I Love Brains

Everyone has their favourite supernatural villain.  Vampires, ghosts, the boogie monster, and so on.  We've all read the books, and we've all seen the movies-- some of them of worse quality than others (here's looking at you, Twilight).  But there is one question that I know everyyyyyone has on their mind:  What's Sierra's favourite creeper creature??!??!??  Because obviously I am the only thing that occupies anyone's thoughts.  But I digress-- so the answer, ladies and gentlemen, is that I love brains.  Or rather, I love zombies, who seem to love brains.  Why you ask?  They're cool, and as far as I can tell, everything zombie related is awesome.  

Zombie stories:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/97AdUH/www.burningbuilding.com/zombie.htm/

Fantasy zombie apocalypse tests:
http://onemorelevel.com/game/zombie_survival_quiz

Black Ops?  Nazi Zombies?  Priceless!!

Hilarious zombie movies:
Dance of the Dead
Zombieland
Land of the Dead
The Happening (which as far as I'm concerned is close enough to a zombie movie)
Sean of the Dead

And so much blood and explosions and nasty zombie epic battles!! What's not to love?  Plus, if you watch Dance of the Dead, you get to laugh at this cutie:

Blood on his face and he still looks adorable!

As you can see. zombies are just plain.. well, zombies.  They ooze blood, want to eat your brains and are all together lovable masses of undead just ready to be shot or hacked down with the nearest weapon of your choice.  

Prepare for the inevitable with these websites:

http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm (this one is an actual government(.gov) website that deals with earthquakes and such.  There's no vampires or bigfeet, but zombies are definitely on there because they're badass.)  Here's their explanation: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/18/cdc-warns-public-prepare-zombie-apocalypse/

http://www.zombiepreparedness.org/

http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Preparedness-kit/lm/R1K7YCFIS4AR7O

http://www.westlakehardware.com/specialties/zombies

http://www.westlakehardware.com/specialties/zombies

My Interpretation

I tried writing a beautiful and succinct paragraph that would explain this post to you, but it failed miserably.  So instead, here is a little dialogue scenario that makes more sense:

(after watching Nemo)
You: Oh my goodness gracious I just watched an adorable movie about a little fish who gets separated from his overbearing father and winds up in Sydney, Australia and it was so cute!
Other person: Nemo?
Y: Yes!
OP:  Well obviously you were watching with a blindfold and earplugs, that's not at all the story of Nemo.
Y: Uhm... so it's not about parents learning to have more faith in their child?
OP: Nope.
Y: It's not about making friends or doing things that scare you so you can achieve success?
OP: Nope.
Y:  Then what the heck is it about?
OP: Well obviously it's about the greed of the government corrupting disabled children who are strung out on methamphetamines.
Y: .........


Everyone has been through this situation at some point or another.  Well, okay, maybe it wasn't this extreme, but you get the point.  Books, movies, art, music-- anything that is a form of artistic human expression is put out there for people to experience and interpret as it makes sense to them.  But the way people experience these things always varies in at least one way, and sometimes there are absolutely no similarities between what you learn when you read 1984 compared to what your friend learns.  I was thinking about this today, and it is for this reason that I decided to interpret Florence's "Shake It Out" for y'all.

Lyrics:
"Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play"

Interpretation:

This is setting up the stage for her story.  In the first two lines, the person in the song is     reflecting on their life and realizing all the mistakes they've made.  They're in a dark place, and "can see no way" so they turn to bad choices, which is when "all of the ghouls come out to play".

Lyrics:
"And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn"

Interpretation:

See, at first listen  one might think that the demon is just your standard old hide-under-the-bed-and-niblle-your-toes kinda thing, but nope.  Actually, this is line part where we realize that the girl in this song is a stripper.  The demon is a customer that wants more than just a good show, he wants "his pound of flesh".  The girl tells herself "it's always darkest before the dawn" in hopes of cheering herself up, because her life sucks.

Lyrics:"And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around"

Interpretation:

The girl is owning up to her bad choices, realizing that she's "been a fool and been blind"  but she knows that she's stuck with those choices now, hence the "I can never leave the past behind".  She still feels like there's no hope for a better lifestyle though, and she "can see no way", so she's resigned to live like she's been doing.  The horse she drags around with her is her guilt at her lifestyle.

Lyrics:
"All of these questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues drawn
But it's always darkest before the dawn"

Interpretation:

"These questions" are the ones asked by her parents and family members, who of course don't know about her predicament.  However, she's decided that she's not ashamed of what she does, so she is going to bury her guilt, dump that horse carcass and tell her family.  Yeah, she's terrified that they'll judge her, but like she said; "it's always darkest before the dawn". 

Lyrics:"Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa"

Interpretation:

Now that this girl has accepted her profession, she can "shake it out" without feeling bad.  Florence tells her "it's hard to dance with a devil on your back, so shake him off", meaning that the girl needs to forget what her parents tell her about burning in Hell, forget the devil, shake him off so you can shake it for the money!

Lyrics:
"And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me"

Interpretation:

She knows that no matter which way she chooses, she's pretty much screwed, so why no have some fun and get wasted?  She already tried "looking for heaven" but it wasn't working out so well for her.  She's happy with herself at last, and it can't be better said than this: "Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me".

No longer is this song merely a song about self confidence anymore.  It is, but on a much deeper and profound level.  Now that I've bored you with that, however, I will leave you.  Enjoy my loveys, and I wanna hear what things you can interpret for me!

Lalala... Up Front

So let's see here...
Today is Friday the 27th.  That means that precisely two days ago (Wednesday the 25th), The Shins of Albuquerque, New Mexico, visited us Renoites at the Grand Sierra and performed in concert.  That would also mean that Gardens and Villa (of some undetermined city*) opened for them!  How do I know all this? Well yeah, I am a freaking psychic, but that's not the real reason.                Thanks anyways.
No, the real reason is------- I WAS THERE!!!

Yep!  Right in front, touching the stage baybay!  I was literally like 10 feet away from James Mercer.  Awesome, or what?  But before I get carried away, this is what went down:

After waiting for probably about an hour in line, we were finally let in and ran to the front of the theatre to make sure we were right by the stage.  It was all cool though, because most of the people who were already in there were above the age of 45, and were sitting down at table/booths rather then standing in the Pit, which is where the more energetic music listeners go.  Once there, we joked around and laughed, made new friends**, talked about music and waited for the concert to start.  Among all of the stuff I learned about these new friends (who shall be referred to as Max and Adam), the coolest two things were probably A- that they had snuck back stage earlier that day and scored a private mini-concert; and B- that they had their own demo/music project they were trying to launch.  It's called Tree Barking and I definitely like the sound!  (check it out here: http://soundcloud.com/treebarking) But anyway, I digress.  So the concert starts, and our shuper nice and shuper tall new friend Max-y let my shorter friends and I stand in front of him (touching. the. stage!!) so we could see, because he was chill like that.

Gardens and Villa honestly cannot be better described in any other way then this:  hipster band.  There were multiple spiffy shoes on stage, some impressive moustaches, and a guy who played the flute while balancing on one leg.  Their most notable song is Star-fire Power, which is not only neat, but also the single most hilarious and intriguing name of a song I have ever heard.  I advise you to listen: http://www.gardensandvilla.com

Here they are!

Once our silly little indie band exited stage, the long awaited, beautiful Shins came on and the crowd pretty much freaked out.

It was one of the best concerts ever, due to a flood of crazy stories and great music.  The first crazy story is all about Mohawk Man
                   He was standing maybe three feet away from my group, with a mohawk that stretched approximately a foot from his head to the ceiling.  But while that's cool, it's not even close to the crazy part-- he was cutting himself, slicing his arms and then smearing the blood on his cheek.  Right next to us.  Looking like a scary demon emo guy.  It was gross.  Then, later in the concert, he started a mosh pit (moshing? at a Shins concert..?) and people picked him up and he was CROWD SURFING.  I thought I was going to get kicked in the face by his steel toed boots.

Second to that great story is a quick little concert observation: When you are at a crowded concert, your butt is no longer your property.  It is crowded, and random people will bump into you.  If you don't like it, you can dance in the empty, less exciting back of the room.

The next story is just a liiiiittle amazing and comes in two parts:  First of all, a couple of my friends and I wrote a letter to the Shins, and then made a terrible paper airplane that landed it six feet away from the target in a bad attempt of aim.  Hopefully they got our love note.  (I love the bassist and his cute little happy smile that makes him look like he loves what he does, just sayin')  But guys-- WE FREAKING HUGGED JESSICA!!!

She is amazing, and has a great sense of style and is a badass on the guitar.  So yeah, when we came back fifteen minutes after the concert was out and saw her talking to some people, we hugged her.  No biggie.

So one long concert, a souvenir t-shirt, a picture with Gardens and Villa, lots of dancing and an encore later, the evening was over, we ran around the casino a bunch and finally got home at midnight.  I was exhausted, my knees hurt and my ears were ringing, but I was one of the happiest girls in Reno.  Can't wait till the next concert excursion!

Love,

Sierra 

P.S.
*unknown because the weirdos don't have anything even close to resembling a biography on their website
**note that these new friends aren't necessarily 100 percent credible, so the private concert thing is open to interpretation.  I believe them though- the five signatures on Adam's t-shirt were awfully convincing

The Pros and Cons of Sunglasses

Ahhh summer.  The fresh green leaves, running through sprinklers, the warm, warm sun........ burning you and turning you red and flaky and making every single move harshly painful!  Luckily for us, there are little things called sunscreen and sunglasses to combat those nasty little side affects.  But, let's face it- not everything about our peeper screeners are that great.

pro: They look super cool, and there’s a million different styles to choose from.  When you find that pair of sunglasses that fits just perfectly, it’s completely amazing.  They vary from neon coloured to aviator to antique and everything in between and getting that perfect pair is fantastic.

con: There’s a million different styles to choose from.  Just as this can be a good thing, it can majorly suck when you spend forever looking at shades and none of them work quite right.  Because no one likes spending that much time and energy on a stupid fashion accessory.

pro: They protect your eyes!  This is obviously one feature of sunglasses that can’t be overlooked.  Looking cool AND saving your eyes from UVray damage?  Uhmm yes please!

con: Your shirt cannot support them.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m sure everyone has had this moment.  You walk indoors from a bright sunny day, and, not wanting to wear sunglasses indoors (see rehab glasses), you take them off and hang them on the front of your shirt.  This should work great, until that moment when you lean over to inspect something and WHAM!  Your sunglasses slip from your shirt and crash you the floor.  If this has never happened to you, trust me- it sucks.

pro- Rehab glasses!  For all you party animals out there, sunglasses can provide a mighty fine trick for those days when you need a quick-fix hangover remedy.  No, I am not encouraging getting wasted (I’m high- on life!!!) but a little thing called Urban Dictionary reminded me of this handy little tool.  Got red eyes?  Simply slip a pair of sunglasses on and wear indoors!  Tadaa!

con- They scratch.  One of the most annoying things about sunglasses is that they scratch easily.  Sure, you can go out and spend money on a sturdy pair that won’t dent unless you take a sledgehammer to them, but let’s be honest- I have no money to spend on such frivolous things.  So I face the rays with my steadfast, 10 dollar glasses and get to deal with the little nicks and scrapes that are collected during the summer.  Oh well.

Now that you’ve been informed about sunglasses, hopefully you’ll find a pair that suit you and head out to enjoy the summer!  

On a Quiet Square...

Have you ever walked around your town looking for something to do only to stop at a vacant sidewalk and realise... THERE IS NOTHING TO DO.  Nothing is going on, there are no street performers lined up on the streets, no random strangers to walk up and dance with you, no attempted robberies, nothing.  The stupid sky is an average shade of blue and the clouds are a stupid average fluffy white.  You're on a stupid, grey, gum lined sidewalk and you are fucking bored out of your mind.  Some days, this can be good.  Peace and quiet is healthful for the soul.  But ohhh no, not today mister.  For the people of Belgium, Drama Superheroes fight back against the relentless tide of averageness.  I dedicate this to anyone who ever wanted to liven up their day.  Plus it's freaking amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=316AzLYfAzw

explosion of non-average

1,2,3 what are we fighting for?

Woodstock has become my life for the past two hours.  Lucky me, I was awarded with two vinyl albums of the original Woodstock soundtrack, six records total, and I've been happily blasting the sounds of 1969 through my ancient turntable speakers.  I wasn't completely sure if it's work, seeing as the records have been in some garage for the most recent years, and furthermore, I didn't know what I'd like, seeing as I didn't know the majority of the bands listed on the cover, however, I am so incredibly happy right now it's a bit ridiculous.  Some fantastic new artists I've discovered include Country Joe & the Fish, John B. Sebastian, as well as Sly & the Family Stone.  Country Joe's "Fixin' to Die" is up above for you guys to check out.
The greatest thing about these records is not just the music, but the recordings themselves.  Every three songs or so they stream noise from the audience, and they've recorded transitions and stage announcements, the works.  There's a lot of: "ya dig man?" and "c'mon man, we got like, five thousand people here today man!" and "you motherfuckers need to sing louder if you wanna end this war!" and it's pretty much better than amazing.  Plus, even more cool, some band finished up their song screaming "YEAHHHH MARIJUANA!!!!".  Needless to say, there were most definitely hippies under the influence of cannabis present to chill for three days in tents and enjoy music.

But it's cool, because it's good music.  Oh and don't worry about me, I'm pure and innocent.

I just like the music.


Anyways, I was also thoroughly entertained by Joan Baez talking about the success of a hunger strike to end the war.  Ahhhh love.  Well, my readers, go listen to Woodstock era jams and have a groovy day.
-Sierra