Life write the words but you choose your own melody

Wow, it's been a while since I posted in this blog. So much has happened since my last post. I quit my horrible bakery job, got a job doing crew putting on rock shows at camps for 6 weeks this summer, finished up my first semester of junior year, visited my best friend in Fredonia, gone on some great hikes, but most importantly, heard the new Rocket Summer album and bought tickets to see him in Baltimore and Virginia at the end of the month.

It's been a long two years since the last TRS album came out during my freshman year of college. I was miserable in Fredonia, still a photo major, and had no idea where my life was headed. The entire Of Men and Angels album always reminds me of bus rides back and forth between Buffalo and New York. It makes me a bit nostalgic in a love/hate sense, but now it's time for a new album.

Bryce has done it again, blown us all away and this time he did it all on his own. Forget major labels and even indie labels- he recorded this in Texas, produced, wrote and of course played all instruments on the album even the typewriter and trashcans. The credits even state "Additional recording in Bryce's attic". Clearly Bryce Avary doesn't let anybody take advantage of him or try and control his music. He's got the drive and talent to do it on his own.... with a little help from his fans of course ;) I've been with him and this family of fans for seven years and as difficult as my life was in high school, having The Rocket Summer was always something I could turn to when my friends failed to be there for me. Not to say that I don't have friends, but there were a great deal of turbulent times between us in high school and blasting The Rocket Summer, looking forward to new albums and shows has given me happiness. And now that I've got a wonderful group of solid friends, it's even better to be able to share the love.

I began listening to the new album, Life Will Write the Words last night on June 5th at 8pm. I didn't stop until 5am. I'm still listening to it now. I also gave up my tickets to see Jukebox the Ghost on June 22nd at Bowery Ballroom to make the trip down to Richmond, Virginia to see Bryce instead. And I'll be going to Baltimore the next night. Wish I could go to NYC, Philly, and Boston, but I'll be in Florida those days. It's okay though because I've never been to Richmond or seen Bryce in Maryland so it will be an adventure. Oh, the adventures I go on for this guy.... I'd never trade them for the world. So once again, thanks to the greatest musician I know.

Life write the words but you choose your own melody
Yes, life has given me hurt, but I choose my own melody
And sometimes it's that sad, sad song I'm singing all my day long
I'm just trying, trying to find the right notes

Nearing the end

December 21st. I can never believe it when the year is almost over. I still don't even think I realized it until today. In a week and a day I will be on my way up to Fredonia to spend New Years, two days later with Chelsea. 2012 is one week and four days away. That means it is almost time for my yearly review in pictures! I think that I started a blogger at the end of last year and my yearly review was the first or second post. Actually, that feels like ages ago. I can't even believe that was one year ago. The people that were in my life in 2010 are probably 80% different than those of 2011. With the exception of I want to say, three people, minus family, my friends are completely different.

So here I sit on a bus to Massachusetts last minute because I have awesome friends who are willing to pay for me to visit them when we haven't seen each other in a while. I always think my time off from school is going to be boring, but so far Winter Break has been pretty awesome starting with contra dancing in Brooklyn, The Rocket Summer, amazing chicken wings, exploring an Letchworth Village, making cookies, and now contra dancing in Massachusetts. This weekend is Christmas which I get to spend with both my mom and the wonderful Collins Family. Early next week me and my mom are having a Channukah party and two days later it's off to Fredonia, back home with Chelsea and then back  up here to New England with her, and then there is only 2 weeks left of break! I have a good life.

Happy is all that you make me

Last night I saw The Rocket Summer for the sixteenth time. He played all of Calendar Days and Hello Good Friend, his first two albums. As usual it was amazing. The fans were singing and dancing, I made new friends, there was confetti and I finally got to dance onstage during a song. The show itself was great, but afterwards we had some huge issues with the venue. Now we were downstairs, in the Studio which is a small room basically. But at 11pm on a Saturday Webster Hall turns into a dirty, disgusting nightclub and I guess they wanted to open up the Studio room too. Well it started with fans waiting in line to buy merch and the security yelling at us to get out when we were clearly waiting to buy merch. They even had the nerve to say "you should have bought it before" and to yell at Tara who was going as quickly as she could. We get outside and wait about an hour for Bryce in the smoking area on the street, because if you wait on "their" sidewalk they scream at you. Once Bryce comes out there was a big crowd of people including him in the smoking area. After about a half hour, a big security guard out of nowhere starts yelling at us to get out saying "I asked you three times to move. We have a permit for this area and you need to let paying customers stand here" ....but wait, didn't we all just pay for tickets to see The Rocket Summer here (who probably gets like 10% of those ticket sales). Yes, we did. But they didn't care. Bryce politely said he'd try and move and that he was only asked once to move (I don't think they even asked once). He did absolutely nothing wrong and the security guard picked him up and shoved him towards the sidewalk. Standing right next to him, I couldn't even believe my eyes. I was ready to fight for him too, but I knew that wouldn't do anything. We eventually moved down the block, but I am still furious about this as is he and the rest of the people there. He definitely said he is never playing at Webster Hall again nor will any of his fans ever go back there. I sent them a complaint email and facebook wall post. I hope they don't treat other bands that way. But it was still a great night and I am so happy that I got to see him and this special show. He said he is doing a college tour in March, so I'm just hoping more than anything there will be a reachable one for me around my birthday!

I seriously love this guy until the very end, which I hope doesn't come anytime in the near future. I've been seeing him for almost 5 years live and listening to him for 6 and a half. Looking forward to seeing him even if I don't know when the next show will be is always such a great thing and I don't even want to imagine my life without that.


Because I can hear the memory in my ears
Back to the years and all those tears
But hear me when I'm glad cause we're here

<3

GOOD THINGS IN THE NEAR FUTURE

•I am officially the Events Coordinator Intern for the Co-op for the Spring 2012 semester (!!!!!!)
•The other interns elected are awesome too and I can't wait to work with them
•Math presentation/class is done
•Proposal for Fundraising is (pretty much) done
•Playlist for my last radio show of the semester tomorrow is set and will be awesome
•Making another $38 tomorrow for sitting in place for 2 hours
•Christmas presents are (almost) all bought
•Friday I might have a job interview in the city
•Pancake madness tomorrow night at d-hall
•I get my very own key to the co-op tomorrow night (!!!)

and most importantly....


THE ROCKET SUMMER IN 10 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

^^no parentheses needed there for those exclamation points.

I'm on top of the world

I love The Killers so much. Watching their live DVD makes me want to sing my voice off and dance and cry and smile all day. While I watch them I think that nobody can compare...but wait! Then I put on The Rocket Summer and get excited to see Bryce for the 16th freakin' time in 23 days play his entire first two albums and I want to cry of joy. And even though Billie Joe is a pizza face, I really do love Green Day. They were my first favorite band. I've seen them uhh.. 14 times now? I can't keep track but they mean the world to me. And Frank Turner...well I've already written several blogs in the past two months of how much I love him. How did I get so lucky to find not one, not two, or three but FOUR bands that make me feel this way? I'm a lucky girl <3