If You Were A Beautiful Sound In The Echoes All Around, Then I'd Be Your Harmony <3

So, today I've decided to blog again. Mostly about Owl City.

The 23 year old's music has stolen my heart and the top 5 most played songs on my Zune. Well, no, first is still So Simple by Stacie Oricco, and I still don't know how that's possible. But, anyway, Owl City is my new obsession and I've added Adam Young (Owl City's super-shy real-life alter ego) to the list of the stalked with John Warne and Matt Thiessen (and to a lesser extent, James Marsden). Anyway, all the sugar-sweet technopop music's gotten to my head, and in my head, therefore I have created a little piano video to his song "Vanilla Twilight". If anybody comments on this asking for it, I'll gladly send you the video. I don't feel like posting it simply because it's too personal. From it, you would discover that my favorite hoodie is orange, I have really small hands, I wear dark nail polish, and my hair is brown. And the fact that I have a piano at my house. And that I can't play the piano worth a penny.

In other news...there isn't really any other news. Life's just going at it's normal pace. Christmas will soon be here. I'd better start shopping. Black Friday may be the start for some people, but I prefer it to be my deadline. It's already 43 outside during the day. Perfect weather for fingerless gloves.

Forget And Not Slow Down has shipped as of yesterday morning. I can't wait for the moment of joyous rapture as I tear open the cellophane wrapping. It will be glorious. I got the poster pre-order option. With my name on it. That should be nice to hang up somewhere prominent.

Well, I'd better get back to my somewhat boring day.

Here's To Peace, Love, & Citrus Constellations
~Lola

I'm Going To Make An Entire Post About Relient K

Come on, you know I can do it without even trying. But, I won't. I'll just share a little about Relient K and more about my life, since that's what blogs are supposed to be about, right?

So, today I reached a new level of happy. I called it Relient K Happy. Why? Cause it was brought about by this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PSQ6JALkZs

and the track list, and the "I Don't Need A Soul (To Hold)" lyrics. The world is such a happy place today. But, as promised, this post will not be all about Relient K.

See, I got the song from my friend Ike, who I hadn't heard from in over a year and a half. It was so unexpectedly pleasant to hear from him again, but it wasn't how I expected. See, I met him as "ikethespecial" on an Animal Crossing site. He and I talked about Relient K mostly, and he was probably one of my nicest friends on there. But then he left...
Well today I get followed on Twitter by "relientike" Suspicious? Quite. Being the person who always speaks her mind, I simply asked him flat-out if he was ikethespecial. He said he was, but (here's the surprising part) he only added me because my username has "relientk" in it. He doesn't even remember that we were ever friends! Not that he meant it rudely or anything, but it looks as if we'll be starting at ground zero in this friendship...

Speaking of friends, I lost one a few days ago. He was one of my best friends too. See, this is how it goes in my world. I have PJ/, who you all remember from the post I put out on his birthday. He's my random, funny, sweetheart of a friend who I consider closest. Then I have Rhett, who is older than me, and probably the smartest person I know. He's really accepting, a bit sarcastic, but totally the sort of friend everybody would want. And then there was Roux. He was...just like me. Everything I needed, he was there for. We laughed, we cried, we watched chick flicks and bashed boys when they broke our hearts...until two days ago. That was the day he left. Left for Nevada, told me we couldn't be friends anymore - swore it hurt him worse than it hurt me. I cried. Alot. But let's not go there. Why? Because, as Matt Thiessen puts it,

"The sun still burns the shadows out, and there's nothing to complain about now"

So, I'm going to take his other advice, and forget about all this and keep on going. Why, because I've got PJ/ and Rhett on one hand, and on the other I have my new friend who, for all practical purposes, has friendship amnesia. The world's still spinning, and Relient K's new CD comes out in 45 days.

That's alot to be happy about!

Here's to Peace, Love & Being Relient K Happy
~Lola

P.S. Did you notice Relient K was mentioned in each topic? I guess I failed at not making the entire post about Relient K. ha ha

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

So This Is The Game Plan, Folks

Not much to say today, but I do have a few things that have transpired since the last update. I'll put them in a list.
- Relient K sang a new song at a concert. Forget And Not Slow Down. It's amazing.
- I was assigned to teach Sunday School for the summer
- Michael Jackson died
- I've finished the top of my dress

Now that I've caught you up, I'll get you a step ahead.

This next weekend I'm off to Wyoming for a week. A whole week. No internet, no Zune, just my cell phone. I'll be able to check my Twitter (/relientkfanatic), so if any of you feel the need to keep up with me or contact me while I'm gone, go ahead and use that.

The reason I'm saying all this even though I'll still be here for 7 days is that I have to finish my dress's skirt before the trip. Entirely. That alone will take up the entire day, let alone packing and working on my Sunday School lesson plans. So I probably will not be able to blog again until I get back. Not to worry, I'll tell you everything about the trip that's worth telling.

So that's the game plan for the next few days. After this the only big thing for the summer is Ignite which is the 18th-19th. I'll have much more news about that than I will about Wyoming. But I'll talk to you when I get back I suppose.

Here's to Peace, Love & Busy Days
~ Lola

P.S. Today's John Warne's birthday. He doesn't read my blog. But that's okay.
Happy Birthday, John Warne!! You rock!!

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

Intermission

Every ballet performance has more than one act. Between two such acts, there is a pause given for the dancers to take a break and prepare for the rest of the show. This pause is called intermission.
Here's a little "did you know" about intermissions. The only children's movie with intermission in it is 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'. With good reason, too, since a straight 2 1/2 hours of confusing fairy tales and whiny children could grate on one's nerves.

But intermissions occur in more than performances and movies. Sometimes it can be a blissful pause in life between chaotic days. For me, my intermission begins today. I no longer have to prepare for our showcase which was pulled off with several backstage hitches that the audience never saw. I no longer must worry about due-dates for multi-page papers or study hereditary gene traits of pea plants.

The only thing on my mind anymore is the trip to Wyoming in July, Ignite Chicago, beginning work on my ballgown, perming my hair, and keeping up with the band members as Relient K works on a new CD...so maybe that is alot, but to me it's all very enjoyable and I'm quite pleased to have some structure to the endless days of summer.

I got my cast off on Tuesday, and the pain is all but gone. I can't play my guitar yet, but I will soon enough. <3

Here's to Peace, Love & Summer,
~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

Does This Qualify As "Good" News?

This morning I was pondering the phrase "good news" and came to the conclusion that there is no such thing. Now, I'm not being hopeless and saying that all news is bad. What I mean is, in order to be a silver lining, there has to be a cloud; being one of the "cup is half empty" people, I tend to see the cloud first.

For example, today my dance instructor informed us that we've completed 8 minutes of choreography to Vivaldi's Summer. She said it's wonderful news! So wonderful, in fact, that we can go ahead and show off and do the whole dance! My group was ecstatic. But to me, that "good news" meant 4 more minutes of choreography to learn in one Saturday that I will most likely not be there.

In another example, Relient K didn't post their weekly webcast yesterday as they said they would. I was a bit disheartened as I waited till midnight to see if it was just late. (not like it's that big of a deal since John Warne might not be in it anyway...) But one of the band members blogged that it was because they were so busy making the new album more amazing than the last. But I first noticed the cloud again.

However, if you caught onto this, the silver lining is always far brighter than the road block it's hiding behind. So maybe we should try our hardest to look at that instead of the looming clouds. Because I know I'd much rather have another "FiveScore" than a third video blog posted on schedule.

Here's to Peace, Love, & Finding The Bright Side
~Lola

This dying world, You brought it back to life...

As predicted, my sore throat has indeed turned into a flu. I can't breathe very well, I definitely can't speak, and any glimpse of food makes me immensely thankful for my little trash bucket tucked behind my bed. I'm wandering around the house in a state relative to being a ghost.

And yet -

I feel the need to escape the house for a few kartwheels. Why? Because yesterday began a trend of absolutely perfect days. The sun is blanketing our little pocket of earth with a blissful 73 degrees, the last patches of snow hidden from it's rays. The grass is slowly returning to it's green state. There's even a slight breeze dancing through the leaves still scattered from fall.

It's interesting to note the contrast of the perfection outside and the dullness inside. As long as I'm trapped in gloomy dimness, I'd much rather curl up and stare at the wall; but one glance outside reminds me that it's far too beautiful to not smile. So, I think I might sneak out to the porch after lunch. Who knows - maybe my sunburn from yesterday will turn out in a nice tan after today.

Here's to Peace, Love, & Not Letting The Doldrums Get You Down,
~ Lola