The Dark Knight Rises

Now I've been avoiding this post just because I know I won't be able to accurately describe my feelings on this film. But I'll try anyways.


If you haven't read any of my other posts or know me personally, I'll state it again.


I am a HUGE comic book geek.

So this Dark Knight Rises movie was something I've been looking forward to for a while.

Much like the Avengers I went ahead and did the all day marathon... well it started at 6pm, but I got there around 6:30am.  I would have gotten there sooner but I lost my car keys and it took me about 45 minutes to find them. No joke.


Anyways, the marathon, to me, is such a wonderful experience because it allows you to truly be in the moment when you watch the final film. 

Come time to watch it, I knew I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready for the Dark Knight trilogy to be over. I wasn't ready to see to Bane. I just simply wasn't ready. But regardless the film started. (I will try and stray from any spoilers for those who haven't yet seen the film)


From the get go I was on edge. What was Nolan going to do? How is everyone going to be introduced? Is what I think going to happen actually going to happen?


The characters were acted to PERFECTION. Anne Hathaway's Catwoman is probably my absolute favorite Catwoman to date. It was simple. It wasn't unrealistic (I know I know it is a superhero film but still) and the Catwoman tones didn't consume the character it was a slight undertone that I felt was so perfectly the character.
Bane was also perfect for me. While there were one or two spots in the film where I didn't quite understand him it made no difference. He was a strong character and I think Tom Hardy did a fabulous job.
Bane and Batman, if you haven't seen the film, and aren't big into comics you don't know what this is about, but if you have you know. YOU FREAKING KNOW. That scene took the greatest toll on my physically and emotionally. My heart was racing, tears were streaming, palms were sweaty I was shaking uncontrollably and all because of this scene. It was flawless. After the scene ended I just felt exhausted. It took everything out of me which means it was perfect.  They did the scene justice. They really did.
Alfred. This man. Ugh Michael Caine is such an amazing Alfred. I love the character so much and without giving anything away I'll just say it was a perfect example of the Wayne/Alfred relationship. 


I won't say anymore because I feel if I do I'll dive full on into the story and I really don't want to ruin it for anyone. 


I will say this though, if possibly before you go and see the film, watch the first two on your own. This isn't meant to sound like I don't think TDKR can't stand on its own, it very much can, the two previous films just allows you to be in the Gotham mindset.


Also, don't ask me how it compares to the Avengers they are two very different films. One is the closing to an epic trilogy while the other is the beginning of a franchise if you will. That is all.

Politics

With politic season heating up I feel I should just nip this little topic in the bud. So here goes.


There aren't too many things that I refuse to write about on this here blog. I feel if I have an opinion worth sharing, I'll share it. Plus if I can throw in some light humor I will, if not oh well.


However, one topic that I stray away from, both in the blog sense and in actual life, is politics. It is a subject that I feel far too many people are ill informed and much too vocal. It's frustrating to me to see some people be led so blindly and to see others throw out comments and jests that are much too vulgar.


Don't worry this isn't going to be me spouting out what I think is right and how/what I think everyone else should think, it's just a reminder that just because I don't vehemently voice my opinion over every social media outlet doesn't mean that I approve of your way of politics or that when I am questioned point blank I won't respond in a direct manner. 


If you want to have a serious political conversation with me, the key word being conversation, I'll gladly take you up on it. And the point at which the conversation becomes anything but, I'll walk away.


That simple folks and with that said, let the political games begin.

Did you hear that?

I have a very, very bad habit of watching scary movies/shows when I know I'm going to be home alone. 

It could be something as silly as an urban legend, to something as terrifying as paranormal activity.  

During the day I act like a champ, it doesn't scare me and I'm on top of it. But come night time, every sound transforms into a terrible monster just waiting to sink its bloody grotesque claws into my back. Every creak equates to being one second away from sheer gut wrenching terror. 

Needless to say it is almost impossible to fall asleep and I become beyond paranoid. 

The knife does help though. 

It calms my fears. 

Burn Baby Burn

Unlike the catchy 1976 disco song by The Trammps this blog is not an upbeat in your face music number.


It is to draw attention to the unfortunate luck that I seem to have with AC's during the summer.


Truth be told I am usually freezing in any type of situation with a fan on while I sleep. I don't know why but it's true. Fan = Me waking up ice cold.


That being said I do not like sleeping in a furnace either. 

This, good interweb people, is my pain.  This AC broke for the second time this summer. It's 10:20 and the house is at 88 degrees.


88. Wrap your mind around it. I know it isn't wretched, but just a little under an hour ago it was 87. How soon to 89? To 90? To 100?


I can't think straight. The heat. It's getting to me.


Update 7/10:
The AC is fixed. The house is back to a wonderful 80 degrees. YAY!

Warped Tour 2012

I know I said I would post about Warped Tour as soon as I got home unless I was exhausted... and unless I slipped into a 7 day coma (which I didn't) there is really no reason this took me so long.

Except for the fact that I forgot my memory card and my sister had to take photos on her phone which just slowed down the process of photo upload. But regardless here's to Warped Tour!

Now I've split my post into two, one detailing my Warped Tour experience and the other with helpful tips. That way it wouldn't seem like I was writing a novel.


More like a series... 

 We first started off by checking out the venue to understand the lay of the land. 

 I had to pose and take a picture. Look at this guy.

 We also found some free samples of Peace Tea! It was delicious. Shortly after we found beef jerky samples. Ah I love free things.

But back to the venue, there was a row of tents which allowed my sister and I a quick peek into when the different artists would be doing a signing. 

WHOO Warped Tour 2012 line-up! My sister and I stayed mostly at the main two stages. But still wandered around whenever we had a break and felt up to it.

 My sister and I! We just got a free pin from PETA. For the record, I LOVE BACON.  

It was at this point that my camera informed me that I had failed to put in a memory card so 11 pictures was the max. I was ashamed. But my sister began snapping pictures and the world made sense again.

 Four Year Strong was the first band we watched. They were awesome! 

 My sister is a huge fan and since they didn't allow pictures to keep the line moving I snapped one real quick before she got to the signing. They were SUPER nice very cool guys indeed. 

 Next was another of my sister's favorites, New Found Glory. Another great set! 

 Then here's the line to get some autographs. You can see I'm clearly disturbed by the amount of people surrounding me. This was as attractive as I got during Warped Tour, a topic I will touch upon soon.

 I don't know why my sister always looks upset in pictures. I told her to smile. She loves this band. I don't understand her.

 Then the heat got to us so we went into the stands and tried to cool off. It was very, very difficult. Especially since all they sold for food was magma hot substances. Ugh so hot. 

We ended up eating fries with chicken strips. Burning hot mind you. But the ketchup was cold. Ice cold. There was talks of bathing myself in ketchup.   

 Now Warped Tour wasn't always held in this venue. From what I heard it use to be on asphalt with no shade. Luckily they switched venues because there was tons of shade. That shade saved my life.

 Plus we still had a pretty good view of things!

And then the moment of truth. Falling in Reverse.  

 AGHHHHH!!!

 Swoon.

 There are countless more. But I'll stop here.  

It was at this point that my sister and I then ran off to get some signatures from All Time Low, and in the process ended up hearing I Fight Dragons. They were AWESOME! They made this geeky heart soar. I bought the CD just as I passed their tent. If you get a chance find them and listen to them, seriously they are fantastic.

 Again no cameras were allowed but my sister was able to snap this quick shot with two of the members and my right elbow. Looking good.

 




After this, I headed back to I Fight Dragons and got all their signatures. Pretty cool dudes fo sho.

And then we were off again to go get Falling in Reverse signatures. RONNIE! My sister snapped as many pictures as possible.  I thank her tremendously.

 Then we saw Taking Back Sunday! Well we tried to...

 But we got tired so back to the stands we went.

 Then we watched The Used. They did the wall mosh pit thing again. Definitely glad I wasn't down there. I would have been trampled. I would have wept.

 Huge turnout though!  

 Then the mass exodus!

 Dear lord.

 This is the line of folks waiting to get signatures from Falling in Reverse. Note how they are sitting down. They were in line for at least an hour it was crazy. How did I get mine so fast? Well they offer a deal, buy their CD get a jump the line pass and be one of the first to get some signatures. My sister bought me the CD. I love her.

 Alright. I'm very concerned and confused (and a little bit heat dead) in the picture. Why? Girls.
I knew going into this adventure that there was no way I could stay even mildly attractive with the amount of sunscreen and sweat that I would soon have to battle. I figured everyone else would be in the same boat. WRONG. 85% of the girls there looked perfectly normal. And with me walking around like a cat that had been forced into the bathtub, it only made these girls look like supermodels.


Please, inform me of your secrets. How do you do it?!

Ahem anyways, my sister and I then fled our shade haven and went to rock out the remaining hours of Warped Tour. With another one of my sister's favorites, Yellowcard. 

 We were really close to the huge circle pit they got going. But definitely did NOT participate. I'm fragile.

 Then came All Time Low. About time I saw them in concert. They were awesome. I screamed every song at the top of my lungs. Sorry to those around me.

 Then we finished with We the Kings. Old time fan and my sister proudly proclaimed her fourth time seeing them in concert.

She was beside herself with glee.









It was awesome. Heard some great music. Met some great people. That being said, I'll never do it again.


But then, I never seem to keep to my word on this stuff.

Warped Tour 2012 - Tips

Tips for Warped Tour:


Now I'm not sure what the heat is like in other states but it's summer so it's probably going to be feeling just as hot to everyone as it was for us Arizonians. (It hit 109 here!) Now I'm obviously not a Warped Tour vet but I feel that the following list of things to bring is a must for making sure you don't end up in the Medic Room.

1. Sunscreen- Just do it. I have never seen so many bad burns in my life. Be serious about this and you won't be miserable come mid day.


2. Camelbak- I opted for a water bottle this year and wished I hadn't. It's a pain to carry around and hard to take pictures or rock out with a water bottle in hand. Just get a camelbak it's much more convenient. 

3. Comfortable shoes- This one is obvious. You don't want to be restricted to where you go because your feet are killing you. Be smart about it.

4. Matador Beef Jerky- Now I was able to get a free sample at Warped Tour and realized this is the perfect snack!It isn't messy, doesn't dehydrate you and gives you some energy. Plus it isn't hot! All they sell at Warped Tour is hot food so this is a nice change.

5. Money- Be prepared to drop some dough. Whether it's band merch or food you don't want to get 5 hours in and realize you have no money. Also be careful of pick-pockets, my method was to spilt my money in three and place one set behond my phone cover, and the other two sets in each shoe. No one can steal from your shoe.

6. Towels- Bring at least one towel. It'll allow you to wipe sweat off and when temperatures rise you can drench the towel and put in on your shoulders. Sweet sweet relief. Plus you can use it to wipe off previous sunscreen layers if you start to feel icky.

7. Toilet Paper- I'm not sure the kind of facilities you'll be at for Warped Tour but it never hurts to bring some just in case. Imagine being stuck in a port-a-potty with 0 toilet paper. That's what I thought.

8. Hat and Sunglasses- I'm not really a hat and sunglasses kinda gal but I'm so happy I took them both. It's gonna be sunny and sweaty these things let you watch your bands without squinting and keep hair out of your face.


9. Bag- You're going to want to bring something that you can hold all your merch and free things you get. Now this year they handed out some red drawstring bags in Phoenix but I'm not sure if that'll continue for the rest of the tour. But if your camelbak is fancy and has some storage space, then cross this out.


9. Ice- This isn't really a bring ice tip (because that isn't allowed), but if you go to the Medic Room/tent you'll see they are giving the people in there bags of ice to place on their heads to cool them down. The people in there are generally super nice, just ask for a bag of ice and then head back out. It'll be a great relief and in the moment you put the ice on your neck you'll understand the glory of ice. Also I suggest saving this for the hottest part of the day. You can go  back more than once but then that takes away from band time.


If you've got any more tips feel free to comment and share. 


And remember to have FUN! Most of the bands there are super excited to meet fans and sign things, don't go fangirl/boy crazy on them but let them know they rocked the set and such. 


This an experience so experience it!