phatglittergrl

It's been 5 months to the day since my last post.  Thanks to everyone who's still here.  I am hoping to get back into blogging on LJ, and am looking forward to getting reaquainted with my old LJ friends.

If you want the people you care about to support you, it only makes sense to me that you should support them back.

/end rant.

  It's been awhile since I logged in, and I have been trying to log in...  it's just that I couldn't remember my username.  Isn't that brilliant?  So I've been trying for a few weeks to think of it, and it wouldn't come to me.  Finally, RYANJJOHN popped into my head, and I found his journal and looked... and sure enough, I found my username.  I didn't think I'd have anyone left that still claimed me as a friend because it's been like 4 months.  So thank you to those who are still here.  I appreciate it, and I hope you've all been well.  

  Since I've been gone, there has been the great big huge flood that took place here in my town and many other places in Iowa and nearby states.  I was out of my home for about a week and completely sure that I'd come home to no home to come home to, but my home was untouched.  The water came to the end of the parking lot, and got into the buildings across the lot, but my building was totally okay.  It makes no sense to me, as the water went so many blocks out of the river's way downtown, and here I am right across the street pretty much, and I'm good to go.  Many of my family and friends weren't as lucky, unfortunately.  I am very grateful for the friends that took me in and gave me a place to go during the time that I needed somewhere to go.  A paragraph doesn't really do this topic justice, but maybe at some point when I need something to blog about, I can expand on some of the key points of the great flood of '08.

  Also since I've been gone has been friend drama... many fun nights with some of my favorite bands...  friends weddings...  all kinds of things.  It has been busy, yet my life remains very much the same as it was before.




 

Life has been hectic, crazy, and frustrating.  It's been a bit of a mess, with a few good things thrown in here and there.  Plus my computer has been even slower and more prone to mess ups.  I'm hoping we all truly get $600 extra dollars back from the government- I would love to put it toward a new computer, preferably a laptop.

I think my normal income tax return will go toward going to the eye doctor and new glasses.  I think it's been about 10 or 15 years since I've had a check up and I need one desperately- things are definitely a little blurrier than they use to be.  And man, do I need new glasses.  Or maybe I will look into contacts, that would be really really awesome.

   I have been meaning to write all week about the weekend last weekend, but every time I sit down on the computer, it seems like really writing everything I want to write will take way too long, so I don't bother.  I log in, look over what others have written, stop to think that I really need to comment everyone, and then become even lazier and get offline or head over to myspace.

  Once again, I'm not going to get to things about last weekend, but maybe I'll start putting it together into an email and then when it's all done, I can cut and paste it here.  And here we are now with another weekend upon us.  Tomorrow I have to take CPR and 1st Aid for work, so that will be from around 730 AM until around 3 PM.  Yippee.  Then my band that I work for has a show tomorrow night.  Sunday, I'm attending a friend's Mary Kay party.  It will be a full weekend, but so will the following one.

  My cell phone is restricted at the moment.  Sent my payment in about 3 months late, so right now all I can do is get calls and texts, but not make calls or send texts.  People can also leave me voice mail, but I can only access it from other phones,  not from my cell.  Hopefully tomorrow or Monday, I'll be back up and running normally.  It's ridiculous how much of a lifeline my cell is for me.

   I hope everyone's doing well.  Happy weekend!

Stolen from my MySpace blog and reposted here...  :)

I will be the 1st to admit that no birthday is complete without great music, friends, people too drunk to drive home, and people throwing up in the bar bathroom before the night is over.  Ohh, no wait...  It was the 1st birthday with people too drunk to drive home and people throwing up in the bar bathroom before the night was over.  It was also the 1st birthday with someone wearing star shoes just for me.  ;)  This year's birthday definitely was a rockin' good time.

  Actually, it ended up being pretty much a weekend-long thing.  Pretend Rockstar played at Teeghan's on Friday night.  Sara, Liz, and Kelli came out; Judy stopped by as did Mongo; and I met someone that I had previously only known over e-mail.  It was definitely my less-sober night of the two.  I partied probably a little too hard that night.

  After the boys were done, we made a quick stop at Volume so I could see the Super Size guys for a minute.  Chongo pointed out that I was a little late as the show was over; I got to see Deb for a second; and my, oh my...  Someone gave Sound Guy Steve too much champagne!  (I'm kidding- I couldn't really talk that night!)  Happy 5 year anniversary, Emmet, Mark, and Steve!!!

  Saturday, I saw my Dad for the usual 5 minute birthday visit.  That night, Rockstar was back at 5th Gear for the first time in a long time.  It was nice to be back there.  It was an awesomely fun night.  Quite a few of my friends made it out- Liz, Sara, Mandi, Jason, Kelli, Gloria, Vince, Terri, Traci, Shannon, and Aaron (and all the boys, too, of course!).  I finally met Darla, who's super nice, and ran into my Chrome Horse buddy, Dan.  I got to pick the boys' last song of the night.  I picked the old SOT original "So Much For Dreams" because it's one of my favorite songs of all time.  The crappy weather held off for the most part until after the show, which was excellent.

  Sunday, I spent time with my family.  We had dinner (tator tot casserole w/less meat than it's usually made with, per my request- though I still pulled out most of the meat in what I ate, which I think hurt my Mom's feelings- whoops!) and I opened presents from my Mom and sister.  I got new black shoes for shows, some camera cards, batteries for my camera, etc.  I'm pretty sure it's a sign of old age when you're really excited to get a handi chopper and a silicone oven glove that you (shockingly) really wanted. 

  The greatest thing, though was the purse that said "Star" in glittery letters and a guitar and rocker chick on it.  Sadly, my sister didn't realize it was actually Hannah Montana and NOT a rocker chick until she went to wrap it lol.  She offered to take it back, but I like the "star" and guitar, so I will either just use it for work where the kids love Hannah (ok, really, I watch her sometimes, too!), or else use it and hope the general public only sees a quick glimpse and assumes it's just a rocker chick, too.

  It was an awesomely great weekend.  This coming weekend, I will spend at home for once.  The following weekend will host my 1st night out (Sat. March 1st- Super Size at Chrome, come hang out!) now that I've put the "party girl" on hiatus.  It should be interesting, I'm hoping I don't fail- Super Size + Chrome is usually a deadly combination.  :)

  The band I work for is a local cover band.  They re-invented their sound at the end of the summer when they replaced a few members with new members.  They did mostly rock with an occasional country song thrown in.  They still do the same, but with almost all new music, and now they're more power punk.  They take various songs and punk them out... aside from things that are already punk like Dirty Little Secret or All the Small Things.  They do things from punked out Paula Abdul (Straight Up) to punked out Rod Stewart (Forever Young) to punked out Dixie Chicks (Goodbye Earl) to...  you name it.  Songs like 500 Miles, Sublime's Lovin (Is What I Got), Delta Dawn, Ice Ice Baby, Leavin' On A Jet Plane, Sloop John B, Sweet Caroline...  The list goes on and on for an entire night's worth of songs.  Then they do un-punked things like You Give Love A Bad Name, Crazy Bitch, and Dirty Deeds,  too.  They're alot of fun- then again, I've known a few of the guys since their old band several years back so I'm a little biased.

  Speaking of which, I got an email earlier today from the lead singer, who's wife had their 3rd child yesterday morning.  A boy.  :)  We have 2 shows scheduled this weekend, so I'm not sure if they'll still go on or be cancelled...  I'm assuming if he decides to cancel, he'll be in touch so I can sent out a new band mailing letting people know the shows are off.  I'd assume he'll decide later in the week once everyone's home from the hospital and he can see how things are going at that point.

  My birthday is this weekend.  If my band has shows, I will spend both weekend nights with them.  Friday night just like normal, with a few friends coming out to hang.  Then Saturday night, which is my actual birthday, a handful more will be out to celebrate with me and watch the boys.  Not having a party, but always use my birthday as an excuse to get my friends to come out and see the boys.  Cuz really, it's all I want- my people there seeing my boys, rockin' out and dancing, having a good time, and making the boys feel like rockstars.  I can't ask for anything more than that.

  If we are show-less, then I will go see some other friends in a band on Friday night with a couple of friends, and then Saturday night will have the bigger gathering at my favorite local bar.  I don't have a clue about the band there that night, but really- a few of my girls and I hang out at this particular bar just because the bartenders are so awesome, so the band doesn't matter so much.  (Though we're always super excited when bands we actually follow happen to play there- double YAY!, good music AND fun bartenders!)
 

  I work for a local rock band.  They're a cover band, and I love them to death.  I use to do more for them, but currently just handle the mailing list and sometimes stuff with their MySpace.  I use to completely handle their MySpace, but the boys have been helping out with it here lately, which leaves me pretty much the mailing list and whatever other random odds and ends they come up with that they throw my way.  Sometimes I make things for tables.  Sometimes I look into things (currently: fake tattoos to give out at shows).  I use to go into the crowd and collect e-mail addresses, and technically I *should* still be doing that, but I haven't been lately.  It's too overwhelming anymore, going up to a bar-ful of random strangers.  It's a great way to get feedback, but I just can't make myself do it lately.  Oh, and I also take pictures at every show.  Lots and lots of pictures.  Some get used for things, some don't.  But it's a blast.  I *love* taking pictures.

  Ok, so on with the stress part of the post.  To add my list of dorky traits, I am driver's license-less.  My boys have a show tomorrow night, and I *hate* missing shows, but it appears I am probably going to have to miss tomorrow's.  My friend that was going to go with me e-mailed me yesterday to say they don't know if they'll be able to go because they're sick.  Which I understand completely, but shows are pretty much my life and now I am way bummed.  Even though my birthday is next weekend and there are 2 shows next weekend, with a couple friends going on Friday night and a handful more coming out for my birthday on Saturday- so I'll get to go to both next weekend for sure.  Assuming that the lead singer's very pregnant wife doesn't have her baby early- she's due in about 2 weeks.  :)
But still, I am bummed because I most likely will not be attending tomorrow night's show.  So that makes this weekend pretty much blow.

  And then let's add the fact that my sister just informed me that I owe her about $50 more out of this check than I had realized, bringing the total I owe her up to 70-something.  Also out of this check, I need to get birthday presents for 2 or 3 people, valentines for my kids at work, put together valentine "treat bags" for the band (and the drummer is on a diet!  What do I do with a drummer that's on a diet?!), plus pay all the usual things...  aol, cell phone, utilities, a credit card payment, plus have drinking $ for the 2 shows next weekend, MAYBE tomorrow's show, and money for secret valentine's at work.  Not to mention general things like I need shower gel, etc.

  stress Stress STRESS.  Make it stop!

  I am reminded in looking around at other people's journals and communities about how much I really want to live somewhere else.  Somewhere fun and cool and exciting.  Somewhere with cool accents, or palm trees and those awesome night skylines and beaches, somewhere where it never snows and the vibe is just altogether different than here.  Big and bustling and full of interesting people and sites that you don't run into in good old Iowa.  I want to escape, I just lack the means to do it.

  I am not-so-new to LJ itself but have started up this new journal where I can start over fresh and make some new friends.  Where I can write about WW, or the weekend, or whatever cool thing I found online, or just life in general.  Not that I couldn't do that on my old journal, but just felt the need to start over with something new.  It's amazing how exciting something new can be, the little rush of yay! that comes with it.

  To make a quick introduction, I am pushing 30, single, a picture of anti-skinny less-than-greatness,  trapped in the cornfields of Iowa, and about to embark on my 2nd attempt down the road to weight watchers bliss.  (Do I truly expect great things?  No.  But I hope for them, anyway!)  I have reached a point where I've been pretty unhappy with most aspects of my life, and am hereby embarking on a road to attempting change in a few different areas.  

  Check out my info and you will get a pretty decent picture of who I am, what I enjoy, and the things that matter to me.  I hope to make some great friends in this corner of LJ.