more old skool shit; LTJ heavy

My Less Than Jake obsession part ONE: LaBorDAy

It all began on a Monday in August. I was at work, all alone. I usually do not work on Mondays, but on this particular Monday, there I was. Andy calls me and we’re talking. I am reading my e-mail, and Amie had e-mailed me that LTJ was playing at her school, Brandeis, in Waltham, Massachusetts. I tell this to Andy, who says, “Eh, whatever. We’ll go see them at Roseland when they come.” We like LTJ, and Andy has seen them twice, and I had only seen them once at last summer’s Warped Tour, but I left their show early to see Suicidal Tendencies. So whatever, I think. I really didn’t want to travel up to MA anyway.
Later that day, Andy calls again. “We are so going to Brandeis to see LTJ,” he states, “It is a free concert.” Ok, I think, whatever.
So we all journey three hours up to Waltham. It’s me, Andy, Jen, Danny and Kevin. We stop at a cool rest stop where they give out free coffee. We are weary of this free coffee, and we do not take any. Our game plan is to party at Amie’s house the night before, and go see LTJ the next day. The night is insane, filled with Ghostbusters and flipping cups. A girl yells at Kevin about Tom Green and blind people. We are very scared.
The next day we are all hung over and groggy. As we sit in the kitchen, a random girl walks by. We are frightened.
We go to Brandeis. Andy and I were not allowed to be there, for reasons I will not go into. So we are highly illegal. The concert is beginning, but we are hungry and hung over. We eat in the silly dining hall. Jen gets green paint on her calf, although we are not really sure how.
We go back to where the concert is taking place. There are a lot of people milling around. They seem to be very young. A security guard yells at Amie for having a Diet Dr. Pepper, so the two of us defiantly finish the entire thing in front of him, leaving the can for him to dispose of.
Finally, we are inside again. We find Andy and Kevin at the tee shirt booth. They have very lovely tee shirts, and they cost only $8. Suddenly, Amie states: “That guy is a looser.” I look back, and find Roger kissing the girl selling the tee shirts (on the cheek you silly people with dirty minds and a lot of imagination). He is very nice to her, thanking her for um…I guess selling the tee shirts. Amie finds him a “looser” because he states: “I just got up.” (remember, Amie is still hung over and must have been internally jealous of Roger sleeping late.)
Andy and Kevin conspire like chipmunks, and go over to him and talk to him about LTJ touring with Insane Clown Posse. Roger replies that they probably won’t because they don’t like some other band they’re touring with, and I’m loving the answer because I also don’t like this band and think that ICP should have kicked them off the tour, but that’s another story. Of course, I am not involved with this conversation, because I ran away, because I’m afraid of Roger, who is in fact, in LTJ.
We go in (I know, this is confusing because we KEEP going IN. but now, we are in the actual auditorium where the bands are playing, whereas before we were in the lobby.) That other band is on…and we are near the sound dude, and SO IS ROGER. I keep sneaking peeks at him, but again, I am afraid, so I don’t go over to him.
Then the band ends, and we go right up to the front, and we have an excellent place to stand, and we are RIGHT IN FRONT. And right next to the speakers. Oy. Amie and Jen sit on something, and they are holding their ears, and Chris, who is clad in a funny dork costume, mocks them. Yay, we cheer. Chris mocked Amie and Jen. Hahahaha. The concert rocks. We are dancing and jumping and screaming and right in front and having the best time. They play “Jen…” and we start screaming and singing to Jen, who is smiling happily. Amie screamed like a dork when they played “I think I love you…” and danced wildly from her seat. At the end, we were terrified, Amie and I were, because Andy decided to jump on stage and sing along, and we were thinking that he’d probably get us arrested because he was certainly not supposed to be on campus, let alone on stage.
After the concert, Andy and Kevin again found Roger, and got his autograph. I hate them for that.
Just months later, I find that LTJ do indeed give interviews for zines, and I cry. I weep. I moan because I totally could have talked to Roger, but I was afraid and ran away. I suck.

and this one is entitled: HOLY FUCKING MYSPACE
Do friendships really have to end?
I have to admit that I have a trouble with people. I cannot stand petty annoying bullshit, and I in the process of not standing it, end up getting really annoyed at my so-called friends. But do friendships really have to end? Can they even?
The thing is that I have some friends who are not good for me. (that sounds like it needs a little explanation, huh?)
See, some of my friends are rather…selfish, I guess. They take and take and give nothing in return. This always happens after a period of time. At first, they are the best. As the years go by though, they suck. They literally suck, too, as they drain you of all your life energy. I mean, I am the kind of person who would do anything for a friend. I am loyal and trustworthy, and let me tell you all I want in return is to know that I can trust my friends. Trust them to stand up for me, to be there for me, to not talk about me behind my back in mean and derogatory ways. I will compliment my friends, only to have them not return the confidence boost when I need it most.
Over the past year, I have met some really good people, people who I consider my closest friends even though I haven’t known them for very long. In a heart to heart with my ‘surrogate older sister,’ we discussed one of these friends who was making me miserable. She gave me good advice: step back, take some time away from her. In my head I didn’t think this was possible, but due to busy and conflicting schedules, it happened. Didn’t see her for about a month.
I saw her the other day. I began to miss her, and wonder how she was doing. Ug. All she did was bring me down with her petty gossip and constant whining. And I knew that I could never truly end the friendship, but that I should continue to keep my distance from her for my sanity.
Other friendships are confusing too. Once you pass high school, and continue a friendship after that, its sooo hard to break it, because obviously it meant something to work on it once you didn’t see the person every day. But what if you have a friend who has no tolerance for you? No allowance for the choices you make in your life? That is really a hard one. My best friend and I since a 4th grade bowling party are good with this question, as we are 100% there for each other, NO MATTER WHAT. We have both had some problems arise in our lives in which we have had to make hard decisions, and no matter what we have been accepting of these choices. I know that I personally will always back her up, and I know from experience that she will be there for me. But there are friends who disagree with something you choose to do and give you SHIT for it. Um, how can one be friends with someone like that? I don’t know, is it even worth it?
Then there are the evil friends, the ones who stab you in the back every time you see them. Because of the way you’re dressed. Or the way you talk to them. Or the way you react to someone. Yup, I’ve had these friends before. Its scary to end friendships but sometimes you have to. In this case I did, and I am still wondering if I should give them a call? I am just a sucker for friends and the past.