Weekend Recap 6/14 - 6/16

     This weekend was the bees' knees! The whole time, I was running around from event to event. Just like I told my father last night, I can't remember more than two hours this weekend in which I sat down to take a breather (exluding sleep, of course.)

      On Friday... After work, my mom invited me to see Man of Steel. Woot woot! I love going to the movies-- especially to see a film on opening night. This version of Superman's story was well played. The cast was sensational, the graphics were remarkable, and the plot was original! Major props goes out to casting directors Kristy Carlson and Lora Kennedy who assigned every character perfectly and to the creative team for kick-ass visuals. I must say that at times, it did get a little too long and dragged out for me, and I usually love two-and-a-half-hour movies. I fought to look past the slow scenes, though, because the longer the film played, the longer I got to see Henry Cavill's beautiful, chiseled face and adorable mannerisms.

     On Saturday... I participated in the Olympics! Well, not the actual Olympics, but the Posse Olympics at Centennial Park. At this event, students from a number of colleges met and had a little friendly competition in kickball and other field games. I wasn't expecting to have so much fun and see so many friendly, familiar faces. I had a blast. I am so excited for college.
     That night, I went to Candler Park's free Midsummer Music Fest to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's. Before Saturday, the only song by them I could name was "Home," but it was one of my favorites. Now, I have a few others including "Janglin" and "Mayla."
     It was beautiful how everything just fell into place. I rode the train alone to somewhere I've never traveled before, followed a large group of people who looked like they were going to the festival, and by chance, ran into the people I was supposed to meet up with. It was hard to get in contact with them at first because the concert had already started, the music was loud. and they had spotty service. But with some weird twist of direction, I was led right to where I needed to be. Twice.
     After the concert, we watched a lady twirl fire outside of her house. And when I finally got home, a friend gave me a ton of free clothes!
     The day as a whole was really spectacular. I saw a lot of people that I hadn't in a long time. ♥
     On Sunday... I went to see Man of Steel... again. This time, I went with my sweetie. The movie was still great the second time.
    

Pretty Little Liars Season 4 Premiere!

     Last night was the fourth season premiere for one of my favorite shows, Pretty Little Liars, and I am so excited to have it back. I've practically been going through a PLL withdrawl for months, but the media has made it more managable by enabling my addiction with exclusive interviews, fashion reports, and season premiere teasers.
     As the short three quaters of an hour played on the television set last night, I was left on the edge of my seat feeling confused, concerned, and cautious--all typical Pretty Little Liars feelings. 
     I can't wait to see how this season continues. I'm ready for a new season of spying, backstabbing, and fashion inspiration. I'm so happy to have my four liars back! They look awesome in this promo.

Disclaimer: I do not own the above photo.

12/12/12 will forever be marked in history as the day I saw my all-time, favorite female artist perform live.

Marina and the Diamonds is too fabulous for words. From the little black heart under her left eye to her obsession with mocking teen girls to her deep, unexpected voice, she stole my heart in 2010 when I first saw her Teen-Vogue-suggested music video for her song, “Oh No!” I was confused to see that “Marina and the Diamonds” was one woman, but it all made sense when I found out that the “Diamonds” were her fans. The song’s vibrant video with a comic book theme made me feel girly, strong, and inspired. Since then, Marina Diamandis has been my favorite female artist.

No one can imagine the way my heart raced and soared out of my body when I was on Tumblr late one night and saw that she had a tour in America, and that Atlanta was one of her stops! I knew that I had to go. I was already bummed out because I missed the sale for the fun. concert, and there was no way that I was missing Marina.
I was thrilled when my friend agreed to accompany me to her concert. That night, I was exuberant because of the concert and because it was the magical day of 12/12/12. I could not believe I was having all of this fun on a Wednesday night. My friend and I stood with tons of other Diamonds in the pit of Center Stage, and I shined with my black sequined skirt, pink lip-gloss, black heart under my left eye, and high spirits. I should not have been shocked to see that so many other Diamonds had a matching black heart and flashy style sense.
Icona Pop was the opening act, and the strong, two-female group was definitely worth the wait. I recommend their songs “I Love It,” “Good for You,” and “Ready for the Weekend.” Their sound varies from Marina’s in that it has more of an electro-dubstep feel, but the girl power feel is still strong. Caroline Elizabeth Hjelt ripped as she deejayed and it was obvious that Aino Jawo really got into the music by the way she moved on stage. I imagined going clubbing with my girlfriends on a hot summer’s night in LA or NYC as green lights flashed and I joined the rest of crowd in shaking my hips or jumping up and down to “Ready for the Weekend.”
After Icona Pop, I joked around with others in the crowd. We laughed and talked about Marina. I was in the crowd—heart racing and awaiting Marina’s appearance—when finally, the volume went from seven to eleven as fans screamed with excitement. She walked on stage, and I was not prepared. She had her jet-black hair in a slick ponytail with a black tank midriff and knee length black skirt, and of course, she wore her badge under her left eye. I was in awe. She danced around the stage as she opened with one of my favorites, “Homewrekcer.” I sang along to the top of my lungs and bounced off of her fun energy, and I was happy to see that others in the crowd ecstatically received her as well. The pit was packed and the theatre style seats were full enough to create a hub of girly-pop energy.
Her performance gave me chills. I cried several times from happiness and sorrow. I felt genuine pain when Marina sang “Lies” and “Starring Role”, and I envisioned myself as a secure, successful woman in NYC as she performed “Oh No!” and “Primadonna Girl.”
She is so powerful and strong, and I can not help but to adore her. I listen to Marina whenever I can: doing homework, writing reviews, cleaning my room, and picking out my outfits in the morning.
I am proud to say that I have been a Marina fan since 2010x