Just Add Popcorn

Although in my info at the top it only says that "I watch movies" I really need to emphasize just how much I love movies.  I never really realized it until this past year I think.  I don't really know what it is about movies either that attracts me to them.  Possibly because I wonder what it is I would do in such situations whether it be fiction or not, or maybe because I can't believe someone was able to come up with such a storyline just from inspiration/imagination or that something like this actually happened in history and was so greatly portrayed in a movie.

Also, I tend to make the effort to memorize the names of actors and actresses and am always the guy my friends ask when they wonder "where have I seen that person before?" as we watch a movie or TV show.  IMDB is one of my favorite websites (something I have never heard anyone else say unfortunately) because that's where I find the names and filmographies of all these actors and actresses. ALSO! They actually post a lot of information about upcoming movies, movie roles, and other movie crap that I love.

IMDB has also given me the Top 250 Movies of All Time which if you go into my tab of 'JUST ADD POPCORN' at the top, you can see that it is my goal to watch all of them (I know the list will be updated but for now I am going to complete the list of movies from August 2013).

The list of movies has a bunch of cult classics and oldies I have been meaning to watch for a long time so I'm excited to finally get to watch them instead of just saying "I've been meaning to watch it".  Also my roommate is a big movie buff too and my friends love a lot of the movies on the list so watching these movies with friends will be even more fun than just watching it to cross it off the list.

At the end of the list of 250 movies though I should note that I added some movies I recommend you watch that for some reason did not make it on the list from IMDB but I find to be great.  A bunch of them were recommended to me from friends or family and some others were movies I watched with people I care a lot about recently.

Seriously though, I really recommend going out to watch a movie with some people by the way.  I have a few friends who don't like watching movies at the movie theatre because they find it antisocial or something but my parents and I started a tradition late this summer where every Sunday night we would watch a movie and I  LOVED IT.  It was a lot of fun watching some new movies I hadn't seen and going to the movie theatre with my parents was fun too.  Especially since I am leaving to go back to college, I really liked that for sure, there was an afternoon in the week dedicated to family time.

So whether it be watching movies every Sunday or grabbing breakfast every other week, or even just making that phone call you push aside so often... Call or hang out with your parents (or guardians/role models/whomever you want) and dedicate some time to those who matter.

[No matter how you may feel about your family members, they are family... 

they will always be waiting for you and never stop loving you]

Float Like a Cadillac, Sting Like a Beamer

Road trips can be a lot of fun if you are with the right people, and luckily, I survived a big road trip with my family this past weekend all the way from San Francisco to Flagstaff, Arizona to see the Grand Canyon.  That is roughly 12 hours driving plus stopping for bathroom breaks, stretching legs, and going through a few rounds of Chinese Fire Drills at gas stations.

Originally we were planning on going up to Lake Shasta for the weekend but about a week before I brought up the idea that we should try something different and somewhat jokingly offered going to the Grand Canyon.  One week later we were up at 4am and hitting the road and man am I glad my family is spontaneous because the trip was awesome!

On the way there though, we stopped by ZION NATIONAL PARK and holy crap that place was beautiful!  Although the Grand Canyon was, well, GRAND in it's own obvious way, Zion National Park was amazing and had this great serenity about it that I was obsessed with for a while.  

I love that picture on the right because you get an idea of just how enormous these mountains were compared to a full sized Yukon

And no I did not fall in love with this place solely because of the fact that this place was off of Route 66 and basically identical to Radiator Springs from 'Cars'.  Driving through the mountains kept me in awe over the size of the mountains and I think why I especially loved it was that unlike Yosemite where you are constantly driving past picnic areas, rest stops with port-a-potties, and families of tourists flocking towards tourist information booths, as you drive through here there are only stops at the end and the beginning.  So all you see is the beauty of the mountains and all you hear is ... nothing.

        

I honestly could have stayed there all day and just kept driving and driving around. 

Inside the national park too are a bunch of lodging joints that looked really comfy and homey so my family and I are already planning on the next time we go that we spend a night in Zion National Park and wake up.  Like holy crap imagine the sunrise at this place... I can only imagine... for now.

Look at this rainbow at the entrance! I should have known at this point that the next place was going to be getting even more beautiful with this beginning it.

So in review: Zion National Park is not some outer space zone but an enormous and beautiful plot of nature in Arizona you have to visit in your life time.