The Best Weekend Ever-The Imogen Experience

So, this past weekend I had the best fun. My week actually started with a "bang" this time. On Sunday, my friend and myself went to Humphrey's in San Diego to go listen to my favorite artist of all time, Imogen Heap. Now this was my first concert[yes, I know I don't get out much] that I have ever been to, and what better way to start ones concert experience than with the brilliant Imogen Heap? So anyways, we got there early, and we saw the tour busses outside, and at that moment, I had a thought that maybe after the concert we could wait by the bus for Immi to come out [I will get back to that later]. We waited outside for about 30 minutes, and while we were waiting, we could hear Imogen doing a sound check, which made me so antsy and jittery to see her! She sounded wonderful [as always], and I was so excited for the concert to start. When we were waiting outside, there were only about 30 people waiting with us, so when the curtains finally opened to let us in the venue, we made our way to the merchandise table with ease. Now I have wanted to get Imogen's t-shirt [the purple one with butterflies and her name on it] for quite some time, but I didn't want to pay shipping and handling, since I would have to buy it online, so when I saw that I could get it right at the concert w/o the S&H expenses, I was like "Right on!!" so I did. Also, Geese and Ben Christophers were selling their EP's, but I hadn't heard them prior to the day, so I left those there. So, my friend and I headed to our seats, and the ticket guy accidentaly placed us in row 11 when our tickets said row 12, so the usher lady was giving us a bit of fever when some other people came along with the same seat [different row] as my friend. It was only one row though, so no one was really upset or anything. Then we looked at the drink menu on the back of the chairs, because there was only one teensy weensy section on the back for non-alcoholic drinks, and the whole rest of the menu was alcoholic drinks, and I was like "hmmn that's funny," and then people started buying drinks[to stay warm I guess, because it was getting quite nippy by then]. The concert area is called Humphrey's By The Sea and it is literally, by the sea. When you enter the area where you are to be seated, the whole left side of the outdoor area is a bay filled[when I say filled, I mean packed to the max!] with sailboats and boats. All I could see was a field of the little poles that stick up off the top of boats. When it said "by the sea," they weren't lying! So we waited for the concert to start, and these girls named Airika and Carrie started to play at the beginning. They were the winners of the "Earth" contest that Imogen had set up, so that fans could audition via-Youtube to sing[or beatbox] this song with her in their city that she would be performing in. On the last leg of her tour, it was the cello part for her song "Aha!" which is also a really brillant peice of music. Anyways, Airika and Carrie sang [well Carrie beatboxed] and Airika had the cutest song about being a ladybug. We were sitting there getting cold, and we noticed off to the right by the hotel fountain, there was a little duckling following the mother duck. It was the cutest thing ever! It was funny because when I got home and read Imogen's tweets from Humphrey's, she had a twitpic of the duck and the duckling backstage! When she came back out later before Geese did, she said how when she went backstage afer Ben, she saw everyone kneeling down/squatting with their cameras and she was like "what?" and then she saw the ducks and made a joke saying "are ducks going to go up next or are Geese going to?" which was funny, because Geese was the name of one of the acts opening up for her. Anyways, Ben Christophers and Geese were very good. I loved their sound. It was very unique and beautiful. So after the opening acts, we waited semi-patiently for Imogen, and she comes out swinging this white plastic tube around, and it sounded so cool, and she went right into "The Walk" which is a cool song off of "Speak For Yourself." Then of course she chatted for a bit in-between. My favorite parts where when she had little jokes in-between the singing. She is really a funny person. The best joke came when she was talking about the charity that the proceeds from the improv would be donated to, and she chose the San Diego Zoo, specifically the California Condor. Now, when Immi does an improv, she has the audience choose a key, rhythmn, and words or phrase that she will improvise on. After the first two were chosen, the word of choice was "Bom Chicka Wah Wah" and Imogen was like "huh? Are you sure? That's strange...but ok" and then after she set up a few things, she went "Poor condors! They aren't going to get anything!" and I almost died laughing, becuase her wit just kept the audience alive so much! Haha not saying that if she hadn't said anything, we would be dead. We [mainly me, I can't say for everyone else, even though it seemed like it] were in a trance-like state though, because Imogen is just amazing live. She sounds just like she doesn on the CD. She hits every run and high note perfectly! Or should I say "spot on!", as Imogen and the Brits like to say :-) And I was so glad that she played some of my favorite songs, such as "Come Here Boy", "Goodnight and Go", "Headlock", "Hide and Seek", "Breathe In", "Let Go", and "Little Bird". Imogen was so friendly and entertaining, and the best part was the ending! When she said she was singing her last song, I looked at my friend and made the fastest and best decision I have ever made in my life and said "do you want to go up to the stage?" and I barely waited for her to reply cause I was just like "I'M GOING!!" cause half of the die-hards like me were running up to the stage as she sang "Tidal". So when I went up there, I got the best pics , and even better ones when I turned the flash on [but the security guard look pissed like I am not even playing] and took like 6 pictures cause the security guy looked scary :-P Imogen busted out her keytar and had a rad solo at the end and it was OH so much fun! After much audience prodding, we got her to sing "Hide and Seek" as the last song [she had to be out by 10:30] and that was beautiful, as always. And then at the end, she came by and sort of shook all of our hands from the stage [I made sure she got mine!!] and then she went back stage and it was over [sniff sniff tear]. My friend and I went back to the merchandise table and bought Ben Christophers and Geese's EP's, since they said it isn't sold anywhere else, and they did a stupendous job. We went to the bathroom and then looked for my mother, and when we were driving by the tour buses to leave, I was like "mom let's go stalk to tour bus like those people are doing! I bet they are going to meet her!" and she was like no, cause my brother had summer school the next day, and my mom had to work [dislike]. Remember how I said I had thought about that when we first arrived...and then only later when I get home I find out[well an hour later after the tweet was sent] that Imogen went out and signed the stuff for those fans standing outside of the tour bus. I was like "DANGIT!" but I [sadly, still am trying to] let it go, because I could have been sitting at home like my other friends, and who knows when an opportunity like this will come up again?? I had great great fun though, at the concert. Imogen's audience involvement was so much fun too! She had us split into 3 parts [which was very convenient, because the seating was split up into 3 parts] on "Just For Now" and had us each sing a variation of the "Just For Now" that you hear in 3 part harmony at the beginning of the song. She also had us sing a bit on "Hide and Seek" which was the "ransom notes keep falling out your mouth, mid sweet talk newspaper word cut outs". I had so much fun at this concert, and I will never forget this for the rest of my life! Imogen is amazing, and I hope that all her fans can have the chance to see her in person one day, because it will make them like her even more, and have a greater experience when they listen to her music! Now for some pictures!! :-)











Anyways, if you haven't listened to Imogen Heap before, you must! She is an amazing artist and person, and you can find a song of hers [spanning 3 solo albums, and Frou Frou's album] that matches your current state of emotion. It is wonderful! Anyways, time to go do something with my life!

xxxxLaurel

M.I.A. "I'm A Singer(Haters)" Review

Well this morning I just recently listened to a few of M.I.A.'s new songs on the Neet Recordings blog. One was "Steppin' Up," and the other was "I'm A Singer(Haters)" You can listen to both of the songs at this link here:

http://neetrecordings.com/blog/

When I first heard "Steppin' Up" I was like ok this is cool, but then I scrolled down and saw a more alarming sight. I saw snippets from like a newspaper article, and it said that all these Sri Lankans were being killed, and M.I.A. had bits and peices of an interview saying how nobody did anything about it. I was kinda shocked [even though I already knew that these things went down in Sri Lanka, ever since I became interested in M.I.A.]. So then I go and listen to this song "I'm A Singer(Haters)," and the lyrics are so amazing! The first verse is the one that spoke to me the most. When I heard the beginning, I was like "OMG people have to hear this! It's so true!" I also thought M.I.A. was singing on the song, until I heard that it was a cover of another song[it seemed to slip my memory that M.I.A. takes songs with good beats or a great intro line and makes them into something amazing]. I also thought she was saying "I'm A Sinner," even though the song is called "I'm A Singer." That was just my untrained ear being all confused like listening to her awesome British accent. Anyways, I think that the song is great, and even though it is no exactly for children under the age of 13 [well I wouldn't know where to put the age limit, because minus the language, there are quite some controversial topics that are dealt with, and it all depends on the individuals level of understaing and maturity], it should still be listened to by all who can. Hopefully they can get the message out of it.

And I leave you with some pictures of the wonderful Maya Arulpragasam [M.I.A.]

What I Learned Today- Time line of postmortem insect activity

BODY IN OPEN AIR - INSECT ACTIVITY

10 minutes- Blowflies arrive and lay thousands of eggs in the eyes, nose, and mouth of the corpse.

12 hours- Fly eggs hatch maggots. They feed on bodily tissues.

24-36 hours- Beetles arrive. They feed of dry skin.

48 hours- Spiders, millipedes, and mites arrive. They feed on bugs already on the body.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also learned the history of the word Forensics.

-Comes from the Latin word forensis
-Forensis means "of the forum"
-The forum was where legal proceedings took place in Ancient Rome
-Forensic (adj.) came to mean "connected with or pertaining to courts of law"

cool.

Maybe I will make a post about the "CSI Effect" and what it does to jurors...after I read the book

I thought I might add this for a good laugh

Part 2 of "Sick and Tired..."

I just decided to make a whole new note to add this instead of just adding it inside the middle somewhere because no one would be able to find it. Another thing that I am sick and tired of is unrequited attraction [making up new terms here, just bear with me]. I hate the fact that all of the guys that you could say I greatly esteem, don't give a rat's a** about me. They just smile and keep going when they see me [unless I tackle them down for a hug...JK can't say that cause I already know everyone thinks I'm like super crazy weird lol]. I feel like my time and emotions are wasted [though we can't help who we are attracted to] because I am wasting my time admiring people who obviously don't care about me. And another thing that really gets my blood boiling is the fact that I don't attract what I want to be attracting. Sure, I shouldn't be thinking about "attractions" between the opposite sex and stuff when I have college to worry about but I AM 17 which is prime teenage pubescent[think I mispelled that which is so annoying as I am a big stickler for mispelt things] stage. If they make a re-make of the movie "Never Been Kissed," I could so be Drew Barrymore, just the black version. And now I just revealed too much information so I am ending this.

Sick and Tired- A Summer Vacation Lament

Of course everyone has heard of the saying "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." It gets thrown around quite a bit each generation. It's funny cause I kinda am "sick" and "tired." I have had a cough since May and now it is all gross and disgusting and I wheeze when I laugh[I know it sounds like random rambling, but I do have a point. It's coming!]. I went to the doctor yesterday[finally] and got some medicine[inhaler and apparatus for the inhaler]. I guess you could say I am tired, but only when I stay up late instead of going to sleep. What am I really sick and tired of? Deadlines. Being cooped up inside of the house all day. Immaturity. Fear. Low Self-Esteem. Indecisiveness. Pain. Suffering. Hot Weather. Being inable. People saying for you to call them if you ever need anything but when you call, they can't help you. Fangirls. Envy. Jealousy. Not being "pretty" enough for everyone else. Liars. See I just made this whole list and it just sounds like I am a troubled hormonal female who needs to go talk to a shrink when I am really not. [wow I just made a potential label for myself...not good!!] I just wish things would go my way sometimes [do I sound like a brat yet?]. I don't mean to sound all down in the dumps or whatever, cause normally I'm a cheerful, slightly happy-go-lucky person. I think all this heat has done something to my brain. It's SO incredibly toasty in my house! I think I need a vacation AWAY from my vacation. I need to go stay at someone's house for a couple of days or something. Sometimes I wish my friends and I were like on TV, where they just walk into each other's homes and the parents don't care, and they just walk up to the parents and are like "so and so is spending the night" and the parents are all "ok." That would be great, except for [I know someone is thinking it!] things that are on TV aren't real life, unless it's one of those reality shows, which in some cases are staged. Anyways, I have been going a bit mad since I have been cooped up inside my house for a majority of the week. Does anyone want to come and get me and take me away before I go completely bonkers! I can only watch ER, read about Crime Scene Investigation, and Draw/Paint so much before I get antsy. Well actually, since we have seasons 1-5 of ER, I might be ok there, but then I feel like the day is wasting away when I watch more than 3 or more episodes [they are like 40-50 minutes long each]. I checked out half of the books on Crime Scene Investigation at the library and there is only half a shelf left for me to check out before I go check out the books about medicine[Career choice juggling is fun]. I have a car but no license[don't ask why]. What am I going to do with myself? I can only be "sick" and "tired" for so long. Twitter and Youtube are getting boring too[well maybe not Youtube, cause I got stuck on there today watching videos about body boarding]. Well anyways, enough random rambling [well what does it matter since only like 4 of my friends that care will read this anyways]. Well off to go help Melissa download Skype :-)

Things I Hate- My Top Annoyances A through Z

A--Annoying People- They either need to grow up or go away.

--Anthills/Antfarms- yuck yuck yuck. My skin crawls just thinking about it. And why would you want a bajillion little crawly things in your room as pets? If they escape, I feel sorry for you

B--Bad Weaves- OMG How are you going to go walking around with your hair looking like a bird dive-bombed it and then try to act like you are someone's Barbie or Diva?? THAT DON'T MATCH!! Clearly someone lied to you because you are going around like your hair is the business and it isn't

--Bees- Bees are so annoying. It seems like everytime I go outside, a bee manages to make its way towards where I am. This always happens at school too

C--Conversations That End Up Where You Didn't Want Them To- Self-explanatory

--Concession Stands In The Middle of The Mall- I will only go to the eyebrow threading and phone case stand because that is the only one that I think is worth being there. The other ones are unecessary because I never see anyone going there to buy anything. The people who work at them also can be classified as annoying people. Now, I understand you are trying to do your job, but what part of "NO" do they not understand?? If people aren't coming to your stand, it is obviously time to go get a new product, one that people are actually interested in.

D--Dumb Guys- This includes guys who play with girls emotions, act retarded just to make people notice them, give stupid responses when asked a question, ignore people, and just do dumb stuff in general

--Dumb People In General--I hate it when people do dumb things to get attention, or just because they wanted to see what will happen. I also hate it when people are smart and don't do anything about it [ie, just sit around and goof off at school while the rest of us are struggling to get the concept and they already know it so they disrupt the class anyways]

--Drama Queens- Yes we already noticed you when you made your big entrance, so why go and make things more dramatic by shouting and cursing loudly with every conversation you engage in? Oh and by the way, crying about everything just makes you look immature and needy.

E--Evil People- They have it coming for them in the end.

--Every TV Channel Making An Effort To Broadcast A Vampire/Werewolf-Centered TV Show- Refer to "Vampires' Over-Exposure In The Media"

F--Fake People- I hate it when people sit up in your face and pretend to be your friend and then go talk trash about you behind your back. It's a shame. And then what makes me more mad is when you are fake and have friends, because those friends will eventually find out how fake you are, and end up leaving you. I also hate it when there are fake adolescents and adults think the world of them, or think that nothing is wrong with them, when their peers really know what trifling catfish they are. UGH that pisses me off.

--Fake People Who Have Friends- Refer to the above entry

--Fake Emo/Goth People- No, liking Twilight does not make you emo or gothic.

--Fake Vampires- Yes, Edward Cullen, I'm talking about you. People wake up. A real vampire doesn't sparkle and fly through the forest [unless he's a bat! haha]. A real vampire would be more like the Count Dracula or the vampire Lestat [heck, even Bill Compton/Eric Northman from True Blood]. Go read [or watch the movie] "Interview With the Vampire" if you want to see real. A real vampire has some scare-factor to it. Not teen sex-appeal [minus Eric Northman. He is real AND he has sex-appeal]

G--Girls Who Walk Around Half Dressed- It's simple. Put some clothes on. I try not to judge[who doesn't? We're all human] but everyone thinks poorly of you when you walk out of the house looking like you are ready for some pole dancing.

--Grasshoppers- Nastiest insect on the face of the planet. I always tend to get chased by them every summer. Maybe this summer I will be more fortunate

--Gnats- Most annoying thing ever. More annoying than annoying people

--Girls Who Come To The Store In Their Sleep Cap- Mmmhmmn...you know exactly what I'm talking about my fellow African-American friends.[If not, a sleep cap, well that's what I call it, is usually a silk hat with elastic around the edge that women wear over their hair while they sleep. It looks like a cloth version of a showercap, or it can be considered the old fashioned showercap.(I have seen old showercaps that are made out of cloth)] Someone needs to let these females know that they are not in the comfort of their home, so why do they see fit to travel to the store in their sleep cap?? They just look a mess!!

--Girls Who Take Other People's Men- Thieves need to be punished. They will get the ultimate punishment in the end.

--Girls Who Talk Trash About Others When They Are The Real Trash- self-explanatory

--Girls Who Think They Are Divas When They Really Aren't- Another self-explanatory one

--Guys Who Are Superficial And Go Out With Fake People- The sad thing is that most of the ones[guys] that you thought had the most to offer[ie, good character, trustworthy, etc.] are the ones who go out with the hoes who are only there for one thing [and it is not the guys love!!]

H--Hearing Only Half Of What Someone Said- And then you don't feel llike asking them to repeat it for the umpteenth time so you just drop it

--Half-Done Weaves- If it isn't finshed, please don't come outside looking like Halloween. We don't want to be alarmed by that sight. Do us all the favor and put a scarf [NOT A SLEEPCAP!!] or a hat over that.

I--Interruptions During Something Important- self-explanatory

J--Jokes That Are Racial- Now I understand that it may be funny [and I am guilty of at some], but you know as soon as that joke is turned around and made about your race by another, you are ready to fight. Just save the time and spent energy and don't say it at all.

K--Knowing About A Song/Artist Before Anyone Else Does, And Then When The Song/Artist Gets Popular, Everyone Wants to Act Like They Know More About Them Than You Do, Or Like They've Known About it Forever

L--Lady Gaga- Don't attack me for having my own opinion. I just don't like the chick :-P

--Liars- I hate liars so much. Especially when there is a whole family of them [personal experience!!]. It is the worst when the person lies to your face about something that is not true and you know otherwise, and they know that YOU know otherwise, and yet they still lie about it. I hope their teeth fall out

M--Makeup That Is Caked On- Please remove that cake batter from your face before it bakes underneath the house lights! I shouldn't have to take a chisel to chip away your makeup just to see your facial expressions

--Makeup That Makes Someones Face Look A Different Color Than Their Neck- Oh look! Here comes Two-Toned Tosha!

N--Nails That Are Rediculously Long- Especially the fake ones that hook over like witch/animal claws. If it isn't October, than you have no reason to be wearing those talons on your hand

O--Obsessive Twilight Fans- Thank You for ruining My Twilight Experience :)

--Old Weaves- Go change that mess or at least do something with it like cover it up so we all don't have to suffer from the sight/smell of that rat's nest.

P--Popular Cliques- I hate it when people go around in a group talking about "OMG We're popular!" I have nothing against them [sure it may sound like I am harboring some jealous feelings or something but I am not. I was perfectly content with the group of friends that I hung out with in High School] The problem is when they start to go around and make other people feel like they are not wanted, or are weird, etc. On the Tyra show one time, Tyra had all these different lunch tables set up on her stage, and she brought up a clique of girls who are considered popular at their school, and some kids who are considered losers/outcasts/Glee kids. The popular girls were SO rude to the not-so-popular kids and I couldn't believe people were acting like that on live television. I also hate it when people think that you have to be rich to be popular. I know plently of rich people who don't go around saying "Oh, I'm popular at school because I'm rich, and blah blah blah"

--People Who Stick Gum Under Tables- You are the nastiest people on the face of the earth

--Peope Who Don't Dispose of Trash Properly- ew. Seriously how hard was it to walk over a few more feet to the trash can?

--People Who Can Dish It Out But Can't Take It- If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!

Q--Questions That Are Asked After The Teacher Just Answered The Same One Being Asked- Seriously? Pay attention you idiot

R--Runs In Stockings- I hate how my nails always decide to snag every pair of stockings that I have. I even file/buff them before getting near a pair of nylons!

--Robert Pattinson- ew.

S--Stickers That Won't Peel Off- I have a sticker collection, and I hate it when I have to use extra force and what not just to get the sticker off. It is really bad too when you are ripping the whole paper in half.

T--The Teen Section At Barnes And Noble-I have graduated from the teen section but I went over there the other day to see if they had a good old book [The Georgia Nicholson Series by Louise Rennison] and of course they didn't because it was over-ridden with Vampire-Mania and Twilight things. smh

--Twilight- I used to like it, but now, I just laugh at it, because of what the media, Catherine Hardwicke, and Summit Entertainment have made of it. Now I just go watch the movies for a good laugh with my friends.

--Twilight Fans- See "Fake Emo/Goth People" and "Obsessive Twiligh Fans."

--Twilight Fangirls Who Cry over Robert Pattinson- You are wasting your breath ladies

U--Underestimations Of Others- Don't underestimate people. I have had it happened to me and it is not fun. If you underestimate, then you will have a great time being shown-up or embarassed by the victim when they prove you wrong [if they have the guts]

V--Vampires' Over-Exposure In The Media- Just because Stephenie Meyer got lucky when Summit decided to make a movie doesn't mean you and your lame, cliche vampire romance TV show/book will get famous. It just looks like you are trying to hard [ABC with your new vampire show!]

W--When People Spit In the Walkway- nasties

--When You Have Known About Something For A Long Time And Then It Suddenly Becomes Popular Out Of Nowhere- self-explanatory

--When You Get Yelled At For Not Doing Something, But You Were In The Process Of Doing It And Your Parent Was In The Other Room So They Had No Idea That You Were Doing It

--When People Get Mad At You For Having Your Own Opinion [ie, Not Liking Someone(Celebrity,Musician, etc)]- sheesh calm down it's my brain/body not yours. I have the freedom of choice, and I choose whether or not I like someone. You know you would be mad if i criticized you for who/what you like.

X--Xtreme- When people put and "X" in front of the word "Extreme." I don't understand what you have accomlished except for eliminating one letter.

Y--Yo-yo's When They Get All Tangled Up- SO annoying.

Z--Zebra Print-Clothing[Or Anything For That Matter] That Is Overdone- Tacky.