The Box from Amazon

Yesterday, a box arrived for me in the mail from Amazon. Contained within it were two items that represent exactly where my thoughts have been in recent days.

They also happen to be the two things I planned on writing about in today's Blog!


The brown cardboard box held the new Johnny Reid CD Dance With Me, and the set of Stephenie Meyer's novels, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

Let's get things started with Johnny Reid. Last Thursday night, Brenda, Lindsay, and I ventured out to Centrepointe Theatre to catch Mr. Reid and his band live. I've been a fan of his for several years, and I already owned his first two albums, Born to Roll and Kickin' Stones. I had yet to hear his new album in its entirety, but I was already a big fan of his new hit single, "A Woman Like You", getting heavy radio play on the local country stations.

I wasn't sure what to expect of the show - I'd seen him open with an acoustic set for Brad Paisley quite a while back, and I also caught his performance at Shawville Fair a few years ago. This time, though, Johnny was the headliner, in a smaller venue, and he certainly did not disappoint. We had a blast! If you haven't already been to Centrepointe for a concert, make sure you do sometime. It's small, only about 750 seats, and cozy - but what a party atmosphere within that room! It didn't take long for the predominantly middle-aged crowd to get up on their feet and embrace the music by dancing and clapping and singing along. It was also pretty cool that people could shout stuff out and actually be heard by Mr. Reid as he strolled around his classy, elegant stage in a 3-piece suit. The way he interacted with his fans and flashed his comedic side with several funny stories and quips was extremely impressive and very entertaining.

The highlights? Discovering opening act, One More Girl, an up-and-coming Canadian country duo that floored me with their beautiful voices and acoustic guitars - their tour EP has been on constant play in my CD player. And with Johnny, at the end of "Missing an Angel", he stepped forward and sang the last line without the help of his microphone, and his strong, raspy voice still filled the entire room with its beautiful power. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I really enjoyed his old-school performance of a song off the new album, "A Moon to Remember", which he claimed was inspired by the likes of some of my favourites - Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, old bluesy rock singers like that. And then, of course, the little video I took of "Darlin" and "To the End of the Road", with the energy clearly amped up in the room and the loud clapping and cheering mingling with the sound of his voice as he and his band wandered about on-stage, smiling, laughing, and thoroughly enjoying the moment....Well, that was pretty cool.
And speaking of cool - it was also awesome to see lead guitar player Yvan, on-stage with a Canadian superstar. You see, being regulars at Gavan's, we've sort of gotten to know Yvan from his stints in Quyon with the Dennis Whitty Band, a gig that Yvan picks up in his spare time while not on the road with Johnny. I admit I paid a little more attention to him than I normally would with the guitar player in a band...And if I do say so myself, Yvan was amazing!!

I've been to many concerts at Scotiabank Place and the Civic Centre, but this one definitely ranks as one of the best I've ever been to. Looking forward to listening to my CD that arrived in the mail and reminiscing about what a great night it was!

Now, on to my boy Edward Cullen and the Twilight phenomenon that has sucked me right in.

Saturday, I finally got to see the movie, as the DVD was released and Lindsay and I rushed out to get it and then followed that up with an afternoon screening, complete with snacks - just like we were at the movie theatre!

I can safely say that I'm over my "Shane-West-as-Edward-Cullen" dilemma. Sign me up for the Rob Pattinson fan club, 'cause the boy was smokin' hot!!


I really enjoyed the movie (especially Pattinson), and I was relieved by that. I had tried to keep my expectations low, as so often I'm let down by film adaptations of books I love. But there was little to be disappointed about in this movie - most of the actors fit the roles chosen for them perfectly, and the changes made to enhance the movie experience were marginal and seemed to work well.

Of course, as with any novel turned into a movie, large chunks were left out of the story in order to fit it all in to two hours, so I found myself afterward thinking about the parts that were skipped that I loved. But overall, I had little to complain about. Kristen Stewart was the perfect Bella...And did I mention how quickly I fell under Rob Pattinson's Edward's charm? The two of them had a dynamic chemistry that was irrisistable and already has me longingly waiting for New Moon to come out in theatres. It shall be a long, painful wait until November...


But until then, I now have my own set of books to read over and over - I'm now nearing the end of New Moon, and anxiously anticipating the third book. Edward and Bella have become an addiction, and I can't wait to see where their story goes next!