For Those About To Write...

(Fire up your coffee pots!)

It hit me during sociology this morning. "Oh my gosh! Surreal but nice! That's what it was!" Surreal but nice. And not in the way he meant it, but the way he thought it sounded like he meant it. You know. Surreal. But.... nice.

You know what is quite lovely? To be able to look someone in the eyes, seriously, and have them not look away instantly. Just lovely. It is also quite normal, which is sort of scary.

Ahhhhhhh, NaNo starts in an hour and a half! ::geeks out:: I am very excited. And terrified. Giddy. Terrified. "Terror" is definitely a word that goes with the WriMo-ing territory. I went to the library today and took some notes from Chris Baty's book, No Plot? No Problem!, to get me kick-started into actually committing to do it, and it completely worked. I gotta do it now!

My mantra this year is as follows:
NO SUBSTANCE ALLOWED! (It has to lack in substance.)

Other points of importance:
*My main character (for future reference, will be referred to as MC) will not be as morose this time around.
*My novel will include lots of screaming, laughing, hugging, camaraderie, making out, coffee, funny-looking people, over-eager enthusiasm, grinning, colors, unusual & loud noises on a grand scale, a cameo by John Lennon, geeks, senseless enjoyment in the name of death, and at least one incredibly beautiful person. (and people waving their arms around)(and philosophy)
*It will also include my sister (whom I promised to put in last year's novel but never did--I am a bad sister).

If my inclusive description sounds revoltingly cheerleader-ish, don't worry. It will all be kept under guidelines. I just don't want to come out (more) mentally ill at the end of the month, like last year. So I will keep it lighter this time, and try not to sound too much like Dave Eggers. =)

Discussions on organized religion? This calls for Chips Ahoy!

Mañana Raquel vendrá a mi casa para hacer comida, para hacer el pan de muertos. Estamos teniendo una celebración en nuestro clase de español para el Día de los Muertos, el miércoles. Divertirámos, yo sé. Siempre, cada tiempo que hacemos comida para la case, divertimos.

And that, my friends, is the extent of my grammatically incorrect Spanish skills.

We Are Lethally Awesome

cybergum13: I have a ginormous bag of Skittles with me.
cybergum13: If I ate them all, I'd go into a sugar-induced coma.
cybergum13: And yet, I keep munching them.
cybergum13: One at a time.
cybergum13: Until my heart explodes.
cybergum13: That sounds like a weird band.
cybergum13: Skittle-Induced Heartplosion.


Closer To Regret: Hey, if you rearrange the last three letters in AWESOME, it spells EMO.
cybergum13: XD
cybergum13: Okay, -that's- just lame.
Closer To Regret: That could become the great new lame defense line for emo!
Closer To Regret: Hey, it's one AM, lay off.
Closer To Regret: =)
cybergum13: Someday, an emokid will tell me that and I'll think of you and laugh.
cybergum13: And then blame you for starting the trend. =)
Closer To Regret: Yeah, and then you can say, "Hey, my friend invented that catchphrase you are using there, Sonny Jim." and he will not believe you and then he and his emo homies will laugh loudly and point at you. In public.
cybergum13: Then I'll point back at them and say "Nobody loves you and they never will!"
cybergum13: That'll chase off any emokid.
cybergum13: =)
Closer To Regret: And then they will cry!
Closer To Regret: It'll be great.
Closer To Regret: I hope someone gets it on tape!

This, I vow, will be my first independently-produced film.

Boys

I swear, what is this, Hit On Angela Day? No, it was definitely supposed to be Dress Like A Dork Day.

Talk about weird.

Oh well. I bite my lip and vow not to wax emo. Think Spanish. Spanish, Spanish, Spanish.

Not-So-Witty Banter

"Did you ever notice that hairs looks shorter when it gets.... nasty?" Boy beside tugs at a chunk of his hair.

I think. "You mean nasty as in hasn't-been-washed-in-awhile, or just nasty as in... general?"

"No, my hair's pretty cl--" He pauses for a second, thinks. "I'm pretty sure I've washed my hair within the last four days."

"Oh, well, that's not too bad," I tell him. " I washed my hair earlier this week....I think....or maybe it was this weekend...."

Boy in front is staring at us, mouth agape. We laugh.

Boy beside says, still laughing, "We're not--clean people."

"No, we're not clean people." I agree.

"We're dirty hippies."

"Well--"

(Boy in front) "I thought you said you wanted to kill hippies."

(Boy beside) "That was just a joke."

(Me) "Friendly rivalry among one's own group."

(Boy beside) "Right."

Boy beside returns to our self-assessment. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm a dirty hippie. Kind of a hippie."

"I'm dirty," I offer.

"I agree with them on some things."

"Partial hippie."

"Environmental issues."

"Right."

We turn back to boy in front. "Yeah, we're not clean people. We're dirty hippies."

Boy in front's eyes are still opened wider than usual. He thinks we are strange.

He is very clean.

---------------------------------------------

Only the first section read--16 pages, and I've already written down 27 words to look up.

"For Those Of You That Haven't Seen Us Before, Welcome To The Blindside Family"

I saw Blindside at PromoWest on Tuesday night. Yay! They opened for and were opened for by Trapt and Aphasia, respectively. Never see these bands, if you can help it. Certainly never purchase or accept any of their CDs. They sucked to a degree of sucking not even known by bands like Limbeck, or Fall Out Boy, or Matchbook Romance.

Anyway, that's not the point. Blindside actually played a really short set, only a half an hour. Tomas was there, but he didn't play with them, Christian said he had an accident on his skateboard and cracked his head open "He's gonna be alright, but he can't play with us tonight." An expanded explanation found below (excuse the typos, their emails always have them, they're kinda cute):

"TThis tour has been one of the more interesting of our career. Six shows into the tour Tomas fell of a skateboard and fractured his skull. This was very serious injury and Tomas has been in and out of hospital several times in the last few weeks. We are glad to report that is now seems very likely he will make a full recovery and while he has not picked up a bass yet we expect to have him back on stage very soon."

I was sad. I quite like Tomas. =( At least he is going to be okay. Instead we got the drummer for Aphasia as a stand-in, a flat-faced Asian kid with no style what-so-ever. Seriously, he looked like he had been laid out on the ground and had one of those cement blocks dropped on his face from a towering height. He played alright, but couldn't do the cartwheel thing with Simon, of course (Simon did the cartwheel thing anyway), and was obviously not as cool as Tomas. Oh well.

They opened with Caught A Glimpse, which I thought was a bit weird, and ended with About A Burning Fire. Also played was:

[SCREAMING!!! I like it.]

Follow You Down
"Well, we're gonna follow you down..."

All Of Us
He didn't throw himself on the ground. ::sigh:: I still enjoyed it, though.

Fell In Love With The Game
The only one they played off the new album, which is sort of funny considering it just came out and they should be trying to promote it, not playing more stuff off of Silence than Great Depression and AABF combined.

Pitiful
Ahh, second-to-last, mwah! This is a fantastic song. Christian is a fun dancer.

Cute Boring Love
Why was I the only one that cheered for this song? He introduced it the exact same way, same voice inflections and everything, as he did on the cassette I have of this live: "We're gonna play a song.....called Cute Boring Love." Hurray! Much fun.

Sleepwalking
This song rocks heroically. Yay!

Christian did lots of spitting water and throwing water and just plain, old spitting. The most notable was when he went and stood in front of Marcus, his back to the crowd, hocked up a big glob, and spit, while simulatneously throwing his head back. A sizable slobber globule, followed closely by two smaller of its kind, sailed backwards in slow motion, across the stage, turning and moving like Olympic gymnasts, garnering the eyes of all, and finally landing on some lucky patronage in the third or fourth row of the pit. The height and distance of the trajectory was quite impressive. I fully appreciated the scene with the equal amounts of revulsion and awe it deserved.

The crowd veritably sucked. Pretty much everybody there was there for Trapt (some sort of sickness, I'm sure), so it was pretty much me and this one other group of kids in front of Simon singing along, and that was all. And I had all this room around me, there weren't that many people there, which is good for breathing but fatal for moshing. And, they didn't have them turned up loud enough, I could hear myself singing. But of course! this could not hold back the awesomeness that is Blindside, and so I thoroughly enjoyed myself in spite of any drawbacks.

Well, let's see. I guess that's about all you need to know. I hate doing show reviews because I can never correctly instill the aura, the feeling, the ambience of the situation in my retelling. Those of you who frequent shows, however, can fill in the details: the smell of sweat and happiness, the blacklights, the dampness of the air, the noise level, the crowd camaraderie, the ringing in your ears. Those of you who don't frequent shows......well.......that's your own fault.

Till next time, go and buy The Great Depression. Swedes are some of the best rockers out there these days.

Happy Birthday, Goofer

We love you.

You -Saved- Disgruntled?!

Boys should not be allowed to smoke, or have long hair, or have the wind blowing their hair and their clothes back. It's simply not fair. It makes me suffocate.

News Update

News Concerning:

November
No Need To Be So Blunt, Boys
Relient K is putting out a new EP next month entitled 'Apathetic.' Considering the quality of their last album, I think we've all picked up on the apathy.

Voracious Mass-Noveling Starts Soon
I just got my first email from Chris Baty!!! ::bites nails:: What should I do? To WriMo, or not to WriMo? Help! Shall try that chocolate syrup trick first.....

Music, In Some Way, Shape, Or Form
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
All should, on October 25th, pick up a copy of Happy Christman Vol. 4. It will contain many delightful triscuits of happiness for your little yuletide ears, including my very own Fold singing my very favorite Christmas song (they've gotten so big now!) O Holy Night, Copeland covering Do You Hear What I Hear? (::dies::), a new song with Aaron Gillespie from Underoath--you all know what a great voice he has, that sweet one from Relient K--I Celebrate The Day, Anberlin!, and more goodies. So. Purchase!

Me
Unspecified Event Occuring This Past Tuesday Night
I do dumb things, continuously.

Me/Music, In Some Way, Shape, Or Form
Sittin' On A Fence
I am seriously considering making it my life's theme song. It's by the Stones, and it's fantastic. Go listen to it. Heros Of The Day are Mick and Keith for writing this lyrical masterpiece. ;)

John Lennon
The Most Important Type Of News Of All, You Know
His birthday is on Sunday. He would have been 65.
The kettle in my brain is still boiling, trying to come up with the best and most respectful way to celebrate. Any ideas should be relayed to me. =) Will try to keep things positive, because this is his birthday.

Side Note To Chris: Not to sound horrible? You did.

Side Note To Anyone Who Enjoys Answering Questions: Can you burn tea? 'Cause mine tastes funny. Maybe I just burned the sugar in the tea from leaving it on the stove too long. Hmm. What do you think?

That's all the news for now, folks! Thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you next time on That Dress And Those Eyes--telling white, white lies 24 hours a day!

Family Room Pace

Jim.

Why did you leave us?!






We need you!



I'm not trying to say that what you did was selfish. I don't even understand what you went through and I can understand why you would do...what I think you did.


But look at us!

We need you!








(defeat, quiet, sigh)


I just want you to come back.

I just want you to come back.

The Footman's Eyes Get Crossed

"...being with her, so close to her skin and the blood rushing beneath it, drains me of hatred."

::sigh::
Remember that.

On Another Note Entirely: Mick Jagger must have the finest hips of anyone alive. And, he speaks French! My love does have something inside that beautiful-but-largely-hollow body of his! I <3 His Talking Voice

P.S. Happy October.