The Linkin Park Concert

Last Monday I went to a Linkin Park concert. I had been wanting to go to it for a long time but I couldn't find a way to do it because t he tickets were really expensive and it was all the way in Sacramento. Then I got an email from Music For Relief asking for volunteers for the concerts so I jumped on the opportunity and emailed back saying I could. After I emailed saying I could I asked my Bestemom if I could do it (our family is big on volunteering so I thought she'd probably say yes) and she said that if they had me volunteer I could go. The next day I got the reply saying that I was one of the 6 volunteers. That all happened like 3 weeks before the concert. Then the day before the concert I got a phone call to confirm that I was still able to do it. So the next day I went to the ARCO arena in Sacramento where the concert was going to be. I had to be early because I had to help out with setup. I thought it was so cool to be there and I even got to go in through the security entrance. The setting up was easy. Once the doors were opened we would talk to people about what MFR is and how it works. It was created in 2000 when the tsunamis hit to help people with shelter and they continued it to help people in New Orleans and Florida. They started working with Habitat for Humanity and Plant a Tree after the wild fires in San Diego and they also want to inform people about global warming and help stop carbon emissions. We met the guy that does all the videos for Linkin Park (that was really cool) . After the first opening band, we set up a table for the band to sign posters for people. After they were done we got every thing packed up and then went to our seats because the show was starting. It was SO fun to help with all the things that we did. The concert was awesome, but at that point most the people were drunk so it was fun to watch them too. As a volunteer I was given a free ticket for the floor. I didn't really want to be on the floor because I knew that I wouldn't be able to get close enough to see, but that was what I had and I knew it was cool to have so I was going to try to get close to the front. (I have no idea how I really thought that I would get to the front). Luckily we were told that if we found a seat that was empty we could sit in it and use it as our seat. To make this long and lame story short I found a seat in the front right next to the stage. It was soooooooo cool to be that close to the stage at a concert. The only problem was that they didn't do my favorite song which is Bleed It Out. They ended the concert and people started to leave and then they came back out for an encore, did several more songs and finished with Bleed It Out. It was perfect. I really like Linkin Park and the concert was great. I really hope I can see them in concert again. They'll be in Europe this summer but the closest they'll be to The Netherlands is Germany. Maybe everyone could start a write in campaign to get them to add a concert in Amsterdam.

African drums

A few weeks ago I went to an African drum thing at my church. We had a guy that teaches people how to play different tunes that were done in Africa come to teach us how to play African drums. We started the day off by eating and playing games. The food theme was African American food such as "fried chicken, corn bread" and other things like that. I really liked the chicken that was there but people didn't bring much so we only got 1 piece each (3 people brought corn bread so we had an abundance of it--corn bread is okay, sort of, but the chicken was better). I think they needed more chicken but what ever. Then after eating we all picked out a drum and were told how to put it on (its not hard you just take the 3'' rope thing, cross it so it looks like an x then loop the bottom of it on the drum base and then put the rest of it over your neck, put your arms through the rope like thing and...shazzam...you have it on.) OK it is easier to do when you see it then it is to do when it is just written down. Then he had us do some easy stuff just to teach us the three different types of things that are used. Then he started having us do things that were pieces of songs and after we had them down he would break us up into groups and have us do the different parts so we ended up playing songs. It was really fun and cool. Then we moved on to a different song that was harder to play. The teacher asked if there were any people that knew how to play normal drums and every one that was there said that me Andrew and Mathew knew how, so he told us we were doing the hard part. He told everyone else how to do the other parts of the song and then told us how to do our part. We didn't think it was that hard but it was a lot of fun. After we did that song he headed out, and the fun night of drumming was over. I hope we do it again some time, but not until I get back from Europe since I'm going back to Europe in just a few weeks.

snowboarding

Two in a half weeks ago I went snowboarding for my birthday thing. (I would like to point out that my birthday was a month before that.) We had to get up really early like 6:30 early and leave by 7 because it was a three day weekend and we knew there would be traffic so the whole way up I slept. (I like to sleep) When we finally got there at like 10 we didn't even have to wait in a long line or anything we just walked up to the window and bought the tickets. It had been a year since I had been snowboarding so I thought that it would be hard to get used to again because that is how it was in the past, but right when I got up there I didn't have any problem doing it so after two times of going on the little hill I started going on the normal one. I like the big one most but I only went on that a few times this time for some reason but I really don't know why. I took my first fall (yes I do fall but not often :D ) after going off a jump and landing wrong and then almost running into someone that just turned in front of the jump but instead I fell...but not because I wanted to. My next fall was later in the day when I was going down the hill and a little boy cut me off and I clipped the end of his ski and went flying(I even did a flip) and the kid fell so I got up and checked on the kid who was just fine luckily cuz his dad was right behind us. After that I went in and had lunch. I got a chili-n-bread bowl. They are yummmmmmmmmy. After that I went back out and started using the box. (for the people that don't know what that is, it is a big mettle rectangle that is in the snow that you can do tricks as you ride over it. It is about 6 or 7 feet long and is raised about a foot or so out of the snow but the length and height dose vary.) Then I went down the hill a few more times and then we headed home so again I went to sleep. When I got home I hung out with my friends till 3:30 am.(when my parents called to see where I was and when I got home I got in trouble for being out that late but it all ended up being OK). And they all lived happily ever after. I hope....

My Appendix

So a few days ago I had my appendix taken out. Now I don't know how most people feel when their appendix hurts but I know mine was not a good feeling. My stomach started hurting at around noon on Monday and it kept getting worse and worse and finally about 9:30 we thought that it would be good to go and get it checked out. At that point we really didn't know what was wrong but my stomach hurt a LOT. Finally after a few hours of waiting in the hospital and tests, they came in and said that I had appendicitis and that it needed to be taken out. By then it was Tuesday. I don't really remember much about what else happened till I went into surgery but I do know that I wasn't allowed to eat and I didn't like that but w/e. Right before surgery I remember that I had an IV in me and that they said that I would be groggy after the first shot but that after the second one I would be knocked out in 10 sec. Right after the first shot I don't remember anything till I woke up about 6 hours later. I couldn't move at first but after a little I could move a bit and then I was brought my dinner. For the next two days I was in the hospital and gradually was able to move more and started walking on Wednesday. I could walk before that but it hurt a lot and I couldn't walk fully upright. The food in the hospital was OK. It really had its ups and downs, but if you asked for something that they had they would get it for you if they could. The entire time I was there I drank so much apple juice that they ran out of it on my floor and had to order more for me from the other floors. I really like the apple juice but it was in really small packs so each one was only really like a few sips so I'd drink four at at time. Finally on Thursday I was released from the hospital and got to go home.