Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Day 14 / One cute afternoon

After reading my chronicle of our visit to The Hive, I know many of you think I'm overreacting, I’m a drama queen or something like that. I’M NOT.

You can see the tweet from #lagordaconchudaesa here:

Look carefully the message she speaks ONLY about food, she did not even say our names but she does not forget to say PIZZA or CHOCOLATES.

BTW, Work perk? QHdP... Work, pork...

Whatever, after lunch, we went to a coffee and after take a few huuuuuge ones we remember that the Coffee shops do not have bathrooms. OMFG Can you believe that? We had to use the restroom of a gas station which certainly had no friendly employees.

Then we went with “Coffee cupcake” to one Shopping Mall. (YES we are addicted to shopping). Was a lovely evening with our German friend. We enjoying a snack together and then Eugenia and I left to the train station because that evening we had scheduled the trip to San Diego.


It was hard to say goodbye to Jana but I wish that life would soon rejoin us. We arrived at the station, with our tongue out, and the train started to move before our asses was comfortable in the seats.

San Diego... there we go!!!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Day 14 / The Hive second chance

Around noon we meet Coffee at The Hive’s door. When I say The Hive, I say “the new one” because, as we all know, “the original one” was closed in March. Sadly, the new place located next to the original, is not the same at all.

Anyway our trip would never have been complete if we didn’t go there.
This time it was also our second chance for The Hive because we made our first before going to Las Vegas.
The place was open and Robbie and James were working when we arrived. An old proverb says: “the first impression is the only that counts”... Our first impression there was YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE.


Immediately we decided to change our strategy. As I said before was about noon so, we decided to go and return with a giant pizza and drinks.

I am still not sure, even now, if something changed in my first impression however I am sure of one thing “Music soothes the savage beast” and “Pizza soothes the The Hive members”. (Especialmente a la #gordaconchudaesa). I mean she takes about 10 minutes to greet us when we got to the place and less than 2 minutes to get dishes for pizza. LOL.

We had lunch sitting on the mythical pink sofa after that when we went for a coffee.


Before we left James tweet this message for the rest of the Echelon at home.

We went out after mission accomplished feeling deep in our hearts YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Day 13 / Coffee Cupcake’s Day

The most important of “the day 13” was that I met “Coffee Cupcake”. “Coffee Cupcake” is not a place to drink coffee and eat cakes, “Coffee Cupcake” or just “Coffee” is the nickname of my dear friend "Jana". Her friends got her that nickname for obvious reasons... she drinks coffee all day and loves cakes.

I might also add that she is sweet and tender like a cake and at the same time she is so fun to keep you awake like a coffee.

I had met Coffee before, in Kyte, but I had never seen her face to face. Jana lives in Germany, she went to LA to help his artist friend to prepare an exhibition.

Eugenia and I went that night to the exhibiti
on to meet her.


The place of the exhibition looked like a lesbian’s convention but Phill’s work is very good.


We were very tired so we share a few drinks and snacks with our friend and we went to sleep.

We agreed to find us the next day to visit The Hive

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Before Coffee Cupcake’s Day

Before beginning the story of our “day 13”, I forgot to tell you a couple of incidents at airports.

Incident 1 Eugenia "The Terrorist" - Location: Tucson Airport.

The counter clerk for the airline, when I tried to check in, gave me my boarding pass but when I ask for Eugenia’s pass he shook his head and said: WE HAVE A PROBLEM. I thought of course we have a problem WE DO NOT HAVE TIME SIR.

The employee tried to explain that Eugenia's name was on an FBI list of terrorism suspects and for that reason could not board the plane until to check that information. I like the “designated translator” told my friend the news. Of course she thought it was a joke... that was not.

Eugenia
is a very common name and she have a very common last name too, she is Eugenia Rodriguez (a kind of John Smith in U.S. version). But the problem is even worse because she have two nationalities and obviously two passports... this was TOO MUCH for poor employee. He spend almost an hour to check my Eugenia Rodriguez was not the Eugenia Rogriguez that the FBI was looking for.

Incident 2 - Paola "The dangerous drug dealer" - Location: Phoenix Airport.

I was starred the second incident in the baggage check line in Phoenix Airport. When my luggage cross the scanners, a security man approached wondering to who was that suitcase. The suitcase was mine and I had to accompany them for a revision.

I almost died of laughter when I realized they were doing drug testing with my chimbote milk candy. LOL

Monday, July 19, 2010

Day 12/ Come back to L.A.

We went back to LA from Tucson with a stopover in Phoenix, however nobody told us we would have to change planes.

Of course change planes means having to leave and re-enter the boarding area and that means TIME and there is almost NO TIME between flights. LA REPUTISIMA MADRE QUE LOS RECONTRAMIL PARIO!!! (Sorry i don’t want to traslate that). So we run again.


After this marathon to catch our second flight we arrived in LA.


That afternoon we went to Hollywood to see the famous stars and the iconic sign in the hills.


Eugenia take photos of each of the stars she saw including people who she did not know. I take only 2 pics and one of them was for my sister in law Gaby. We walked a long time in the area.

While we were walking aimlessly, we find a store, than our words could be defined as a “Disneyland for music lovers” a miracle called Amoeba.



If you're a music lover, you live in LA and you do not know Amoeba, very wrong for you, you should know about this place. Located on 6400 Sunset Blvd. Amoeba is the the World's Largest Independently Owned Record Store. My brother, surely, would have called “God make a music store”. We bought everything we could find of Mars.

In front of this store we find a very nice restaurant where we had lunch. The owner is an Argetinean who living in LA for many years.

In the afternoon we tried, without results, to approach to the Hollywood Sign for taking better pictures.

The Hollywood Sign: It’s more than just nine white letters spelling out a city’s name; it’s one of the world’s most evocative symbols – a universal metaphor for ambition, success, glamour …for this dazzling place, industry and dream we call H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D but damn this thing is in the ass of the world.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Day 11 / Tucson Episode 2

The concert was OK but the people OMG seems they play rough in Tucson. We met some girls from Mexico and we promised them we would come close to the stage. It was not an easy job but it was worth the effort.

Obviously we got near the stage... Mexican girls lost their way. I think there were too many blows and thrusts for them. Argentines are warriors is in our blood is part of our DNA.

Anyway at one point I lost my sight Eugenia and, when I met her again, she was hitting and cursing in two languages to a poor child which had the damn idea jumping over the heads of the audience.

The set list wasn’t very extensive but we enjoyed every minute. It was a completely different experience to the show in Las Vegas. In Tucson we could feel “the heat of the crowds” and to be honest we felt the feet, fists and an occasional hand in private places from the crowd. HAHAHA!!! Seriously... we could feel it.

During the concert the echelon of Phoenix lined up to the sign copies. We did not have CDs we could not buy CDs neither... but thank God Jeremy exist on this earth.



“Little” Jeremy was the genius who managed to get me in that line. I will remember this wonderful moment for a long time. THANKS JEREMY!!!



Our guys signed my echelon flag. Here a picture of this unique moment.





How we come back to the hotel is another story... but that night was wonderful. We love you brothers and sisters of the echelon.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Day 11 / Mesa – Phoenix -Tucson

The day began with a useless trip to Phoenix. We wanted to go from Mesa to Tucson. The receptionist at the hotel bought bus ticket’s to us from Phoenix but the first stop road to Tucson is Mesa so... Why she did not buy tickets from Mesa? I know people here in U.S. used the car until to go to buy bread but i think, at least people who work in service to the tourist, should know that there is a bus stop one block away.

Anyway 3 hours later we arrived in Tucson. We went to leave our luggage to the hotel, to eat something and then began the tortuous task of arriving at the premises of the festival.

Believe me this place was in the middle of NOWHERE. We use a bus then another bus and we were still very far. Almost two hours later we were in a place called, affectionately by locals, T.T.T or Triple T that means Tucson Truck Terminal. Two beautiful girls who hardly speak English in a Truck Terminal, can you imagine that scene? Truck drivers looked at us as if they had never seen a woman. LOL!!!

We immediately decided it would take a taxi, we do not care whatever was the rate. On the desk we ask them to call one by phone. When she said that two girls wanted a taxi I could hear the other side of the line TWO GIRLS??? HAHAHAHA is a fact they never seen a woman there.

The taxi’s driver liked carousels... que HdP I would liked to kill him but the only thing I wanted was to get to that DAMN place.

When we finally
arrived we find Jeremy. Jeremy is an echelon of Phoenix who also was at the concert in Las Vegas.

He wanted to know my opinion of the show and the support bands. I
was so concise and lapidary – I hate Neon Trees and I really enjoy Street Drum Corps. I told him and I add I loooooooooooooove Bobby Alt. He looked at me and replied – Bobby is right here, want you to know him? OMG why not?




That way we met the brothers Alt. Wooooohooo... and Bobby’s little dog of course.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Day 10 / The crazy raid

That morning we had to travel many miles in a few hours. The route was Las Vegas / Los Angeles - Los Angeles / Phoenix - Phoenix / Mesa.

Yes, three states in one day.

NEVADA – CALIFORNIA - ARIZONA

Yes, three states in one day. HAHAHA


A few days before the start of our trip, we found out about the cancellation of the band concert in Mesa, but we had even the concert in Tucson and was very difficult for us to switch all reservations so we went to Mesa anyway.

I have not much to tell about Mesa. Perhaps only two things deserve to be mentioned.

A very funny was waiting for the bus recent arrivals to Phoenix. A boy, who was sitting on the curb, hearing that we were talking in a foreign language wonder where we are from. I answered that we were from Argentina and he said ohhh… What are you doing here in Mesa? I replied then: Don’t worry I ask the same question myself.

The other was at the front desk of the hotel where we stayed. We had ordered a taxi to tour the city, we were very tired… remember, three states in one day, Eugenia sit in a huge armchair and approximately two minutes later she fell asleep there. That's not a big problem, the problem was that I could hear she snoring from the other side of the hall. LOL.

We did not have anything to do. Guess what? Yeah baby… we went shopping.

Day 9 / The War is won & After-show

Unfortunately, when I was very close to getting up on stage, a guy who looked like a huge mountain stopped me.

First I tried to explain Jared had chosen me but he did not understand or did not want to understand. So then I just start to insult him… in Spanish, in English, in whatever HAHAHA

My dear Gaston would say – Que vida injusta (T.N. That unfair life). I thought about getting on anyway, but I did not want to end in jail.

Nothing was going to ruin that night. Nothing. After a while struggling and kicking I abandoned the attempt and enjoy a full orchestra final.

When we left the place and I went to get some drinks, some soft drinks. While waiting for my sister we do not stop to chat about the concert and, when she finally came out, we do not stop to chat about the concert.

OMG OMG OMG… I just finished reading the blog of Eugenia… How could I forget what Tomito said the day we met, He was hugging us and at one point said – We are sharing some love… AWWWW OMG How could I forget that?

LH leads us to the hotel. On the way I discovered some people can do more than one thing at the same time. She, certainly, can drive, sing to the cries and see photos all at the same time. LMAO Plus, she don’t killed us on the road.

She also can drive, sing to the cries, see photos and kiss a picture of S in the camera. I have proof but, this life sucks... but anyway I love this life, that's the only reason why I'm NOT going to show you that picture

In the hotel she took our “putas” baggage. She also saw for the first time her baskets. There is no love at first sight, but… will exist love at first scoop?

Was a great night from start to finish. I would have liked to share a little more time with my little sister but I have a hunch, if life brought us together it may do so again.

I put here some photos of that wonderful meetings's night. Echelons I will take you in my heart forever.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Day 9 / The Concert - Chapter 2

Already passed the initial impact we really enjoyed the show. I almost hit an idiot girl who was ahead of me. She was all the time complained because other people touched her. You are in a rock concert BITCH!!!, not in one of the Philharmonic so Fuck YOU!!!

At one point Jared stopped playing the guitar and pull his pick to the audience. There had more than two thousand people… Who got it? I got it. I am a damn lucky girl.

The first half of the concert was very quiet and relaxed, the situation changed dramatically after J attempted to sing a few songs in acoustic version… IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AUDIENCE. By the way, he started with “Hurricane”, my favourite song, but a small child from the public touched the heart of Jared asking for Kings and Queens. LA PUTA MADRE QUE LO PARIÓ (T.N.: sorry i don’t have traslation for that). After that everything was a chaos.

In the middle of that chaos, I remembered my dear “GIRLS OF CHAOS” and her famous words “…we are lovers not fighters except when we are at the pit” Well spoken girls!!! I was at the pit… The “I ALMOST hit an idiot girl” lost the “ALMOST” on the road and I end up facing the stage. Cool.

I do not stop jumping for a minute. Who had a knee surgery? LOL

Ok ok you going to talk less and show more pics.

Then the end was near, Jared saw my flag and he chose me and others to go on stage to sing K&Q. The people, who were all around me, was really nice helping me to transgress the security fences (I had a bruise for three weeks).

To be continued...

Friday, May 28, 2010

Day 9 / The Concert - Chapter 1

Lights out, the bustle grows, PUM PUM PUM!!! Here are, these are Street Drum Corps. But wait a minute, what's that? Who is that piece of meat for export? Woooaaaooo…

Let me introduce you Mister Bobby Alt.


He is cute even with striped tights.

I had heard his music and knew I was going to enjoy their performance but Bobby was undoubtedly a plus. My God, when he sang I miss you… I miss you… I almost died.


Sticks and stone
s, a broken home,

I don’t want to be a
lone.

I miss you. I miss yo
u.

I know I can’t mak
e things right,

I just want you back in my life.


I miss you. I miss you.



The show they do is amazing, is powerful and full of energy. Everyone waiting for more but time is tyrant. My dear Bobby leaves the stage and the place is occupied by Neon Trees. EEEEWWWWW!!!

I did not like his music, I did not like his esthetics and I really really hate their singer. He spat someone from the public, he touch herself on stage OMG, again, I really hate that guy.

Nothing will convince me otherwise. He's a stupid fat and unpresentable man. I will not say a word more about this band.

Approximately 10 minutes after they finished Jared surprised us with a tweet with a pic included OMG his hair was very blonde. Tamara, Eugenia and I look at that picture thinking… “could be worse"

Then the curtain fell and the silence was shocking. The time had come. This is War.

Of course It’s Murphy's law “if something could be worse, will be worse” Jared had his Mohawk of furious-pink. Why, mother of God, why?


Find the 5 differences:


Ok the microphone you have one already...

To be continue...

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Day 9 / Pre-concert Episode 2

We still had to wait long and I was getting nervous because my echelon sister did not come. She had our tickets so if she didn’t appear there would be no concert for us.

The security men of hotel not letting us form the line and asked us to circulate within the casino but my friend forgot his ID at our hotel and she has a baby face so… she could not stand in line, she could not be in the casino area, they would not let us practically live. POR DIOS SANTO!!!

The poor girl had to surround the entire building only to go to the toilet. Ohhh I forgot she could not smoke neither. GIVE US A BREAK!!!


Around 5 pm they finally allowed us to form the line. We were very well positioned, before us only the VIPs and the three pairs of Golden Tickets (those damn lucky girls).

A moment after that LH show up. Believe me, she had driven a car over 5 hours, she had no makeup, she wore sportswear and tennis shoes but she looked like a Barbie doll. (I bet she will come here to read this and she will say it is not true). To enlarge her beauty she had in her hands the huge box with our new t-shirts and our tickets for the concert that night and for the Festival at Tucson.YAY…

She greeted me and one of the first things she asked was if I had seen Slayter. I was not seen the "mocoso" (T.N. “brat”) there and we NEVER see him. The boy NEVER came. GRRRR…

LH had obtained a “special pass” in return for filming the concert. I was very happy for her but it meant that we were not going to share the show. AWWWW

Later he told us a very funny anecdote. She and her husband almost die in a traffic accident right after she saw the giant sign announcing the concert. Then she made her “happy dance” for first, of many, times.


This happy dance is one "things" crazy and indescribable. Something to die of laughter.

About 7:30 pm, half hour later than they had promised, they let us enter the theatre but they only did that to make us form a new line inside.

At 8:00 pm we ran downstairs to occupy our places. We were very very close to the stage, good, one more time the long wait and patience had been our allies.

Soon... Day 9 / The Concert

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Day 9 / Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour & Pre-concert Episode 1

I was going to get on a helicopter Woooohoooo!!! The guy from the tourist agency picked me up promptly at 7:30 a.m.

When I arrive at the airport, for a moment, I felt a little scared. The helicopter, in the distance, looked like a mosquito… What the hell. I would be thousands of feet off the ground sitting in a mosquito? However, when I was ensconced in my seat, I discovered a nice sign on the control panels that said:



This made me laugh so much that I forgot where I was sitting. Ohhh I almost forgot to tell, when I was climbing into the cabin I'm wrong door and I was close sit in the pilot's seat LOL. That would have been a suicide trip but could have been a good title for a fable “P piloting a mosquito” LMAO.




What I can tell about this tour… the views are amazing and the experience of flying on those huge cliffs a flood of adrenaline. Everything was so incredible that I did not remember, in all that time, the agenda for this afternoon.





Back at the hotel Eugenia was waiting for me in our room. She had managed to order breakfast and I congratulate she on this. What I mean is, she finally did it, alone but she quickly told me she had asked for someone who spoke Spanish in the cafeteria… HAHAHA

We went to Subway to get some snacks and drinks and from there we went straight to the Palms.

It was around 2 pm when we arrived. Of course there was hardly anyone there. You must be crazy or very anxious to go many hours before. We are mad and we were anxious but we were not the only ones. There were a small group of local echelons.

The guys of Mars had organized a small hunt with 3 pairs of Golden Tickets but our fucking (puto) BlackBerry never worked to follow the clues. That “thing” runs though to read a message from J who said:

You can imagine what we did. We ran, as insane persons, looking for the hotel shop. We were like 8 by this time. Then a hotel security man, saw us looking for something like desperate, he approached one of the girls and asked – What are you looking for? I and any other person consistent would have said the hotel shop… but she stared fixedly him and unperturbed she answered JARED LETO!!! (Que HdP) no comments.


Coming up... Day 9 / Pre-concert Episode 2

Monday, May 24, 2010

Day 8 / Mars Guys

J appeared on the scene and I told him we were from Argentina and we had nearly 15 hours of flight.

He hug me. I can not find a way to express what I felt at that moment.

He was adorable but it is difficult to embrace the guy of the posters on your wall. So I felt a little embarrassed and I try to push away him.

Then he said - No, no, no, no, no, give me another hug. AWWWWW. Ok baby you want it, you have it. Now will have to come armed forces to rescue him LOL!!!

We take this pic… if you look carefully, as my sister LH did, you can see that is a historical photo.

Try again, can you not see it?

Ok let me help you with this photo’s detail with zoom. Can you see it now?


Yeah… J he has a bottle of pomegranite dyeing in his hand. This is probably the last picture of him with his "normal" hair. I mean normal, nothing is normal in J.

Dyeing and Dying there is only one key of difference between these two words, very very close, what a funny coincidence a little later our guy's hair dying under a horrible coat of dyeing. One irony of life. A “colourful” irony. Sorry I’m a poet.

Later came Tomito. Had I said before I had felt a little embarrassed with J? HAHA
HA I say that only because I still had not seen Tomo.

He hug us, one on each side of his arms, and
literally started to scream – Argentina, they are from Argentina, watch them Tim they are from Argentina. He scream and he crawl us all over the place for long time.

He is so sweet, I think he is the best.
Look at that cute kitten t-shirt he have on the pic. Is not he cute too? Yeah…

He asked us if we
had heard some of the sound check. We did not but none of that was important at that time. The long wait had obtained good results and it was all that mattered.

Shannon was still missing. As always we had to wait more for him.

Not much to say about him. He does not speak, he amost does not smile, he just does nothing. He only was there invading the place with his perfume.

I do not know why but I'm sure, if you ask all the people who have known him, which is what their remember most about Shannon... they will respond - He smell very very well.