If someone could explain..

How i lived so long without a blackberry in my life, that would be good, because right now, i dont know how i could live without it and its awesome little applications.

and BBM. God, i love BBM.

Things that make me smile.

This Cyanide and Happiness strip:

Disney (OH SHUSH YOU.).. Especially Aladdin.. ("WAKE UP AND SMELL THE HUMOUS!):



New kids on the block.. and being this close to new kids on the block:






(above pic taken from the Hammersmith apollo where i was one row back. ONE FUCKING ROW BACK.).

I could go on forever but that is enough happiness for one entry.

Snow

when they said it was going to snow, i thought it would be Londons regular snow feature.. you know, less than an inch, which quicky turns into black ice, causing many old ladies to break hips.

Little did i know that i would wake up to what only can be described as a winter wonderland.. enough snow hitting my face to feel like a million kisses, and inches of the white stuff that go halfway up my calves.

I love the snow. I love snowed in days. And i love sleep more than anything. Best life.

I love Wall-e

You can get Wall-es that dance to ipods.

I NEED ONE.

If he doesnt make you smile, you are not human.

"SUNSHINE, LOLLIPOPS."

life long dreams.

If someone had told me 17 years ago when I was 13 years old that I would be going to see New Kids on The Block, not once, but twice, I would told them they were crazy.

If someone had told me that, as I stepped onto the escalator at the O2 last night to go the highest level of the arena furthest away from the stage, that Char, Davey and Lynne would be stopped, and our seats would be upgraded to seats pretty much on the floor, I would have not believed them (TWO THOUSAND AND MINE!!!!)

I sang, I screamed, I cried, I felt like a 13 year old girl. One of the best nights of my life, and I was so happy to spend it with two of my best friends (even though I think that they thought I had lost my mind about 10 times last night).

Round two tonight. I CANNOT FUCKING WAIT.

"30 is the new 25"

Thats a message I got this morning.

Happy birthday to me!!

:)

Blogs

Updating a blog that isnt personal is not as easy as it looks, and many music blogs, ESPECIALLY hardcore blogs, start out so well, but then trail off into oblivion where the authors lose interest. Believe me, I know.. I update this one far more than London Calling (which will have an update tonight, by the way).

World Moves Fast, started up by a bunch of dudes from Boston, is the "Heat magazine" of hardcore blogs. Short posts, lots of pics and to the point. The blog is regularly updated, usually a couple of times a day, with a vast array of content, links to articles, links to videos on you tube.. everything you could want. The site also has a number of interviews which you might be interested in.

Go check it out. It doesnt disappoint.

Oh and i really want that trife life shirt that mission merch are doing. Damn the pound being so shitty. I have to wait to get stuff. Urgh.

Crisis in Gaza

One of the aspects of hardcore that I was most attracted to when I went to my first couple of shows in '97 were that bands had something to say. They were politically minded, knew the wrongs that were happening in the world and weren't afraid to be vocal about it.

Rarely do I meet a hardcore kid these days who I can have a real conversation about politics with.

Rarely do I see bands who have ANYTHING to say onstage other than "straight edge".. "not straight edge".. "fuck shit up".. etc etc etc.

YOU HAVE A MICROPHONE IN YOUR HAND AND A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE LISTENING TO YOU. Utilize this!

I stated today that if I could sing, I totally would be in a band that talked about important issues.

Please read this:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5474016.ece

Its an article by The Times newspaper (unbiased media) about what the Red Cross found when they went into Gaza.

Please note the most important part. There were FOUR CHILDREN SAT NEXT TO THE CORPSES OF THEIR MOTHERS.

All the internet warriors can defend all they like.

What is happening in Gaza is a complete atrocity, and if you do not believe this, you are an awful human being..

The situation has been declared a humanitarian crisis.

Over 600 Palestinians have been killed. Thats 600 people who will have mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers and friends. That is 600 people who will have funerals, 600 people who will be mourned for. Children are included in this number.

All media is being denied the right to report from inside of Gaza since NOVEMBER, when the conflict began but was not reported widely.

But there are pictures from BOTH sides here.. I will post the one that struck me the hardest:

http://cache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/gaza_12_31/g25_17436795.jpg


That is someones husband.

....

You were too young to die so suddenly.

Rest in Peace, R.

30 is going to be a good year.

My first present came in the mail today. Sick of it all S/T 7" first press, 2nd press, and potential for a fall.

I am going to complete my SOIA record collection damnit.

Thank you Dave Heck. I love you dude.

:)

When its snowing, look up to the sky, close your eyes and let the snow fall on your face. It feels like someone is giving you hundreds of soft kisses. Its awesome. I love the snow.

Go make a difference.

There are protests against the atrocities happening in Gaza tomorrow in London town. They begin at Embankment station at 12.30pm and I urge people to attend.

There are also more protests across the south. Details can be found HERE.

With over 400 Palestinians killed, and thousands injured, it is important that you educate yourselves on what is going on there.. Read up on this. The source used was an unbiased mainstream British newspaper.

Its oooh so quiet

I love Spike Jonze. Pure genius.





For the record, I HATE crushes. I like the quiet.

One for you boys.

I am obviously not your average girl..
i cant get past getting here to take her trousers off. BAH.

http://virtualunderworld.net/arianeb/dategame.htm

SEND. ME. STUFF

I love getting stuff in the post.

Send me stuff. Its been at least a year since someone sent me something awesome.

Pls? K? THX!

Goodbye Astoria

The Astoria, one of Londons most famous music venues, is set to close its doors, on my 30th Birthday. The Astoria, The LA2 (the place i went to my first ever gig at), Metros and Sin will all be demolished to make way for the new crossrail service and a bigger Tottenham Court Road station.

Rumours that the venue was to be shut have been circulating as far back as 1998, with concrete plans for the demolition announced in 2007.

I have seen hundreds of bands at both the Astoria and the LA2 ranging from Bush to Sepultura, to Hatebreeds first ever UK show to Bad Religion.. When i was 16-18, Friday nights were spent at "Rockscene", and we would always move on from the Dome to Club X at the LA2, where we would take over a corner and make it ours till 6am.. then walk up to Charing Cross Mcdonalds, have breakfast and get the first train home....Those were the days..

I have fond memories and not so good memories of both venues, and in all honesty, while both are shitholes, it is a shame that we are losing yet another venue in London. The Garage has gone, and now three more music venues and a club are going as well. Londons live music scene will suffer, especially as there is no other venue that is sized as the LA2.

Anyhow, it seems that Rancid was the last time I will ever have attended the venue, and what a way to say goodbye.

Shame.

2009

(check out joeys sweeeeet kicks.)

Never again.

2009 is upon us. 2008 was the year of change. 2009 is the year that I rid myself of everyone that has let me down and filling my world with people that will not do that, be it people that I knew already and people that I am yet to meet.

Goodbye to the old and hello to the new!

Funny how

the fact that Muntaser Al- Zaidi was being tortured after throwing his shoes at ex US President, George W Bush, was something that very few media outlets decided to report on whilst many arabic channels chose to. "Democracy" at its finest.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/17/george-bush-shoe-throw

Can always rely on the Guardian though.

Long live the British press.

Hardcore.

* Summer 2008. Im sat in the merch tent at Ieperfest waiting for the slew of bands that I wanted to see start, wishing that I had had a couple of extra hours sleep and laughing at some kids in animal costumes.

I turn and look to my right and spot Aram Champion setting up Betrayed merch a couple of tables down.
"Charlotte. Am I imagining things? Is that Aram and Betrayed merch??!"
Charlotte turned and nodded, looking equally confused.
I walk up to the table grinning, ask if they are playing. He grins back, "Yeah we only found out ourselves a couple of days ago!"
Betrayed had not been announced before we left London for the fest, so it came as a huge, and very much welcomed shock, possibly one of my highlights of that summer.

From my brief interactions with Aram, he has been nothing but polite and courteous and comes across as extremely intelligent.

I came across this interview today and it is one of the best interviews I have read in a long time, so I thought I would forward it onto you.. Pay particular attention to the Tony Victory section.

http://stuckinthecity.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/aram-speaks/

** It takes a lot for me to get excited about bands nowadays. Maybe because I am getting old, possibly because I feel I have heard it all before. But then I come across bands like The Mongoloids, and they give me hope and faith. With vocals that have been compared to Paul Bearers, they have an awesome raw edge to them that had me hooked the first time I heard them last year. They toured Europe last Summer with Trash Talk and there is word that they will be back this summer, hopefully not missing out London as they did before.

To tide you over till then, they have just put out a new song on their myspace above so check it out.

*** Deathcycle, one of the few bands that I wanted to see live, are splitting up.
We get every band and their son coming through town on the back of a shitty, badly recorded 7" and the good bands never make it over? FUCK YOU.






and finally.

An open letter to the pressurefest organisers.

Dear Men.

Sick Of It All are playing in Gothenburg the same weekend that Pressurefest is probably going to be announced. Please put them on so that I do not have to choose between fests.

Thanks

M xxxxx

BIRFDAY

I REALLY WANT THESE.. SIZE 5 (THATS THE PROPER SIZE THING CONVERTED AS WELL).. CLICK ON PICS FOR LINKS. IF YOU LOVE ME YOU WILL GET THEM FOR ME. HAHA




I did also want the alkaline trio nikes in size 4.5s (uk) but the only place that sold them in england is now out.

BAH.

Night Terrors

Trying to explain this condition a couple of weeks ago to a friend, I found myself not knowing enough, and not being able to say anything other than "well, i have had them for a long time, I get them sometimes, but I also sleepwalk, and talk in my sleep."
When asked what the cause of my night terrors were, I couldn't answer him... so I decided to look it up online.

While i don't usually cite Wikipedia as a source, I found it to have the simplest explaination..

"A night terror, also known as pavor nocturnus, is a parasomnia disorder characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness. The subject wakes abruptly from slow-wave sleep, with waking usually accompanied by gasping, moaning, or screaming. It is often impossible to fully awaken the person, and after the episode the subject normally settles back to sleep without waking. A night terror can rarely be recalled by the subject. They typically occur during non-rapid eye movement sleep."

I generally don't scream, not that i am aware of, but I have been told I moan loudly.
The thing is about night terrors is that you dont ever remember them. They are basically nightmares that you forget. People said to suffer from night terrors also suffer from anxiety attacks (which I do) and also often sleepwalk, something I also do but very very rarely.

I have not had a full nights sleep since I was 12 and even if I am not having night terrors, I will wake up maybe 7 or 8 times a night, and sometimes will not be able to get back to sleep. Let me use last night as an example of how badly I sleep. Two nightmares that I am aware of (thus not being night terrors), I woke up after one at three am, stayed awake, watched an episode of Psych, and went back to sleep at around four. I then had another nightmare, woke up at 5.30am and didnt get back to sleep till 7am. During the first nightmare, i woke up twice, going straight back to sleep, and only the once during the second.

The weirdest thing about this?

I love sleep more than anything ever. Hahah.

I wish i was 14 again.

life was so much better when i was in love with luke perry and buffy the vampire slayer was on constant rotation on my video player (and the film.. not that rubbish series crap... which, by the way, was a travesty.)

Go West-King Of Wishful Thinking
by adiis

the best.

This is from a Patrick Wolf song, the best lyrics being:
" and let no foot mark your ground, let no hand hold you down....Be your own hero, be your own saviour, send all your suffering into the fire."

Pnut Jewelry

One of my favourite parts of the last short tour i did was when Rusty brought out his boxes full of handmade jewelry. To say i went nuts with it all would be understatement. I was like a kid in a candy store. I have been after something by him for a long time, and to actually be able to hold and touch what I had been looking at for months on end was awesome. I spent far too much money... but it was all worth it and im bummed out i didnt have anymore money to buy more stuff..

Go check his stuff out and get something for your loved one:

PNUT JEWELRY


and while you are there, buy me the necklace above.