We Were Bashing Our Brains Out on a Kitchen Cabinet. It Was a Televised Crucifixion.

Well hello there. I thought I'd revisit the blog since that's what all the cool kids are doing.

I must admit, there are times when I wonder why I keep this baby open. I mean, my posts here are sporadic at best, and when they do appear, they are usually wholly unremarkable, silly and self-indulgent. And I mean, come on; do I really need another social-media based outlet? Especially one that isn't particularly creative? Who even wants to hear about about my day-to-day? Or, more accurately my month-to-month? (Just to clarify, that was a rhetorical question. I am not- in any way- attempting to "fish for compliments".)

Anyway- I swear to you- for months there has been an ascendant part of me just begging to get back here and delete this blog all together. As time passed, this part of me grew more and more dominant, almost entirely over throwing the once-authoritative part of me that was interested in blogging and pushing on despite the boredom and the odds.

Somewhere along the line I realized that I've had this feeling before. The ascendant part always shows up, just before I'm ready to give up on something. The comedy-musical-thing we were going to make last summer? Crushed by the wrath of the ascendant part. The film I was planning to make THIS summer? Crushed by the ascendant part. My many endeavors into the art of short-story writing this year? CRUSHED. My brief and fleeting run with yoga? Pulverized to an absolute powder. (Okay, maybe that one was for the best...)

The point is- even if this is just a silly, shallow, pointless blog- I refuse to take the easy way out and hit 'delete'. This blog is my new battle against the ascendant part. That's not to say that I'll somehow become blogger-extraordinaire over night or anything. I still can't shake the feeling that blogging is kind of pointless... But I will definitely be making more of an effort to be present here in this, little Blogger community.

I hope that by fighting this sense of apathy, I will somehow fall into better habits... of self-motivation... and regularly tasting and touching the ambition I've pushed aside for so long, in favor of comfort and simplicity...

Hah! New Year's be damned. I'll make my resolutions in my own time, thankyouverymuch.



A charming example of Agalmatophilia I found on my neighbor's lawn a few weeks back. Holy shit! I love the weird one's best...

I'd Rather Be Liberated, I Find Myself Captivated.

Oh right. I have a blog.

So, clearly, April didn't work out the way I wanted it to, but that's no reason to give up on blogging completely, is it? Hell no. This is just the beginning! (Actually, I've got no clue if this is 'just the beginning' or not. For all I know, I might get bored half-way through this blogpost and never blog again!)

Right, so. I'm really just here to prepare you for my return to blogging.
Brace yourselves...

Important things that have changed since we last spoke:

*I played a show
*I saw Shirley Manson live (can you say, 'most amazing experience ever?')
*I made it to 150 pages on my novel
*I wrote 5 songs called 'Juice', 'Capture Your Queen', 'Barsi', 'Watch the Walls', and 'Circling the Drain' (bonus points if you get the reference in the third title.)
*I finished watching The X-Files
*My cousin came to visit and all went well
*I wrote a script for a film that might actually happen but might actually not happen also since our locations keep ditching us last minute
*My Garbage collection has expanded to 35 CDs.
*I got an ARC of Scott Westerfeld's new book and- let me tell you- it is BRILLIANT.
*I have a sunburn.

Important things that have NOT changed since we last spoke:
*I am still a redhead
*I am still terrified of doctor's offices
*I still lack the skills to commit to blogging full-time.
*I'm still just teaming with smartass remarks about anything and everything.
*My obsessions have remained the same (okay, they may have intensified a bit.)
*I'm still trying to be funny.
*I'm still kind of failing.
*I still have a sunburn.


Bye-bye.


-MEL

I'm Feeling Like a Criminal.

I'm a bad, bad blogger.

But tomorrow is going to be awesome.

Hand of Fate or Devil's Claws?

Today, it seems, I ran into the greatest of luck.

Went to the Apple Store this morning to get my iPhone screen replaced, expecting to have to pay $200 bucks. When I got there, though, I guess it was the world's most amazing person ever's shift.

This guy gave me a new iPhone for free, just because he felt kind of bad for me. I swear to God, I could have kissed him... except that would have been kind of creepy, so I refrained. haha.

Anyway. That went amazingly well.

Then, later that day, I went to swim for the first time this year. The pool was freezing but I was glad to get the exercise.

And now... well, now I'm sitting alone, watching X-Files episodes and browsing tumblr.


Pretty fucking fantastic day.

-MEL

(PS- Spring Break starts tomorrow. Whooo-Hooo!)

You Are Not Me, Arlandria.

So I have to admit; today has been fucking weird...

Woke up this morning to find myself home alone for some totally unknown reason. Turns out my dad went to hike in Glendale and then actually LOST THE CAR. How exactly do you do that?! No worries, though. He found it eventually and made it home. But not before my mom and Colin left to pick him up.

My brief moment of peace in the quiet house was disturbed, though, when a telemarketer proceeded to call six times in a row. GRR. Damn those people. I HATE telemarketing calls.

Anyway, today was the day of Colin's elementary school carnival and I was dead-set on having absolutely noting to do with it (I mean, who wants to spend all day walking around the blacktop in ninety-degree weather, while hyped-up children scream and run around you and 13-year-old girls use the heat as an excuse to wear as little clothing as possible in an attempt to impress the opposite sex? Yuck. No thanks. If that's your idea of a good day, please stop reading this blog.) Then, out of the blue, Jessica calls me and says, "I accidentally double-booked my schedule. Can you please come down and work the face-paint booth for me for an hour?" And I like Jessica, so I agreed. Reluctantly.

However, when I got there, I realized that the OTHER people working the booth were some ex-classmates of mine who I never exactly got on with. (I mean, there was never an altercation of any sort. It's just... these kids spent a the majority of middle school denigrating my friends and ostracizing other kids they thought were "weird".) Obviously, I didn't want anything to do with them. Especially since I knew that working with them meant there would have to be one of those awkward, "Oh-I-Haven't-Seen-You-In-So-Long-Are-You-Still-Friends-With-So-And-So" conversations.

Long story short, I managed to get out of working the booth. Mainly by begging Jackie to take my shift.

When Jessica got there a while later, I offered to hang with Logan for a while and take him around to play some games. That went well, aside from the awkward moment when some mom asked, "How old is your son?" At which point I just kind of stood there awkwardly and thought to myself, Do I actually look old enough to have a three year old? And then I realized- much to my horror- that technically, I could have a 3-year-old. O_O Let's all be happy that I don't, okay? Not that 3-year-old's aren't totally awesome and everything. It's just that, the last person who needs to be in charge of a toddler for more than a few hours is me. I think my head might explode. Anyway. Thought I'd share that severely-disturbing revelation with you all.

Speaking of disturbing experiences, after that little run-in, I went over to the school playground with Logan. He, of course, went absolutely nuts when he saw a slide and went running away from me. At one point, I thought he was going to fall, five feet, from the top of a play structure. My hands were totally crammed full of drinks and ice cream and sunscreen and my bag. In an attempt to keep Logan from breaking his neck, I actually ended up dropping my cell phone face-down on a staircase, causing the screen to shatter into a million pieces. I was absolutely devastated.

See, when it comes to my personal belongings, I take great pride in my ability to be responsible. I've never lost a cell phone or camera or iPod or laptop. I keep everything in good condition and take care of all of my things. I mean, I've lost one cell and one digital camera in the past due to water damage but both times the damages were complete freak-incidents that didn't really have anything to do with me (plus, I was twelve during both of those occurrences.)

So guys, I was so, so upset when I broke my phone. But you know what? I managed to hold it together. I didn't want to make Logan or Jessica feel awkward so I just kind of acted like it was no-big-deal. I got home later that day and made an appointment at the Apple store for tomorrow. Problem is, a new screen is $200 bucks, which I CAN cover but... fucking hell, that does NOT make me happy.


Whatever. I actually think I handled the situation pretty well. I mean, it was between my phone screen and Logan so obviously I chose Logan. haha. I REGRET NOTHING! bwahaha.

Anyway, good news:
I bought a Furby!

Good news I bought a Furby... Did I really just say that? How bizarre is that?!?


The neighbor's across the street were selling them at a yard sale and I figured it was a must-have for my growing 90's memorabilia collection.

Also, I'm teaching myself how to read tabs and the first song I am learning is the spectacular "Arlandria" by the Foo Fighters. Check it out!





-MEL

(P.S. I am thinking about album names/artwork)

Tonight will be like last night.

I really apologize.

Suffocate Me...

Was going to post something cool today but I am way too fucking busy with this stupid report to write anything more than a sentence.

Here's a video I like. I think of it every time a small child asks if I'm a boy or a girl.

... Which happens more often than you might think.



-MEL

Polly Wants a Cracker. I Think I Should Get off Her First. I Think She Wants Some Water. To Put Out the Blowtorch.

Went to the library for my usual volunteering this morning, only to find out that the library is closed due to water damage. Grr. Kind of wishing someone had emailed me about that, so I didn't have to wake up early.

The rest of the day was good though. It was certainly an improvement over yesterday. Aside from the fact that my house is a bit mad right now. I have an E.S. meet-up coming in a few days, which means that my mom is extremely stressed and easily agitated. Whatever. This will be over soon, right? Cannot wait for summer. I need a break.

I went to meet Tess and Sierra at four-ish in front of the nursery school (question: is it creepy that I meet all my friends in front of a nursery school? We know all the staff there really well. Plus, my brother takes art classes there on Wednesdays, so that makes it slightly less creepy, RIGHT?!) We weren't exactly sure what to do, so we settled on going to 7-11 for ICEE's and then sitting in my car with the air-conditioning blasting for an hour until Colin left art.

After dinner we headed to Barnes and Nobel to see- quite possibly- the most adorable thing I have EVER seen.

One of the little girls I babysit (her name's Avery) recently won an essay competition held by Barnes and Nobel (bear in mind she's only 6). The topic was "Your Favorite Teacher" and when she won, Barnes and Nobel decided to host an event where she got to stand up in front of everyone and read her essay. It was absolutely amazing! Adorable! Agh. Writer-kids are the best, are they not?!

Anyway. That's been my day. I have an interesting idea for a blogpost tomorrow so maybe you'll actually get something that isn't a recap for a change...? We'll see, ducklings.

-MEL

(P.S.- I have had "Polly" by: Nirvana stuck in my head all day. Fucking love that song. Makes me so nostalgic for the old days... haha. When Colin (my brother) was a baby, he thought the lyrics were, "Colin wants a cracker". He used to literally think that song was about him. hah... hah... hah... I love it. Nevermind is just another example of an amazing album produced by- you guessed it- Butch Vig.

This Is Only For Now But I'm Not So Sure. Seems the Bugs Hit the Windshield More Than Ever Before.

Well, well, well. How about an early-evening post for a change?

As expected, today was horrible. I went straight from the doctor's office (Blech) to the dermatologist (double-blech). Don't get me wrong, guys. Doctor's are great. I love that they're around and everything and they're usually really nice people. I like doctors.
I DON'T like being their patient.
And I DEFINITELY DON'T like their crowded offices full of cough people and screaming children and moody receptionists and blaring soap-operas. Or their tiny, claustrophobic rooms with their crinkly-loud paper-covered tables and their freezing stethoscopes and their uncomfortably-personal questions and... ugh. I don't know.

I'll let yesterday's post sum up my feelings:





Anyway, I'm trying to get over it. But this is my blog, right? This is where the bitching happens. Deal.

Good news, though! Shirley and Butch both confirmed that Garbage was recording vocals today! So far we know four song titles:

1.) Sugar
2.) Felt
3.) Time Will Destroy Everything
4.) Blood for Poppies

I am so excited for this album!!! I can't even describe it...

Also, I officially finished vocals on Psychiatry today! Now to decide whether to release it as a single or not... There's no video so I'm thinking not. But we'll see! Gonna start the new song tomorrow. This album is shaping-up, guys!

Still trying to think of some good blog topics. You guys have any ideas?
Leave 'um in the comments.

-MEL

The Silence Between Us Is the Time, When I Can't Hear the Thoughts.

Well shit.
I didn't post a blog entry yesterday.

Sorry, ducklings, I have failed you. *sighs*

But that does not mean this is over! I am *still* going to post a blog entry every day this April and I WILL NOT miss another day. Pinky swear.

Today was kind of uneventful. Went to piano lessons. Drove to Reseda to go to a record store that turned out to be closed... :(

Did schoolwork. Ate dinner.

I'm writing a pretty-decent song right now, though. Lyrics are tough, though, man. I literally go through hell with those things. And melodies. The problem with melodies is that sometimes they're just so... easy, you know? I think I've got one down and then it occurs to me that my melody is totally predictable.

With lyrics, sometimes you can just... go with the first thing that strikes you (eventually, you'll probably replace your original lyrics, anyway, so its no biggie) but with a melody... Well, that's like the central-force of the song. You've gotta get that 100% right before you go to record because once its out there... there's no going back unless you want to re-record the whole song (which no one has time to do, anyway).

So yeah. Writing melodies is no fun. I always feel the urge to go with the first thing that pops into my head but I know, from the little experience that I have, that the first melody that pops into your head while writing a song is usually the shittiest melody EVER.

So you must persevere! You must ignore the instinctual urge to go with the first tune in your head! Otherwise you'll end up predictable and mainstream and boring. (Shut up, I'm not a hipster.)

Anyway, those are my woes.

Oh and I have to go to the doctor tomorrow. Fucking hate the doctor's office. But at least I have the new Foo Fighters album to listen to in the waiting room. Did you guys hear that it was produced by Butch Vig? Butch Vig is, like, undoubtedly my favorite producer of all time.

I would love to work with him some day. That would absolutely brilliant.
Heh. Doesn't hurt to dream, right?

-MEL

(P.S.- I have the new Radiohead album, too! WHooo-Hooo! I am swimming in new music!!!)

There's Beauty In the Breakdown...

Well, ducklings, once again I find myself in a bit of a time crunch. However, today, I do think I have a legitimate excuse.

See, I've been out all day doing... well, pretty much everything. haha. Or at least a multitude of things.

Met up with Sierra this morning at Barnes and Nobel. We looked around for a bit then went to get drinks at the Coffee Bean (I love a nice pure chocolate frappuccino. No whip cream.) After that we went and wandered aimlessly around IKEA. We stopped and looked at all the fake little rooms. I made sarcastic comments about the decor. It was wonderful. Then after that the GREATEST THING EVER happened.

I swear to you, guys, I have stumbled upon the most amazing little gem of a shop here. It's this little used book store that also sells magazines and news papers dating back to God-knows-when (my dad recently bought a couple of magazines there from the early '60's!)
The store looks absolutely gorgeous and is literally home to more books then I've ever seen. Snapped a few pictures while I was there:





Is this place not totally effing gorgeous?!?!?

Anyway, that's not even the best part. When we walked into the shop, I asked the store manager if they had any copies of Rolling Stone from the mid-90's (for any of you who don't know: I'm a bit of a 90's-culture-junkie.) I didn't really expect to find anything but boy was I wrong!

They guy lead us into the back room and started pulling out all these old, musty, archive boxes and just... handed them to us. Then, he left us alone to sift through magazine after magazine. I was hoping to find some good articles about my favorite bands and I definitely did. There was some amazing stuff there. I swear. I found some great interviews with Garbage and Shirley Manson that I am just dying to scan and post to Facebook for my fellow darklings to see. Pure gold! And they were all so cheap!

Anyway, after that, we went and got some ice cream at Foster Freeze and then we actually went ice skating. I know, how random! My brother had a birthday party to attend at the bowling alley next door, though, so it does kind of make sense. I was so happy to be on the ice. I used to skate every week for about four years when I was younger. I did classes and competitions and everything. I could even do jumps and spins and stuff (can't do anything like that anymore, sadly.) I still love the ice and I never really realize how much I miss it until I'm back on it. Hah... Hah... Hah...

After that, we headed over to the bowling alley. Bowled a game. I failed so miserably, but that was fine. We went and played arcade games like the true nerds we are, after wards. I kicked ass at level-one-super-easy Dance Dance Revolution. LIKE A BOSS.

Then we went home. Ordered pizza and bread sticks and re-watched some LOST episodes.

T'was quite an eventful day.

In other news, I think I'm finishing up Psychiatry vocals tomorrow.

Starting to think about album names now...

-MEL

Like A Riot, Like A Riot, Oh.

Hello ducklings...
Hope you enjoyed yesterday's extremely bitchy blogpost. Unfortunately, I'm running low on time here and cannot, possibly come up with a post as long. So, instead, I think I'll share with you something else, entirely...

You may know, from having read my blogger profile that I love digital animation. This is something my dad taught me to do when I was very young. He, himself, is very interested in computer animation and has animated several television pilots. Check out this one he made last Christmas:



Anyway, I love digital animation. I've been animating seriously for about six months now and I honestly can't get enough of it. For the most part, I take images of real people (actors, musicians, models, etc.) and try to animate the images myself.
Here is some of the art I've been working on over the past few months.
Click on the images for higher-resolution.



This is Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.



This is Heather Ann Davis. The model.



This is Skandar Keynes from the Chronicles of Narnia films.
I actually did this as an art trade with Tess, who drew me a ridiculously awesome picture of Shirley Manson that you can see here.



This is a fake promo-poster for one of my all-time favorite films, "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things".



Here's an older still of Shirley from the Why Do You Love Me video. It's a little rough but I kind of like the coloring...



Lastly, here is some more TSCC fanart.

So yeah. That's fun to make...

Here's a sample of what I'm working on now...




Anyway. This has all been a bit narcissistic. Sorry for that. This was the best I could come up with, with such little time to spare...

Talk to you tomorrow?
-MEL

I'm Being Taken Over By the Fear...

So today has been all kinds of TERRIFYING.

First of all, this morning my mom comes rushing into my room shouting, "Your father forgot to wake you up. We're leaving for the dentist in 5 minutes. Be ready!" At which point, I reluctantly rolled out of bed and got ready to go to the world's most dreaded place...

The DENTIST. *shudders*


Now, if you know me in real life (which you probably don't, but oh well) you know that I am at the dentist probably... mmm... 4 times a month. Why? Because almost 5 years ago, I had braces and the orthodontist actually messed everything up to the point where now (almost 2 years after getting my braces off) I am still having problems left and right. (And yes, this was an orthodontist problem, not a *me* problem. It has been confirmed by the orthodontist himself. I'm not just being bitter, I promise.)

One minute I have a cavity, the next minute my retainer breaks, the next minute I'm informed that MY FUCKING TEETH ARE DECALCIFYING AND ARE GOING TO LIKE... CRUMBLE OUT OF MY SKULL if I don't use special, overpriced, magical toothpaste.
(Yes, I know this sounds like a scam and I should probably switch dentists, yada yada yada. But at the end of the day, scam-or-not, this is the only guy I trust. Last Spring, I had my wisdom teeth removed and I literally felt no pain whatsoever afterwords because this guy is just... that good at dentistry or something. It's ridiculous. But you pay for quality I guess?)

Yeah. So. Dentist. Started off normal. Just a cleaning. And then all of a sudden, the dental assistant says, "We need to take your blood pressure," and just yanks my my arm off the chair.

Now, this might not seem like such a huge problem but- let me tell you- I have a HUGE phobia of people grabbing my arms. Don't know where it started or why, but I swear to God, if someone just, unexpectedly grabs my arm I am literally overwhelmed by the urge to run screaming in the other direction. I don't like people clinging to my arms. End of story.

Anyway, after that horrifying experience, came another. When the blood-pressure-taking was through, the actual cleaning began, which resulted in a minor panic attack on my behalf because (after a series of bad experiences with the orthodontist) it seems I have developed yet ANOTHER phobia: I am officially terrified of that little spinny tool that they use to clean your teeth at the dentist's office.

Yeah. I know. It's just a big toothbrush. WHO CARES?! It still looks, sounds and feels just like that braces-glue-chipper thing they used at the orthodontist, that hurt so fucking badly I literally left claw marks on their pleather-upholstered dental chair arm rests to keep from screaming.

Anyway, once I was finished, the dental assistant got all concerned because apparently my blood pressure reading was abnormal (turned out my shirt sleeve had been cutting off my circulation the whole time and, therefore, screwing with my blood-pressure.)
She asked me when I'd had my last physical, to which I could only awkwardly laugh and shrug because... umm... I try really hard to get out of those.
I mean, I usually see a doctor at least once a year when something goes WRONG (foot pain, light-sensitivity, long-term flu, et cetra) but I really, really HATE going in for "check-ups".
So I... don't. Or, I try not to.
I know it's irresponsible but don't judge. If it makes you feel any better, I HAVE to go to the doctor next month anyway, to get some fucking shots or something for my charter school registration.
Yeah so when I told the dental assistant this, she just proceeded to try and guilt-trip me about not going to the doctor, as if that would help. I was already stressed enough.

After I got home, things were relatively normal. I did some school work. I recorded a bit. I ordered a CD on Amazon.
All was well.

AND THEN.

I go to get in the shower and I spot the biggest, most disgusting-looking bug I have ever seen sitting on the mirror. Now, the mirror is a good three feet away from the shower so I figured I was safe. Until, mid-shampoo, this big, ugly-ass bug decides to come flying into the shower and into my HAIR.
I started to do that silent-screaming thing that I always do when I want to scream bloody murder but also don't want to draw attention to myself and I was literally slapping myself in the head (as if this would help. I have no idea what I was thinking.) Until the bug finally fell off of my hair and died.

Guys. It was terrible. I can't even describe it.

So now here I am. Huddled in front of my computer, periodically glancing over my shoulder, waiting for the NEXT terrifying thing to happen.

Please... Let tomorrow be less traumatizing?

-MEL

Now You're Gonna Have to Shut Your Mouth and Fight Me!

Hello...
So today's post might be a bit short, seeing as I'm not exactly feeling like blogging today.
Good news, though, we made it through five days of BEDA. Remember when I didn't think I would? This is a LANDMARK, ducklings. A landmark!

So yes. Anyway. Pretty boring day. Didn't do anything but school work.

Cannot wait until summer when I can just write books and songs and read and swim and play ukulele and video blog and do whatever the hell I want.

... Just gotta make it to the end of May.

Leaving you today, with an absolutely BRILLIANT song/video shared with me by my friend Kate. I'm sure you're all familiar with The Dresden Dolls (if you're not, don't worry, you soon will be.)

Check out "Backstabber". Loving the song And the cross-dressing

Talk to you soon...
-MEL

The Trick Is to Keep Breathing... (Especially, When You're Really Psyched and Might Hyperventilate Otherwise.)

WHOoooo-HOOOOOOO!!!1!!

Guys, this has got to be, like, the greatest moment ever. Guess what I just bought? A ticket to see "The Songs of Patsy Cline" at the L.A. Philharmonic. And guess who's performing there?! SHIRLEY MANSON.
I'm kind of dying of excitement here. I've never ever seen Shirley or Garbage live and I am psyched!
Special thanks to Joe Manchik who sent me ticket information! :)

Speaking of Garbage... THIS came in the mail today and I am seriously thrilled!



Which means that now my garbage collection is looking a little something like this... Maybe I will buy Angrogyny tomorrow?



So yeah. Fucking amazing day. I just got home from book club. (We talked about the fabulous If I Stay by Gayle Forman). And this morning I got my short story work-shopped in Creative Writing Class, which is one of my favorite things... ever!
As if THAT wasn't enough, City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare AND PLAGUE by one of my all-time favorite authors, Michael Grant, came out today! Bought them both! I can't wait to read COFA and now I can officially discuss PLAGUE with other people (I read the ARC last month).

Hope you're all having a fabulous day, as well!
-MEL

(P.S. The trick really IS to keep breathing!)

You Go Run and Tell Your Friends I'm Losing Touch.

Well, well, well, ducklings.
My feet are aching. My head is throbbing. My back is killing me. I'm sunburned like a lobster, despite applying a copious amount of sunscreen throughout the day (maybe it's time to accept the fact that no amount of sunscreen can protect the disturbingly-pale?)
AND WHY, you might ask, am I in this condition?
Because I went to Disneyland today! That's right, guys, I actually left my house AND I had a good time. *Pauses dramatically, waiting for your sudden intake of breath*.
It was a BLAST!

But woah, guys, sometimes I forget how weirdly trippy Disneyland can be. I mean Jesus. Check out this video I took at the Tron-world-place-thing we went to. As you may hear me say in the background, I thought the dance was a bit, "bizarre".

God I love freaks. I feel so deeply connected to them in this truly strange and wonderful way.

In other news, I'm finishing up vocals on the new song. Tentatively titled Psychiatry. I'm a bit sick of the lyrics, having sung them all about a million times, but I'm still liking the bridge where I say,
"I've got this new fixation with the powerful, the miserable, the altercation, I find in every little place where I rest my head and I rest my case."

There is something so neat about singing that line. I don't know exactly what it is but its fabulous. I mean, the line itself is mediocre at best but its fun to sing.

And its relevant.

Like I said, I like my freaks. And powerful, miserable freaks are the best because then they're all deranged and depressive and sick-minded like me. bwaahahaha.
-MEL






Took this at California Adventure. Didn't add the stars. I love it.

But to Bow Down to Them Anyway, Is Better Than to Be Alone.

Very, very tiring day today!
Went to Kate's last night. Ate junk food. Watched interviews with Shirley Manson (always a win) and Misfits episodes.
Ended up crashing in her guest room at about 3:00AM. Woke up at about 10:00. They say you, supposedly need something like... 8 hours of sleep, right? Well I got 7 but I still feel like I am WAY more exhausted than I should be.
Anyway, went home after that and just kind of sat around. Quentin and Gretchen (my uncle and his girlfriend) came over for a barbecue, which essentially means that I ate some ravioli while everyone else (with the exception of mom and Colin) enjoyed some very lovely smelling salmon.

... I swear to you, guys there are moments when I wish I wasn't a vegetarian... But whatever. I like ravioli.

Anyway, besides that there isn't much to report. Still trying to figure out what exactly it is people DO on blogs. They report, right? Huh. I'm going to have to find some more interesting things to talk about...

Whatever.
In other news, I think I'll go to Disneyland tomorrow. First time I've been there since Boys Wanna Fight!
Hoping no one there remembers me (fat chance, but still...). The crazy weirdo who sang on the roller coaster. That's me! Ah well. I am sure they see worse every day with tourists and all. Right? And its kind of my job to be weird. If I weren't weird, who would be?

ANYWAY. I will leave you today with some photos I've taken over the last few months. Hopefully these are *interesting* enough for you? :)

I'm a terrible blogger but I'm working on it.



Queen of Spades is the best, is she not? I have really come to love her, since I began writing a book about her.



This is Quentin on the beach, discovering the wicked awesome pirate-worthy fort we found last week.



Took this at Trevor and Rhonda's moving sale. Thought it looked cool.



This is my nightstand as of a few weeks ago. Not very exciting but I thought the effect looked neat.



Lady bug on my hand.



I don't really know what I'm doing here (or who I'm flipping off for that matter). But it came out interesting.



The wall of Trevor's old clubhouse where we used to hang out when we were little.



Trevor's clubhouse photo #2



Pretty view from my front yard.



Just some stuff I had with me at the beach a while back. This got quite a few reblogs on tumblr.




One more from Trevor & Rhonda's going away sale. They were selling some wonderful stuff..

Wow. What a pretentious blogpost this has turned out to be...
Do I dare hit Publish?
Fuck it. Not enough energy to rewrite a whole post. Pretentious it is.
Goodnight, ducklings.
-Mel

Push Away All the Dirt and Debris, What'll Be Left of Me?

So today has been a pretty normal day.
I know, what an amazing way to start a blogpost. I bet you're really hooked, right?

Lucky for you, ONE interesting thing did happen to me that is at least... kind of blog-worthy...

I FINISHED MY SHORT STORY.
FINALLY!

I woke up around 11:00, sleep-deprived and grumpy because I was up until 3:00AM working it, but it was so, totally worth it because now it is officially finished after almost a month of work.

You can read it here, if you want. Or you can not read it. Your choice.
Do bear in mind, though, that it is a first draft and so it is definitely sloppy in some places. Try to overlook grammatical/punctual errors. Those will be cleared up when we workshop the story in Creative Writing on Tuesday.

Anyway, right now I'm in the process of packing things up and getting ready to leave for Kate's house where I'm going to be until Sunday. I will leave you with a song I discovered the other day that I really, truly love... Not usually the kind of music I would listen to but... I love it.

Sounds like something that needs to be played on my ukulele.




PS: THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWED ME?
How do I follow you guys back? *is a noob who knows nothing about blogger*

Good Morning, Charlie!

Hello ducklings,
I'm Mel. Apparently, I blog now.

So, as a kind of spur-of-the-moment-thing, I've decided to do BEDA this month (Blog Every Day in April, if you didn't already know...)

Now, I'm a decent video-blogger but, for whatever reason, I have never really been able to maintain one, text blog. EVER. I mean, I've HAD a million, but none of them ever stuck.

I've had a blogger before. I've had a xanga, too. (Note to anyone who thinks they may be even the slightest bit similar to me: DO NOT get a xanga. Xanga accounts will result in whiny blogosts that will, in tern, result in eventual self-loathing when read again two years later.) And of course, I have a tumblr, though- like most people- I don't really use it for conventional "blogging".
Everyone knows that tumblr's just for reblogging random hipster shit anyway.

ANYWAY, today I decided to give this a shot. There's a chance I'll succeed. More likely, I'll fail within the first five days. But maybe, just maybe, I'll finally see the point of this thing people call "blogging".

Don't count on it, though. It's never really struck me before.

So, on that note, I bid you all good night.
Tomorrow's post will (hopefully) be more exciting, but until then...
Happy BEDA! Hope you all win...

-Mel

P.S. - Please don't mind the shitty profile picture. I know I look stupid. I'll replace it eventually, when I'm not feeling lazy. hahaha.