I Guess I Really Should Update

Right? I mean it's been, what, 18 days? In blog-terms, that's pretty much a lifetime.
There's just not been anything interesting to blog about. So this is going to be really boring. I apologize.

- I pre-ordered TFK's new CD and so should you.
http://tfk.skyroo.com/se/view/music/index.html

- Jon Schneck has taken to Rubik's Cube-ing to pass the time since the paper toss tournament was ended by MatTy. New podcast of said cubing might make you laugh. It made me laugh for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zni7ovRgIxg

- I've taken up knitting. No, I'm not 80. It's actually sorta relaxing and maybe even fun. I'm working on a special Christmas present for my best friend. It should turn out pretty sweet if I can get it to him. That's the hard part. haha

- Speaking of friends, remember back to how my birthday was most likely the last time I'd see alot of my friends? For a while, I thought that might've been wrong. But it wasn't. I told my friends I wasn't going back to dance this year and even the one who knows me better than probably anyone else in real life won't speak to me anymore. I keep telling myself I don't care, but deep down I do, I just don't want to think about it.

- I got my hair cut. I have bangs now. But they need straightening since my perm experiment made them look somewhat ridiculous. But straightened they look pretty okay, I think. The rest of my hair is just shorter.

- I went to a Demi Lovato concert last night. I know, I know, kid music. Pop. Everything I don't listen to. But I didn't really go for me, see, my brother is convinced that he's going to marry Demi someday since she is his age and all. So we went to the state fair and I took him to the Demi concert. We had pretty good seats right up by the front, so that was fun. I mean, concerts are fun no matter who they are, right? I did like it and my brother says he'll send me her songs for Zunii. I hope he remembers to do that...

I told you I haven't been up to much, and I really was telling the truth...but I guess that's just how summer is sometimes. Soon enough, fall will come, and then winter. Well, no, I take that back. The days until September 8th seem to be dragging. So it's not soon, but fall will come eventually. haha

Well, anyway, I've rambled too long for now.

Here's to Peace, Love & Rubik's Cubes That Look Like Daisies
~Lola

So I Really Need To Stop Procrastinating...

Last weekend was Ignite in Chicago. I've been stalling blogging about it because there's so much to say...I guess I'll just start at the beginning and when I get to the end, I'll stop.

So I love Chicago. Just for the record. I intend to live there someday. Not sure if I will, but I really hope to. Anyway, the trip there was fun. After checking into the hotel around 11 in the morning, we got pizza at Giordano's. Oh I forgot to say the car got a flat tire. It got fixed though during lunch. Anyway, we left straight from the pizza restaurant to the concert. We missed the first few bands, but we didn't know of them, so it worked out that we got to the baseball stadium just as Fireflight started their set.

After Fireflight came Disciple; I'm not very into music that loud, so I went to wait in a 30-minute line to meet Fireflight.

After that came Matthew West. Not my style either.

Then came Mark Schultz. I regret to say that I like him a whole lot less after seeing him live. He had no...no passion for what he was playing and looked extremely bored the whole time. And you had to pay if you wanted to meet him. Needless to say, I wasn't paying a penny to meet him, even though I used to love his music.

After him came Jeremy Camp. Still not quite my style, but he was very good and afterwards, when I met him, he was extremely nice.

Then came TobyMac. His show was quite flashy, but very entertaining. We had to leave early though, since his show ran later than scheduled.

The second day was the one I was more interested in. We got the stadium as Tenth Avenue North was just doing their sound check. I got to meet some of the bands that had played earlier that day, simply because they looked so sad sitting at their table, Sharpies in hand, with nobody wanting to meet them. They were very nice though.

After Tenth Avenue North, I went up to the front to go see KJ-52. He was definitely fun to hear. Afterwards, my amazing brother had waited in line the entire show for me to meet KJ since the lines were nearly 100 people long before the end of the rapper's set. So I got to meet KJ, but only for about 30 seconds and when my brother tried to get a picture of me with him, the two annoying girls ahead of us jumped in right in front of me. I did happen to get a really cool picture of him though.

After KJ came BarlowGirl. I'm really sorry to anyone out there who loves them, but BarlowGirl is one of those bands I just can't stand. My brother got to meet them, but I didn't even pay attention to their set.

After BarlowGirl came Family Force 5. Now, my relationship with their music is a bit love/hate. Sometimes I love it, but most of the time, it gets on my nerves. They're still 6th on my list of favorite bands though, and luckily, that day I was in the "love" mode. They're very into the show of it all, but they're also very good at what they do, so it was a great set, and I really liked it! My brother was once again amazing (and he hates them anyway haha) so he waited at the beginning of their line for me. I think it might have been the most exciting [non-Relient K] moment of the entire trip when I finally got to the table to meet them. For this one, I do have a picture. Well, sorta.

They didn't allow pictures with the band, so I had to take a picture of the band. [fangirl moment] See?? That's Chappy right across that table!!! :DDD[/moment] I got Dance or Die signed. The strange security guard person wearing a suit and tie tried to make them sign the back. I flipped it over when he wasn't looking so they signed the front.

During all this waiting in line and getting CD's signed by FF5, I missed the first two songs of Skillet. Fortunately, that's all I missed. Their show was quite amazing and I loved it! They sang pretty much all the best songs from Comatose (besides "Falling Inside The Black"...) and both their new songs. I wanted to pre-order their CD, but by the time I reached their booth they'd sold out of pre-order cards. I guess that's what the internet's for.

After Skillet, came the undisputed best part of the entire weekend - Relient K! Forgive the unusually frequent use of exclamation points throughout this paragraph. They started off the show with one of my favorite songs, "Chapstick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry" They played some of what I consider their best songs, like "There Was No Thief" and "I Need You" Unfortunately, they only played one of their new songs, "Forget And Not Slow Down", which I gladly know all the words to, thanks to Matt Thiessen posting the official ones! I was right up near the front of the stage for their show and it was amazing! I got 29 pictures of the band, and if anybody leaves a comment asking for it, I'd be glad to send the link to the album.

They didn't meet the fans, so I didn't get my drawing signed, or my FiveScore cover signed, or my Mmhmm cover signed, or my hat signed, or anything signed for that matter. I was also going to do the big reveal of the first picture of me ever on this blog thing, but I didn't even get a picture with them, so that didn't pan out. Guess you'll just have to wait to know what I look like until I finally do get a picture with John Warne...

After Relient K came Third Day. They're not my favorite band (that would be Relient K) but they are pretty good. We had to leave halfway through their show though since we only were staying the one night in the hotel, and had to drive home straight from the concert. The whole trip home, I spent texting my best friend which was fun. I think I'm finally getting faster with the whole "qwerty keypad" thing. Not as fast as I can type on Lappy, but maybe someday. haha

So that's the update. It was an amazing weekend, and I highly recommend you see the following bands live: Relient K, Skillet, Family Force 5, TobyMac, and KJ-52.

Here's to Peace, Love & Chicago-Style Pizza.

~Lola

Gardening

"If friends were flowers, I'd pick you."

An anonymous person said that. It's a cute phrase. But the problem with friends is that sometimes you don't quite know what you're picking.

Some people are like wildflowers - you pick them and the next day they're dead. Now you're friends won't be dead the day after you meet them (I seriously hope) but soon they'll simply lose interest in you and move on to the next new person.

Some people are like dandelions - they're nice for a while, but when the wind blows, they'll be gone leaving you to go through the hard times on your own.

Some people are like thistles - they'll be your friend, but rest assured you'll never be able to be very close with them. They intend to keep everyone at a distance, whether or not they're aware of it.

Some people are like roses - they may seem wonderful, but they'll hurt you without a backward glance. Because they were such good friends before, many times you may try again, but every time without fail, you'll be caught on a thorn.

The flower garden may sound like a scary place to have to pick from, but there's one breed of flower to look for - the daisies. They're not all that rare, but quite often unnoticed. They may not look like much at first glance, but they're the best friends you can find. They'll stick with you when the going gets rough and they'll last alot longer than other types of friends.

So be careful not to overlook the daisies - they tend to make the most beautiful bouquets!

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I'm guessing you're probably wondering what this blog post has to actually do with my blog. Fact is, it really has nothing to do with it. I found this whole thing typed up in Microsoft Word from a few months ago and felt like posting it up here. I guess there's really nothing better I could've posted today since there's really nothing interesting going on in my life. Just working on my sewing project. Off and on I've been practicing my piano, but the only thing coming to mind to play is "Fuzzy Blue Lights" and it's already stuck deep enough in my head so it's the last thing I want to play. I'd find something fun about Relient K to ramble about on here, but lately I've just not been that into them for some reason, so that's not an option. So that's why I chose gardening. Maybe it helped someone; maybe it didn't; maybe I'm just a bit out of it today.

Here's to Peace, Love & Flowers
~Lola

Allow Me A Few Moments To Be Myself

*This blog post is pretty much just my rambling on about Relient K. It's part of who I am, so please just excuse it if you find it odd. But, seriously, it is what this blog is named for after all.*

I just spent the last 20 minutes watching a "mini-mentary" of one girl's adventure following Relient K on their west coast tour. She got to go to 9 shows, hear snippets from their unreleased album early, and best of all hang out with each band member pretty much every day. Awesomest kind of adventure ever, if you ask me.

Today was a Relient K day for me. I've spent the afternoon following all the members' twitter posts and blogs, reorganized my picture album of them into seperate little folders for each member, and listened through the playlist of their concert nearly 4 times. The next item on the agenda is to draw a chibi-fied version of Matthew Hoopes with my tablet.

Obsessed? I figured you knew that by now...

I'm not sure if I've told you yet or not, but I'm going to see them again this summer. July 19th. I'm counting down days. The first concert of theirs I went to, I was unprepared. I wore normal clothes, took no CD for signing (I purchased a hard copy of FiveScore while there), and didn't go up to the mosh pit when only 10 pre-teen girls were standing up there. I also didn't have the forethought to wait by their bus for them to sign autographs. I'd heard they weren't signing but another person said they were and now I'll never know. It was the first time they ever played "Deathbed" at a concert, and I was the first person to have the video of it up on YouTube, but that's the only proof I was even there.

For this one, I'll be ready. My 'Life After Death And Taxes' jeans are in the wash to prepare for the use of a bleach-pen to make the words more readable since Sharpie seems to wash out of denim. I also have an official T-shirt of the band to wear, and a hat and messenger bag bearing their logo to finish out the ensemble. I plan to take my copy of FiveScore And Seven Years Ago and my drawing of the band for them to sign (and a Sharpie!) and even if it means missing part of another show (never been to a band festival, so I'm not sure how it works) I'm going to find them for pictures this time.

I wonder what they'll play? I wonder if their CD will have a release date by then? I wonder if Hoopes will have the flu again and not be able to sing very well?

And for the next few hours, you are very lucky to not be within earshot of me.

Here's to Peace, Love & Being A Fangirl Every Once In A While
~Lola

Long Days, Longer Nights, Waiting Makes the Time Go By...

In other words, I've been bored as of late. I'm waiting for the next 22 days to pass. Then I get my cast removed and can play my guitar again. In the unwanted break, I have been able to write two new songs so I can have something new to play at least.

I'm sorry I haven't written for a while. Our ballet showcase is next weekend and the dances are still being changed and two of the other dancers haven't been to class for a few weeks. We've been extending rehearsals and scheduling last minute run-throughs of our four dances. We took out the fifth one because we weren't prepared for it.

In my personal life, I've been doing quite a bit of drawing lately, both with my tablet and also with my drawing notebook. It's enjoyable, and I'm finding several new techniques, but I'm afraid I'm no good at drawing in the first place, so the techniques aren't going to do any good.

In even less related news, Relient K's new CD will be called "Forget And Not Slow Down", or at least that's what seems to be official. I'm slightly worried that I may not like it, simply because everybody seems to be changing their sound lately and they're the one band who definitely didn't need to change anything. If I in fact, don't like it, I'm in a strange predicament, because I just framed a 24x36 poster of them and put it up in my bedroom. Oh the things I spend birthday money on.

In yet less-on-topic news, I'm very close to finishing Phantom Hourglass. I almost got to the 5th level of the Ocean King's Temple before I got killed by a phantom. It's relatively hard to play with only one hand.

Now that I took you on a whirlwind trip through the last nine days of my life, I'll leave you to unscramble the randomness.

Here's To Peace, Love, & Catching Up
~Lola

Flying Pigs Have Been Spotted Across The US

If you misspell “swine flu”, it comes out “swine flew” and that, dear readers, is how rumors spread.

But this is not about ungulates defying gravity.

This is about learning to deal with whatever comes your way. In this case, it’s dealing with our entire state being forced to cancel public gatherings for the next 5 days due to a certain flu. No church, no public parties, no ballet… The church I can do without this week, seeing as how I’m in the process of finding a new church anyway. The ballet…well…can’t really do without that since there are only two weeks until showcase. Not that I care. I know my parts well enough for now, so let’s just say I can go without that too. That leaves the parties. And that poses a problem. Remember when my friends wanted to take me to The Rainbo Palace for a birthday surprise? That’s tomorrow. And the lockdown lasts 5 days. So, of course, my mother is relatively crushed since she planned it all and I’m wondering what I’m going to do with 9 copies of a mix CD that were supposed to be given out to all the guests. I can’t say I’m not disappointed too. It’s rare that any friends I have ever get to know me, and I won’t have these ones for much longer, so this was going to be the way to end it all with a bang. And now here is where the “learning to deal with whatever comes your way” comes in. I have two options in this situation. 1] Sit in my room staring at the wall tomorrow wishing it worked out. Or 2] Pick up a few of the ex-guests and play the 9 copies of the mix CD while we all stare at the wall together. They might both sound boring, but at least with Option 2, there’ll still be a chance of something fun. Who knows, maybe we can make our own Rainbo Palace. … Okay, no, on second thought, I don’t want unicorns painted on my wall.

ANYWAY, for those who don’t really want to hear about my life and just want to get to the moral of the story here: when things don’t turn out right, you always have two options. The first is always to let the bad times get the best of you and mope all alone. The second is to do what you can to make it work a different way. To quote Miley Cyrus (which is a one-time thing that I will later swear I never did) “life’s what you make it, so let’s make it rock!”

Here’s to Peace, Love, & Not Letting The Turkeys Swine Flu Get You Down
~Lola