AFI - Starland Ballroom 10/10/09

the show was amazing!
I can't even think of the right word to describe how wonderful it was.

I left my house at around 12:30. we drove and got slightly lost, but in the end figured it out. I got to the Starland at about 2:20. I waited for maybe a half an hour and then Christy showed up. she bought my extra ticket, we waited, and then someone she knew came over. Her name was Theresa and she was super nice! it was cold so she gave us blankets and later came back with a veggie wrap for Christy, but she shared it with me. then we waited some more.

Smith came out around 6 and handed everyone who was in the DF a wrist band. when I got to Smith I asked if I could take his picture, but I think he took what I said the wrong way and thought I meant that I wanted to take a picture with him, but he nicely said "I'm sorry, I'm working right now!".
I wanted to ask because I just didn't want to go up to him and shove a camera in his face.
so I got my wrist band and the DF line formed, we all waited until about 6:50ish to actually get in. I feel bad for the people that paid extra for the star parking, because it didn't even matter, the DF still got in first.

so I was up front for the whole show, there was a platform-esque thing that was a step above the rest of the floor that I stayed on for the duration of the show. although, I was shoved off by like two people who kept trying to hop on the platform. but I eventually got back up there.

as soon as gallows went on the crowd went crazy. everyone started smushing up against eachother, crowd surfing started and I got hit in the head with one of them, I think the guy actually landed on me. I had boots on so I was taller than usual, but I still wasn't able to hold the guy up! so he fell on me. and then I got smacked in the head a few times by people's hands. I thought it was kind of rude and gross that Frank kept spitting on the stage. but he got the crowd going and the music wasn't bad. but the only complaint I have with gallows playing was this one guy who tried ripping my shoulder off just to try and get closer. he left his spot and people swarmed in it, so when he wanted it back he tried shoving and pulling people out of the way. and during their set this same guy was basically throwing himself at people. I felt so bad for that tall guy with the lip ring who was to my right, he was being smashed by this guy! someone threw gallows set list into the crowd and I grabbed it. I wanted to put it away but couldn't reach my bag. I thought I had reached my bag so I shoved the list in, but I missed my bag and actually shoved it between myself and someone elses ass. then I asked the girl in front of me "did I get that in my bag? I think I did!" and she said "no, I think you shoved it between my ass" I apologized and grabbed the set list back and this time I got it in my bag.

so then AFI came on probably about 40 minutes after gallows. everyone went CRAZY. once again everyone was smushed against one another, and I still couldn't even officially reach my bag to pull my phone out to call people from the show as I promised (sorry Matt and Aly!). it was amazing though! besides the fact that I got hit in the head a few more times by people's arms. and also how some girl had her elbow out right up in my face. I got so mad because she kept smacking me with her arm I turned to her and said "can you put your fucking elbow down?" and she said "where the fuck am I supposed to put it!" she actually did have room to put it down, and after a little while she did put her elbow down. I feel so sorry for the people that were in front of me, especially the two girls, my rings got caught in their hair a couple times, and I probably hit them in the head a couple times by accident too. also, that guy in the hat, I felt sorry cause my arm(s) kept hitting his head, and to the girl with the monroe I was talking to before AFI came on, I believe my arm got shoved into her neck a couple times:/. AFI opened with torch song and after a couple more songs Davey saw a shoe and was like out of nowhere *pointing* "that's a shoe. whose shoe is this? is this your shoe?" and he handed it to some kid, then he said "wait, is that even your shoe? I think you only wanted it cause I touched it. that's fucking disgusting". from what I can remember they played (not in order): torch song, veronica sawyer smokes, end transmission, medicate, girl's not grey, dancing through sunday, death of seasons, the leaving song, silver and cold, on the arrow, love like winter, miss murder, kill caustic (with Lou from sick of it all), and just like heaven.

they did an encore after everyone chanted "AFI" and "through our bleeding we are one". the encore songs were (from the list above): just like heaven, miss murder, love like winter... I believe thodse were it, I was so excited it was hard to tell haha.

I was right smack in front of Hunter the whole night.

when AFI got off the stage for the second time, it was officailly over. I stood there for a couple of minutes and a girl I met while in line from NJ was so nice (she was with Christy and I the whole night, I feel bad I can't remember her name!) she bought us all water. so we drank our water and then went to the merch stand. I bought an AFI shirt, 3/4 sleeve. it's black and has the band members and details all in different colors. the background is black, but the sleeves are white. I got a small, but should have got an extra small... so it's kind of roomy, but it might shrink.

overall, I met some really awesome people! and it's a shame I didn't get really any of their names. the one story someone told me while in line that involved birthday parties and some rather sad and unfortunate circumstances (but the story was meant to be funny, and it was) that was one of the funniest things I have ever heard!

now I want to go to the Philly show in November:O

inspiration is found endlessly.

THIS: http://www.juxtapoz.com/12082-davey-havok-shares-his-art-collection-and-some-insight-on-being-a-musician

the art Davey has is amazing! and it's so varied, very good taste indeed. I find this quote very inspirational, "Do only what you love and give not a fuck if people have negative things to say about it. Being unpopular generally means that you're doing something right. If fame and fortune is all that you aspire to, please just stop, and spare us all." I myself am an aspiring artist and often am put down for doing what I love, I am told (even by my own family) I will be poor and will not get anywhere in life with pursuing art... but I find that quote so true, if you love something that emits creativity and that gives you happiness then why let people discourage you? I have known Davey has been one to appreciate art, so I think it's wonderful we get to have a taste of his wonderful collection. That man never ceases to inspire me with his words.

hair dye, gutters, and a window.

So today I decided to re-dye my hair (black) because I had highlights that were old and roots that were just awful. While I was actually applying the dye my dad decided he'd clean the gutters of our house. Now anyone else would have just used a ladder to do this job, but we didn't have one long enough. My dad improvised by using a hose, an extension cord, and an ice pick to clean our gutters and he got up on our roof (I know, interesting). I was sitting on the couch waiting for my 25 minutes to be over so I could rinse the dye out. The time was up and since my dad was using the hose I had to yell out to him I needed the water. He couldn't hear me the first time so I had to repeat what I had said. When he finally heard me he said "one minute!" well his one minute turned into more like 3. When he finally gave me the ok to use the water I went upstairs. And keep in mind he is still on the roof at this point but since I was upstairs we were on the same level. I was in my room getting the conditioner ready that I needed to use after I rinsed my hair when all I hear is *thump* "AHH shit" *thump*.... "help! help!" I went in the room next to mine to find that my dad got stuck in the window. He actually didn't need help because as soon as I walked in he got through. I asked him if he was okay after but it was just so funny I couldn't help but to laugh. at least he didn't break anything.

what awaits

I am currently sitting here and it is almost 1am. I am asking myself why I am still up. school starts in a couple weeks. I am anticipating going back, but at the same time do not really wish to. this year I will be a junior, the year that is, in my opinion, the most important. SATs, a graduation project to take care of, PSSAs, colleges to apply to. I can feel the headaches and stress descending upon me as I type:P

the summer is coming to an end, and I haven't done too much. I went to New York a few days after I got out of school. then in July I went down the shore with friends, and then a week later I went with my own family. after that I haven't done anything! right now I am really focusing on getting ready to go back to school. I still have to finish reading The Scarlet Letter for honor's English. I'll probably have a paper to write on that. I already read the first book that was assigned, Fallen Angels. I keep telling my mom I need new school uniforms. my shirts are just too big! I can't help I lost some weight, well I could I assume, but I don't have a problem with it haha.

I was exited that my DF package finally arrived today, but there's one issue... I still don't have full access to the boards. it's kind of a kick in the ass because I got this lovely letter saying "welcome! you are now apart of the official message board. here is your initiation package" and yet I am still waiting. soon... soon.

Chinatown & the meat meltdown

today my family and I went to Chinatown in Philly to celebrate my mother's birthday. we ate at the "Imperial In" which always has good food. her birthday was actually Friday, but we just went out to dinner tonight.
we as usual got down there pretty fast. it took us forever to find parking though. we roamed around the block a few times and then just decided to park in a lot. as we paid for parking someone pulled out on the street, just our luck. we walked around the corner to the restaurant and sat at a table that was already reserved for us. we ate with some family friends so they had a table ready when we got there. we all looked at the menu but I already knew what I wanted, an order of spicy eggplant and spring rolls. well... when I ordered I did order my spicy eggplant and spring rolls. when I got my order the spring rolls first arrived and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth in their warm deliciousness. I cut open the rolls since they were incredibly hot and something was odd about them. I looked inside and it didn't look like the spring rolls I was used to. I looked at it and said "hmm this looks like meat?". I turned to my mom and said "mom, what does this look like? does it look like chicken?" and she said "no, it looks like dough". well since I haven't been "up close" with chicken in almost two years I just assumed it was a clump of dough. I stuck the "dough" in my mouth and it was what I dreaded it to be... chicken. I immediately spit it out and literally almost burst into tears. the taste was an indescribable mass/mix of what I presume to be shit and just, shit. thank god I didn't chew it, I swear I would have puked. now normally from the Chinese place I usually order from their spring rolls are always vegetarian, filled with veggies and tofu. but apparently the place I went to eat at has two kinds. I actually thought all spring rolls were vegetarian! I assume not.
aside from my meat melt down the rest of the night was rather nice. I re-ordered my "spring rolls" and ensured this time that they were 100% vegetarian. and then about 10 minutes later my order of spicy eggplant emerged with its enticing purple tenderness. it was a nice dinner.

graphic enlargement

this works wonders if you have a small scale image and you want to draw it on a larger piece of paper.


(I used this technique to draw an image of Davey Havok.)

what is graphic enlargement?
it is an art technique where you take a small image and multiply it's dimensions by how many times you'd like to increase it's size to draw it on a larger scale. not only does this enable you to draw small images on a larger scale, it also enables you to draw the right proportions.

how do I do this technique?
first, what you need is: a ruler, a computer with a printer, a sketchbook or paper, a pencil, and a calculator.

second, if you see a picture online and say "wow! I'd love to draw this image!"
all you need to do is print out that image (but never print "fit to page" for graphic enlargement). it's best to find a small thumbnail image to print out if you are using this technique. for example, this image here would turn out to be fairly small when you print it, perfect for this technique:


third, after you print out an image you like you measure it's dimensions with a ruler. for example, let's just say the image from above turned out to be 2 by 3".

fourth, now that you have your smaller image's dimensions you can multiply those dimensions by any number you'd like to increase the size by so you can draw it on a larger piece of paper. for example, you have a 9 by 12" sketchbook and want to draw that smaller image in it, or maybe you have a 12 by 12" piece of paper. let's say you'd like to make your small image 4 times larger so it could fit your sketchbook. what you do is multiply the small image's dimensions (2 by 3") by 4 so you know what size paper you need to draw the image on. so for example, the dimensions of your larger scale drawing will turn out to be 8 by 12".

fifth, now that you have the dimensions needed for your actual drawing you must mark these measurements down on the piece of paper you are using with your ruler. so for example, that 9 by 12" piece of paper from your sketchbook now must be cut to equal 8 by 12".

sixth, now using your ruler you must draw lines directly meeting in the middle of the small image, and the paper you are drawing on. first, what you do is divide the small image's dimensions in half to make these lines. so the small image, which is 2 by 3" the lines you would draw would be at 1" and 1.5". for the paper you are drawing your image on, which is in this case, 8 by 12" you also divide these numbers in half. so on that paper you will draw lines at 4" and 6".

what you want is for it to look like this (and I am very much aware of how off the small image's lines are, I did not use a ruler for it, this is just for example and I happened to have 8 by 12" already marked on one of my pages):

a general rule of thumb is what ever dimensions you have, just divide them in half to make the lines exactly in the middle of the images.

seventh, now after you have drawn your lines down the middle of both images with your ruler, what you do is use the small image you have as a guide for drawing on your larger piece of paper. what you do is number the boxes on the small image and also put these same numbers in the boxes of the larger piece of paper you are drawing on. now you simply match each box up and draw what you see in each box according to the numbers. like this:

the lines you drew for this technique can be erased after you finish your piece. it's best to draw the lines lightly.

personally I like printing images out and cutting them down to equal exactly 2 by 3". what I then do is always multiply those dimensions by 4 so my actual drawing will be 8 by 12".

an introduction to my life

a friend suggested I post some of the stories that I have had the pleasure to experience in my life on here. all of these are comical. my family is really not normal. unfortunately this is the only story I can think of at the moment worth mentioning!

specifically one story that always entertains people is when I went tubing on the Delaware river last summer. it all started on a hot summer day, my grandma picked my brother and I up in her car. we were then on our way to pick up her friend Darlene who was going to tag along. she had that "Tom Tom" portable GPS car navigation system newly installed in her car so she was using that to direct us to the tubing place. she kept calling it the "girl in the box" and when it said "turn left" for example she would turn the opposite direction and state that the "girl in the box" was wrong. also, when it wouldn't talk she would say "HELLO girl in the box!" and tap on it. many times we kept going in circles or passing the street we were supposed to go down. when we finally got to the place we walked to where the bus and tubes were. this man is handing all these tubes out down a line and ensuring everyone is getting a tube before we get on this bus to take us up the river. well, this older perverted looking man points to me and says "does he need a tube?"... another man said "he? he is a she!". I was insulted, but keep in mind I had the worst and most unflattering attire on I think anyone could ever wear. I wore a very large t shirt, shorts, old shoes, and a hat that my hair was tucked into, I also had shades on. the only reason I tucked my hair in was because I was afraid the sun would fade my hair dye. in retrospect, I looked like a total dike. when I finally got my tube (I was the last to receive one) we all got on the bus that would take us up the river. the old perverted looking man sat across from us and I stared at him the whole time due to the fact that I was pissed at him. I also swear this man had a boner the whole time, I am not kidding. when we got off the bus we got in the river and started our descent down. the water was really cold and shallow at first and there was also barely a current. we floated on for what seemed like forever in the hot sun. I kept putting sun screen on every 15 minutes or so and my grandma kept saying "stop putting so much on! you'll get poisoned! you know Bonnie put too much sunscreen on once and she got really sick!". that never happened to Bonnie (my grandma's friend). that's something I love about my grandma she makes up stories to scare us so we will stop doing something that she feels will potentially harm us. she then snatched the sunscreen away but I managed to regain it about 10 minutes later. at one point as we were floating down the river my grandma suggested we bungee ourselves together so we wouldn't get lost. at that point my brother and I paddled father away from her. my brother got really far ahead and my grandma kept yelling "DOM! DOM! DOMINIC!!! I'M COMING!" as she thought something would happen to him. I'd say about 20 minutes later from that my grandma's friend Darlene fell asleep face down on her float. Darlene literally looked like a corpse floating along the river. there was a point at the river where it would split two ways, we had to wake her up so she wouldn't go the wrong way. a little while after that we seen the god damn food boat, it whisked past us as we were floating for fucking ever in the hot sun. we then floated for what seemed like two hours before we got to the "island" which was just a bunch of rocks/gravel with tables to eat at where the boat was parked. there was also a hippy on the boat who had the longest hair I had ever seen so it was like a fucking red cape going by. before we actually got to this "island" though (when it was in sight) a man got out of his tube and started walking over to it. I thought "oh fuck this, I'm tired of floating I can just get out and walk to the food boat like that guy is!"... it was such a bad idea. although the water was super shallow the current was crazy, so as soon as I got out I fell. my grandma almost died at this point. she panicked and rushed over screaming "JAC! JAC! GET BACK IN YOUR FLOAT! JAC!!!!". how embarrassing. so I managed to get back in my float and made it to the "island" eventually. the food boat luckily had veggie patties but they had to get another boat to bring it to the food boat. apparently veggie patties are special orders and also cost about $5 more. after we ate we got back in out floats and went down the river until we got to the point to where the bus would pick us up again to take us back. we then got back on the bus and were on our way back to where the car was parked. I wanted to get changed because I was NOT going to ride home in wet clothes. there was no where to get changed so I went inside this smelly tent thing where a bunch of flies happened to be. my worst nightmare. the tent seriously reeked of shit. I held my breath and got dressed as fast as I could. then we were on our way home.

I will post more crazy stories like this as soon as they pop into my mind!
Mallory happened to remind me of this one (since I explained the whole thing to her when it happened)... so I just had to explain it to everyone else:D.

the mess that bestows me

so today I venture into my bedroom to clean. not a small mess, a HUGE mess. I'm not talking about trash, old clothes, or a good dusting... I'm talking about the mess my guinea pig made! she gets food and bedding everywhere and behind virtually everything in sight and in some places I can't reach when I clean. so you might be thinking, "so what? just clean it up!" but it's far harder than that. due to those tricky cleaning spots that probably have guinea pig food lodged in them I believe I have a bug problem. I can literally hear them crawling around at night, at least last night I did. I had to sleep with a mountain of blankets over me just to fall asleep. bugs really do freak me out, I have a fear of them crawling on me for some reason. right now I am rubber gloveless and seriously NEED gloves to do this whole operation. I prepped my room for this mass moving of objects and furniture. I have three trash bags awaiting this monstrosity that lays upon me. I am before hand also making sure my vacuum is clean and ready to go. wish me luck.

Letting Go

R.I.P. Spencer 1996-2009


Today I had to put my dog, my friend, Spencer to sleep. It was heart breaking because he was only 12 and a half years old, but he had medical problems. He had diabetes and was just getting sicker as time went on. He was going to the bathroom in our house, sleeping all day, and drinking all the time, spite the medicine we provided. Besides the fact of his poor health, he was just getting too exspensive to care for, and who knows if he was suffering, dogs hide their pain. Spencer was actually in the age range where Shetland's are supposed to pass away, he was old. My family did what we thought was best.

We toook him to the ASPCA to be put down. We picked him up and put him in the car, on the way there I didn't want the drive to end. Spencer was just his usual self sitting in the car panting due to the hot weather, also getting up and stumbling around the car when we stopped and started to move again (he was always quite a klutz). When we got there I took him out of the car and my father and brother followed into the building. There were so many people there today, mostly for adoptions. We waited about 20 minutes before anyone got to us, that kind of made it worse because we were standing there with a shaking/scared dog trying not to cry. A woman named Karen (who didn't work there) came up and asked us about our dog, she went behind the front desk and asked if someone would come out to get our dog so we could say goodbye. About 5 minutes later a man came out, who was responsible for putting the animals to sleep, got our dog. My brother and I said goodbye and he was whisked away. My dad was filling out paperwork at the time so when he turned around he said "I didn't get to say goodbye!". They brought Spencer out one last time and we said goodbye again. Then they once again took our dog away. What was probably the worst is that as my dad and I were looking at our dog walking and being taken into the back room he (my dad) started to cry. I've only seen my dad cry one other time before today, and that was when my great grandmother passed away. We left in tears and the car ride home wasn't really any better. My brother was practically speechless the whole ride. When we got home after a little while we all finally felt better. It's just so sad, it's like we lost a family member. I hate goodbyes. R.I.P. buddy!

The Big Apple

today I traveled to New York City and it was AMAZING. I have never been there before.
it is incredibly huge compared to Philadelphia, it makes Philly look like an ant in comparison!


I woke up at about 4:30am to get ready, and left the house at around 5:30am to go down town (Philadelphia) to wait for the Bolt bus that would take us (myself, my mom, my brother, and my grandma) down to New York City. we arrived at the bus stop really early and were one of the first people to show up. the bus was actually late to pick us up, but only by a few minutes. we all got on the bus and were on our way. the bus drive to New York was 2hrs long!

after we were officially arrived in New York City we had to take the subway to get to where our tour bus was, we all wanted to go sight seeing. at first we actually got on the wrong subway train, it was going the opposite direction of where we had to go, so we had to get off and get on the right subway train. after fixing that dilemma we finally made it to where the tour bus was parked, and we made it early. the tour then started about a half an hour later and lasted about 4 hours in total.

we first stopped at The Dakota building, where John Lennon was shot.


we then went to Central Park where John Lennon's memorial is.


we then also saw various sights such as:
The Flat Iron Building:


The Empire State Building:


SOHO CAFE:


The Brooklyn Bridge:



we then took a ferry ride to see The Statue Of Liberty!




after all of this, we got off the ferry and met our bus at the New York Plaza, where we then saw other sights such as:
Trinity Church:


NYSE, New York Stock Exchange:


Ground Zero:

to me, Ground Zero was absolutely amazing. as our tour group was looking out at what once was the World Trade Center, there was nothing but silence. it was truly just a touching experience, I think partly because it looks as if it could have happened last week. they haven't built anything there yet, so it's still essentially left naked and seemingly untouched as it has been for the past (almost) 8 years now.


the tour then ended, leaving us where we had started, so my family and I wandered down near Times Square.


well look what I found in New York City...
okay, so this was amazing to me, I don't have a Jamba Juice around where I live (at least I'm pretty sure), and I know they make awesome drinks, so I HAD to stop in.



I ordered a "Strawberry Surf Rider" drink. it was so tasty! mmmm.


happily trotting along with my juice, my family and I then where walking directly down Times Square.










we then took the subway back up to where our Bolt bus was going to pick us up, which was right in front of a diner called "Tick Tock Diner". we had time to spare so we went in and had dinner.




I ordered a roasted veggie wrap, yummy.


we then got back on the Bolt bus which took us home, it was another 2hr drive, but my ipod was there to help ease the length of time.

my day then ended with a nice/delicious chai latte from Starbucks!

so the show I was supposed to go to on the 9th was actually horrific. my brother wasn't bad at all, but the whole set up and timing and just everything else was a complete disaster. the weather was horrible, there were a million mosquitos in the driveway where the "show" was. and after being there for 4 hours I voyaged home, alone... with out my friend Tim who I had originally gone with. my other two friends Var and Rachel couldn't make it. why? because Rachel had forgotten about the whole thing, yeah. what also was horrible is that I was hungry, since I hadn't had lunch, so I walked down to the super market that was around the corner and I bought myself a delicious looking mixed fruit cup. well, the fruit cup was 2 months expired! and what's even worse, I had finished it by the time I noticed the date. but it tasted fine otherwise and I am here right now typing this so I didn't die...

what I am really excited about is I'm going to New York on Monday! I also have a trip planned to go to stay with Rachel at her aunt's beach house, Var is also going. it should be fun but I hope it's not around the 29th, I have a doctor's appointment then so I would then not be able to make it:P

busy busy bee!

today should be fun, spite all of the rain...
there was a HUGE thunderstorm and it woke me up at about 8am. I thought it would never end:P

I'm supposed to be going to a show today, it's a local show with local bands, nothing big. it all starts at 4pm, but my friends and I are all leaving early.
I'm going with Tim, Rachel, and Var. there supposed to come to my house a little before 2pm, since that's when we're leaving. one band dropped out of the show, so there's really going to only be three bands playing. who knows if we'll even get to see the bands, someone might call the cops for all the noise.

so Friday I went to see UP with my family and it was so funny! it's well worth going to see!

this weekend I will be so busy! I have two birthday parties to attend back to back, and then Monday I will be voyaging to New York:D. we're going sight seeing and going on what my grandma calls a "tour bus"... I'm sure it's just a regular shuttle bus taking us down there. we will probably be eating lunch down there also. we're leaving really early in the morning and I have no idea when we're getting back. all I know is that it will be a long day! I'm bringing sunscreen, I'm so white that if there is a lot of sun I know for a fact I'll burn:O. but if it rains, an umbrella will be my best friend.

in July I'm going down to Wildwood, July 6th to the 10th. it's always really awesome down there, but it's a shame this year my Aunt Jenni, Dave, and cousins can't make it down, it was fun with them last year! but my uncle is still going, my grandma is coming down too. we always stop at this little diner which has good food, I always order waffles because there's really nothing else I can actually eat, the rest is some form of meat related product:P. we always call that diner our half way point because it technically is the half way point.

There's def more plans for this summer, although they have yet to be made:D

school is officially out! I couldn't be happier! IT'S OVER! Err... until next year that is. I didn't do as horrible on my French final as I had anticipated, I got an 88% on it. I took my art major final today, which was awesome, yes, I thought the test was awesome. it was so easy and I got to draw with colored pencils for my final still life drawing (fun!). I handed my drawing in which I took an hour and a half to do. I had the time since I had finished the question part and essay part of the exam early. when I handed my final composition in my art teacher said, and I quote, "Jackie this is awesome, you rock" it kinda made me laugh, and I was flattered, but at the same time I have never heard someone over 45 tell me that I rocked:). I also took my health final today, which was a joke... it was so easy!
I can't wait for all the things I have planned this summer, particuraly traveling. I'm supposed to go to New York in about a week, maybe in a little more than a week. it will be a fun/interesting trip because I have never been there! I'm def bringing my camera:). Hopefully I can make it to South Carolina this summer, and Wildwood again. I was supposed to be going over Var's with Rachel this Saturday for a sleep over but it has been canceled... maybe we can plan something else for this weekend.

xJackie

random nights are fun nights.

Ahh Friday, It's the weekend! Not only just the weekend, but a holiday weekend! It's exciting yet sad to think of how fast this school year happened. It's actually very quickly coming to a close and I now have so much work ahead of me in these last 9 days, 4 of which are really only review days, the others are finals! I always get kinda stressed around this time of the year... So much work in rather little time, and then I feel as if the material is never reviewed thoroughly enough.
Aside from essentially spazzing about finals, tonight was very fun. I got a text at about 6:30pm from my friend Tim who asked if I wanted to hang out with him. He got a new camera (which is very nice I must say) and wanted to test it out and take pictures. So I walked to meet him at Coco's Pizza since he was in another building down the street. I arrived at Coco's and sat on this bench to the side. The bench felt so cheap and plasticy that when I sat on it I swore if I moved the damn thing would have busted. It was basically like two pieces of plastic screwed into each other with a cheap plastic frame holding it all together, scary shit. Tim finally arrived a couple minutes later and ordered food. I didn't order anything because I had previously eaten dinner.
Meanwhile, I had no idea my brother was at the bowling alley next door with all his friends. Although, Tim did show me a picture of my brother and his friends on his way over to the pizza place, which was a little odd, but I didn't put two and two together. So after Tim finished his meal he said "hey, you wanna go to the bowling?" I said fine. And sure enough I walk in unknowing my brother was there. Tim and I joined the mass group of kids and then participated in a game of bowling.
After, Colleen offered that everyone go to her house.
So there we were, literally like 15 kids walking to Colleen's house. When we got there I was excited to learn there was a trampoline, I hadn't been on one in years! Of course all the guys got on it first, and were throwing each other around on it all brutally. Finally after about a half an hour they got tired and got off. THIS was my chance to get on it. I rushed to take off my shoes and I hopped on that trampoline so damn fast. I forgot how fun they were!

I haven't written anything on here in a while!
I am happy to have one follower so far, the lovely Karem aka Davey (inside joke kinda thing).

I went to the movies tonight with Rachel. It was pretty fun. Before seeing the movie I discovered a HUGE cardboard box in her backyard that to my delight was untouched and fresh for sitting in etc. We both crazily got in the huge box and tipped it over when we were both in it, as stupid and immature as that sounds it was rather fun. The movie we saw was Monsters Vs. Aliens and it really wasn't bad. It was actually pretty funny, but to my disappointment NOT IN 3D! Now I have no idea why my particular movie theater doesn't ever play 3D movies, hell, even when I went to see Coraline it wasn't in 3D either... and it was supposed to be! My local theater just hates everyone I am assuming because who doesn't want to see a 3D movie? It's kinda funny though, in both movies there were actual parts where I could tell where the 3D glasses would have been needed and appreciated.

I have yet more plans for this up coming week while I am on spring break, but sorting out these plans is taking a while:P

x

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I think it seriously just took me 5 minutes to figure out how to actually get to type something with my iPod on here, it's not that I don't know how to use the iPod, I've had it for forever now. But I never had posted a blog update while using it!

Hopefully it won't 'fix' my words and make me look like a total idiot as it always does. 1) I can't spell and 2) this thing fixes my words as I am typing so things often look like this (regardless of the grammar fixer thing)... 'hwllo hiq are yiu today?'

Agh this week has been so busy! School should def start mch later... And teachers should not give tests all on the same day. It's so stressful and aggravating! I start to obsess over what I did wrong on like every test (that's just what I do) it's just not good.

Right now I am listening to the cure and wishing I had some tea:/
I want to go to bed, but I have to study first. Who ever created the first test ever is a jerk. Why just WHY!

Stretched ears

First of all, it's called stretching your ears, not "gauging". Gauge refers to the size of the piece of jewelry not the act of stretching your fistula (skin).And the jewelry itself is not called "gauges" they are either: plugs, eyelets, flesh tunnels, pinchers, tapers, etc. ***sorry that kind of always bothers me***

I always get questions about my ear lobes, things like "did that hurt?" and "what do I do!"I often am asked for advice, and trust me... I have been through it all, stupidly skipping sizes, bleeding, infections, scar tissue... you name it!Here's some of the things I am asked, and am happy to give my input on.

Q- "Did that hurt?"
A- Actually, at times, yes. But stretching should never hurt for longer than a day, if it does then down size, you've most likely haven't waited long enough or stretched too fast.

Q- "How do I start stretching?"
A- Start low, and take it slow. Start at either an 18g or 16g and work your way up. Only stretch ONE size every month or two. The slower you take it the healthier your ears will be.The sizes go something like this (smallest to largest): 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2,0, 00, 7/16", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8", 1"... and so on.

Q- "So did you just stick that(plug) in your ear and it expanded to that size?"
A- No, it took quite some time and I started at an 18g and worked my way up.

Q- "Do you have any scar tissue/blow outs?"
A- Actually yes, and I feel totally stupid, I should have down sized way sooner when I experienced a blow out, and now I do have some scar tissue on the back of my left ear.

Q- "Have you ever skipped a size?"
A- I have, I also feel totally stupid for doing that too! It was the reason for the blow out that I have on my left ear, and also the reason why I still have some scar tissue now on the back of my left ear. NOT a wise idea. NEVER skip sizes. Don't make the mistake I did.

Q- "Why wont my new plugs go in?"
A- It's possible you didn't wait long enough before wanting to/actually increasing your size. Wait another week or two and then try again. DON'T force the plugs in if they wont fit!

Q- "Can I use weights to stretch? I seen some guy on 69th St. with his ears hanging with weights and his ears looked like someone in an African tribe"
A- Weights are NEVER a good idea to use, hanging things like padlocks, heavy things etc. is NOT good. it can tear your ear and make your skin far thinner!

Q- "Can I put double flared plugs in right after I stretch?"
A- No, not right after, you should wait a week or two when your ears heal more. It's possible to sometimes get the double flared plugs in after stretching, but it's really not a good idea because when you stretch you want your ears to have enough room to expand and breath if they swell, double flares don't really allow that.

Q- "Can I use electrical tape to stretch, and how does that work?"
A- NO NO NO!!!! Electrical tape is porous and sticky, bacteria can get caught/trapped on it and you could get an infection!If you want to use tape, go for bondage tape. You start by wrapping the tape around your plug once or twice, and then do that again every few days or even in a week or two.

Q- "Are tapers expensive?"
A- No, they usually cost as much as a pair of plugs would cost, hey, even sometimes you can buy a plug/taper pack that comes with plugs and tapers.Q- "Can I use pinchers to stretch?"A- You could, it's not the best idea, but tapers really work the best for stretching.Q- "If you could guess what size do you think Davey Havok's ears are?"A- He's never said what size they are, but if I could guess, I'd have to say 3/4".One time I actually counted from a picture the stones going around one of his tunnels, and it equaled 28, and on the bodyartforms website (body jewelry store/website: bodyartforms.com) when you order those kinds of eyelets that he has (with the stones going around by Anatometal), the size 3/4" has exactly 28 stones on the rim.