music related :)

Cope-lizz-and

2010-03-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I went to see Copeland Saturday March 27th.

we started off our trip by going to visit Jerry in Grass Valley so I could pick up the mix CDs he made for me. that was a fun little excursion. Ryan decided he wanted to drive through Nevada City, so we did that and it was cute. we got to Jerry's house and hung out there for about an hour and half. then we left and went down to the Galleria, parked in the garage, and ate some food to kill time.

then we went over to Melissa's and John was already there and Brian showed up soon afterward. Melie has a new puppy named Benton and he's a little monster, but a very cute one. he kept biting at all of us and he actually got me pretty good on my right palm, the little bugger. we watched Fried Green Tomatoes (Brian cried at the end and we made fun of him for it); Ryan and Mel and John went to the store for some butter and came back to make cookies; Mel and I played Mancala (she killed me) while Brian and John played Super Smash Bros; Ryan, Mel, and I played Operation (I lost miserably); and then I convinced Jerry that he should come down. so Ryan, Brian, and I went to pick Jerry up and we played the letter game on the way up and 20 Questions on the way down. Ryan's first one was the Capitol Building in Sac; Jerry's was The Challenger; Brian's was Elizabeth Taylor (I hella guessed it); mine was the color green; and Brian went again and his was a muffin ("Do you repair it?").
when we got back to Mel's we watched King of the Hill and then Look Around You

and then we all went to bed.

we got up the next day, hung out a bit, got ready, and then Ryan and I left for San Francisco.

after we got gas in Fairfield at Arco, we were on the freeway when Ryan started freaking out. I was confused beyond belief and asked him what the hell was going on. he said that there had been something on his eye, something moving. so we looked around the car and then we spotted it. a bee buzzing around on the dashboard. so then Ryan started REALLY freaking out and I calmy said to roll down the window and we shooed the bumbly bee out into the real world. and while we were doing this Ryan was basically swerving into the other lane, but luckily there wasn't anybody there, so no harm done.

we hit some traffic around Berkeley, due to a collision, but the toll plaza wasn't bad, and we made it over the Bay Bridge fairly easily.

we got off somewhere (don't remember which exit specifically) and drove by Slim's just so we had an idea of where the venue was. then we got out my handy dandy map of the city and drove up to Geary on 11th and went to Ocean Beach from there. it was the most perfect day ever. it wasn't even windy, which is practically unheard of. we spent some time there; I took pictures and Ryan attempted to tan a bit haha.

then we left and went to Walgreen's so I could grab a roll of film, and then we went to Trader Joe's and bought some sushi (we're making it our pre-show tradition) and some pita puffs, and sat in my car and ate it all. after that we headed over to the Costco parking lot which is like a block down from Slim's. we saw lots of hipsters walking around the garage and Ryan said "Wow, we're definitely in the right place."

so we bought our little parking pass after trying to help a couple of guys out with the machine, (it just didn't like them at all). then we headed over and got in the super ridiculously long line where we saw members of the bands walking to and from their vans. at one point the lead singer of Deas Vail mistook Copeland's van for his and tried to get in it, but realized it was the wrong one and walked away. then one of the guys from Copeland opened his door and yelled "FAIL!" hilarious.
we got to the doors and got frisked and the lady looked in my bag, saw my XTi and said that I couldn't bring it in. so Ryan and I went back to my car and dropped off my camera and then I grabbed my little flip video camera. we went back to a shorter line, got inside, and I bought Beneath Medicine Tree (the only Copeland album I didn't have). then Ryan and I got situated and looked around the venue, which was SICK. while we were waiting there was a screen in front of the stage and projected onto it was The Pink Panther, with French subtitles.

I told Ryan that even though I'm fairly tall for a girl, I felt really short because there were a lot of taller guys in front of us. two guys standing directly in front of us turned around and said that they could shrink down for me and laughed. a couple minutes later they asked if we could save their spots and we said sure. so they left and about 5 minutes later they came back with sodas or something (I thought they were beers, but found out later that they're underage) and were surprised that we actually saved their spots.

soonafter, Deas Vail started playing. a few people clapped after the first song. a few more people clapped after the second. after the third there were a few "Whoo!"s and I think it was at this point that the bass player got his camera out and took a picture of the crowd. after the fourth song, I was a fan. after the fifth everybody was clapping and there were a few more screams. after the sixth I decided I wanted to get their cd. and after their seventh song (also their last) everybody was screaming and clapping. they were great. that's the first time I've liked an opening act so much that I bought their cd right on the spot. and Ryan and I decided that the lead singer (Wes Blaylock) looks like a girlier version of Isaiah (a dishwasher we work with).

so I bought their cd and went back to our spot where only one of the guys was still standing. Ryan and he were talking and I joined in. he asked our names and we told him and then he said his name was Jake and the other one was Jared (he went to the bathroom apparently). then we asked if he was from the city and he said that he and Jared went to the Academy of Art and then he asked where we were from. we told him we were from Chico and he got this completely shocked look on his face and said that that's where they were from too. crazy. turns out that they know Jenni (one of the girls Ryan and I both work with) and probably a lot of other people we know too haha. Jake dated one of the Mundy girls, small world to say the least.

we talked about Chico/Paradise for awhile and then Person L started. they were eh. not my fave.
during their performance I swallowed my gum, texted ChaCha asking how long it takes for gum to digest, and found out it actually doesn't take 7 years; the body can't digest it at all.
after Person L, it was I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business, and a girl standing behind us said "They're like eighth grade dance music." perfect description. but I ended up kind of liking them because the lead singer was hilarious and engaging. at some point there was mention of sandwiches and somebody yelled "KRYPTONITE" and the singer said "Kryptonite sandwich? That doesn't sound healthy" or something like that. he was quite quick with his quip and I liked him for it. about 15 minutes after that he introduced his fellow band members and asked us all "Doesn't Jose look like Team Jacob?" (Jose is the drummer) and we all started laughing and agreeing with him. then he went on about how Jose was actually [Taylor Lautner]'s older brother but didn't know his name and it was hilarious. then they were done and we waited for Copeland.

Jake told us so hit him if he started singing too loudly when they came on. around 10:35 Copeland came out and opened with "I'll Take Care of You". they are so damn good live, it's stupid.
then it was "Careful Now", "Sucker For a Kind Word", "The Grey Man", and "Chin Up".
after that they played "Control Freak" and the ENTIRE place was singing along. "Coffee" was next and there were a couple of people in front of us who got out their lighters and I tapped Jake on the shoulder and said "Hey! You can get out your lighter now!" (he'd been playing with one earlier.) occassionally Aaron Marsh's mic wouldn't be as loud and you could just hear everybody singing and it was amazing.
then it was "On the Safest Ledge", "The Day I Lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song)", and "Eat, Sleep, Repeat". there was a little lull in activity because Aaron was getting off the keyboard and putting on his guitar, so people started yelling out songs they wanted to hear and Aaron said "Thank you guys for yelling out subtitles at us" and we all laughed. then he told us they were gonna do a pop song, so they played "Pin Your Wings" and "No One Really Wins".
after those they played "When Paula Sparks" and "California" and left the stage.
we all knew they were going to come back to play an encore so we weren't that enthusiastic with our chants of "COPE-LAND! COPE-LAND!" but after awhile we all started cheering and screaming and Aaron came back out with one of the guitarists, sat down at the keyboard, and started playing "Brightest". for most of the song you could only hear the crowd singing. such a great great song. then the rest of the band came out, Aaron thanked us all for coming out and the last thing he said was "We've been Copeland", and I started tearing up. then they started playing "You Have My Attention", one of my very favorite songs of theirs.

after that we all left Slim's, bid Jake and Jared fond farewells, and headed back to the Costco garage. Ryan and I drove through the Castro and went up to Twin Peaks and froze our butts off while I took pictures of the city with clear skies.

then we left and went to my Auntie Lebo's house in Pittsburg for the night.
we got up around noon, had brunch, went to see my dad, and then we headed up the River Road to go back to Mel's house in Roseville because I had left my phone charger there.
by the time we were a block away from her house I had to go to the bathroom so bad it was insane, and Ryan kept making me laugh so I said "Don't say anything funny! Talk about dead babies or something!" and that made him crack up even more so I started laughing harder. it was torturous. we got to Mel's, I jumped out of the car with a quick "hello" to Ethel (her mum), and ran into the house to use the bathroom. crisis averted. so Ryan and I spent a bit there just talking to Ethel and Ted (Mel wasn't home) and we had a fun time. then Ry and I left, found a 7-11 because Ryan wanted a Slurpee, and headed home.

it was a really great weekend all in all :)

funny quotes from the trip:

"Mature, mature, mature! Three time's the savior!"

-Ryan at Winco the night before we left
"Is it something general, or something specific? Like a mom?"
-me during 20 Questions
"What's this? A potpouri of chips? Chocolate chips?"
-Jerry finding our bag of meltaways
"Elizabeth Taylor! A Muffin!"
-me, Ryan, Brian, and Jerry

"Let's talk about DEAD BABIES!"

-me trying to get Ryan to stop laughing because it was making me laugh and I was about to pee my pants

these are from my show

2009-09-01T02:07:00.001-07:00

Copeland and Anchor&Braille at The Boardwalk

2009-07-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

yesterday (Friday July 10, 2009) Ryan, Eva Jane, and I went to Roseville/Orangevale to visit our friend Melissa and to see Copeland/Anchor&Braille. we got out of town around 12:30, stopped on the side of the road just outside of Marysville so Eva and I could take pictures in an orchard. we picked some apricots or pluots or whatever they were and ate them. we were hoping they weren't poisonous. then we picked a few blackberries before we saw some really gross spiders. I gave Eva a little piggy back ride and almost died because I had to go over mounds of really loose dirt.

then we left and continued on our trek to Melie's house. Mel called us when we were a few minutes away from Lincoln to ask when we'd be there. we also played Padiddle a bit and I ended up taking off my shorts and my tights. so we got to Mel's and John and Brian were there so we hung out with them for a little bit before they had to go see there friend James. I finally scanned the polaroids and stuff I've been wanting to scan for almost a month after lots of trouble from the computer and scanner. after Brian and John left Eva took some silly pictures of me, Mel, and Ryan. then we hung out with Ethel (Melie's mum) for a bit and left their house around 6:30.

we went to Trader Joe's where David R. won the race for Ryan that we were having on who could get through the checkout the quickest. we then drove to some park type place to eat. I had some brown rice California Rolls (delicious!) and a ceasar salad. Ryan went to the Raley's right there to get some gum and Eva took some pictures.

then we headed over to The Boardwalk. we got in line and we had only been standing there for a short time when we saw Holly. I hadn't seen Holly in AGES and I was absolutely shocked to see her there. it was awesome! so we talked for a few before she went back over to stand with her boyfriend. after we got in Meese was already playing so we went to stand with the crowd. they were really good and I liked them a lot. and apparently they're the free download of the week on iTunes, so I have to get that. after they were done playing we moved up for Anchor&Braille. we got some pretty decent spots a few people from the front which was awesome.

me (t0 Jess and East Coast Ryan) 8:03 pm: Guess who im about to see?????

East Coast Ryan 8:03 pm: ANCHOR & BRAILLE????

Jess 8:03 pm: The love of our lives

me(to ECR) 8:05 pm: YEAH BOY :D. Would it be alrite if i called during one of the songs?

me (t0 Jess) 8:05pm: Yes ma'am :)))))

me (to ECR) 8:33pm: Hes setting up :D

so when they were setting up the guy in the sound booth kept asking Stephen and Micah Tawlks (the other guitar player and backup vocals) questions. he asked Stephen where he was from and Stephen said Los Angeles with a smirk on his face so the sound guy kept asking him all these questions and at some point mentioned Pamela Anderson and Stephen jokingly said "Pamela Anderson, I don't know her." so funny.

so he started off the set with "Rust (Mary Agnosia)" and I started to cry a little bit, I just teared up. he's beautiful. after that song he and Micah talked a little bit and said thanked Micah's parents for the breakfast burritos they made them that morning. and Stephen was joking that he was from Sacramento but it turns out Micah actually is. Stephen said something about how he only lived in Los Angeles for a brief period of time. "A dark time" he said and continued with "Don't ever move south. Unless you move to San Francisco or San Diego." and I guess Micah's parents live in Fairfield but Stephen kept calling it "Fairview" and after he talked about the breakfast burritos he said "Fairview, Land of the Plenty." he's quite funny.
they continued the set with a song I had never heard, "Sing Out" and I really really liked it.

after that Stephen said they were going to play "Still Sleeping" but ended up playing "Wedding/Funeral".

next up was "Blur" at which point I called East Coast Ryan and had him listen to it. afterwards he texted me and said "YOUUU AREEE THE BESTESTESTESTESTESTESTESTESTESTESTESTESTESTEST :DDDDDDDDDDD".

after that was the actual "Still Sleeping" at which point Stephen realized he had messed up before and apologized. oh, and at some point they told us that this was only the 3rd date of the tour they had played (out of 6) because their car broke down in Arizona.

after that was their last song, the "single" off the record which can be listened to at Spin.com, "Steps In A Dance".

so after their set I went back to get merch. I bought the deer shirt [http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/90/l_0396d3d266ca4ab8962bc815b67e9713.jpg] that I'm going to cut into a V-neck, the 7-inch vinyl with "Sound Asleep" and "Wedding/Funeral" on it, a couple buttons, a sticker, and 6 postcards. I would've bought The Orphaned Anythings if I didn't already have it. after the merch girl (who I'm pretty sure is his wife) gave me my change after much uncertainty of how much it was (she hates math and I told her I did too) I donated $5 to the "Fix Our Tour Car" fund. so Eva and I went back to find Ryan and listened to Sherwood. they were alright. probably my least favorite musically of the night, but they were really energetic which I give them mad props for and they had a pretty cool light show.

after Sherwood I saw that Stephen was back at the merch counter so Eva and I went back there while Ryan moved towards the front to save us spots for Copeland. there was only one guy in front of us and he and Stephen were talking for days, which I couldn't really blame him for. the merch girl nudged Stephen and said "There's a line" and Stephen told her "We're hanging out" and Eva and I started talking to her about polaroid film and stuff. she's so nice. so after the guy ahead of us left Stephen said hi and whatever and I leaned on the counter and said "I have a question to ask you."

he said "Okay, what is it?"

"Did you drop that?"

"How did you hear about that? Don't tell anybody about that. Compound Lockdown, my rap side project," and he said it while kind of laughing but kind of ashamedly.

so I laughed and told him that if he ever toured with JUST that song, I'd totally go see him. then I proceeded to ask if I could get a polaroid with him and he was like super excited about the fact that it was a polaroid. so I asked him how we should go about executing it since he was behind the counter and stuff. he said "Do you want to sit on here?" talking about the counter itself.

I asked "Can I do that?"

"Why not?"

"Then hell yeah!" (I never ever say that, I don't know what took over me)

so I jumped up on the counter with some great skill (it's a pretty high counter) and he grabbed the lavender the merch girl had gotten at a farmers market in Santa Cruz the night before and held it up to me. I kept looking at him and laughing about it. so Eva took the polaroid and I asked Stephen to sign it and I handed him a blue sharpie I had. he wrote on it "Polaroids... of us." and then he signed it beneath that. I thanked him, jumped off the counter, and told him not to steal my pen (he was putting it down next to the merch book). I told him he was wonderful and I loved him and we left to go find Ryan up in the front-ish.

so Eva and I found Ryan and stood with him while Copeland was setting up. we were all getting excited. so once they set up they opened up with "The Grey Man" which is one of my very very favorite songs of theirs. it was pretty much all Aaron Marsh on the piano for the first verse but once the chorus hit the guitars and drums joined in and it was magical. I can't even describe the feeling. it was incredible. in-cred-i-ble.
next was "Chin Up" followed by "Sleep", "On The Safest Ledge", and "Control Freak". that was just as amazing as "The Grey Man" musically. so wonderful.

next up was "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" and then "Brightest" to which pretty much everybody in the whole entire place sang along to.

"When You Thought You'd Never Stand Out" was extraordinary. I've always liked the song, but live, it was just so much more. amazing. during the lines "Don't know what everyone was looking at/ Don't care what everyone was laughing at/ Don't know what everyone was staring at" Aaron wouldn't sing the "Don't care what everyone was laughing at" part so all you could hear was the audience. it was so wonderful.

"The Day I Lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song)" which is one of my favorites was after that. and following that was "Pin Your Wings" and "Careful Now". I think it might have been after one of those two songs that Aaron almost started playing it over again. he then told us that he had done that the night before, where he got done with a song and started doing it over again.

after that there was a kind of silence for a few moments in which a girl next to me yelled out "Love Is A Fast Song" and other people started yelling out "When Paula Sparks" and Aaron laughed and said "How many song titles do we have the word "love" in?" and everybody laughed a bit and yelled out "Love Affair" and then Aaron said "Thanks for yelling out song titles. I haven't heard "Free Bird" yet," and then of course somebody did and we all started laughing.

they started back up with "No One Really Wins" and then Aaron told us all to go back to the merch counter and check out everybody's merch and then said "Please go get some. Get some," in a really funny way.

"You Have My Attention" was next and I think that is one of my favorite live songs ever now. I never realized how good the lyrics were. so good. and then they ended with "Coffee" and left.

everybody kept cheering and a few people yelled "One more song!" after a minute they came back out and Aaron said "It's hard to make a big rockstar exit when you just walk out to the parking lot. We were planning on coming back in on hydraulics, but we couldn't get it set up quite right. There's a vent blowing on me. Is my hair blowing back like Michael Jackson?" at this point we were all laughing pretty damn hard and we were all like "WHAT?" at the MJ comment. and then something about how he had a lot of fans and how he was on one, put not the person kind of fan. I don't even know, but it was hilarious.

the encored with "Testing The Strong Ones".

Aaron Marsh is incredible. he's so awkward but in a somehow spectacular way. and freaking a, Copeland is so amazing live. last night I'd say they're better live than on the cds. hands down. I want to see them again as soon as possible. so great.

then we walked outside and I took a couple of pictures with traffic cones and then Ryan went and got a pretty great picture with one of the guitarists of Copeland.

we left the parking lot in Folsom at midnight and went to an In&Out off of I-5 (meaning we took the LONG way around) where there were a BUTT LOAD of people from Mayhem Fest there. there were all wearing black and had long hair, it made me laugh. so when we were sitting down and eating our fries (okay, I was eating THEIR fries) some guy walked by us and told us some kid in the corner was a faggot and we were awkwardly just being like "Okay, thanks for telling us" and stuff. and everybody in there kept screaming "SLAYER!!!" like 50 million times. it was pretty funny.

and then we came home. oh, there was road work going on in 70 which I found amusing because exactly a year ago when we were coming home from the American Idol concert at Arco there was road work. I just found it odd.

all in all it was a marvelous day and night.

old sets that I want to delete from playlists in iTunes

2009-05-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Lydia Boardwalk Set 8 November 2008:
-A Fine Evening For A Rogue
-One More Day
-This Is Twice Now
-Smile, You've Won
-All I See
-It's In Your Blood
-December
-Always Move Fast

Copeland Boardwalk Set 8 November 2008:
-Strange and Unprepared
-To Be Happy Now
-No One Really Wins
-When Paula Sparks
-Careful Now
-Eat, Sleep, Repeat
-Chin Up
-Control Freak
-When You Thought You'd Never Stand Out
-The Grey Man
-Not Allowed
-Brightest
-Pin Your Wings
-You Have My Attention

Anberlin Warped 2007 (Mountain View):
-Godspeed
-Hello Alone
-Adelaide
-A Day Late
-Paperthin Hymn
-Readyfuels
-Dismantle. Repair.

Anberlin Warped 2008 (San Francisco):
-Godspeed
-Feel Good Drag
-A Day Late
-Hello Alone
-Breaking
-Paperthin Hymn

Anberlin Warped 2008 (Marysville):
-Godspeed
-The Feel Good Drag
-A Day Late
-Hello Alone
-Adelaide
-Paperthin Hymn
-Dismantle. Repair.

Anberlin Warfield Set 30 November 2007:
-Never Take Friendship Personal
-Hello Alone
-Adelaide
-A Day Late
-Paperthin Hymn
-Dismantle. Repair.
-Godspeed

Anberlin Grand Ballroom Set 14 October 2008:
-Disappear
-Never Take Friendship Personal
-Paperthin Hymn
-A Day Late
-Haight Street
-Adelaide
-Dismantle. Repair.
-Inevitable
-The Unwinding Cable Car
-Hello Alone
-Feel Good Drag
-The Resistance
-Godspeed
-Fin*

anberlin loves me :)

2009-01-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

copied from a 'space bulletin

"sicka sicka whaaaat? anberlin loves me :D"

in their tattoos and whatnot album

I love them :)

anberlin @ The Grand Ballroom @ The Regency Center in SF

2008-10-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited

;)

omfg soooooooooo amazing.

so Sara, Elle, and I left Butte at 1:48 pm. we almost got lost like 20 minutes into the trip, it was funny. we stopped for food at Taco Bell in Williams and then kept going. we got some Twizzlers at Safeway in Fairfield for the crew. I got 4 different kinds, and some ribbon and sticky things and a Disney Princess card. when we were crossing the Bay Bridge I started to put the Twizzlers together. I stacked them and tied the purple ribbon around them and stuck the card on top. the note said something like

For the anberlin crew (and those that like to
mooch off them/steal their stuff/just like Twizzlers):

we hope you enjoy the VARIETY of Twizzlers that
we have provided for you. Remember to play nice and
share the plethora of sugary goodness with those you

care about (or maybe don't care about). <3 size="4"><3 <3>

<3 Candace, Elnora, & Sara

so we were trying to get to the Van Ness exit, but we missed the turn off and instead headed towards San Jose. we turned around (after I yelled at Sara to turn down a ONE WAY STREET the WRONG WAY, oops) and got back on the right track. we were all yelling and it was hilariously awesome :D we passed the venue, found a parking garage and started getting ready. being the graceful person I am, I spilled my makeup all over Sara's car and my pants hahahaha.

once we got to the line we decided we would go ask where Will Call was supposed to go (since my tickets never came in the freaking mail) but it was just the same line so we went back. I was getting super excited so I was like "I really need to hit something!" and this guy in front of us turned around and was like "You can hit him" and pointed to his friend. it was quite funny.

we got up to the security guard and I showed him my bag and he told me I had to either throw the Twizzlers out or take them back to the car. I was like "They're for anberlin's crew! I swear!!!" so he said that they would have to come out and get them so I was like "Okay! Just don't throw them away!" so we got the tickets and went to wait in line for merch. at some point the security guard came in and was like "I just don't want to see any Twizzlers flying around" and handed me the pack of Twizzlers. as he walked away I yelled to him "Thank you! I love you!" hahahahaha

so then we got up to the merch table and I handed Brent the Twizzlers (he said "Awesome!") and I said "You should read the note." he read it and said "So true! Thank you!" and gave me a high-five :) so then we bought merch (there was sooooooooo much good stuff I couldn't handle it! I wanted it all!). I ended up getting this SICK shirt with cool colors and the vinyl of New Surrender :)

then we went inside the ballroom and listened to There For Tomorrow. they were alright. during the last song we went back out to anberlin's merch table to get pictures with Brent.

somehow we got on the subject of the nametags Elnora and I were wearing (mine said "HELLO Did You Drop That" and Elle's said "HELLO Bend On Down Pick It Up") and we told Brent he should look at them. he did and started laughing and told us to make sure to show Stephen.

and then I asked him who the guy pouring energy drinks in the Compound Lockdown video was.

he told me it was a guy named Joel who worked for the label and was the one who went around during Warped to put up all the posters and spraypaint and stuff, and that he also lives near Stephen in LA and that's partly why he was able to do it.

after that we hung out around the entrance into the ballroom and just goofed around and stuff. and then all of a sudden the doors to the ballroom opened and out walked a tall and skinny guy. he was in a hurry and as he passed us I was like "HOLY SHIT! THAT'S [K]NATE!" but kind of under my breath. so we followed him b/c I was still in disbelief, I was going to yell out his name but it looked like he had to take a phone call and I didn't want to bother him. I was like "OH MY EFFING GOSH!!!!!" and my heart was beating really fast. so we waited around the entrance for him to come back in when a guy that worked there came over to me and asked if I had a photo pass (I had my Canon Rebel XTi slung around my neck) and I told him I didn't but that the security guard at the door said cameras were okay. apparently my camera is "too advanced" so we had to go put it in coat check. the guy was really nice about it so it was okay :)

then we went back in to listen to some of Straylight Run's set. I about died when they played Exitentialism On Prom Night. soooooooooooooooooooooo good. it was either the song after that or their last song that Sara kept tapping me on the arm while I was talking to Elnora. I was like "HOLD ON!!!" but I looked up, a second too late at that, and saw Christian walk by. so we followed him to the other end of the ballroom and stood around looking for him, but he must've gone behind the curtain we figured. so we were there when Elnora noticed a sign that said "Smocking Section Outside" so we were like WTF? hahaha. so then she asked a security guard about it and it was kind of funny. then she went outside for a smoke and Sara and I went with her. while we were standing out there we saw [k]nate come out from around the corner (still on his phone) and I was like "It must've been urgent, maybe his girlfriend is pregnant!" but I was totally joking of course :)

then we went back inside and waited around for Scary Kids Scaring Kids to start. they came on and the freaking keyboardist was INSANE!!!!! he looked like a werewolf (we had joked earlier about anberlin being werewolves b/c it was a full moon last night) and it was quite funny. and their lead singer looks like a super duper hardcore version of Christian from anberlin. when they played My Darkest Hour I got super into it. sooooooooooooo good :D

and then we waited. and waited. and waited. while we were waiting I blurted out "I'm SO excited!" and this guy turned to me and asked "Is this your first time?" and I replied "No, fifth," and his response to that was like "Oh, this is my fourth" and he sounded really dejected, it was great. so then we ended up talking pretty much the whole time during setup. his sister was like "Adam, testimonial" and I was like whattttt? but he got out his camera and pressed record. she was like "hi! we're here waiting for anberlin. (an aside to me "what's your name?" "candace") this is candace (pan over to me "hi!" with a little wave)..." I don't remember what else she said. then Adam asked us where I was from and I said "Paradise, it's like 3 1/2 hours north of here" and his friend (I don't remember his name, I think it was Sean or John or something) was like "Oh, Chico area?" and I was like "YEAH!" I was so shocked he knew where I was talking about. then Adam at some point said "This is what I do for entertainment. Some people [do something] or watch hockey. [I go to shows]." and I was like "Who watches hockey?!?!" and Adam nodded to his friend and was like "He does" and I started laughing :) then we just continued to wait. and wait. and I really wanted to hit something, but I didn't know Adam well enough to do that, so I decided not to. oh, and at some point he mentioned the Underoath/Saosin concert next month, and it looks like we're going to try and go to that :) and we kept waiting. and waiting. and waiting. then we saw this guy walking around on the balcony above and it was Stephen and I was like OMGOINDOIDN :D hahahahaha

and then it started.
they opened with Disappear.
then it was Never Take Friendship Personal.

then Stephen told us to dance around for the next one which was off of the Never Take Friendship Personal album. it was Paperthin Hymn.
then it was A Day Late. I went CRAZY!!!!! still my favorite song :D

then Stephen proceeded to tell us a story. "I've only ever written two songs about places. (I screamed in excitement at this point.) The first was Naive Orleans and this one about Haight Street." (I had every intention of suing if they didn't play that song. I mean it was effing San Francisco for goodness sake!)
then he talked a little bit and Adam was talking to his sister and kept saying "I bet you it's Adelaide. I bet you anything it's Adelaide." and it was. oh, and [k]nate licked his drumstick. holy fuck. pardon my French, but DAYUM. so fucking sexy!!!!!!!!! (I think Adam and Brielle (his sis) left the pit at this point)

then it was Dismantle. Repair.
and then they slowed it down. they played Inevitable and I called Jack hahahaha :)

then it was The Unwinding Cable Car. one of the most amazing songs I've seen live. every. single. person. in the ENTIRE place. was. into. it. and singing along :) Stephen probably didn't even have to sing the song pretty much. it was amazing. it was either during this song or Inevitable that Elnora and I latched onto each other and swayed back and forth lol.
then they picked it up again with Hello Alone.

then Feel Good Drag.
then The Resistance. SO FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. sooooo good :D

then they "ended" with Godspeed. it's so much better live than on the album.
they left the stage and we all started chanting "ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!" and they came back out of course and played *Fin. SO. FUCKING. INCREDIBLE. LIKE HOLY FUCK. Stephen's voice for having laryngitis was so beautiful. the end of *Fin made me melt. I plugged my ears so I could just hear his voice and none of the feedback and I about melted right there. his voice is so spectacular. I adore that man like no other.

then it was over so we left the ballroom and planned on lingering for awhile. I really wanted to see Adam again so we hung around the door. then all of a sudden Elnora blurted out "ADAM!" and he looked over and saw us so he, his sister, and his friend came over. we talked for a couple minutes and Adam asked us what kind of music we were into. I said "anberlin type stuff, but lately more mellow stuff" so he told us to check out his band. so he gave me the url (myspace.com/thedayrock) and told me to message him. I said I totally would and he was like "Yeah, I tell everybody to do that and only like one person ever does" so I was like "I so will, don't worry." hahahahaha. then I told them to have a good drive back to San Jose and they left.

then we went and got our stuff from coat check and left for the parking garage. we decided to go the other way around the building to get back to Sara's car, and I'm soooooooooooooooooo thankful that we did. anberlin's bus was on that side of the building and [k]nate was out there at the time signing. so I was like "OMG!" so we went down to stand with a bunch of people :) [k]nate left but then a couple minutes later Joey came out. so Elnora, Sara, and I pushed our way towards the front of the crowd (maybe like 25 people) and everybody was really nice so it was cool. when we were almost to Joey it got reallllllllllllly quiet and Joey said, "Well this is awkward" kind of quietly. it was pretty funny. so I pushed myself forward and was like "Hi" haha. he asked how we were doing and yada yada and I asked if he would sign my picture of California Street, of course he would hahaha. he was like "What is this?" and I said "It's a picture of California Street, here in the city" and he signed it and I asked if we could get a picture and we took a picture.

woo-who. hahaha. then I asked him if Stephen would be out and he replied "Yeah, I think they're all going to be circulating" or something to that effect. then we went back to the "end" of the line. Joey left and little bit later [k]nate came out again. we got up to the front again and we saw he was wearing his glasses.

(the ones Christian's wearing actually)
so Elnora wondered if they were prescription so I told her to ask him. so we got up to him and niceties were exchanged and as I handed him my picture I asked if he would sign it. he took it and looked at me and said "Haven't you given this to me before?" and I was like "YES! Thank you for remembering!" I had put it in with the bag of cookies Jack gave him at San Francisco Warped. he then proceeded to say "Yeah, I have this picture in my journal." I was like OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG "REALLY???" his reply was "Yeah, it's a really good picture." and I thanked him profusely. :D
then we asked for a picture and Elnora asked "Are those prescription glasses?" and I added "Or are you posing?" and he was like "I'm not posing. [But] you caught me." hahaha, and she asked if she could wear them for the picture and he was like "Of course!" so she wore them. then when Sara was taking the picture the flash had to pop up and when it did [k]nate was like "What the- ?" and we ALL started laughing. it was super hilarious. then we went back to the "end of the line" again. we waited and talked to people and it was cool.

then Deon came out. I honestly don't remember what even happened, I just remember saying "He's so cute" pretty loudly when we were close to him. we got autographs (that term sounds so weird to me) and a picture and he's just adorable. I LOVE his smile so much :D

and then we waited for Stephen. and waited. and waited. Sara wasn't feeling well AT ALL so after awhile I was like "If he doesn't come out in the next two minutes, we will leave" and I even set a timer on my phone. fortunately he came out and we all clapped and screamed and it was awesome. so we got up to him and he's just amazing. seriously. so we asked for autographs (still weird) and then I was like "We have a question for you: Did you drop that?" and he looked up at me and smiled and so enthusiastically replied "Yes! I did!" it was sooooooooo cute!!!! and I told him we made nametags and he looked at them and was like "That's rad!" hahaha. and I also asked if he would sign my copy of his book, The Orphaned Anythings. he was so excited that I had his book it was ridiculous. so cute. he just kept thanking me and it was so sweet. and then I told him the dying bee story. I still can't believe I did that. I was like "So my friend and I were waiting for our next classes the other day and I was reading your book and then a bee came and landed on my bag and it ended up dying. I don't know where I was going with this but it was really sad and I guess it reminded me of you because I was reading your book." it was ridiculous. I felt like an idiot lol. so then as we were leaving I was like "I'm gonna go now before I melt, but I love you" and he said "I love you, too" and I was like OMG I ADORE YOU!!!! (I said this in my mind of course) and I thanked him again and he is just sooooooooooooooooooooo amazing and I love him with every fiber of my being. his wife is VERY lucky :) oh, and I've decided I need to marry somebody like him :D

so we when we were walking back to the parking garage I called Olivia and told her to post a bulletin on myspace for me about [k]nate and the picture. it was amazing.

we got back to the garage and went to the car and were trying to leave but apparently we were supposed to pay before we got our car. SORRRRRRY. the guy was kind of rude :/

so then we left the city. the only way I know how to get out is to go down to the piers and such. so we tried going the wrong way down Hyde a few times but we finally got onto it after a long time of trying to find a way lol. when we passed Lombard we looked out the window. hole. eee. fuck. 2nd most beautiful city night I've ever seen. (it's second only to last year when my mom took me and Jack up to Twin Peaks after seeing anberlin at the Warfield. as we came over the hill and looked out across the city and bay everything was lit up and moon was bright and the reflections on the water were breathtaking.) anyway, we looked out toward Coit Tower all lit up and it was just beautiful. another breathtaking view. soooooooooo freaking beautiful. ridiculously beautiful.

so we got down to the piers and eventually made it out of the city. we got to my dad's new house in Pittsburg at 1am. then we got ready for bed and drank some water and V8 and I ate a little of whatever was in the fridge lol. then Elnora and I shared a couch and talked for a little bit and fell asleep. next thing I knew my dad was telling us to wake up. it was like 6:10. he told us he made us GRANDE breakfast burritos. so we slowly got up and going. I believe we left his house around 6:50. we took the river road. sooooooo pretty. right before Rio Vista the sun started coming up over the hills. it was honestly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my entire life. I so prefer sunrises over sunsets. it was just so beautiful. in my mind I was wishing so badly that I had had someone to share it with. well besides Elnora and Sara. Elnora was dozing and Sara was driving. I wanted to pull over on the side of the road and just sit there and watch the sunrise with someone I loved. I just need to find someone now lol. it was seriously soooooo gorgeous. just watching the brilliant orange and pink sliver of the sun slowly getting bigger and higher in the sky was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life. no joke.

we made it back to Elnora's house in Oroville in like 2 1/2 hours, and it would've been less had we not hit traffic in Sactown. pretty fast trip, and we listened to New Surrender the whole way.

so needless to say, it was a wonderful trip.

I will love anberlin forever and always, until the end of time.

brief meanings of New Surrender

2008-09-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

1. The Resistance
standing up for what they believe in
3. Blame Me! Blame Me!
taking responsibility for ones actions
4. Retrace
coming home
5. Feel Good Drag
cheating
6. Disappear
homelessness
7. Breathe
a return to pacifism
8. Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)
seconds before you die the thoughts that go through your head
9. Younglife
memories
10. Haight St
boys night out.
11. Soft Skeletons
abuse
12. Miserabile visu (ex malo bonum)
end of the age

I'm slowly falling in love with Lydia

2008-09-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

about 2 months ago (ish) To Write Love On Her Arms posted a bulletin talking about Lydia and their record "Illuminate". so I decided to go to their page and check them out. I didn't really care for them much at first, but downloaded "This Is Twice Now" and "I Woke Up Near The Sea" anyway. I started to kind of like them and then I listened to the songs on their myspace page over and over and over. when I went to Cabo in August I had "This Is Twice Now" on repeat. I continued listening to them throughout August. then last week I believe I was looking for a new song to put on my page and thought about Copeland. when I got to their page I wondered if Lydia was on their top b/c I wanted to go listen to them. turns out that they're touring together and I was like "OMFG! YES!!!!" but found out that they'll be at the Boardwalk the day I'm possibly scheduling my birthday party. but I'm seriously considering rescheduling it b/c I realllllllllly wanna see both Lydia and Copeland.
so tonight I went to youtube to see if they had any good videos of the songs. I started listening to some of the other songs I'd never heard before and I was like "Holy shit. I freaking need this cd."

so once I save up some more money I'll buy it for sure. but I lost $20 so I'm like :(
but I will get it. plus, Circa Weather's coming up, and Leighton's voice reminds me of Anthony Green's so it just fits with the whole "Circa Weather" thing :D

message to anberlin. Aug. 20, 2008

2008-08-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

"I don't understand why people are so mean"

when I first started reading the comments from people who'd heard New Surrender they were all of praise, saying it was amazing, the best yet, yada yada yada.
then I went back like 30 minutes ago and started reading them since my post.
they were all pretty much of hate, saying "it's not anberlin", saying how disappointed they were that it sounded like you had rushed.

did they not read your blogs? did they not watch the vlogs? did they completely ignore you for the months you were in the studio recording?
honestly.
sure, to some it might not have been quite what they had expected, but do they have to be mean about it?
in my opinion either be constructive about it or keep your mouth shut. no need to bring people down that have poured mind, body, and soul into trying to create the best work of their careers.
I really don't understand people sometimes.

I personally haven't listened to the album, I will when I go out and buy it September 30th.
and no matter if I personally think it's better or worse than Blueprints, NTFP, or Cities, I will love every second of it.
every word, every guitar solo, every melody, every single little thing you spent hours upon hours working on, I will try to find some meaning in, I will love with every fiber of my being.
like I've told you before, you could come out with a record of little kids songs and I'd love it lol.

you're pretty much the reason why I'm alive. (now that I read that, it sounds a little weird.) but it's true. I'm about 98% positive I have dysthymia, a mild form of depression that can last for years (and I've been feeling this way for almost 2 now), and everytime I listen to you guys I feel better. there have only been 2 times in the past 2 years when you did not cheer me up. if I go a day without listening to "A Day Late" or "Paperthin Hymn" or "Alexithymia" I don't feel quite right.
you guys have truly been a miracle to me. so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I'm sure I will love New Surrender no matter what :)
love you forever,
Candace

Sactown/Marysville Warped

2008-08-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

I first watched The Classic Crime.

they were super good!!! first time I'd ever seen them and it was great :D

"Blisters & Coffee"
"Abracadavers"

"Say The Word"

"Gravedigging"

"The Coldest Heart"

"Medisin"

"The Fight"

Matt (lead singer) accidentally swapped lyrics from the verses in "Gravedigging" and each time he did it he just shook his head and looked at the guys. it was pretty freaking hilarious.

after them we watched We're Not Friends Anymore. other random crap. the significant band for me after them would have to be Pierce The Veil. I fell in love. seriously. Jaime (pronounced "Hi-Me") is the absolute CUTEST person alive. and I mean that. he's such a funny guy and he's just so cute :D. and I'm pretty sure he looked at me a few times while they were playing :)

I kept grabbing Olivia and saying "I'm in love!" and "He's SOOOOOOOO cute!" and "OMG I LOVE HIM!!!" hahahaha

I'm not entirely sure what we did after them, I don't really remember. oh, I think we got Jamba Juice. then O walked me over to the anberlin signing at the AP Tent. read about that here.

then I stayed with Raven, Race, Maricela, and Jordon for awhile and we waited forever for Cobra Starship. I have honestly never sweat to much in my life. every part of my body was perspiring. I swear. Cobra put on a crazy cool show. it was pretty freaking funny. Gabe was wildly entertaining. they played "Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)" and the crowd went NUTS. William Beckett even came onstage and sang his part. it was amazing. on the very last song "Guilty Pleasure", Raven and Maricela groped/violated Gabe and his package. yeah, don't think I should go into detail about that lol.

after that I found Olivia and Talia at From First To Last. after them we went over to the Pierce The Veil tent and got pictures with them.

I went to go get a picture and Jaime just opened his arms and hugged me and all I could manage to say was "Wow, thank you!" hahaha.

I swear Jaime is the cutest thing on earth.

then we walked away and stalked around the FFTL tent for a bit when guess who comes walking towards us? JAIME!!! Talia and O were like "Get him to sign you or something!" so I stopped him and he like started dancing with me lol. like he put his hands up to mine and I don't even know. but it was funny and cute and I love him. so I asked if he'd sign me (of course he would) and I got out a sharpie and Talia told him to do a self-portrait and he made a weird face/hand gesture at that. it was adorable. so he drew his self-portrait on my arm lol.

it was AMAZING :D

after that I think we walked by The Classic Crime's tent and the guitarist (found out his name was Robbie) was there with his girlfriend. I wanted a picture, but not if his gf was there. so we kept walking, but when we stopped and I looked down there again he was asking for tips in the tip jar that had a sign on it that read "Feeling Tipsy?" hahhaa. so I went up to him and I was like "I'll give you a tip if I can get a picture with you," and he was like "Sure!" haha. he was smoking though, which is a total turnoff, but that's okay! he has a girlfriend! :D

then I think we just hung out on the grass for awhile after that and then saw Shwayze. Talia and I left a little over halfway through and went to Gym Class Heroes that were on the same stage as anberlin, so after them I just stayed there. again, you can read about that marvelous experience here.

best day of my life. I fell in love and experienced THE VERY BEST anberlin show in the entire world.

pretty successful day in my opinion.

and I didn't even get sunburned! :D

anberlin truly is love

2008-08-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to describe how INCREDIBLE my night was.

anberlin is/are the love(s) of my life, and I mean that full-heartedly. they are the most amazing people in the entire world.

I'll start off by saying this, SF Warped and Sac/Marysville Warped: COMPLETE OPPOSITES

1. in SF they played first thing at 10:30; in Marysville the played dead last at 8:15

2. SF: 2nd day of Warped; Marysville: 2nd to last day of Warped

3. the crowd: SF was tame and boring; Marysville was fucking CRAZY

first, they had a signing at the AP tent at 4 o'clock. Raven, Race, Maricela, and Jordon had saved me a spot in line and informed me we had to have a recyclable in order to get them to sign something, so I bought a gatorade and Raven downed it lol. when they came out and sat down I got really excited and kept hitting Race on the arm lol. then we got up to the front of the line and put my paper down on the table for them to sign, aka this piece of artwork that I created back in January:

Stephen was the first one and when he saw it he thought it was really cool and kept saying things like "This is awesome!" and "Thanks so much!" and Deon thought it was pretty sweet too and gave me a bigggggggggg smile :D. all of them thought it was really cool :D I think Deon mentioned his odd limbs and Christian was joking with Joey about Joey's face, and then Christian questioned his own face hahahaha. it was marvelous. they're so awesome.

k, so Gym Class Heroes left the stage and Ping and Spanky and some old guy started setting up for anberlin's set.

*sidenote: they use Orange stuff and they scratched off the "e" and part of the "a" to make an "i", made the "r" into a "p", and made the "o" a smiley face. thus it read: ":) ping". so great :D.

Angels and Airwaves went over their time, so anberlin started a bit late. at the very end of AVA's set we started chanting "AN-BER-LIN! AN-BER-LIN! AN-BER-LIN!" and then they came out and started with "Godspeed". the crowd was super into it and it was great b/c that got me even more pumped up.
next was "Feel Good Drag" and I think the crowd surfing started then, but I'm not entirely sure.

I was up in the front so I had people flying over me/landing on me, it was pretty freaking crazy. I also think it was during this song that some chick was trying to bulldoze her way through to the front, but one of the girls I was talking to before the set wasn't gonna have it so she was like "BACK OFF BITCH!" and they full-on started fighting! it was insane!!! I've never seen anberlin fans act like that lol.

also, when Stephen sang "My boyfriend's gone, we could just pretend" he indicated that his boyfriend was gone lmfao.

I think Stephen talked after that song and thanked us all for staying out while everybody else had gone home just to see them. and he also said, "This is sizing up to be one of the best Warped shows we've ever played." it was amazing knowing that I was a part of that :D

then it was "A Day Late" (my all-time fave anberlin song) and I think it was then that I started crying. at first it was just a few little tears and then I was basically bawling. people around me were asking if I was okay and I was like "Yeah! I'm ecstatic!"

then "Hello Alone" and I think my glasses got knocked off by a crowd surfer on this song. I was trying to find them on the ground, other people were helping me look too, but we couldn't find them. and I also lost one of my earrings lol. oh well.

before they played "Adelaide" Stephen dedicated it to everybody that shops at Urban Outfitters. I guess I better start shopping there lol.

then "Paperthin Hymn" which Stephen dedicated to their friend Mike. so fucking incredible. I'm tearing up just thinking about it hahaha. when Stephen sang the lyric "August evenings bring solemn warnings to remember to kiss the ones you love goodbye" he kissed Christian on the cheek. it was ridiculously cute.

after that it was "Dismantle. Repair." and it was insane. Stephen came out to the crowd at the end, and if I had been one person over to the left I would've been able to touch him lol. when the song was over he was like touching everybody's hands and I think he brushed my fingertips lol.

then they left the stage. we were all like "WHAT?! IS THAT IT?!?!?!" so this one girl and I started "ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!" and then other people started "ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!" but apparently Sleep Train was shutting down and we had to leave. it sucked. I was kind of pissed. then I found my glasses on the ground, only one of the sides had broken off, so maybe I'll venture back into my taped glasses days lol. the lenses were perfectly fine :D

the crowd was abso-fucking-lutely crazy; moshing, dancing, crowdsurfing. it was INSANE. and everybody was singing along to every song and it was so awesome! like everybody there was sooooooooo into it and you could tell that anberlin, especially Stephen, were just feeding off of our energy and just put so much more into it. the best show I've ever seen/experienced in my life.

then I left and found O and Talia and walked up to them absolutely BAWLING my eyes out.

and I told them I would do anything for anberlin. I even said I'd stay a virgin my whole life lol. I was a little delusional to say the least.

also, I felt like skinny dipping, running through an open field chasing after the moon, doing cartwheels, singing at the top of my lungs. I felt like I could do anything.

still on my string

2008-07-31T04:38:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much obsessed with Lydia's "This Is Twice Now"
there's just something about it. in a way they kind of remind me of Circa Survive.
and their music reminds me of Ashland. and that makes me happy.
I wanna go back. the clouds, the rain, the cool temperatures. everything about our trip to Ashland was splendid and it's stayed with me all these months. I just want to go back.

lyrics for anberlin's new song "Disappear"

2008-07-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

we're the last of the sleepless ones

left behind by those we left behind tonight

quiet now, let the poison take

were we always just your lost cause mistakes?

wait for me, will you wait for me?

I need you on my side

wait for me, babe wait for me, with arms wide

alone, left alone

watch us slowly disappear with time

alone, still alone

forgotten, lost, and left behind

dark lit streets are no place for kids

but it gives us more of a home than you ever did

we're the scientists left to our own demise

you're still our last chance to get out of this place tonight

wait for me, will you wait for me?

with arms wide

alone, left alone

watch us slowly disappear with time

alone, still alone

forgotten, lost, and left behind

alone, left alone

watch us slowly disappear in time

alone, left alone

watch us slowly disappear with time

alone, still alone

forgotten, lost

we're left alone, left alone

watch us slowly disappear with time

alone, still alone

forgotten, lost, and left behind

Lying. Cheating. Stealing. All for David Cook.

2008-07-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

so yesterday was the American Idol concert and I went with Raven, Nicole, and Becca.

first my mom had to go to the podiatrist (Dr. Thong) in Oroville so we all went in and took pictures with the lamisil fungus guy.

and when my mom was getting her cortizone shots all we heard was "Oooooh!!! Ahhhh!!! Mmmmmmm! Ahhhhh! This is different than I thought it would be!"
none of us could control our laughter and I fell on the floor a couple of times I was laughing so hard.

then we headed off for Sacto and about 5 minutes down Highway 70 the air conditioning decided to give out so we roasted for a solid hour in that hot box of a car. it was miserable.

we went to Jamba Juice before we went to Arco. it was yummy :).
and along the way we held up signs in the car windows that said "Honk if you love David Cook" and "Honk if you're going to American Idol live" and we got a grand total of 3 honks, all from guys lol.

so we went over to the Arena and waited in line for maybe 10 minutes tops when the let us in. we went to our section and the security guard showed us to our seats, which were quite high, but we had a good view of the stage. Becca went to sit down when she noticed a black widow behind her seat. we freaked out, naturally, and told the security lady and she had the other security lady go down to the service desk and tell them, but we went down as well and they were like "okay, we'll take care of it." so we went back up after the spider was gone and when Raven went to put her hand down behind her she felt cobwebs and stuff so we freaked out again and went back down to the service desk and told them again. when we went back the security lady was like, "You can just sit down here. They didn't do their job, so just sit down here." so we sat down in the box-type seats in the front of the section and waited for like 40 minutes for it to start. we pretty much died in anticipation, but it finally started at 7:01 w/ a poptart. hahaah.

and at 7:12 Chikezie started his performance. he did 3 songs and then it was Ramielle. (she's cute but I really can't stand her voice.) after Rami it was Michael Johns (he's quite entertaining). then Kristy Lee Cook (mostly country) and then Carly Smithson opened with Evanescences "Bring Me To Life" which wasn't half bad actually :). then she introduced Brook White. she was really good. she ended with Coldplay's 'Yellow' on the piano and it was AMAZING! it was sooooo good :). then the 6 of them did a group song to U2's "In The Name Of Love" for Africa. then it was intermission.

we decided we would try to get down to the floor so we could be in the 'pit'. and we got down pretty easily actually :). the host guy was like "clap your hands" so Raven and I were like "yeahhh!" and he was like "These girls are ready to party!" it was great. then Jason Castro came out with his ukelele and played "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". supa good! and there was a girl next to us w/ a little sign that said "Kayle loves Jason" or something like that. at some point he smiled at me and Raven so we pointed to the girl next to us so he looked and smiled at her too :).

but thennnnn, the crowd control/security guys were like "you have to go back to your seats" so we were like "fuck! what are we gonna do?" so we went to the bathroom and tried to figure out a new plan to get back down. oh, and I bought a little picture of David Cook and a button set of the Davids and the group during this little break of ours. so then we tried to get back down but they wouldn't let us down b/c we didn't have tickets. so were trying to find a security guard that we could bribe. (I was fully prepared to shell out $90 to get down there.) unfortunately we couldn't find one :(. at some point during Syesha's set there was a lady in a "Dreadheads" shirt (for Jason) that we talked to for a bit. she told us where the buses were and told us to go out there afterwards to see if they would do a signing. she was quite nice. then during David Archuleta's set Raven broke down and started crying HYSTERICALLY, mostly b/c we couldn't see him b/c we were still trying to find a way down to the floor. and a lady came out from one of the sections and was like "Stop crying! You need to enjoy this!" and we told her how we were trying to get down there and it was really funny. then she and I had a little fight over David Cook, it was really funny. so then we decided just to try and watch through some curtains, but a security guard totally shut them in our faces so were like "Let's just go back to our seats." so we went back up and sat down and watched Archie sing Josh Groban's "When You Say You Love Me" which is one of my all-time favorite songs. he did a GREAT job. NOTE: Raven was STILL crying.
then David Cook came out. and I started screaming and jumping up and down and screaming some more. after he did "Hello" (which was sooooooo fucking incredible!) Raven and I decided we NEEDED to get down to the floor for him. (oh, and some girl threw a note on stage and he read it out loud, something along the lines of "I love you David! Call me and let's hang out! Love, Catherine (and her friend's name) ###-####". after he read it he was like "I'm gonna get in so much trouble for doing that" and laughed.) so we went to the security guard in the section below us and I was like "This is my graduation present, is there any way we could get down to the floor?" and he said 'no' so I asked if we could just stand there and watch and he said, "Well you can't stand in the aisle, but you can stand to the side if you want." he was AMAZING. so we stood there and Raven was still freaking crying, and then all of a sudden I started crying. I full on bawling my eyes out and screaming "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOUUUUU!!!!" and the people next to us and in front of us kept looking at us. I could've cared less, but I felt like the Sanjaya girl from last season lmao.

then we saw a mother, her daughter, and her daughter's friend leaving so I went up to the mother and asked if they were leaving and the mother was like "Yeah, we're going out by the buses to try and meet them" so I said, "I have something really bad to ask you, do you think we could have your tickets?" and she said, "We keep them, sorry" so I quickly replied "We'll give them back! We're going out by the buses afterwards too. We swear on our lives, please?" so the mother gave me her ticket but we needed 2 to get down there so I begged and bribed the daughter's friend for her ticket. I gave her $20 in collateral and she gave me her ticket. and the awesome security guard let us down :D. so then we were 2 rows up from the floor and we were looking for people leaving from the floor so we could ask for their tickets. one couple passed us and I was like "Excuse me, are you leaving?" and the women said they were so I asked if we could possibly have their tickets and her response was "I'm sorry, I can't hear you" and just walked off so I was like CRAP. but then, surprisingly, her husband turned around and handed us their tickets. I was like "THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!" so we went down to the security guard at the bottom of the stairs and handed her the tickets and she was like "These aren't your tickets, but I'll let you go." YAY! so then we took off to get to front, but another security guard threw out her arm to stop us and she yelled at us "TICKETS!" so we showed them to her and took off. we freaking FLEW up the aisle and squeezed our way over to the baricade thing.

so we were basically 5 feet away from David fucking Cook. Raven was like "I'm so happy I could kiss you right now!" so I was like "DO IT!!!" hahaha. at some point he looked directly at us! :D it was AMAZING. so were down there for a couple of songs and then he left and it was time for a group song blah blah blah. after that we got out of there as fast as we could. when we passed the amazing security guard on the way out Raven was like "If you don't have superpowers, I'm going to sue God." freaking hilarious. so then ran outside, down the sidewalk, all the way around the entire freaking building (we exited on the left and the tour buses were on the right. go us!), and found Becca and Nicole. we went to give the girls back their tickets and to get my $20 bucks back. that took all of 2 minutes.

and then we waited.

and waited.

and waited.

occasionally one of them would come out and we'd all scream, but none stayed to sign autographs for like a freaking hour. I think Syesha was the first one to start signing; either her or Chikezie, I'm not sure. so they started signing.

when David Cook came out I started jumping up and down screaming my little head off hahaha. but unfortunately, he started on the freaking opposite side from us :(. so we waited. but we got pictures and autographs from the rest of them :). when David Cook was a few people down from us I switched places with Becca b/c she was against the baricade. when he was like 3 feet away I pretty much squeeled, and then, AND THEN, he turned to me and raised his right eyebrow. it was the greatest 10 seconds of my entire life :D.

the look he gave me was similar to this one :)

(isn't his tummy cute???)
so he got to us and I asked if he would sign my shirt and of course he would. while he was doing that I was like "My friends and I all made shirts and mine says 'Hi I'm Candace and I'm a Cookaholic' and the back says 'Cookanut'," and the entire time I was babbling on he was like "Uh-huh, uh-huh, okay, uh-huh" ahahahah.

unfortunately we couldn't take pictures w/ him b/c they were running out of time but he said he'd come back if he had time. then Raven asked if she could have a high-five and so he gave her one and I was like ME TOO! so I got a high-five from David freaking Cook. and then I was like "I would so hop this fence thing. (then to David) I would get arrested for you!!!" and he was like "Please don't do that." hahahaha. it was amazing. and later I asked the security guard if I would get arrested for hopping the fence and he was like "No, I would just tell you to get back." (oh, and a few people down from us, David held up a big sign over his head that said "The Future Mrs. Archuleta" it was ridiculously funny :D.) at some point Michael Johns and Chikezie came over and we got pictures w/ them.

later when David was walking back to the bus I was seriously a centimeter away from hopping the fence, sooooo fucking close, but then I was like "Hmm, what would I do if I did hop the fence? Run over and freak him out probably," plus, I didn't have the camera. hahahaha. but yeah, I felt like a bumbling idiot when I was talking to him, but whatever, it was still amazing. then they left and it was like midnight by that time. so we went over to find my mom and left.
we went to a freaking walk-up window at Chevron and got drinks b/c we were so freaking dehydrated, especially me and Raven. then we got hungry so we broke out the Bucket-O-Chips that Nicole had bought from La Comida earlier that day and ate those.
we finally got home around 2-something in the morning.

and then this morning I was having this AMAZING dream about spam casserole when Elnora came in and woke me up and scared the shit out of me lol. then she climbed into bed w/ me and Becca and then Nicole came in and we all watched 27 Dresses.
oh, and Elnora asked me the worst question ever: Stephen Christian smiling at me or David Cook raising his eyebrow. it was difficult for me to choose, but I had to pick Stephen lol.

little firefly

2008-07-07T03:01:00.000-07:00

If you find yourself here on my side of town

I'd pray that you'd come to my door

Talk to me like you don't know what we ever fought about

Cause I don't remember anymore

I just know that she warms my heart

And knows what all my imperfections are

And she said that I was the brightest little firefly in her jar

And I just know that she warms my heart

And knows what all my imperfections are

And she says that I am the brightest little firefly in her jar

pretty much the cutest song in the entire universe

playlists for our roadtrip to SF :)

2008-06-29T03:36:00.000-07:00

tomorrow Ryan, Timmy, Elnora and I are going to San Fran to visit Alexandrea and wander around the city.
I decided to make a couple cds for the car ride and this is what I came up with :)

Numero Uno:
"So Contagious" by Acceptance
"Doctor" by Cute Is What We Aim For
"Practice Makes Perfect" by Cute Is What We Aim For
"Shake It" by Metro Station
"Umbrella" by All Time Low
"Dear Maria, Count Me In" by All Time Low
"Check Yes Juliet" by We The Kings
"All Again For You" by We The Kings
"August Is Over" by We The Kings
"XOXOXO" by Secret & Whisper
"Summer of '98" by The Secret Handshake
"I Wish" by The Secret Handshake
"Crushcrushcrush" by Paramore
"For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" by Paramore
"The Great Escape" by Boys Like Girls
"Amazing" by Impel
"The Mixed Tape" by Jack's Mannequin
"Sometimes When You Lose, You Win" by Karate High School
"Summertime" by Mae

[Mellow]:
"Always Be My Baby" by David Cook
"Special" by Mew
"Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin
"Sweet and Low" by Augustana
"Me, You And My Medication" by Boys Like Girls
"Stolen" by Dashboard Confessional
"Dig" by Incubus
"West Coast" by Coconut Records
"Control Freak" by Copeland
"Embers And Envelopes" by Mae
"Seattle" by The Classic Crime
"California" by Rogue Wave
"Of What We're Made" by Lion of Ido
"Release Me" by Mae
"Wake Me Up" by Number One Gun
"Brightest" by Copeland
"A Day Late (acoustic)" by anberlin <3
"Polaris" by Jimmy Eat World
"The Music of the Night" by David Cook

SF Warped 2008 :D

2008-06-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Jack, Olivia, Talia, and I went to Warped Tour in SF yesterday.

we left Friday afternoon and stayed at a Marriot hotel in Pleasant Hill that night. we hung out in the room for quite awhile and went out to Chipotle around 7 for dinner. yummy :). then we went back to the room to watch the Jonas Brothers' movie "Camp Rock". but no! we didn't get the freaking Disney Channel. we were all quite disappointed so we went swimming instead which was quite refreshing.

then we went back to the room and showered and hung out some more taking random pictures and Jack even did funny doodles. and I wrote anberlin a letter :). then we went to bed.

we woke up around 7 Saturday morning to get ready. we went over to the lobby to get breakfast and then we went back to the room to eat. we ate and I had to shave my legs and straighten my hair. it took longer than I thought it would so I was under pressure I did not enjoy. we left for BART and saw about a bazillion kids going to Warped as well. we got on BART and went to the city. then we got off at the Embarcadero station and walked over to Pier 30/32. we saw Alex from We're Not Friends Anymore along the way. we waited in line for a few minutes when a girl came around asking if anyone wanted to volunteer for catering. I wanted to, but Olivia was like "what if you miss anberlin b/c of it?" so I didn't.

then we went over to the line for people who already had tickets and as we were walking towards the end of the line this total cutie was like, "Hey, you guys can cut us, it's a long line." so as we waited to get in we talked to this cutie (who's name was Jessie). the line started moving and our bags got checked and whatnot and then we headed over to the Time Board.

and there I saw it: anberlin was playing at 10-freaking-30!!!!! I was like WTF?!?! I was really pissed at first b/c they were going to be like the first band of the day and nobody was going to be there to see them :(. so Jack and I headed over to the Route 66 stage which was right behind us and saw like 4 other girls waiting over there as well. we were right up against the crowd surfing barriers to a little left of the center and it was great. I saw Spanky (anberlin's drum tech) setting up, and then Ping (guitar tech) came out and set up stuff too, and even Christian was helping :D. during the entire time they were setting up I was jumping up and down in excitement and anticipation and kept saying "I'm sooooo excited!!!" and one of the crew guys in the pit was like "Are you excited?" and I was like "YEAH!!!!!!!!" it was pretty funny :). so it was about 10:40 when they put the clock up and a couple minutes later anberlin came out onstage and opened with "Godspeed." Stephen's mic wasn't up enough or something because it was hard to understand him. (also, while we were waiting it was really freaking hot and the air was really still, but right when they came out a breeze picked up and a few little clouds covered the sun. it was pretty perfect.)
next they played "The Feel Good Drag" which I had never seen them do live before so I was pretty stoked. at some point during the song the SEXIEST thing I've ever seen happened. and one of the SEXIEST people alive happened to do it. [k]nate (drums) took his drumstick and licked it. full on LICKED it. it was sooooo incredibly hot it was ridiculous :D.
next they played "A Day Late" and that is my all-time favorite so yay! after that was "Hello Alone" :). during one of those songs, (I'm not entirely sure which one but I think it was "A Day Late"), Stephen smiled at me. he looked over at me and got the hugest grin on his face. it was incredible and adorable and I was like "OMG!!!!!!!!!!" and Olivia and Jack think he smiled at me again later, but I'm not entirely sure. that one smile will last me a lifetime :).

then Stephen explained how he loved San Francisco and how there is a song on the new record ("New Surrender" due out Sept. 30) called "Haight Street". (back in November when I saw them at the Warfield in SF he said there was going to be a song on the record called "Haight Street" but I wasn't sure if it was still going to be on it b/c they cut down 28 songs to 15 during pre-production.) but I was happy to hear it's still going to be on it.

so then they played a new song called "Breaking" which I knew as "Bittersweet Memory" and it was abso-freaking-lutely AMAZING!!!!! I was probably the only one who knew the words to the song in the crowd, but whatever.

so after that Stephen was like "I know you can't sing along to that" and I was like "I did!!!" it was funny.
then Stephen was told they only had time for one more song and they finished with "Paperthin Hymn" which I've grown to truly love in the past few months. amazing amazing amazing.

then they left the stage and Ping came out to help clean up and he was ripping the set lists of the stage I was like "Hey Ping! Can I have a set list?" so he threw a couple out to the few of us that were left and I got one and I was happy.
so then Olivia filmed me freaking out a bit afterwards and it was mildly entertaining ;)

I'm not entirely sure what happened over the next few hours.
we saw parts of Jeffree *fucking* Star and The Devil Wears Prada, and other bits and pieces here and there. after anberlin I really didn't freaking care who we saw. amazing amazing amazing.

when Olivia and I were by ourselves we went over to get From First To Last merch for her and she got the "Fuck Tank" that says "FROM FIRST TO FUCKING LAST". it's great. then we headed over to the anberlin tent so I could buy merch. Spanky was there and I bought like $35 worth of merch: a kickass shirt, a bag, a poster, a button, a sticker, and sunglasses. crazy cool. and I got a picture w/ him. I was like "Wow, you smell really good" and he was like "I can guarantee you I'm not clean." it was pretty funny.

around 2 Olivia, Jack, and I went to get a good place for FFTL for O. we waited around and then they did their first song and then Jack and I left to get in line for the anberlin signing at the AP tent. Talia showed up at some point and asked if she would get my set list signed for me and she said she would. so then the line started moving and then I got up there and handed my bag (that [k]nate signed in November) to Stephen and he asked "How are you today?" and I was pretty much speechless but I was able to get out "I'm really excited" and then he was like "Thanks for coming out and singing along" and it was then I knew he remembered me lol. it was AMAZING. and then he shook my hand I just stared at him, I didn't even introduce myself I was so 'star struck' I guess. I felt like a fool afterwards for not telling him my name, and I still feel pretty idiotic, but whatever. then I went down the line and got to [k]nate and I was like "You've already signed this, but will you please sign it again?" after he signed his name he put "<3's"after that I was basically on top of the world and I didn't care about anything else really.

we watched somebody on the Route 66 stage after that and then we went up to the anberlin tent again so Jack could get merch. I met B-rent (that's how the tape was on his walkie-talkie :D ) and he was super cool. we were talking and he was like "what's your name?" and held out his hand so I shook his hand and told him my name was Candace. at some point the wind really picked up and moved the tent like crazy and we both grabbed the pole to keep it in place. then I took a picture w/ him, he's kinda goofy but in a cute way. then as we were leaving I was like "Try to stay somewhat clean this summer" and he was like "Stay what?"
"Clean"
"I'll try to"

and then we walked away, but before we had gone to far I ran back to him and was like "I have a question, how old is everybody? I know [k]nate is 21, but that's all I know."
and he said, "They're all in their mid-late 20s, all like a year apart. it jumps from 21 to like 26."
he was so sweet! :D

then we wandered around and ended up at Family Force 5 and I shoved my way through a horde of people to get to my cousin Alexandrea :). I love that girl. so we watched the lovely boys jam and they were super entertaining as usual. they were all wearing amazing pants ;). during "Supersonic" they were like "San Francisco" and it was hilariously awesome. and during the middle of like all there songs they had some guy run out on stage in different outfits and dance. during "Luv Addict" he came out as a giant heart. it was amazing. they turned out to be one of my fave performances of the day. :D

I got separated from Jack, O, and T-Mama during FF5 so afterwards I called them and found them sitting against the metal gate things by the FFTL tent. we were sitting for a good 30-45 minutes when something AMAZING happened. we were just looking through our magazines and chit chatting when I was like "Hmm, that guy looks really famili- CHRISTIAN!!!" and I shot up and started running over to him (he plays guitar for anberlin) and I was like "Hey, can I get a picture with you?" and he was like "Yeah, sure!" so I was like "Olivia! Hurry up!!!!" (she had the camera). while I was waiting for her I was like, "I'm Candace by the way" and he shook my hand. it was amazing. so then we posed for the picture and he put his arm around me and it wasn't like a loose eh-you're-a-fan wrap-around thing, he liked actually pulled me into him. it was IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE. then I thanked him and said "have a good day and have fun on the rest of the tour". it was amazing. I still can't believe it freaking happened. it was just so coincidental and random and SPECTACULAR. I'm in love with the picture so much :)

after that we finished by watching Alesana and Talia's cutie hxc dance ;). Dance Gavin Dance was randomly there and I got a funny picture with them in the background. it was pretty sweet.

after that we left and got on BART and went back to Pleasant Hill. Olivia's mom picked us up and we went back to the new hotel where we were planning on swimming, but the pool was 'out of order' so we went back to the room and watched Camp Rock and ate pizza instead. it was pretty great.

then Jack, Talia, and I stayed up until like 2 o'clock talking and stuff and Jack modeled for us and it was HILARIOUS!!!! then we went to sleep and got up this morning around 8 or so. then Talia and I had this whole long conversation about periods while we were lying in bed and apparently Jack heard the whole thing. hahahahahahaha.
then we left around 10:30ish. oh, and I lost my sunglasses I think :(

Bittersweet Memory

2008-06-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

I was on anberlin's page tonight just looking around, I posted a comment and looked at the other comments.

I saw somebody's comment that said they had heard "Bittersweet Memory" and I was like "WHAT?!?!?! WHERE IS IT ?????????" so I googled it and found a video on youtube.

when I first heard it I honestly started crying. it's absolutely amazing.

I'm in love with them and I cannot wait until September the thirtieth :D

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes

2008-03-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to the Intruder Alert! cd I bought the other night. and I can feel it. I LOVE that feeling. it's one of my all time favorite feelings in the world. just, oh my goodness I love it.

this cd makes me want to cry almost. it feels like something you should listen to after a breakup or something. but I really really like it. it's a strange sensation.

Kill Paradise @ Club Retro

2008-03-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

so yesterday was Kill Paradise @ Club Retro in Orangevale. Talia, Olivia, and I went. we went to some store where people take their old clothes. we weren't in the mood to shop so we decided to eat at Panera. then we went to Target to get Nick some Jolly Ranchers. then we went to Club Retro where we waited forever to finally go inside. we saw Nick a few times randomly outside and we got really super excited. Intruder Alert! opened and the singer was really freaking cute. he was wearing a v-neck so we called him Clavicle Boy. :) then Portrait of a Friend played. during both bands a tranvestite was dancing next to us. before Second Day Crush played, we gave Nick his Jolly Ranchers and the little note on my wrestling room Kill Paradise picture. we also talked to Intruder Alert!. after Second Day Crush was the loverly Kill Paradise. but he only played 4 songs!!! it was an outrage! and he didn't even play Candy Land Wedding. very sad. but on the last song (R.C.N.K.) we went onstage and danced. it was fabulous. then some lame band called Vincent Flaw or something played. it was crap. but we stayed after the show and one of Nick's friends was walking outside when Talia motioned for him to come talk to her. his name was Randy. he was pretty darn cool. he's going to fly out to freaking Pennsylvania to see The Starting Line. like whoa. so we talked to him/Nick for awhile, then we had to go.

it was a pretty great night to say the least. :)

Talia's dad reading town ordinances: no person classified as ugly can walk down the city street

Talia: I don't normally eat with scissors

Talia: make it a generous heart

Me, Talia, Olivia: you have nice pair of clavicles

Me, Talia, Olivia: Clavicle Boy!!!

"Hey girl hey!
You're a gorgeous guy Lil' Cocozzella, and we enjoy watching you cook.
Man, I think that's hot.
(heart) (generous heart) (heart)
Candace
Olivia
Talia
p.s. - we're from Paradise, CA
p.s.s.- we hope you enjoy your JOLLY Ranchers"

Nick: "Hey girl hey!"

[Nick's eyebrow raise at O-Child]

Jared (Clavicle Boy): I'm part of the dinosaur club.

Me: can I maybe get a picture with you?
Jared: yeah!
Me: should I come around, or are you gonna come out...?
Jared: I'm gonna teleport. close your eyes.
(crawls under table)
Jared: I can only use that once!

Nick: we're from Denver, Colorado
Talia: Land of the fierce!
Nick: Britney Spears? she was good once

Me: I'm doin' the Hangman!!!

Randy (talking about Dancing with the Stars): it's not even real choreography. I saw you guys dancing onstage and you had original moves.

Talia: my dad thinks he's a dancer
me: that might just classify him as 'ugly'

Randy: I don't me to be rude or anything, but did you guys see that transvestite?

Talia & Randy: I love how you're calling them an 'It'

Randy: The Land of the Fierce? is that a real place?

Me, T, O: (looking at each other laughing)

Randy: it kind of sounds like The Wizard of Oz

Talia: you should write a song called "The Wizard of Fierce"

Randy: I'm going to name clouds after you

[video of Nick/all the other guys dancing]: I found you Mr. New Booty

Randy (talking about our glow bracelets): I'm happy you guys were festive

Talia: want one?

Me: wait I have one in my pants

Randy (after putting it on): it's never coming off

Randy: I'm 20
Talia: so are you part of the Dinosaur Club?

Randy: rawr.

me: have you had any Jolly Ranchers?

Randy: yeah, my tongue is sore, I've had like 4. hey! that rhymed!

me: have you been enjoying your Jolly Ranchers?
Nick: yeah, the wrappers are all over the floor

Randy: you ladies look beautiful tonight

[after giving Nick/Bryce the Cinderella tablecloth]: we're gonna put this on our merch table!

Talia (while we were talking about penises): Candace, here's a tip for you

Mary Agnosia

2008-03-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

I listened to Mary Agnosia by Anchor & Braille like a billion times trying to figure out the lyrics.
I think they're mostly right.

correct me if I'm wrong. please. :)

we're just machines
thrusting to breathe
hopeless, helpless, deconstructing ourselves

warnings to be wanted

willing to waste our lives

disillusioned

I may never find a sense of home

take me anywhere

(wherever you're going)

take me anywhere

'cause nobody wants me here

take me anywhere

(wherever you're going)

take me anywhere

'cause nobody wants me here, here, here

robots are rising

while the rest of us keep writhing

we just didn't feel you afterall

lights out, inspiration

we're tired of the nation

faulty I don't wanna sense of home

take me anywhere

(wherever you're going)

take me anywhere

'cause nobody wants me here

take me anywhere

(wherever you're going)

take me anywhere

'cause nobody wants me here, here, here

take me anywhere

(wherever you're going)

take me anywhere

'cause nobody wants me here

take me anywhere
(wherever you're going)
take me anywhere
'cause nobody wants me here

take me anywhere
(wherever you're going)
take me anywhere
'cause nobody wants me here, here, here

it's only on http://www.purevolume.com/anchorandbraille

"Give Timmy A Backdance"

2008-03-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

first I'll start with this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fafJRTOGk_g

[k]nate is lovely and funny. :)

that's the first thing I saw when I got on the 'net today. <3

so on anberlin's myspace page [http://www.myspace.com/anberlin] they have a webcam set up so you can watch them in the studio. it's pretty awesome.
and they have this little figurine, doll thing named Ringo. and they have him holding post-its.
when I first started watching today Ringo had a post-it saying something like "put your own words in Ringo's hands (leave comment)" or something like that.
so people were leaving comments and telling the guys what to write on the post-its.

I thought it was really neat so I left them a comment saying "For Ringo: 'give Timmy a backdance'."

next thing I knew, this is what I saw:

and then this:

idk who Crystal is, but it's cool!

and then this:

the last one made me laugh so I sent them a message saying this:

Subject: what a backdance really is

Body: it's a weird dance used to cheer people up.

you sit on their back and dance.

any dance.

it's wonderful. :D

-Candace

they still haven't read it, but it's cool. lol.

they are honestly the coolest people on earth.
they really are just people with musical talent.

then I was watchin again and I saw Joey holding a post-it.

he is INSANE at staring contests. he was doing it before I even started, and he still won.

so great! so so so freaking great!

I love them. :D

I love anberlin more than LIFE

2008-03-01T00:50:00.000-08:00

background info:

anberlin posted a bulletin on myspace sometime last week:

so someone sent me a video of this guy singing into a talkbox to one of our songs and it totally cracked me up; so after showing the guys we all started searching youtube for funny videos of random people impersonating or writing piano parts to our songs etc...

so! we tagged some of the best on our "favorites" section of our youtube channel. PLEASE check out my personal favorite entitled "jeff the spartan dances to anberlin" i LOVE it!

now we want your videos! im going to try to search youtube as much as possible and if you want to cover one of our songs, dance, make spoofs, etc. please post it up on youtube and we will pick our favorites and put them up on our youtube.com/anberlin site!

you guys are the greatest! thanks for all your support in this chaotic process of writing!

-stephen christian

youtube.com/anberlin

so I replied to the bulletin sending them the link of my freaking out video:

clickk.

I checked on the message's status later that night, and again a few days later, and it still just said 'sent' so I was like okay, whatever. but then for kicks, I checked again tonight and it said 'read' so I went to their youtube page and this is what I found:

[k]nate's birthday

2008-02-27T17:21:00.000-08:00

yesterday was [k]nate young of anberlin's birthday.

so I made him cookies and cards and such.
I decided to send pictures of it all in a message on myspace to him.
this is what I sent:

first off I would just like to say

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY [K]NATE!!!

I made you a little birthday card thingy in Paint, a crazy colorful "happy birthday" sign, and no-bake cookies. :)

so I was like "hmm, I should make cookies for [k]nate's birthday!" and I did! I used my friend Elnora's recipe for no-bake cookies and I decided to call them Knate No-Bake Cookies. :) and then my other friend Heather jokingly said "are you going to send them to him?" to which I replied "I'll fed-ex them overnight!" ;)(the cookies were delicious, btw. we ate them in your honor. lol.)

oh, and my friend Heather made this for you in our drafting class one day. :)
so I hope you have a wonderful birthday! :D

<3,

Candace

so I checked on the status of the message like a few hours later, just to see if it was 'read' or not.

it was. and that made me happy knowing that either he had seen it or one of the other guys had and would show him later.

I stayed home from school today b/c I'm sick and didn't get up until like 3:30.

I took a shower and all that jazz and got on myspace like an hour ago and I had new messages.

the first two were from Jack and low-and-behold the third one was from anberlin!

I was like 'yay! he read it fersure!' lol.

so I opened it and this was the reply:

Dear Candace,

Thanks so much for the birthday card and the legit cake! That was awesome. And i hope the no bake cookies were amazing! Thanks again Candace!

- (k)nate

I was quite excited. I started crying actually. lol.

[k]nate seriously is like the coolest person I've ever met in my life.

and it makes me happy he used brackets around the 'k'. lol.

SLEEPERS

2008-02-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

so this past Thursday night was the Saosin, Armor For Sleep, Fear Before The March Of Flames, and Meriweather concert in Chico at the Senator Theatre.

Olivia, Talia, Eva and I went down together and went to Aco Taco for dinner. afterwards we met up with Jack at Upper Crust, but we left him there because he had a German meeting, and then went to the Theatre to get in line.
we were in line for maybe 15, 20 minutes before Jack showed up. and then my phone vibrated telling me I had a voicemail so I checked it. it was my cousin Alexandrea who lives in the Bay Area.
(my friend Ryan and his "buddy" TJ were going to the city today and they were gonna meet up with Alexandrea) so her voicemail was like
"Happy Valentines Day! I love you, I miss you! you should sneak down with them. it just won't be the same without you. I love you!"
it totally made my day. she's the best cousin ever. :)

so then we went inside the Theatre and got patted down (ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I didn't like that very much. awwwwwwwwwwwkward!). then we went upstairs to the bathroom and just sat against the wall while Thieves and Liars played. Marissa (chick we all used to see at local shows) and her friends came out of the bathroom and talked to us for a few minutes (they were so totally drunk, but it was funny).
"What does your name start with?"
"Candace." hahaha. go me.

then we went back downstairs to watch Meriweather. I actually enjoyed them. :)
next up was Fear Before The March Of Flames. they creeeeeeeeeeeeeeped me out. the lead singer came out in a dress. an ugly one at that. they had cool lights though. lots of silhouettes.
then it was Armor For Sleep.
"This song is about doing drugs in Chico, California."
"How many of you have had sex today? How many of you are going to have sex after the show?"
-Ben of Armor For Sleep
AFS was really good I thought. quite enjoyable and entertaining.

after them of course was Saosin. they started between 9:30 and 9:45 I believe.
we had moved up close to front because I wanted to be close because it was my first time seeing them.
that was kind of a mistake. we were directly in front of the pit so we got the aftershocks of everything that went on behind us. it was still really cool though to see them that close up. I loved how into it Cove was. it was great. and Chris is delicious. :)
after a while we moved back to the seat section so we would be able to enjoy the show more. I took some pictures with Eva's dying camera so hopefully I'll get those soon.
unfortunately for me, they played a lot of old stuff that I don't know. but it was still enjoyable.
they "finished" with Voices and encored with Sleepers. it was great.
then Cove came back out to clean up and threw random stuff into the audience, including his pocket change. after 98% of the people left, I realized how truly small the theatre was. it amazes me how many people can fit into such a small amount of space.

we got asked to leave the building unless we were buying merch, so we went outside where Eva was talking to a guy that was like one of Thieves and Liars roadies or something. he was trying to convince her to buy the cd. it was quite entertaining. then I piped in "BUY IT!" just for fun. she ended up buying it. it was funny. and the guy she bought it from was named Kyle. he was pretty cute.

after that we went to the buses. I looked into Armor For Sleep's bus through a little gap between the blinds and the window sill and I swear I saw bottles of nail polish on the counter. it made me laugh.
so we waited outside Saosin's bus for awhile when Alex showed up. I gave him the valentine I made for him and asked him for a picture. he was soooo nice. so I went over to stand next to him when I "fell" over into a little tree planter box thing. it was funny. Olivia said, "She's so excited she can't even stand up straight." Then I asked Alex where Chris was and he said he was on the bus so I told him he should get Chris to come out.

then we saw the cute bassist (wearing a green shirt) from FBTMOF so I took a couple of pictures with him because in the first one I was talking. in the second one I accidentally lifted up in sweater. I apologized and he said it was cool.

then we went back over the bus and one of Saosin's roadies came out and handed people lots of pennies from the bus. Olivia said to me, "Candace, do you want a Saosin penny?" and of course I was like "YES!!!" :)
then we noticed Cove and Justin. I went up to Justin first and gave him my valentine. he then proceeded to tell me "This is the first valentine I've gotten today." I was like awwwwwwww. I felt special. he has a very nice smile.

then we went over to talk to Cove. the first thing he did was give me a hug. I was just like 'okay! :D' then I gave him his valentine and took a picture with him. I talked to him for a bit about valentines and asked him where Beau and Chris were. he said Beau was with his valentine, aka his girlfriend, and Chris was sick. so I asked him if he would give them the valentines I made for them. he said he would. :) and I told him that Chris' was extra special because I had written something else on it. [it was a Spongebob valentine that said "You're a treat!" and I wrote in "for my eyes!"] then Talia and Olivia took pictures with him. and then he did something that boggled all of our minds.

he started talking to me and was like "aren't you their friend?" and I was like "yeah, we're all friends." "well come here. I don't want it to be awkward." we were all looking at each other with expressions of 'what the heck??' but I didn't contest because who wouldn't mind another picture with Cove freaking Reber?!

so I took another picture with him and it turned out wayyyyyyy better than the first because we both have funny expressions. :)

so then he gave everybody else hugs (including Jack) because Talia was like "well, you only gave her a hug, so can I have one?" or something along those lines.

then we left but not before I reminded Cove that Chris' valentine was special and that he needed to make sure he gave it to him. oh, and I asked him how old they all were.

Cove: 22

Chris: 24

Justin: 26

Alex and Beau: 28

that whole situation was really weird, but it was funny and I later decided that Cove was on some sleepers of his own.

then we took funny pictures by the statue of the hands outside the City building. I had to go to the bathroom like nobody's business so we went to In & Out. I bought Eva a milkshake because I said I'd buy her food if she bought the Thieves and Liars cd. then we went home. and I slept in until one the next day. :)