Feeling :  cheerful  Listening :  Everybody\'s Changing - Lily Allen  Reading :  Boxcar Children: The Surprise Island (rofl)

100th post!! YAY!

Last night/this morning I went to a Warped Off Tour date featuring Cobra Starship, The Academy Is…, and headliners Gym Class Heroes at the Joint at the Hard Rock. Tyga was supposed to be there, but he didn’t perform and nobody mentioned him other than Travis name-dropping him during their set to buy his album. I was confused ’cause the promotional stuff they had specifically had him performing. And the girls I went with were determined to get their Tyga on and couldn’t. Anyways…

When we first got there, someone had set off a fire alarm. We spent the next 2 hours listening to an intermittent automated message about how something set it off and they were investigating. We stood in a ghetto-ass hallway off the casino floor which constituted the line, and I passed out the FBR street team stuff: The Cab, Cute is What We Aim For and Powerspace posters, as well as Phantom Planet duct tape style and Cute coaster stickers. One of the girls thought I was gonna come back with more! I should tell Erick that, haha. I gave most of it away, and ended up with Powerspace posters, and Cute is What We Aim For coaster-sized stickers for their new album.

We met up with A & C; I was gonna give them a ride home, so I met their dad. He seemed a little apprehensive, which I fully understand because I’m basically a stranger. I met A in the queue for Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking a few months back and she kept in touch with my niece C on MySpace.

I prolly looked like a complete ass on top of it, ’cause I was shoving chips down my throat. I was severely lacking in salt from sweating so much, so I tried to eat some salt going to replace it. Anyways, we traded numbers and the meeting went smoothly, so we got back in line. We FINALLY got inside and I decided to pass on merch this time, since I’ve got a shirt from everyone performing from other places.

I sent some messages up on the screen, mine were “fangs up Santi” and “scream if u love fbr_trash.” Nobody read the second one, and it only showed up once, so I couldn’t scream nor take a picture for it when I saw it. I took some pics of some of the funnier messages I read there, and they’re up in Cydonia. I didn’t get any of the other funnier messages later on though. It’s too hard to snap pictures when you’re so deep in the pit where we were.

The show began with Cobra Starship. Excellent set, played mostly the singles from While the City Sleeps, and the singles and a few extra from Viva. They definitely got the crowd going, considering some of us had been waiting for the show to start forever. Sound check for the shows went on past when they were supposed to open the doors. William came out for his bit in “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)” and instead of Travis doing his part in the song, Sisky came out and did it. Gabe saw my “fbr_trash represent” sign early on in the show, and acknowledged me. It was great! I wrote it on the back of one of the Powerspace posters I had left, haha.

Next was the Academy Is… They are quite honestly one of the hardest working bands ever. Every time I’ve seen them (this is the third time now), they are amazing. Their live show has so much energy and it’s just nonstop. They always pick the right songs to keep the bodies in the pit moving.

My niece C wrote “Play Forever Young” on the back of another Powerspace poster. “Fast Times at Barrington High” drops in the fall, so they’ve been “field-testing” (so to speak) new material. “Forever Young” is one of them; it’s kinda this power pop summer song. Michael Guy Chislett kinda stopped (they were between songs anyways) to read the sign, and nodded. I gave him a thumbs-up back and they launched into “Forever Young” right after they saw it! We all figured it was on the set list and they were gonna play it anyways. But the timing was just perfect. In fact, when he did see it, he threw a guitar pick at me. Which I didn’t get ’cause I was too far away. I ended up picking up one from Ryland though, haha.

Finally, Gym Class closed the show. I made a sign that said “Where’s Tyga?” but I don’t think Travis acknowledged it. C says he saw it and ignored it. It was my first GCH show, and they put on a strong live show. Travis has this onstage charisma that not even Gabe or William has. It’s hard to explain. But he looked like he was truly having fun up there. I have never experienced Travis’ freestyle skills live and he laid a verse down for us about our generation. I wish I taped it. They covered Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” The Zombies’ “Time of the Season,” and another song that got a mosh pit going, but I forget the title. Travis busted out with his Wii Guitar Hero guitar to do it too, haha.

Something he said rang true in between songs. He was explaining to us that he was 4 months sober, after years of drug and alcohol abuse. I’m so proud of him for that, and I don’t even know him. But to have someone you admire musically go onstage and be brutally honest with you in that sense makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He said something like “don’t be afraid to chase your dreams.” Those weren’t his exact words, but it kinda stayed with me. I hear this kind of encouragement from kids who took the chance and focused their lives on what they love, and still I hold myself back.

But then I thought, “What am I waiting for, really? I could be a really great writer if I just believed in myself.” Funny how that came to me, in the middle of a show of all places! But that’s what music does for me. Kinda clears my mind and helps me to see what I don’t normally. I also think it was because Travie was just ripping open his heart for us too. I think that’s the mark of a great musician. Someone who lets it all hang out onstage and through their music, so you can relate to it in your own way.

“The Quilt” - the next GCH album - is dropping in September, and it’s gonna be SICK. They played a few during the show. The only one I remember is “Cookie Jar.” Which I hope will be a single ’cause it was too much fun to dance to. They performed my favourite song, “On My Own Time (Write On)” too. That song means the most to me in so many ways. They also parlayed “I Wear My Sunglasses at Night” into one of their Quilt songs. They just can’t get away from adding bits of 80s one-hit wonders to their music.

After the show, we tried to get pictures and autographs from a drunk-as-all-hell Gabe, but the Joint’s security cockblocked us. I was gonna have him pose with my fbr_trash sign, but security were being jerkoffs. So we left and we waited around for A & C, and then DeJesus (GCH’s hype man/flag waver) came out so we got pictures and autographs from him.

Vicky-T came out not long after him, and we got pics and autographs from her. I love her, honestly. She’s gorgeous in real life, and she was so nice. I should have told her I made the little fanart that’s on her MySpace.

Inspired from meeting Victoria and DeJesus, we decided to walk around the casino to find other band people.

We spotted Alex Suarez just as we ended our first round. Nasty Nate (in more ways than one) and Michael Guy Chislett were with him. But I was too chickenshit to say anything until finally they left one of the tables. The girls urged me to pull him off the casino floor (they were too young to be there), but I couldn’t at first. So I swallowed my nervousness, and walked up. I tapped Michael Guy Chislett on the arm and asked if he could take pictures with us.

He could’ve said no, I’m with my girlfriend or whatever, and I would’ve left it at that. But bless him, he told his girlfriend that he would catch up with them later. And he came with me off the floor to my niece C, A, and C. He was so gracious. I told him we were the ones who made the sign for “Forever Young” and that we saw them on Sleeping with Giants and were Santi’s Little Helpers. He took the time to take pictures with us, talk for a bit, sign stuff, and I’ll never forget that. Honestly. That was the sweetest thing ever.

Then we kept walking and two seconds later, the girls got pictures and autographs with Travis from We the Kings. They wanted me to get him earlier, but I was like, “I don’t even like him!” They’re going on tour with The Academy Is.. in the fall.

Then we strolled around one more time, and found Alex Suarez from Cobra. He teased my niece for being short and encouraged her to stand on a chair by a slot machine, which she obliged. I had to take the picture twice ’cause the first one was blurry. He was so sweet, as usual. We’ve met him once before.

After that, it was getting late but C got a nosebleed so we went to the bathroom for a bit. Then we met this girl who wanted a Cute sticker (the only things I had left from the street team package I got, I trashed the Powerspace posters), and she ended up telling us this story about how she and her mom spent $1000 to go on Warped tour in San Francisco, only to see 2 bands and not even ones they liked. She and her mother were clearly mentally disabled, but I let them talk. It looked like they needed someone to talk to, and I’m used to handling weird conversations like that.

Afterwards, we decided to do some bus stalking and followed a tour bus as far as the interchange for the I-15, where we lost it. We’re not sure whose bus we were following, but it was definitely our swan song to an already action-packed evening.

Then we drove A & C home. It was about 12:30 in the morning. They live a few exits away from Corinne, but in a weird roundabout kinda way. I got the munchies when we were doing the bus stalking, but I didn’t want to stop for food ’cause we were already so late. So me and my niece C stopped over at Wendy’s for some shitty fries, decent nuggets and burgers and drinks to fill us up. I was so tired and hungry, I could barely keep the car between the lines.

We made it home in one piece though.

Ugh, I hate my camera. I didn’t realize the flash was off so practically all my Cobra pictures came out shitty. I turned it back on for TAI. Luckily it’s not technically my camera; it’s my mom’s. I commandeered it and never gave it back, haha. But I think I might splurge on one from Dell though. I’ve got plenty of money in that account still. Gonna have to do some research first.

Anyways, if I could have the perfect lineup for a show, it would’ve been this one. The only one missing was Panic, haha. Keeping it in the Decaydance family and all. The Decaydance Fest lineup in the UK was so sick. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a fun night out like this.

*blissful*

I passed out watching “Cars” on Starz, and I woke up early, much too early. I think it’s because my brain is like “you’re gonna be late for work!” Even though I have today off.

I’m gonna tweak my sites a bit. I think I’ll bring back my photography portfolio too. I need a place to display the pictures I take. I’ve got Cydonia, my Flickr, and then I’ll have a separate photography site.

?: “How’s your weekend so far?”

Feeling :  determined  Listening :  Showbiz - Muse  Reading :  Stardust

Oof. This weather is killing me. Vegas doesn’t know if it wants to have spring or summer weather. And trust me, there is a world of difference between the two of them. A guest at work was all “this is humidity?” Yes, asshole, in Vegas, our idea of humidity is light years different from yours. So fuck off. I felt like decking him. I’m an angry girl, what can I say?

Let’s recap my weekend, shall we? I’m trying not to take a nap, so that’s why I’m blogging, haha. If I take a nap, it’ll throw me off tonight.

Saturday, what did I do Saturday? *thinks* Sorry, my brain is so not on right now, haha. I took a nap Saturday night, that was nice. I hardly ever get to do that. I went to dinner with my friends from the other side and caught up with everybody. I hadn’t seen them since Christmas.

I finally met my friend’s newborn son that night. He looks just like his daddy and they joked that he’s gonna be a burper like his mom and farter like his dad, haha. I met my other friend’s children too. They’re cuties. Her eldest smiles just like her, and I mentioned that and she goes, “Yes I do.” Sassy like her mom too, haha. Her youngest is a handful. Like everything in life, going out and behaving in public is a learned experience. She says they don’t get out often enough because there’s not enough time.

When I was holding the newborn they’re all, “When are you gonna have a baby?”

I said, “When I’m ready.”

“Never mind that, when are you gonna get a boyfriend?”

“When I find the right one,” I said easily. And in Vegas, that is very hard to do. Something about this town makes guys assholes.

I’m so used to those questions. I guess ’cause I’m so old, haha. I get it from my extended family, and now some of my friends. I know I’m supposed to look at it like they care about me, but it’s really unnerving. And what business is it of yours what I’m doing with my life? I’m no troublemaker in any sense. You should be glad that you know someone who is actually maturing at their own pace, rather than because of some outside force. But I bite that retort back. I don’t like to be rude.

I’m really too self-involved and lazy to care about someone else romantically right now. God’s honest truth. I have a hard enough time trying to relate to people on a friend level. More than that and it feels like a burden. The company that I keep is very small. But the friends I make are friends for life, if they’ll have me. I hardly ever make friends at work or school. I very much keep to myself. The less people know about you, the less it’ll come back to bite you in the ass in the future.

But whatever. If I find someone, it’ll happen on its own naturally, I think. If there is someone out there worth fighting for, damn straight I’ll be fighting for him. But right now? Nobody has caught my fancy like that.

Anyways, sorry for that tangent. I think about these things too much. So I let loose when I write.

Sunday, we celebrated Mother’s Day by taking my sister to lunch at Red Robin, and then to Bonnie Springs. Photos follow…

When we got back home, I drank a bottle of water, curled up in a ball on our couch, and passed out watching “Back to the Future.” Everyone was talking about eating at Teriyaki Madness for dinner, but I’m like, “I’m still full from Red Robin! I dunno how you guys can think about eating!” I wasn’t even that hungry when we went to Red Robin. But I ate because I hadn’t eaten all day. I walked off most of it at Bonnie Springs and their petting zoo. I think my allergies were acting up and probably walking around a petting zoo didn’t help. Yuk.

When I woke up from my nap I had a massive headache… and no food in the house. So I took some Advil, ate ice cream (’cause I was craving some sugar), took a shower, and checked my email. My niece heated up ribs for dinner though. I ate ribs and corn and watched “The Blue Lagoon” on AMC whilst watching “Guys and Dolls” on TCM. I played some Sims: Bustin’ Out and went to sleep.

I woke up much too early today, ran some errands, made spaghetti for lunch, and tried to take a nap but decided against it. A fresh blog seemed like a good idea, which is why most of this entry sounds like I’m rambling. I’m fighting trying to stay awake (it’s only 5 o’clock over here).

Ah well, I’ll just play video games.

?: “How was your weekend?”

Feeling :  accomplished  Listening :  Valerie - Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse  Reading :  League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1

I got my tax return, whoo-hoo! It ain’t much, but this is the first year since I’ve been filing my tax return where I actually got something back. Every other year I’ve owed money. Owed! Who owes the government money? JFC.

I’m expecting the stimulus package next month as well, which will help immensely with my finances. If I planned it correctly, I can kill one of the credit card payments I have right now with it. I didn’t get direct deposit though, so I’ll be getting another paper check. What a hassle. I’m so doing direct deposit next year. I don’t think the website I filed with had that option. But that’s okay. I learned my lesson.

I’ve finally got the hang of the ins and outs at work. There’s still little things that I keep forgetting (such as remembering to tell people that there is certain protocol to follow for deliveries and pick-ups), but I haven’t had a sale, shipment or copy job go South yet. Everyone’s really friendly and nice. I like being busy, and when a show’s breaking down, it gets crazy busy.

The only thing I have noticed already that I don’t like is when people will cut the line or see an empty space, lean on the counter, and stare at me. They try and give me the “if I stare at her long and hard, she’ll stop whatever she’s doing and help me!” kind of stare. Ugh, like staring at me is going to get my attention. I have nieces, m’kay? I am the queen of ignoring annoying people. It’s unnerving, but I can handle it.

Still not a fan of waking up so early, but it’s kinda nice. I can go home and chill at night. I take that back. My family has normal hours, so I have to deal with them busting all up in my room at night, bothering me. I need at least an hour to myself to unwind. I get home, take a shower and go online and do stupid shit. And I can’t lock my door ’cause they’ll knock on it until I answer. And telling them to go away is useless. Gah.

My ma and I figured out I don’t have many years left on my car loan. It’ll be mine, free and clear, in less than 3 years. That is definitely something to look forward to. I bought it brand-new ’cause I didn’t have any money socked away. Yeah, big mistake, considering how uneven my job history has been. I’ve only missed one payment, and that was last year when I was changing jobs. I’m looking forward to owning it free and clear. She ain’t much (an ‘05 Nissan Sentra), but she gets me where I need to go.

I’ve been selling my books like mad on Amazon, the ones I could bear to part with anyways. The extra money helps, truth be told. Since I send everything by Media Mail, I pretty much break even. I don’t make much but at least someone out there is enjoying the book. As a bookphile, that’s all that matters to me.

It’s kinda weird. I have had TKO for almost 4 years, come September. People come and go in the Killers fandom. So when the new kids hear inklings of the Great TKO Drama, they have to know. I try to be honest about it because basically if you’re knee deep in the fandom, you’ll hear about it eventually anyways. You might as well hear it from someone who had to experience it first hand.

It still aches when I have to explain it though. It was definitely a low point in the history of TKO, and for me, as a fan of the band. I love the Killers; I always will. I hate that the Great TKO Drama briefly tainted the fandom for me. But I will support them, no matter what. I believe in them. That’s how much they mean to me.

And if I could take it all back, I would, just so I wouldn’t have to live with this in my heart.

?: “Heard any good music lately?”