Weekend of January 20
The weekend of the 20th started out with a celebration. One of my friends was accepted to grad school abroad so of course my friends and I had to celebrate. We went to Chickie's & Pete's. For those readers who are not familiar with Chickie's, it's a local sports bar chain in the Philadelphia region. Their food is good, but the menu item they're most famous for is their Crab Fries. Crab Fries (and Crabby Sweets, which are the sweet potato version) are seasoned fries that come with a cheese sauce for dipping. They are strangely addicting. Anyway, we ate, we drank, we people watched, and just had a great time.
The next day was our first snow storm of the year. Maybe it's because I was born during a January ice storm, but I love snow. I still feel as excited as a little kid when a storm is forecast and I find it so calming to sit and watch the falling snow. Below is one of my favorite pictures that I've taken during a snow storm. It was taken on October 29, 2011.
Weekend of January 27
On Saturday I went to the Radio 104.5 Winter Jam . The Winter Jam is a big, free, outdoor concert held at the Piazza at Schmidts. This year the bands performing were Rivers Monroe (a Philly band), Fun., and New Found Glory. I was trying to think of another way to say it, but Fun. was the most fun of the three bands. I was a fan of The Format (Fun.'s founding member's old band) and I am looking forward to downloading their new album. Afterwards we went to Standard Tap, a nearby bar with a comfortable, local feel and a big selection of regional beers. I really enjoyed the Philadelphia Brewing Company's Rowhouse Red. The day got high marks all around: good music, good people, good times.
Weekend of February 3
In another musically-motivated outing, last Friday I went to Doylestown to pick up the newest Radio 104.5 Studio Session. The radio station compiles the best of the live performances they've broadcasted over the past year and gives the CD out in exchange for donations to Philabundance. As luck would have it, we received all four Studio Session CDs. The night was going to be a short outing, but we ended up staying longer after running into some old high school friends.
On Saturday I went to the movies for the first time in a while. Going to the movies has always been one of my favorite things to do. During high school, several of my friends worked at a movie theater and we used to see a new movie almost every weekend. I don't go as often now, maybe once a month, but there's still something engaging and exciting about seeing a story unfold on screen. Last weekend we decided to do a double feature. First we saw Beauty and the Beast 3D. I'm not a big fan of 3D movies, but the opening scene made me gasp in delight. The colors and details of the scenery and the Beast's castle were so vibrant. Seeing this staple from my childhood on the big screen and hearing the music all around me was such a treat. The second movie we saw was The Artist. I had never seen a silent movie before, so it was a really interesting experience. The score for the film was very animated and the acting and this take on life in Hollywood in the late 1920s, from the glamour to the drama, was very good.
I also finished my first book of the new year last week: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. The book was pretty good. The chapters I found particularly interesting and entertaining were those describing her years getting started as a comedy writer and her work on The Office. I didn't enjoy it as much as Tina Fey's Bossypants, which is more of a memoir and less of a collection of essays, but it was a funny book and definitely worth the read.
Here we are, another weekend. I'm enjoying a relaxing night at home so far, but the weekend's just getting start.
'Til next week!
