1: Vlad the Impaler is Dracula
If this is common knowledge, I feel like an idiot, but did you know that Vlad the Impaler was a.k.a. Dracula? The Dracula I know and love is late and great Bela Lugosi. I just assumed that the whole idea of him stemmed from some old stories like any other character but apparently there’s some relation. Stoker thought that Vlad was “a natural candidate for vampirism.” I wish I knew what that even meant…haha. I’ve tried to look more into this, but the information is overwhelming. If anyone knows a good cliff-notes solely based on this, let me know.

2: People still think VHS tapes are worth something
I love thrift stores and flea markets. It’s a passion, sometimes a problem, but it’s something I do on a pretty regular basis. Today I saw literally hundreds of VHS tapes between various vendors. One booth wanted, I kid you not, $4 per video tape. Does anyone else understand how outrageous this it? Let’s ignore the fact that the technology itself is over 30 years old. The same people that shop at flea markets also shop at Wal-Mart- it’s a known fact. You can get dozens and dozens of titles on DVD for $5. That alone makes $4 for a tape asinine. Furthermore, this week I ordered Bank Job on Blu-ray for $5.47. Ok, so it’s not exactly an award winning movie. The point is you can get the latest technology for just a $1.50 more than a format that at least 75% of us can’t even play anymore. Le sigh….people.

3: Toy Story 2 was rewritten in a weekend
WHAT?! Talk about mental. Pixar wasn’t happy with Toy Story 2 at 9 months prior to its release. They warned Disney that it wasn’t any good. After the screening, Disney said it would be fine- I guess assuming after the success of the first one, that this one would be just dandy. Ya know, the typical Disney attitude that resulted in shitty squeals of every hit they had. Pixar, as fabulous as it is, refused to let a weak story-line be released from their studio. Toy Story‘s first director came in, pumped up the office and together they rewrote the entire story-line in 2 days. How insane is that!? I find it amazing that this could happen- and be such a success. So here’s to the epicness I’m expecting from Cars 2!

I had an idea to keep me coming back weekly by writing three things I learned in the week. Doesn’t matter in what gravity, be it a small, insignificant fact or a headlining article, just a fact that I didn’t know before that moment in time. Lee says my memory is shit anyway so this can only help, right? So let this be the first installment of an intended regular series (but will mostly likely sum up in 5 weeks). Life.

1: My grandfather worked on parts used in the production of Sputnik.
How the hell I went 23 years without knowing this and my family well aware of my unexplainable science infatuation sets me off a little- but seriously, how fantastic is that? The first Earth-orbiting satellite and my Pap helped make it happen. The backstory is he worked in a factory called Sperry not to far out of town. We drove past the old building this week and dad told me his dad worked there making stuff for NASA. I was pretty blown away. Next time I see Pap I’m going to have him divulge on this part of his life- God knows he loves talking your ear off anyway. This time I’m stoked to hear it.

2: My cousin doesn’t know the last name of her baby.
Now you want to talk about something that pisses me off, this is it. If you know anything about my family, you’ll know we’re not the Brady Bunch. Not by a long shot. There’s string of alcohol and drug abuse, divorces, rehab, mental facilities- you name it, it’s been through the Minks. Sometimes they try to get better, sometimes they don’t. I’m not sadden by it or even embarrassed by it anymore. If it wasn’t for all of them, I wouldn’t have pushed so much to get where I am now, so in a weird fucked up way, I thank them. Maybe you didn’t need to know that information to conclude the rest of this piece of info I picked-up. I have a second-cousin Lilly who I’m obsessed with and more akin to my niece. She’s 3 and treat her like my own kid when she’s around. I love her more than I thought I would. Super smart and cute as hell. Her mom, my cousin, is an idiot. For example, she’s expecting a $5,000 tax return and said she’s going to quit when she gets it because she won’t need any more money. Not the brightest crayon in the bunch. It was discovered by my Nanny (that’s my grandma, it’s not weird) that no one knows what Lilly’s last name is- not even her mother who gave her birth. How fucking disgusting is that? It irks me and leaves me with two questions- 1) How can you prove someone is an unfit mother and 2) Are Lee and I ready to adopt her. Sure, this is dirty laundry but it doesn’t changed the fact that it’s something I learned this week (though this one I’m not surprised by).

3: A sex offender lives across the road from my old house.
Too much Law and Order: SVU and this happens. You end up on the  registered sex offenders list for your area because for some reason you can’t help your addiction to a show about sex crimes (it’s not the crimes themselves that keep Lee and I watching, but more the Bensen/Stabler dynamic and Munch’s witty one-liners). Low and behold right across the road from a house I lived in for 16 years lived a sex offender who produced child porn among other equally disturbing child-related sex crimes. What a dick. I don’t know how long he lived there and I don’t want to know. Nothing happened to me or my sister or anyone else in the neighborhood, but this whole situation made me feel like I was one of those crazy people on SVU. Is it fair to judge him so harshly? And even a bigger, more philosophical question, can people really change? Wong on SVU would say no, but that’s TV and his line was written. It just brought about a larger thought about people I know, their issues and if they are or could actually be resolved. I say the over-thinking is contributed to the fact I want a distraction from the thought of a total perv living in my old neighborhood which I guess isn’t a bad thing. When I have kids, I’ll be damned in we’re living in a neighborhood with trash like that walking around. ::shiver::

Let’s see what I can learn this week!

The scenario takes place in 1928. The Hollywood premiere of Charlie Chaplin’s film “The Circus” brings a mob of people to the Chinese Theatre. These scenes were filmed, I assume to document the event for news or studio records or whatever, and were later released as bonus footage for a Chaplin DVD box set. An Irish film maker, and Chaplin buff, notices and investigates a particular clip of a woman walking alone who is speaking into something she is holding to her ear. Queue WTF moment.

The video below, though long, allows you to see the clip more clearly and in its entirety versus the news clip aired on Fox:

The question: What is this?
The first answer: Cell phone.
The conclusion: Time Travel.
Duh.

Yes, it is a great leap to go from a 1928 clip to time traveler based on about 3 seconds of footage. But to say the least, it is compelling. Even if you do immediately dismiss this, you can’t say that for the slightest instance, you didn’t think “hmmm….”

At the time there are no radios, no walkie talkies, and obviously, not cell phones. The practical response, and actually only logical response, is that the device the woman is holding is a hearing aid. Specifically a Siemens 1924 Hearing Aid:

I will wholeheartedly agree that these look similar. But I still have a problem with this.

1. She is alone.
When walking alone on a sidewalk with one other person about 5 feet in front of you, why would you be using a hearing aid? No one is talking to the woman or paying any attention to her whatsoever. It begs the question as to why she’d be using it at that point in time.

2. She’s at a busy event
Perhaps she’s wanting to hear the event better, but she’s in definite earshot if she is near that zebra statue. In that case, I would imagine a sound amplifier would actually make it too loud. It would be like using on of those at a sporting event- even if you are hard of hearing, the sound would be so muddled from everything going on, I don’t think you could make anything out anyway.

3. She’s talking into it.
In the video above, you can very clearly see the lady is talking into whatever she’s holding to her ear. Why are you talking into a hearing aid? And if you reference number one, she doesn’t seem to be talking to the man in front of her, or anyone behind her. Why is she talking in the first place? We could say she’s a complete nutcase, but she’s at a Hollywood premiere, so I’m going to safety assume she’s fairly well-off and sane.

—

Ok, so I’m not convinced it’s a hearing aid. Let’s break this down to what is actually happening again. She’s walking alone. Holding something to her ear. She’s talking into it.

I’m going with a cell phone. Which means she’s from the future and has time traveled to 1928.

Sure, that’s silly, but I’m still going to lay out some points that help support this belief.

1. The clip is real.
Maybe this goes without saying, but this clip is real. It’s commercially available and there would be no reason the studio who released it would have any reason to modify this footage. Even the best CGI artists I don’t think could pull this off, so unlike photos that can be easily manipulated, this one is provides the best evidence of time travel. She is talking into/at something. And thew way she holds the device, it is similar to that of a mobile phone.

2. Why this has surfaced now.
This footage has been around since 1928, so why is this just now brought up to our attention? Because it’s now relative. We finally have an explanation for a device the lady is talking into. No one in generations before us would have ever considered this could be a phone- there is cord and it’s too small (ya know, for the Zack Morris argument). I say the clip was completely undetected until now simply because from the time this clip was made until now, it never mimicked anything that would have been familiar or relevant to those who saw it.

3. How is it an old woman?
I didn’t think this mattered until my dad said it, but he asked why would a time traveler be an old woman? I believe this is easily explainable. Time travel may not exist for hundreds of thousands of years, but if/when it does exist, there will be time travelers of all generations and ages traveling to any place since the beginning of time. We would be getting visitors today. The fact that it’s an old woman is negligible. Think about flight. The first fliers were innovators- younger, healthy men who were excited about technology, science, blah blah blah. Eventually flight became bigger, easier and (the keyword) commercial. It’s not too crazy to think that we can at some point travel to the moon purely for enjoyment. Why wouldn’t the same be for time traveling? This could be 84,000 years from now for all we know, but assuming it follows the exact same pattern of all new technologies (or everything for that matter), it would at some-point be for everyone.

4. The event makes sense.
If you could travel in time, to any point at any time at any place in the world, where would you go? You’d go somewhere to see something that you wish you were a part of, right? I’d love to visit the dinosaurs, but since there’s a little too much danger involved there, I’d go to Elvis’s ’68 Comeback Special. Maybe you’d pick the first Superbowl game or a MLK speech, but it’s all relative to what our interests and loves are. The point is a Charlie Chaplin movie premiere at the Chinese Theatre is something someone would actually want to go back to. It’s not exactly random.

5. Her disposition.
We’ve already stated the woman is alone. But look at her disposition compared to the man in front of her. He’s all business and she looks stoked- even though she’s alone. This could be attributed solely to the fact that she’s at a movie premiere in general, but I can’t help get over her attitude compared to the man in front of her. Maybe he’s not even going and that’s the difference, but it’s worth pointing out.

6. She’s an older, unescorted woman in the 1920′s.
Who goes to movie premieres alone? Especially a woman in 1928? Women could vote at this time, but it was less than a decade before the 19th Amendment was ratified, so a woman’s independence wasn’t exactly commonplace. Wasn’t in the 30′s, the 40′s or the 50′s either. Keep in mind, she’s quite old. The average live expectancy of a woman in the 1920′s was 54.6 years old. Does she look a little older than that to anyone else? Giving her the benefit of the doubt and saying she’s pushing her mid-50′s, statistics would show she’s in her last legs of life- and probably wouldn’t be in good enough health to attend a busy, loud movie premiere.

7. Looking into the camera.
This could be completely by happenstance, but I think there’s still a point to be made. If you are at a big event like this, your focus is on the event. When is it not? When you see other things familiar or interesting to you. When I’m at a concert, I notice, even if I don’t want to, all the production logistics and value. It’s just what I know and am interested in. The man in front of her doesn’t notice the camera, but she does and goes far enough to look directly into it. Could be because she’s been around them more so they just get her attention easier. It’s like looking at letters and automatically reading them, even if you didn’t intend it. And anyone else notice her smirk as she looks into it? It’s as if she knows she shouldn’t be doing it.

8. Cell reception.
This one is above and beyond my knowledge, but the question is about cell reception. Obviously there wouldn’t be any cell towers in the 20′s…well…anywhere. I’m going to put out there though that if we have managed to figure out time travel, we’ve probably figured out the cell service conundrum. Say time travel is commercial, you’d had more and more people traveling then more and more people traveling alone (how many people take their first flight alone?). We would have a social responsibility to create a some sort of communication with those who have traveled. If anything, for troubleshooting purposes. I’m not saying that I have any idea in the slightest how this would work, but I don’t know how time travel would either and this seems more plausible than that. Plus, we do have tower-less communication. They are called walkie talkies. Couldn’t we build on that technology for cell phones in the future? Doesn’t seem too far of a stretch.

9. Hearing aid = Cover up.
This is one for the conspiracy theorist, but couldn’t this hearing aid be a cover up? Like I said, if time travel ever exists, we’d be getting visitors from square one. This would be detrimental for the whole of society if it was figured out before it “existed.” There would have to be an immediate, logical explanation or the government is screwed. Any one still think 9/11 wasn’t government related? Do your research and tell me that the government has never covered up something before.

10. Why isn’t the world better if we time travel? We can stop Hitler.
We all know the issues with this if you have spent any time thinking about going back in the past. We can’t go back to actually change anything. To change a single event in history would eliminate the rest of the world in the present and would have to be rebuilt from the point in time in which is was changed. We are living and breathing our lives now which are not changing and we all know the same history. If we were allowed to change the past, the Holocaust would have never happened as someone from the future, no matter how far ahead it is, would have came back to stop it, thus we’d have no recollection of it whatsoever. When an individual goes in the past, it seems the rest of the world would continue in real time, so unless we’re talking about time being radial instead of linear so multiple presents co-exist, we can’t go back to do anything other than observe. Perfect for a movie premiere, don’t ya think?

—

I will gladly play my own devil’s advocate and spit off some debunking aspects, or rather “fishy” things.

It’s pretty convenient that this hit mainstream when the Back To The Future Trilogy was just released. The guy in the video seems sincere that he’s studied this clip for a year and a half, but just strange this was made now and was uploaded exactly one week before the release date.

Bluetooth anyone? If it’s that far in the future, all communications could be hands-free. Hell, we can have a chip in the back of our heads for all we know, and give a verbal of who we want to call. But perhaps with the demands of time travel, this is the only method of communication that works.

It’s strange that the hearing aid device has been pinpointed to a brand and specific product. Siemens could be working on a major release of some sort and taken advantage of the situation. Still, I have no idea why you are talking into a hearing aid…and it doesn’t make the clip any less real.

—

So, believe what you like. Even though I’m the one making these points, I still can’t say “oh yes, this is a lady from the future,” though I want to. It’s unsure if we’ll ever uncover the truth about this clip and the possibility of time travel. We all can just believe it’s a hearing aid, but how unromantic is that? And how does any innovation occur if we accepted everything for face value?

I got interested in the whole idea of the music business when I started going to concerts in 2003. I was 14. I knew I had to be a part of it. Knowing how I felt seeing my favorite bands on stage and how much all of that meant to me, I just wanted to do whatever I could to make other people feel the same way. First word of advice- it’s never too early to get started. At 15, me and my friend created a website where we posted alternative music news and covered local shows and bands. It wasn’t fancy, but it was something. And really, that’s when the networking started. I met K-1 Royal(a member of which is my best friend today) and got involved helping them out. I booked some shows, did promotion, did photography, put together a press kit, let them practice in my garage for 2 years- whatever I thought would help them out. I believed in them. Truth be told if they didn’t break up, there’s no doubt they could have been big. Regardless, my time in high school was dedicated to those guys and I loved every second of it. When you are young, pay attention because there’s where it starts. Every band ever started out local. Get to know those guys, ask how you can help. At local shows, asked who booked them. Talk to the venue, rec center, church or whoever booked it how you can help out, too. You’ll learn to look at the audience of the show and how you can reach them. Say at a show, you see a group of kids you always see hanging out at the coffee shop. You can easily deduct that a flier in the coffee shop is going to help promote a show similar to that. It’s simple and may seem silly, but that’s where it all begins.

Now, alot of people ask me if they think college is necessary or helpful to the music industry. There is an argument that the time you spend in college, you could be making connections and working your way up. That is true. What do I really think? College prepares you for bigger things sooner. It’s expensive, most classes are stupid but I don’t think college is really just about academics. For me personally, I didn’t have anything else in mind when I finished high school. I say if you are serious, after high school, look for an internship or go to college. If you don’t wind up with something, go to college. You will have crazy opportunities that you can’t get anywhere else. I went to James Madison University in Harrisonburg,VA. I was a Media Art and Design major with a concentration in Corporate Communication with a Music Industry minor. My second semester in college, through some “activities orientation” or whatever it is they make you attend to discover all of their clubs, I got involved with the University Program Board. They did all of the big concerts and event planning for the campus. I saw they had booked Taking Back Sunday with Jimmy Eat World the year before so I was sold. I volunteered on the committee, then next year applied for marketing chair. My very good friend Chris was the Director and I asked tons of questions. I followed everything he did, spent alot of time in the office with him planning. I applied for his job and got it the next year in college. As the Director of Center Stage, I oversaw a 40 person committee, arranged hospitality, organized volunteers, security, ticket takers, will call, planned and executed marketing and promotional strategies- everything to make the show happen. I got to book Gym Class Heroes for a 3200 capacity venue which is the height of my college career. If I didn’t go to JMU, there is NO way I would have learned that much- but I only learned that much because I was hungry for it. I wanted to know how everything ran so I put myself in that position. You can’t wait for everyone to tell you everything. 75% of it is asking questions and figuring it out.

During college I also worked at Hot Topic and a bar/coffee house. This was on top of all of my activities with the program board. They may seem like stupid jobs, but I learned to make everything an opportunity. Hot Topic to me became more than a retail job. It was a chance to talk music with different kids every day. I learned to listen to different music. I kept up with CD releases and up and coming bands to stay up to date with the kids that shopped there. I also went to shows to do fashion reports for our district. It helped determine not just what “styles” were good in our area, but what bands were more popular geographically. Also what other music people were in aside from the band that was playing. At the Artful Dodger, the bar/coffee house, I took advantage of the PA we had and spoke to the owner to book shows. Some went better than others, but I booked a show every single week for months. I started paying attention to bands tour routing to do one-offs, I learned more about negotiating deals (within a very, very small budget I may add) and turned the place into a venue. When I graduated, I took the initiative to make sure shows kept happening. I set up a meeting with our Music Industry head about setting up an internship. I made the little proposal, made the application and voila! I made my own internship. The 2 girls I hired to keep booking then got college credit *and* shows kept happening. It was all just a way to figure out how I could keep in touch with the industry on some level. I never stopped.

The question asked most: how did you get your job? Before I really get into this, I think that no matter how prepared you are, luck plays a role. So I worked my ass off. In college I learned everything I could about the concert industry. In my music industry classes, I was all about learning royalties, management, labels, etc, etc. At the time I graduated, I felt like I was ready for any job I could grab in the industry so it was a matter of finding it. This is where luck plays a big role. The best you can do is keep your eyes open all the time and know where to look. You never know what you may find. The easiest way to start is by looking up things about your favorite bands. Who manages them and what company does that person work for? What label are they on and are they associated with any other labels? Do they have sponsorships? Are there other projects going on involving that band? When you find out those things, you should probably start following them. I loved Say Anything, right? Looking more into them, I found out they were managed by Randy Nichols. Randy works for Red Light Management. Randy also managed The Starting Line and Underoath. It’s good to know these things- as well as interesting. I think it can only put you in a better position. Anyway, by following these labels and companies, you never know what could pop up. That being said, I got my job with Warped through Twitter. Just because I was following the @warped09 account, I saw the post that they needed a new pit reporter. It linked back to the website. They accepted the first 250 applicants and you had to send a resume, video, photography and a short essay. They called me about 2 weeks later. I DID NOT know anyone with 4Fini (Kevin Lyman’s company) or Vans- I am asked that often, too. I will say however, alot of people get started just by knowing people. Most bands getting started take a friend out to do merch, said band blows up and now the merch guy has met other people on tour who may want him. A big part is about knowing people- which is why I said it’s never too early to start networking and building those skills- just don’t overlook luck being on your side.

This job popped up right in front of me only 2 months after I graduated college. I never expected to fall into this, but it happened. And because I spent the time trying to understand everything that I could and prepared myself, I could do my job better. I used more of my Corporate Communication coursed than I ever thought. I could help with marketing and I could help with the website and I could help develop new ideas- being able to do more than one thing is incredibly valuable. That’s not just an economy thing. You can be asked to do alot of things regardless of what job you may end up with. If you are doing marketing for a label, you may get asked to manage a band. Who knows what the hell could be asked of you- just be ready to do it. And try. At the end of the tour, Sarah and Kevin asked me to put together an online marketing plan and timeline for the 15th Anniversary movie. This was in no relation to my pit reporter job, but they wanted me to do it. I haven’t done a marketing plan in real life before- only sorta/kinda in college. I stepped it up, kept doing my pit reporting and figured it out at the same time. I worked double time, but it’s just what you have to do sometimes. Not knowing if they were going to like it or accept it, I put everything into it to prove myself. Turned out well, the accepted it and I got to keep working for them a little longer.

Also, and I feel like this should be labeled as a “disclaimer,” but know what you are getting yourself into. Music may mean your life, but the music industry is something different. I learned that early on. You can do it for the love of the music, believe me, but it’s hard work. And it’s messy….especially considering its current state. Labels are doing 360 deals with bands. If you don’t know what that means, look it up. Radio is struggling. No one is buying CDs. My point is that because not everything makes money like it use to, people can get cut throat to find it. On the flip side, it opens the door for more creative ways to market and brand music. Wether you like it or not, if you want to somehow work in the music industry, you sometimes have to look at music as commodity. A band can only stay a band and get their message out as long as they have the means to do so. A majority of those means is money. If a label doesn’t have money to help a band tour, then that band’s music can’t get everywhere. See what I mean? All of the people who work for Warped Tour love it. It is about music, it is about the bands, it is about the kids- but it can only keep doing it because it funds itself. There’s a bottom line to everything, in every job, and this is no different. It’s just a perspective you have to keep in mind.

I’m not sure what you may or may not get out of this, but this is my story and my take on everything. I honestly do want to help everyone asking because I think it’s vital to keeping the industry alive. You kids are the future for everything. This addiction to music starts when you are a teen- it happened to me at 14. That’s when it hit me that I wanted to make a difference. It takes young, dedicated people to make this all happen. It needs fresh ideas, it needs new life, it needs passion. Unfortunately, some of that can die with age. Obviously not everyone seeing as Kevin has been doing this his entire life and still kicking ass. All I ask is take this with a grain of salt because everyone’s future is going to unfold differently. I’m really looking at this from someone else’s point of view because I realized after thinking about it, I did something similar. I was fortunate enough to have my good friend doing what I wanted. I was able to follow in his foot steps and asked what I needed to. I wish everyone the best of luck in what they want to do, but keep asking questions and keep trying. This Warped Tour thing is the first things I’ve done in this and I may know 2% of how everything really works. I have alot, alot, alot to learn- I am by no means pretending like I understand this world in and out. There are so many pieces of it and so many ways to look at it- this is just my story and that’s all I can offer.

Thanks for all of the support. It’s crazy to hear from people they want to be like you when they grow up. It’s crazy to hear that you are someone’s inspiration. I never thought I’d end up like this. You guys have made my life truly special and hell, I’m just getting started. I hope you all do amazing things.

I’m making my ultimate wishlist. Although I will get absolutely nothing on this list (no worries, I’m used to that) I can still pretend.

—

1. The new MacBook Pro, 15″

So I need a new computer- this isn’t a want item. I’ve been trying to use a PowerBook G4 (thanks Phil) and a MacBook with a busted logic board ($800 fix) for a year. The logic board has been broken much longer than that. Now with the new Pit Reporter job with Warped I’ll be on the road all summer, doing various updates hourly and constant videos. How the hell am I supposed to do that every day with my set up now? I’m desperate for *any* Mac notebook, MacBook or newer, but this is the ideal. For a cool $2K it’s completely out of the question. FML.

2. Disney World trip

Want to see me actually cry on my birthday? Anyone that knows me, remotely, knows how much I love every single thing Disney. The only reason this isn’t number 1 is because I don’t actually need this, but this is the number one thing I want. I’d take it over a laptop and go into debt figuring that out. I don’t care. I get in free for my birthday and everything, and since that falls on a Friday this year, I’m ready to roll. Again, this will not happen but damn how I wish it could…

3. Camera/Notebook backpack, CompuDaypack: Orange

This is another need item that I also super want. Again, Warped Tour calls. I’ve always wanted a camera backpack ever since I started shooting. Accessories are heavy I have to switch shoulders every 4 minutes. I’m not always in a place where I can set my bag down- tour will be no different. I’d love to have the ability to take a laptop with me. Some patches would be great additional items, too. For only $100, this actually isn’t too far out of the question.

4. Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion Flat Iron

I need a good straightener. Period. This one is ideal. Best reviews, super compact and rad bonus- comes in purple. I don’t really need this exact one (it’s about $73) but, one not from Wal-Mart for once would be awesome.

5. Electric razor

I’ll admit, this is a weird one. Oh well. I  do not enjoy shaving my legs. I have super sensitive skin and get razor burn much too easily. And now that I started wearing lots of dresses over the summer, this would be flipping sweet. Especially for the road when I’ll be trying to wear short shorts every day. I have no clue which ones are good and which are bad, but I do know I’d like a wet/dry one.

6. All my music onto my computer, properly organized, with album art

Simple? Yes. I just never have the time to do it. I have so many CDs I don’t have digitized. I have so many MP3s that are labeled all jacked up. It sucks. I have the iPod classic, but Cover Flow is pointless. This one is free, but time consuming. Any takers?

7. Elvis Guitar Purse

I found this purse in Knoxville a while ago. I fell in love with it. I’ve seen the bronze and silver, but I like the black. Somehow this place has one for $33.

8. Custom Rhinestone iPhone Case

Ok, before you start calling me Paris, hear me out. I just want the materials to make my own. This would include a smooth, small case and black, grey, white and red 3mm rhinestones. I want to bling my iPhone case as an NES controller. This can be custom made but I don’t exactly trust them to do my idea justice.

9. Any Canon Lens…seriously

I love my new camera, but I have no lenses since I made the switch from Nikon to Canon. I’ve got a 25-135mm in the mail right now, but I’d love a prime for shooting video. It takes Canon EF or Sigma DG lenses. I know this one is a hard one to figure out if you don’t know camera speak, but I’m not expecting to get one anyway.

###

For now that’s it! I can dream can’t I? Yes. I can.

This may be updated again a little later….

]]> http://tiffanymink.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/wishlisting/feed/ 1 tiffanymink MacBook Pro ariel camera bag flat iron razor itunes Elvis purse iphone case Lens http://tiffanymink.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/paris-is-not-for-lovers/ http://tiffanymink.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/paris-is-not-for-lovers/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:20:23 +0000 Minkus http://tiffanymink.wordpress.com/?p=18 ]]> I should preface this by stating that I have extremely vivid and unusual dreams. Thankfully, I have excellent recall as well. I remember dreams from when I was 5- it’s a little intense. I’ve checked out some dream “meaning” and “symbols” books, some of which I believe, some of which are total crap. I started analyzing my dreams a while ago and a good friend of mine (Fiznut) was really interested in it. He introduced me to lucid dreaming. I’ve been trying to do it ever since. I’ve had a few instances where I thought it may have happened, but last night I think I actually did it.

On another note, this dream really bothered me.

—

I’m going to Paris for something. I’m traveling with a blonde lady. I have no idea who she is, I do not recall ever seeing her in real life. She’s very pretty. We take a short flight and are waiting in an auditorium like room for our connecting flight.

We took a stroll outside, somehow a few friends are with me. There is a graveyard that looks something like the Quad at JMU. I’m walking around and realized the tombstones are in little circular sections- thinking back I realize it would be impossible unless the caskets were buried vertically. Anyway, they are in groups because they are sponsored. I see a Mac (as in the trucking company) group, and Alternative Press group, a Tide group and a few others who’s logos don’t ring a bell. I was very excited about this and demanded that I would be buried in this graveyard. I figured if they were sponsored, they must have paid for all the funeral arrangements. I thought it was awesome. I think that in real life, I’m just obsessed with marketing.

We are walking back to the waiting room and I can’t stop talking about the tombstones. We pass through a narrow corridor that I didn’t remember walking out of. There are some really crappy displays for things like NASA and Discovery. I complain about how tacky they look and how much better I can do. Somehow in my dreams, I’m exactly like I am in real life. Haha.

We arrive at the lobby and people are chatting about the flight. A guy that looks like a football is about to cry he’s so scared of the plane. I noticed a little blonde girl by herself. She looks about 5 or 6 years old, her hair is half way down her back and she has a little pink clip in the front. She’s alone. I ask an attendant about her and she said she was about to announce for volunteers to watch after the few kids traveling solo. I offered to watch her. Now awake, I realize in real life how incredibly stupid that idea is.

I go meet her. Her name is Jamie. Her mom is in Paris. She has a raggedy white and blue stuffed bunny and they both seem nervous. I assure her things will be fine and she has a death grip on my hand as we board the plane.

The plane ride is completely absent in my dream.

We are now leaving the plane, but I’m not near a terminal. Everyone is heading to the same hotel and we were instructed to stick with the group. We are on a cobble street, things are very quaint and I’m surprised. No one is carrying travel bags. Something gets my attention, as well as Jamie’s and she lets go of my hand, skipping then running around the corner. I yell for her, but for some reason I can only call her Janet from here on out in the dream. I see the blonde lady I was previously with run after her and I follow suit. She’s alot closer to Jamie than I am.

It’s starting to get dark and I’m panicking that I can’t catch up to Jamie. I keep yelling and she keeps running. I’m going up a cobble pot road. I’m thinking that this particular street reminds me of Brooklyn on the left, there is a ledge on my right- it is now dark. I’m running up this hill and notice the Eiffle tower is on my right in the distance. It hits me that Paris is gorgeous and I stop for all of 2 seconds to take it in. When I look up there is no sign of Jamie.

I’m a mess. I’m freaking out because she’s gone and I felt like she was my responsibility. Does she know where she’s going? Why was someone else chasing her? Is she ever coming back? I’m pissed at myself for stopping. Why did I stop? I can’t stop thinking about it.

At that point I told myself, as myself in my dream, that I’m going to go back and re-do it. Re-do the chase, but this time not stop. That it was the answer.

It was a jump cut to getting off the plane without the terminal. We’re back to holding hands. I think about gripping her hand tighter this time because I know what’s going to happen, but I told myself the only desicion I made to change was not to stop. That I would save her this time.

The same series of events happen, in the exact same way. It turns night, I’m running up the hill, I notice the tower and I do not stop. I’m pleased. I see her turn the corner that I never saw her do before. I follow, but when I’m on the other street, she’s completely gone. I’m confused. What happened? I didn’t stop- I was supposed to get her this time. I’m mad at myself for not changing things more. I know it’s my fault and there is nothing I can do so I try to head back to the hotel.

I turn around and realize I have ran miles away from the group. I have absolutely no idea where I am in Paris. I try to remember the path I took, but I’m extremely upset. I start to find my way back and I’m going through houses and yards. I get yelled at by a party in a hot tub. Some of these parts are boring.

Somehow it’s getting light again outside and I’m seeing people out on the street. I’m being followed by two guys, maybe about 20 and 23. One of them is cute so I don’t think anything of it. They start to get creepy. Suddenly they are right in front of me staring me down. I realized the one isn’t cute at all. They are obviously high and pushing drugs on me. It was terrifying considering the state I was in.

###

That was it.

This happens alot lately. As soon as I lay my head down, my mind just starts racing. Tonight’s distraction begins with: My First Flight.

I realized it’s only 13 days until I take my first flight. I’m not exactly scared of the ordeal. It’s just…a big deal. Then I start thinking about my passport- why isn’t it here yet? Why doesn’t the site have my status? Then I think about how to vlog the whole trip for Warped. I’m going to need to buy some new memory cards. I guess you can film on a plane, right? Oh wait- my lens is cropped, so I need to buy a new one before I can shoot period, OH NO ONLY 13 DAYS TO USE AND MASTER MY NEW CAMERA BEFORE I HAVE TO USE IT FOR WORK. Then it starts all over again. At the moment, I can’t stop twitching my toes. Stanley at least went back to sleep after a noisy bone.

There’s just so much going on right now, I’m not sure how my head has not asploded. I need to get some focus. I need to start working out- at least then maybe I can get some sleep. I need to go back to making lists. I should get dressed up for something really nice. I’ve been having alot of good days, but I want a great one to get myself back into gear.

Maybe tomorrow?

/pointless

Last week I took a drive back to Harrisonburg. Then to Staunton. Then to Richmond. Then back to Staunton. Then Harrisonburg again. Thankfully my itty bitty car gets 36 miles to the gallon so I didn’t break the bank. It was a few days of firsts. First time I went down fighting for a set list (of Morrissey, so it was justified) and somehow the first time I had fried cheesecake. Not sure how I’ve made it through life without it. It was also the first time I’ve used, and somehow single handedly figured out, CSS. Hung out with old friends and newer ones, caught up with alot of people and, thought not purposely, made an unnamed person I’ve not seen/spoken to in  months after a falling out extremely uncomfortable (works at a restaurant and we got seated in the section beside her’s).  All in all, let’s do it again sometime. The hanging, not the uncomfortable-ness. Too much tension.

So early today I spent $424 on Jonas Brothers tickets. I hope to see Property of the Queen as well. I know, I know. But it’s going to sell out! I got lower level at face value! From Ticketmaster! Not a broker! Ugh. Disney, can I have some shares? I mean I figure by now I’ve helped in some way to keep your company afloat. I’ve only been buying Disney merch since I was 2 or 3 years old and now I’m looking at 22 in a few weeks. Can a girl catch a break?! How about a free viewing of Hannah Montana: The Movie? Please…? And I ask as I’m watching the new Disney XD. Man…I lose. But seriously, how adorable are these guys?

To catch up, Warped Tour has hired me to be their new Pit Reporter for the 2009. For those who know me, this is an absolute dream come true. The most perfect job for me…with the most perfect timing. The best part: I found out via twitter, only justifying it’s growing popularity and importance in society. The requirements were simple and I threw everything together to beat the 250 cap.

With every phone call I received from then on out from an unfamiliar number, my heart fell straight to my stomach. Eventually it was Paul Kersh, New Media Manager at 4Fini, Kevin Lyman’s company that runs the tour- as well as a few others. Apparently my video sold me. After some 45 minute phone conversations and half a dozen or so emails, it finally got announced on the site. I encourage everyone to check it out solely for the purpose of seeing my one hater being ripped to shreds by the WarpedTour.com community.

Needless to say, this whole experience up to this point as been surreal. And it’s not even started.

So I’ll leave you with my first official vlog as the new Pit Reporter. It’s nothing too fancy, but it’s the start of something huge.