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Man, long time without updating again. Ffffft.
Let's see... I can't really remember what all I was gonna post, but I think I'll just start with this weekend and work my way back, since I was sick and sad last weekend. XD
Friday was really great! Worked, then saw my honey/kasaiface's show, Marta the Divine, with Max/testofthemuse. It was really funny, and I had a totally wonderful time! Met up with Natasha/doorknockerdog and Steph/victorien and proceeded to successfully pre-game and enjoy a cuddly, drunken bus ride to Hampshire for some supposedly awesome party... only to catch the last fifteen minutes and then get kicked out. XD We were, however, joined by Nellie/scanningdarkly and a few others, and so we did the only sensible thing possible: journeyed back to our apartment for an impromptu party! Angela/palais and Stacey/esques (who is absolutely gorgeous and was so wonderful to hang out with this weekend!) showed up soon afterward and joined in, as well. There was great fun in the form of Lady Gaga, blacklights, gin and my very first experience with pot.
Okay, so I've never smoked in my life. I had a bit of a personal vendetta against it in high school, due to my distaste for kids losing their lives to drugs and being lucky enough to have amazing friends to show me that I could have fun without substances. After high school, when I broke up with Jacqui, she turned to raving and drugs, including pot, which caused me to feel hurt, jealous and generally weird about the whole thing. Needless to say, I was never much of a fan. I lightened up on the matter a lot more as time progressed, knowing that the majority of my dad's side of the family smokes, and that a lot of my friends have gotten high here and there without becoming mindless stoners.
My curiosity has never been burning, but I'm reaching a point in my life where I finally feel comfortable trying it out here and there. Liz is really the one who's shown me that it can be a total non-issue, and I trust her more than just about anyone. I've shotgunned a few hits from her here and there (I got pretty close to high at one party prior to this, but not quite), but the party was the first time I've ever smoked on my own (ffff, and by that I mean, with a lot of help.) I was already very drunk at this time, so I assume that factored in, as well. I don't really know why I did it... I just felt so relaxed, and felt so much love for everyone in the room, that I thought I'd give it a shot and try to understand the whole stigma a bit more.
Let me start off by saying that this is not something I plan on doing often. I know the experience gets a lot more mellow over time, but I don't care enough to get there. I'm really not big on the taste, smoking is sort of painful to me, and I still don't really feel that much of a draw. Let me also say that I am positive I can't handle anything harder than this (not that that was ever a question). My reaction was... really intense.
So, for those of you who don't know, music affects me a lot. I go to musical events sober and experience total euphoria. Music is not just sound to me, it evokes a lot of feeling. I'm also a synesthete, and this particularly affects me in the form of letters, numbers, words, sounds, and music. My sensitivities are appartently heightened so massively when I'm intoxicated that it becomes a very physical experience.
I remember things slowing down a lot, and then being drawn to my speakers. I kept trying to change songs, but got very frustrated, as I was absolutely sure I was typing the correct letters, but all that kept coming up in the search box was the number 53. After that, I was laying there, feeling the music as it played... I don't remember any of it too clearly until Pendulum's Hold Your Colour started playing.. then it was suddenly massive columns of tinted, bright clouds over these really pronounced, grey-blue, rainwashed mountains. I just remember a lot of cold, clean air, and the sensation of flight.. part of me knew I was laying on the floor of our apartment, but other parts were stuck in this alternate place. I listened to a few other songs, as well, and it was really amazing. I remember laying in a cuddle pile at one point and feeling so warm, so safe and happy that I was brought to tears once or twice.
Unfortunately, somebody bumped the table and unplugged my external drive, which disconnected my music. This is the stangest part- as soon as the music stopped, it felt like pressure was pushing in on every part of my body. It felt very similar to what I imagine space would feel like- a total lack of oxygen. It was hard on me, so I started crying really hard, and poor Liz got really worried about me and took me in the other room with some headphones to calm me down. I was trying to explain that part of my mind was still there, totally calm, and that my body was reacting of its own accord, but I don't think I did a very good job of it. XD; Plus, if I were in her position, and I saw her rolling around and crying, you can be damn sure I'd be freaked out.
In any case, Ferry Corsten's Fire came on, and the combination of holding her and listening to Fire gave me the most amazing, pure, untouchable feeling of bliss. I have no way to explain how utterly weightless and serene I felt... while at the same time, so brimming with this bright, golden-white feeling of love, I thought I might break from the intensity. Very surreal, but pretty cool.
I calmed a lot after that, then apologized profusely to everyone (who kept insisting that it was okay... I still feel kind of self-conscious about it, though..), and spent the rest of my night trying not to talk too much. XD;
Soon after, I fell asleep in one of the most warm, sweet, amazing friend/Liz cuddle sessions, and woke up five hours later, wiped out but mercifully free of any sort of hangover (water and vitamins rock.) Liz went to school and Max, Steph, Natasha and I went out for a classy Dunkin' Donuts breakfast, then I went to work and enjoyed a nice closing shift with a bunch of awesome co-workers. Once I'd made it through that, Angela, Stacey, Liz and I took off for New Jersey.
I'd forgotten how much I adore driving, especially with friends. We belted a bunch of great songs and laughed a ton, and it made me feel incredibly nostalgic for summer nights in California with Fur and Lo. I'm still snagged on the feelings of missing high school, but I'm learning to adjust, and realizing just how much I adore the friends I've made here. ♥ I want to start hanging out a lot more and make some memories!
In any case, we got in, chilled a bit and went to bed. We got up pretty early this morning and drove out to the Mitsuwa shopping center for a small event that we'd heard about through a friend literally two days ago.
I met Kago Ai today.
...Yeah. She was promoting cell phones. Apparently she was in New York doing other publicity, and decided to make an appearance in New Jersey, of all places. There was an intimate little clump of wotas gathered around where the event was taking place, one of them being the lovely miss Holly/usakochan! She'd come equipped with a lovely gift and tons of love. We got a great spot that we could see her from, and cheered a ton as she came out, talked to associates from the cell phone company, and drew raffle tickets. She was amazingly sweet- so much more mature than I'm used to seeing, but little traces of her stage personality shined through in little things like the way she picked on her manager and made everyone laugh. She's quite soft-spoken, which surprised me, but still very confident in front of people. Her english is really good, as well!
We got to shake her hands, as well, which was really great. I told her that I'd been a fan for nearly six years, and she seemed very impressed and said thank you! We also sent her heart hands, which she grinned and returned. Holly had a totally awesome experience, too, as one of Kago's number one fans from the very beginning, but that's her story to tell. ♥
In any case, we were walking on air and geeking out when we were approached by a really nice, slightly older wota named Josh who was there alone. We talked idols for awhile and was also then chatted up by the author of madara_blog, who'd attended press events for Hangry&Angry and Morning Musume, and who interviewed us for his article! He wrote a really eloquent and amazingly insightful article about Yossi after interviewing her at AX this year, which uncovers some really unique tidbits. He also got to ask Aibon a couple questions today, one of them being "are you still in touch with Nono?" to which she responded, "of course." ♥ ♥
We headed back to Liz's place for dins, then drove home. I had a great time, even if it was a really short trip. I'm so grateful we got to spend time with such lovely ladies. Thanks for putting up with our nerdy enthusiasm, guys! ♥
We're very close to sleeping, bur I wanted to share one more thing before bed. This has been out for awhile, but it's the first I've seen of it: AKB48's PV for River. Apparently they filmed different versions for Japan and the US. Japan's is pretty awesome (Mariko~!! ♥ ), but the American one is... really awesome.
No Mariko in this. ;A; But Sayaka, Sae, Erena and Tomochin! The emotion in this PV is so great. AKB48's management really knows how to make their followers happy- they treat their foreign fans so well, too. I continue to be impressed.
This PV's aesthetic is definitely geared toward a different audience than the original is. As a fan of the typical dance-shot and pseudo-storyline approach taken by 99% of all idol PVs, I found myself very refreshed by the simplicity and utter passion this one displayed. I think I'm most surprised at the lack of Takamina and Acchan in this, as they're arguably AKB's top two most popular girls, but I definitely think Sae and Sayaka are very popular stateside, and the girls selected for this PV were great. They all show off their own unique beauty, and- nerdy as it is- my heart just swelled with happiness as I watched this. Sae and Sayaka shine for me here, in particular, but I found myself totally drawn to the shots of everyone else, as well.
The way I feel about them is very different from Morning Musume, but I'm not exactly sure why. I wish Upfront would take a leaf out of their book, though, and give te girls in H!P more freedom and allow them a bit more maturity, as well. I doubt H!P is going to last long at this rate when it has AKB48 to compete against. I'm saying absoultely nothing about the girls, who I will always adore (spare Koharu), but Tsunku needs to lighten up and accept that if he hopes to branch out to foreigners, he's going to have to take a different approach. Yossi and Rika were less monitored than Momusu was, but they were still forbidden to sign things using their actual names, and it did take a lot of coaxing to get them to talk about Hello!Project at Sakuracon.
Man, what an amazing year... Yossi and Rika, Morning Musume, AKB48, and now Kago. I really hope this continues! Mako next! :D Until then... my Limited Pressing Hangry&Angry DVD box comes tomorrow! :D
Anyway, I feel like there was a lot more I wanted to put in this post, but it is sleepytime. More later. ♥
Let's see... I can't really remember what all I was gonna post, but I think I'll just start with this weekend and work my way back, since I was sick and sad last weekend. XD
Friday was really great! Worked, then saw my honey/kasaiface's show, Marta the Divine, with Max/testofthemuse. It was really funny, and I had a totally wonderful time! Met up with Natasha/doorknockerdog and Steph/victorien and proceeded to successfully pre-game and enjoy a cuddly, drunken bus ride to Hampshire for some supposedly awesome party... only to catch the last fifteen minutes and then get kicked out. XD We were, however, joined by Nellie/scanningdarkly and a few others, and so we did the only sensible thing possible: journeyed back to our apartment for an impromptu party! Angela/palais and Stacey/esques (who is absolutely gorgeous and was so wonderful to hang out with this weekend!) showed up soon afterward and joined in, as well. There was great fun in the form of Lady Gaga, blacklights, gin and my very first experience with pot.
Okay, so I've never smoked in my life. I had a bit of a personal vendetta against it in high school, due to my distaste for kids losing their lives to drugs and being lucky enough to have amazing friends to show me that I could have fun without substances. After high school, when I broke up with Jacqui, she turned to raving and drugs, including pot, which caused me to feel hurt, jealous and generally weird about the whole thing. Needless to say, I was never much of a fan. I lightened up on the matter a lot more as time progressed, knowing that the majority of my dad's side of the family smokes, and that a lot of my friends have gotten high here and there without becoming mindless stoners.
My curiosity has never been burning, but I'm reaching a point in my life where I finally feel comfortable trying it out here and there. Liz is really the one who's shown me that it can be a total non-issue, and I trust her more than just about anyone. I've shotgunned a few hits from her here and there (I got pretty close to high at one party prior to this, but not quite), but the party was the first time I've ever smoked on my own (ffff, and by that I mean, with a lot of help.) I was already very drunk at this time, so I assume that factored in, as well. I don't really know why I did it... I just felt so relaxed, and felt so much love for everyone in the room, that I thought I'd give it a shot and try to understand the whole stigma a bit more.
Let me start off by saying that this is not something I plan on doing often. I know the experience gets a lot more mellow over time, but I don't care enough to get there. I'm really not big on the taste, smoking is sort of painful to me, and I still don't really feel that much of a draw. Let me also say that I am positive I can't handle anything harder than this (not that that was ever a question). My reaction was... really intense.
So, for those of you who don't know, music affects me a lot. I go to musical events sober and experience total euphoria. Music is not just sound to me, it evokes a lot of feeling. I'm also a synesthete, and this particularly affects me in the form of letters, numbers, words, sounds, and music. My sensitivities are appartently heightened so massively when I'm intoxicated that it becomes a very physical experience.
I remember things slowing down a lot, and then being drawn to my speakers. I kept trying to change songs, but got very frustrated, as I was absolutely sure I was typing the correct letters, but all that kept coming up in the search box was the number 53. After that, I was laying there, feeling the music as it played... I don't remember any of it too clearly until Pendulum's Hold Your Colour started playing.. then it was suddenly massive columns of tinted, bright clouds over these really pronounced, grey-blue, rainwashed mountains. I just remember a lot of cold, clean air, and the sensation of flight.. part of me knew I was laying on the floor of our apartment, but other parts were stuck in this alternate place. I listened to a few other songs, as well, and it was really amazing. I remember laying in a cuddle pile at one point and feeling so warm, so safe and happy that I was brought to tears once or twice.
Unfortunately, somebody bumped the table and unplugged my external drive, which disconnected my music. This is the stangest part- as soon as the music stopped, it felt like pressure was pushing in on every part of my body. It felt very similar to what I imagine space would feel like- a total lack of oxygen. It was hard on me, so I started crying really hard, and poor Liz got really worried about me and took me in the other room with some headphones to calm me down. I was trying to explain that part of my mind was still there, totally calm, and that my body was reacting of its own accord, but I don't think I did a very good job of it. XD; Plus, if I were in her position, and I saw her rolling around and crying, you can be damn sure I'd be freaked out.
In any case, Ferry Corsten's Fire came on, and the combination of holding her and listening to Fire gave me the most amazing, pure, untouchable feeling of bliss. I have no way to explain how utterly weightless and serene I felt... while at the same time, so brimming with this bright, golden-white feeling of love, I thought I might break from the intensity. Very surreal, but pretty cool.
I calmed a lot after that, then apologized profusely to everyone (who kept insisting that it was okay... I still feel kind of self-conscious about it, though..), and spent the rest of my night trying not to talk too much. XD;
Soon after, I fell asleep in one of the most warm, sweet, amazing friend/Liz cuddle sessions, and woke up five hours later, wiped out but mercifully free of any sort of hangover (water and vitamins rock.) Liz went to school and Max, Steph, Natasha and I went out for a classy Dunkin' Donuts breakfast, then I went to work and enjoyed a nice closing shift with a bunch of awesome co-workers. Once I'd made it through that, Angela, Stacey, Liz and I took off for New Jersey.
I'd forgotten how much I adore driving, especially with friends. We belted a bunch of great songs and laughed a ton, and it made me feel incredibly nostalgic for summer nights in California with Fur and Lo. I'm still snagged on the feelings of missing high school, but I'm learning to adjust, and realizing just how much I adore the friends I've made here. ♥ I want to start hanging out a lot more and make some memories!
In any case, we got in, chilled a bit and went to bed. We got up pretty early this morning and drove out to the Mitsuwa shopping center for a small event that we'd heard about through a friend literally two days ago.
I met Kago Ai today.
...Yeah. She was promoting cell phones. Apparently she was in New York doing other publicity, and decided to make an appearance in New Jersey, of all places. There was an intimate little clump of wotas gathered around where the event was taking place, one of them being the lovely miss Holly/usakochan! She'd come equipped with a lovely gift and tons of love. We got a great spot that we could see her from, and cheered a ton as she came out, talked to associates from the cell phone company, and drew raffle tickets. She was amazingly sweet- so much more mature than I'm used to seeing, but little traces of her stage personality shined through in little things like the way she picked on her manager and made everyone laugh. She's quite soft-spoken, which surprised me, but still very confident in front of people. Her english is really good, as well!
We got to shake her hands, as well, which was really great. I told her that I'd been a fan for nearly six years, and she seemed very impressed and said thank you! We also sent her heart hands, which she grinned and returned. Holly had a totally awesome experience, too, as one of Kago's number one fans from the very beginning, but that's her story to tell. ♥
In any case, we were walking on air and geeking out when we were approached by a really nice, slightly older wota named Josh who was there alone. We talked idols for awhile and was also then chatted up by the author of madara_blog, who'd attended press events for Hangry&Angry and Morning Musume, and who interviewed us for his article! He wrote a really eloquent and amazingly insightful article about Yossi after interviewing her at AX this year, which uncovers some really unique tidbits. He also got to ask Aibon a couple questions today, one of them being "are you still in touch with Nono?" to which she responded, "of course." ♥ ♥
We headed back to Liz's place for dins, then drove home. I had a great time, even if it was a really short trip. I'm so grateful we got to spend time with such lovely ladies. Thanks for putting up with our nerdy enthusiasm, guys! ♥
We're very close to sleeping, bur I wanted to share one more thing before bed. This has been out for awhile, but it's the first I've seen of it: AKB48's PV for River. Apparently they filmed different versions for Japan and the US. Japan's is pretty awesome (Mariko~!! ♥ ), but the American one is... really awesome.
Click to viewNo Mariko in this. ;A; But Sayaka, Sae, Erena and Tomochin! The emotion in this PV is so great. AKB48's management really knows how to make their followers happy- they treat their foreign fans so well, too. I continue to be impressed.
This PV's aesthetic is definitely geared toward a different audience than the original is. As a fan of the typical dance-shot and pseudo-storyline approach taken by 99% of all idol PVs, I found myself very refreshed by the simplicity and utter passion this one displayed. I think I'm most surprised at the lack of Takamina and Acchan in this, as they're arguably AKB's top two most popular girls, but I definitely think Sae and Sayaka are very popular stateside, and the girls selected for this PV were great. They all show off their own unique beauty, and- nerdy as it is- my heart just swelled with happiness as I watched this. Sae and Sayaka shine for me here, in particular, but I found myself totally drawn to the shots of everyone else, as well.
The way I feel about them is very different from Morning Musume, but I'm not exactly sure why. I wish Upfront would take a leaf out of their book, though, and give te girls in H!P more freedom and allow them a bit more maturity, as well. I doubt H!P is going to last long at this rate when it has AKB48 to compete against. I'm saying absoultely nothing about the girls, who I will always adore (spare Koharu), but Tsunku needs to lighten up and accept that if he hopes to branch out to foreigners, he's going to have to take a different approach. Yossi and Rika were less monitored than Momusu was, but they were still forbidden to sign things using their actual names, and it did take a lot of coaxing to get them to talk about Hello!Project at Sakuracon.
Man, what an amazing year... Yossi and Rika, Morning Musume, AKB48, and now Kago. I really hope this continues! Mako next! :D Until then... my Limited Pressing Hangry&Angry DVD box comes tomorrow! :D
Anyway, I feel like there was a lot more I wanted to put in this post, but it is sleepytime. More later. ♥