SUMMER LOVIN'!

The weather may beg to differ, but summer vacation is almost upon me! I have two exams left (easy peazy) on Tuesday and then I am a free woman until I get my summer job!
I've hit a bad streak of unfortunate circumstances as of late, hence my neglecting of le blog. Not that the world will stop if I stop blogging, but it's a fun hobby that I'm trying to keep up.
Despite my moments of serious bummer times, I've been daydreaming a LOT about this summer, and all the things I want to do!!

Here is my Summah-time Bucket List!:

1. Beat Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, for the umpteenth time.
I have owned this game since it first came out back in 1998. I don't own any of those fancy new gaming stations. My N64 has been my old faithful. Pretty much every summer, with the exception of the last two, I have beat it. Time to get back on it. Maybe this time I'll be able to find all the Gold Skulltulas.

Oh look, it's the WHOLE GANG!

2. Find a GOOD summer job
This should probably be the first thing on my list. I've already applied for 3 positions that I'm reeeeally hoping I get. I don't want to do cleaning again (waste of my skills!), and I'd rather not serve (summer student work is way more convenient). Boring, but true

3. Go Camping
I haven't gotten to go camping since I lived in Kitimat as a young kid. I hear Waterton is really nice this time of the year, and this summer I actually have pals to go camping with! LOVE being outside. LOVE building fires. LOVE roasting hot dogs.

Yes Please!

4. SLED ISLAND
Hunx & His Punx, Buzzcocks, Bare Wires, Bison B.C., The Greenhornes, Quest For Fire, The Raveonettes, Thee Oh Sees (!!!!), and Vicious Cycles are just a few of the rad bands that are confirmed, and those are just the ones I've heard of! In addition to that, local bands/friends are also playing. I won't be able to make it up for the whole thing, but here's hoping I can at least make it up for the weekend!

5. Sew, Mamma, Sew!!
God, I'm pissed at myself for my lack of motivation and ambition. But really, it's hard to get it sometimes, when so much else is going on. No excuse, this summer I want to make at least 2 outfits. And that's aiming low.

I actually intend on making myself a dress form just like this, only I'm going to use leopard print duct tape.

6. Learn an instrument
Well, I have this damn guitar that I bought, that's just sitting there looking pretty (so pretty). I should make my fingers work so I can learn something, goddammit. For someone who loves music so much, I should at least be able to play something!

7. Go see dinosaurs!
Not actually, but Drumheller isn't that far, and I haven't been there since I was a kid! As long as those velociraptors keep their distance...


8. Frisbee Golf
Back when I lived in BC, a few of my friends got me into this past time. But then when I moved here, I didn't have anyone to play with, which is a damn shame, because Lethbridge ACTUALLY has a frisbee golf course! So, who's in?


9. Reading
I've always loved to read, since I was a little girl. And I don't do enough of it. I have my own bucket list just of books I want to read.

World War Z - Max Brooks
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything - Christopher Hitchens
Sit Down and Shut Up - Brad Warner
The Rebel Sell- Joseph Heath & Andrew Potter
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
1984 -George Orwell

Just to name a few.....

10. Spiff up my Bike
I bought a cool little cruiser bike from Canadian Tire a couple summers ago, and I have been wanting to paint it ever since I got it. Right now it's just boring white with some pink flower stickers that I've ripped off. Hopefully by the time I'm done with it, it will be a bad-ass red with black and gold accents.

I hope you got a big trunk, because I'm gonna put my bike in it.

Tumble'd

I just wanted to share a little thing I'm trying out via tumblr, I'm trying to do a photo a day.. we'll see how it goes.
You can still look at my photography on my Flickr too!
http://jessicajurassic.tumblr.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessica_awesome/

Ghost to Coast

What'd you do when I was gone?
I pretty much just hung around.
Did you get any work done?
I said "no, I just hung around..."

I've got a lack of motivation, a lapse in ambition,
I sit and watch the fire burn and wish I could burn with it.
I've fallen by the wayside of pretentious young writers,
looking for inspiration in party time liars.

What do you do now that I am gone?
I spend most nights alone, singing songs in my room,
and all of them are for you.

It's an awful sinking feeling when your own heart starts stealing
reason from the mind. Some nights I dream of getting in my car,
and driving straight through the night.

You can't force a feeling and you can't conjure up meaning,
without perhaps believing that you're good enough.

The Hardest Thing to Do

Yes? No? Maybe so?

Just tell me which way to go,
Tell me so I know
I know you're scared
So am I
But we don't know
We'll never know if we don't try
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is smile when you want to cry

Fight back those tears
Keep back those fears
You gotta be strong, girl
If you don't then who will?
I feel it in my chest
Squeeze.
Squeeze...
Squeeze....
I try my best
Please.
Please..
Please....
I always have to fight
Looking for the light
at the end of the tunnel.

Sometimes being strong is smiling through the tears
Sometimes, it's fighting through the fears
And sometimes it's letting go
Even when letting go
Is what hurts you the most.
Yeah, sometimes it's letting go
But I can't let go...
I can't let go..
I can't let..
I can't...

Thank You, Mr. Marley.

You can get Your Kicks in Mexico!

My tan might be wearing off, but I'm still coming off the post-vacation high from spending a week in Mexico. Most of the time we spent as beach bums. Our resort was right on the beach, a large but homey 3-star (all-inclusive),with brightly coloured buildings and lots of gorgeous and fun decor to give it a Mexican fiesta atmosphere - despite the majority of the guests being Canadians (escaping our brutal February, no doubt!). The ocean was beautiful, with a clean beach and warm, shallow waters. Every morning I would wake up early and try out the morning activity, which was either yoga, stretching, or tai chi - none of which I'd any experience in. The little 60 year-old woman from Quebec was in better shape than me.

But I really enjoyed doing yoga, I'd always had an interest in it, but never tried it. That's what this trip was all about for me - other than family bonding - new experiences. I tried yoga, tai chi, octopus, haggling with locals, blackjack, boogie boarding, ziplining, swimming in a river, holding a snake, feeding monkeys, sailing on a pirate ship.. and I would have done so much more given time and money! I loved going and walking outside of the resort... the fleamarkets, the buildings, the locals, it was great. I had never traveled further past the United States, and was blown away by how it contrasted Canada and how we live, for better and for worse. Mexico is definitely a poorer country, but don't let the negative publicity deter you. It was a beautifully astounding experience, and I feel like I've been bit by the travel bug.

Without further ado, here is just a teaser of some of the beauty I captured. More photos can be viewed on my Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessica_awesome/ , with more to come as I sort through them.

Fashion. Music. Love.

I have made my return from a week in sunny Mexico, and if it wasn't for all the people I love in this town I probably would have stayed! That place is amazing, and so laid back. I took a LOT of pictures, some of which will be edited and posted on my Flickr (check it out, I'm not half bad a photographer)... as soon as I can upload them to my computer. Currently, I'm having technological difficulties. I'm taking donations for a new computer... just saying.

Once I do have pictures up, I will devote a post to my love for Mexico, but in the meantime, lets talk a bit about what's been heating up this small Southern Alberta town.

Last night was Lethbridge Fashion Weekend, a small fashion show that was created by my very talented instructor, check her blog, Schizo Style, out here. It featured some of the local designers, but was not as big as it was last year, sadly two designers dropped out, and I didn't get my shatner together in time (or at all) to make my collection. Lack of motivation would do that. I neglected to bring my camera, which is dead from Mexico, but my wonderful colleague, Kat, took lots of pictures for her blog, The Visual Gerbil. Both blogs are much more interesting than mine, as they're probably not high when they write them. Not that I am right now... it's too early.
I digress.

Last week was the Oscars, and despite my lack of movie watching of late, it was fun to attend an Oscars viewing party and watch all the stars in their amazing dresses. My top 3 favourites?

Halle Berry in Marchesa

Photo via weblogsurf.com

Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana

Photo via sawfnews.com

And lastly...

Anne Hathaway in Oscar de la Renta
(one of her many dresses of the evening!)
Photo via celebrityfashiondirectory.com

Also in blogworthy news, next weekend me and my fella are going to go to Medicine Hat to see.... wait for it....

....Drum roll please....

EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL

I'm SO EXCITED I COULD PEE.

Photo via www.medicinehatmedia.com

I'm rather surprised it's playing in Medicine Hat, of all places... last year it was in Calgary, but I was still living in BC, and then when I moved here, it was in Vancouver. So this year, there is no missing it, and thankfully my significant other is just as big of a dork as I and wants to go too. Needless to say, it's going to be ridiculous.

In more exciting news, this summer promises to be a great one for music.
First up, April 1st in Calgary....

THE FLATLINERS!

Photo Via Groundcontrolmag.com

Anybody who knows me knows how much I LOVE this band. Anybody who's read my blog knows how awesome the last time I saw them was (SOOO RAD). They never disappoint, and every time it has been worth the trip - and then some.

Keeping with the Fat Wreck line-up, this coming June we have the self-crowned kings of candor, sultans of slander, Bastions of D.I.Y.....

NOFX

Photo via lastfm.com

Taking off on their first coast-to-coast Canadian tour since the 90's, NOFX will be coming to Alberta, playing dates in both Calgary and Edmonton. Words can't describe how STOKED I am to see NOFX. I've never seen them before, and I've been listening to them for about 10 years. These guys have been doing this since before I was even born. Also touring with NOFX, are lablemates Teenage Bottlerocket (upbeat pop punk), and Old Man Markley (punk rawk bluegrass). If you live in Canada, check out the dates at any of the links I've provided!

Also coming this June, we'll have SLED ISLAND in Calgary. I didn't get the chance to attend last year, but apparently I missed out on a lot of awesome bands, so this year I will definitely be going, especially if any of the local bands go up there.

Wow, with all of these exciting things going on, I have spent about an hour blogging about it and now my coffee is cold! I didn't even get the chance to answer the questions that I was tagged to answer from Kat's blog. Next time!