5 on Friday - Set 179

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Brad and I just got back from our anniversary trip, which I'll share more about next week.

Our vacation was launched in style with a Lyle Lovett concert, and I'm home in time for two Rush concerts which I'm seeing with my Rush-superfan sister Michelle.

So here's a wee taste of those shows, plus some extra fun thrown in.

1 - You Can't Resist It - Lyle Lovett

Lyle had a 5-piece band for his show here last week, and they did this one to great appreciation from an adoring crowd.

2 - Angel - Haywire

This band hails from Prince Edward Island, where Brad and I began our vacation. Go, drummer Sean Kilbride! Brother of my high school sweetheart.

4 - Butterfinger's Medley - JP Cormier and Dave Gunning

And now up to Cape Breton. JP Cormier is a Cape Bretoner, while Dave Gunning hails from Pictou County, just a stone's throw from the island on Nova Scotia's mainland.

This begins with a story -- music begins at the 1:28 mark.

4 - Various traditional Celtic tunes - John Allan Cameron

Here's the musician to whom they were paying tribute in the previous tune. If you look closely in the background of several different performances in this tribute clip, you'll see a very young Anne Murray, Bruce Cockburn and Ashley MacIsaac. 

5 - YYZ - Rush

Woo hoo! Tonight, babies!

And then again on Sunday night!

YYZ is the airport code for Toronto, my other home and my honey's hometown. Kind of full circle after my Big City man went on his first vacation exploring the Maritimes to have a slice of Toronto drop on by this weekend.

2012 Movie Madness Challenge - November and December Report

Time for my combination eleventh and twelfth status report for the Movie Madness Challenge.

WOO HOO!

It took an entire year of concerted effort, but I did it. 100 films. Movie Master status.

That's the whole point of taking up a challenge. If it's easy, why bother? The point is to stretch outside of your comfort zone.

When I began this challenge, I knew I wasn't watching as many films as I once used to do. Films are the joy of my life aside from dance. If I wasn't making room in my life for joy, it was time to do something about that.

A brief shout-out to my late dog Xena:

Last January 1st, one of the things I was happiest about was the time I knew I would be spending snuggled up on the couch with my dog. She spent many an hour beneath my chair here at my desk waiting patiently until I switched over to the couch for some Pack time.

Only six days into 2012, my Xena passed away at age 11. I almost couldn't bear continuing on with the new Movie Madness Challenge, since a big part of it had been my intention to watch the movies with Xena cuddled up beside me.

Yet I persisted.

I dedicate this entire year's Movie Madness Challenge to my little furry chum. Thanks for making all the movies we did share together so comfy and blissful.

I'd also like to tip my hat to my co-movie-watcher: my husband Brad, who watched nearly every movie alongside me. He's a passionate movie watcher himself and far out-stripped me in movie totals. But he had my back for this challenge and helped me keep pace.

Here is my code for the films:

New to me - N
Repeat viewing - R

I'll also be including how I viewed the films:

DVD
VHS (yes, we have a lot of those, and a VCR)
Network TV
Pay TV
Internet
In theatre

Because I was deeply involved in writing my second Scorpius book in November for NaNoWriMo, I didn't post a separate challenge update and I'm including those films here. There were only three of them!

NOVEMBER 

War and Peace
Internet
N

Brave
DVD
N

Grease
VHS
R

DECEMBER

Tangled 
Pay TV
N

John Carter
Pay TV
N

Haywire
Pay TV
N

Super 8
DVD
N

The Polar Express
DVD
N

 

A Christmas Carol
DVD
R

Kick-Ass
DVD
R

Voyage of the Dawn Treader
DVD
R

The Amazing Spider-Man
DVD
N

Night Watch (Nochnoy Dozor) 
DVD
R

Day Watch (Dnevnoy Dozor)
DVD
R

Blackadder's Christmas Carol
DVD
R

Dr. Who - The Snowmen
Network TV
N

I combined these two 1-hour Christmas specials to count as one 2-hour film, since I couldn't live through Christmas Eve without watching Blackadder's Christmas Carol, and the Dr. Who special just couldn't be missed. Not with jagged-toothed snowmen.

Les Miserables
Theatre
N

Ironiya Sudby (The Irony of Fate)
DVD
R


 

Team America: World Police
DVD
R

Faraon (Pharaoh)
Internet
N

Stumbled upon this 1966 Polish film on You Tube. Watched it dubbed in Russian without subtitles - good practice for my Russian. Nothing like today's films-for-short-attention-spans. Loved it.

A Fish Called Wanda
DVD
R

This one is scheduled for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration. Can't wait to see it! Haven't seen it since it played first-run at the Runnymede Theatre where Brad and I used to work back in the day, in fact where we met.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Total movies for November - 3

Total movies for December - 17

Total movies for 2012 - 100!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

25 Movies: Movie Newbie - reached this first milestone by April

50 Movies: Movie Fanatic - reached this one by July

75 Movies: Movie Critic - reached the third level by October

100+ Movies: Movie Master - it took the 365th day of 2012 to reach the final level. *happy sigh*

Thanks to everyone who checked in on my progress every month!