Sunday, December 13, 2009

hang on to your IQ

Green Day was great. No, really great.
Ok, so I know that it's been a few days now since then, but once you read on about it you'll most likely understand why that is. (Just letting you know, it's kind of haphazardly written as I remember things and add them in).

I went with my sister, Siobhan (whose blog you can read here) and even though we'd been in the standing/mosh sections at other concerts before, and though we'd heard about Green Day's crowds being rough and really rowdy, I don't think we were expecting it. Jet played a half hour support set and as soon as Green Day came on stage and started their first song, everyone behind Von and I surged forwards (we were in the second row from the catwalk part of the stage) and started bashing into eachother in the whole "circle of death" mosh type thing. This perhaps was unfortunate initially, because I was right next to a group of boys who while they looked younger than me, were all much much taller, and er, wider, than myself. So Siobhan got pushed forwards and I, after being knocked to the side by some great hulk of a boy, was pushed backwards as everyone else tried to get infront of me and fill up the gaps.

I'll admit, I was kind of shocked, and I was going to make my way to the back of the standing area to be 'safe', but then I thought "No, I'm not going to let myself be pushed out of a spot which I tried so hard to get in the first place." And so I ended up weasling my way back up to the front, and using my elbows and forearms as a kind of protective barrier from people who fell into me on purpose. That's the good thing about being so small and slight -- you can fit into almost any gap, and then annoy people till they move away from you. This is what Siobhan and I did for most of the concert. Whenever we were pushed out of our awesome front-few-row place, we'd just weasle on back up there. I think a lot of the people around us were like "Whaaa? How did she get back there?" Specifically because a lot of the time you could feel people leaning forwards on purpose, or jumping into you just so you'd move and they could take your spot. That kind of thing sort of annoys me in mosh pits. I mean, yeah, the point of the pit is to 'mosh' -- you know you're going to be packed in tight, you know you're bound to get hit or bumped into at some point. But it's usually by accident. It annoys me when people do it on purpose. It's leaves me thinking "yeah, I'm not one of your friends, I don't know you. Stop crashing into me, I just want to watch the band in peace."

And speaking of that... I'd just like to say that being short in a moshpit with entirely tall people around you is not always a good thing. While the show was good, I did have to jump a lot to actually see and breathe. Man-sweat is NOT a good thing to breathe. Particularly when you're the same height as everyone's armpits. Yuck.

ALTHOUGH, were Siobhan and I were was a pretty good spot, because Billie and Mike would run up and mess about with the crowd. Because it ended up getting pretty hot, and the air conditioning kind of failed to cool down much, they got out waterguns and spray guns a couple of times, and soaked everyone to cool them down. And they even got a couple of people up onto the stage, which was pretty rad. I always like it when there's actual interaction between the crowd and the band. I think that's another reason why I liked Amanda Palmer & The Danger Ensemble so much.

After the concert I was worried that I'd have bruises all over my arms and legs from where I'd been jostled about, not to mention that my neck was aching from craning it to see, and my lower back just killed from standing (my legs were actually fine -- probably because I moved them about a lot). Apparently, my arms don't bruise so easily anymore, because the next day I didn't have any visible ones anywhere (save for a few on my knees, but I always have bruises there), though my upper arms and shoulders hurt like hell whenever I raised them past a certain point.
It's not as bad now, which is good.

And onwards! My next concert is Placebo (which will almost complete my top 3 bands... I need to see Brian Viglione play yet, or preferably both of the Dresden Dolls together!), in late februrary 2010.

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I get my HSC results this wednesday, and I'm actually not worried about it at all. It just happened that as I finished school, even in the last few weeks, I sort of just didn't care all that much about exams. I mean, in the sense that it doesn't phase me about what mark or grade I'll get. I think it's because I know I can still do what I want regardless of the mark -- I'll find a way to do it no matter what.
The day after is the Yr 12 school barbeque, where I suppose everyone meets up and says how fantastic they are and how wonderful their marks were. I don't know if my friends are going to go, but I'm hoping that they do. That way I wont feel so socially awkward -- not that I really do anymore... I've come out of my shell a lot in the past few months. I'm like a real person now. Not imaginary.

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These past few days, I've been feeling increasingly relaxed and at peace with everything and everyone. I do have this fear that it is just because of the holidays, or because it's almost new year, but I'm really hoping it's not just that. I suppose that we'll have to wait and see, wont we?

Peace&love,
Bridget

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Dapper, quite.

Weeks and weeks after the HSC exams are finished, it is just now that I can finally relax. After stressing an awful extensive amount, I finished my portfolio, and attended my SCA interview, and now I am eagerly awaiting a number of possible get togethers with friends and a Green Day concert this upcoming Friday. (I'll just point it out right now, that if my grammar or phrasing seem sloppy or poorly thought out, it's because I'm in 'French-brain' right now, thanks to a bunch of songs and their lyrics, and also because I haven't actually been able to sit and read in a while --- another reason for my lack of updates on here)

First up, the Interview. It wasn't a bad as I had thought it would be. Just like with my HSC french speaking exam, I managed to get myself in such a state of nerves, that even if I moved a little, I'd feel overwhelmingly nauseous. The only remedy to this was an enormous amount of water. But strangely, when my name was called, all the nerves seemed to disappear, and were replaced with what I swear must have been some alternate side or personality of mine. It was like the cheerful face my sister changes into when she is in similar positions. I'd think of it in such a way that I am the meek, pasty and socially awkward side, who wears sweaters and glasses and keeps to a fantasy world within her sketchbooks, and the other is the one who wears their hair all stood up, and in outlandish clothing and big boots. Which is actually based on how much more... outspoken and such that I feel when I do wear what I call me "AFP" boots (which really don't look anything like hers, except that they come up to just under the knee).
ANYWAY, the interviewers were far less scary than I had initially thought. They were actually quite dapper and nice, and actually offered me water. And they smiled. Smiling is very good, because it reassures my angst-side, even if it was insincere.

I don't find out if I'm in until January 5th, so it's definately going to be in the back of my mind until then.

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On the interview day, while in Rozelle, my Ma and I went into a bunch of the trendy 'recycled' clothing stores, and for once I actually found some NICE dresses that fit me! Usually everything is WAY too big, which I put down to people thinking that vintage or 'used' is trendy and hip. In a way, it is, because so many people are doing it now, but I like finding things in Op-shops and Thrift stores because of the way a lot of the older clothing is made, and the cuts are much more flattering for me. APPARENTLY, the 'tunic' look is ALL thats 'in' in modern fashion, and that just makes me look like I'm a lady-boy in a dress. Seriously. The two dresses I bought are fitted, and you can actually tell I'm a girl~

My Ma was looking through the records and vinyls they had, and she showed me one because it was called "The Paris I Love", knowing that I am in love with Frenchie stuff. (How I miss my French class at school!) I wasn't going to buy it, but then I noticed it had La Vie en Rose on it, which is pretty much my favourite song right now, so I bought it, and I've been playing it over and over, annoying everyone.

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I'm going to see Green Day with my sister this Friday, and I am quite excited about it. Except, I'm also kind of scared and nervous because we're in the standing zone and I'm pretty sure that because a lot of Green Day fans like to mosh, and because it's all ages, we're going to get crushed, and bruised up something bad.

OH WELL, C'EST LA VIE, N'EST-CE PAS?

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Peace,
B