks, it's hard to do a book justice in movie form. And I have to admit, I am a believer of this when it comes to The Hunger Games movie. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie. I give it a solid "it was good." However, I felt that some scenes of the movie were very rushed, especially the ending. Within a matter of two or three minutes, the movie wrapped up and skipped a lot of my favourite parts of the book. Also, I would have liked to have seen the realization that Katniss has about the origins of the wolf mutations. I feel like that is such an important part to the story and to Katniss' character. 

On the other end of the spectrum, there were some things that I thought the movie did well. *Spoiler alert (don't say I didn't warn you!!)* - the scene where Rue dies I thought was done very well. Also, the scenes that lead to the actual Hunger Games where the tributes are training I thought were done really well as well - especially when Katniss shoots the arrow at the Gamemakers. 

So, all in all, the movie was good. However, I did expect more considering all the hype. I feel like the movie tried to cram in as much of the book as it could, and as a result, some areas were done poorly and sped through too quickly for my liking. 

******

So, the weekend carried on and my excitement grew enormously on Saturday morning when I woke up remembering that this was the day I would see Hey Rosetta! for my fifth time. My dear friend Adam helped me to realize that in my five years of university I have attended a Hey Rosetta! concert each of those years. Whether they were opening for another band or were the headliner, I took every opportunity I could to take in their magical music. 

And this concert was far from a disappoint. They were fantastic! Sara, Tyler, Adam, and I arrived promptly at 8:04pm to get in line for the concert. I am always bound and determined to be in the front row of any of their concert in hopes that the gorgeous Tim Baker and I will make eye contact. WELL, this time I was so lucky to be in arms reach of time as his keyboard sat directly in front of me. Just the thought of how close I was as I write this gets me all giddy inside. 

A fantastic night with amazing, magical, and beautiful music. I just can't think of any other way to describe it. Just incredible.

Oh, and did I mention that I snagged a third playlist to add to my collection - this one signed by Josh (bass player/back up vocals) and Phil (drums). Yup, I did.

Take a listen to one of my many favourite Hey Rosetta! songs. I'd have to say that my favourite part of their performance Saturday night was when they sang this song. They truly are the best band to hear live. This is a studio recorded track, but it is still fantastic! Enjoy :)

Note to Self.

I think I win the award for the worst blogger ever…

The thing is though, I don’t always know what to write about. I feel this extreme pressure to write a post everyday, but I just don’t have something meaningful to write about everyday. Some days are just average. And to be honest, I love those kinds of days. In my life, average days consist of getting up early, spending the day with students at my internship, running some errands, making supper, and lately – watching Gilmore girls on the couch curled up in a blanket. Those are the kinds of days where I feel most relaxed.

And on those days, I just don’t feel like blogging. For me, blogging should be something that’s peaceful, reflective, and interesting. When I’m laying on the couch watching Lorelai and Rory sip coffee at Luke’s, and the thought pops into my mind that I haven’t blogged in over a week, I get a short feeling of stress and feel like I’ve disappointed my readers. But I started this blog for me. A place for me to write down my thoughts, feelings, ideas, memories, and rants. And slowly, this blog has turned into something not only for me, but for my readers. Which I love! I love that I have readers – I love that I can say I have readers. And I just want to thank all of you for taking five or so minutes out of your life to type in my web address, or click on the links I post on Facebook and Twitter to read about me.

Sometimes, I think of a post to write and then say to myself “Whoa! That’s way to personal to be posted on the internet.” And so the thought wanders away. I have a journal on my bookshelf. I don’t think I’ve written in it since the summer. I definitely can’t blame it on being too busy. If I have enough time to lay lifeless on the couch and watch three episodes of Gilmore Girls in one night, then I definitely have enough time to sit at my desk and write in my journal for thirty minutes or less. But I’m just not motivated.

And I have to remind myself that my posts don’t always have to be so personal. Sometimes I feel like I always have to write “this is what I did today/this week.” Some of the easiest posts I write are ones like this one. Reflection posts. Also, if you know me or are a member of my family, you know how much I love to cook. I should share more of my cooking experiences on here. And, with the end of another degree approaching, time and time again I find myself sitting and going over in my head the career possibilities for the fall and other pending roads in my near future. This blog should be a place for me to reflect on these decisions and make memory of this important stage of my life.

So, if nothing else, this post today was a motivation and reminder to myself as to why I started this blog. I started it as another means of journaling. Because for some reason in our technologically run world, I can’t seem to pick up a pen and scribble down some thoughts on a piece of paper routinely.

So note to self, blog more often.

March Break.

It always blows my mind how quickly weeks are flying by lately. This past week was my much anticipated March break. I spent an equal amount of time at my Grandmom's and at home with my Dad and my brother Brad, while my Mom was floating around on a cruise ship in the sunny south (now that's a way to spend a March break!)

Here are some highlights from this relaxing and rejuvenating week:

~ Driving all over Western New Brunswick to a new playlist on my iPhone.

~ Helping my Grandmom paint and redecorate the upstairs of her house.

~ Having a coffee date with an old friend.

~ Taking in two semi-pro basketball games with my Uncle, Aunt, two cousins, and Grandmom. Never thought I'd be one to get so into basketball, but when a game comes down to losing by one point, it's hard not to become an aggressive fan.

~ Eating some of my favourite and most delicious home-cooked meals made by my Dad. This week featured homemade hawaiian pizza, the best barbecued hamburgers and steak, and a delicious big breakfast Sunday morning.

~ Spending an evening at my Grammy Dickinson's. She made a delicious whole chicken dinner with all the fixings for Dad, Brad, and I. For dessert she made pineapple upside down cake, which was my first time ever trying. And boy, was it ever good. While she cooked, I sat on the stool at the end of the counter like I always did as a kid and watched her multi-task and we talked about school and life. It was nice having some one on one time with my Grammy, because it doesn't happen very often. I hope she knows how much that time meant to me, and I can't wait to make it back up to her house soon for another catch up session. Thanks, Grammy!

~ Spending one on one time with my Dad. Saturday night, he made a fantastic steak dinner and the two of us sat at the table sipping red wine and talking about school, work, the future, the hopes of opening a restaurant, what food we would cook, our favourite meals, and we reminisced about days past. I think we spent almost two hours just talking, and I loved every minute of it. I will cherish this memory for a long time to come. Thanks, Dad!

~ Talking to my brother about his future. As the two of us get older, we spend more time together without fighting. I know it seems like a simple pleasure, but I love what our brother-sister relationship has become over the years. He'll probably punch me in the arm for putting this on my blog, but I always look forward to spending time with him and I'm so proud of all of his accomplishments.

~ Getting to talk to my Mom and hear about her amazing adventures on her cruise. I can't wait to come home next weekend and see pictures and hear about how she got to swim with the dolphins. It makes me so happy that she gets to check this life long dream off of her bucket list.

~ Having time to relax and not stress about school work.

~ Chowing down on TWO Glenn's subs!

~ Coffee date with Jane. Looking good, girl!

~ Making some final decisions concerning the next few steps of my life.

~ Talking to Uncle David on the phone!

~ And, I ended the week with a wonderful Skype date with my great friend, Cara. I always feel so at ease when we finish talking. Thanks, friend!

Needless to say, my March break week was exactly what I needed.