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In other news! Last night I went to see Taking Back Sunday with my best pal Kim, and my cousin Meg. They played on Long Island, and, anyone who knows me also knows I love TBS, and therefore probably also knows that TBS is from Long Island. So like it's kind of a big deal if you know what I mean.

They played in Huntington, which is pretty far from where we all live (we are Eastern LI gals, and LI is, as its name suggests, hella long.) So, by the time I got my kid up from his nap, got my dogs fed, and we picked Kim up from her house and stopped for dinner, we arrived at the venue just in time to see the second opening band, The Menzingers. They were good, I have to say.

TBS went on earlier than I had expected, which was another pleasant surprise. Okay, I hate to admit this, but since having a kid, I get super tired and if I'm not in bed by 11 I get cranky, knowing how early I'll be up the next day. And having to drive all the way back from Huntington (though, we took Meghan's car since hers doesn't have a car seat and was more comfy, so she drove!) was going to be a drag. (We ended up getting home around quarter after twelve, which is not too bad, really.)

These days, they open the show with the “Preface” from “Happiness Is” album, and then right into Flicker Fade. I love love love Flicker Fade. It has its own meaning to me, which is probably completely removed from the meaning it has to the writers of the song. (It's kind of my novel-writing song. “Destroy what you create.” :D )

There was a time when I would go to concerts, come home and stay up until 3 or 4 AM writing up the setlist and talking about every single song. But it's like, a whole entire day later, I hardly got any real sleep last night, Callum's going to be awake in a half an hour, and I can barely remember the entire setlist. They did all the old classics, even Timberwolves At New Jersey, which I love, but rarely get to hear them play live. Last time I saw them they played My Blue Heaven, which is my personal favorite song (and in my top ten best songs ever,) but they didn't fit that one in this time.

Our seats were in the second-to-last row, all the way on the end. I mean, the seats were actually pretty bad. The VIP area totally blocked my entire view of stage left. Once in a while I could see the top of John Nolan's head, if the Embracing Couple in the VIP area moved apart once in a while.

Oh, and The Bros were there, too. The Bros are at every concert I've ever been to, and probably every concert you've ever been to as well. You know, those 3-5 guys who meet up at the venue all, “BRO! BRO!” and then they drink beer and mosh about. Well I mean, of course there were tons of Bros in the moshpit, but there were four Bros in the VIP area, too. I usually don't like The Bros because of how they trample everyone else, but The Bros in the VIP area were so harmless, and were having so much fun, I kind of warmed to them. They didn't bother anyone, and didn't throw any beer. What they did do was dance to every song, and sometimes hug each other during the really old songs. They were so nice, and actually so endearing, I'm not even sure I can classify them as The Bros.

But there were Bros in the pit for sure. At one point, there was some kind of kerfluffle that got really loud. Adam (Lazzara, the singer, which you should know, and if you don't know that, who are you and why are you on my LJ? ;D ) briefly quit his on-stage bantering mid-sentence and asked for the house-lights to be turned up. Turns out, some Bro had lost his shoe. Adam: “Uhh... okay? IDGAF? I thought someone had died out there or something ffs!” And then, after that, other Bros held up their shoes.

Kim and Meghan had a blast watching all the crowdsurfers.

Me? I was the only jackass standing up in the mezzanine. Two girls came down from the bar area and stood on the stairs behind me and danced a little. I turned to them and said, “I'm so glad I'm not the only one up here dancing.” And one of them grabbed my and and said, “I'm glad, too. I'm just happy that someone else up here knows all the words.” High-five, Bro-sis.

I can't sit down during a TBS show though, you know? When you're seeing a band you've loved for so long, and you know every word to every song, and the songs mean a lot to you, you're just going to be the one jackass standing up in the mezzanine and dancing your goddamn fool head off. That was me.

I remember the first time I saw TBS, what, ten years ago? I went with my friend Brittany, and I had only gone to see the then-opening band, which was 30STM. I didn't want to see some other band I hadn't really heard of, but I couldn't leave her there by herself. When they started to play, I realized objectively that they were a good live band. And, by and by, I started really listening, and getting into it.

It was Adam, you know, once he started talking, that made me finally say, “Okay, this is different.” I've said it before. He doesn't do that whole “YEAH YOU BASTARDS I WANNA HEAR YOU ALL SCREAM GRRRR RAAAARRRWWW ROCK N ROLLLLLL!!!!!1111” thing that I think is so dumb and overplayed. He's weird and dancey and stuttery and personable. I remember, back then, that one of the Pirates movies had just come out, whichever one it was, and I later said to my friend, “Was that guy playing at being Jack Sparrow or something?” And she was like, “That's how he's always been.”

Meghan—who's seen them a number of times as well—commented the same thing last night. I leaned over to her and Kim and said, “He's so different to other frontmen, right? With the quirky dance moves?” and Meg said, “He's always reminded me of, if like, Jack Sparrow was in a band.”

That's who A-Lazz* is. He's Jack Sparrow in a band.

I want to post a video, but I don't have any good ones. Someday I'll take a video of TBS where I'm not dancing around like a jackass, but last night was not that night.




*I go on and on about him like he's my favorite. Eddie Reyes is my favorite, because he's the low-key guitarist who started and maintained the band for all these years. It's just, Adam does all the talking and mic-swinging, so.


ETA I remembered another funny thing! Before the concert even started, just as the lights went down, the guy in the bar-area behind us yelled out, “SHE SAID DON’T!” Which, like. :DDDDD
la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
So like, Taking Back Sunday is playing in my neck of the woods tomorrow and I totally forgot that was going to happen. I have to get up mad early for work the next morning so I think I’m probably going to have to sit it out. I’m the kind of person who takes weeks to build up to going to something like a huge music festival. (It’s a huge music festival, not just them.)

Also, I’ve been trying to not spend a hell of a lot of money on anything for myself, because Things Keep Happening (car gets hit, computer dies, camera breaks, dog goes to the vet. $300 here, $400 there, $120 here, $500 there!) So I haven’t even bought their new album yet and that bums me out.

But I want to state at this moment that, in the last two years, Taking Back Sunday has actually bumped 30 Seconds to Mars as my favorite band, because 30’s last album was sort of disappointing. Jared used to be such a great poet and writer, and lately he seems to only write in cliches: “Do or Die.” “Lost in the city of angels.” “That’s how the story goes.” “A thousand times I’ve tempted fate.” “All we need is faith.” “This is a fight to the death.” “I will save you from yourself.” “Bright lights, big city.”

Like I’m not even joking, those are from almost every song on their latest album. It’s like he looked up a dictionary of cliche phrases and crammed them all in. Some of his past poetry was really profound, IDK what happened.

Anyway, tangent. The point is, I’m going to take a pass on the TBS concert tomorrow night, and hope that they’ll come around in the fall or winter.

I love love love you TBS, please come back soon, and your old homegirl will drive out and see you next time for sure.

TBS!

Nov. 8th, 2013 03:03 pm
la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)



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Taking Back Sunday was brilliant on Long Island last night. It’s so amusing how the audience knows every word to every song. I’ve never really seen that level of sing-along with any other band.

So, I had major anxiety about going last night. And as the time got closer and closer, I got more and more frantic. Really the venue was only a half hour away – pretty easy drive. But I'd never left CJ at home at night before. My Mom sat with him for the few hours I was gone. Gave him his bath, gave Haku his meds, etc. I knew he'd be okay. I just had this awful feeling that I was doing something bad and that I would have to pay for it or something. But then I decided that if I let anxiety control me to the point where I didn't go out last night, then I'd never go out again. And that I'd regret it if I didn't go.

Once I started my car, I noticed that not one, but BOTH of my headlights were out. When I put on my brights, I got one to light up. So I went the whole way there and back with one high-beam and my hazard lights on.

But I got there, and all was well.

I have this super power where I always end up standing or sitting next to, or walking straight into whoever it is I went out to see at concerts. Video Games Live, hitRECord shows, rock bands, basically any live show. I was very pleased to see Adam Lazzara and John Nolan a few feet away from me in a sound booth when I found a good spot to stand. I mimed to Adam “thumbs up” and “baby.” he gave me “thumbs up” back. Then I mimed “Me” and “picture?” Meaning, is it all right if I take a pic of you guys up there? He nodded, and to my surprise, came down out of the sound booth or whatever it was, and beckoned me to come back stage. I said, “You didn’t have to!” and he said “It’s all right!” So I did a selfie, since I went there alone. And I said, “I was trying to tell you, congratulations on your new baby. I’ve got one, too!” 

He said, “Aww! Mine’s so small. He’s so fragile and small,” and he made a gesture with his hands to demonstrate how tiny. (Their baby was one month pre-term and he had to leave the tour for a while to stay in the hospital with his wife and baby.  :(  ) I could tell he was itching to get back to them and I don’t blame him. I was having a hard time leaving my 6 month old for just a few hours! (I went back to work shortly after he was born, but something about going out at night, for myself, made me really anxious.) 

I told him, “I’m glad he and Misha are home,” and he said, “Thanks for saying that. And thanks for coming out.”

So I thanked him for coming to take a pic and said I didn’t want to keep him too long.

The show was really fantastic. I’ve seen TBS a handful of times in their many incarnations and they are worth the money and effort. Their concerts are just straight up fun. I’ve always said that Adam is my favorite frontman. There are vocalists I really love, but as far as being a frontman goes, I think he’s got everyone beat. he doesn’t do this whole “rock star” banter thing. He talks like he’s having a normal conversation, and he’s really witty and funny. It’s different. And then of course, you get to see him whip that mic around and I think that’s brilliant.

The other thing I've always noticed about him is how nice he is. Other singers do that whole stupid alpha male thing on stage, calling the audience names and being all aggressive. He's just quirky and funny and intriguing and nice. It's refreshing.
Also, they did My Blue Heaven, which is my favorite ever TBS song. Adam said it was his, too.

The crowd were very nice, for the most part. There were a few people who were off their face and acting obnoxious, but you always get that. This is an audience who goes way back with this band, knows every word and every beat and every rest. I sometimes think it’s not worth the hassle to go see a live show, because I’m not partial to crowds, so a band has to be really worth it for me. Taking Back Sunday concerts are just pure fun.

They are Long Island boys, and they ended the tour here on LI last night. 

I’m so glad I got to be a part of that. And I'm glad I beat down the anxiety monster and went. ^_^

Pics below the cut )
la_belle_laide: (never been beautiful)



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Hey there, weather. So, wow. Two knock-out days in a row, today and apparently tomorrow, too. Today it hit about 80, THANKS. And tomorrow, woot! But, what's with you going back down to the 50's over the weekend? RETHINK THIS PLAN.

Actually, it's going back down to the 50s on Friday. Friday, meh, because I have to go back into school and take that certification class that they yanked out from under us last week. I talked to the woman who sets up the classes today to ask if they were going to reimburse any of us—for traveling, missing work, whatever. And the answer was no. Thanks, school. I can't wait to get the hell out of you.

Add to that the fact that there was a gas leak in the school last week. They evacuated when it happened. Apparently it is still leaking somewhere (I heard them talking about it today) and yet we are all still there. There's no electricity in the kitchen, so no hot food, meaning no goddamn cookies. WHAT THE HELL, WORDS DON'T EVEN.

Oh, not to get all 12 years old or anything, but I met the cutest man today. This guy seriously looked like someone drew Adam Lazzara in anime style. Or maybe, if Kenshin existed and had mated with Adam Lazzara. Seriously, he had the whole martial arts build going on, though thin, and with hugely thick, long hair in a ponytail and a really sweet face, but with that Lazzara smile. I had no idea why he was talking to me--probably just a truly nice guy--but I was glad that he was. He gave me a recipe for ice cream. :)

Also, I got 100 on my kinesiology practical final. I was sweating over that one because Dr. R had told us that he wasn't going to go as easy on us as he had in the midterm. So I studied quite a bit over the last few weeks, and it paid off.

On my way home, I got stuck in worse traffic than usual, but I was really enjoying listening to the music, and the fact that I didn't have my heat on. (And actually had the air on for a while, too. O_O ) Sometimes I skip nearly every song on my iPod and only play something like every 15th one, but today I was in the mood for almost every song on there. And then TBS's My Blue Heaven came on and I realized that I hadn't listened to it in over a year. It used to be my favorite, but then after the way this past year went—and I can't put my finger on exactly why—every word of it made me sad. But today, for the first time, I enjoyed it again. I was glad; it's a beautiful song and I remembered the exact moment I fell in love with it. I was cleaning out a pigeon's cage at the wildlife clinic where I used to work when it grabbed me for the first time.

And speaking of, WTF, TBS? Why you gotta act so crazy?

Anyway. Tomorrow I have a practical in Med Massage, and then next week I have a written in kinesiology, a written in pathology, and a written in Asian Bodyworks3. Wow, guys, thanks for cramming all those written tests in one week. Oh, and the Qi Gong final, too.

Wait, I'm confused. Then is next week my last week in school? I seriously thought it was the week after that? Holy crap! Even better, during my vacation, there's a weekend where I can't go into work because other companies buy demo weekends and we are banned from them. ^_^ Which, I mean that sucks for my paycheck, but still.

Speaking of paycheck, they forgot to send mine out this week. Hi, guys, that's my gas and lunch money.

So, I owe a few emails that I'm dying to get to (you know who you are!) but these long school days and finals are killing me. Friday at the latest, seriously!

I should go to bed because I'm superfly tired, but I cannot stop playing Akinator, except obviously to write this entry. Seriously, give this program a whirl. It's awesome. Although, likely you'll never quit playing, either. And, contrary to popular belief, I'm not usually getting addicted to games, and seriously never to online games, which tend to just irritate me. But this game is just crazy!

Awww, my cute little Onion is munching on his algae wafer. Who knew fish could be so much fun to watch? Oh, Lucrezia is trying to muscle in on his wafer and take a bite out of it. She's a little beeotch! But I love her funny face. Leon is swimming between the posts of the little torii, and trying to go through the little spaces. Now he's flaring his gills at Lucrezia. *sigh*, my fishes.

Okay, no, really, this all has even less of a point than my usual entries. I got up at 6:30 today courtesy of my carbon-based alarm clock, the lovely loud Havok. So I really should go to bed. :D
la_belle_laide: (never been beautiful)



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Hey there, weather. So, wow. Two knock-out days in a row, today and apparently tomorrow, too. Today it hit about 80, THANKS. And tomorrow, woot! But, what's with you going back down to the 50's over the weekend? RETHINK THIS PLAN.

Actually, it's going back down to the 50s on Friday. Friday, meh, because I have to go back into school and take that certification class that they yanked out from under us last week. I talked to the woman who sets up the classes today to ask if they were going to reimburse any of us—for traveling, missing work, whatever. And the answer was no. Thanks, school. I can't wait to get the hell out of you.

Add to that the fact that there was a gas leak in the school last week. They evacuated when it happened. Apparently it is still leaking somewhere (I heard them talking about it today) and yet we are all still there. There's no electricity in the kitchen, so no hot food, meaning no goddamn cookies. WHAT THE HELL, WORDS DON'T EVEN.

Oh, not to get all 12 years old or anything, but I met the cutest man today. This guy seriously looked like someone drew Adam Lazzara in anime style. Or maybe, if Kenshin existed and had mated with Adam Lazzara. Seriously, he had the whole martial arts build going on, though thin, and with hugely thick, long hair in a ponytail and a really sweet face, but with that Lazzara smile. I had no idea why he was talking to me--probably just a truly nice guy--but I was glad that he was. He gave me a recipe for ice cream. :)

Also, I got 100 on my kinesiology practical final. I was sweating over that one because Dr. R had told us that he wasn't going to go as easy on us as he had in the midterm. So I studied quite a bit over the last few weeks, and it paid off.

On my way home, I got stuck in worse traffic than usual, but I was really enjoying listening to the music, and the fact that I didn't have my heat on. (And actually had the air on for a while, too. O_O ) Sometimes I skip nearly every song on my iPod and only play something like every 15th one, but today I was in the mood for almost every song on there. And then TBS's My Blue Heaven came on and I realized that I hadn't listened to it in over a year. It used to be my favorite, but then after the way this past year went—and I can't put my finger on exactly why—every word of it made me sad. But today, for the first time, I enjoyed it again. I was glad; it's a beautiful song and I remembered the exact moment I fell in love with it. I was cleaning out a pigeon's cage at the wildlife clinic where I used to work when it grabbed me for the first time.

And speaking of, WTF, TBS? Why you gotta act so crazy?

Anyway. Tomorrow I have a practical in Med Massage, and then next week I have a written in kinesiology, a written in pathology, and a written in Asian Bodyworks3. Wow, guys, thanks for cramming all those written tests in one week. Oh, and the Qi Gong final, too.

Wait, I'm confused. Then is next week my last week in school? I seriously thought it was the week after that? Holy crap! Even better, during my vacation, there's a weekend where I can't go into work because other companies buy demo weekends and we are banned from them. ^_^ Which, I mean that sucks for my paycheck, but still.

Speaking of paycheck, they forgot to send mine out this week. Hi, guys, that's my gas and lunch money.

So, I owe a few emails that I'm dying to get to (you know who you are!) but these long school days and finals are killing me. Friday at the latest, seriously!

I should go to bed because I'm superfly tired, but I cannot stop playing Akinator, except obviously to write this entry. Seriously, give this program a whirl. It's awesome. Although, likely you'll never quit playing, either. And, contrary to popular belief, I'm not usually getting addicted to games, and seriously never to online games, which tend to just irritate me. But this game is just crazy!

Awww, my cute little Onion is munching on his algae wafer. Who knew fish could be so much fun to watch? Oh, Lucrezia is trying to muscle in on his wafer and take a bite out of it. She's a little beeotch! But I love her funny face. Leon is swimming between the posts of the little torii, and trying to go through the little spaces. Now he's flaring his gills at Lucrezia. *sigh*, my fishes.

Okay, no, really, this all has even less of a point than my usual entries. I got up at 6:30 today courtesy of my carbon-based alarm clock, the lovely loud Havok. So I really should go to bed. :D
la_belle_laide: (morticia)



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Last night was lots of fun: The Gold Dragon took me out for a belated birthday thing and we went to Digger's. We ended up having drinks (although just cranberry juice for me since I drove) and mozzarella sticks and staying till closing. And yes, I took the day off school today. :) So we just talked about sun moon stars rain (read: Kung Fu, school, work, movies, friends, Family Guy, etc.) and at one point I had a moment when he said, “Let's have a toast” and I figured he'd say like, “To Kung Fu” or “To Jackie Chan!” or something but instead he said, “To your Dad, who's always with you.”

Anyway, we're going to hit up Darkside tomorrow once I'm home from work and he's done taking his nephew to a party. (I have to remind myself to go to work tomorrow. God, why do I feel like I'm going to forget?) My costume RULES and I'm so glad we get to do something awesome tomorrow. Halloween means a lot to me.

Last night I was so thirsty after all the mozzarella sticks that I couldn't sleep, or maybe it had to do with the ton of Halloween candy I ate, too. Anyway, I was up nearly all night just thinking about random stupid things. Once in a while I was able to get to sleep but then I only had really bizarre dreams.

A few times a year I dream about seeing Taking Back Sunday live, (which I have done frequently and with great joy in the past,) and in the dreams something supernatural is always going on in those dreams. For instance, in one of them, they were at a vampire baby shower. In another, Adam Lazzara was a werewolf and kept shorting the electricity during the concert by chewing on the cords.

In last night's Taking Back Sunday concert dream, the show took place in a kind of college (not surprising I guess) and there were tons of floors from which you could watch the show from behind a glass partition. My seat was way high up. I could see the show very well but could not hear it, thus defeating the purpose. The guitarist (Matt Fazzi, great dude btw) pointed to me and said something, but I couldn't hear him so I had to read his lips and he said something like, “Aren't you that girl from the online journal?” I thought, “Wow, how does he know that?”

I looked at the person beside me and saw that she had turned into a black and white version of herself. Apart from that, she was also getting smaller and wasn't moving. For some reason I looked at the guy who does the sound, or the lighting or something and he had turned sort of greyish. By and by, members of the audience all began to turn into little grey, stone-like dolls. I thought, “Holy crap, I'd better get out of here before I turn into one, too! But then I'll miss the show, and what will become of the band? Maybe they'll turn to stone, too?” So I banged on the glass partition to warn them of what was happening, when I saw that the guitarist had been replaced by some guy from Saturday Night Live. For some reason, this freaked me out way more than the doll thing. I thought perhaps I would have to get the gun I was conveniently carrying and shoot through the glass to break it, but then I realized I would hit someone on stage. I woke up before solving this quandary.

Strange things are just happening in my brain; stranger than normal. I think it must be stress. Sometimes I'm very much at peace, and sometimes every little thing makes me feel like the sky is falling. As if I can somehow deal with losing Dad, yet not getting the DVD I ordered last week is making me want to rip someone's eyes out and scream into their gaping eyeholes. Or the fact that I forgot to finish my homework for this week kept me awake from around 6:30 onward this morning. I mean, I still have all next week to finish it, yet somehow it was the most urgent thing in the world.

Ah, but I have some good news to report, at least. I took Sano to the vet on Wednesday before by neuro class, and got his bloodwork done. The vet called me yesterday and even though his liver values are still elevated, they are much lower than they were even last week. Also his platelets are okay so I can lower the pred (which is what's destroying his liver in the first place) and keep doing what I'm doing. I was ridiculously glad about it, which is to be expected. Also it looks like his fur is growing back a little.

Also! I got a 98 on my neuro midterm. Originally it was 96 but when we went over it in class we discovered that the scantron had marked one wrong that was right, so my score was 98. And because I set the two-point curve it turned out to be 100, and my entire class average is 99. My professor (my favorite one this trimester) handed me the test back and said, “You broke the curve for the rest of the class. Curvebreaker!” And again I was happier than I had any right to be.

I had big plans for today, I seriously did. I was going to draw a picture, but I've utterly forgotten how to draw, and I used to be at least ¼ way decent at it. Then I was going to write a little, maybe a cute Halloween poem or something, but I've utterly forgotten how to write, also. Maybe it's stress, but what if it never stops and I've totally lost my aptitude for all of that stuff? Also I was going to go out and buy a lottery ticket. Also I was going to get back to work on taking the paneling down at Gran's place (that's what I guess I'll always call it: “Gran's place” even though it's now basically going to be my office.) I was going to go through my novel and clean it up some more just in case the editors write me back and say “We think you might be the next JK Rowling, oh my god, please send us the rest of the manuscript at once because we'd like to give you five million dollars in advance and maybe even set you up on a date with this guy here who we cloned from Ewan McGregor's colon cells.”

Those were my plans, but then I kind of just looked at funny videos on the internet all day.

Gacked (GACKT?) from [livejournal.com profile] skitty_kitty:


Japanese Prank Show! FUNNIEST THING EVER - Watch more Funny Videos

WTFFFFFFF seriously? Apparently, according to one of her friends, it's from a show called Zen Master, in which contestants have to endure all of these ridiculous things in silence. That one dude is so cute too,damn. Anyway, this made me laugh until I had tears. "Slapping Machine" and "Old Man Bites Tenderly" slayed me. I really needed that, too.

Well, I should go feed the dogs, feed myself, maybe go out for a walk with Mom or something and then pretend like I don't have to go to work tomorrow and I can just skip the early part of the day and go right to Darkside. ^_^ Pictures will surely follow. Oh, count on it.
la_belle_laide: (morticia)



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Last night was lots of fun: The Gold Dragon took me out for a belated birthday thing and we went to Digger's. We ended up having drinks (although just cranberry juice for me since I drove) and mozzarella sticks and staying till closing. And yes, I took the day off school today. :) So we just talked about sun moon stars rain (read: Kung Fu, school, work, movies, friends, Family Guy, etc.) and at one point I had a moment when he said, “Let's have a toast” and I figured he'd say like, “To Kung Fu” or “To Jackie Chan!” or something but instead he said, “To your Dad, who's always with you.”

Anyway, we're going to hit up Darkside tomorrow once I'm home from work and he's done taking his nephew to a party. (I have to remind myself to go to work tomorrow. God, why do I feel like I'm going to forget?) My costume RULES and I'm so glad we get to do something awesome tomorrow. Halloween means a lot to me.

Last night I was so thirsty after all the mozzarella sticks that I couldn't sleep, or maybe it had to do with the ton of Halloween candy I ate, too. Anyway, I was up nearly all night just thinking about random stupid things. Once in a while I was able to get to sleep but then I only had really bizarre dreams.

A few times a year I dream about seeing Taking Back Sunday live, (which I have done frequently and with great joy in the past,) and in the dreams something supernatural is always going on in those dreams. For instance, in one of them, they were at a vampire baby shower. In another, Adam Lazzara was a werewolf and kept shorting the electricity during the concert by chewing on the cords.

In last night's Taking Back Sunday concert dream, the show took place in a kind of college (not surprising I guess) and there were tons of floors from which you could watch the show from behind a glass partition. My seat was way high up. I could see the show very well but could not hear it, thus defeating the purpose. The guitarist (Matt Fazzi, great dude btw) pointed to me and said something, but I couldn't hear him so I had to read his lips and he said something like, “Aren't you that girl from the online journal?” I thought, “Wow, how does he know that?”

I looked at the person beside me and saw that she had turned into a black and white version of herself. Apart from that, she was also getting smaller and wasn't moving. For some reason I looked at the guy who does the sound, or the lighting or something and he had turned sort of greyish. By and by, members of the audience all began to turn into little grey, stone-like dolls. I thought, “Holy crap, I'd better get out of here before I turn into one, too! But then I'll miss the show, and what will become of the band? Maybe they'll turn to stone, too?” So I banged on the glass partition to warn them of what was happening, when I saw that the guitarist had been replaced by some guy from Saturday Night Live. For some reason, this freaked me out way more than the doll thing. I thought perhaps I would have to get the gun I was conveniently carrying and shoot through the glass to break it, but then I realized I would hit someone on stage. I woke up before solving this quandary.

Strange things are just happening in my brain; stranger than normal. I think it must be stress. Sometimes I'm very much at peace, and sometimes every little thing makes me feel like the sky is falling. As if I can somehow deal with losing Dad, yet not getting the DVD I ordered last week is making me want to rip someone's eyes out and scream into their gaping eyeholes. Or the fact that I forgot to finish my homework for this week kept me awake from around 6:30 onward this morning. I mean, I still have all next week to finish it, yet somehow it was the most urgent thing in the world.

Ah, but I have some good news to report, at least. I took Sano to the vet on Wednesday before by neuro class, and got his bloodwork done. The vet called me yesterday and even though his liver values are still elevated, they are much lower than they were even last week. Also his platelets are okay so I can lower the pred (which is what's destroying his liver in the first place) and keep doing what I'm doing. I was ridiculously glad about it, which is to be expected. Also it looks like his fur is growing back a little.

Also! I got a 98 on my neuro midterm. Originally it was 96 but when we went over it in class we discovered that the scantron had marked one wrong that was right, so my score was 98. And because I set the two-point curve it turned out to be 100, and my entire class average is 99. My professor (my favorite one this trimester) handed me the test back and said, “You broke the curve for the rest of the class. Curvebreaker!” And again I was happier than I had any right to be.

I had big plans for today, I seriously did. I was going to draw a picture, but I've utterly forgotten how to draw, and I used to be at least ¼ way decent at it. Then I was going to write a little, maybe a cute Halloween poem or something, but I've utterly forgotten how to write, also. Maybe it's stress, but what if it never stops and I've totally lost my aptitude for all of that stuff? Also I was going to go out and buy a lottery ticket. Also I was going to get back to work on taking the paneling down at Gran's place (that's what I guess I'll always call it: “Gran's place” even though it's now basically going to be my office.) I was going to go through my novel and clean it up some more just in case the editors write me back and say “We think you might be the next JK Rowling, oh my god, please send us the rest of the manuscript at once because we'd like to give you five million dollars in advance and maybe even set you up on a date with this guy here who we cloned from Ewan McGregor's colon cells.”

Those were my plans, but then I kind of just looked at funny videos on the internet all day.

Gacked (GACKT?) from [livejournal.com profile] skitty_kitty:


Japanese Prank Show! FUNNIEST THING EVER - Watch more Funny Videos

WTFFFFFFF seriously? Apparently, according to one of her friends, it's from a show called Zen Master, in which contestants have to endure all of these ridiculous things in silence. That one dude is so cute too,damn. Anyway, this made me laugh until I had tears. "Slapping Machine" and "Old Man Bites Tenderly" slayed me. I really needed that, too.

Well, I should go feed the dogs, feed myself, maybe go out for a walk with Mom or something and then pretend like I don't have to go to work tomorrow and I can just skip the early part of the day and go right to Darkside. ^_^ Pictures will surely follow. Oh, count on it.
la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
What can I say, I love this spaztacular freak, and Unhinged!Lazzara with crazy eyes and trickster smile is my favorite Lazzara of all.

Photobucket

THE OTHER NINETY EIGHT STILLS. ^_^;; And the video is a post down from here. :)

So! School today was pretty decent all in all, aside from being 20 minutes late due to bruxism-inducing traffic and nearly homicide-inducing stupid people. I got 100 on my first A&P II quiz regardless of having been so damn late, whereas the guy across from me, Mr. Uterine-excretion, managed an 80 after struggling with the test for 40 minutes and finally making up his own answers on a match the answers test. Seriously, it was matching hormone to function, meaning that all the answers were there, but he chose to write in his own, because the teacher was wrong, ya see. Then when I got my test back, he reached across the table and turned mine face down. "I don't want to see your 100," he told me. Well I don't want to see your lousy face, pal, was what I did not answer. Admire my restraint. He also left the class in the middle of the lecture, right after lunch break, for about two minutes to go to the cafe to get himself a snack, then made the professor go back two slides so he could copy down what he missed. Douche.

Then there's this new guy and he's one of those typical wiseguys, you know the ones. He has the answer to everything even if he doesn't, always punctuated by a self-satisfied "heh." He overtalks the professor, has to crack jokes, even repeating what the professor is saying in stupid accents occasionally. He also held forth at great length about "fat chicks" and how they're sometimes nice, but they have to be because they don't have anything else going for them. His two friends kept apologizing for him and saying, "Well, he's only twenty one." You know" I know 16 year olds who know when and exactly how to STFU and not act like an animal. For godsakes.

Man, last trimester's A&P class was so nice; I liked everyone. WTF happened? All these stupid new people, Jesus.

Anyway, I got most of my books (one's on backorder) with my gift certificates (THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL FRIEND KIM!) and I have enough left over so that I can get my massage table for a mere 100 bucks, which includes tax and delivery straight to my house, as well as a carrying case! I'm happy!

Right now I'm somewhere between medical massage and doing something else, like nutrition or whatever. I really, really, really want to do holistic health or something like herbal pharmacology. This is going to take some doing.

Anyway.

Last night in Kung Fu I did a scissor-kick takedown! I had been watching Empress practice this on Te Ji Han and I really wanted to try it. She let me practice it on her after she saw me trying to practice it on one of the bags. Gold Dragon saw me doing that and missed the beginning of the move; all he saw was me slapping out beside the bag and he asked, "Are you throwing yourself?" I had to laugh. Then Empress let me try it, then she tried it on me, and a few corrections and BAM! I was doing scissor-kick takedown thingies! I was so proud of myself. It's so much easier than I thought it was going to be and it looks really cool. (Well, basically you just go into a handstand only with your legs parallel to the ground, then you scissor them behind the knees and in front of the chest of the other person, you flip onto your back and WHAM! down they go.)

As always, another boy there--let's call him Otaku-chan--got rambly about FFVII. He's new to it and totally obsessed with it, which I understand. ^_^ He mentioned something about "Mako" in class once a few weeks back and I was like, "WTF, WTF? Are you playing VII?" So I just fell into the roll of "adult fangirl, ask me anything about this game" and so we have a big conversation about it at the end of every class. As we were leaving, I realized I had the soundtrack playing in my car so I pulled up to their truck and rolled down my window. Otaku-chan got out of this car: "ONE WINGED ANGEL! ONE WINGED ANGEL! BLAST IT!" Ahhh, it was fun.

We're not officially doing outdoor sword and staff yet, but I had gotten there early, and High School Homeboy was already there because his adorable daughter--let's call her the Chibi Ninja because that's exactly what she's like--was training. So High School Homeboy and I went outside and went through the staff form. I actually remembered most of it

I'm effing exhausted, damn. I was having crazy dreams this morning, dreams that I was waking up when I wasn't, and then I couldn't wake up until finally my crow started screaming. For once, I was relieved that he woke me. Thank goodness, because my alarm hadn't gone off and I was already running five minutes late. Then, the rest of the day just took it out of me.

I'm sorry this is so rambly.

Fringe is on tonight, and I get to watch last week's House too. Last week's, mind you. As in, from Monday the 4th. So don't be talking about last night's because I don't get to see that bitch until next Teusday. >_<

Laaleelaa, I could fall asleep right now, to be honest. O_O
la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
What can I say, I love this spaztacular freak, and Unhinged!Lazzara with crazy eyes and trickster smile is my favorite Lazzara of all.

Photobucket

THE OTHER NINETY EIGHT STILLS. ^_^;; And the video is a post down from here. :)

So! School today was pretty decent all in all, aside from being 20 minutes late due to bruxism-inducing traffic and nearly homicide-inducing stupid people. I got 100 on my first A&P II quiz regardless of having been so damn late, whereas the guy across from me, Mr. Uterine-excretion, managed an 80 after struggling with the test for 40 minutes and finally making up his own answers on a match the answers test. Seriously, it was matching hormone to function, meaning that all the answers were there, but he chose to write in his own, because the teacher was wrong, ya see. Then when I got my test back, he reached across the table and turned mine face down. "I don't want to see your 100," he told me. Well I don't want to see your lousy face, pal, was what I did not answer. Admire my restraint. He also left the class in the middle of the lecture, right after lunch break, for about two minutes to go to the cafe to get himself a snack, then made the professor go back two slides so he could copy down what he missed. Douche.

Then there's this new guy and he's one of those typical wiseguys, you know the ones. He has the answer to everything even if he doesn't, always punctuated by a self-satisfied "heh." He overtalks the professor, has to crack jokes, even repeating what the professor is saying in stupid accents occasionally. He also held forth at great length about "fat chicks" and how they're sometimes nice, but they have to be because they don't have anything else going for them. His two friends kept apologizing for him and saying, "Well, he's only twenty one." You know" I know 16 year olds who know when and exactly how to STFU and not act like an animal. For godsakes.

Man, last trimester's A&P class was so nice; I liked everyone. WTF happened? All these stupid new people, Jesus.

Anyway, I got most of my books (one's on backorder) with my gift certificates (THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL FRIEND KIM!) and I have enough left over so that I can get my massage table for a mere 100 bucks, which includes tax and delivery straight to my house, as well as a carrying case! I'm happy!

Right now I'm somewhere between medical massage and doing something else, like nutrition or whatever. I really, really, really want to do holistic health or something like herbal pharmacology. This is going to take some doing.

Anyway.

Last night in Kung Fu I did a scissor-kick takedown! I had been watching Empress practice this on Te Ji Han and I really wanted to try it. She let me practice it on her after she saw me trying to practice it on one of the bags. Gold Dragon saw me doing that and missed the beginning of the move; all he saw was me slapping out beside the bag and he asked, "Are you throwing yourself?" I had to laugh. Then Empress let me try it, then she tried it on me, and a few corrections and BAM! I was doing scissor-kick takedown thingies! I was so proud of myself. It's so much easier than I thought it was going to be and it looks really cool. (Well, basically you just go into a handstand only with your legs parallel to the ground, then you scissor them behind the knees and in front of the chest of the other person, you flip onto your back and WHAM! down they go.)

As always, another boy there--let's call him Otaku-chan--got rambly about FFVII. He's new to it and totally obsessed with it, which I understand. ^_^ He mentioned something about "Mako" in class once a few weeks back and I was like, "WTF, WTF? Are you playing VII?" So I just fell into the roll of "adult fangirl, ask me anything about this game" and so we have a big conversation about it at the end of every class. As we were leaving, I realized I had the soundtrack playing in my car so I pulled up to their truck and rolled down my window. Otaku-chan got out of this car: "ONE WINGED ANGEL! ONE WINGED ANGEL! BLAST IT!" Ahhh, it was fun.

We're not officially doing outdoor sword and staff yet, but I had gotten there early, and High School Homeboy was already there because his adorable daughter--let's call her the Chibi Ninja because that's exactly what she's like--was training. So High School Homeboy and I went outside and went through the staff form. I actually remembered most of it

I'm effing exhausted, damn. I was having crazy dreams this morning, dreams that I was waking up when I wasn't, and then I couldn't wake up until finally my crow started screaming. For once, I was relieved that he woke me. Thank goodness, because my alarm hadn't gone off and I was already running five minutes late. Then, the rest of the day just took it out of me.

I'm sorry this is so rambly.

Fringe is on tonight, and I get to watch last week's House too. Last week's, mind you. As in, from Monday the 4th. So don't be talking about last night's because I don't get to see that bitch until next Teusday. >_<

Laaleelaa, I could fall asleep right now, to be honest. O_O
la_belle_laide: (Effing SPACE)
WTF?! Same to you, space! Geez, some nebulae. :/ Actually, that just demanded to be an icon, didn't it? Hmm, I thought so!

Welp, I spent a few hours today studying for tomorrow's quiz. It's my first quiz this trimester. I think it's going to be pretty hard; I was confused in class as to what was doing what to whom and why, and even studying from the book didn't necessarily clear up my confusion.

Oh my gosh, I owe a huge review of Wolverine, don't I? And I don't really have time to write a whole big thing up! I went to see it Thursday with my bestie Kim. We smuggled in ice cream and candy and got ready to watch scenes of nakie Huge JackedMan. We weren't disappointed! There definitely was a lack of clothes in some scenes. However we both agreed that he is a little too huge and maybe too veiny. I like guys who are kinda ropey with nice forearms and I kinda like prominent veins for some reason, but not when they're all bulging like they're about to explode etc. and he was definitely a little too bumpy, but yeah, the movie itself! That, too!

I mean, it was pretty good; and holy crap, why did no one tell me that David Henney's fine-ass self was in that movie? I was so happy; I love to look at him.

GAMBIT! Gambit had some of the best scenes and he actually sorta beat out Wolverine for sheer coolness, which was kind of weird.

The whole thing with the chick was just tacked on. It seemed like filler; time-filler as well as character-filler. "We need to give him depth; I know, put a tragic chick in his past." You know, that just doesn't work for me.

But the fight scenes were terrific and overall it was a fairly enjoyable ride. I'd see it again sometime for sure.

Oh! In fangirl news, NEW TAKING BACK SUNDAY SONG / VIDEO:




Okay, I just love this, and if it wasn't for me using my nice new "eff you space" icon I'd for sure be using my TBS one. OMG I have an icon conflict, I think that's a first. Anyway, this song is kind of a departure from their usual style which I loved very well--you know, dueling vocals building up to a huge climactic chorus--and which I miss. This is a new sound for them and it gets away from a formula which I admittedly adored. Yet, this is a fantastic song and I really dig it on an entirely new level. As far as the video, well I like this on many levels as well. First of all, it reminds me of the X Files aliens, or "oiliens" if anyone remembers those. Secondly and less important though admittedly a factor, Adam Lazzara? So damn weird and quirky that he's still incredibly hot. I mean I know that he's all married and has a kid and whatnot, but I'm still a girl and my eyes and sensibilities still work, so just deal with it.

I met these guys and I've seen them live a bunch of times. They are awesome. ^_^ ♥

So this all makes me happy.

Well, I'm cooking my dinner and getting ready for Kung Fu tonight. Ummm also I joined this free dating site, why I don't know, I tend to do that every three years or so, right? I hate when I do that, although it's gratifying because guys write to me, and on this site (which is totally free, WTF,) these gentlemen are for some reason ridiculously dreamy, and the dreamy guys are writing to me, wth is that about, seriously? WTH? It's just that, attractive men talking to me when they don't have to (or they're not already my good friends) is blog-worthy. ^_^

And now for the weather: IT'S DAMN CHILLY.

Okay, eggplant parm, gotta run. Later!
la_belle_laide: (Effing SPACE)
WTF?! Same to you, space! Geez, some nebulae. :/ Actually, that just demanded to be an icon, didn't it? Hmm, I thought so!

Welp, I spent a few hours today studying for tomorrow's quiz. It's my first quiz this trimester. I think it's going to be pretty hard; I was confused in class as to what was doing what to whom and why, and even studying from the book didn't necessarily clear up my confusion.

Oh my gosh, I owe a huge review of Wolverine, don't I? And I don't really have time to write a whole big thing up! I went to see it Thursday with my bestie Kim. We smuggled in ice cream and candy and got ready to watch scenes of nakie Huge JackedMan. We weren't disappointed! There definitely was a lack of clothes in some scenes. However we both agreed that he is a little too huge and maybe too veiny. I like guys who are kinda ropey with nice forearms and I kinda like prominent veins for some reason, but not when they're all bulging like they're about to explode etc. and he was definitely a little too bumpy, but yeah, the movie itself! That, too!

I mean, it was pretty good; and holy crap, why did no one tell me that David Henney's fine-ass self was in that movie? I was so happy; I love to look at him.

GAMBIT! Gambit had some of the best scenes and he actually sorta beat out Wolverine for sheer coolness, which was kind of weird.

The whole thing with the chick was just tacked on. It seemed like filler; time-filler as well as character-filler. "We need to give him depth; I know, put a tragic chick in his past." You know, that just doesn't work for me.

But the fight scenes were terrific and overall it was a fairly enjoyable ride. I'd see it again sometime for sure.

Oh! In fangirl news, NEW TAKING BACK SUNDAY SONG / VIDEO:




Okay, I just love this, and if it wasn't for me using my nice new "eff you space" icon I'd for sure be using my TBS one. OMG I have an icon conflict, I think that's a first. Anyway, this song is kind of a departure from their usual style which I loved very well--you know, dueling vocals building up to a huge climactic chorus--and which I miss. This is a new sound for them and it gets away from a formula which I admittedly adored. Yet, this is a fantastic song and I really dig it on an entirely new level. As far as the video, well I like this on many levels as well. First of all, it reminds me of the X Files aliens, or "oiliens" if anyone remembers those. Secondly and less important though admittedly a factor, Adam Lazzara? So damn weird and quirky that he's still incredibly hot. I mean I know that he's all married and has a kid and whatnot, but I'm still a girl and my eyes and sensibilities still work, so just deal with it.

I met these guys and I've seen them live a bunch of times. They are awesome. ^_^ ♥

So this all makes me happy.

Well, I'm cooking my dinner and getting ready for Kung Fu tonight. Ummm also I joined this free dating site, why I don't know, I tend to do that every three years or so, right? I hate when I do that, although it's gratifying because guys write to me, and on this site (which is totally free, WTF,) these gentlemen are for some reason ridiculously dreamy, and the dreamy guys are writing to me, wth is that about, seriously? WTH? It's just that, attractive men talking to me when they don't have to (or they're not already my good friends) is blog-worthy. ^_^

And now for the weather: IT'S DAMN CHILLY.

Okay, eggplant parm, gotta run. Later!
la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
Taking Back Sunday





Aug 12 2008 9:22 PM
Comment Back - Send Message - Block User


Awesome suggestions haha! When we play Hawaii we'll just have your dance group perform with us!

<3
fazzi



I'm pretty sure I just won the internet. ^_^
la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
Taking Back Sunday





Aug 12 2008 9:22 PM
Comment Back - Send Message - Block User


Awesome suggestions haha! When we play Hawaii we'll just have your dance group perform with us!

<3
fazzi



I'm pretty sure I just won the internet. ^_^
la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
I can't say enough about last night's concert. But those of you who know me, know that I will try anyway. ^_^

First I want to apologize for the quality of the pictures and videos. As for the pictures, my camera is a tiny little CyberShot and it's not really made for this kind of setting. Everything is blurry and too dark, with or without flash. Or possibly I just suck. As far as the videos go, keep in mind that they are taken as I hold the camera above my head while dancing, often in the pit. So the view that you get on the videos is very much what it looks like to be, well, yeah. Dancing around in or at the edge of the pit. Sorry, I know there are much better quality videos out there where you can actually see the band, but I can't seem to stop dancing long enough to get that sort of video. My bad!

Anyway, here's how it went.

Getting there. Matt Rubano and Eddie Reyes! )

Finally we got inside the venue and I said that we should look around for a good place to chill until the bands came on. I didn't want to be standing up the whole night. We went into the bathroom which was right beside the stage, and right outside of it were these boxes next to the stage, nearly to the side of it. So we sat there for a while and listened to whatever the DJ put on. At one point he played "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood and we all got a laugh out of that. Oh, while sitting there I saw a girl up against the barrier in front of the stage and she was wearing a SKELETON CREW t shirt! I got her attention and told her that her shirt was rad, and that it was so cool to support Skeleton Crew.

Inside the club: Matt, Eddie, and Mark. Also Fake Jepha. )

Envy On The Coast )

At one point, the singer of Envy On The Coast went into the crowd, sort of like Jared Leto does, letting them hold him up. It was really cool.

I have to admit though, that the highest point of their set was when Adam Lazzara came out on stage and sang with them for a few minutes. HELLO, SURPRISE! I videotaped some of that. Here is the crappy quality video: )

Wow, that was really awesome!

Before TBS's set, and as usual, THE BROS. )

Right before TBS went on stage, they changed the music to Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra, which gave my Mom a giggle. She was singing along to The Kill and Helena, and then she was singing along to those songs, too. ^_^

Then, finally, it was time for TBS to come on and do their first show with The New Guy. I was excited and nervous (and getting squished, and trying to prevent my Mom and Meg from getting squished, which was only going to get worse once the rush to the stage began.)

The first one I saw on stage was Eddie Reyes, and he just looked so ready, and so psyched to be there. I started taping it because I knew we were going to hear the name of the new guitarist as soon as possible and I didn't want to miss that moment! And surely enough, before they even began to play their first song, Adam gave it up: Matthew Fazzi. Here is the introduction and the beginning of the first song: It's under the cut )

It was cute, when Adam first introduced him he did this little happy dance and the Hawaiian shaka sign. Hang Loose! I recognized it and I was like, "WTF, why is homeboy doing a shaka?" It was cute though. Honestly, he did look a little hesitant. Not nervous so much as a little unsure maybe? Which kind of endeared him to me actually. If he'd gone up there all cocky and "I AM THE NEW FRED" I would have been a little put off. But the dude just looked like he wanted to have a good time, and then he actually did seem to have a good time.

Their first song was You Know How I Do, which surprised me because when I saw them at PR they opened with "What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?" but I wasn't complaining. I love the crap out of that song. All of their songs, really. Anyway, so I was trying to dance, and I could see that so was Meg, and my Mom was happily singing along, but at the same time people kept shoving us and I wondered how long we were going to last right on the very edge of the pit, and right next to the men's room, no less.

Before I get into the details of the show, let me tell you the set list before I forget it. I'm sure I've left a song out, I just can't place which one it is. And this is not in any kind of order. I wish I could remember the order they played things, but I don't. Anyway, these are the songs:

You Know How I Do, You're So Last Summer, One Eighty By Summer, Error: Operator, Set Phasers To Stun, Miami, Spin, Up Against, Cute Without The E, Bonus Mosh, What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost, Liar, MakeDamnSure, and of course they also played a new song in the middle of the set!

Right, so here are some details of the show overall. First let me tell everyone who doesn't know anything about Taking Back Sunday: they are an awesome live band. Not only because of the music but because of their general vibe, the energy, how they treat the audience etc. Adam is very chatty. He doesn't do the whole "LET'S HEAR IT YOU MOTHER EFFERS! EFF YOU ALLLLL!!!" kind of thing. As Meg put it, "He's actually kinda, I dunno. Gentle." And he kind of is in a way. He talks to the audience as if he's talking one on one with very little separation between us and him. He likes to tell stories, and it's delightful the way he interrupts himself, gets tangential, and has to start over. He often says, "I'm talking because I'm out of breath!" And why wouldn't he be, because the live performance is anything but gentle! He's known for his crazy mic-swinging tricks. This guy could never go cordless. He throws the mic as high as the ceiling will allow, falls to the floor, catches the mic, twirls the cord three times around his neck and then goes back to singing without missing a lyric. It's kind of incredible. He spins the cord all around himself, around the rafters, he throws it out like a fishing line then snaps it back in, and he doesn't miss a note. Once he hit Matt in the head with it during a show, causing him to require a bunch of stitches. But Matt went right back on stage and kept playing with a concussion. I'm glad I wasn't there for that show, you know? But either way it's incredible to watch!

He also does this thing where he gets down really low to the first row and sings to different people. He is not only engaging, but incredibly compelling as he seems to mean every word he sings. He looks like a madman up there sometimes, gesturing randomly with his hands and making exaggerated motions with his eyes. He's just so freaking much fun to watch.

A few things that Adam shared with us: "Miami" is his favorite song. I thought that was so ironic because if I had to pick a least favorite by them, I would pick Miami! (My favorites are two that they did not play last night: My Blue Heaven [that song is like, god transposed to music,] and The Ballad of Sal Villanueva, which is a B side that I've never heard them play.) He goes on a lot about how he thinks he's out of shape and "fat" and OMG STFU ADAM. The dude is nowhere near fat and to be honest, I like him so much better this way than I did when he was a rack of bones. Personal opinion there. He talked about Youtube and watching his favorite bands on there, but he said that he preferred it if we didn't tape the song they were about to do (it was right before "Bonus Mosh") because he didn't want anyone to experience it through a camera; he wanted everyone living it in the moment. And you know what, he is exactly right. I have this obsession with remembering everything and taping things and taking photographs, but I remarked last year after the 30STM concert that I went to, that watching something through a viewfinder takes you out of the moment. Adam talked about his shirt, about the shirt of someone in the front row, and he talked for a while about Long Island.

I pee my pants with joy everytime they talk about Long Island. He also mentioned "Everything is bigger in Texas," and my Mom and I had to laugh because that's sort of this inside joke on this one Mystery Blog that I go to. (S'up BlogBelieve?)

While introducing "One Eighty By Summer" he said that it was about a bet he and the rest of the band had with Eddie Reyes that he would weigh 180 by summer. O_o

While on the subject of that song, I should mention that it had one of my favorite Fred moments, and I decided to tape that one part to see if The New Guy was going to do it. (I have/had/have two Best Fred Moments, and one of them is in that song and the other is in Bonus Mosh. In that one, while Adam is Singing, Fred just lets loose with this incredible scream. No words, just a sound. It just blew my mind.) Anyway, in 180, there is this part where Adam is singing the verse (it's an amazing build up to a huge, climactic part of the song,) and in the background Fred would sing the line, "I need you defenseless, dependent, and alone," and on the last "alone" his voice would just soar.

The New Guy did that part, and I was so glad. I didn't go in there expecting Fred, and he didn't come out pretending to be him, and he sounded good. Here is my favorite part of that song: It's under the cut: )

Adam took a question about The New Guy from the audience, and someone asked how old he was. Adam at first joked that he was 37 and then revealed that he is actually only nineteen! Also that he is part Italian and part Hawaiian, and that's when I had the "AHA" moment. ^_^ He also said he was from North Carolina (I think it was North--I'm fairly sure that's where Adam is also from originally) (Hold the press, another fan says it could be north California; I might have misheard. ^_^) and he used to play in a band called "Facing New York." I could have the band name wrong, too though. I'd also like to add that while I do think Matthew (The New Guy) plays guitar wonderfully, I felt that his mic was very low and sometimes I couldn't hear him song. I would have liked to hear more, but I guess we'll hear plenty on the new album. At least I hope we do, because one thing I really love about this band is the dueling vocals. I absolutely adore the way the two vocal lines cross, separate, then rise to meet each other for these tremendous, epic choruses. TBS is known for this and it wouldn't be the same if they didn't do that anymore. So I hope that they continue with that.

One of the funniest parts was with the sombrero. yesterday was, of course, Cinco de Mayo so someone had brought a sombrero that they wanted Adam to wear. I managed to get this little exchange on tape; it was very funny and brought the LOLz: Under the cut )

Also, Matt is doing some singing now. Adam made a point of teasing him about the height of his mic stand and they took a few minutes to joke about it; Matt saying that he might be short, but he makes up for it with a huge Napoleon complex. Which is too funny because there's no way that's true. It was just very cute. So anyway, we got to hear Matt singing and he was good, too; I enjoyed hearing him very much.

One other funny / annoying thing was how the audience messed up my favorite part to one of the best songs, Error Operator. There is this really intense part where the words go, "Murder, oh murder, oh where have you been?" and the way Adam sings it, it's very hard to describe unless you've heard it. It's through one of those neat voice-phaser thingies though, and I understand that it's a little bit muddled and unclear (I suspect that's the point,) but for goodness sakes, those are the most compelling lyrics in the song! And everyone tried to sing along and instead of the right lyrics everyone was singing, "Where are you, where are you, where have you been?!" I was like, "OMG, FAIL! STOP RUINING IT!"

Of course, as I had expected, they played a new song! I liked it right away from what I could manage to hear last night, and I can't wait to hear it, and hear more new stuff, down the road. I taped it and am putting it here in my LJ. I imagine they're going to be playing it live on Friday so lots of people will hear it then, too. It's very cool, people. It's here under the cut. )

I should also mention that somewhere during "Miami" and right before "Spin," our little spot between the pit and the bathroom got really unruly, to the point where Meg couldn't enjoy the music. Even the security guys were shoving to get by. She was getting squished and she couldn't enjoy the music with someone pushing her every few minutes, so we bailed to the back of the club. She found a clear view behind the sound board thingamajig and watched the rest from there. But then they played SPIN which is absolutely one of my favorite songs by them pretty much ever. I told Mom and Meg that I was going to just go back up there for that one song. I went into the pit where it was okay to just throw yourself around and scream, which is precisely what I did.

Then I made my way back to the back of the club and watched the rest from there, where it was not really okay to dance around like a fool and sing out loud, because that's where everyone is all chill, kind of nodding their heads along to the music and mouthing the words, but I did it anyway.

The last few songs were Liar, A Decade Under The Influence (Adam changed the lyrics and added his own during this song: "You must not know about me...." instead of "coming over but it never was enough...."), What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost, and then Adam said that they weren't going to do an encore ("It's 2008!" he said, "We need to think of something else!") and they were true to his word. They did MakeDamnSure to close it out. Once again, me, trying to tape it--because I love when an entire crowd sings along with a song--all while trying to dance, mosh, and sing along at the same time. So as with most of my videos, you get the viewpoint of me actually at the concert (and you can hear me singing along--sorry!) but for once the sound on my camera wasn't so bad, and you can hear how well they played the song. Here, under the cut. )

None of my pics came out AT ALL, but some of the ones my Mom took did. The trick, I guess, was to not have it on zoom, which makes it look much farther than it actually was, but a lot clearer. These pictures don't represent how close we were when we were by the edge of the pit for that while, because we were really pretty close! But at least you can see that it's a concert, and not some impressionist painting.

Pics under the cut: )

We caught up with Scooter again before we left. She had been in the pit the whole time, good for her! Go Scooter! Then we went outside into the chilly night air and waited a while till the parking lot cleared out a bit before leaving. (Plus we were parked around by the bus, and, you never know!) The people in the parking lot were crazy as they were trying to get out, it was madness.

And, yeah, that was it! We drove Meg home and got her home by around 1 AM. All the way back we listened to 3 Cheers nd The Black Parade by MyChem. I really do miss that band something fierce and it was nostalgic listening to them.

Meg and my Mom both had a great time and of course, so did I. I almost want to say that I can't believe how lucky we were to be the first to see Matthew Fazzi and to hear
the new song, and in such a teeny venue as well, but it has less to do with luck and more to do with the generousity of the band involved. It was one of the best shows I've seen--even if the club itself didn't offer much in the way of good viewing--and I am so, so glad that we got to go. The guys in the band that we met were way nicer than they had to be and as always, they put on one hell of a concert. I totally cannot wait for them to go back out on tour. ^_^


la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
I can't say enough about last night's concert. But those of you who know me, know that I will try anyway. ^_^

First I want to apologize for the quality of the pictures and videos. As for the pictures, my camera is a tiny little CyberShot and it's not really made for this kind of setting. Everything is blurry and too dark, with or without flash. Or possibly I just suck. As far as the videos go, keep in mind that they are taken as I hold the camera above my head while dancing, often in the pit. So the view that you get on the videos is very much what it looks like to be, well, yeah. Dancing around in or at the edge of the pit. Sorry, I know there are much better quality videos out there where you can actually see the band, but I can't seem to stop dancing long enough to get that sort of video. My bad!

Anyway, here's how it went.

Getting there. Matt Rubano and Eddie Reyes! )

Finally we got inside the venue and I said that we should look around for a good place to chill until the bands came on. I didn't want to be standing up the whole night. We went into the bathroom which was right beside the stage, and right outside of it were these boxes next to the stage, nearly to the side of it. So we sat there for a while and listened to whatever the DJ put on. At one point he played "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood and we all got a laugh out of that. Oh, while sitting there I saw a girl up against the barrier in front of the stage and she was wearing a SKELETON CREW t shirt! I got her attention and told her that her shirt was rad, and that it was so cool to support Skeleton Crew.

Inside the club: Matt, Eddie, and Mark. Also Fake Jepha. )

Envy On The Coast )

At one point, the singer of Envy On The Coast went into the crowd, sort of like Jared Leto does, letting them hold him up. It was really cool.

I have to admit though, that the highest point of their set was when Adam Lazzara came out on stage and sang with them for a few minutes. HELLO, SURPRISE! I videotaped some of that. Here is the crappy quality video: )

Wow, that was really awesome!

Before TBS's set, and as usual, THE BROS. )

Right before TBS went on stage, they changed the music to Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra, which gave my Mom a giggle. She was singing along to The Kill and Helena, and then she was singing along to those songs, too. ^_^

Then, finally, it was time for TBS to come on and do their first show with The New Guy. I was excited and nervous (and getting squished, and trying to prevent my Mom and Meg from getting squished, which was only going to get worse once the rush to the stage began.)

The first one I saw on stage was Eddie Reyes, and he just looked so ready, and so psyched to be there. I started taping it because I knew we were going to hear the name of the new guitarist as soon as possible and I didn't want to miss that moment! And surely enough, before they even began to play their first song, Adam gave it up: Matthew Fazzi. Here is the introduction and the beginning of the first song: It's under the cut )

It was cute, when Adam first introduced him he did this little happy dance and the Hawaiian shaka sign. Hang Loose! I recognized it and I was like, "WTF, why is homeboy doing a shaka?" It was cute though. Honestly, he did look a little hesitant. Not nervous so much as a little unsure maybe? Which kind of endeared him to me actually. If he'd gone up there all cocky and "I AM THE NEW FRED" I would have been a little put off. But the dude just looked like he wanted to have a good time, and then he actually did seem to have a good time.

Their first song was You Know How I Do, which surprised me because when I saw them at PR they opened with "What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?" but I wasn't complaining. I love the crap out of that song. All of their songs, really. Anyway, so I was trying to dance, and I could see that so was Meg, and my Mom was happily singing along, but at the same time people kept shoving us and I wondered how long we were going to last right on the very edge of the pit, and right next to the men's room, no less.

Before I get into the details of the show, let me tell you the set list before I forget it. I'm sure I've left a song out, I just can't place which one it is. And this is not in any kind of order. I wish I could remember the order they played things, but I don't. Anyway, these are the songs:

You Know How I Do, You're So Last Summer, One Eighty By Summer, Error: Operator, Set Phasers To Stun, Miami, Spin, Up Against, Cute Without The E, Bonus Mosh, What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost, Liar, MakeDamnSure, and of course they also played a new song in the middle of the set!

Right, so here are some details of the show overall. First let me tell everyone who doesn't know anything about Taking Back Sunday: they are an awesome live band. Not only because of the music but because of their general vibe, the energy, how they treat the audience etc. Adam is very chatty. He doesn't do the whole "LET'S HEAR IT YOU MOTHER EFFERS! EFF YOU ALLLLL!!!" kind of thing. As Meg put it, "He's actually kinda, I dunno. Gentle." And he kind of is in a way. He talks to the audience as if he's talking one on one with very little separation between us and him. He likes to tell stories, and it's delightful the way he interrupts himself, gets tangential, and has to start over. He often says, "I'm talking because I'm out of breath!" And why wouldn't he be, because the live performance is anything but gentle! He's known for his crazy mic-swinging tricks. This guy could never go cordless. He throws the mic as high as the ceiling will allow, falls to the floor, catches the mic, twirls the cord three times around his neck and then goes back to singing without missing a lyric. It's kind of incredible. He spins the cord all around himself, around the rafters, he throws it out like a fishing line then snaps it back in, and he doesn't miss a note. Once he hit Matt in the head with it during a show, causing him to require a bunch of stitches. But Matt went right back on stage and kept playing with a concussion. I'm glad I wasn't there for that show, you know? But either way it's incredible to watch!

He also does this thing where he gets down really low to the first row and sings to different people. He is not only engaging, but incredibly compelling as he seems to mean every word he sings. He looks like a madman up there sometimes, gesturing randomly with his hands and making exaggerated motions with his eyes. He's just so freaking much fun to watch.

A few things that Adam shared with us: "Miami" is his favorite song. I thought that was so ironic because if I had to pick a least favorite by them, I would pick Miami! (My favorites are two that they did not play last night: My Blue Heaven [that song is like, god transposed to music,] and The Ballad of Sal Villanueva, which is a B side that I've never heard them play.) He goes on a lot about how he thinks he's out of shape and "fat" and OMG STFU ADAM. The dude is nowhere near fat and to be honest, I like him so much better this way than I did when he was a rack of bones. Personal opinion there. He talked about Youtube and watching his favorite bands on there, but he said that he preferred it if we didn't tape the song they were about to do (it was right before "Bonus Mosh") because he didn't want anyone to experience it through a camera; he wanted everyone living it in the moment. And you know what, he is exactly right. I have this obsession with remembering everything and taping things and taking photographs, but I remarked last year after the 30STM concert that I went to, that watching something through a viewfinder takes you out of the moment. Adam talked about his shirt, about the shirt of someone in the front row, and he talked for a while about Long Island.

I pee my pants with joy everytime they talk about Long Island. He also mentioned "Everything is bigger in Texas," and my Mom and I had to laugh because that's sort of this inside joke on this one Mystery Blog that I go to. (S'up BlogBelieve?)

While introducing "One Eighty By Summer" he said that it was about a bet he and the rest of the band had with Eddie Reyes that he would weigh 180 by summer. O_o

While on the subject of that song, I should mention that it had one of my favorite Fred moments, and I decided to tape that one part to see if The New Guy was going to do it. (I have/had/have two Best Fred Moments, and one of them is in that song and the other is in Bonus Mosh. In that one, while Adam is Singing, Fred just lets loose with this incredible scream. No words, just a sound. It just blew my mind.) Anyway, in 180, there is this part where Adam is singing the verse (it's an amazing build up to a huge, climactic part of the song,) and in the background Fred would sing the line, "I need you defenseless, dependent, and alone," and on the last "alone" his voice would just soar.

The New Guy did that part, and I was so glad. I didn't go in there expecting Fred, and he didn't come out pretending to be him, and he sounded good. Here is my favorite part of that song: It's under the cut: )

Adam took a question about The New Guy from the audience, and someone asked how old he was. Adam at first joked that he was 37 and then revealed that he is actually only nineteen! Also that he is part Italian and part Hawaiian, and that's when I had the "AHA" moment. ^_^ He also said he was from North Carolina (I think it was North--I'm fairly sure that's where Adam is also from originally) (Hold the press, another fan says it could be north California; I might have misheard. ^_^) and he used to play in a band called "Facing New York." I could have the band name wrong, too though. I'd also like to add that while I do think Matthew (The New Guy) plays guitar wonderfully, I felt that his mic was very low and sometimes I couldn't hear him song. I would have liked to hear more, but I guess we'll hear plenty on the new album. At least I hope we do, because one thing I really love about this band is the dueling vocals. I absolutely adore the way the two vocal lines cross, separate, then rise to meet each other for these tremendous, epic choruses. TBS is known for this and it wouldn't be the same if they didn't do that anymore. So I hope that they continue with that.

One of the funniest parts was with the sombrero. yesterday was, of course, Cinco de Mayo so someone had brought a sombrero that they wanted Adam to wear. I managed to get this little exchange on tape; it was very funny and brought the LOLz: Under the cut )

Also, Matt is doing some singing now. Adam made a point of teasing him about the height of his mic stand and they took a few minutes to joke about it; Matt saying that he might be short, but he makes up for it with a huge Napoleon complex. Which is too funny because there's no way that's true. It was just very cute. So anyway, we got to hear Matt singing and he was good, too; I enjoyed hearing him very much.

One other funny / annoying thing was how the audience messed up my favorite part to one of the best songs, Error Operator. There is this really intense part where the words go, "Murder, oh murder, oh where have you been?" and the way Adam sings it, it's very hard to describe unless you've heard it. It's through one of those neat voice-phaser thingies though, and I understand that it's a little bit muddled and unclear (I suspect that's the point,) but for goodness sakes, those are the most compelling lyrics in the song! And everyone tried to sing along and instead of the right lyrics everyone was singing, "Where are you, where are you, where have you been?!" I was like, "OMG, FAIL! STOP RUINING IT!"

Of course, as I had expected, they played a new song! I liked it right away from what I could manage to hear last night, and I can't wait to hear it, and hear more new stuff, down the road. I taped it and am putting it here in my LJ. I imagine they're going to be playing it live on Friday so lots of people will hear it then, too. It's very cool, people. It's here under the cut. )

I should also mention that somewhere during "Miami" and right before "Spin," our little spot between the pit and the bathroom got really unruly, to the point where Meg couldn't enjoy the music. Even the security guys were shoving to get by. She was getting squished and she couldn't enjoy the music with someone pushing her every few minutes, so we bailed to the back of the club. She found a clear view behind the sound board thingamajig and watched the rest from there. But then they played SPIN which is absolutely one of my favorite songs by them pretty much ever. I told Mom and Meg that I was going to just go back up there for that one song. I went into the pit where it was okay to just throw yourself around and scream, which is precisely what I did.

Then I made my way back to the back of the club and watched the rest from there, where it was not really okay to dance around like a fool and sing out loud, because that's where everyone is all chill, kind of nodding their heads along to the music and mouthing the words, but I did it anyway.

The last few songs were Liar, A Decade Under The Influence (Adam changed the lyrics and added his own during this song: "You must not know about me...." instead of "coming over but it never was enough...."), What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost, and then Adam said that they weren't going to do an encore ("It's 2008!" he said, "We need to think of something else!") and they were true to his word. They did MakeDamnSure to close it out. Once again, me, trying to tape it--because I love when an entire crowd sings along with a song--all while trying to dance, mosh, and sing along at the same time. So as with most of my videos, you get the viewpoint of me actually at the concert (and you can hear me singing along--sorry!) but for once the sound on my camera wasn't so bad, and you can hear how well they played the song. Here, under the cut. )

None of my pics came out AT ALL, but some of the ones my Mom took did. The trick, I guess, was to not have it on zoom, which makes it look much farther than it actually was, but a lot clearer. These pictures don't represent how close we were when we were by the edge of the pit for that while, because we were really pretty close! But at least you can see that it's a concert, and not some impressionist painting.

Pics under the cut: )

We caught up with Scooter again before we left. She had been in the pit the whole time, good for her! Go Scooter! Then we went outside into the chilly night air and waited a while till the parking lot cleared out a bit before leaving. (Plus we were parked around by the bus, and, you never know!) The people in the parking lot were crazy as they were trying to get out, it was madness.

And, yeah, that was it! We drove Meg home and got her home by around 1 AM. All the way back we listened to 3 Cheers nd The Black Parade by MyChem. I really do miss that band something fierce and it was nostalgic listening to them.

Meg and my Mom both had a great time and of course, so did I. I almost want to say that I can't believe how lucky we were to be the first to see Matthew Fazzi and to hear
the new song, and in such a teeny venue as well, but it has less to do with luck and more to do with the generousity of the band involved. It was one of the best shows I've seen--even if the club itself didn't offer much in the way of good viewing--and I am so, so glad that we got to go. The guys in the band that we met were way nicer than they had to be and as always, they put on one hell of a concert. I totally cannot wait for them to go back out on tour. ^_^


la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
This merits its own entry.

I am going to see Taking Back Sunday next week a a venue the size of my bathroom. I can't say anymore about it!

As a good friend of mine on LJ says:

MY PANCE! I SHEET ZEM! ^____^
la_belle_laide: (flowerchild)
This merits its own entry.

I am going to see Taking Back Sunday next week a a venue the size of my bathroom. I can't say anymore about it!

As a good friend of mine on LJ says:

MY PANCE! I SHEET ZEM! ^____^
la_belle_laide: (Default)
Today was so chill, I minded the Boychild for a few hours, then went grocery shopping, then started planting my garden. (Ranunculus and primroses so far.) Skipped Kung Fu. Dyed my hair, made dinner, talked (and thought a lot) about going back to school. Read a few messages from a very kind friend. Sent an email inquiry. Watched Scary Movie 2 which was kind of retarded. Read lj comm "wtflongisland" and talked about Adam being a cupcake. Came to BlogBelieve and talked about bras and sex toys.

All in all, nice and chill.

Tomorrow and Friday? Well, suck. >_>
la_belle_laide: (Default)
Today was so chill, I minded the Boychild for a few hours, then went grocery shopping, then started planting my garden. (Ranunculus and primroses so far.) Skipped Kung Fu. Dyed my hair, made dinner, talked (and thought a lot) about going back to school. Read a few messages from a very kind friend. Sent an email inquiry. Watched Scary Movie 2 which was kind of retarded. Read lj comm "wtflongisland" and talked about Adam being a cupcake. Came to BlogBelieve and talked about bras and sex toys.

All in all, nice and chill.

Tomorrow and Friday? Well, suck. >_>

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