Kim's Blog

Tattoos in Vegas

2006-05-01T22:18:00.000-04:00

I recently took a trip to Las Vegas to meet a bunch of the girls I had been talking to on the Betty Boards, a message board for fans of the group Pray for the Soul of Betty. We had all been talking for months and decided it was time to get together and have a big convention. It ended up only being about 15 people, because the band had toured early in the year and a lot of people had used up all their traveling money for that.

While we were planning it the idea of getting tattoos while we were out there came about. A lot of people heard this and couldn’t understand why I would get a tattoo with people I had just met. The thing that is hard to explain to anyone who is not a part of this community; is that after just a few conversations you feel like you have known some of these people your whole life. The bonds I feel with some of these women are stronger than I have felt to some of the friends I have had. In the end 6 of us ended up getting tattoos. Everyone got a design that fit their own personality and for their own reasons, but all of them included the musical symbol of the bass clef to symbolize our love for music.

Everyone had a different reason for wanting to get it, but mainly it was just something that we knew all of us would forever be able to look back on and smile thinking back to this time in our lives.

We went to a shop called Bad Apple Tattoo Company. The guy who did all of our tattoos was awesome. His name was Eric. When we walked into the shop I instantly recognized him as one of the former artists at Hart and Huntington, the shop that is featured on the show Inked on A&E. He designed all of them out of his head by just listening to our ideas and concepts we wanted.

First up was Barb. This was her first tattoo and she wasn’t sure about the pain factor. So she went with something small. Her reasoning for getting it was "The music symbol means more to me than *just* the love of music. I chose the bass clef because a really cool person once showed me how too really *listen* to the music. Not just listen to the vocals or pinpoint the lyrics but to really feel and be taken over by the bass, the absolute start, middle and end to a song."

Then it was my turn. I already had a couple tattoos and had always said my next one would be a gecko. I wanted to get this tattoo because the band has brought me so many new friends and has helped me through some rough times. So no matter what happens with the band and my friends I will forever have this to remember them by.

Paula went next. She got her tattoo because "music has always been the storyline of my life...however I recently found myself mired down in a job I despised...on the outside playing to the socially expected drive for more money...more everything....but the music was missing.... then I found PFTSOB."

Sarah ended up getting her tattoo done by one of the other artists there who didn’t have any clients, and also due to time constraints. She said she was getting it because "To pay homage to this community that has meant so much to me, and the band that has made me open my eyes and really taste life, I will have a flaming bass clef inked. The soul of the music lies in the bass line. The flames signify the burning passion of the wonderful people I have met through the music."

Karen was next. We all deemed her the toughest one of all because she got hers right on the back of her neck. She described her design and reasoning as "Two swans (notice the bass clef as their neck)....throughout folklore swans are associated with music, love, purity. The swan is my animal totem and represents the soul - my soul - and my dedication to my friends and family and the things I love."

Last was Maryann. It was her idea originally to do the whole bass clef thing. She is the one who had started the thread on the boards that we had all met through, and helped a lot of us to stop and actually listen to and appreciate the bass. She described her reason as "Bass is what I hear in music and the element that influences my tastes. I have spent many years studying the history and listening and learning from a great friend who is a bass player."

Project D Draft 2

2006-04-19T23:22:00.000-04:00

I recently took a trip to Las Vegas to meet a bunch of the girls I had been talking to on the Betty Boards. A message board for fans of the group Pray for the Soul of Betty. We had all been talking for months and decided it was time to get together and have a big convention. It ended up only being about 15 people, because the band had toured early in the year and a lot of people had used up all their traveling money for that.

While we were planning it the idea of getting tattoos while we were out there came about. In the end 6 of us ended up getting tattoos. Everyone got a design that was them, but all of them included the musical symbol of the bass clef to symbolize our love for music.

Everyone had a different reason for wanting to get it, but mainly it was just something that we knew all of us would forever be able to look back on and smile thinking back to this time in our lives. Although we live all over the country I feel closer to some of these girls than I have to a lot of friends in my past.

The guy who did all of our tattoos was awesome. His name was Eric. When we walked into the shop I instantly recognized him as one of the former artists at Hart and Huntington, the shop that is featured on inked. He designed all of them out of his head by just listening to our ideas and concepts we wanted.

First up was Barb. This was her first tattoo and she wasn’t sure about the pain factor. So she went with something small. Her reasoning for getting it was "The music symbol means more to me than *just* the love of music. I chose the bass clef because a really cool person once showed me how too really *listen* to the music. Not just listen to the vocals or pinpoint the lyrics but to really feel and be taken over by the bass, the absolute start, middle and end to a song."

Then it was my turn. I already had a couple tattoos and had always said my next one would be a gecko. I wanted to get this tattoo because the band has brought me so many new friends and has helped me through some rough times. So no matter what happens with the band and my friends I will forever have this to remember them by.

Paula went next. She got her tattoo because "music has always been the storyline of my life...however I recently found myself mired down in a job I despised...on the outside playing to the socially expected drive for more money...more everything....but the music was missing.... then I found PFTSOB."

Sarah didn’t end up getting inked by Eric, because of time constraints and the other artist was just kind of standing around, but it still came out awesome! She said she was getting it because "To pay homage to this community that has meant so much to me, and the band that has made me open my eyes and really taste life, I will have a flaming bass clef inked. The soul of the music lies in the bass line. The flames signify the burning passion of the wonderful people I have met through the music."

Karen was next. We all deemed her the toughest one of all because she got hers right on the back of her neck. She described her design and reasoning as "Two swans (notice the bass clef as their neck)....throughout folklore swans are associated with music, love, purity. The swan is my animal totem and represents the soul - my soul - and my dedication to my friends and family and the things I love."

Last was Maryann. It was her idea originally to do the whole bass clef thing. She is the one who had started the thread on the boards that we had all met through, and helped a lot of us to stop and actually listen to and appreciate the bass. She described her reason as "Bass is what I hear in music and the element that influences my tastes. I have spent many years studying the history and listening and learning from a great friend who is a bass player."

Project D Draft 1

2006-04-17T22:23:00.000-04:00

First up was Barb. This was her first tattoo and she wasn’t sure about the pain factor. So she went with something small. Her reasoning for getting it was "The music symbol means more to me than *just* the love of music. I chose the bass clef because a really cool person once showed me how too really *listen* to the music. Not just listen to the vocals or pinpoint the lyrics but to really feel and be taken over by the bass, the absolute start, middle and end to a song."

Then it was my turn. I already had a couple tattoos and had always said my next one would be a gecko. While searching for ideas I came across a bass clef morphed into a gecko and knew that was what I wanted.

Podcasting

2006-04-06T09:16:00.000-04:00

Printable Version

Podcasting is something that is sweeping the world with popularity. When people first hear the word podcasting, they usually ask, “What is podcasting?” Podcasting is defined by Wikipedia (an online dictionary) as: the distribution of audio files, such as radio programmes, over the internet using RSS syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers. A podcast is a web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to subscribe to, and also the content of that feed. Podcasters' websites also may offer direct download of their files, but the subscription feed of automatically delivered new content is what distinguishes a podcast from a simple download or real-time streaming .

I went to Yahoo and typed in podcasts and got over 55 million pages to search through. There are many different types of podcasts; such as entertainment, news, food, music etc. Anyone can find a podcast that they will enjoy and relate to. Some daily news shows are actually broadcasting through podcasts as well as on television.

With my love of music I enjoy the musical podcasts the most. Charlie Chapman (C.C. to all his friends) currently hosts two podshows, both playing nothing but unsigned and upcoming artists. His original podshow is Accident Hash http://accidenthash.podshow.com/ which he plays a variety of music on, but mainly the heavier loud stuff. Many of his listeners were commenting on how much they liked the mellower music when he would play it, which is why he started his second podshow U-Turn Café http://u-turncafe.podshow.com/ .

He gets his music from a website called Podsafe music. The site is designed so that artists can submit their music to be played on podcasts and so that podcasters can find new music to play.

Both of his shows have become a huge success. He has people from all over the world listening to his shows. He gets fan mail and phone calls from everywhere. One night someone from Ireland called him and they chatted on the phone for well over an hour.

When asked to describe podcasting in his own words he said, “Audio and video content on the web that you can get delivered directly to you and enjoy whenever you want. Think of it as Tivo for web content. Radio as we know it is doomed and podcasting is going to have fun kicking the sh** out of it. As more content gets produced more and more people are going to realize that they don’t need a TV or a radio. That they can get all the entertaining and informative content they want on the web through podcasts.”

His explanation for what got him started in it is, “I got an iPod and in researching software and stuff for it I came across the concept of Podcasting. Since I had blogged for several years it seemed like a no brainer extension of that and so in December of 2004 I did my first Reality B***hslap Radio. It quickly took on a life of its own and then I got into the concept of Podsafe Music and some people told me I should try a music show so I did. And well…the rest is history.”

His response to the question of did he ever think it would become as big of a part of his life was, “No. Not at all. I knew it was going to take some time and be yet another thing I was in to. In fact I remember Laura [his wife] shaking her head and going “oh great another hobby.” So it’s obvious neither of us thought it would get to the point where it is right now.” Like many things he has become involved in, it starts as a hobby and something fun and turns into a huge part of his life.

He listed some of his favorite things about podcasting; “Getting artists thanking me for playing their music. E-mail from complete strangers who had some sort of emotional connection to a show, tune or subject that comes up on my podcast. Discovering and sharing new music with the world. Meeting such a diverse and great bunch of new friends that I might never had.” The only thing he said was something that he dislikes about it was that “The fact that I don’t have nearly enough time to do all the adventures that I want to. If this was full time I could really make a difference.”

He has had many adventures already though. He went to a podcasters expo in California. He recently was a key note speaker at a conference in Atlanta. In May he is the key note speaker at a conference in Germany.

He said his favorite experiences so far have been, “There have been so many, but feeling like a rock start while in California for the Podcast Expo was a definite trip. Everyone knew who I was and it was great to meet people left and right. That was fun. Pulling off the Brother Love & Chance concert at the expo was cool as well. I want to do more of that!”

As much fun as he is having doing it, he knows that this will not be a life long thing for him. When asked if he thinks he will ever stop podcasting he replied, “Oh I’m sure at some point it with either evolve into something else or go away, but for right now I don’t want to think about things like that. It’s going to change a lot of things.”

Friendship

2006-03-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

Project B Draft 2

Friendship is a hard thing to define. Throughout your life, your definition of it will change more times that you can count. When you are a little kid, your friend is whoever plays with you at recess; in middle school it is whoever is there for you during that first heartbreak. As you grow older you start to cherish other things in a friend, for instance honesty, trusting, caring and loving.
I have had many “friends” in my life. There are very few of these friends that I am still in contact with. Either we just grew apart and lost touch or something in particular happened to change the friendship, and it just kind of ended. Although at times I miss some of them, I know I am better off without them. However bad the friendships were they are what have made me who I am today.
Caty and Kelly were sisters; they were only 13 months apart in age, and extremely close with one another. They did everything together, which also meant they had a lot of the same friends. This caused a lot of problems in the friendships they had, because their friends were always put in the middle when they would have a fight. Although they were close, they were still siblings, so they did fight a lot.
When I first became friends with them, things were great. We hung out with each other as much as we could, and talked on the phone any day that we couldn’t hang out. We started talking because we attended the same church, and hit it off when we discovered that we all liked the same band. I had never been friends with two people who already had such a connection, when we became friends. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but soon learned that I was very wrong. It became like a competition between them, of who could become closer friends with me. I was asked day after day which one I liked better.
A couple years after we became friends I graduated high school and started college. This was what ended up being the final breaking point of a friendship. They were both still in high school and back in our hometown. Obviously I was making many new friends, and getting busier as the school year went on. One night on the way to dinner, my friend and I decided to check our mail. I opened my mailbox and saw a letter from Caty and Kelly. I was so excited to hear from them. I quickly opened my letter and began reading. I couldn’t believe the things they were saying to me. It was as if they were mad that I was at college and not at home with them.
Dan was one of those guys who had a lot of girls who liked him. He was an attractive guy and played a couple sports. He was friends with all sorts of people. He wasn’t the type to just hang with one clique at school. I was one of the many girls who had a crush on him. We became friends in middle school. We knew of each other because my dad had been his Boy Scout leader. One day my dad asked me to give him a message at school. I finally caught him in the hallway between classes and we got to talk. We became really good friends after that. He knew I had a crush on him, but didn’t feel that way towards me at the time. Our friendship grew and grew, but soon became one big circle. Whenever his latest girlfriend would break his heart, he would start to tell me how he thought maybe we should try to take our friendship to the next level. I would of course love the idea, and we would start talking more and more like we were going to do that. Then all the sudden he would have a new girlfriend and we would stop talking for a while. Many years later, we did finally try to take things to another level, but it didn’t work. It ended up just being one last ego stroke for him, and the end to our friendship. Looking back I can’t believe how long I put up with his games, but at the time, that is the type of person I was. I would do anything to keep my friends happy, no matter how unhappy it made me.
These are just a couple examples of the friendships that have shaped who I am. Through both my friends actions and my own over the years I learned a whole about myself and what friendship means to me. There really are numerous definitions of the word, but I am just glad that I have finally found out what mine is.

Biography Draft 2

2006-03-01T19:49:00.000-05:00

Printable Version

When Cass got to work that mother’s day morning of 2000, she thought it was going to be a typical day of work. She was going to go work with Bill, the 50 year old man with autism who she had been caring for over the past 15 months. Bill has his own apartment, but required 24 hour staffing and assistance in all daily tasks. She talked with the overnight staff person to find out how he had been, Bill was extremely anxious the day before. Whenever Bill got nervous he would drink water excessively. Since bill is a 6’3”, 250 lb man, it can be hard to tell him no and/or physically stop him from getting himself a glass of water; she wondered why the staff hadn’t just turned the main water supply off to keep him from drinking so much. Bill was still in bed which was very rare, he never stayed in bed much past 7, and here it was already after 9:00.

At lunchtime Bill barely ate anything, another thing that was very rare for him. She tried to bring his lunch to him in the living room, and he still wouldn’t eat anything. Cass was beginning to get worried about the strange behavior, but tried to tell herself that maybe he was just having an off day.

They were sitting in the living room in the side by side recliners watching some television, when Bill began to have a seizure in his recliner. She could tell by his body language and facial expression when he came out of it and was in post seizure. He tried to stand up and lost his balance and fell. Cass was very worried and decided to call Kate, her boss, to see what she thought Cass should do. After she had explained everything that had been happening, Kate suggested that she call the nurse on call. The nurse on call just told her to keep an eye on him and keep him sitting down. Cass was extremely worried, but did as she was told.

It was 3:00 and time for another staff switch. Cass filled the afternoon staff in on what had happened and told them to call her cell phone if anything changed or happened. She headed to another clients house to give him his medication and start to prepare him dinner. She hadn’t been there for even an hour when her cell phone rang. She ran to answer it.

“Cass it’s me Jim. Bill has had another seizure and he fell between the recliner and the wall and I can’t get him up.” He said in one hurried breath.

“I will be right there.” She said back practically running out the door while she said it.

On the way back to his house, she called the nurse again. This time the nurse just told her to get him to bed and again keep an eye on him. When she got to his house and saw him, she knew it was more serious than that and called Kate again.

“Kate this is serious, he needs to go to the hospital right now. I don’t care I will pay for the ambulance myself. He needs to go.”

“Cass I trust you, if you feel that strongly about this, go ahead and call the ambulance I will meet you at the hospital.”

When the EMTs got there they started trying to strap Bill down to a stretcher. Cass tried to explain to them that he has autism and he isn’t just going to lie down and be strapped to something without a fight. He doesn’t and can’t understand what is happening, but they wouldn’t listen. They finally got him in the ambulance and to the hospital.

As always the emergency room was total chaos. Cass and Kate tried to explain to the nurses, that Bill wasn’t going to just sit there and wait; he has autism he doesn’t understand. He needed to be seen immediately. The doctors came in and began asking Bill a bunch of questions. He just stared at them, he had no language at all, and had no way to answer or even comprehend what was happening. Cass tried to sit by but when the doctors asked “Do you drink alcohol and/or use any recreational drugs?” she had had enough.

“Listen the man has autism. If you give him a beer, he will chug it, if you give him a joint he will eat it. Now can we just get to the examination?”

It turned out Bill had hyponatremia, a condition that occurs when a person drinks too much water and causes the body to loose too much salt. This condition is extremely common in marathon runners, and others who exercise a lot at one time. The doctors told them that they had no idea how Bill had survived this, his salt levels were at half of the level that is considered fatal.

Cass had been working with people with disabilities since the age of twelve; she knew she wanted to do it for the rest of her life. Over the course of her time with Bill she had decided that she wanted to focus her work on people with autism. The main problem that day at Bill’s was that he wasn’t able to communicate anything to anyone. He couldn’t tell any of the staff how he was feeling, and wasn’t able to talk with the EMTs or the doctors. It was that day she realized that she wanted to become a speech and language pathologist and work with children with autism, because that is the key time to improve their language.

In December of 2001, Cass began a job as a para-professional, working as part of the early intervention team for a 26 month old boy with autism. She was extremely excited to work with a child with autism for the first time. She was going to be providing 40 hours a week of one on one therapy to him. When she first began working with him he would run away or become violent towards her and/or himself whenever she tried to get him to sit at the table and do some work. He could only label things with nouns, and had no pragmatic skills. The only things he enjoyed doing were sitting in corner coiling and uncoiling a belt, flipping through a book, or taking any objects he had and lining them up in a neat and perfect row.

Cass would immerse him in language all day long, with no response. She hadn’t even been able to get him to acknowledge her presence unless he was being violent toward her. One morning, six months later, she walked in to the classroom.

“Good Morning Nicholas.” she said to him as she had been doing every morning. He looked at her made eye contact and said, “Hello.” Instantly her heart was filled with joy. He had just communicated with her for the first time. She held back the tears of joy that she wanted to shed.

“Wanna play?” she asked him.

“Play, yes” he said in response. That was twice. She couldn’t have been happier.

They sat at the table and he willingly played and interacted with her. He also didn’t just label stuff with nouns, he began to use verbs. Nicholas has come so far since that day. He now has full conversations with numerous people every day.

Cass worked with him up until the time she went back to college to get her masters. Although she had always known she would someday go back for her masters; it was while working with another boy with autism that she realized she had to do it now.

Shortly after Cass began working with Nicholas she was offered a job working in the home with Adam. He also had autism and needed a one on one therapist to be in the home with him after school. His mom was friends with Nicholas’ mom, which is how she got in contact with Cass.

During the 2003-2004 school year, things started to go downhill drastically for Adam. His one on one at school left and they just put him with the only available person.

As the school year went on Adam started to go downhill; he was becoming extremely violent and self injurious. Cass began to voice her concerns to everyone she could think of. She went to the principal and the superintendent, but no one would listen to her. She was just a para-professional what did she know? Cass wasn’t the only one with growing concerns; Adam’s parents had had enough and got into litigation with the school. It is the schools responsibility, by law, to provide care for their child during school hours, and as far as they could tell that wasn’t happening.

The members of Adams team tried to come up with new treatment and behavioral plans that would make things better, but nothing was working. Cass and his parents tried to explain that it wasn’t the plans, it was the therapist. He needed someone new. After a few months of getting no where, Adam ended up being pulled out of school. His family ended up moving out of the area and Adam now attends a school just for children with autism, and is an entirely different kid.

During the summer of 2005 Cass got the chance to get back to providing therapy. As part of her masters’ degree, she was required to work at the on campus clinic. She was placed as one of the student clinicians in a social skills group. All the children in the group had some level of ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder. Each child in the group would be paired up with one of the student clinicians that were involved with the group. On the first day of clinic Richie, the child Cass was paired with, arrived. He wouldn’t let go of his grandmother’s leg, he hid under the table and refused to participate. Cass has always loved a challenge, and instantly went home that night and started to pull things she had learned over the 3 years she was in the field and began making treatment plans and figuring out how she was going to get Richie involved. Over the course of the summer Cass made a lot of progress with him.

During a meeting with her supervisor, she was once again reassured that she was meant to do this for life. Her supervisor told her that she was so happy that of all the clinicians involved in this group that Cass had been the one to be paired with Richie; and that because of his needs she would have requested that there was a switch if Cass hadn’t been the clinician originally working with him.

Cass had started to use a system of pictorial prompts and cues for Richie and it was working wonderfully. At the end of summer when she was writing up her final report, she was having problems with the recommendations. This report was going to a licensed speech and language pathologist at his school. Being just a student clinician she didn’t feel that she was qualified to write any recommendations. Her supervisor finally told her, “Cass what you did this summer worked with him. If his SLP isn’t doing any of these things at his school she needs to know that they work.”

Cass is now finishing up her masters degree. Her graduation is planned for August 18, 2006. She is very excited to be done with school and get out there and do what she has wanted to do since she was twelve.

A Few More Stories I Enjoyed

2006-02-24T21:10:00.000-05:00

I really could understand Matt’s post about the song “All Cried Out” It is so true that you can listen to a hundred songs after a break up and then hear one and it just snaps you out of the depression.

http://mattyb82.blogspot.com/2006/02/all-cried-out-song-lyrics.html

I was really excited when I read Colleen’s blog about the message boards about Grey’s Anatomy. I love this show but never knew there was a message board to talk to other fans.

http://colleendugan.blogspot.com/2006/02/48-greys-anatomy-since-first-episode-i.html

Reading Cheryl’s blog about her trip to Hong Kong was cool. As someone who has never traveled to another country it was neat for me to see photos from someone who has.

http://cheryllovesdmb.livejournal.com/6975.html?view=3135#t3135

Meeting Betty

2006-02-22T10:21:00.000-05:00

#49

The tour manager came and said it was time to go upstairs. I shot my friend the biggest grin and followed the line up the stairs. When we got up there they said to just wait there and they would go get the band. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to get to meet the guys from Pray for the Soul of Betty. I had talked with a couple of them at a previous show, but this was different. This was a time for just the people from the area who had been promoting them to get to talk with them face to face. After a few minutes, they appeared from around the corner.

I walked up to Joao, the guitarist. He seemed to be really shy so I just said hello and got my picture taken with him. He signed something for me and then had to move onto the next person.

I turned around and Hamboussi, the drummer, was standing right there. I had talked to him for a quite a while outside before the venue opened the doors. He recognized me and said hello. A few girls came over to get pictures and signatures so I just smiled at him and he smiled back.

Next I walked up to Constantine, the lead singer. He gave me a hug and posed for a picture. I told him it was great to meet him and I couldn’t want to see the show. He thanked me for coming and all I did to support and promote them. A lot of the girls were swarming him so I left it at that.

There was only one member left, Taylor, the bassist, easily my favorite member. I walked up and said hi. He gave me a huge hug. He is such an amazing guy. He just treats you like you are the only person in the room when you are talking to him and that nothing else matters. I got my picture with him and talked for a couple minutes.

I noticed that Hamboussi was standing all by himself so I walked over and started talking about his drum solo during the show. I had heard it was amazing. He said it is really cool and he was very excited for all of us to hear it. I told him I couldn’t wait. We talked for a couple more minutes, before someone else came up to him.

I went back over to Taylor and said I had to get one more hug before I left. He just smiled and said of course and pulled me into the biggest bear hug I have ever had. As all the guys were leaving the room they all thanked us for all that we did and said they hoped we would enjoy the show.

I managed to get back to my friend who was saving me my spot in the front, and got ready for the show to start. The show was absolutely amazing! I didn’t think it could have been any better than the last time I had seen them but I was wrong. They played quite a few of the old songs from the CD, which of course they jammed on. They also played a few new songs they had written. They were all amazing. One was a song that Taylor had written for his wife, and sung to her at their wedding, it was a beautiful song. I think that 90% of the people there, myself included, had tears in their eyes when it was over. They also did some covers of STP, Led Zeppelin, and even Bob Marley. They did an amazing job on all of them. Throughout the show I kept making eye contact with Taylor and we would smile at each other. He has such an amazing way of connecting with fans while performing.

Piercings

2006-02-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

Body piercing has become a huge thing among teens these days. It used to be parents had to fight with their kids about whether they were old enough to pierce their ears, but kids no longer want to stop at ears. They want to pierce their tongue, nose, navel etc. I have just 7 piercings and they are all in my ears. I don’t understand how people can have well over 20 piercings and the majority is in their face. I think that a couple piercings is ok, but when you look at someone and all you can see is all the metal in their face I think it is very unattractive. It has moved beyond the face now, people are piercings all areas of their body. It’s almost like it’s become a competition of who can have the most piercings.

I have yet to figure out what possesses people to do this. At first I think it was that people were trying to stand out and be “individuals”, but now it is so popular that they just blend in with the rest of the world.

The Betty Boards

2006-02-22T09:39:00.000-05:00

#48

http://prayforthesoulofbetty.net/phpBB2/index.php

As I have talked about in previous posts I am part of a web community on the message boards of the band Pray for The Soul of Betty. What started out as a simple message board has certainly turned into more of a community and family.

The site was originally started for fans to check out what was going on with the band, and sometimes chat when you caught someone else online. However since the band has become more popular the site has become one big chat room. The message boards have actually had to move sites 3 times, because the volume of posts was too much for the old boards and the site would crash almost once a day. Everyone who is a member tends to visit the same threads numerous times a day and sometimes a conversation will get started and they will be there for hours.

The members of the band post as often as they can, and some nights will also end up staying on for hours having full conversations with the fans that are on. It is funny to see the amount of online members jump when one of the guys log on and start chatting.

The boards have also become a place to vent any issues you are having. There is a whole section made for threads that are not about the band. People will post on there to just say I had a bad day at work and vent, or to talk about the latest news, or just to say can you pray for my family member they are having surgery tomorrow. There are also threads in that section dedicated to certain TV shows and every week the fans of the shows will go to the thread and discuss the latest episode.

I personally go to the boards more times in a day than I sometimes believe. It has become just like checking my email to me. I want to go on and see what people have been posting in the threads I always visit. When I first started going to the boards I was just a lurker. I would read what people had to say but I would never post, now I post at least 5-10 times a day.

Being An Aunt

2006-02-22T09:05:00.000-05:00

#41

I always knew I loved kids, but my love for children grew so much more the day I became an aunt. My nephew Dylan was born January 28, 1999. He was the first grandchild and great grandchild of the family, so he was immediately spoiled. We didn’t get to meet him till he was almost 3 weeks old, because at the time my brother and sister in law were living in Virginia. He was so adorable, and I loved him more than I could ever have imagined I would.

The whole family was ecstatic when my brother told us they would be moving to Massachusetts. We were all very excited to have them living close again. I was getting ready for class one morning, when my brother called to tell me I was going to be an aunt again. This time we were at the hospital shortly after Emily was born on May 14, 2001.

My dad made it a rule that we had to see the kids at least once a month, so I have so many great memories with them, and I love spending time with them. However now that I have moved away I don’t get to see them very often, so when I do see them I cherish that time even more.

My family has a few traditions that we do each year. My dad always makes Christmas cookies with the kids.

We also go camping as a family every summer.

They grow up so fast. I can’t believe that Dylan is in 1st grade, and Emily will be starting school this fall.

The Bettys

2006-02-15T22:04:00.000-05:00

#39

The Bettys are a group of fans of the band Pray for the Soul of Betty. Although each member started out as just a fan, the group has become more like a family. They come from all over the world. There are members from every state as well as places like Australia, England, the Philippines, China, and many other countries.

There is a message board on the bands website that they talk through almost every day. There is, like with any family, drama. People don’t agree with someone posts and it begins an argument among a few or many of the members. However with the help of the moderators of the boards, this stuff is usually put to a stop before too many people get involved, or it becomes too nasty.

Most of the fans found the band when the lead singer, Constantine Maroulis, was on the reality show American Idol. Some fans had first discovered the band when they saw Constantine, while he was in the touring Broadway show, RENT. There is also a group of fans that had seen the band before either of those things when they were doing shows at small clubs around the country.

The members of the group try to meet up with other local members as much as they can. There are always little parties or gatherings going on all over the country with local members. There is currently a big get together planned in Las Vegas in March. There are people flying in from all over to meet up with some of the other members they have been talking to for months.

The members of this group became members for many different reasons, but have remained members to show their love and support for the band. Whenever the band has a show the Bettys instantly go into promotion mode, or as they call it Street Teaming. They get flyers and posters and start hanging them up all over the city that the show will be in. They also contact local radio stations to try to get them to play the CD. There has been success and the bands songs are being played on radio stations all over the country.

The group is constantly growing, with each new show there is at least one new fan. There are a lot of people who go to the shows strictly because they were a fan of Constantine’s while he was on American Idol, but most of them leave the show a fan of the band.

I myself am a member of this group. I can’t imagine ever not being part of it. I am involved because the band has really changed a lot of things in my life. I know that sounds corny and cliché, but it is true. The bands music has gotten me through some really rough times. Also the friendships I have made through the band are like any other I have ever had. I feel a bond with some of them that I haven’t felt with anyone in a long time.

Car Crash

2006-02-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

#36

It was a typical weekday on 12-A, the busiest strip of road in West Lebanon. The road is lined on both sides by various shopping plazas and restaurants. There is always a ton of traffic entering and exiting the main road. Accidents occur here everyday; it is what has become expected. Every few years the town talks about widening the road and adding more lanes, but it never happens. The days and weeks go by with accident after accident; today wasn’t going to be any different.

The two girls were driving down the road, chatting away to one another. The truck in front of them decided at the last minute to pull into one of the plazas. He put on his directional and slowed down. The only problem was the car behind him didn’t see him do this. The driver had turned to check her blind spot, because the lanes were going to be merging and she wanted to get over to the other lane. By the time she had turned back, even though it had only been a 3 second glance, it was too late. The car slammed into the back of the truck.

Due to the fact that the truck was a lot higher than the car all the damage was on the car. It had actually hit the underneath of the truck and the front end was completely smashed in. There was fluid leaking all over the road. The two cars pulled into the parking lot of the plaza and waited for the cops to arrive.

The man driving the truck was extremely upset. He had gotten out of his truck and started yelling at the two young girls, acting as if it was because they were young that the accident happened. The driver just stood there staring at him. She was worried about what her parents were going to think when they got home, and on top of that how they were going to get home. Her dad was out of town, and her mother didn’t drive.

Just then a van pulled over to where they were standing. The woman got out and walked over to them. She hugged the younger girl. It was obvious they knew each other somehow. She stood around with them while they talked with the officer and exchanged insurance information. As it turns out the woman was the younger girl’s 4^th grade teacher. They all piled into her van and drove off. Lucky for them she came along. Guess that is an example of being in the right place at the right time.

Groups I Would Want to Research

2006-02-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

#32

Any Sorority or Fraternity

I would be interested in learning about what it is like to be in a sorority or fraternity; because this is one part of the “college experience” I have not been part of. I would be interested to find out of it is like the stereotypes or if it is like a family as people tell you.

The war in Iraq

My friend’s brother just got home from the war. I would be very interested to sit down with him and just talk to him about his experiences. I think it would be good to hear about the war from someone who was over there, and not just what the news is telling us.

My grandfather

I am interested in learning more about my grandfather. He died before I was born so I never knew him. I would love to sit down with various family members and learn more about him through the stories they could tell me.

Interview

2006-02-13T13:45:00.000-05:00

#31

As I discussed in an earlier post my brother is involved in podcasting. I get bits and pieces of information from him, but am curious to learn more. If I were to sit down and talk to him about it. Some of the questions I might ask him would be.

What made you start podcasting?
Did you ever think when you started, that it would become this big a part of your life?
What are some of your favorite things about doing podcasting?
Least favorite things?
What have been some of your favorite experiences that have happened that were a result of podcasting?
Do you think you will ever stop podcasting?
Define podcasting in your own words.

Some more stories I enjoyed

2006-02-08T21:31:00.000-05:00

Jackie’s story about her nephew is so true. The day I became an aunt was one of the greatest days of my life. There is nothing better at making you forget your problems then to be around kids who you love more than anything!

http://junebuggirl7.blogspot.com/2006/02/cutest-little-boy.html

Kailyn’s story about her baby blanket was great to read. I also had a blanket that I used to sleep with every night. I got it when I was in the hospital as a child. I was so upset when I had to throw it away because it was in a bunch of pieces.

http://cubbyoliver05.blogspot.com/2006/02/pick-something-concrete-blog-23-kailyn.html

Laura’s descriptive piece about her desk is done well. The description she uses makes it possible to envision it.

http://poprhet.blogspot.com/2006/02/25-personal-snapshot-my-desk.html

Podcasting

2006-02-08T19:46:00.000-05:00

#29

A little over a year ago my brother got into podcasting. A lot of people hear that and ask what podcasting is. Podcasting is defined by Wikipedia (an online dictionary) as: the distribution of audio files, such as radio programmes, over the internet using RSS syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers. A podcast is a web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to subscribe to, and also the content of that feed. Podcasters' websites also may offer direct download of their files, but the subscription feed of automatically delivered new content is what distinguishes a podcast from a simple download or real-time streaming .

Podcasting was started back in 2000. One of the founders of it was Adam Curry, the old MTV VJ from the 80s. He is actually nicknamed the Podfather.

Although this started out as a cool new hobby it has turned into much more for my brother. He has two shows now; Accident Hash http://accidenthash.podshow.com/ and U-Turn Café http://u-turncafe.podshow.com/. He plays nothing but music from independent artists on both of his shows. He is now under contract and gets paid for his shows.

Accident Hash was his original one and had a mix of music. He mainly played heavy loud music on the show. Many of his listeners were commenting on how much they liked the mellower music when he would play it, which is why he started the U-Turn Café.

He gets his music from a website called Podsafe music. The site is designed so that artists can submit their music to be played on podcasts and podcasters can find new music to play. This site is especially good for my brother considering the type of music he plays is all artists that would want their music on a site like this.

Both of his shows have become a huge success. He has people from all over the world listening to his shows. I was visiting his house one night, and he got a phone call from a listener in Ireland. They were on the phone for over an hour.

Not only has he made friends through his listeners but also with other podcasters. Over the summer they had a huge podcasting convention in California. It was really cool for him to get to meet these people he had been talking with through the computer for months.

So if you are reading this and you are a music lover you should check out either of his podcasts. I would definitely recommend them to you if you are not a fan of radio music and need something new to listen to.

Another Amazing Night

2006-02-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

#21

I walked up to Joao, the guitarist. He seemed to be really shy so I just said hello and got my picture taken with him. He signed something for me and then had to move onto the next person.

My corner in the office

2006-02-08T17:14:00.000-05:00

#25

My corner of the office is like most things I own, a bit of a cluttered mess. Although I know where everything is, anyone else looking at it would wonder how I find anything. There is a bookshelf with numerous books and old VHS tapes that are never watched, since DVD’s were introduced. Another set of shelves contains more VHS tapes, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that has been thrown there, when there was no where else to put it. The desk has the normal desktop stuff; computer monitor and keyboard, calendar, bills to be paid, blank CDs, stapler, tape, etc. There is a pile of photos from a recent night of hanging out with friends, which may or may not make into a photo album.

The wall in front of the desk is covered with numerous photos of important people, mainly children, in my life. There are photos of children of ex co-workers of mine, who I became close with. There is a family photo of my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. School pictures of my niece, nephew, and a friend's two children. Above the photos is a poster with a lighthouse picture and a saying; “Possibilities, The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible”. Along the wall there are different knick knacks with lighthouses on them.

There is music playing from my computer, as there always is when I am in here. You can hear the slamming of doors, from other tenants in the building, but beyond that it is pretty quiet around here right now.

My Best Friend

2006-02-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

#26

I get asked all the time, “How can you live with your sister?”

My response is always the same, “She is my best friend.”

I have a very unique relationship with my sister. All of our friends don’t understand how two people who are so very different can get along so well. Yes we have our fights every now and again, as all siblings do, but for the most part we get along. We really are complete opposites though, she is a neat freak, and tries to always look at the positive in any situation. My room and car are always a complete mess, and I tend to always think the worst in a situation.

One year she asked Santa for a baby brother or sister for Christmas, and well let’s just say Santa delivered, since I was born in September the following year. I have been told when I was born she instantly became a mother hen, and every time I would cry she would tell our mother, as if she couldn’t hear me screaming. She never really grew out of that either, she is the first person to stand up for me when someone treats me in a way she doesn’t agree with.

When she left for college I was a wreck I had no idea how I was going to stand being at home without her. It was very hard to get used to but I eventually learned to deal with it and we were constantly writing letters back and forth. She took some time off after her junior year for financial reasons and it was so good to have her back home. However I knew having her back home for a while was going to make it that much harder to say goodbye. When she did decide to go back I was also headed off to school so it made that goodbye a little easier as I was also leaving home. The worst had to be July of 2004 when she moved out of the house and into her first apartment, because this time all of her belongings were gone not just her. We talked on the phone and/or computer every night and I went to visit her as much as I could.

A little over a year ago when I decided to go back to school after 4 years off, she was the first to tell me how happy and proud she was to see me going back. When I was accepted at UNH, she asked me if I wanted to move in with her. Of course my answer was yes. I was so excited to not have to move back into a dorm, and to be able to live off campus with her. Everyone told us we were crazy and that we would never be able to live with each other. We always laughed, because we had grown up together so we had always lived together. It has worked out great. Some of her neatness is rubbing off on me and I will catch myself being anal retentive about something in the apartment and I just laugh to myself.

I don’t know where our paths are going to take us next, but I know no matter what she will always be my best friend and the person I love more than anyone in this world.

2006-02-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

The story that Mike wrote about his time as a camp counselor really hit me. It reminded me of my time at summer camp and then being a counselor. It was always a ton of fun to work with the kids and meet people from different parts of the area. I never worked anywhere with people from other countries, but I am sure it would be fun. Thanks for bringing back an old memory that made me smile.

http://del1lnrm.livejournal.com/2231.html

Jackie’s story about moving from Ohio to New Hampshire was really great to read. To hear how what she thought was the worst thing ended up changing her life around was really cool.

http://junebuggirl7.blogspot.com/2006/01/moving-away-to-new-life.html

The story that Colleen wrote about her dad made me think about my dad. He used to make my friends and I French toast whenever I had a friend spend the night. My dad and I are extremely close and it made me miss those mornings and him.

http://colleendugan.blogspot.com/2006/02/16-welcome-home-it-was-one-of-first.html

Cass

2006-02-01T22:52:00.000-05:00

Cassandra Chapman was born November 27, 1976 in Maryland. Her family then moved to Ascutney, VT and after a few years to New Hampshire, where she has lived since.

She attended Wagner College in Staten Island for 2 years. She then transferred to the University of Vermont where she received her bachelors degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is currently pursuing her masters in speech and language pathology at the University of New Hampshire.

Her dream is to someday have a clinic for children who have autism. She first discovered her love and talent of working with people with various disabilities when she was in seventh grade and befriended a classmate who had down syndrome. She has been working with people with disabilities ever since. She has an amazing gift and is told on a daily basis how amazing she is for what she does.

She is my sister so I have known her my whole life. She is the person I look up to and strive to be more like. We are extremely close and I consider her my best friend.

#19

Possible Future Stories

2006-02-01T22:29:00.000-05:00

Random Thoughts that could become a story….

moving to my first aparmtnet
meeting my college roommate
numerous stories about my niece and nephew
driving to boston to meet a bunch of women I had never met
deciding to go back to college
meeting the members of my favorite band
my trip to New Jersey to visit a friend
the new friends I have made living here in Portsmouth
stories from my last job at home

Hero

2006-02-01T20:37:00.000-05:00

I had never had something happen in my life that would make me look at someone and be able to call them a hero. This all changed a few years ago when my grandparents’ house caught on fire. It was a Monday night and I had just sat down with a friend and my sister to watch the latest episode of the bachelor. The phone rang and my parents answered. My father yelled up to us to say they were leaving. I asked where they were going and he said to Grammy and Grampa’s their house is on fire. I jumped up and said well we are coming to.

The drive to my grandparents felt like it took an hour even though they only live about 5 minutes away. We had to take the back way there because they had the main road they lived on all blocked off with fire trucks. There were flames shooting out of the apartment directly above theirs and there was a crowd of people standing outside the car repair shop across the street. I immediately saw my parents and went over.

“Where are Grammy and Grampa?” I asked with a panicked voice.

“They are inside the shop. Mike is the one who saw the fire and busted in their door to get them out of bed. They were both sound asleep and had no idea there was a fire,” my mother answered.

I rushed into the shop and hugged both my grandparents. I was so thankful to the guy who owned the shop for saving them. If he hadn’t have noticed the fire and rushed to save them, who knows what would have happened. After I made sure my grandparents were both alright I went over to Mike.

“I just wanted to say thank you for saving my grandparents life.”

He looked at me and smiled. “It was nothing. They are my neighbors and have never been anything but sweet to me.”

Once the fire had been put out, we went in to check out how much damage there was. My grandparents’ apartment had some water and smoke damage, but for the most part things looked good. They were told they should be able to be back in the apartment in a few days. The next day the house caught on fire again, there had been some ambers in the attic that were just smoldering. The apartment was completely ruined this time. It was sad to see all the memories burned because this had been where they had lived the entire time they were married, but we were just thankful to their neighbor for saving their lives. Ever since then I have considered him a hero.

#14

Surgery

2006-02-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

When I was two and a half I had the first and only major surgery of my life. I had a double hernia that had popped out and needed to be removed by surgery. My parents were both worried to have their little baby going in for such a major surgery at such a young age but had no choice.

I had popped the hernias out while throwing a tantrum. My parents were giving me a bath and they were getting ready to rinse the shampoo from my hair. I started crying and screaming. I was worried that the soap was going to get into my eyes and it would hurt. My parents were holding a washcloth over my eyes trying to tell me that it would be fine and that I couldn’t get out of the bathtub with soapy hair. I didn’t care I did not want them to rinse the shampoo out. I don’t know how long I fought with them, but finally they managed to get the shampoo out and get me to bed.

The next morning my mother got me up to change my diaper and noticed two very strange bumps on my abdomen. She called my father in to look at them because she was worried and had no idea what they might be. He immediately said I needed to go the hospital. They brought me to the hospital and discovered that I had a double hernia.

The day of my surgery they got me all ready and gave me my favorite doll at the time. A little baby dressed all in pink and her name was Tubbles. I took the doctors hand and walked down the hall. I was about half way down the hall and I turned around and waved goodbye to my parents and said “I’ll see you soon” My parents were so worried but just smiled and waved back to me because they didn’t want me to be scared.

The day I was supposed to get out of the hospital they needed to give me a popsicle that contained medicine before I could leave. The only flavor they had left was orange, and I hate orange. However I gave in and ate it, I think I had learned my lesson about throwing tantrums. My dad is still freaked out to this day when giving kids a bath.

#15

Others' Stories I Enjoyed

2006-01-25T22:16:00.000-05:00

#10

A Night Out With the Girls

This story was great. I know what she means about having girls nights. They are the greatest times, and really do remind you why you are friends with the people you are friends with! I know whenever I have those nights with my friends we end up laughing till our sides hurt, doing and talking about things we would never dream about doing or saying when guys are around. I hate when they have to end, but then I always just look forward to next time!

http://junebuggirl7.blogspot.com/2006/01/night-out-with-girls.html

American Beauty:The Best Film Ever

I enjoyed reading this post. This is a movie that I too felt very strongly about after I watched it. I used to watch it all the time. However it has been a while since I watched it, but since reading this post I really want to go sit down right now and rewatch it.

http://cheryllovesdmb.livejournal.com/1181.html

Eve

This story made me smile, because it brought back an old memory for me. I had a teacher in the 10^th grade who on the first day of class to prove her point suddenly screamed and kicked the garbage can halfway across the room. She sure got our attention and kept it for the whole year, because we never knew what crazy thing she was going to do during each class.

http://cubbyoliver05.blogspot.com/2006/01/eve-kailyn-oliver-blog-7-i-remember_23.html

Restaurant

2006-01-25T21:52:00.000-05:00

You walk into the front doors and there is the bar in front of you along with the hostess table. The bar has 30 seats around it and about 10 of those tall tables along the outside wall. There are large open areas on both sides of the bar that are filled with tables.

The walls are wooden and covered with various ocean related things. Some are photographs, some are actual items taken from the sea, or from a boat that has sailed the seas. The tables are also made out of wood, and have pictures of fish, lobster, or some other sea creature on them.

You can hear the various conversations happening around you. There is a family telling each other about their days. A couple of guys are chatting about the latest sports news. There are some people sitting at the bar by themselves just chatting with the bartender and waitresses, or watching the TV that is playing quietly behind the bar. If you listen carefully you can hear music playing from the little speakers in the ceilings.

There is a lot of noise coming from the kitchen; sure sounds like the cooks are having a good time tonight. There is a smell, which is the combination of all the different fish and seafood they are frying, boiling, or broiling, wafting from the kitchen doors.

PFTSOB

2006-01-25T00:14:00.000-05:00

My friend Kris recently shared the following passage from her journal with me,

“Music is universal. There is music for every age, gender, color, creed, religion and experience. Music doesn’t alienate or discriminate. Music will always be there for you. It does not abandon, demand, abuse, destroy, lie or hurt. It will only leave you feeling sad and heartbroken when you want it to. It will never tell you aren’t good enough or smart enough or pretty enough, unless you let it. Music will always be your friend. It will always open your heart and mind. It will always be your guide to the known and the unknown. Music will always be the light at the end of tunnel.”

I have always been a huge fan of music and had never been able to explain why until I read this and she explained it perfectly. There really isn’t any situation or time in life that you can’t relate to at least one song.

My love of music has recently gone to a whole new level. When I was younger it was always which song was popular then, or which group had the cutest lead singer. Last year while watching American Idol, yes I watch that show. A contestant came on to audition who I instantly recognized. Constantine Maroulis, I had seen him perform on the national tour of the Broadway musical Rent a couple years ago. I had been impressed by his voice that night, and was hoping that he would make it far on the show. Although he was on a show that consists of mainly pop music, he is talented in many different genres of music, one of the main ones being rock.

He has a band from New York City named Pray for the Soul of Betty. The music is loud and raw, but it so full of emotion. Every one of their songs can be related to something or someone from your past. From the first note on the CD to the last note, it just hits you. No matter how I am feeling I can put in their CD and just jam to the music.

As I spoke about in a previous post, I was able to see them live back in September. The CD is great, but hearing them live just makes it that much better. The emotion these guys put into their playing is like no one I have seen. My friend Maryann recently attended a show on their current tour and said this in her recap,

“OK girls... fasten your seatbelts!!! The show was AMAZING...I am telling YOU. The different moods and emotions the songs give out make for a tremendous experience. I head banged, danced, and CRIED like a baby”

The band is not only talented lyrically and musically, but they really are a group of just down to earth guys. I also had the chance to meet a couple of the members at the show I attended. Talking with them was like talking to old friends. They truly do love and appreciate each and every one of their fans.

I am going to see them in concert this weekend, I can’t wait to experience it live again, and hear the new material they are playing, because I know it will be awesome.

Home

2006-01-24T22:47:00.000-05:00

Whenever someone asks me where home is I immediately think of my parents house in West Lebanon, NH. We moved there when I was 4 and I have lived there until this past summer when I moved into my first apartment, so it has always been where I called home.

It is an older house that still has a lot of the push button lights. My dad’s great aunt helped her father build the house in 1913. It is a Victorian style house, with 2 floors, along with a basement and attic. The outside is now painted brown, with yellow and blue trim. There is an enclosed porch along the entire front of the house, with bushes and flowers planted along the front. There is always a flag for the season hanging from the flag post beside the front door. When you enter the house you walk into the hallway and as my friends often say you immediately feel at home.

My mom is the pack rat type, so there is stuff EVERYWHERE! Numerous family photos are on shelves in the living room and along the wall along the stairs. My dad redid one of the walls in the living room and turned it into one big wooden bookshelf. The shelves are covered with books and miscellaneous keepsakes and knickknacks. There is also a cabinet in the living room that is filled with all sorts of decorative salt and pepper shakers my mom has collected over the years. Everywhere you look in the house there is just memories of things, whether it be things my siblings and I made in school, or keepsakes from relatives’ homes that have passed that were given to us.

The dining room has various pieces of antique furniture in it. There is one of the old style wooden changing tables, which has now become my mother’s plant shelf when she has to take them in from the porch in the winter. There is a breakfast bar that has now become storage for photo albums and other keepsakes. There is also an old piano; although it is never played it has remained in the same spot for as long as we have lived there.

The kitchen is pretty much a regular kitchen except there is a table in the middle. Although we have a dining room, our nightly family dinners still all took place at that table. There were numerous stories told over dinner at that table. Whenever I go home to visit, it just doesn’t feel like a complete visit until we all sit down and have dinner there. It is rare that my brother, sister and I are all there at the same time, but when it does happen it feels great to be with the entire family in the house.

The basement is unfinished, the walls and floor are concrete. There is just the washing machine, my dad’s office and tool bench, and a room that is used for storing all the camping gear. There is a door in the basement that leads out to the backyard, which is HUGE. There is a clothes line, playhouse, grape arbor, volleyball field, and various trees my dad has planted.

There is a lot of history in this house, and as they say if the walls could talk, there are so many stories that could be told. My dad has begun redoing rooms one by one, so the house is starting to look more modernized, but it will always be the place I will call home, no matter where my “home” might actually be at that time.

Water Fountain

2006-01-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

She looked at the clock on the wall, 1:50. Only one more hour till the bell would ring and she could go home and get some rest. She hadn’t been feeling well since lunch and was just trying to make it through the rest of the day. Suddenly she had a very sick feeling in her stomach and asked the teacher to go to the restroom. As soon as she locked the stall door behind her, she became very ill. She got a drink from the water fountain and headed back to the classroom.

She spoke with the assistant teacher and told her that she had just been ill in the bathroom and felt she needed to go home. The teacher told her that it was so close to the end of the day she really should just stick it out. Relunctantly she agreed and took her seat and went back to her reading. She couldn’t focus on any of the words on the page, her head was pounding and all she could see was black spots. She began to get the cold sweats and knew she couldn’t make it the remaining half hour. Again she approached the assistant teacher but got the same response.

Slowly she sat back down in her seat, just then the teacher started talking about closing things for the day. She turned towards him but was beginning to get that feeling in her stomach. She tried to focus on the teacher, thinking that she didn’t have anything left in her system to get sick from. She slowly stuck her hand over her mouth. The teacher continued talking about the lessons of the day and homework for the next day.

All the sudden she became ill, right in the middle of class. A stream of water just spouted from her mouth, all over the floor and the teachers desk. The teacher turned and looked at her.

“Maybe you should go the restroom?” he said with a look of disgust.

“Yeah,” was all she could mumble before running from the room.

She ran to the restroom and just sat in the stall and cried until she heard the bell ring. She waited another 10 minutes, just to make sure all the kids in her class would be gone before she went back for her belongings. When she made it back to the room it was empty except for the teacher. As soon as she walked into the room the teacher stopped what he was doing and turned to her.

“Next time you are feeling ill, you really need to ask to go to the nurse” he said angrily.

“But I tried to tell,”

“I don’t want to hear it” he snapped. “Just get your stuff and go home”

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes again and just grabbed her bag and coat and ran out the door. She couldn’t believe that the teacher wouldn’t even let her explain. She stayed home the next day, but when she returned to school the kids were all picking on her, and for the rest of the school year her nickname was water fountain.

The most amazing night

2006-01-18T22:35:00.000-05:00

The doors opened and the line started moving. Was this really happening? I was about to experience this band live for the first time. I handed my ticket to the bouncer and entered the club. There was no one in the way of the stage. I walked as fast as I could. This was unreal I was leaning on the speaker. I couldn’t have been any closer. I turned to my friend and just started jumping up and down. After what seemed like hours the members of the band started to appear on the stage one by one. They finished tuning their instruments and just started jamming. The music blared from the speaker underneath my arms. It was loud but I didn’t care. I sang and danced to the music like I had never done before. I made eye contact with the bassist and instantly we both smiled. This was a dream come true for both of us. They had never played to a crowd like this. The room was packed and every single person in that room was there for them and was singing the songs right along with them.

The first show ended and my friends and I filed back outside to get in line for the second show. I was tired and my feet were killing me but I couldn’t wait to get back in there to experience it all over again. It seemed to take even longer for the band to appear this time, but finally they did. This show was different, they were playing longer and they were jamming even harder. They played every song from their album start to finish. I had listened to the album more times than I could count but not like this.

This band had brought us all together like family and it was so great meet some of the people I had been talking to through the message boards for months. The time had come to catch the train back to Connecticut. As I headed towards the door, I about walked into the bassist. He instantly gave me a huge hug and thanked me for coming. We chatted for a few minutes and it felt like I had known him for years. We took some pictures and then walked out on the streets of New York City. We spent the entire train ride home looking through our cameras and talking about the amazing show we had just seen.

When I finally arrived back home the next morning I was in the most amazing mood for days. This band had brought me so many things. Amazing music, amazing friends, and now the most amazing concert I had ever attended.

Introductory Post

2006-01-18T19:25:00.000-05:00

After looking through the websites Creative Nonfiction and Brevity, I feel the definition they give to creative nonfiction is fairly accurate. They define it as telling a true story, but doing so in a way that is interesting and makes it unique to other writings on similar subjects. The story needs to be told in such a way that it will capture the reader and keep them interested throughout the entire writing.

While on the Creative Nonfiction site I read an excerpt from a piece of writing titled Night Rhythms by John T. Price. I enjoyed reading this excerpt because of all the detail that was put into it. He wrote it in such a way you could almost picture the room he was describing and feel like you were in it. This is something that I feel is very important in Creative Nonfiction because as a reader if you can picture where the events took place it makes it that much more real. I believe this piece of writing is a personal narrative. It seems that the writer is remembering a past experience while in a new place.

After reading a few more of the articles I believe that this type of writing is completely different than a lot of the writing I have done in the past. The majority of writing I have done has been fiction. However I have written some fiction and brought elements of nonfiction into it. A type of nonfiction that I think I would be good at writing is conversational. I have always been really good at telling stories through dialogue. I believe I would be good at writing about topics such as events of importance in the past that I would be able to tie the dialogue into.