I don’t really have any secrets, so I Googled “ten secrets” and one of the top responses was “10 Secrets Men Keep From Women.” The list is from a personal blog and I have to say, though I’m usually not much of a feminist, JoeRocket at yourtango.com pissed me off with this one:

7. A man’s willingness to put up with a women’s b.s. is directly proportional to how hot they are. Yes, men will kiss a beautiful women’s ass for sex, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get the same treatment.

I just don’t even know where to begin with how wrong and perverse this statement is. My gut reaction is to say that this “Joe” guy is probably some fat, hideous middle aged man who lives in his mother’s basement, never to be married or even get a date, unless it’s with a she-male he met while larp-ing - but, then again, that could be interpreted as an insult to transexuals or larp-ers, neither of which I mean to offend. And I don’t know why we, as Internet users, always imagine creeps to live in their mothers’ basements, but that’s not my point.

This list is sexist, as if women only exist as sexual objects for men to toy with and lie to. But, more than that, this statement in particular is shallow and degrading. As if the women reading this list are most likely ugly and, for that reason, are undeserving of devotion or, at the very least, attention from men.

Who’s to say someone is attractive or not? And who’s to say we want your attention, anyway, Mr. Rocket?

you should also remember the unfortunate suicide of Jan Paul Beahm, aka Darby Crash, of the Germs, on December 7, 1980. Normally, a musician’s young death would make them immortal - Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious… But Crash’s death was over-shadowed by John Lennon’s assassination.

I only heard Eyedea a couple times before he passed away. I thought he sounded cool, and I thought about listening to him more but never did. I just looked up some Eyedea & Abilities tracks today and I love them so far. I feel like a “poseur” for listening to him now, but I’m really digging his stuff. Even if I hadn’t heard him at all, I have total respect for anyone who can freestyle like he did and it’s sad to lose anyone at such a young age. R.I.P.

A friend of mine recently read Chuck Palahniuks’ Invisible Monsters. I have read this also, and I was impressed by the complex story line and characters. My friend, however, got something completely different out of the book. She was inspired to do something crazy and big. To explode her comfort zone. That, she said, was the line that stuck with her most (286).

This bothered me, because I haven’t read a book that affected me like that in so long. The one book that comes to mind that really moved me to act out was Notes From The Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell, which I read the summer after my freshman year. I just graduated high school in May, but that still feels like a lifetime ago to me.

I have read moving books, and books that stuck with me, sure. But I haven’t read one that made me want to act out. To live life to the fullest and not give a damn. I want to feel that.

Any recommendations?

Part One: Waiting in Line

If you’ve ever gone to Warped, you know the drill. Wait in line for an hour or so, get bombarded by up-and-coming bands trying to sell you their CD, EP, whatever. And, if you have a friend like mine that is easily sold - you or your friend end up buying them. Here’s a lesson - hold out on buying from these guys unless you brought a lot of money.

I’m all for discovering and supporting new music, but Warped is an all day event, in the hot sun, and you need to save your money for water, Gatorade and food. Otherwise, you’ll end up in the medic tent - which is no fun at all. Another issue, though, is my friend bought CD’s from the first few guys that approached us, ran out of cash, the ATM was inside the venue, and the next band was actually really good. They were cool, too, they not only walked around with and iPod to listen to samples and CD’s to sell, but carried an acoustic guitar and played us songs in an intimate, party-sorta setting. Unfortunately, in the picture they posed in for us (we make almost everyone we meet pose in a photo with a Waldo doll, because we’re cool kids), we can’t see the name of the band on the CD in the guy’s hand and we can’t remember what it was… Whoops.

Part Two: My love of Motion City Soundtrack

Okay, so I’ve been to many concerts in my 18 years, including now three Warped Tours, but this was a particularly incredible experience. Close behind seeing Blink-182 in 2009 on the list of abso-f***ing-lutely amazing events - Warped 2010, where I met 4/5 of Motion City Soundtrack! (They’re one of my favorite bands, what can I say?) There was one problem with this experience. Not that I didn’t meet the entire band (congrats on the baby Josh Cain!), but that we weren’t allowed to take pictures with the band, or even stick around and chat. Get your autograph and go - cool Altec! Whatever, I got them to sign a copy of their newest album My Dinosaur Life - which 1. got five stars in AP Magazine! (but I can’t find that review on their website so read this one instead) and 2. I only paid eight dollars for at their merch table and got a free poster. Frugality for the win!

As well as meeting the band, this was my first time seeing MCS live. To sum it up: They sound amazing. Justin (Pierre, lead singer) is adorable in a nerdy way, cleaning his glasses between songs. And Jesse Johnson (keyboards) is the coolest guy ever. Seriously, just watch him play live and you’ll fall in love.

Part Three: Meeting Jac Vanek

After entering, finding the schedule and figuring out who we’d see when, we walked around to see all the merch tables. We stopped by Jac Vanek’s tent and the girl working it was a pretty red head in big sunglasses and a hat. I thought she looked familiar, but didn’t think anything of it.

We moved on, but shortly after, I flipped through a magazine a vendor handed me and bam! there she was: Jac Vanek. I’m not a huge fan of hers, so I wasn’t aware that she had dyed her hair red. I went back to her tent, somewhat apologized for not recognizing her. I told her that my sister was a huge fan, and that she hoped to be a model when she grew up, as well. Here’s my thought: if you’re a fan and would like to meet her - go for it! She’s really cool. And if you don’t know her, check out her table anyway… She’s really cool… Yeah..

Part Four: Tyson Ritter is A Saint

I’ve seen The All-American Rejects once before, in 2005, I think. That was actually the last time they played Cleveland, until this year’s Warped. That show, they opened for Fall Out Boy. It was the first time Fall Out Boy hit 50,000 bodies outside they’re home town, so it was a huge show. However, this performance kicked way more a**. Tyson (Ritter, singer) came out in a white tux and for the last song, which was ‘The Last Song’, he ordered the audience to crowd surf as much as possible and make the security “do their d*mn jobs.”

Better than the performance itself, however, was that Tyson was hanging out at their merch tent, unofficial and unannounced. He was just talking to people and handing stuff out for some charity he’s involved with, or something. He announced to the small crowd that had gathered around, that after the tour sometime, he’s going down to Haiti to help rebuild houses. How sweet is that? Seriously.

Part Five: Other People/ Bands/ Etc.

I only watched three bands’ sets in their entirety. Those bands were Every Time I Die, Motion City Soundtrack and The All-American Rejects. They all put on an amazing show. One thing I loved was how Every Time I Die’s lead vocalist told the crowd that in the case of the many “sh**ty bands” on the tour, you can judge a book by it’s cover. I later saw The Summer Set preparing to play the song ‘Young’, and their singer complained that many of the other bands on the tour said that other bands sucked. He told the audience not to let those guys judge them and to just do what feels right and have a good time.. Gee, wonder who he was referring to..

I ran from seeing MCS, to catch the end of Four Year Strong’s set. A friend told me that they supposedly sucked live but I will dispel that rumor right here: They sound just like the album live! If not better! I honestly thought they were electrifying (good adjective?). If I hadn’t been, like, exhausted from the heat and somewhat waiting for their set to end so I could go find a vendor selling Powerade, I totally would have been in the pit.

Other bands I saw included Andrew W.K. (awesome! loved the ‘triangle pit’), Sum 41 (very exciting), Polar Bear Club (while waiting for Sum 41 to come on), Mike Posner, Anarbor,  and Bring Me The Horizon (biggest circle pit I’ve ever been in - but I didn’t participate, I stood on the sides). I had hoped to see Set Your Goals, but missed them waiting to meet Motion City Soundtrack (totally worth it).

I also discovered three new bands on the Kevin Says Stage and the Ernie Ball- Battle of the Bands Stage. Shorelines End rocked out the Kevin Says Stage, and I stopped by their merch tent after their set to find the singer bleeding from a gash in his head. Simply awesome. Another band on the Kevin Says Stage caught my eye because of their geek-tastic name - Set Phasers To Stun. Besides having a sweet name, they sound pretty good live.

The band I watched the most of, and got the biggest kick out of, was The Sparring. I walked past the Ernie Ball stage with my friend, Olivia, to go see Attack Attack! on the Altec Lansing stage. I noticed that the vocalist for the band was in the crowd. I decided I was too hot and tired to stand in the sun and watch Attack Attack!, so I went back to the Ernie Ball stage to sit in the shade. That’s when I witnessed the singer insult the crowd. He ordered the fellas to start moshing - I mean ordered. Then, for another song, he organized a girl-only pit, and afterward told the guys that they sucked and they were all pussies. The highlight of the event however, was when a girl walked through the open space, right past the singer. He yelled at her the entire way, calling “Hey Polka Dots! Why don’t you stop and hang out, Polka Dots? Yeah, keep walkin’! You go watch that sh**ty band! GO WATCH THAT SH**TY BAND!” Priceless.

Part Six: Slight Disappointment

When given free literature: read it. Like my opening up to a random page of that little magazine and finding out that I had just unwittingly met Jac Vanek, sh*t happens. In that case, I had the chance to turn around and actually meet her, but you don’t always get those chances. My only two complaints about this day: I didn’t see Set Your Goals play because I was waiting in line to meet Motion City Soundtrack (worth it), and I didn’t go to the Hopless Records merch tent and get The Wonder Years’ album, ‘The Upsides’ for five dollars because I didn’t leaf through AP Magazine’s program until after the concert. Oh well, what else is Youtube for then listening to music?

Tomorrow, I will be attending the Vans Warped Tour. I’ve gone twice before, but this will be my first time going with out my dad. Growing up is weird. Anyway, I’m very excited.

I like the big festival-like atmosphere of Warped. Also, it used to be cool knowing that everyone there was part of a community, and that if you fell down, someone would pick you up. I don’t get that same feeling anymore. Now that many of the bands have gotten more mainstream, there are a lot of people there that aren’t part of that community. I hate to say “poseurs” but it’s the first word that comes to mind.

When I went in 2008, I got a taste of this. The crowd for the then booming Forever The Sickest Kids was quite a bit larger than intended. The crowd was so tightly packed together, it was almost unbearable. When the band started, the crowd started swaying in a giant, sweaty mob. Swaying gave way to shoving, and shoving gave way to moshing. Moshing, however, is a little difficult when there’s barely room to move - feet ended up where heads should have been and people were almost laying on top of each other. It was insane. But it never should have happened - who moshes to powerpop!?

Answer: No one. Except dumb little scene kids. Or, ya’ know, “poseurs.”

Despite the fact that acts like NeverShoutNever, We The Kings, and Mike Posner will surely attract a younger, more mainstream crowd - and though that crowd will probably come to bring out my bad, lets-start-fights-at-shows- side, I will enjoy myself.

That is because: 1. I love shows and I haven’t gone to one in a while. 2. I’ve been dying to see Motion City Soundtrack live for a long time, and I also really like Four Year Strong, Sum 41, Set Your Goals, and a few others that will be there. And 3. if some annoying, little punk starts slamming into Olivia and I, we will gladly push them back.

Anyone else have a similar experience? Or do you completely disagree?

Day 5 is a song that reminds you of someone. I thought, at first, that this would be a fun one. A week or so ago, a friend and I were in her car and she was playing old songs (like Riot Girl by Good Charlotte, Almost by Bowling For Soup and Stacey’s Mom by.. Google says.. Fountains of Wayne?). We sang along to these nostalgic songs, and laughed at the kids we used to be.

Unfortunately, though, I think most songs that remind me of someone, are sad songs that bring me back to something bad that happened. Like Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here reminds me of my brother that passed away two years ago, and I Miss You by Blink-182 was my first boyfriend and I’s song (‘cause couples always have songs in junior high, ha). Some songs remind me of the friend that first introduced me to them (Kathryn introduced me to Pure Morning by Placebo and Kathryn and I really don’t talk anymore).

The songs that I can listen to happily, that may remind me of someone are probably songs I heard at concerts. This is because, even if things can’t go back to how they used to be, those are still good memories. So, here’s to being late to see Panic! At The Disco because Kenzie forgot the tickets at home, to fighting with that drunk guy before Mindless Self Indulgence, crowd surfing to Angels & Airwaves and starting the f—-ing mosh pit at Blink-182! Because memories should be good things.