I got back to my room at 3:36 this morning after One Awesome Night. My friend the Spontaneous Concert Enthusiast took me and his girlfriend to see Kiros in Maine. I didn't have very high hopes for the show after hearing it was at a church, because let's face it, have you EVER seen a GOOD concert in a church? No. You haven't. They don't happen. But this thing was legit for three important reasons.
1. People were lined up across the parking lot in the pouring rain in hopes of getting decent spots.
2. They had epic security. The guys outside the show seemed determined not to let the three of us be the first ones in, but we got there at 3:30 in the afternoon and we DESERVED to be the first ones in, darn it, so we shoved our way to the front of every new line they tried to stick us at the end of. Then we finally get in only to find that there are tall, grumpy looking men stationed every few feet in front of the stage and that made seeing the show a wee bit problematic. But SCE danced his face off, which the guards near us apparently found endearing, and they chilled out a little after that.
3. There were lights. Big, bright, flashing lights of many colors and in great numbers that made me very happy in spite of probably costing an obscene amount of money.
Kiros sadly had a very short set, I think about five songs, which was such a bummer after that long ride, but it was still worth it because they played "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys and SCE got to go up on stage and dance like a BSB. Also, Ryan told me to stand at his end of the stage so he could steal my heart-shaped sunglasses for the last song. It was priceless (and me without a camera, for mine decided to fail last month).
The second band, DecembeRadio, really got the crowd excited and their set was in general a lot of fun even though I didn't know any of their songs. But I did not like Seventh Day Slumber, the third band. Their music wasn't terrible, but between the hard rock hymns and the liquid nitrogen shooters, I got this icky feeling they were trying way too hard to prove that Jesus can be cool.
Then the singer spent about an hour giving his story of faith. I couldn't not respect the guy after hearing all he went through, but all the same, I didn't drive to Maine for a sermon. If you want to read my whole rant, be my guest. For now, back to tales of the Kiros!
Picture this (I giggle every time I do). Tyler, the drummer, borrowed my brand new pink paisley umbrella to go outside before the show and introduce himself to the kids. Now this guy has long hair, facial piercings, a full sleeve on one arm as well as tats on his feet and possibly elsewhere that I don't know about, and gauge piercings in his ears. Furthermore, after meeting a kid who said he was a rapper, Tyler proceeded to rap with the kid, still holding my pretty pink umbrella. Again, where is my camera when I need it?
Barry convinced SCE to pretend to break up with his girlfriend after Barry asked her why she loves Jesus and she only gave him the "Sunday School answer." Luckily Barry and I were laughing in the background so she knew SCE wasn't serious.
After everything was packed up, we all went to Wendy's, crossing our fingers that it would still be open since it was 12:50 and they close at 1. There was a guy in a pickup truck right in front of us and we watched him get his food, but the Wendy's workers totally ignored us. So we pulled up to the pick-up window and tried to reason with them, but they wouldn't hear it, so instead we went to a gas station.
Ryan dared me to hit on a couple of drunk ladies in there, but I wasn't entirely sure I could even pull of hitting on a dude, so he took it upon himself to make sure these gals got hit on. It was great.
Then we all did these weird little espresso shots we found next to the creamer, and the guys stole a bunch of them to put in the glove compartment for long drives.
Then we just sat around in their short bus for a while. Yes, they tour in a short bus. Their van blew up in Washington state or thereabouts and now they have this. It's pretty sexcellent.
Around 3ish, the band decided they should probably go to the house they were staying at that night (my parents would murder if a band showed up at our house at 3 in the morning), and there ends the tale of the Kiros.
Peace, love, and fog machines,
Miss Rex
Showing posts with label driving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label driving. Show all posts
Randomathon
I have quite a few things to share this morning, none of them of any great import except for this: I'm coming up on my 200th post. As in, the next thing I post will be #200. Time has flown, my friends - and yes, I do think of my fellow bloggers as such.
In honor of the big 200, I'd like to do a fun little Q&A session. Can you believe I've never done one before? I figure, after 200 posts, people have got to be bursting with profound questions they wish they could ask me - they're just waiting for the right opportunity to bring them up!
Here's your chance. Leave a comment with a question (or three), and I will answer it as truthfully as I can!
And now, commence the Randomathon!
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Derry the punchbuggy got a lung transplant and is at my house recovering until I can go fetch him this weekend. I hope this operation solves the problem, as it was not little Derry's first new lung and those breathing apparatuses cost Poppa Derry an arm and a leg.
------------------------------
I was scrolling through the millions of notes I have saved on my cell phone and I found one I'd typed at 5 one morning (the spelling was atrocious). It was about a dream I'd apparently had that night, in which I was illegally keeping a giant in the basement and placating him with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Gotta love my brain.
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This morning I opened my mailbox to find a jury duty summons. Your civic duty. Your privilege.
Duty schmooty. I got a summons last spring; it's not my fault they cancelled on me before I even made it to the court.
Then I noticed the addressee.
It wasn't me. (She graduated last year.)
------------------------------
Would you believe this captcha came from an educational website?
It's ALMOST as good as some Shakespearean insults I used to throw around with my equally-dorky friends in high school. You know the type. "That gleeking, clay-brained dewberry!" and "thou mammering, milk-livered lout!" were common outbursts at our widely-skirted lunch table, and for that matter, in our AP English classroom. Even though we were supposedly doing college-level work, things got pretty boring because our class was full of pribbling, idle-headed barnacles. So we took it upon ourselves to keep things interesting.
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Excavations of Claymore: Meg's Apple Cider
In honor of the fall equinox, I would like to share with you The Quintessential Autumn Beverage. Warning: You may mistake the substance in your cup for liquefied apple pie, pureed right of the oven and served to you piping hot. But never fear; Meg's is not a treat for the toothless! At least not exclusively....
This delightfully warm concoction of chai tea and apple cider will warm your heart on those chilly autumn eves after walking across the quad, or during crisp afternoons cheering in the stands while the Fighting Scots play football (the European kind, that is; we don't have an American football team at my school.)
The cinnamon and spice undertones will put you in mind of Thankschristmakwanzachanukah. Good vibes all around, dude.
------------------------------
Don't forget to post your questions!!
Peace, love, and apple pie,
Miss Rex
In honor of the big 200, I'd like to do a fun little Q&A session. Can you believe I've never done one before? I figure, after 200 posts, people have got to be bursting with profound questions they wish they could ask me - they're just waiting for the right opportunity to bring them up!
Here's your chance. Leave a comment with a question (or three), and I will answer it as truthfully as I can!
And now, commence the Randomathon!
------------------------------
Derry the punchbuggy got a lung transplant and is at my house recovering until I can go fetch him this weekend. I hope this operation solves the problem, as it was not little Derry's first new lung and those breathing apparatuses cost Poppa Derry an arm and a leg.
------------------------------
I was scrolling through the millions of notes I have saved on my cell phone and I found one I'd typed at 5 one morning (the spelling was atrocious). It was about a dream I'd apparently had that night, in which I was illegally keeping a giant in the basement and placating him with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Gotta love my brain.
------------------------------
This morning I opened my mailbox to find a jury duty summons. Your civic duty. Your privilege.
Duty schmooty. I got a summons last spring; it's not my fault they cancelled on me before I even made it to the court.
Then I noticed the addressee.
It wasn't me. (She graduated last year.)
------------------------------
Would you believe this captcha came from an educational website?
It's ALMOST as good as some Shakespearean insults I used to throw around with my equally-dorky friends in high school. You know the type. "That gleeking, clay-brained dewberry!" and "thou mammering, milk-livered lout!" were common outbursts at our widely-skirted lunch table, and for that matter, in our AP English classroom. Even though we were supposedly doing college-level work, things got pretty boring because our class was full of pribbling, idle-headed barnacles. So we took it upon ourselves to keep things interesting.
------------------------------
Excavations of Claymore: Meg's Apple Cider
In honor of the fall equinox, I would like to share with you The Quintessential Autumn Beverage. Warning: You may mistake the substance in your cup for liquefied apple pie, pureed right of the oven and served to you piping hot. But never fear; Meg's is not a treat for the toothless! At least not exclusively....
This delightfully warm concoction of chai tea and apple cider will warm your heart on those chilly autumn eves after walking across the quad, or during crisp afternoons cheering in the stands while the Fighting Scots play football (the European kind, that is; we don't have an American football team at my school.)
The cinnamon and spice undertones will put you in mind of Thankschristmakwanzachanukah. Good vibes all around, dude.
------------------------------
Don't forget to post your questions!!
Peace, love, and apple pie,
Miss Rex
Another tale of woe for Derry the punchbuggy
When I drove back to school last week, Derry the punchbuggy made it all the way to the off-ramp without giving me any trouble. Then he started doing that thing that he did a few weeks ago that we supposedly got fixed. When I press on the gas, he makes a gut-wrenching sound as if I'd asked him to go from 0 to 100 in no time flat, but just sort of sits there without accelerating at all... or even continuing to drive at the speed I was driving before his little epileptic fit.
We found our way to one of the few spaces available on campus, but upon getting out of the car, I was promptly assaulted by some super-ninja stingered insect. Didn't see the thing. Didn't do anything to provoke it. I just wanted my laptop out of the trunk. I've never had an allergic reaction to a bee sting until now, and wow; it really sucks. Don't try it at home, okay? I walked around with an ice pack for two days and felt like such a little wuss.
Derry made it home okay this weekend, so we didn't take him to the shop. Big mistake. Coming back, I hadn't even made it as far as the city, which is about halfway between home and school, when he had another seizure. Smack dab in the middle of some of the worst towns in our area. Afraid of pulling over and getting shot, I kept driving until I hit town. My parents had to come retrieve me and take me back to school.
Now I am here without a car, which wouldn't be so bad if A) I hadn't just paid $89 to join a gym off campus, B) I didn't need to go to the store to replace my deodorant, which inexplicably disappeared from my drawer over the weekend, and C) I had something to give Mama Swede for her birthday. As it stands I am presentless, deodorantless, and losing money while gaining weight. I'll bet little Derry never realized how important he was. I sure didn't. I'm sorry, old buddy. Get better quick so we can go puttering around town again. Love, Amandasaurus.
We found our way to one of the few spaces available on campus, but upon getting out of the car, I was promptly assaulted by some super-ninja stingered insect. Didn't see the thing. Didn't do anything to provoke it. I just wanted my laptop out of the trunk. I've never had an allergic reaction to a bee sting until now, and wow; it really sucks. Don't try it at home, okay? I walked around with an ice pack for two days and felt like such a little wuss.
Derry made it home okay this weekend, so we didn't take him to the shop. Big mistake. Coming back, I hadn't even made it as far as the city, which is about halfway between home and school, when he had another seizure. Smack dab in the middle of some of the worst towns in our area. Afraid of pulling over and getting shot, I kept driving until I hit town. My parents had to come retrieve me and take me back to school.
Now I am here without a car, which wouldn't be so bad if A) I hadn't just paid $89 to join a gym off campus, B) I didn't need to go to the store to replace my deodorant, which inexplicably disappeared from my drawer over the weekend, and C) I had something to give Mama Swede for her birthday. As it stands I am presentless, deodorantless, and losing money while gaining weight. I'll bet little Derry never realized how important he was. I sure didn't. I'm sorry, old buddy. Get better quick so we can go puttering around town again. Love, Amandasaurus.
Magical Musical Road Trip Extravaganza pt. 1
What a weekend! It's going to take more than one post to chronicle the epicness of our magical musical road trip extravaganza. So I shall begin with the road trip, and after that we'll move on to the magic and the music. Sound good? Good.
While driving through the lovely state of PA, we amused ourselves by trying to pronounce the silly names on the exit signs. Or rather, I amused both of us, as Jo-Yo is a Pennsylvania native and already knew how to say it right. Here are a few that I couldn't resist sharing, absent some of the best because we just weren't quick enough with the camera.
We've got Fogelsville, home of the old fogeys; we've got Kutztown, which is full of puking Germans; we've got Viktorkrumsville, which I'm sure Hermione would be thrilled to visit; we've got Hell and Bethlehem sharing a stoop; we've got the home of the singing cow. Sorry about the lack of photo evidence of such gems as Lackawanna University (I imagine all the students there wake up in the morning, think about going to class, and decide they just don't wanna) and the fruity Mexican town of Avoca(do). Also missing is the utterly unpronounceable "Schuyllkill." Two syllables. Swear to god. But my favorite of all is the creative interpretation of "Wisconsin" in the center of the collage. I thought we were in PA...?
Love, Miss Rex
Detailed accounts of music, magic and madness at A Dustland Fairytale!
Music: "If anyone ever wrote a love song, it was Jon Foreman." Read more
Magic: "I barely had enough time to tell Tim that I think he's one of the greatest bassists mankind has ever seen, not to mention that when you say something in that amount of time it doesn't exactly come across as sincere..." Read more
Madness: Coming soon!
Note: the new Dustland Fairytale is a little quirky. After clicking the link, click on "Entries" and it should go right to the post you want!
While driving through the lovely state of PA, we amused ourselves by trying to pronounce the silly names on the exit signs. Or rather, I amused both of us, as Jo-Yo is a Pennsylvania native and already knew how to say it right. Here are a few that I couldn't resist sharing, absent some of the best because we just weren't quick enough with the camera.
We've got Fogelsville, home of the old fogeys; we've got Kutztown, which is full of puking Germans; we've got Viktorkrumsville, which I'm sure Hermione would be thrilled to visit; we've got Hell and Bethlehem sharing a stoop; we've got the home of the singing cow. Sorry about the lack of photo evidence of such gems as Lackawanna University (I imagine all the students there wake up in the morning, think about going to class, and decide they just don't wanna) and the fruity Mexican town of Avoca(do). Also missing is the utterly unpronounceable "Schuyllkill." Two syllables. Swear to god. But my favorite of all is the creative interpretation of "Wisconsin" in the center of the collage. I thought we were in PA...?
Love, Miss Rex
Detailed accounts of music, magic and madness at A Dustland Fairytale!
Music: "If anyone ever wrote a love song, it was Jon Foreman." Read more
Magic: "I barely had enough time to tell Tim that I think he's one of the greatest bassists mankind has ever seen, not to mention that when you say something in that amount of time it doesn't exactly come across as sincere..." Read more
Madness: Coming soon!
Note: the new Dustland Fairytale is a little quirky. After clicking the link, click on "Entries" and it should go right to the post you want!
We are heffalumps!
Some days I just lie on my bed and laugh and wonder what the hell is wrong with me. Today is one of those days. I feel like I've been awake since... oh, wait, I HAVE been awake since 7:30. That explains it. I got up early to take my car to Firestone to see if they could figure out why it starts screaming and flashing lights at me every time I drive it.
Jenniferin was kind enough to come along and drive me back, though of course, not without a pit stop at good ol' sketchball, greasy-walled Denny's for breakfast. Well, in the end it turned out that Firestone wasn't sure what was going on with my car, so they made up some bull and sent us to Mobil, where the mechanic proceeded to make fun of the Firestone guys for screwing around and completely misdiagnosing the problem. Long story short.... I'm just hoping I'll have a Derry to drive home tomorrow night.
I procrastinated a lot today, but since I was awake for so long, I still somehow got a lot done. I finished the promo poster I promised to make for the environmental club's symposium event, and I must say I am very pleased with it. It's really colorful, thus, eye-catching; and when you're trying to attract kids to symposium events, you need to be eye-catching.
You know you totally want to go to that event now. ^_~
I also revised my Fair Trade PSA script and made up a storyboard for that, which was time-consuming and, frankly, not as helpful as it's cracked up to be, as I can already see the shots in my head when I write up the script. Well, I guess it was a learning experience. I learned that next time I'll just do the production plan.
I'm off to the Prancing Pony now to see whether Evan remembered writers' group tonight. I've got a chapter I've been dying to post, but not before screening it. So y'all better hope he's there.
edit: He wasn't there. I know, I know. Break out the Kleenex.
Quote of the night:
Me: Boyfriend, I want a fucking dragon.
Paul: Yes, dear.
Jenniferin was kind enough to come along and drive me back, though of course, not without a pit stop at good ol' sketchball, greasy-walled Denny's for breakfast. Well, in the end it turned out that Firestone wasn't sure what was going on with my car, so they made up some bull and sent us to Mobil, where the mechanic proceeded to make fun of the Firestone guys for screwing around and completely misdiagnosing the problem. Long story short.... I'm just hoping I'll have a Derry to drive home tomorrow night.
I procrastinated a lot today, but since I was awake for so long, I still somehow got a lot done. I finished the promo poster I promised to make for the environmental club's symposium event, and I must say I am very pleased with it. It's really colorful, thus, eye-catching; and when you're trying to attract kids to symposium events, you need to be eye-catching.
You know you totally want to go to that event now. ^_~
I also revised my Fair Trade PSA script and made up a storyboard for that, which was time-consuming and, frankly, not as helpful as it's cracked up to be, as I can already see the shots in my head when I write up the script. Well, I guess it was a learning experience. I learned that next time I'll just do the production plan.
I'm off to the Prancing Pony now to see whether Evan remembered writers' group tonight. I've got a chapter I've been dying to post, but not before screening it. So y'all better hope he's there.
edit: He wasn't there. I know, I know. Break out the Kleenex.
Quote of the night:
Me: Boyfriend, I want a fucking dragon.
Paul: Yes, dear.
Hell is a never-ending traffic jam
Coming back to school, I left myself 20 extra minutes to get there so I wouldn't be late for my 8:00 shift at the writing center. I was making good time; not my best, but pretty good. I was going to be on time, probably even a little bit early. And then I hit exit 32, and quite suddenly the car in front of me came to a complete stop. I slammed on the brakes and the two jars of jam Mama Swede insisted on giving me went flying. This was around 7:15. By the time I hit exit 34, it was 8:15. Yes, that's right: one hour, and I traveled a grand total of two exits. I mean, by the time I got out of this thing, I just wanted to break something. Fortunately my car and my self were not on my list of things I would enjoy breaking, so don't worry. This is not going to be one of Those Stories. But I felt sort of bad about how angry I was sitting in the traffic jam from hell when I saw the cause of it. Just before exit 34, they had closed down two lanes and there were at least half a dozen cop cars along with a whole bunch of other vehicles. The scene was complete with flashing lights and flares, causing the pavement to glitter threateningly with broken glass. Then I came to the accident. One car looked like the top had been ripped off it and the other one was on its side. It didn't look good for whoever had been in those cars; that's all I can say.
Well, I made it to my shift, forty minutes late. Which sucks because now I can't get paid for those forty minutes, and I really need the money if we're going to drive to Cali this summer. Ironic that I would still want to drive 3000 miles out there and 3000 miles back after seeing those cars own each other and after witnessing my own hardcore frustration at bad traffic situations. Buuuut the Pacific beckons.... and how can I refuse?
Well, I made it to my shift, forty minutes late. Which sucks because now I can't get paid for those forty minutes, and I really need the money if we're going to drive to Cali this summer. Ironic that I would still want to drive 3000 miles out there and 3000 miles back after seeing those cars own each other and after witnessing my own hardcore frustration at bad traffic situations. Buuuut the Pacific beckons.... and how can I refuse?
Boston
Some people from my poetry class went into Boston tonight to see Seamus Heaney's reading. The guys who introduced him were not that exciting, probs just because they rambled. One of them read a translation he did of a poem about Abraham and Isaac, but it went on for EVER and didn't even sound like poetry - it sounded like he was just reading straight out of the Bible. Heaney was pretty good, though - and funny when he was in between poems. I'll admit I was kind of sleepy and didn't retain a lot, but I remember one phrase, vividly: "fire spores." I think it was in relation to a volcano, but I can't think of any other context; just that the pairing of words was so unexpected and absolutely PERFECT in every way.
Driving in Boston sucks. The confusion, the construction, the homicidal drivers.... It's really stressful. Then again, I get stressed whenever I drive somewhere unfamiliar, and the scenario could have been worse. I'm not in any hurry to repeat it though, especially since I filled my gas tank this morning and it's already got 70 miles on it. On the way home, I added another person to my carload, and searching through my iPod, he found Five Iron Frenzy and was totally happy and we listened to it. He made me turn it up really loud (which is how I like to listen to music anyway, but out of respect for other passengers I usually don't unless I'm alone) and we sang along. It was grand. And THEN we listened to the Pokemon theme song even louder, and sang along even louder, and it was a deeply satisfying bonding experience.
When we got back on campus, I had to park in Woodland, which is always unfortunate. It's even more unfortunate when you get back to your room, decide to try and be productive by fixing that essay, and come to the horrifying realization that "that essay" is in a manila folder on the top of your car..... In Woodland.
Driving in Boston sucks. The confusion, the construction, the homicidal drivers.... It's really stressful. Then again, I get stressed whenever I drive somewhere unfamiliar, and the scenario could have been worse. I'm not in any hurry to repeat it though, especially since I filled my gas tank this morning and it's already got 70 miles on it. On the way home, I added another person to my carload, and searching through my iPod, he found Five Iron Frenzy and was totally happy and we listened to it. He made me turn it up really loud (which is how I like to listen to music anyway, but out of respect for other passengers I usually don't unless I'm alone) and we sang along. It was grand. And THEN we listened to the Pokemon theme song even louder, and sang along even louder, and it was a deeply satisfying bonding experience.
When we got back on campus, I had to park in Woodland, which is always unfortunate. It's even more unfortunate when you get back to your room, decide to try and be productive by fixing that essay, and come to the horrifying realization that "that essay" is in a manila folder on the top of your car..... In Woodland.
