2005-07-14 - 7:59 P.M.

So Tuesday, I went to see the Sounds of the Underground tour at Hi-Fi Buys in Atlanta. First of all, the drive from here to Atlanta seems like it lasts days. It feels like so fucking long, man, but really it's only like 3 1/2 or 4 hours. Anyway, the concert, consisting of just hardcore & metal bands, fucking kicked ass. My only reasons for going were Opeth & Strapping Young Lad, but I ended up liking quite a few of the other bands so it was awesome. Also, I deeply love Devin Townsend (vocalist for Strapping Young Lad) & have made it one of my goals to someday meet him.

I also got sunburnt pretty badly on my face (particularly my forehead) & my neck (mostly just the right side - wtf?). So my forehead has been peeling pretty badly & feels tight - like someone has splashed paint on my forehead. Oh, or superglue. Have you ever gotten superglue stuck on your fingers? Yeah, it feels kinda like that. It's really bugging me and grossing me out. Bah.

Oh oh, and I got a firsthand look at the hardcore dancing that I've heard so much about - particularly from people in New England. I hear it's pretty big up there. Anyway, yeah, it's pretty cool. Of course, there was also metal on this tour so there were lots of pretentious, arrogant metalheads that had to ruin fun for the hardcore dancers. Now, I've definitely proclaimed to be a metalhead at some point & to some extent, I still consider myself to be one, but those guys picking on the dancers make me ashamed to even hint that I dig the metal scene.

During the hardcore bands, there wasn't really a problem because the metalheads didn't dig it & found other shit to do, ya know? But during certain bands, Unearth in particular, it was horrid. The dancers weren't even messing with the metalheads at all. They weren't even bumping into the guys but suddenly, you'd see this huge metalhead just plow through the group of hardcore dancers - pushing them & calling them fags, etc. It fucking pissed me off, man. I really started to kick some ass. There's no need for shit like that. Not at all. It doesn't make you look bad-ass; it just makes you look like a fucking dick. They made me ashamed to carry around my Opeth tshirt & Strapping Young Lad cd because I knew that if the hardcore kids saw me, they'd classify me into that same category of asshole-ish metalheads.

Other than the fucktards, I had a damn good time. I have plans to go to the Van's Warped Tour in Atlanta on the 3rd of next month. I'm going with at least Sparkles, Silas, Silas' wife Brittany, our coworker friend Brittany, & her friend Chris. I've invited Heather & Berkey along as well but I dunno if they'll actually go. Oh, and we're also all going to Ozzfest on August 31st, in Nashville. I'm fucking excited, man. I can't wait to see Shadows Fall, The Haunted, Arch Enemy, & In Flames. Whoo!

I suppose that's all I really have to report right now. I've been talking a little more with Kevin now but not much. We made plans for last Friday but of course, those were cancelled. They always are. It's really starting to get old but I'm trying to be okay with it, because I know he's going through a lot of shit right now that he needs to sort out and deal with. I figure hanging out with me (or anyone else, for that matter) is the last thing on his mind. Still though, if he's not feeling up to hanging out, why make plans to do so? Doesn't that seem kinda retarded?

Yeah, I'm done. Coming up soon: A birthday bash for Berkey & I (his birthday is the 17th - he'll be 25). It should be a blast.

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