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.

*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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
( Click to start )

First Time
We’re both cooking up something
We’ve been afraid to try.
It’s easier to be choking
On what I can’t identify.

Looking at this, holding my breath
Afraid that I’ll get poisoned to death
I’m taking a chance putting it in my mouth.

Chorus:
We’ll have to start all over again
It’s as bad as the dirt that’s under the sink
We’re trying to cook some food for the first time.
Well maybe it’s bad, I think you’re right.
I think it belongs in the garbage tonight.
We’re trying to cook some food for the first time

The mold that I see inside this
Waiting to come to life
Is stinking up all the kitchen
Attracting all sorts of flies.

Looking at this, holding my breath
Afraid that I’ll get poisoned to death
I’m taking a chance putting it in my mouth.

(Chorus)

We’re trashing
Our dish unknown.
I think we fried
A chicken bone.

(Chorus)

( More parodies! )

Okay, this concert was the best I've ever been to. The first concert may have been more exciting just because it caught me off guard and I didn't know what to expect. But this time I got there really early and got in line with the few people there, who were also really big fans, and had been to all the same shows as me. So I started to put names and faces together as I identified the people from the forums, and chatted with them for a while about our previous shows and whatnot. So that was good knowing I've made some connections. As for the concert itself, I got my best position yet: Second row, behind a short person, right in front of center stage! Lifehouse was really good, and I was ecstatic, having let go of my preconceptions and expectations and worries. Jason's voice is better. The people I was with were really into the show. So after this one, I've decided I'm not going to just call it a year and say goodbye to Lifehouse. I'm going to York on april 24th to see them again. He he. I just can't get enough. Good thing they like Pennsylvania so much. I guess they can't get enough of us, either.

I'm done posting things from college. But Lifehouse concert week is still upon us, as tomorrow is Lifehouse at the Electric Factory. There are several things that make me more confident and less nervous about this concert than I was about the one in Allentown. For one thing, I have my ticket already (my Allentown one never came and I had to be on the list). For another thing, I've been to the Electric Factory before, and I know they're not going to pull a 21+/-21 separation barrier on us. For another thing, it's a weekday, so the line won't be so long so early. For another thing, Jason's getting better as far as I know. I think this one will be better. Oh, and the title of this entry only refers to the first sentence.

Something you may have seen and an explanation
If you haven't been keeping up, and it's a lot later than it is now, you may have been subject to one of my publicly delayed Lifehouse posts, my index of song meanings. If not, good for you - you're on the ball. I sometimes post things like this privately at first, and wait until I think all my friends have passed that date on their friends pages. Then I make it public so that I can post the link in fan forums, but my friends don't have to see the post. If you're curious, you can click on my Lifehouse tag and see what I've posted in the past that I hid from you. Anyway, if you did read the index of song meanings, I'm sorry.

By the way, if anyone knows how to make public posts that don't show up on friends pages, I'd like to know what it is. Also, some people do things where they post the beginning of something and hide the rest behind a link. How do you do that?

This is just a collection of quotes by Jason Wade from interviews and concerts where he's talking about the meanings and inspirations behind his songs. I found quotes for all the songs I could and organized them by song. If you find any quotes from songs that aren't listed, leave a comment so I can add them.


( Click here to see the index. )

Well it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but I blame the Crocodile Rock Cafe for that, as well as Jason's recovering bronchitis. Several issues - this one didn't affect my experience, but the 21 people were trapped behind a barricade about 10 rows back! I had made the right decision by sneaking into the under 21 line, because I had a feeling something like that would happen. So I was about 6 rows back - a decent position. But security kept hassling this one woman, claiming she had jumped the barricade, when she claimed she hadn't. She was furious, and eventually they just left her alone. Then this line of people holding hands cut in front of us. I don't know what that was about. I think security led them through. Anyway, I saw Matt Nathanson perform for the first time, and it was enjoyable. I only knew a couple of the songs, but all of them were really well done. It wasn't even too loud. Lifehouse was great. They weren't as good as they were before, though. Jason's voice sounded strained because he's still recovering from bronchitis. Someone gave him a get-well card, so maybe he'll be better at the Electric Factory on Thursday. I wish I'd gotten to meet Jason afterwards, but the same thing happened that happened in Lancaster in the fall. Jason was sick, so he left right away.

Boy, concerts really wear me down, and now I have to go to that carrerlink place. I woke up at 8:00 this morning starving. I hardly ate anything yesterday. So I got up, still dead tired, and here I am, with a concert hangover. (I didn't drink, but I didn't really drink either.) It just comes from ignoring all my physical needs for one day and standing for hours and hours. I think on Thursday I'll try to get there really early and try to meet the band before the concert.

You might think it's late because it's 4 a.m., but let me assure you, I'm only awake because of Lifehouse. First of all, there's a concert on Sunday, which it approaching rapidly, and I needed to borrow Coleman's GPS so I can get there without getting lost. I had to wait until 2:30 for that. Second of all, there's a heated discussion on all the message boards that I had to check when I got home. Some band was told by a venue that they could open for Lifehouse at Hartford, and the venue told them at the last minute that Lifehouse wouldn't let them. So the band wrote an angry blog about Lifehouse being divas and not supporting local bands. As it turns out, Lifehouse didn't even know what was going on, and the venue mistakenly double-booked their opening time. So the message boards are all full of Faire Harbor (local band) fans trashing Lifehouse and Lifehouse fans defending Lifehouse and it's so interesting that I have to keep up with it. As more information comes to the surface, it becomes more evident that the irresponsibility rests with the venue, and neither band was at fault. I knew from the beginning that the Faire Harbor blog had to be biased and inaccurate, but it relieves me to know that Lifehouse did nothing wrong. Still the heroes they are.

Update:
Details about the Lifehouse/Faire Harboure misunderstanding, if anyone should be interested. Gogonutz summed it up and posted all the primary sources.

Get off my back! It's for the concert.

These are the most hilarious dreams that fans posted on the Lifehouse forum (not mine):

bitter and tainted:

"here goes another lifehouse dream... well, i was at one of their concerts (obviously dying of excitement) when all of the sudden jason jumps off the stage and comes up to me. i was gonna pass out!!! so we just stood there looking at eachother and after a while he said "you smell like garlic..." lol. i was like "really? thanks!" and then he just walks out......don't ask me what that means."


NAZH26:

"I was watching lifehouse having a concert on tv then suddenly it became reality. I was on the front row and right in the middle of the stage, I look up to the band and I saw Ben in the left and Rick right behind him playing the drums then in the middle was Jason and on the right was Bryce. all the mics was in the middle and that's where Jason was standing. JAson was only holding a mic and this guy comes in to the picture with a guitar. I thought to myself is this guy part of the band?
Then they started singing the Joke, but it was really short and it ended right after it started. Then the guys left and came back without any instruments and started lining up i the middle of the stage. The new guy yelled "this is our new song just for you," and he pointed right at me. Their line started with Ben then Jason, The new guy, Bryce, then Rick. Then the song Dirt Pop by Nsync comes on the speakers and the guys started ripping their shirts off! I was like wow! is this still part of the concert?
but the funny thing is they all had shirts under which is the same exact shirt that they just ripped except for Bryce. Then they started dancing to the song. I was laughing so hard and I was trying to focus on the guys. They even did the worm dance back wards and they did some break dancing and b-boy poses. When the part of the song turn to the part when the "dirty" was echoed. Jason started singing the high note part of the song, but when I looked at him he and the new guy was wearing a bronette long haired wig. and I was thinking, is this going to be part of their new tour? are they going to perform this on the LA concert? is this still a Lifehouse concert?
Then my alarm went off and I woke up."


Chimichanga:

"I had one a few nights ago that was kind of weird. Like, jason lost his voice or something. He couldn't talk at all, not even whisper, but he could only sing like normal. So whenever he said something, anything, he had to sing it. Him and Rick were at my house and we were eating fried chicken and jason sang, "will you pass me the butter please" but it was to the tune of the end has only begun. So i threw the butter at him and then he put it on his chicken. Then we were in my room and he had a guitar and was singing about the color green.
I don't know where all this came from. Maybe I should stop eating so much KFC..."


Lisssa:

"Well I had court this morning, I will spare you the details. Anyways, I had a dream that I went to court and my lawyer wasnt showing up. All of a sudden the door behind me opens up and it was Jason wearing a clown outfit, had big hair and everything, but no makeup, so I recognized him right away.

When he walked in the judge was like, can I help you? and Jason was like, yeah, im looking for melissa. At this point, I knew he was talking about me so before i can answer jason starts calling out my name. Melissa, melissa, where are you? Dont be shy.

Finally I stood up and said im melissa and he said ok, follow me. He then starts walking to the front of the court room and i follow him up there.

Then he said how about some music and begins to play his guitar but doesnt sing. Everyone is just looking at him. He doesnt play very long and then stops and says ok we can begin now. And then says he is familiar with my case and asked me if I wouldnt mind if he represents me. I was like ok.

Then it started to rain really hard in the court room. And the judge told everyone that we could go home. And Jason is like No.. I have an umbrella.

then the alarm went off and that was it.

Weird dream but kind of funny. It actually kept me from thinking about my case for awhile."


Lisssa:

"I had a dream that this guy bought me tickets to go see Chris Daughtry of American Idol. But it was supposed to happen the same night as the LH concert that im going to at House of Blues. So I was torn about what to do and the guy is like we will go to both. I will call up Jason and tell him to come to the united center instead and I was like ok. So he did. Anyways, neither one wanted to open for the other band so they both went up there on stage. The weird part was that Jason was singing feels like tonight and daughtry was singing HBAM but both were singing at the same time, yet you could understand them. Then out walks the guy from Staind and he had doughnuts with him and offered them doughnuts while they were singing. It was very weird...."


dmarie2:

"Ok, i had this dream that i went to one of their concerts, had a great time. Waited in this very long line to meet them, finally it was my turn and Jason looked at me and said "Hey, how is it going?" I say "great" I give him my shirt to sign, and he signs it, hands it to me and i look down and it says "CHEEZE DOGS" on it. I just looked at him and he says "what's wrong?" and Bryce and Rick turn around and they hand me these hot dogs with cheeze all over it....and they say "CHEEZE DOGS anyone?"

I started screaming, then I woke up. Ok, that was scary...."

Well, I thought about this game that I thought of and played with Melanie. One person thinks of something they're slightly embarrassed about, and the other person tries to guess what it is. It usually takes a while, because you have to guess whether it's something the person did, something that they do a lot, something other people do - and then you have to guess the context, what was said, et cetera. So, I was playing and one of my things that I'm slightly embarrassed about is how often I write entries in my livejournal about Lifehouse. Well... I'm so tempted. Must... resist... urge...

So, nice weather we're having. Actually it's freezing, and there's nothing pleasant about it. Um, I had a bunch of things I was going to do today that I put off. Yep. I guess I'll do them tomorrow. Well, then. So how is everyone these days? You guys all content? Hmmm. Well, I guess there's nothing else I should write at this time. EXCEPT THAT LIFEHOUSE POSTED MY SIMPSONS LIFEHOUSE DRAWING IN THEIR MYSPACE!

Oh, shoot. It slipped out.

Update on 2/17/08: By request, I'm posting the picture right here:

Here's the story: Jason Wade from Lifehouse did a Q&A session. I asked him whether he'd save me from drowning. He answered me here:

Lifehouse's blog

This I posted on February 4th (I was giddy, like it says) but on February 12th, I was talking to Anna about fan fantasy fiction, and she advised me to write a story about the incident. So here it is:


"It sure is a good day for a vacation," said Rick.
"Right you are," said Jason. "Let's break out the boat and go on a cruise."
Jason and Rick went out for a cruise on their little boat. Jason lay down and relaxed in the sun.



"Aaaaahhhh." said Jason. "I'm so comfortable, nothing could make me move from this position."
Rick looked out at the lake - it looked so peaceful. No one else was out. Except there was this one little disturbance in the lake's perfect surface. It looked like someone was drowning. "Hey, Jason," he said, standing up and leaning forward, "It looks like someone's drowning!"
"That's nice," said Jason, "But you're not getting me that easily."
"No, I mean it," said Rick.
Jason sprung to his feet and looked at the water.
"Wait, I need to get a better look," he said. He put a T-shirt on over his other shirt, then looked out across the lake with Rick.



Sure enough, someone was drowning. "I can't swim," said Rick.
"Neither can I," said Jason, "But we should probably throw them a life line or something, at least."
Jason and Rick drove over to the place where the person was drowning. There they saw a woman flailing and screaming, "Help! I'm drowning!"
"Here, grab onto this," said Jason.
"Okay," said the woman. And she climbed into the boat. When she got her footing, she stood up and looked at her rescuers. When she saw who they were, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"Are you all right?" asked Jason.
Then she passed out and fell backwards, back into the water. Jason and Rick looked down at her, unconscious in the water.
"Hey," said Jason, "-- I gave it a shot."
"Yeah," said Rick. "I'd say you've done your good deed for the day. Come on, let's break out the other case of beer."
"All right," said Jason. Jason and Rick relaxed in their boat for the rest of the day.

*Sigh. When will it end?*

I was just realizing this about Lifehouse. I don't usually understand song lyrics very well, but I've never heard any Lifehouse music that expresses anything mean, scandalous, or of questionable content. But it's extremely personal. Jason is Lifehouse's song writer, and he describes performing as being like reading a page of his diary in front of lots of people. And the music portrays him as a compassionate, trustworthy, humble person trying to figure out how to lead a good life. So it makes me like him as a person.

Well, I just thought I'd spill the good News. Lifehouse just put up fresh tour dates, and they're coming to the Electric Factory on April 3rd. I know it's kind of early to be excited, but I know that few things can stop me from going to see them then, and it's nice having a set date to look forward to. I think Matt Nathanson might be there, too, which would be a bonus. I really like his music. Okay, I'm done. Now you can write me off as an idol-worshiping teeny-bopperish groupie.

Jason Wade, regarding his parents' divorce:

"I really disagree with a lot of things that the church does - the Christian church. Just religion in general, I see a lot of things that seem off. I saw firsthand how someone like my dad - maybe he fell, maybe he made some mistakes - but then people from the church would basically say, 'You're going to hell.' And turn their back on him. To me, God is all about love and mercy and compassion, and I don't see a lot of that today."

About Lifehouse:

“My music is spiritually based, but we don't want to labeled a ‘Christian band’ because all of the sudden people’s walls go up and they won’t listen to your music or what you have to say… I think we have a positive message of hope. We're not trying to blatantly preach, it all comes down to love.”

-Rolling Stone Magazine.

I just found out that Lifehouse, formerly known as Blyss, formerly known as Bliss, is even formerly known as being a part of "Formerly Known As," a Christian church group (FKA). I know you're sick of hearing about Lifehouse. You can tell from the userpic when I'm going to talk about them. Anyway, I just found some old (terribly recorded) FKA music. It doesn't sound very good because of the recording quality, but I'm starting to understand how archaeologists might feel when they find ancient ruins of something they've been studying that tell of an aspect of the subject they've never seen before.

Sometimes it's hard to see
That I am more than my obsession
When I fall and I regress
Into the life of someone else.
Nothing will ever be
Quite as good as what you've done
And I can't see past you.
Your pedistol, it blocks my view
Of everyone.
So stay atop your shelf--
I'll admire you
I'll live through you
And I won't have to look
At myself.


I wrote this when I was obsessed with Lifehouse, but it's a pretty universal concept.

So, I was thinking of this PST's Winter Wonderjam thing. I don't think it's worth getting a ticket, because it's a seated concert in a huge stadium with like four bands and it would be expensive to get a good seat. And I only want to see Lifehouse. But when I went to the concert in Lanceaster (which was sold out), I overheard this girl on her cell phone behind me in the crowd at the stage waiting for the opening band while holding our standing spots, and she was talking to her friend who didn't get a ticket, and couldn't get in. Anyway, her friend was on the phone saying she was outside the building and she met Lifehouse when they were coming out to go out to dinner. There weren't any other fans outside at the time. Everyone else was inside, holding their positions at the stage. But somehow Lifehouse gave her a free ticket and she got to see the concert anyway. So the moral of the story is, don't get a ticket, but wait outside by the tour bus so you can meet the band AND get to see the show for free! Sounds like a good plan to me. I think I'll try it.

Hi, there. If you've been following, you probably know that I love Lifehouse. Last night, I went to Lancaster to see them again. The show was great! I was in the 4th row with a great view. I moved from the 3rd row with a bad view, but it was worth it. The place was really narrow though. I think it sold out because it was so small. Anyway, in the middle there were "technical difficulties" so Jason played un unplugged session of requests--some songs from a long time ago, before their first album came out. But he just played the chorus. After the concert I went stalking outside the tour bus, and sadly, Jason didn't come out because he wasn't feeling well and he had already gone to bed. Rick and Bryce came out and talked to the fans, which was cool. I wanted to meet Jason, though. Maybe someday.

Hi-diddly-ho, neighbors. I changed my default picture. The last one was too depressing, so I guess I'll only use it when I'm depressed. I've made up my mind. I'm going to Lancaster to see Lifehouse yet again in a little more than a week. The last concert has just gotten me so psyched and obsessed, and Lifehouse probably won't come back to the area for at least another year, probably more. But after I left the concert, I had this overwhelming feeling that I wanted to go back, that I didn't want it to be over. Maybe it's selfish, because I don't have much money, and I still owe people. But how often do I get to do things that make me so happy?

This was so exciting. Last night, I got to see Lifehouse in person for the first time, at the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey. I had to wait a long time for my spot, but I ended up standing in the 3rd row back from the stage, right in front of where Jason was singing. It was better than I expected. I know they could see me. At first, during the opening bands and the setup, I started getting uncomfortable from standing, but when Lifehouse came out, I forgot about it and I didn't want the show to end.

I was reading Lifehouse's blog the other day, because I'm into Lifehouse. They have a myspace page, and every time they write, they get about 85 comments within a day from their fans.

I had an idea, and I wrote it here, but it sounded dumb, so I erased it. Sorry. 4 points for you if you guess what it was based on the precedings. I'll give you a hint: it has to do with stalking people, and it's not about Lifehouse.

Well, technically speaking, tomorrow's the concert, so I should probably be excited about Lifehouse anyway. So, if my 85 fans could post their adoring comments now, please. And no dangling subordinate clauses.