Woke up in California, Part 2

It's about damn time I finished this! This is the best part of the story too!

So where did I leave off...yes, I had just arrived in LA and had picked up my luggage and rental car and now needed to find the hotel. I was so relieved, even when I was lost, that the guy working at the hotel was so helpful in helping me find my way. I think he found the situation quite comical. I must have passed the hotel in Beverly Hills several times. I had asked him if it was obvious that it was a hotel and was the name posted on the building and he was cracking up. I did, however, get to drive all around Beverly Hills, crossed over Rodeo Drive several times, and even saw another car circling around who must have been lost as well.

Just driving around LA and Beverly Hills was an amazing experience for me. Being from Florida, you really don't see hills. Everything is just flat. You begin to think this is just what the world looks like. I just remember looking into the distance and seeing hills, it was actually pretty breathtaking.

I finally arrived to my hotel to find that it was more like a dorm setting. The bathrooms and showers were shared. I have never lived in a dorm, so also gained that experience haha. The man who found me being lost so funny was awesome. Even though the hotel was different, I would consider staying there again because he was so helpful and kind. I know people can be jerks everywhere, but they seem so much nicer in California than in southern Florida.

Here is a video proving how childish I can be haha...

After I had dropped my items off I drove back to the airport to pick up my spontaneous counterpart. We immediately decided we needed to act like tourists and see as much as we could before the show! We went to Hollywood to eat and to look around, and to also be near by the venue. We did some walking around and soon found this eccentric and outspoken guy offering a tour. We decided what the heck and went. We got to see a complete view of LA and saw so many celebrity homes. We even saw a bunny pulling into the playboy mansion as Hugh buzzed her in.

Everytime the vehicle would slow down in front of a house,  I would feel more and more like a creeper. For some reason, whenever we slowed down, the brakes would make this horrible creeking sound. I kept imagining someone was home and would hear the sound, and think oh sheesh, there goes another tour of nosey tourists! The tour was a blast though, and the weather was amazing.

Finally, what I had been waiting for, time for the show. We showed up early so we could get close to the stage. There were some other people waiting as well. We did see some people from the bands briging their equipment inside through the back. It was pretty refreshing to see a musician who isn't too good to set up their equipment of carry it inside a venue. I did accidentally mistake Taylor Locke for Brian Bell. From the back he looked very similar. I think he caught me peeking at him so I kept walking!

While waiting to get in, we could hear Brian inside warming up, his vocals sounded great. Then someone walked outside and it looked like Brian Bell, but no, I was fooled, it was Taylor Locke. I felt bad I kept confusing them. It was the hair! Later on, someone did come out of the front door, and I immediately knew it was Brian. I hope I didn't yell it out too loud, but I said "It's definitely him, I saw the eyebrows!".

I wasn't too familiar with Mike Viola at the time, but had started listening to some of his music and definitely knew I liked him. I am pretty sure he was out front talking to some fans. I would know him immediately now if I were to see him, but unfortunately I wasn't too familiar with the band members who were playing that night. I was impressed by everyone who played and became a huge fan of Mike Violas's after seeing him live.

We finally got inside, and were able to get right up to the stage, I mean, literally touching the stage. I am now spoiled for all shows, I need to be touching the stage! Live music is always fun, but being so close to so many amazing artists was an entirely different experience.

Mike Viola came on first, and he was awesome live. Taylor Locke was playing with him that night. I was able to get some great pictures of him!

Here is a video clip I grabbed of Mike :D
Mike Viola - So Much Better LIVE

After Mike Viola was done, I could hear The Relationship getting ready. I could hear Brian talking and making sure everything was sounding perfect. It was great to see him in the lead role, and not as back up, he really is very talented. 

I knew their album sounded great, but having the opportunity to hear the songs live was amazing. He sounds even better live than on the record somehow. I knew all the words and was dancing along to all the songs, and got some great video and pictures. The set went by so fast. Nate Shaw was great, and I swear he was posing for some of my pictures! I have some pictures below and links to some videos I took. 

Please Help Me - The Relationship

You Rock my Heart - The Relationship

Something More - The Relationship

Are You Gonna Be There For Me? - The Relationship

At the end of the show Brian said that he may be out to say hello. I was still confident I would get my CD signed and get to say hi to him. Before the curtains fell, my friend David, grabbed a set list off the stage for me. I was so excited. I have never had a set list before. He told me I should get Brian to sign it, but I was paranoid I did something wrong by taking it! Now I'm wondering why I thought he would have cared haha! A few minutes later, I saw Brian walking behind me towards the merch booth in the back. I waited a minute, casually walked over, smiled and said hi. We had a small conversation and he took a picture with me and signed my CD. He was wearing this really awesome bow tie too. 

Maybe my voice was a little shaky at first when I was talking to him because he asked me if I had an accent. I looked at him surprised and said "Really??". He told me yes and I believe he said it sounded european. So there goes me in his ear, "Do I sound like I have an accent now???". I can always find a way to be weird with new people I meet. He told me no, he no longer heard the accent. My first time meeting Brian Bell, or anyone of celebrity status and I yell in their ear. I wanted to talk to him about other things, but it's okay. 

I found this next picture hilarious. He clearly looks disgusted by whatever I am saying to him. I believe the flash on the camera surprised him. I didn't even realize this picture was being taken haha! Thanks David :D

David and Mr. Brian Bell

After I met Brian I got to see FOW perform. Mike Viola even got back on stage and did a song with them.

Mike Viola singing with FOW

Later on, David happened to notice Mike Viola in the crowd, just watching and enjoying the rest of the FOW set. I went over to him to say hello. I told him I traveled all the way from Florida and was being spontaneous and never get to do things like this. He told me I should be spontaneous more often and invited me to a show he was playing and gave me a flyer. I had him sign this and he was nice enough to take a picture with me. This picture was literally the last photo my camera would take before the camera died. I believe as the photo was being taken I was asking if it died. 

Thank you so much to Mike Viola and Brian Bell for kindly putting up with me :D Thank you David for stealing me a set list and flying out to LA to join me in my adventure! Myself and David decided to play some music after the show. Here is a link for that video, from the one time, when we were in Beverly Hills :D.
El Scorcho Cover in Beverly Hills, CA

Woke up in California, Part 1

As you may or may not know, I live in southern Florida, so to be in California, is a very far ways away from home. I woke up in California, more specifically Beverly Hills. Well, I suppose before that, I woke up in an airport in Texas after having to spend the night due to flight delays. The plane leaving Florida was delayed about 3 hours as there was rain in Texas. I sat in a non moving plane for 3 hours, in that tiny uncomfortable seat, wishing the entire time I would have coughed up extra money for the first class seats. Looking back I wish they would have been realistic about the delay so I could have exited the plane for a while. I figured all would be okay since my connecting flight was about a three hour wait once I arrived to the Texas airport, but that plane had already left by the time I arrived, even another plane that was boarding standby passengers, gone. The next flight I was told was not until 7:40 am, and it was not guaranteed I would even get on.

I stood there, all alone, in an airport far away from home, stuck, confused, and worried. I was wondering where my luggage was and if I would even make it to Los Angeles by the morning. I was wondering how I was going to sleep in an airport until some people came by handing out cots and blankets. This would definitely ensure me a comfortable night of sleep. The cot was stained, there was no pillow, and the blanket barely covered the length of my body. My cell phone was nearing death, so I stayed awake to use my laptop to charge it. I needed an alarm to wake me in the morning. I would kick myself if I missed another plane. I also needed to call the hotel and ask them to please not let someone else take my room; luckily they decided to hold it for me, finally, some good news.   

I lay there on the cot, with my laptop looking down at me from the row of chairs near the terminal, where I should have boarded a plane. I look at my phone to see if it is charged enough to wake me in a few hours, it’s almost there. I look up at my laptop again, to see that the battery on this is beginning to die. I notice the wallpaper on my computer, it shows me the entire reason I even got on an airplane to begin with. The picture is of a very talented guitarist who plays for my favorite band. He also has his own band which I adore. The person I am speaking of is Brian Bell. I had only known of him through Weezer, but was excited to hear he had his own project. He has a band called The Relationship. I was not sure how it would sound, how his voice would be, his writing, etc. But when I listened to the album, I was very impressed.

Finally, I felt that my phone would hold a charge long enough to wake me for my potential flight out of Texas. I was slightly worried someone would steal my money, so I stashed it away in my back pocket. I also thought of the worst case scenario, that all my belongings could be gone when I awoke, so I put everything I would need in my back pocket to make it to LA and the show Saturday night. There was no way I sat on a plane going nowhere for 3 hours and then have spent the night in an airport for nothing. I was going to accomplish what I began traveling across the country for.

Now many people may begin to wonder why I would travel so far just to see a show, to see a band that wasn’t even headlining the show. It wasn’t all just for a show; I have always wanted to see California. I haven’t been able to go anywhere or do anything for so long due to college, and have only visited a couple of other states. I won’t lie, being able to hear some new bands, and to have the chance to see The Relationship live was what spurred the entire spontaneous trip. I had seen a posting from the band saying they still had tickets available. After I read this I felt sad, and wished I was able to go. I knew it took them forever just to start playing shows, and knew these shows were more intimate. Then I started thinking of reasons why I couldn’t go, and nothing seemed to be holding me back, long as my boss would so kindly let me have off Friday. I decided that if he approved my time off request, I would go to LA whether anyone would accompany me or not.

I put my request in around 5 in the morning. It was approved no more than an hour later. I took this as a message to get the plane ticket, so I did. I asked several of my friends if they were up for something spontaneous. One friend would have gone, but didn’t want to spend the money on a plane ticket, and the rest called me crazy. Finally, a friend out in Virginia decided they would meet me there. I was happy to not go to LA all alone, although I would have.

All I could think about for the next week and a half was my trip. I told my friend that I would come back with my Relationship album signed by Brian Bell himself, and also a picture of me with him. They still asked if it was worth the trip. I didn’t hesitate and told them yes, only to be again told how nuts I am. Not many of my friends really understand my love for music. They know I play drums, but they don’t really know how much I enjoy it, or that I write and constantly work on my vocals and am very seriously trying to learn guitar. I would give anything to have the opportunity to be in a place where others shared my passion. I would give anything to have the chance to show what I’ve got, to perform on even the smallest stage. I just love music. It’s hard to come across a band in which you click with, in which you can relate to and understand their lyrics and the sound of the music. It’s rare to be able to see something someone wrote coming from their deepest emotions.  Everything is so processed and emotionless on the radio today. That is why I would travel so far, to have the experience.

The day had come, it was Friday morning. I had just gotten off my Thursday shift, which started Thursday, but ended early Friday morning, just as the sun had begun to rise. I see an e-mail from the airline telling me I can check in. I open the screen and see the final step to click confirm. I look at this, eyes tired and burning, ready for sleep, yet excited and happy at the same time, and then click okay. After this I fall asleep to catch my plane that evening.

I arrived at LAX around 10 am Saturday, the day of the show. I had planned to take a nap before my friend arrived, which was a couple hours later, but this did not happen. My luggage was nowhere to be found. I had to wait for a very long time in line to talk to customer service. Luckily my luggage had arrived before I did, so it was actually locked up and waiting on me. The rental car was luckily still ready for me as well. They didn’t think it would be because of my delay, but I was so relieved it was.  I was also even more relieved that they had GPS available for my car or I would have never found anything. I almost couldn’t even find the hotel with the GPS. 

A sunrise and a plane I hoped to board in Texas Saturday (7/21/12) morning. 

I went to CA spontaneously!

So just a quick blog for the moment, I'll get a more detailed one up soon of my trip to CA to see The Relationship. If you don't know who they are, look them up! But here are a couple pics so far that I got :D

Putting it out there

Gonna try something  different, try to be a little more "artistic" with the writing. Still not quite sure where I want the blog to go, meaning I'm not sure if I want to try and stick to one style or keep it random. I do however, appreciate randomness. 

Sometimes we feel trapped, all we can think about is being free. But when we finally become free it's as if we don't know what to do with ourselves. No matter how many different situations there are, no matter how different people can be from one another, the end result is always the same, solitude. 

We move on, we find another love but only to realize down the road that it won't be the last, just knowing you would walk another one past. 

I sat there, in my room, realizing things wouldn't work out. I couldn't' picture my future with them anymore, no matter how hard I tried. 

As soon as he came back, I realized I didn't feel the same, and that feeling wouldn't grow back into something more. 

I looked out into the empty apartment, taking in a deep breath of air and the sight, realizing I would be in this similar one bedroom alone, and that he would be gone from my life. 

After a horrible fight, I lay teary eyed in my bed, looking at the moonlight on the wall, patterned in stripes from the blinds, realizing I would lay in this same spot, looking at the same patterned beam of light, alone. 

The feelings never did come back, I moved into a one bedroom alone, and I lay in the same bed looking at the same beam of light against the wall... And I'm okay with that. 

 

I've been lazy...

So, I began this blog because I want to get back into writing. I want to share my interesting (I think they are interesting!) thoughts with people. I want to share small random things to big thought out opinions. I however, have been a tad lazy with this due to work and school. But soon, once I pass my national test and become a licensed Histotechnologist, I will have more time to focus on doing something with this.

Selfish-ism

Sometimes we all need to take a step back and look at ourselves. Not just glance, but really look. Not in the way where you look in the mirror and see what you want, and realize months down the road you've gained a few pounds and wonder where it came from.

When did we forget who we were and end up in this rut, this constant cycle that is making us miserable, yet we can't seem to break free.

It's okay to be selfish sometimes. We should all practice "selfish-ism" from time to time. If you are single, stop worrying about when the next guy or girl will come along and take advantage of the free time. Take that time to rediscover yourself and try some new things.

Once we are happy with ourselves and are ready to accept ourselves for who we are, only then will we be truly happy. And only then will we be able to make someone else happy. When all you do is focus on others and not yourself, even a little bit, everyone suffers.

Procrastinating

Procrastination. That is exactly what I am doing right now. Most people may ask why I am still awake since it's after 2 in the morning. Well, my work schedule has turned me into an extreme night owl. I should be studying for my course. It's amazing how many other things you can do to pass the time. I once managed to procrastinate on homework for hours one night. I had just moved into my new apartment and the cable and internet had not yet been connected. No matter how hard I think, I cannot recall what in the heck I was doing.

To help you and I further procrastinate, here is an awesome music video from my favorite band, Weezer!

Weezer - El Scorcho

Warming up :D

Well, as you know, this is my first time blogging.

Besides my love for writing, I wanted to create a blog to share thoughts, share things I like or find interesting. It would be great if I could share something and make someone laugh, or even make someone think. I have also been taking science related classes for so long that it would be good for me to actually write something without math and abbreviations everywhere.

In the meantime, I will be thinking of something interesting to write about. There are so many interesting topics to chose from! Where to start...

Testing...

This is it, I've been thinking about this for a while now. I am losing my blog virginity right now as I type! :D