Tagged

I have obviously deserted this blog for twitter. But one of my twitterfriends, Nibbler, tagged me on his blog and he is always so incredibly sweet to me so I'm gonna do the meme for him. It should be simple enough - 5 Things About Yourself - but I feel like I have told everything about myself that I want out there on teh intrawebs. I'll give it a try though, especially since no one is even going to read this!

1. I am really, really bad at math and Im nervous that I am going to pass that on to my daughter.

2. I could not possibly live without my ipod. I listen to it probably 12 hours a day.

3. I want to get a tattoo on the inside of my wrist but think I might regret it.

4. I have more pictures of Gerard Way and Jared Leto on my ipod than I do of my daughter. Eek.

5. I have learned recently that I have a highly addictive personality. I knew this already, but its become even more apparent lately.

Consider yourself tagged if you want to do this one.

A Quick Sketch Biography of True Jersey Girl

One of my awesome twitterfriends, Chris Brogan, has the best way of communicating and starting conversations. He poses questions, short and sweet and thought-provoking, on twitter and we all think and respond and dialogue about them. Now he's taken it up a notch and asked us to do a Quick Sketch Biography. Now, Im fairly sure mine is going to be less-serious and less-techy than anyone else who answers, but its my biography and that's who I am. Its a great little exercise. So here's me, quickly, based on Chris's prompts:

The thing most people know me for is: being a little crazy and being able to have a good time no matter what else is going on.

The people I associate the most with are: people who also make having a good time a priority and who are good people despite their sarcasm and angst.

People who have influenced my life are: my parents. They raised me to think for myself, to speak my mind, to be strong and independent, to stand up for what I believe and to be able to take care of myself. They raised me to care about and be sensitive to other people (ok, so I struggle with that one sometimes). They taught me patience, mostly by displaying such undying patience with me as a rebellious and unruly teenager and continuing to show patience with me as a rebellious and just slightly less unruly adult. They taught me to love learning and reading and writing and traveling and being an active part of the world. Thanks mom and dad <3

One challenge I took on and overcame was: becoming a good mom, despite my mostly non-maternal instincts, my innate selfishness, and my “the-world-revolves-around-me” attitude.

My early years, before you probably got to know me were: wild and insane and a blur and definitely the best of my life.

You might not know this, but: I devour all the political shows on Sunday mornings, watch the cable news channels every night, and read the Sunday paper (nearly) cover to cover because I love knowing what is going on in politics and the world, even though it infuriates me.

I’m passionate about: my daughter, my family and friends, traveling, margaritas, and good music.

In the next year or two, I hope to: be promoted to Director, go to Oktoberfest in Germany and maybe back to New Orleans or Vegas, take my daughter to her first concert, and get one of those Sharper Image massage chairs.

Bamboozled

I wanted to do a post on Bamboozle because really, it is my favorite weekend of the year. Bamboozle is a two-day alternative/emo/punk/metal concert/festival/thingee held in the parking lot of Giants Stadium each May. It started as a much smaller festival in Asbury Park and has progressed to a huge event.

The crowd at Bamboozle.

Last year was the first time I went, and that was really only because Jared Leto was going to be there with his band, 30 Seconds to Mars. And well, he's hot. It was so much fun and I found so many new little bands that I would never have heard of if not for the concert. This year, My Chemical Romance was headlining Saturday night and Linkin Park was headlining Sunday night, so there was no way I was missing it. If I couldnt find a babysitter, I was prepared to sell Princess to the gypsies if need be.

PatsyDarling and me, drunk at noon.

So Saturday started out great, with me, Patsy, and Diddy doing what we do best - sitting in the parking lot drinking. Hub went into the concert early by himself while we stayed and drank till we could barely stand. By then it was about noon or so and we headed inside to see some bands and continue the drinking. The truth is, I dont remember much about Saturday's shows other than seeing MC Hammer (and no, I dont remember if he was wearing the hammer pants) and pushing my way up front to see MCR. I had a whole list of bands I wanted to see, including times and which stages they were on (yep, Im a dork) and I know I referred to said list often because I do remember my friends mocking me about it. But the only way I know I saw some of the bands is because I posted it on twitter. Said by me on Sunday: "Oh, I did see Paramore, and I see from my twitter posting that they were good!"

Me at Bamboozle. Very drunk.

My Chemical Romance was good - not the best I have seen them. In fact I guess it was the worst I have seen them since the other times have been kickass and this time, despite my love for Gerard Way and my excessive alcohol intake, I knew his voice just didnt sound great. But I was standing on Frank Iero's side of the stage and he's so purty, it made it all worthwhile. I think he is overtaking Gerard as my dirtyboycrush of the moment.

Frank Iero = total hotness

Sunday started off in a similar way to Saturday - we met up with my cousin in the parking lot and she shared her vodka with us. What a nice family I have. However, I remember a lot more about Sunday. We saw some of my favorite bands - Armor for Sleep, Circa Survive, Brand New, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Thrice, From First To Last, and Taking Back Sunday. I also saw Halifax who I've never seen before and they were really good. Linkin Park was awesome. This was the first time I have seen them even though I have loved them for yeeeaarrsss, and I wasnt disappointed. I actually think Chester's voice is better live than on cd.

All in all, good times. However...my body ached for days afterwards from the two solid days of standing and walking and mosh-pitting. So now we're considering the Virgin Festival in Baltimore in August, but we're wondering if our old, decrepid bodies can take it. What a drag it is getting old.

I Never Blog Anymore

I have been completely neglecting this blog and probably no one even comes here anymore since I never post. I know, I suck.

If anyone even cares anymore, here's what's been up with me:

- Had an awesome party the night before my basement flooded, and am having another party on May 19th even though my basement does not have walls or carpet or anywhere to sit. But the beer fridge and the blender work, so its cool. Its a CD exchange party where we all make CD mixes of our favorite songs and then burn enough copies for everyone, so you end up with lots of new music. I am struggling with what to put on my mix though because I know my friends hate my music. I am thinking I am going to do an all My Chemical Romance and Bjork mix, just for PatsyDarling, because I know how she loathes them and I want to torture her. Here's a pic of me and PatsyDarling at the last party, drunk as usual but festively dressed:



- Just came back from Disney, which was fun. But tiring. I'll probably get around to doing a post about it. Eventually. Maybe. We'll see.

-Went to both days of Bamboozle, which was awesome. Saw My Chemical Romance up close again, and saw like 30 other bands including Taking Back Sunday, Linkin Park, Brand New, Spill Canvas, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Armor for Sleep, Circa Survive, Thrice, From First to Last...and the list goes on. Highlights (other than MCR and Brand New) were seeing MC Hammer and Weird Al. Yep, you read that correctly. Good times. Drank again with my (slightly) underage cousin, although this time she provided the alcohol.

Ummmm yeah, I think that's about it.

Eek! I've Been Tagged!

My former Jersey Girl Pinky tagged me on this meme - I am supposed to list my 5 most obsessive thoughts. If she only knew she was tagging the Queen of Obsessiveness...

1.Music - I completely and totally obsess about music. I have to have the latest cds from my favorite bands on the day they come out. I have to see them in concert as many times as they are within driving distance (or, out of driving distance, when I flew to FL to see My Chem). I obsess about lyrics and song meanings. I listen to music all day, every day.

2. Traveling - I have often said that the only reason I work is so that I can afford to travel...and its pretty much true. I love going to new places and seeing new things, or seeing things that I have only seen on television or in books. I am constantly obsessing about where I am going to go next...we are already talking about Fall 2008 trips and how they will effect our 2009 trips.

3. Hot Dirty Rockstar Boys - I am like a teenager with my crushes. Its sad, but it makes me happy. I lust after pretty much any boy with tattoos, eyeliner, black nailpolish and black hair who makes good music and looks like he hasnt bathed in maybe a week. And of course, the two boys I obsess over the most are Gerard Way and Jared Leto.

4. Planning Good Times- its like a sickness. I have to have everything planned out. Not that I dont like spontaneity - I do, very much - but I start planning the next weekend as soon as Monday rolls around. I hate being bored so I need to make sure I have enough going on to keep me occupied, and that means that I plan everything out - obsessively. I need to know I will be having good times every time I can get them.

5. And the thing I obsess over the most...I'm not gonna tell you! My mom reads this blog!!!

So there you go, my biggest obsessions. Im not going to tag anyone in particular, but if you want to do this one, let me know in the comments so I can swing by and see what you obsess over.

RIP Margaritaville

So I planned to post about the amazing time I had on Saturday night with my friends and cousins. But that is going to have to wait because my basement is full of water.


The nor'easter hit Jersey pretty hard. At about 3pm on Sunday we started getting water in the basement, and the water is still coming in today. Now, if I had a normal person's basement, I would be upset but wouldn't really care that much. But have you seen my basement??? We have arcade games, pinball, air hockey, a big tv, and of course a full sized fridge full of beer. Its like a playground for adults. The best part is the bar, which is fondly named Margaritaville:


To make a long story short, we got several feet of water in the basement, and it is sewer water. Every time we pumped the water out, it kept coming back in. As of today, Tuesday, we still have about a foot of water down there. We got all of the low-lying stuff out so we didn't lose any pictures or memorabilia or anything like that. But our couch was floating around, the comfy chair is ruined, all the wood stuff (bar, entertainment center, shelving) is warped and going to rot, the carpet is done, and apparently the walls are going to have to be replaced as well if we can ever get the water out.

I am really sad about it because this is the place where everyone gathers, where I have had some of the best times of my life with my best friends. Its like a piece of history is gone. *tear*

The Boycott Begins

Tonight begins my boycott of American Idol. There are lots of reasons to boycott the show (its the antithesis of real rock music where you start a band in your garage, play gigs, and finally get signed; it is incredibly boring this season; Paula Abdul). But what officially got me was Gina being sent home last week. I stormed out of the living room and swore to never watch that show again. Yes, I thought Sanjaya was cute in the beginning but he has to go, America. He is awful. And that Hailey chick, practically showing her goodies in order to get votes is appalling, although my husband (and probably most other men) is becoming a bigger and bigger fan of hers the shorter her skirts get. Which I guess is whats keeping her on the show.

So, tonight the boycott begins, and hopefully I can stay strong and not get sucked in by everyone talking about it all the time. My one caveat is when Jon Bon Jovi is on - and I am just going to tivo it and watch only Jon talking, no performances. Let the boycott begin!

A Quick and Painless Survey

But first...is it wrong that I kept coming back to my own blog just to see that dreamy pic of Jared Leto in my last post?
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and also...I'm thinking of totally abandoning blogging for twittering.
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oh yeah and this too...I am no longer watching American Idol, effective immediately. Complete travesty. I am seriously never watching again.
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And now...Please answer this question for me; its quick and painless, I promise.

Is your blog anonymous, meaning that no one you know in real life knows about it? Or do your family and friends read it? And if people in your real life read it, does it inhibit your honesty?

A Taste of Chaos

The weekend before last, we went to the Taste of Chaos concert. It was AMAZING. Of course we picked the wrong place to go for dinner (this dive/bar/restaurant place in Asbury Park that serves each person their meal individually - meaning they will give me my meal and then when I am done, they will give the next person their meal...this is not some new, chi-chi way to eat, its just poor service. There were 8 of us so it took about 4 hours for burgers). Since it took so long we missed the first batch of bands, which sucked. I wanted to see Aiden and Saosin. Oh well.

When we got to the concert, Senses Fail was about to come on. They were decent, not great. A little too screamy, even for me. Then 30 Seconds to Mars came on, with my beloved Jared Leto:

Jared Leto = Total Hotness.

Me, Patsy, and this chick Nicole forced our way up to the very front and when the band came on we got totally crushed. We were repeatedly kicked in the heads and necks by crowd surfers, punched by people trying to get in front of us (not happening), and just basically had our air supply cut off by the massive, oppressive crush of the crowd. It was GREAT! I know it sounds like it was painful (it was) but being in the pit rules. I stayed in for about 3/4 of the show and then left because I realized that A) I was spending so much time trying to stay on my feet and not die that I wasn't sufficiently staring at Jared, and B) I was getting really sweaty and my hair was looking bad. Can't have that.

Then The Used came on. I so heart them and have never seen them before. I thought they were awesome. Our group was split on how we felt about them - some of us loved them, some of us thought they were ok, some of us thought the lead singer was too unattractive to enjoy the band. Here was the best part of their set - Bert (the lead singer) says: "Ok, we are going to try something. Let's split the crowd in half (it was all general admission so no seats)." The crowd does as Bert says, so picture about 2000 sweaty, angst-ridden kids on one side and 2000 sweaty, angst-ridden kids on the other. Then, Bert tells them to run at each other. They start playing my fave Used song and then the two sides of the crowd run directly at each other and start the biggest, meanest mosh pit evah. Of course, as soon as he split the crowd I knew what was coming so I got my too-old-for-that-kind-of-thing ass out of the way. It was awesome to watch though.

My Fancy New Shoes and Frank Iero

I bought these shoes the other day:

I heart them. They are not the most comfortable things in the world, as you can imagine just by looking at them. They were not cheap (I can be quite a brand whore - these are Michael Kors, thankyouverymuch) - in fact they are probably the most expensive shoes I own - so I feel like I paid lots of money to have my feet feel like someone is squishing and poking them all day.

Am I the only one who will wear shoes that hurt like a mutha but they look really hot so I just put up with the pain?
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Frank Iero is the guitarist for My Chemical Romance and I heart him even more than I heart my new shoes. I saw an interview with him on YouTube where they asked all the band members, which do you prefer, New York or LA? And Frank answered "New Jersey." That's right, Jersey rules.

As Promised, A Quite-Long Rant About the Government. I Do Go On and On Once I Get Started But You Know Me, I Have Alot To Say.

(Toward the end of my long yet very interesting and thought-provoking rant are some pics)

Anyone who has been reading me for even a minute or two knows that I am not a fan of George Bush. There are alot of reasons for my feelings, none of which I am going to go into now. But what I am going to talk about today, kids, is how our President has screwed up royally. No, silly, not Iraq. Not the Alberto Gonzales thing, or the Harriet Myers thing, or Abu Graib or Gitmo, or...well you get the idea. No, today we are going to learn about hurricanes in New Orleans and their impact, and I am not talking about the ones you drink at Pat O'Brien's with the after-effect being a hangover.

Hurricane Katrina occured in August of 2005. That, for those of you without a calendar handy, was 19 months ago. It was a terrible storm. We all watched in horror as the people of New Orleans struggled for their lives and the lives of their children, their sick, their elderly. While watching all this on tv, I remember thinking that this could not be happening in America. We could not possibly be leaving our own people there to die, to stand on rooftops and beg for help, to stand on overpasses and plead for assistance. Didn't we all come together when the tsunami struck? Didn't we have Americans there, halfway around the world, within hours to help out? Didn't our government pledge (whether we delivered or not is another story) millions if not billions in aid?

So let's skip ahead a bit, so that you know this isn't all just my opinion on our poor excuse for a President. Skip past the part where we learned that FEMA couldn't find the convention center where all those people were stranded, even though it takes up about 5 city blocks and every news organization had been there for days. Skip past the part where we learned that the FEMA director's experience was in organizing horse shows, not managing emergencies. Skip past the part where our President claims he didn't know that there were people living in the Superdome without food or water. Skip past the part where we heard our elected officials questioning whether it was even worth saving a jewel such as New Orleans. Ok, you know I can't exactly skip all of it.

But now let's skip to the part where I travel to New Orleans, nineteen months after the hurricane hit. Nineteen months. The French Quarter, which wasn't hit badly compared to the rest of the city, is looking really spiffy. Sure, that's where the tourists go, that's how they can get those tourist dollars (like mine) pouring back in. But let's travel outward, shall we? Let's see how much progress our government has helped to make in nineteen months.

One parish (which is the equivalent of a county) has lost 77% of its population since Katrina. Can you imagine losing over three-quarters of the people in your county? And its not that the people don't want to come back. Here's the thing: they can't come back. They have nowhere to live. Yep, they can get a FEMA trailer and park it in front of their homes (or what now somewhat resembles what used to be their homes) and live there. Except for this - there isn't even electricity yet in some areas. In many neighborhoods, there are no supermarkets, no convenience stores, no gas stations, NOTHING. Every single store or shop or strip mall is completely deserted. Meaning, yes, you can go and live in your driveway in a trailer with no lights, and not have any food, not have running water, and not be able to gas up your car, but you won't have a single neighbor within miles of you because you would be the only fool to do it.

This is typical of what the houses still look like. Nineteen months later.

In addition to that, the red tape is just insane. You have to "qualify" for one of these treasured FEMA trailers, and not everyone who needs one qualifies. Insurance companies are not always paying out - was it flood damage? wind damage? an act of God? Let's nitpick so we can pay out as little as possible. You can't rebuild without getting your insurance money, unless you have a few hundred grand just laying around. A perfect example of ridiculous red tape causing people not to be able to move back: the government is requiring that all houses that are rebuilt (meaning, knocked down and started from scratch) must be a certain height off the ground to protect from future flooding. That makes sense, right? Yeah it does. Except that the insurance companies will not insure your house if its like that because its unsafe in non-flood situations. So even if you want to rebuild, how can you?

Most of the homes still have the markings on them from the searches they did after Katrina hit to see if there were any bodies, living or dead. Many of the homes have grafitti all over them - not from hooligans making trouble, but from residents trying to communicate with each other since they had no phones.

The graffiti on this house says "Lisa and Donnie are ok" - this was the only way to communicate.

Nineteen months later there are still holes in the roofs where the people had to climb to the attic and hack their way out with an ax in order to survive.

This neatly-cut hole in the roof (upper left) shows that these people were rescused from their attic.


This ragged hole shows that these people had to ax their way out of their attic themselves.


So here is my issue. These people are Americans. New Orleans is part of the fabric of this nation and so are the people, rich or poor, black or white. And we have left them to hang. Should the Mayor have done more? Yes. Should the Governor have done more? Hell yes. But where, my friends, does the buck stop? If the leader of out nation sees this absolute disaster happening in his country, to his people, isn't it his obligation to say - "I see that the governor has said she does not need additional assistance, but she is wrong. I am the President and my people need help." Is that too much to ask from our leader? I mean, it goes way deeper than that; it goes to him appointing his buddies to important positions rather than quaified people. It goes to him being seemingly unable to react in a crisis (9/11 anyone? The country is under attack and he thinks it is still suitable to read to a bunch of kids. 'Nuff said.).

Yes it goes deeper, but at the core to me is that as President, this nation is his responsibility. He overrides everything else. He makes decisions every day that take away our fundamental rights in the name of catching terrorists, but he can't make decisions to send money to save a city in his own country?

And now, nineteen months later, he has had the time to think about it. Time to come up with plans to fix the levees, to get money to those in need, to help the poor and middle class and even the rich come back to their homes, to prepare for the next disaster. Somehow, I am fairly sure that if this were to happen tomorrow in another US city, we would not be any more prepared nor would we get any more guidance from our leader.

I don't only blame Bush; please don't misunderstand me. I am fully aware that there's lots of blame to go around. But again, where does the buck stop? He is ultimately responsible, and he screwed up when the hurricane happened and is continuing to screw up now by letting a beautiful, important city rot away with neglect.

2008 can not get here soon enough.

More About My Trip, Part One

The main reason that New Orleans rules are signs like this. Cheap beer and you can drink it on the go:

We had a great time down in the Big Easy, eating at our favorite restaurants (Crescent City Brewery, Coop's, Maspero's, Bubba Gump's) and drinking at our favorite bars (Lafitte's and Tropical Isle). We did lots of shopping and spent lots of money (that was our contribution to post-Katrina N'Awlins - you were not going to see my ass out there cleaning up or building houses, but I can pump money into the economy like nobody's business!). We really spent most of our time walking around, enjoying the atmosphere down there (so relaxed and casual, jazz music everywhere you turn, good smells on Decatur Street from good restaurants - bad smells that still smell good on Bourbon Street).


Me and Patsy on Bourbon Street, standing with another sign that you only see in New Orleans.

My favorite part, other than the obvious (which would be Voodoo Daquiris, with My Chemical Romance playing on the jukebox) was eating at Nola, Emeril's "casual funky" restaurant. It was not casual in terms of price, that's for sure (my meal itself was $27 - whereas I am used to paying $8.99. Yep, I am a classy broad.). But it was so fantastic - the meal was so scrumpdilliumptious (you heard me) that it melted in your mouth and the service was amazing. Amazing meaning that I asked the waiter where the ladies room was and he took my arm and walked me there. It was worth every penny, and me and Hub decided that we need to start dining in better establishments more often. Of course the next day we went to the place we call "The Drag Queen Diner" - I think the real name is the Cloverleaf Diner. Its in the gay section and is fabulous, in every way. The waiters are flamboyant (example: Mommie Dearest was on the tv) and the food is greasy but delish. Their sign advertising the food says, Check Out Our Weenies! It does not get better than that.


Here's me and Patsy under the sign that bears our name.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention I picked up some broad from Nebraska. She was visiting with her mom and was out drinking alone, so I let her join us for a few hours and I do think she had the time of her life. She even got me out on the dance floor which just does not happen. Hallelujah there are no pictures of that. Well, none that I will admit to.

And finally here's me and Hub in the Best Bar Ever, Lafitte's, with the best drink ever, the Voodoo Daquiri (for those of you who have asked - its made with ice, grape juice, bourbon, and everclear. Yep, everclear.)

So again, I will say that if you have not been to this fabulous city, you should go. There really is more to do there than drink and its a beautiful part of America that is truly like nowhere else you have ever been. If you are looking for a great place to travel, consider it. You'll have a helluva time and the locals will appreciate your support.

Coming next time: The Wrath of Katrina: Why George Bush Sucks So Hard and Has Deserted An Entire Region for the Past 18 Months, as observed in a semi-non-partison manner by your pal True. There are pictures you just have to see to believe.

If There Was A Prize For Worst Transportation To And From New Orleans, I Would So Win It.

I finally made it to the Greatest City on Earth. But it wasn't easy. As you know, our flight on 3/17 was canceled due to ice. We were rescheduled for Monday night - but of course, because nothing is simple we were delayed for 3 hours, getting us into New Orleans at the delightful hour of 1:00 am. Luckily Patsy and Diddy met us at our hotel with our fave drinks (Voodoo Daquiri for me; Hand Grenade for Hub). Then, getting home, our flight was delayed another 3 hours. AND THEN, our cab from Newark Airport broke down. It was insanity I tell you.

Luckily, New Orleans is worth it. Another time, I am going to do a whole post on the state of New Orleans' post-Katrina state, but let me just say this - the French Quarter, which is all most tourists see, is still perfect. No damage (other than lots of help wanted signs since so many people have left and have no homes to come back to), and still lots and lots of fun. I know the media is telling you there is so much crime down there - its just not true. We had zero problems, zero. This may sound...bad, I dunno...but the crime is all outside the French Quarter and doesn't effect tourists. Its just like in most cities - it is drug and gang violence, which doesn't happen where the visitors are. It happens where the locals are.

The drinks were flowing, the restaurants were fantastic (the service was way better than usual, actually), the tours were crowded, the people were friendly and wonderful as always - it was the same amazing city its always been. If you have never been, now is the time to go. Support a city that desperately needs to get back on its feet and is totally worth saving.

I Have Still Not Made It To New Orleans And I Am Not Happy About It At All.

So. My flight to New Orleans on Saturday was canceled due to the snow. It took me 3 hours to even get a call through to Continental, and once I did get through I sat on hold for over an hour and a half. Finally they got me on the next available flight out - which is tonight (Monday). So as long as I can get out of Newark tonight, I will be in New Orleans by about 10pm. Patsy and Diddy are already on their way down there - they got a 6am flight. I am at work. I was supposed to be in New Orleans from Saturday through Tuesday, and now I am going Monday through Friday. We missed St. Patty's Day down there which sucks, but we had a few people over and had an impromptu "St. Patty's in Jersey Really Sucks" party, which didn't really suck at all. We wore all our crazy greenwear that we were going to wear to the parades and looked like morons. Patsy thinks, after seeing how ridiculously green we were, that the Gods of Alcohol realized we were going to look like idiots on Bourbon Street with our green shamrock hats and tiaras, green sparkly sunglasses, light up green beads, etc etc etc, that they decided to spare us the embarrassment and keep us at my house rather than in public looking like that. There are many many pictures but I don't have them at work, and even if I did, I am not sure I should subject you to them.

So please, think happy thoughts for me that I get out of Jersey today and down to the best place in the world. And that Patsy really meant it that she would meet me as I get out of the cab at my hotel with a Voodoo Daquiri.

I'm in New Orleans. Please Send Bail Money.

So this is what I was going to post tonight so you would know I was basking in the drunken debauchery that is my favorite city, New Orleans. However. It is snowing here and they are saying we're going to get 4-8 inches by tomorrow morning when I am due to leave. Flights are already delayed 3 hours out of Newark Airport. Flights are getting canceled left and right. I am telling you right now, if my flight does not take off tomorrow, I am going to seriously hurt someone. Instead of sending me bail money to New Orleans for doing something crazy, you are going to have to send bail money to the Newark Airport pokey because I, I don't know, punched a pilot or something.

I'll Be The Giver and You Be The Taker

That's a quote from my favorite song right now, All Hail the Heartbreaker. And its how I feel. I feel like everyone wants something from me and its seldom that I get anything in return. So this is a rant about that.

I have this one group of friends who I love, really I do. But they are so needy. I am not going to go into too much detail because I forget who has this blog address and who doesn't, but let's just say that these friends seemed to be trapped in relationships they can't seem to get out of. I have been trying for years to convince them to get out, and finally, two of them are doing it. Which is great, really.

Except that every effing day, these two call me for advice. And believe me, I like telling people what to do so its not that I mind that. Its more that even now that they are feeling strong enough to get out, they are still so weak that they need to call me every day and say, "I don't know if I am doing the right thing, XYZ was sooo nice to me today, maybe I should stay." Its annoying.

And on top of that, another reason its annoying me (other than the fact that I can't tolerate weak people who don't value themselves) is that they are always looking for something from me without ever considering if *I* need anything. They call and call and email and email and its always about them. It reminds me of this line I always remember from the show Judging Amy - the guy says to the girl, I love you because of your strength. The girl says, everyone loves strong people because we never ask for anything. So that's me, the strong one who everyone loves because I don't need anything from them, I can just give and give without requiring anything from you.

Not that I need anything, I don't. I really am strong enough to take care of myself and make easy decisions, like leaving horrendous situations, all on my own without having to be convinced. It would just be nice to be asked.

Oh. My. God.

If you don't fall in lust with Gerard Way after seeing this video, there is something wrong with you. See how pretty he is when he's about to cry? ~swoon~

This is the yet-to-be-released video for the song "I Don't Love You" - its phenomenal and beautiful. I so heart My Chem.

Talkin' Bout Good Times

Another crazy weekend for your friend True. On Saturday night, we went to see Papa Roach in concert. There were 3 opening bands, two of which sucked (It Dies Today and Trim) and the other was good (Kill Hannah). After the show I met the lead singer of Kill Hannah which was cool. So last weekend I touched Evan Dando of the Lemonheads, and this week I touched some guy whose name I do not know from Kill Hannah. Touching famous people rules. Papa Roach was great in concert. I am not a huge fan or anything, but this is still the third time I have seen them in the last 5 months and they put on an awesome show. (That's Papa Roach in the pic.)

Then, we came back to my house for the "after party." My cousin babysat for Princess while we were at the show, so when we got home she stayed and hung out with us. It was good times. She is such a cool kid (she might be just a little under 21 years old so I am not going to give too many details. I don't want you calling Child Services on me). We all stayed up till about 6:30am talking and arguing and laughing hysterically. I was telling her, I so wish she was a little older so she could hang out with the cousins when we go out, and so she could come to New Orleans with us. I love that kid, she rocks. And here's the thing. Everyone says that our little group of friends is really hard to infiltrate. We are like a group of mean girls (even though there are boys in the group) and we don't really like new people. So sometimes when new people try to hang with us, they just can't. We are all sarcastic and we say what we think and don't care much if you get hurt by it. Its kinda like getting jumped into a gang. So here comes my cousin, a young girl of slightly less than 21, and she fit in like she had been hanging with us forever. Of course I have known her for her whole life, but she has never hung out with my friends before. She rocks, seriously.

America Hates Gays and Ugly Chicks!

So in watching American Idol last night, I have come to the following conclusions about Americans:

1. We hate gays more than we hate Indians (please forgive me if Sanjaya is not Indian but some other nationality - I really don't know). Now, I LOVE Sanjaya. I think he is just about the cutest, sweetest thang I have ever seen. He is like a little puppy dog. But to send the other guy home, the swishy fella who can both sing and dance, instead of Sanjaya who is a cutie but can't seem to get enough confidence to sing well - its a travesty. My heart broke when they sent the merry lad home. Its just not right. He wasn't going to win, but didn't deserve to go home yet. That kid can sing, dawg.

2. We don't care if girls can sing, we just want them to be hot and take nekkid pics of themselves doing nasty things. Antonella has such a sub-par voice its not even funny. I would like nothing more than for a girl repping Jersey to be great, but instead she is pretty but can't sing and seems to have a serious attitude (alright, that part is pretty much Jersey, I admit that). She is just getting votes because she is pretty and she has all those semi-scandalous pics out there. And here's a question - why is it ok that she has these pics floating around (including her on a toilet and her drinking underage) and that's ok, but those pics of Frenchie in lingerie were enough to get her kicked off? I'll let you figure that one out.

3. The judges are pretty much morons. My favorite example of this is how one week they tell them they are playing it safe by singing xyz kind of music and they need to take more chances. So the next week they do, and then the judges tell them they are best at singing xyz music and they should stick to what they are good at. Whaaaa???? And, on top of that, if Paula Abdul ever constructs a single coherent thought, I think I will just about die.

4. Why don't Simon and Ryan just do it already???

What's Today's Earworm?

I think I am the worst ever for these things - where you hear a song and then for hours and hours you can't get it out of your head. The absolute worst one for me is that commercial for the tv channel Fuse that features "Dance Dance" by Fall Out Boy but they put all the wrong words as subtitles. So for days I will sing - "Dance, Dance, we're fondling a bug till halftime." It makes me nuts.

Anyhoo- what's your current earworm? For me, right now, Its "All Hail the Heartbreaker" by The Spill Canvas (ha ha, its not a My Chem song, I fooled ya!). I just love the lyrics so much (listed below for those of you who are interested). What song can't you get out of your head?

I had the notion that you'd make me change my ways
My bad habits would be gone in a matter of days
I had the feeling that you'd open up my eyes
To a whole new world that had since been in disguise
But that day will most likely never come for me
And it's just my luck to end up getting stuck
To everything you are
So tonight I'll sit and pick apart your pictures
And overanalyze your words
But the truth is that I've never fallen so hard
It's taking everything in me
Just to forget your sweater so far
I had the notion that you'd make me forget the world
But your undecisive mind shows me that
You are "just another girl"
I had the feeling that those looks you gave me were real
What if I ripped your heart apart at the seams
Maybe then you'd know how I feel
I can honestly say that I never, ever, ever felt this way
Your lips, your eyelashes, your skin
These are the parts of your body
That cause my comatose to begin
I will sleep another day
I don't really need to anyway
What's the point when my dreams are infected
With words you used to say
I will breathe in a moment
As long as I keep my distance
I wouldn't want to go messing anything up
So don't go worrying about me
It's not like I think about you constantly
So maybe I do, but that shouldn't affect your life anymore
I knew it the moment you walked into the door
I'll let you get the best of me
Because there's nothing else that I do well
I'll be the giver and you'll be the taker
I guess that's how this one's gonna go
You've got me down on my knees and I proclaim
All hail the heartbreaker

A Long Post About My "Way" Cool Weekend

So I didn't run away with Gerard Way after the My Chemical Romance concert. But this was still a phenomenal weekend.

Saturday, my sister K and I went to Hoboken to see the Lemonheads. The venue (Maxwell's) was so tiny, it was great. There wasn't a separate door for the band to come in or out, so after the show they had to walk through the crowd to get out. Of course, we ran over and walked next to Evan Dando (total hottie lead singer) and I rubbed his arm. I love touching famous people. They were really good in concert. The last time I saw them was back in the early 90's in their heyday and this was so different. Last time, it was a much larger club and we were right up at the stage and when they came on, the crowd surge was so strong that we all fell down (meaning, like 100 people fell, it was crazy and great). This time, it was mellow and the crowd was exceedingly tame. K and I were the only ones jumping around and I kept daring her to knock the lady next to her down, but she wouldn't. Still good times, nonetheless.

Then came Sunday. My beloved My Chemical Romance in concert in Philly. Rise Against opened and they were really good. The funny thing to me about them was that the portrayed themselves as badass anarchists with their stage set and songs. So the lead singer is making a little speech about Iraq and I am expecting a big anarchist statement. But all he said was "Its time to bring the troops home." Wow, you went out on a ledge with that statement, you wild man.

When we got to the arena, we were probably 25 people back from the stage. I was like, this is doable, I can see and I am pretty close. It was probably 25 people or so deep behind us, so we were mid-crowd. Then My Chem came on and there was of course the crowd surge and we just went with it and ended up maybe 15 people back. Then all these little mosh pits kept opening up all over, and the crowd was really rowdy and kept pushing forward and back. So every time the crowd pushed forward, we did too (and then refused to budge when they tried pushing us backward) and we ended up about 5 people back from the stage. We ended up so close to the stage.

The concert was divided into 2 halves. The first half, they did all songs from the new cd, The Black Parade. They were in black and white makeup and those marching band uniforms they wear. I believe they played every song from The Black Parade cd. It was phenomenal. Every song sounded great and they put on such an amazing show. Then, they took a 5 minute break and came back and did all songs from their previous cd, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. They took the makeup off, which was good because I got to see Gerard's pretty face. He looks great with black hair again (vs. the blonde he had for a while there). During this portion of the set, the crowd got even rowdier because the music is more aggressive. I got kicked in the head once by a crowd surfer but it wasn't so bad. And it was totally worth it to get kicked in the head to be so close to the stage.

I think I converted K into a real My Chem fan, if not by her own choice then by the fact that she was trapped in the car with me for many, many hours as we drove through the snow and ice and sleet to get to and from Philly so she pretty much had to listen to me go on and on with all my very useful and highly interesting My Chem trivia. Plus, she said they put on a great show, that Gerard is a great front man, and I think she is digging on his brother Mikey, the bassist. I will convert you all, one by one if necessary. Patsy, you are next.

Look Out Gerard, Here I Come

I know you are probably tired of hearing about My Chemical Romance and my Gerard Way obsession. Patsy moans and groans and rolls her eyes every time I mention them. But too bad. I am posting about them again.

Its only two days till I see them in concert again! If you remember, I flew to Florida back in December to see them at an all-day-concert-festival-thingee and it was one of the best weekends evah. My seats weren't close, but I did get to see Gerard and the rest of the guys up close when they were signing autographs.

Gerard Way is so gorgeous it is obscene.

For Sunday's concert, I have general admission tickets, which translates to mosh pit tickets. Ya ya. I can't wait. I will be elbowing little 14-year-old emo kids to get up close to the stage. Yes, they will probably say, why is that grandmother knocking everyone over? But I don't care. I have been in mosh pits for longer than they have been alive (this is sad but true; my first mosh pit was in 1992). I CANNOT WAIT.

If you don't hear from me again, its because I have run away with Gerard. It could happen.
*ETA - Or Frank Iero. He is way shorter than me, but I could run away with him too.

A Long Post About My Kid, With a Cool Pic at the End.

I see it as a big responsibility to raise a daughter these days. I need Princess to be strong and tough and not take anyone's crap, have confidence in me that if someone wrongs her in any way that she can tell me and I will kick ass for her, while also making sure she is polite and caring and "good." It's a tall order.

I am always working with her on what to do if she is picked on. The boys in her daycare who are slightly older - meaning like 4 or 5 years old - pick on the younger girls and call them babies or say silly things like, Princess you don't have long hair. When she does have long hair. Silly. But it makes Princess so upset that she cries and can’t sleep because she is running it all over and over in her head when she goes to bed. I don’t get why she is so sensitive (but I think my mom’s genes may be to blame. Sorry mom.). So I have been teaching her what to say – like, "Michael, and I am so three years old and I am not a baby, so you are obviously not very smart. Now get away from me."

We practice this. We also practice how to knock someone down if they hit you. We do this only because there is a little boy in her class who hits everyone, all the time, and I am not having that. The kid needs to get knocked down and I am fine with it being my kid who does it. I even told the teacher, if this kid hits Princess one more time, I am going to have to start teaching her how to knock him unconscious since you are not stopping it. She looked at me in shock, but she could tell I meant it. They just love me there.

Anyhoo, this is a hard part of being a parent. I don't want her to be a bully or to hit other kids without provocation, but I also don’t want her getting picked on. I think she needs to learn to defend herself, preferably with the art of sarcasm and wit, as early as possible. She has a mean face she makes when she is mad and I am trying to get her to use it with people other than me and Hub. While its not as intimidating as my mean face, its pretty good. Check it out.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Its my favorite holiday of all - Mardi Gras. Yes, I love Christmas and Thanksgiving and of course, St. Patty's Day. But Mardi Gras is just about the best idea I have ever heard for a holiday. Drink! Get crazy! Go completely wild! Show your boobs! Whatever! Just be as absolutely insane as you can be on this one last day before Ash Wednesday when you have to repent and suffer for 40 days! What else could be as great as that?

We had our Mardi Gras party on Saturday and it was good times (above is the pic of Princess from our invitations). Patsy was completely hammered and was calling a 3-year-old the C-word (not to her face, and not my 3-year-old). I often wonder why I bother having these parties at all, though, when for me the REAL party doesn't start until about 2am when its down to just our little tribe of friends, jello shots, tequila and stale potato chips. Here's Patsy and me, enjoying good times, in our matching Mardi Gras hats:

Enjoy your Mardi Gras!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

One Month Till Heaven

Only a month till we go to New Orleans. I can't wait. New Orleans is my favorite place on the planet. Truly, it is like home to me. This will be my 6th trip there. There are 6 of us going (we will, of course, be Princess-free) and its such a good group of friends. Patsy will be going with her man diddy, and the truth is that we can have good times anywhere but we have out best times in New Orleans. And my cousin and his wife are going with us, which completely rocks. The last time I went on vacation with him, it was to Vegas and that was good times. His wife is one of the coolest chicks on the planet. Patsy and I can't wait to show them around our city...all our favorite haunts...like Lafitte's for Voodoo Daquiris, Tropical Isle for Hand Grenades, Pat O'Brien's for Hurricanes, Coop's for the best chicken sandwiches that take 4 hours to make, and my favorite restaurant/bar - The Crescent City Brewhouse. New Orleans is the only place where Hub drinks way too much and throws up. I am so proud.

Between now and New Orleans, I have 3 concerts, and then another the weekend after we come back. Its complete insanity. This jetset life is going to kill me. Ah, but I do love it. This weekend is our Mardi Gras party and I can't wait for that. Next weekend is the Lemonheads on Saturday and My Chemical Romance (look out, Gerard, here I come! You'll recognize me because I will be the only chick over 16 years old in the pit!) on Sunday, and the following weekend is Papa Roach with Kill Hannah. When we come back, we have Taste of Chaos which I can't wait for. That's The Used, 30 Seconds to Mars, Evaline, Senses Fail, and some other bands. I love concerts. I am such a teenager.

Random Thoughts on a Thursday

I saw at Costco last night that the band Roxette has a greatest hits cd. It features 20 songs. How is this possible?

Do you think that when Gerard Way sings the line, "I'm so dirty, babe" he is talking directly to me since I like dirty boys and my nickname from Hub is babe? I choose to believe so. Please don't burst my bubble.

It is amazing how a watermain break can change a 30 minute commute into a 90 minute commute.

I got some new trendy-ish cropped wide-leg pants and I am wearing them today with tall black high-heeled boots. I think they look pretty cute but I am usually anti-trend so its hard to know.

I wish I could find black eyeshadow that stays put and doesn't smear all over the place.

43 days till Patsy and our crew head to New Orleans! Woo hoo!

When a doctor says that your kid has a virus, I think it just means that he has checked her ears and throat and she doesn't have an ear infection or strep. He has no idea what's really wrong but hopes that tylenol for 5 days will make her A-OK again. Idiot.

Oh Maaaaannnnddddyyy....

Yes, that's right, I went to the Barry Manilow concert a few weeks ago at Madison Square Garden. We were in *the* last row, which was fine because we got to stand up and copacabana without people behind us getting upset that we were blocking their view. However, the old bitties in front of us did not much appreciate us screaming all the words or my cousin repeatedly screaming "Barry You Are So Hot!!!"

The old ladies who hated us.

It was a good concert, I mean, even if you aren't a fan you still know all the songs. This was the coolest part: they gave out glowsticks and the whole entire place had them. It looked pretty cool:


And don't think for a minute that just because I was at a Barry concert that I have lost my cool. I am still totally gangsta:


Next concerts: Lemonheads and My Chemical Romance (both in the same weekend!), then Papa Roach, then Taste of Chaos (starring The Used and 30 Seconds to Mars, in addition to some other cool bands). And I can't wait for Bamboozle in May, despite the fact that its a 2 day festival thingee and I still don't have a sitter for Princess because everyone I know is going to this thing. I am contemplating taking her, I mean, she loves the same music I do. Think anyone would call DYFS???

This Is Why People From Jersey Have Attitudes

I am not going to go off on a whole rant about this, but I just want it noted that last night on American Idol, they lied to you. They were not in NY. That was Continental Airlines Arena. In New Jersey. Not NY. I know the NY teams play there, but it is still friggin New Jersey.

This is one big reason Jersey people have such attitudes. We are always the stepsister of NYC, which I get because no place else in the world is NYC. But if you are filming here, playing football here, whatever, ADMIT IT. You are in NJ.

We get a bad reputation because all you see of Jersey is nuclear waste and smoke stacks and pollution and mobsters. Yeah, we have all that too. But we have other stuff as well that we never get credit for because its billed as being "NY".

Ok, off my soapbox.

Dude I Just Went to The Best Party Evah

I hope this makes sense in the morning because I drank ALOT of wine tonight and I hope Patsy reads this message: Dude, I got the house in Cabo.

Ok, so we get invited to this party at our neighbor's house, they are cool as hell but way older than us. But we're like, ok, we have nothing better to do tonight and they live one house away from us, which in Jersey is like, 10 steps. So we go to the party and the hostess within the first ten minutes tells me about her cleaning lady, who is there working, and who gets only $50 for 5 hours of work and is looking for a house to clean on Monday mornings. So of course I book her immediately. I now have a cleaning lady, thank god, for only $50 a week. Hoo-ray.

So then, the party is going on and this girl of maybe 20 is telling me how cool Princess is, and I am like, duh, of course she is. So then she offers her babysitting services and she lives like 5 minutes from us. The only sitter we have now, really, is my mom. So this is a big deal to meet an awesome girl who wants to watch my kid. Ya ya. So this has already been the best party ever, someone to clean my house and watch my kid, this is great.

So then, I am talking to my neighbor (the hostess) who is totally me in 15 years, left wing, anti-establishment, punk rock crazy person, I love her. So we are talking and I bring up Cabo San Lucas, where she owns a house. She immediately offers it to me and my friends and is like, dude, you must go to Cabo, take my house, don't bring Princess because Cabo is not a place for kids but you must use my house whenever you want, seriously. And I am being all modest, as if I have not been planning the Cabo thing since I met her and I am like, seriously? I can use your house? Are you serious? And she is like, oh my god, you must use my house, you must go to Cabo, its the best evah, you will so love it there and you must use my house.

This was the best party evah, even better than one of my own because as kick ass as my parties are no one ever offers me the use of a Mexican party house out of it. I got a cleaning lady, a babysitter, and a vacation house in Cabo out of this party. Plus I drank some very expensive wine which has me quite buzzed at this very moment.

I have been trying to upload a pic of myself because I looked pretty badass if I do say so myself, with my dark hair and red highlights and black eyeliner for days, but for some reason it isn't working. Maybe its because I don't look as badass as I think? Oh, no, don't be ridiculous. I look BAD ASS. And I am going to Cabo. Don't hate.

Here's What I Don't Get

There are a lot of things I don't understand about Republicans. I won't even get started on that because listing all the things I don't get could take a long time. But I do want to mention the one thing that's making me insane (other than the big who-ha about gay marriage - who cares?).

Its the war. Now let me step back a few years. I have never supported George W, but when he told me that Iraq had WMD's, and it was just after 9/11, and I had watched the smoke billow out of the World Trade Center from my office - well, I believed him. I had to - I mean, he knows more than me, right? (And, the supposed left-wing media did absolutely nothing to investigate this or question the administration at all, so regular Americans had nothing to go on but the word of our President). So when he told me that we were in danger I was in favor of the war. Nothing scares me more than terrorism, being that I live less than 10 miles from NYC.

Well. Here we are, all these years later. Iraq was not a threat to us then, although it is now. It seemed that we all "got it" when we voted in November. It seemed that we all said, get these morons who obviously have no clue outta there before they do even more damage. So, what does our all-knowing President do? He decides to send in MORE troops. More, yes, but according to everything I have read, still not enough to get the job done. The whole war has been half-assed to this point, so now he's going to send more kids to die but not enough to win.

I want nothing more than for us to succeed in Iraq. I love my country and I don't want us to fail or be viewed as weak. And before you say it, please understand that I support the troops with all my heart (my cousin is a Marine who served in Iraq and I am prouder than I can say). But I don't get how the President can be so blatently told by Americans that we are sick of this war and of his bumbling of it, only to have him say not only are we not leaving but we are going in further.

I don't know what the answer is so don't ask me. I don't know if we should pull out all the troops now or do it gradually or reinstate the draft and get the real number of troops we need over there to win. I don't know. What I do know is that George W. doesn't know either, and that is scary.

My Top 10 of 2006

I was thinking I should list my favorites in various categories from 2006, because isn't that what we do as we enter a new year? We wrap up the old? To get ready for the new? But then I realized that I only saw one movie in the theaters in 2006 (the Zach Braff movie, I can’t remember what it was called, it was a'ight). So movies are out. And I don't watch much tv these days either. Hm. Ah, but music I know. Music I love. So here, without further ado, are my top 10 songs/cd's of 2006:

1. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (cd): The beauty of this cd is what started my overwhelming obsession with this band, not Gerard Way's beautifulness (although that didn't hurt). I have said this before and will say it again - this cd is pure genius and if you don't like it there is something wrong with you. Get past the "emo" thing, get past the eyeliner and hair, and listen to the music and the lyrics. It's a gorgeous masterpiece about death that somehow manages to not be depressing.

2. 30 Seconds to Mars - A Beautiful Lie (cd): I think this cd came out in 2005 actually, but it hit this year so its worth mentioning. Try not to think of Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano and just listen. Attack is amazing, The Kill is phenomenal, and The Story is my theme song. 30STM is one of my favorite bands and this is a terrific cd.

3. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It (cd): I fell in love with the song Face Down because even though it is sung by boys it is an anthem to girls in abusive relationships to kick those losers to the curb. And the rest of the cd is great too - the highlights for me are The Grim Goodbye and Your Guardian Angel. Love this kid's voice.

4. Taking Back Sunday - Makedamnsure (song): I didn't love this whole cd, but it had its moments. Makedamnsure is a great song that I haven't gotten tired of. It is quite obsessive and I like that in my music. Their new single, Liar, is pretty good too.

5. Hawthorne Heights - Saying Sorry (song): I love the blend of beautiful, light singing with a harsh, screaming rant here and there. It's such a catchy little tune and I find myself singing it all the time.

6. Avenged Sevenfold - Seize the Day (song): Awesome song by an awesome band. Love how they slowed it down for this one. And the video is fairly disturbing but great.

7. AFI - Miss Murder (song): the whole cd is pretty good, but this song is so catchy and wonderful. Especially since Princess sings along but insists that it says "Miss Maria" (one of her teachers) instead of Miss Murder. Gotta love that. And my God his eyeshadow was tremendous on Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's Eve.

8. Fully Alive - Flyleaf (song): This whole cd didn't do it for me. I tried really hard to love it because I would love for there to be a kickass female rocker out there, but she just doesn't have "it" and her voice is just ok (though she does have a fierce scream that I love). But this song, Fully Alive, is awesome.

9. Circa Survive - Act Appalled (song): I would venture to say none of you have heard of this band or song. But I got a sampler cd at last year's Bamboozle festival and this song was on it and I have been a fan since.

10. Justin Timberlake - My Love & Sexyback (songs): Why I like Justin Timberlake is a total and complete mystery to me. I hate this type of music, I hate boy bands, I hate all of it. But somehow Justin breaks through it all and his music is actually good. Plus, I plan on bringing the sexy back in 2007.

Runners Up: Foxy Foxy by Rob Zombie, Tears Don't Fall by Bullet for My Valentine, Ex's and Oh's by Atryeu, Through Glass by Stone Sour, Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin, When You Were Young by The Killers, Pressure by Paramore, Garage Junk Love Song by Ropetree, and Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace.

What songs/cd's did you love that I missed?