Happy List

violetchaos364

Niiiiiiiice!!!

Tempe Arizona

I'm going to Kansas City this week! Very excited. Have to go to a friend's wedding. She says her Cuban relatives are crazy. I'm looking forward to dancing with crazy Cubans. Wee, and the delicious BBQ I hear so much about. Ooo, and gonna be in a place with a Nordstrom again! Gonna check out the Jewish Arts Festival as well. Miss my roots. I won't find a nice Jewish boy there I'm sure, but I can't wait for this trip! Any Kansas boardies out there?

darbie_starpower

have fun tempe!!!

my happiness for the day:

- starburst

- sunkist

- one year ago today i met my fiance

Snack_Cakes

Hope you're having fun, Tempe!

Happy Anniversary, Darbie! (A few days late.)

My happy is that I will be in Chicago with Beckysioux on Saturday!

And that I'll be seeing OK Go in 2 days (and 4 days and 5 days)!

And seeing Violetchaos, Apples_and_Lye, and possibly Toiletdog and sureeyesawake! 

violetchaos364

Your happy has some things in common with my happy!

darbie_starpower

you guys have fun on sunday and i expect a full report, sadly can't make it since my car decided to die...

violetchaos364

Snack_Cakes said:

Hope you're having fun, Tempe!

Happy Anniversary, Darbie! (A few days late.)

My happy is that I will be in Chicago with Beckysioux on Saturday!

And that I'll be seeing OK Go in 2 days (and 4 days and 5 days)!

And seeing Violetchaos, Apples_and_Lye, and possibly Toiletdog and sureeyesawake! 

---

AND JennyHP!

Sunnyside

I get to see OK Go and spend time with some boardies in two days!

Sunnyside

My ghost kitty likes to snuggle.

ChristelAdina

I'm posting this here because, eventually, there's the parts that make me happy. This is a continuation of the age comment of rockchick's and Rachel's that I replied to in the thread about Teeny OK Go. Bear with me, I'm a little loopy (that is, bear with me if you want to read this, otherwise, carry on...).

*Was in a brief conversation with an indie rocker (yes, I mean to call him that), with whom I am familiar, who is playing a show tonight that I cannot attend (incidentally, I know people in both the other bands, too. Oddly, all independently of each other). Anyway, said indie rocker made a derisive comment about a mutual friend's age--we were catching up on what and who we're into since we last hung out in 2006--and I was surprised. I've never put age limits on interests or fandom or passions (certain fashions are for the young, yes, but otherwise, tots to Grans, we're all fans!). I said, "What do you mean 'past it now' YOU are older than her and I am older than you." To which he sputtered, "Oh my God, how old are you?"

As if a 3 year age difference is ever a "gap".  But I'm in my late thirties and he was seriously worried, I guess, that, based on me and other friends, he was losing his younger fanbase (Oooooh! Actually, I can see how that might be scary to some).

When I started this reply, it was going to relate to OK Go. Darn medication. Oh yeah! See, I figure once you're approaching, in, or just out of, college, your peer group becomes, generally, everyone within 15-25 years older, give or take, that shares a particular interest. I base this on me. However, recently, I find OK Go backs me up. OK Go is the best example of this that I've encountered in the entertainment world (oh sure, the extremes are further at, say, a Stones concert, but for ongoing daily fandom OK Go wins). I've met and consider to be my friends some of you who are younger than 20, as well as some who are older than 40. Judging by the fans who go to shows with their folks and/or kids, I think OK Go's core fans run the gamut from early teens to mid 50s at least. Actually, the oldest OK Go fan I personally know is Marcia Berman (some of you with kids might know her music for children, others might know her traditional Jewish recordings, and maybe a few of the LA people will remember her from McCabe's), and she is in her 70s. She asked me the other day if I had "donated to the dog video" (TTSP was apparently her favorite song before, but now it's WK). She may be a bit of an exception in the age range, as a music lover and professional singer, and someone unrelated to the band, but it makes me happy(<-- there it is!) that I can consider someone at least twice my age, as well as people half my age, my peers and friends.

 I used to hang out with a friend of my sister's stepmother, Sue, and we'd see shows and go on rock and roll weekends and all the parental sticks-in-the-mud and older,"responsible" adults would nag and gossip and bitch about how she/I/we (depending on who was doing the disapproving) needed to grow out of it and stop having that sort of fun because she was too old for it and I would soon get too old for it. I never really thought about how old she was or about our age difference--I was 17 when she introduced herself by trying to abscond with the Jagger in Kooyong poster my sister's dad had given me for the holidays. I just figured she was closer to my age than theirs. I don't know what they all thought the appropriate cutoff age for being a fangirl rock chick was (my guess:25), but I do sometimes worry that at some point in the next couple of years or so I'm going to suddenly "straighten up and fly right" or "wake up and act my age" whether I want to or not (It's a very real fear, I imagine it like an old horror movie, pod people take over and you suddenly never crave the combination of sweat-and-amplifiers again. You become a "morning person" by default, drink Chardonnay even if you don't like it and you never, ever spontaneously express excitement by shouting "Hey gorgeous!" at the hot guy on the other side of the room or by dancing around an empty parking garage at 2AM.).

I recently found out Sue is several years older than my mother. She was in her 40s when she first helped me sneak backstage at a big show. She's 62 now. I sent her OTBCOTS for her birthday. She loves it. And that makes me happy.

ChristelAdina

I have made an exciting, if somewhat less-than-scientific discovery that I simply must share even though I am sure you all already know:

CONFETTI CAN CURE ALL THAT AILS YOU

I got so frustrated at my continued imprisonment that I tempted fate and turned on the malfunctioning fire hazard that is my f**ked up power wheelchair and was determined that if I couldn't have food or Dr. Pepper, by the gods I was at least going to check my mail!

I cannot turn the power above its low setting, or there is immediate smoke, so I knew this trek to the mailboxes would be a slow and arduous one. I was not even sure I'd make it down my hall to the elevator (I live on the far SW corner of the back building of my complex, on the 4th floor, the elevator to get to the hallway connecting my building to the front building is in the NE corner, essentially a block away from my door). However, I got there and upon reaching ground level (where I then have to travel about half a block, past the parking garage, laundry, manager's office and the front building's elevator to get to the bank of mailboxes) I had to stop. Or the chair did. It was overheating or whatever, and I was feeling the approach of a panic attack.

For those of you who don't know what happened: You see, I've been saddled with a "dud" of a power wheelchair for almost 3 years. I also have a dud as far as which repair and service vendors I could use (hence still having problems, which have escalated, 3 years on). The last round of incompetence on that company's part had resulted in my being confined to my apartment since September 27. It was really bad. I ran out of everything; food, drink, patience, clean laundry, toilet paper... Everything! There was no coffee, people! One supposed repair resulted in a quick shopping trip on October 6th where I actually did make it to the place around the corner, getting only toilet paper and coffee because I intended to do an actual Big Shop the next day. It didn't happen because they hadn't actually fixed the chair (again) and it stalled in the lobby hallway (again) where the Super found me two hours later and helped me disengage it and push it up to my place. On the 15th, when the chair was returned to me theorectically all repaired and tested (they replaced all the stuff they had been supposed to switch out before), I made an attempt to go to an appointment that is about 10 blocks away. In addition to all sorts of odd noises (which fuckwits at the repair shop later, A) said they didn't hear and B) claimed were normal), about 2 blocks out, I began smelling burning or something. I initially ascribed it to the truck passing me, but by 7 blocks, there were plumes of smoke. I don't know if any of you can picture this, but I sit directly above the motors and batteries. I was riding a bomb. I have severe anxiety issues due to some events of the last 4 years and I used to suffer inexplicable panic attacks (ironically, the appointment I was going to was related to this, even though I hadn't had an actual attack in almost 2 years). Needless to say, I had a major attack as I finally arrived at the appointment, and I had to be sedated and brought home by emergency medical transport (because I refused to drive the flaming wheelchair, obviously. Not because I needed emergency service, just that they are equipped to transport the chair). So that was a week ago and I haven't been out since, because the vendor keeps screwing around on the chair and not allowing me a loaner, and because I am, frankly, afraid of not-so-spontaneous combustion.*

But back to my epic adventure in search of mail and its happy result: I stopped for a bit to let the heat (and panic) subside. Then I very slowly made my way down the hall. Having not been able to check mail since the 6th, I had an overstuffed mess. So I sat next to the nearby recycle bin pulling out and discarding mounds of junk mail as I took slow deep breaths waiting for the radiance from beneath my seat to lessen. I then headed back to the elevator and felt the chair dragging, lurching and getting hot again. One pitch to the side caused some mail to go flying, at which point I heard the sound of a key rattling amongst the stuff that fell. Apparently, it had been wedged inside a magazine, because I missed it when I went through the junk to recycle. A neighbor came past and offered to pick it up for me (I was trying not to drop more as I reached for the scattered things). Of course, having a package box key meant I had at least one package waiting (in addition to the packages that had been stuffed and shoved in my regular box, mind you). This meant another trip back down the hall. It was like I was being tested or running a gauntlet, having the chair on this long was freaking me out. This was not an exciting adventure, I felt nothing like Indiana Jones. I may have felt more like Dante lost in the dark wood. This was hell.

However, I went back. The elevator came and went 3 times, and it's a really slow elevator. I opened the package box and found what I thought was just a box from P&G samples ("I risked my life for travel-sized bottles of Pantene..."), but beneath it was another envelope. From Chicago. A new neighbor was checking her mail at that point and she was chatting away to me, then she thought maybe I was not comfortable with that (because you know, panic probably looks odd to outsiders). I assured her I was happy to meet her and briefly explained my seeming aloof concentration was one part warding off full blown anxiety attack, one part trying not to drop all this mail and one part calculating how far I might be able to fling myself if the chair should explode. I, of course, didn't actually say that. Weirdly, she understood anyway and held the elevator while I made my arduous return trek. She walked me to my hallway and told me her apartment number on the 6th floor, should I need anything. That was nice, but as she just moved in and hasn't got a phone, it does me no good. Some people don't think ("If your chair isn't working and you can't get out of your apartment, but you need something, just come knock on my door. I'm 609."), but I was still fighting the panic, so I didn't point out that if I can't leave MY apartment, then I can't come up to hers. It was too stressful.

Still, I made it back in here. I fled the power chair. I noted that what usually takes 3-5 minutes had taken me 30 and caused more stress than checking the mail ever should. I tried to calm down. I opened the package. 

 

I found OK Go CONFETTI from HoB on 10-10-10 

I felt instantly better! Amber and her friend Bill had purchased me a USB from that show and put it in a small silver box surrounded by a handful of the happiness that is leftover concert confetti! They Rock! I must tell you that, though little silver boxes usually contain jewelry, this is so much better than any pair of earrings!

And, even though I know the USB and the fact that there are fabulous, friendly people like Amber out there are the parts of this story that are making me happy, I really do think it was the cascade of confetti that fell and fluttered from the envelope that alleviated my anxiety.

CONFETTI CURES!

*BTW-I did get my insurance to authorize a switch in vendors, and they seem much more competent (also the first thing two people I spoke with said upon seeing the file was, "Seems like you just got a lemon of a chair from the start." and "Sounds like it was a dud. Why wouldn't they replace it to begin with?"). However, even competent repairs take time and logistical planning, so I am still stranded for a while. And I am almost out of coffee again.

rockchick

Christel in reply to your posting about age, which was enjoyable reading, to me age is just

a number, get a bit worried when looking in the mirror as the face staring back at me is not,

the same age as the teenager in my head

Have enjoyed Rock gigs for as long as i can remember, but the strange thing i have found is,

that when  seeing a young new band i never seem to get many comments about my age, but if

i go to see world famous bands who have been around for years, their younger fans have made

remarks like , this band could be a bit loud for you. I so feel like saying, hang on sunshine i was

having my eardrums blasted long before you were a twinkle in your daddies eyes, plus those in the

band are all older than me, so it cant be good for them either.

I do point out my age when on fan based pages, as it does upset some people, but really have been

made welcome on here which makes me happy. I have yet to see Ok Go play live, but i will for sure when they

come to the UK next. I think Ok Go and Ok Go fans are the best in the world because the whole Ok Go

thing is so friendly, band and fans with one another.

I have no choice in growing old but i damn well refuse to grow up, im happy with me, i love being a fan

of Ok Go, i love all my new boardie friends on here, all this will keep me young and very happy.

squashedbanana

This made me happy :D

rockchick

I love Bill Bailey

DJRose

Rockchick and Christel, I wish we'd had you guys around a few years ago when the OK Go for Grownups group was still around.  Then you'd *really* know how all-ages friendly this fandom is.

rockchick

Cheers Rachel, This is one place that i know takes you for who you are, age no

limit, and the band love thir fans be they 10 or 100 years old.

I just love all my new boardie friends xx

ChristelAdina

DJRose said:

Rockchick and Christel, I wish we'd had you guys around a few years ago when the OK Go for Grownups group was still around.  Then you'd *really* know how all-ages friendly this fandom is.

---

This photo is enough to take years off of a woman, Rachel. I feel like a kid again! Well, not a kid, exactly, uh... I have decidedly adult feelings and thoughts about this photo. However, they are of an adult nature which suddenly realizes it still possesses a distinctly youthful vigor. Um... I'll shut up now (I need to be alone with my thoughts! LOL!).

rockchick

What is making me happy today, well for one i have a week left in the job i have,

not looking forward to being out of work and i do need a job, but happy to be leaving

a place were no on is happy because the boss is a bully. My reason for being out of

work, i would not conform to being pushed around, so i had to go. Still i will get another job

Another reason to feel good, i am meeting some pretty awesome people via this board.

Im in my happy spot in life at the moment.

squashedbanana

Yaaaaaaaay for boardie meet-ups :D

Are you going to London to see Andy doing this speech/Q&A on Wednesday?

Sorry, I still don't know your name rockchick. I'm a bit rubbish with names

rockchick

Name is Christine, chris to my friends, did not know about that, but

would not have been able to anyway, working. Andy is so lovely