101 Reasons

76. See 5 bands I love live (4/5)

A little while ago I fell in love with a band called Panic at the Disco. Last summer the band split and half the band became ‘The Young Veins’. When I saw they were coming to my city, I knew I had to see them even though they could possibly suck. Well, they didn’t suck. They were fantastic live and I even got to meet them, which never would have happened if they had still been in Panic. The picture above is me, my friend Margot, and the lead singer of The Young Veins, Ryan Ross (Isn’t he lovely?). A fantastic night!

36. Read 5 classics (3/5)

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”

“I don’t much care where –”

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

-Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

It’s probably a bit odd, as a children’s librarian that I had never read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Actually it’s probably more surprising that I, as me, lover of things whimsical and strange hadn’t read it. Now that problem is fixed.

It was every bit as nonsensical and delightful as I had hoped for. More, really, than I had hoped for. I actually started reading it one night as I was between books and wanted something young-ish to read. Project Gutenberg came through for me (you can read all about Alice there for free) and then I got an illustrated text from the library since I do love illustrations so much.

I was sure all of my classics were going to be grown up books and that I wasn’t going to enjoy them very much. So far I’ve enjoyed all of them (although one is a children’s book, which I’m more inclined to enjoy anyway) so this has been a good experience.

79. See the Top 100 Greatest Films (http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0760906.html) (37/100)

While waiting for my fabric to come out of the dryer for my apron, I watched Singing in the Rain, which had been recommended to me a number of times. I really enjoyed the choreography and how seemingly effortlessly the actors carry it out and of course the storyline is interesting (the appearance of movies with sound or “talkies” as they were called at the time) and reminds me of when we talked about that in my music in film class. Costumes were gorgeous too, especially during the Broadway number. Totally want a flapper dress.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday night. I’m over a third through the list, both of movies and my overall list which is encouraging. I should watch something sad and serious now so that I’m not left with all the epic angst-filled dramas at the end. I still have some light ones though like Sound of Music & Some Like It Hot but I also have a lot of heavy things like The Godfather I & II. I should really just have a Godfather marathon. Anyone want to watch with me?

15. Send 30 postcards/cards/letters (25/30)

These are a couple of the postcards on their way to the mailbox once I find one. There’s no mailbox near my home so I always carry my mail around with me on the off-chance that I find one. I have a feeling that I’ve sent more than 25 things but I keep forgetting to keep track.

I love the thought of sending love out into the world in the form of mail. I love that moment when you open your mailbox and find something unexpected, that feeling of knowing that someone out there was thinking about you, that they cared enough to write the card, look up your address, buy postage, affix it, and mail it. That’s a lot of work for such a small thing, but definitely worth it.

In Progress…

• Bought tickets for the The Academy Is… show in Toronto (above) (#76)
• Sending out thank you postcards to those who have donated to my stair climb efforts (which I suppose is both a nod to #15 & #16)
• Been climbing stairs in prep for my stair climb up the CN Tower. I’ve reached my donation goal which is amazing (thanks to all that have helped!) If you’d still like to donate, you can still do so! Click here for info.
• Also been working on filling up a journal (#22). The journal is basically a paper tumblr full of my favourite decorating ideas. It was my tumblr before I had a tumblr, I suppose. It’s coming along quite nicely.
• Aaand my ivy that I bought back in the summer is still alive! (#40). I’ve taken some pics of it, sitting pretty on my counter. I might consider that goal tentatively reached.
• And of course continually watching classic films, some of which I’ve posted. Some of which I’ve forgotten to.

I’m sort of impressed that I’m still doing the list. I tend to be a ‘start things and never finish them’ sort of girl (which is why the quilt goal sort of terrifies me). I’ve still got lots to do, but I’m about a third of the way there. Not too shabby!

(sorry for those who are getting this twice. Posted to the wrong tumblr)

79. See the Top 100 Greatest Films (http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0760906.html) (36/100)

Watched It Happened One Night with Clark Gable tonight. I found it quite delightful, especially the last scene. I loved his character and his witticisms very much and I liked the female protagonist as well (which is almost a first. Often the women in these films seem quite two-dimensional at best and sort of manipulative/evil at worse, or maybe that should be reversed..). I actually bought them as a couple which helped. Recommended!

(scene from when our female protagonist accidentally falls asleep on our male protagonist and he can’t quite bring himself to rouse her, even when they stop for breakfast)

36. Read 5 classics (2/5)

Finished Catcher in the Rye today. I sort of feel like I may have missed the point. Like, I think it’s a great character study but I feel like if I had been reading it in English, we would have analysed it in some detail and I probably would have got more out of it but probably ended up hating it at the same time. So I suppose I’m glad I finished it and said, ‘hrm. Cool.’ and tossed it in the returns bin and went on with my life.

I did enjoy it though. Holden, as a narrator was sort of whiny and pessimistic and I think old Phoebe hit it right on the head when she asked him to tell her something he really liked because there really wasn’t anything. I feel like I know people like that, who aren’t quite sure where they want to be in life because there isn’t something that they’re just mad about. I sometimes feel like I’m crazy about too many things, really.

I’ll probably read some Bronte or Austen next, I think. Susan and I made a list of 30, including some Oscar Wilde, Kurt Vonnegut (he might be next, actually), Thomas Hardy and so on. Right now though I have a lot of brand new things to read before I get back to the classics.

36. Read 5 classics (in progress)

I’m reading Catcher in the Rye. After a stretch of reading childrens, and light YA stuff I felt like I needed something with a little bit more substance so I grabbed it from the library.

So far I’m enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. First-person narration kind of grits on me sometimes but Salinger just makes Holden come alive so thoroughly that it really really works. I love the style, the matter-of-factness that I’m so attracted to in writing. I love how he often shows without telling (the scene where Holden goes into the phone booth to make a call and realizes he has no one he wants to call comes to mind) and often tells without showing much of anything. Holden’s probably the most honest and self-aware narrator I’ve come across in recent memory and it’s refreshing. I feel like he might have annoyed me if I read this in highschool when most people seem to, but right now he sort of hits the spot.

That said, I’m not even halfway yet so we’ll see if I’m still enjoying it when I finish it.