The Best Sense You'll Ever Meet

But wait, one of them wasn't a dream...

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:01:13 GMT

I had a dream the other night like dreams I often have. I was at a Lifehouse concert, and I was in the very back. I think it was outside, too. I remember standing on a grassy hill at dusk, and the people in the back were further apart. And it was wierd, because even though it was a standing concert, there was an aisle down the middle. Jason was singing something like First Time, and he started walking down the aisle. He walked up to me and gave me two of his picks. I remember being really happy about it, but in reality I'm not the type of person who values physical tokens. I'm not the one who tries to get the picks at concerts. Anyway, after the concert I went out to the bus and the band was there, and I think I got to meet them, but I don't remember that part. I just remember being excited that I had gotten things, and then waking up and thinking, "Well, I should have known. It always turns out to be dream."

But the thing is, that's not true anymore. I used to have dreams about encountering Jason somehow in some weird context, and then wake up and be disappointed. But one time it happened, and it was just as surreal, just like all my other dreams, except it really did happen - it wasn't a dream. So the logic doesn't really work anymore. But the dreams are so strange and vague, and often wordless exchanges, that nowadays I wake up and think, "But that's not nearly as cool as what really happened!" So I'm not really disappointed anymore. My subconscious mind has a lot to live up to.
____________

I don't know if I told you about this one. It was pretty early, like in the fall. I got to the concert early, and no one else was there, even though I was in the concert hall. (which never happens. People are always lined up hours before doors open) So Lifehouse was on the stage, practicing, and I started talking to Jason about homeschooling, because I was homeschooling my sister. I don't know why I was talking about that, because at the time I had the dream, I didn't even know that Jason was homeschooled. Anyway, after the concert, Jason came up to me and tried to kiss me, but I told him he couldn't because he was married. I think that made him respect me more, in the dream. At least that's what I thought at the time. But if that were true, why would he try to kiss me it the first place? He wouldn't. Unless it was one of those French greetings.

pain, bad choices, and God

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:17:59 GMT

I was just thinking how frustrating it is to watch TV characters I admire making bad choices. But nowadays I can just decide not to care anymore if that happens. It's even more frustrating to watch friends I know making bad choices. It doesn't happen nearly as often, and it's usually subtle or ambiguous, but it's real. And I was just thinking today, look how much pain God must go through - he knows every bad choice everyone ever makes, and he cares tremendously about everyone. How can he just let it go when an innocent person does something terrible, and messes up their life completely? It must be torture for him, all the evil that happens, and him trying to salvage people's souls, constantly trying to help people out of their holes of darkness, all the way to the point of no return. And wishing from the bottom of his heart that every one of them should be saved. How painful must it be for him when just one person breaks off the last of his connection, and dives into hell? I can only picture God with his head in his hands, saying to himself, "I loved him so much, and I couldn't save him." And it happens again and again. I can see why my parents and other people don't want to believe in hell as an eternal destination. Of course, I know this image has God as a person who doesn't know the future, invested wholeheartedly in every decision ever made, and hoping that it will be the right decision, even if it won't be. It's a big thing to wrap your head around, but I think I'm starting to see how it hurts God to do evil things. Just like it hurts anyone who trusts you, if they know about it; regardless of whether it directly affects them.

More Anna & Ethan Comics

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:49:15 GMT

Here are some "new" Anna & Ethan comics that I drew a while ago and never got around to scanning until today:

I think this comic will be on hold for a while so I can concentrate on my other comic, which I am inspired to put more work into: Lifehouse: Behind the Video Blogs. There are five of them now. I'm not posting them in my journal, so if you want to keep up, you'll just have to keep checking the gallery.

The Goo Goo Dolls

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:51:23 GMT

They were the first band I got obsessed with. But I never got to see them - I couldn't drive, and no one would drive me. It's kind of sad to think about what could have been. But I never thought I'd get a second chance - I never thought I would go through that stage all over again with someone else. I thought I grew out of it. It's kind of nice, though. But as I remember now, I don't think I could ever articulate why I liked the Goo Goo Dolls so much. I think it was mostly in my head. I mean I liked the music, but I had no idea what it was about, and I had to make things up about what I wanted it to mean. And now that I look back on it, it seems like such a shallow obsession. Makes sense - I was 15 years old. I hardly even remember it.

Lifehouse can't get enough of me

Thu, 08 May 2008 04:11:29 GMT

*Ugh. Not Lifehouse again.*

I know, I know. But I recently found that Lifehouse is going to be at Toms River, NJ on August 2nd. That's a little while away, so I still have time to get all psyched about it. But today I found out that Lifehouse is coming to Point Pleasant, NJ on May 23rd! That's in like two weeks. And, it's free. I don't need to get a ticket or anything - I just have to show up. So, you might think this is excessive, but think of it this way:

1. I'm spending less money on going to concerts this year than I would spend on one professional sports even. Looks like I got into the right field of pop culture.

2. I'm just going to all the Lifehouse concerts within range. I had no idea there would be so many when I started. So it's really Lifehouse who is being excessive - they can't even go a couple of months without seeing their beloved New Jersey and Philadelphia fans. They're from Los Angeles, they're touring all over the country, and they just happen to stop by the Philly area (2 hour radius) eight times within the past nine months (five of which I've attended), and two more times in the next couple of months. So who has the problem here? I think Lifehouse just can't get enough of me and the New Jersey gang.

*An interesting thing about the Point Pleasant concert: it starts at 6 a. m. on Friday. Looks like I have a sleepless night of spot holding ahead of me. Especially since there are no tickets involved - it's first come, first serve.

E. C.

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:43:21 GMT

I'm interested in E. C. Don't ask me why. I won't tell you what it stands for in this case. But I'd like to try it if I ever have kids.

The Hypothetical Questions Poll

Tue, 06 May 2008 04:12:57 GMT

Have at it. You must choose... There's no way out of it. Except if you don't take the poll.
<--(in which case, this is what I would look like)

View Poll: The Hypothetical Questions Poll

I'm not a real Lifehouse fan

Mon, 05 May 2008 20:46:33 GMT

I was just reading posts on forums about people not knowing who Lifehouse drummer Rick's wife is. It never even occurred to me to question it. And I think that anyone who knew how much of a Lifehouse fanatic I am would be very surprised at my ignorance regarding the subordinate band members. Now that I think about it, though, I don't think I really am a true Lifehouse fan - I'm just an adamant fan of Jason Wade, and Lifehouse happens to be his life. He writes all the music, though, and he sings all the vocals in the studio recordings - it's his soul that's in the music. Maybe the drums and bass make it sound better, but that's not what distinguishes Lifehouse from other bands. That's not what makes me love the music so much. It's that Jason sings about what he believes, and I love those things too - I love what he lives for. And everything he's said in interviews confirms that.

INTERVIEWER: "What’s the most gratifying thing a fan has ever said?"
JASON: "There’s a song we had on our first indie record, called Storm, that a lot of the fans have been connecting to. There were these two girls made these big signs that had the name Storm on it. They wanted me to play it but we haven’t played it for years and I felt bad that we weren’t doing it that night because she was crying. After the show, we do the signing for the fans afterward, and she was the last person in the crowd and she came up and basically came up and said she was suicidal, she was on all these pain medications and that song helped her get through a really tough time. I grabbed an acoustic guitar and just played it for her in the dressing room and she just bawled. When something like that happens – that a song can actually be meaningful to someone’s life – that’s the best compliment ever for a songwriter I think."

60% Lifehouse, 30% Anna, 1% Superman?

Sun, 04 May 2008 04:39:07 GMT

I don't remember what the exact statistics were. Perhaps my anonymous stalker can correct me. But supposedly, this is the statistical likelihood that I will talk about a certain subject whenever I say, "Hey, guess what?" So Lifehouse, if you're reading this, you should be highly flattered. Although I would be impressed if you were. Did you also read my cartoon preview about stalking fans on MySpace? And Anna, I already told you, and you should be less flattered than Lifehouse, but still, 30% is a significant chunk. It's probably because you're not around, so I talk about you. And Superman, if you're reading this, I'll be even more impressed than I would be if Lifehouse were reading this. I don't really think you should be particularly flattered, though. I mean you are a pretty significant figure in your realm, you have many fans at this point, and 1% isn't really noteworthy. I am one of your fans, but I think your costume is too garish and revealing. That's my main problem. Good thing I'm not superficial, though. I think it's what's in your soul that counts, not what you're wearing. Oh, and of course your super powers. As for the remaining 9% of you, you should be thankful that I'm not obsessed with you. Or maybe I am, but I'm so ashamed of it that I don't go around proclaiming, "Guess what?" whenever there's news about you. Actually, if you're reading this and you haven't been mentioned, you should probably assume that that's the case.

These Tears

Fri, 02 May 2008 20:54:10 GMT

All these years
All these tears
That I've collected in a jar
When I was lonely, very far
From anyone to see;
Now I take them, old and colder,
Put them in the microwave
And pour them on your shoulder
Where I wanted them to be.

Lifehouse: Behind the Video Blogs

Thu, 01 May 2008 20:15:28 GMT

It's time for the first episode of my new comic! For those of you who aren't devoted watchers of Lifehouse's YouTube channel, here's the video blog for this episode:

How to Open Bottles With Random Things

And here's the comic: Click on the image below to read it.

These comics will also be posted at the Room of Plastic Flowers website, in the fan art section. The collection of comics can also be found here. There are more to come. Hopefully this comic will continue for as long as Lifehouse continues to post video blogs.

Blank Entry

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:56:52 GMT

I was trying to come up with a new entry to write, but ever since Friday's entry, all I can think about is what happened on Thursday. It's funny, too, I was just talking to Anna the other day before the York concert, talking about how I thought I might be starting to get over Lifehouse - not that I wasn't liking them anymore, but I thought my crazy obsessive stage might be coming to an end. And then the York concert happened, and let's just say I think Lifehouse knows how to hang onto their fans. Now my addiction is worse than ever.

Lifehouse Concert #5: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 06:42:43 GMT

Okay, I just have to get this out before I go to bed. I'm still trying to believe what happened at the concert. I'll start at the beginning. The concert was in York, PA. A 2+-hour drive from home, further than I've ever driven for a concert. I was questioning whether it was really worth going, but tickets were cheap, so I decided to go. Little did I know... (suspense)(unless you were there)

Anyway, I got my spot near the front of the line. The tour bus was right around the corner, and I heard rumors that Lifehouse sometimes comes out after soundcheck. Every once in a while I'd walk around to see if there were any signs of Lifehouse. Lo and behold, there was Jason talking to a group of people. I went up to them, and I stood there speechless. Shortly afterwards, Jason left - he had to finish the soundcheck. I was kind of disappointed that I hadn't said anything to Jason, because I don't know if it counts as meeting someone if you just stand a few feet away from them for a few seconds and look at them. I thought maybe he'd come out after the concert, and maybe then I could talk to him, but it doesn't seem very likely these days. I thought of introducing myself as the one who made the Simpsons picture, just so he'd know who I was. But I didn't. So that was that, and I got back in line.

So we got our tickets and all, and I got to be in the FRONT ROW for the first time! That was exciting. I had been in second row behind Andrea, which was almost as good, at the Electric Factory. And so went the concert - it was great. I was singin' along, enjoying the Lifehouse, just like at concerts previous. But excited that I was finally in the front row. When suddenly...

Near the end of the concert, Jason was saying stuff into the microphone, like he sometimes does. He said (and I don't know of the exactness of the words) "So, I see some familiar people tonight," Looking around the room, and in my direction. He pointed at me. "I've seen you before," he said. "Are you the one who made the Simpsons picture?" I wasn't sure he was really talking to me, even though he was looking directly at me, but I nodded shyly, and said "Yeah." Jason continued, "I thought I recognized you. And your name is Sylvia, right?" Again I nodded. "How are you doing, Sylvia?" he asked. I don't think I could get any audible words out at this point, but I probably responded somehow. Then Jason proceeded to play "Better Luck Next Time."

It really caught me by surprise. I still wonder whether it really happened, or whether it's part of a dream that I'm still having. I always have dreams like that. Anyway, this was the best show I've ever experienced. I waited a little bit after the concert to see if anyone would come out of the bus, but I concluded that I was completely satisfied with the evening as it was, and I went home. Maybe someday I'll have an interaction with Jason in which I am not rendered speechless, but not today.

Lifehouse Rebus Puzzles

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:18:22 GMT

These Rebus puzzles are all the titles of Lifehouse songs. These will be especially challenging if you're not very familiar with Lifehouse (except for the first one). If you're a fan like me, you'll probably get most of them right away. Have at it. The answers are at the bottom, so don't look there until you've given up.

Oops I accidentally wrote "Remus Puzzles"

More Comic Adventures

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:12:58 GMT

Read this comic from the beginning.

Comic Adventures: The Story Continues...

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:34:49 GMT

What will happen to Ethan this time? Click to find out.

Honey Dream

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:33:41 GMT

I had a dream that I was asleep and Becky wanted the bean bag chair I was sitting on, so she tried to wake me up by drizzling honey on my head. When I first felt the honey on my face, I realized I was more alseep than I thought, because I could hardly move. Finally I got up, and there was honey all over my hair. I started washing it out, but it took forever. I was kind of annoyed. Why did she have to use honey?

Finally! More Comics.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:41:25 GMT

Click on them to make them bigger.

About My Feet

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:13:11 GMT

One time I was talking to Anna online, and my feet were covered with blisters. "Look at my feet," I typed. I took a picture of my feet, uploaded it and sent it to her. "That looks painful," she typed back.

I never really realized until now how ugly the carpet is. Kinda makes my feet look good in comparison.

Issues With Issues

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:48:22 GMT

It's time to revisit the very beginning of the Bryn Athyn College rival newspaper, Issues With Issues. It all started as a joke (and remains one, as far as I know). Then it kept going, claiming it forced "Bryn Athyn College's Only Newspaper" to change its name. And here I present, published in cyberspace for the first time, the very first Issue of Issues With Issues. And now I will hang my head and confess that, although I did recieve articles for future issues, I did in fact write this entire first issue all by myself. I know, I know. Now if you'll remember back to February of 2006, when BACON Bits was exploding with controversy over the idea of Intelligent Design. Luckily, I put the issue to rest in my charismatic publication:
__________________________________

Issues With Issues
A Cheap Alternative to B.A.C.O.N. Bits

Edited by Sylvia Odhner February 2006

Intelligent Design What the Heck?
By Flylvia Odhniff
What’s up with intelligent design? It’s stupid. It doesn’t exist. What are you guys talking about? The world is a stage, the men and women merely players. In conclusion, I don’t see what the fuss is about.

Intelligent Design Is Not A Hoax
By Syliviar Geographic
How dare you say that intelligent design is stupid! It’s the only way to explain life. I thought for several hours at one time, and I couldn’t figure out anything wrong with intelligent design, and I couldn’t figure out any alternative theories that would work. So there, Flylvia! I am right. End of statement. Anyone who disagrees with me is wrong.

I’ll Intelligent Design You!
By Silvaria Corner
You’re both wrong! You think you’re geniuses, but really you don’t know what you’re talking about! I bet neither of you have done any research!

B.A.C.O.N. Bits Is a Lie!
By Aivlys Rehdno
Everyone knows that BACON Bits is a college newspaper, but a little known fact is that B.A.C.O.N. stands for Bryn Athyn College’s Only Newspaper. This was true about it for a very long time, but is no longer true, according the authorities of Issues With Issues, a new, alternative newspaper. BACON Bits is no longer the only newspaper in the college! Ha!

I Have Never Been So Insulted In My Life
By Ylviasay Odhneray
A while back, I read an article in Issues With Issues, which technically didn’t exist yet, and it was horrible and badly written and terribly sarcastic. I thought, “Who would write for such a newspaper?” So I wrote an article for the newspaper saying how bad it was. Please, don’t give into this trash. It’s not worth your time. Whoever created it must have just been bored one lunch time.
__________________________________________

So there you have it. The first issue. I wish I could link to the rest of them, but these "Issues" are very rare, and can only be obtained by means of subscription. Also, Issues With Issues is no longer my property. I associated it with Bryn Athyn College, and had to leave it behind when I graduated. As far as I know, the only other place on the internet where you can find any information about it is in this Facebook group.

An Advertisement!

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:47:14 GMT

Commission any 16x20 acrylic reproduction - temporarily only $70. Send me a message.

Writer's Block: Spilling Secrets

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:44:46 GMT

What secret (your or someone else's) do you wish you'd done a better job of keeping?

View other answers

That Kendra murders people in the middle of the night when she sleepwalks. Actually I've done a darned good job of keeping that one until right now. Sorry Kendra. I failed you.

This Writers Block thing is revealing. I should do it more often.

Life On Mars

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:20:38 GMT

In response to Stardate by Anne Elliot W.

This whole Stardate thing is interesting to me. I saw a documentary on some discovery channel a few years ago that said similar things - that they found evidence of bacteria on Mars. And when I first read Earths In the Universe (a book of New Church doctrine that says there are, at some point in time, people living on Mars and Jupiter, and they are charictaristically different from the people of Earth), I thought it had to be representative of something else, that it couldn't literally be true that there are people from Mars and Jupiter, what with all the scientific evidence against it, and to believe it, we would be like creationists who believe the world was created in seven days. And I don't really know much about the science of the universe (although I do find it interesting), but I realized later that my conclusion was based on two assumptions:

1. If there had been people living on another planet, there would be evidence of the ruins of civilization.

2. The human race will surpass the life of the planet earth, because we will have found a way to survive without it.

The Future:
I don't know why I made the second assumption. I guess I thought humans are intelligent. We can find ways around the natural cycle of life and death of a species. We have the intelligence and technology to live forever. But forever is longer than I previously was thinking of, when I think about it now. When it comes to the evolution of life, very little has happened in the short span of time that people have been alive, compared to the developmental periods before that. And I have given very little thought to the prospect of an entirely new race of humans evolving on this earth while we are still alive. I mean if it happened once, it could happen again in another billion years, right? Assuming the earth hasn't been paved into a giant city by then. I don't know when the sun is supposed to burn out, but that could interfere with it, I guess. But anyway, I guess people could still evolve on Mars. I mean, we started out as single-celled organisms, and that's what they have on Mars. Although I've sort of though as Mars as the overflow planet - when the Earth gets so messed up that we can't live there anymore, we'll move to Mars and get a fresh start. It's a little cold, but some insert some greenhouse gases and other things, and we could make it inhabitable. Although I somehow have it in my head that if we moved there, we would impede any evolutionary process that was happening there. I don't know why I think so. Maybe because we'd have to change the environment to make it inhabitable, and that would mess up the order of things. So that's why I thought there could never be life on Mars. But as I now look at my thought process, I realize that a lot of these assumptions don't have much reasoning behind them, so yeah. I guess people could still evolve on Mars. As for people on Jupiter: Jupiter is a young planet, and probably potentially inhabitable as well, so the same goes for Jupiter.

The Past:
Past life on Jupiter is a lot less possible, though. I don't really see how it would work. However, there could have been past life on Mars, I suppose, the ruins of civilization buried deep under eras of natural transformation. I think it would make more sense for the people to be from the past though, because Swedenborg saw them in the spiritual world, where there may not be time, but there is progression, so if the people were from the future, why would he have seen them?

In conclusion, yeah. It's confusing but I suspect the universe is a lot different than the way we assume it is. Because chemistry turned out a lot differently than we originally assumed. Who would have thought that atoms would be mostly empty space, the only thing keeping things solid being the electrical repulsion of tiny atomic nuclii? And we really don't know very much about the universe yet, so who knows what could happen? I'm no expert, but that's the impression I get.

Shopping Dream

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:33:57 GMT

I had a dream this morning that I was shopping with some friends (Becky, Skye, Miriam maybe?), and we went into some different stores. I wasn't sure how much money was in my bank account, but I bought some bread and cheese. We all bought bread and cheese, so I felt like I had to or it would be awkward for some reason. And I was pretty sure I had used up my money after that. Then (and this doesn't really make sense, and I don't know how to explain the purchasing principles behind it) the others came back from a different store and said they had bought some things for me that they thought I would buy if I were in that store, and I had to pay for them! I had no idea how to handle the situation without making it awkward, but I just ended up giving everything back and saying "I don't want these things! I can't buy them! Take them back!" They were kind of annoyed at me but what else was I supposed to do? People are so unreasonable in my dreams. I remember that they were things like a really weird-looking hat, some gloves, maybe? and some other things that I would never think of buying. Like a wicker basket.

Ode To Anonymous Stalker

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:21:20 GMT

Whose words these are, I think I know.
His house is in Bryn Athyn, though.
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his house fill up with snow. He he he.