Showing posts with label weekend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weekend. Show all posts

Monday, October 26, 2015

A Quick Little Update

Hello lovely readers,

Since it has been a while since I have updated this I thought I would give a fun update on my life...

Visiting 

The biggest news is my life is that my mom and step-dad have moved up to Burlington, VT!
My step-dad has a new job up in Burlington which is awesome because we haven't been physically close to each other in ten years. I don't know if I expressed this but over the summer I was feeling a major amount of homesickness and a major urge to be close to my family (even thought they are spread out)... I even thought about moving away from Boston that I love to be close to them. While, that may happen one day I am so happy for now I can stay up here. 
Any way the weekend was lots of fun... We went to Stowe, VT which is a picturesque New England town and we experienced the first snow of the season, and yes at this point it was exciting. 
Snow up in the mountains over Smuggles Notch Junction

A very picturesque church
Trying to get a picture with the church sadly the power lines got in too
Event though seeing Burlington and Stowe was fun, I liked seeing my parents and it is nice to know they are so close. 

Reading 
I feel I have not read much lately... I have been using my usual reading time (my commute to work) to get some writing done. It has been beneficial to my writing life but not to my reading. However I have finished my 25th book in my reading challenge... A book about "A lion, witch or Wardrobe" 
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I don't usually read "magic realism" novels... so I thought if I am going to read a novel about witches, Halloween season would be a good time. Besides I found a book about the Edwardian/WWI time period so I felt it would fit nicely into my repertoire. For more about the book, click here.
 I was reading the book Fever Tree about a girl who goes to South Africa in 1890, for the requirement a book about a place you have always wanted to go. However, I found parts of the book too sexual and I thought it best to move on. 
I am on the waiting list at the BPL for the book Circling the Sun about Kenya in the 1930s. I have wanted to go to Africa (well South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and maybe Morocco) but I understand they are unstable and I cannot afford to pay for that yet. So I am reading about it. 
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While I am waiting for this book... I just picked up Chronicle of Youth at the library and can already tell I want to buy a copy as there are so many passages I want to underline. 
Over the winter I read Vera Brittan's Testament of Youth, her autobiography of her time in WWI. And while the book was great for facts and  some thoughts it is not very feeling. I think she was trying to sound like a scholar and not like an emotional woman. So reading her diary will be an interesting view of her life.
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Writing
My work in progress cover

As I said above I have been getting a lot of writing in, but I am gearing up for National Novel Writing Month... where you try to write 50,000 words in a month. This is my first time that I am not in school since I first learned of this. I am going to bend a rule that I want to continue working on my current story. I really feel my story is coming into focus and shape so I want to continue writing it. I have read some blog post about this and it seems really intense... so I don't know if I will actually be able to write 50,000 words but as this my first time trying I am going to do the best I can but won't beat myself up if I don't get there. 
Getting my November calendar ready

Watching
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Before I went up to visit my parents I went through a major binge watch of Glee. When the show was on I watched the first season, half of the second season, and then just watched episodes occasionally of the 3rd and 4th season but nothing really of the 5th season (minus The Quarterback episode) and none of the 6th season. But YouTube clearly tracking my interest (cheesy musical numbers) kept suggesting videos... finally I got hooked and decided to go through the show on Netflix. 
Song: "Don't Go Breaking my Heart" 
Link 
 Okay I will admit that sometimes the performances are a little cheesy and maybe a little over the top (I noticed this more in the 4th season) but hey who doesn't want to go to school where you get to perform a music video walking down the hall...
Song: "Wanna be Starting Something"
And not only did they cover classic songs they had a few original songs 
 Song: "Loser like me" 

Yes there were moments of annoyance where I couldn't stand Rachel and her need to popular, and there were moments when I thought "come on let them be happy," and thought "this is so not logical" but over all I liked it. They fought, they sometimes had pointless breakups, but they still came together as a team to support each other, and they embraced their differences.
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 The only thing that made me truly upset is they way they acted like everyone in high school was having sex and if a character didn't have sex it was a fault of theirs. 
And even though I knew it was going to happen I did cry during The Quarterback episode, where they deal with the death of Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) because it wasn't just them writing off a character he actually died and as a cast they had to deal with that pain. 
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 Recently I started re-watching Gilmore Girls. Yes I am excited for the revamp of it on Netflix (whenever that happens) but lately I have been feeling like life is not going the way I want and I have been trying to decide what to do with my life. And whenever get in this mood Gilmore Girls always cheers me up. Because this is just great life advice:
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Right now the only show I am watching in real time is Reign. 
(Historical Spoiler):
Sadly, they have already announced that Francis is going to die this season, though I don' t know what episode. I mean I know in history Francis died a year after becoming King, but last season took place almost entirely in the winter, and they have changed so many historical things why do they have to stick with this. Also (Season 2 Spoiler) last season Mary and Francis spent so much time apart that now they are together and happy it hurts to know soon they will be forever apart. 
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Other Things in My Life
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 I have been actively volunteering with Horizons for Homeless Children. It is probably my saving grace every week as being able to play and interact with the children is my biggest stress reliever. I can't take photos of the kids but they are some of the cutest kids.

Looking Forward To
I know it might be silly but one thing I am really looking forward to is Mockingjay part 2 coming out.

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Okay I think this was a good update on my life but before I go just wanted to share one more song from Glee... there were so many good performances but this was probably one of my favorites. 
Song- Mashup: "Rumor Has It/Someone Like You"
The last 30 seconds probably won't make sense unless you have seen the show. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Summer of Movies Part 1...

I feel this has been my summer of movies and once again I thank the lovely Boston Public Library for letting me watch these movies for free (very important on a student budget). Here are some more movies I have checked off my to watch list...

Here are the two I loved...
1. We Bought a Zoo...
The trailer really says the basic plot line Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is a writer always looking for an adventure until his wife dies and then the adventure becomes raising his kids. In looking to start over Benjamin goes on a house search only to find the perfect place to be a zoo. Here their new adventure begins with the help of Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johanson) and the others (both human and animals).
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Why I watched- It just looked like a cute feel good film, but then during a random time on Pinterest I saw this picture (right) and I thought that looks like a film with a great story.

What I liked- There is a little spark between the characters Benjamin and Kelly but it is not all sappy an mushy, and the whole story did not revolve around it. The more romantic plot line of the story revolved around the son Dylan and Lily, they were cute and awkward as it should be. I forgot it was based off a true story, so I was very happy to read as the credits were going that: "The Dartmoor Zoological Park, on which this story is based, is an award-winning zoo...".

What I didn't like- Some parts seemed a little over dramatic especially the part of Dylan, but hey he is a teenage boy who just lost his mom he is going to be a bit dramatic. I felt over all did not take away from the story line and it probably would not have felt real if it wasn't included.

Overall- Great feel good movie, good family movie. It is rated PG but the disc I got included a "English Family-Friendly Audio Track" so it can be for everyone.

2. The Music Never Stops
It is a moving story (have tissues) about a father Henry (J.K. Simmons you might recognize him from Juno) and his son, Gabriel, have not seen each other for about 20 years after they had a fight. Now Gabriel has a brain tumor and it is their love of music that brings them together again. Of course Henry loves the classics like Frank Sinatra and Gabriel loves The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and mostly the Grateful Dead, but Henry in order to bond with his son again listens to Gabriel's music and gets insight into his son's life.

Why I watched- I had never heard of this movie before until I watched The Conspirator and this was one of the previews (that's right I still watch previews), I instantly thought this film looked sweet so I wanted to watch it.

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What I liked- The whole movie. I thought J.K. Simmons played his role very well, he is 65 years old and stubborn, he believes the music his son loved brought about the end of their relationship, and he doesn't want to go back to that time. However, Diane Daley (Julia Ormond... I recognized her from Sabrina (1995)), the music therapist convinces him that Gabriel's music is the music that will help him. After that Henry goes in and trades in his albums for some of Gabriel's music and really starts to hear Gabriel's story. He even takes his son to a Grateful Dead concert.

Even though I am not of the Grateful Dead generation I still loved the soundtrack and maybe adding some of their music to my playlist.

What I didn't like- I can't think of anything. So over all I recommend it for any one who loves music (rather your Dead fan or not).

 This got a little long so I will post Part 2 on Thursdays.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Family Vacation

Hello lovely readers,

I am off for a long weekend at my aunt and uncle's house in Florida to be with my dad's family.


Some of us together... I am the blonde not looking at the camera.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Birthday weekend away


Hello Lovely Readers,

The Marble House
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I am excited to say by the time you read this I will be off on vacation with my mom to celebrate my 27th birthday. My mom and I are heading down to Newport, RI to look at all the pretty mansions. As much as I love the Gilded Age I have not been down to the mansions.

I was watching another period drama (surprise, surprise) called The Buccaneers based off the Edith Wharton novel and the first part takes place in Newport; the characters actually go visit The Marble House and it looks so exquisite it I cannot wait to see it for myself I am sure I will be in awe this whole weekend.

The Buccaneers- pt. 1

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Letting go of the "but"

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Hello Lovely Readers,

A few hours ago I got back from a wonderful retreat and I come back with one BIG take away. I have written many times on this blog that I have wanted to be a wife and mother but that feels very  far away from distant from me. For awhile I walked around a little depressed because I thought if that is the purpose of my life why is it not happening. Then I wondered is this really God's desire? So I began praying "Lord please change my desires if they are not yours" quickly followed by "but I really want to be a wife and mother." Up until this weekend I thought this was a good prayer. I mean I couldn't lie to God and pretend that I didn't want my desires but I knew His desires were more important so I thought this prayer was a good compromise. 

This weekend during one of my prayer times I wrote...

Dear Lord, 
I don't know why I am sulking over the thing I don't have. Lord as much as I want to be a wife and mother I am not there yet, I am not sure when (or if) it will happen. Lord I am fine being single but I feel I am missing something. Lord I know you are he only one that can fill that spot. So Lord I to change me. Search me and find what I need to change. Lord if marriage and motherhood is not your desire please change my desires, not but this time. 

Match my desires to yours. I know day in and day out I know may not work will perfectly, but at the end of the day I want your desires to be mine. So Lord what you desire in my life? 

You know my heart, you know brain, I don't need to list what I want, you know that. So Lord help my wants line up to your wants.

Then this morning I wrote...

I am sick of that feeling where I am missing something. Lord it is just not true. I need to cling to the knowledge you (Lord) have given me all I need. There might be more I want but Lord if those wants line up with your wants then I know they will work out in your timing. But Lord right now I need to cling to the knowledge you are providing everything I need. 
...

Lord you know all my wants and desires, you them all. I have spent countless hours, and 100s of pages tell you what I want. I feel that is selfish because I have never once asked you what do you truly want in my life. I have never asked what you desire. So Lord what do you want in my life? What do you desire?

I then sat quietly and waited for a bit. While, it would have been cool/weird if God spoke in that moment and told me what he wanted; that didn't happen. This will be a continuous on going prayer. However, I think it is the first step in actually getting to the heart of what God desires. When I not only verbally let go of the clause and actually let go of it (in my heart and mind) then God will direct me to where he wants me. So right now I am letting go of the "but". 

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water. 
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for he who promised is faithful. 
-Hebrews 10:22-23 (NIV)

View from the home of our retreat. 

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

A little reminder

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I have been working on papers most of this weekend but I did have some good and "Fun." moments this week and I promise as soon as I am done with my paper I will post it.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

A good Saturday song


Waste- Foster the People

This song I think is appropriate for a Saturday. Part of the chorus says... 

Everyday you that you want to waste
That you want to waste 
You can. 
...
'Cause I just really wanna be with you.

Saturdays I think are wonderful days to lay around, do very little, and enjoying some time to relax. 

I hope you enjoy your Saturday. 

Sunday, February 12, 2012

A Sunday of nonproductive-ness


My Sunday was suppose to be productive but I haven't felt well today so I am making way through the third season of Gilmore Girls. So continuing on with my nonproductive-ness (not a word I know)  I found one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs "Tim McGraw" with Rory and Jess scenes. I know it is completely sappy but I love finding these kind of music videos.  I know Rory an Lorelei probably did not listen to Taylor Swift, she is too main stream for their taste I think the joining of Taylor swift and Gilmore Girls is great. 

Friday, October 14, 2011

A Pre-Weekend Post



Hello readers,

Usually I write about my weekends on Monday but I am starting this weekend with a pre-weekend post.

As you guys have probably gathered I have been captivated by the mini series Downton Abbey (I know a little late to the game). But I have decided to take my new love of this show and actually use it in class. What, how can this be? No I haven't switched studies to film or creative writing (though both very cool). I have decided when ever I am able to explore more into the Edwardian life style. Even though I love the romantic drama between Mary and Matthew it has been her sister Sybil that actually captures my attention. She is so independent and wants to change the world. (Don't worry I am not revealing anything from the second season).
Lilly Elsie (Edwardian Actress)
Lady Sybil (Downton Abbey)
So in my history class we have to take a secondary source's footnote and track down the primary source to back it up. My topic is going to be Edwardian women... I would really like to explore Edwardian women who do not get married and the up rising professional girls. 

For example why did women take on professions as librarians? As a future librarian and historian I'm really interested in how that became a woman's job (though I do have male class mates). Just a curiosity of how it is now primarily women. 
The Music Man
These are just some thoughts but I do hope to explore them more.... I mean after all one day I will have to write another thesis. Woo hoo!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Wait is it summer again?

I did want to post this yesterday but was having some computer difficulties.

This weekend Boston was hit with a beautiful warm front we had cool mornings evenings but the afternoons were sunny and got up into the 80s.On Saturday my friend said it was even warm standing in the shade.

My weekend started off kind of low key with a night in on Friday night... I actually enjoy this because I rest up a bit.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Then on Saturday two of my friends I went to go get brunch at this great restaurant "Trident Bookstore". One of my friends I had brunch with was only here in Boston for a week before he goes off and sees more of the world. So it was great getting brunch with him and catching up and hearing his plans as he prepares to be a missionary. I can't say where he is going as people there are not friendly to people who want to spread the word of Jesus. My other friend and I go to bible study together, but sadly don't hang out much outside of that, so it was nice hanging out with her too. Then after eating sweet Potato Pancakes,that I said if heaven had a taste it would would taste like these, we went walking around the Fens. (Here in Boston we shorten the name so to not get confused with Fenway Park, where the Red Sox Play). 

We had fun pondering the meaning of this baby head outside the MFA, Boston


Sadly we couldn't spend the whole day playing around. I had to get back home and do some homework (ah grad-school). But homework turned into a nap for a bit then homework. I love random naps. Then I went out with another friend to see the movie 50/50. A movie I really wanted to see and when I told people that I was going to go see it... they asked me what is that about? I told them a 20 something who gets diagnosed with cancer. But that's really all I knew. The commercials made it seem like a comedy... which it is in ways. I mean it is really funny watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt acting high after eating macaroons with weed in them but I wonder how much they made light hearted for the movie. I mean it is based off a true story and the guy Adam (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) actually wrote the movie so he lives. I do love that it brings to light the fact that 20 somethings can get cancer it is not just old people or babies. But it also hit home a bit because I have a friend that has been fighting cancer this last year and sadly I don't ever know what to say to him. "You'll be fine" (sounds horrible and I can't predict the future). It is just a good reminder that no matter how bad you think things are they can be worse.
Sunday was also nice but more low key and sadly getting through more homework.But I did treat myself to another episode from Downtown Abbey, 2nd Season (link in post below). I also did not have yesterday off so I didn't get to enjoy another gorgeous day. This morning when I left my apartment it felt like the crispness of fall was back but I am still holding out by wearing flip flops.

Monday, October 3, 2011

My weekend loves

Found at Pinterest


Found at Pineterest
  
Found at Pinterest


Found at Pinterest
Okay you might looking at these photos thinking what Psych, Downton Abbey, Panda Express, and books have in common... well they have me and my weekend.

This weekend was not all that exciting but I thought I would share my weekend loves as a way to start off the week.

My weekend started much too early on a Saturday morning to be in Somerville (about a 30 minute commute via bus and T) to be at my church's new site by 9:15 in the morning. Yeah I am not a morning person so it was a little rough. But I got to watch some excellent kids play around and that was fun. Kids are very creative and funny about what they think is great. A little girl decided she was going to take a nap and she did this by putting her head in a little mesh box and trying to sleep on the floor. Well the boys thought this was fabulous and continued to climb into boxes and curl up to fit in them. I was thinking how bad my knees would hurt doing this. There was also this spiral couch that they looked at as a jungle gym and minus a few incidents was really fun for them to be all over. Then sadly my time of play was over and I had to do a few hours of work for my company to prepare for billing... but I got to go to work in jeans and that felt a little rebellious.

I got home at 5 and crashed and took a great hour nap. Then I got up and watched a few episodes of Psych. If you haven't watched it...it a great comedy crime solving show and not at all graphic like CSI or Law and Order. There are moments when I grab my pillow worried if Shawn and Gus will survive (of course they will they are the stars and producers of the show) and then the next minute burst out laughing. There is also the under tone love interest of Shawn and Juliet (which is another grabbing the pillow moment). But it is basically a fabulous show about a fake psychic detective and how he solves crime.


Also I discover Downton Abbey... I know, I know I am a little slow to the greatness of it. But a lot of my blogs talk about it so while I was looking around Hulu for something to watch I looked to see if they had Downton Abbey no but PBS.com does so on Saturday night to relax I watched Downton Abbey. Yeah not a relaxing show. A great show set in 1912-1913 but not relaxing it was sheer will power to turn off my computer and go to bed. I say it is not relaxing because now I am captivated by it and I am left wanting to know more. My roommate asked me what I was watching because I was squealing and laughing and watching it on my computer as I brushed my teeth. Yeah! Go Wireless Internet! Yeah I basically got addicted and as a treat to myself on Sunday night after finishing my homework I watched Episode 2 and 3. I really should not watch intense shows before bed. But I just get swept up... the plot is so interknit with both the stories of the upstairs lives and the downstairs lives. I told my roommate it is like Godsford Park but on steroids (minus the murder). Even though I think Lady Mary can be cruel I want her to be happy with Mr. Crawley (if you know what happens please don't tell me).

So now my parents are probably wondering did I do my homework yes I did. I did a bit of it on Friday night and mostly on Sunday but before I go to that I will talk real shortly on my procrastination tool of  yummy and cheap Chinese food. After church I tried to get friends to go out to lunch but every one had plans poo :( minus a guy from my bible study so we grabbed lunch together and that was nice to learn a little bit more about him. To digress further away from homework talk I find it interesting how many layers people have (maybe Shrek is right we are like onions). I mean before that lunch I knew he worked in computer science industry and was from Atlanta but I learned he also plays the piano, and was home schooled. While I told him, yes I love history but I have thought about going to culinary school and learning how to make those fancy desserts (after grad school) and more for a hobby then professional aspirations. But I so want to learn how to make eclairs. What I am getting at is that people are more than they appear so have some cheap Chinese food and a good conversation.

Now I have procrastinated long enough and I had to do homework. Fortunately part of my homework was really fun. In my cataloging class we have to make rules for a made up collection. Mine is on 19th Century Women's Literature. And I want to organize it based on date published date from 1800-1899. I know as a historian I think it would be cool to have books in chronological order. So we have to take five (example) objects (books in my case) and write a rule of how they should be cataloged in collection but we have to pretend that collection could have 1,000+ objects. This is really fun for me and I came home from the library with Charlotte and Emily Bronte, George Eliot and Elizabeth Gaskel under my arm. Now I have the fun job of writing my cataloging rules for my project this semester.