2015: A Year in Review

The Year of the Rat Race.

So 2015 has come and gone. I have just transferred over everything into my new Moleskine agenda for next year and I think I am ready to go. But to go forwards, we must first look back!!

I will always remember 2015 as the year in motion. It seemed like there was always something new on the horizon and I was really moving at full-speed through each and every chapter. Time does fly when you’re having fun.

Who run the world?

My favourite memories of this year are running through the beautiful 6ix with my beautiful woes in our makeshift running crew. I signed up for three major races this year and it really pushed me to train hard all summer. Though my favourite part of race-training is carb loading. I was so happy with my experiences that I have signed up for 10 next year! Ten races including 2 half-marathons. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Scotiabank Waterfront Half-Marathon

Half-Marathon Stats

Nike Women's 15k Toronto | Paper Clips by Maggie de Barra

St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick's Day

Canada Day

The SS JVT

Blue Jays!

Jays

Birthdays – 27!!

Birthday

Book Club

I got a Kindle this year and I just love it. I’ve read a bunch of good books this year:

#GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso – Review
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman – Review
The Children Act by Ian McEwan – Review
The Diary of Anais Nin by Anais Nin
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – Review
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan – Review
Essentialism by Greg McKeown

I’m looking forward to another year of great books. My only goal will be to get a solid 12 in next year. I’m sure I can manage it as my Goodreads profile is publicly shaming me for only getting to nine this year. I’d also like to get around to posting all my reviews and discussion questions.

New Year’s Resos

Well I did two big ones from a few years ago: I ran a half marathon and quit facebook (you’re welcome, 2013). I’ve been facebook-free for about a month now – emphasis on free. I have not had the urge to check it and I am greatly enjoying not being so connected to everyone all the time. I really wish I did this a long time ago.

My resos for 2016 in no particular order:

Run a sub-2 half – with the training schedule I have lined up for the next ten months, it should be no problem. I managed to get 2:04 in my first half so I only need to shave off 5-10 minutes.

Take a class – stay in school, kids. I’m not so particular but I have my eye on a conversational French and/or a business writing class.

Embrace Essentialism – probably my favourite book that I read this year. It confirms a way of life that I have been living for a while but I just didn’t know what to call. This book is more than just a pseudo-pop science lifestyle theory about trimming the fat. It’s not just about less is more, the undercurrent of Essentialism is less, but better. 

less but better!

  

My theme for 2016: less but better. Cheers to 2016!

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This Summer

Happy Labour Day!

Summer 2015 | Paper Clips by Maggie de Barra

Jays | Paper Clips by Maggie de Barra

Spartan Race | Paper Clips by Maggie de Barra

Spartan Race | Paper Clips by Maggie de Bara

Nike Women's 15k Toronto | Paper Clips by Maggie de Barra

Jays | Paper Clips by Maggie de Barra

Jays | Paper Clips by Maggie de Barra

Jays | Paper Clips by Maggie de Barra

This summer has been an adrenaline rush! Can you believe it’s already September? I feel like it was NYE two seconds ago. But here we are. Hope you’re enjoying this long weekend.

Let’s go Blue Jays!

Bonnaroo Expansion Heads North!

Canadian music fans won’t have to travel too far this summer to get a piece of the festival circuit.

Update 14/02/2015: For more information on WayHome and the lineup, click here.

Lolla

Summer is made for cottages, road trips, baseball, patios, and concerts! The National Post is reporting that Bonnaroo has confirmed a Canadian expansion of their popular music festival! I’ve been following these rumours for a while now, and I’ve been hoping for a Toronto/Ontario music festival for ages!

I’m a two-time Lollapalooza alum, and it would take a lot to get me out there again. It’s about a 12 hour drive from Toronto, plus tickets + accommodations + food. It’s hard on your vacation time and your wallet.

The US has Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and more in the summer. Up here we really only have Boots & Hearts (all country music-not really my thing) and Osheaga in Montreal. I’ve never been to Osheaga because both Osh and Lolla usually fall on the same Civic Holiday Weekend each year.

This festival will take place one week earlier – clever – and will run from July 24 – 26, 2015 at the Burl’s Creek Event Grounds (home of Boots & Hearts) near Orillia, about an hour north of Toronto.

Coachella just released their lineup today, so we can bet most of these bands will be playing the summer festival circuit. Some good ones on the list: AC/DC, Tame Impala, Jack White, the Weeknd, alt-j, Ratatat, Father John Misty, Drake (headlining!), Florence and the Machine, David Guetta, Brand New (high school nostalgia), and more.

Looks like a good mix of genres and popular/indie bands. Happy to see Toronto represented by two major players- the Weeknd and Drake. Interesting that Drake is closing Sunday. He started from the bottom and now he is at the top of the headliners for Coachella. We’ll probably see a lot of overlap at Osheaga, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Bonnaroo North or whatever they decide to call this new festival. More to come!

Update 14/01/2015: Bonnaroo has released their lineup here. No word yet on #BonnarooNorth.

Summer?

It’s about time.