
Whether you are heading back to middle school, high school, college, grad school, or med school; you need to do it right. If you follow these easy tips, the first week of school should be a breeze. You will have a bunch of cool new friends, a hot edgy boyfriend, and the popular girls' undying jealously for the rest of the year. Good luck girls. And stay in school!
-Back to school shopping is fun. Especially if your mom or student loans are paying. But be careful at the mall. There is a right way to do THIS. Don't buy anything in the window ANYWHERE. Everyone at school will have that stuff. And you want to be the coolest girl at school. Cool girls wear stuff that no one else is wearing. Buy your fashion staples; basic tops, leggings, hoodies, cardigans, and such (at those stores everyone shops at). Buy dresses and other flashy numbers at lesser known stores. And always think while shopping, "Would the popular girls wear this?" If the answer is YES, don't buy it. You want to be cool. And being cool means being cooler than "them."
-Never wear anything brand new the first day of school. I would actually go as far as to say the first week of school. Don't wear entire new outfits. You want to be cool. And cool girls don't try hard. They don't "notice" when it's the first day of ANYTHING. Wear a power outfit. Something you know you look good in. Accessorize it with a new pair of shoes or bag or something from that back to school shopping expedition, we discussed above. Mix in some of your new pieces with old ones. After the first week, start to throw in a new outfit or two, a week. But no more than 2 a week! You are trying to be cool.
-Don't do anything weird. Don't try to cut your bangs the night before school starts. Don't get those rainbow-dollar bill-unicorn acrylics you've always wanted, the weekend before the special day. Don't get a chemical peel or try extracting blackheads from your skin with a pair of tweezers hours before your first class. Don't chop your hair off. Don't wear right-outta-the-package weave hair. Cool girls don't try. You want to look effortless. Save the drastic changes for boredom come October.
-Don't purchase notebooks for every class you are taking. And don't show up to class with all these blank notebooks, with the title of each class written on them in pink Sharpie. One: You MAY change classes. Two: You MAY look retarded. Bring one notebook the first day of school and a pen. Nothing is going to happen the first week anyway. So it's a good time to look extra cool.
-Write stuff you need to know down. Don't be that girl writing down everything the teacher says. Teachers don't teach until at least the second week of school. All the cool kids know that.
-Sit near other cool looking kids in class. Don't talk to them. Just locate yourself in their proximity to them, in case the teacher asks you to pair up or you need to borrow a pen because yours is effortlessly holding your cool casual hair in a bun or something. You are really cool. They will notice this.
-If lockers are applicable to your back to school experience, use them wisely. Sometimes you will be able to pick your locker. Sometimes some adult will assign you one. Eh. No problem. Lockers can easily be switched and moved after the first week. Do not fear if yours has an exceptionally lame location. Use this time to scope out your locker move. Your locker should be somewhere with lots of traffic. Where all the other cool kids walk and will see you. Your locker's location is far more important than whose locker is near yours. Your locker isn't trying to be cool either. It just "is."
-You are too cool to care about lunchroom politics. You and your cool self can totally sit alone. You are THAT cool. Let them come to you. Let them ask if they can sit with you. And if there are no tables open, and you are looking around at that sea of faces panicing; do NOT fear. Pretend you are just walking through. Seem busy. Go eat outside or somewhere else. People will think you were doing something cooler than eating. Pretend you are doing something cooler than eating. PRETEND you are doing something cooler than "them."



In an interview with National Public Radio’s Scott Simon, [Brandon] Young and [Matt] Vasquez recount how things came together for Delta Spirit. Young happened to hear Vasquez singing near the trolly tracks in downtown San Diego.They exchanged phone numbers and kept in touch.
Four years went by and Young’s band broke up. He called Vasquez and asked him if he was interested in putting something together. Vasquez told him that he would call back in 30 minutes. True to his word, Vasquez called saying he just fired his whole band and was ready to try something new.

This has been building up for a while now. I thought I could just calmly keep it to myself and things would work/die out for the better. But it hasn't. The topic here is the word LEGIT. It can be a good word, but in this day and age, I hate the word legit. I hate that everyone uses legit to describe anything. I hate that people made bracelets with the word legit on it. I hate that people who use legit think they're cool and have a huge vocabulary. I hate that legit is so common to use that its lost all of its originality to speak of. So please for the sake of me, please don't use legit like you own it, because if you do, I will think less of you. Thats a promise. PLEASE don't use the word legit. I beg you.
Along with legit, I have a list of other things I can't stand in today's society.
This list includes: -the word 'chillax' -the term 'Cali' when referring to the state of California -when cause is spelled 'cuz' -when people use emoticons in every message I get from them, when in reality they would never make that face toward me when saying said message in person.
(In my opinion, the people who do these things, are the same people who are texting with emoticons and every other word is legit, oh and they probably spell cause 'cuz' and they talk so much about how they had the best time in 'Cali' while they 'chillaxed' at the beach the whole time....)
-I hate corn. I hate corn-on-the-cob, I hate popcorn, I hate anything with corn in it. -I hate cotton candy. -I hate pajama pants, I hate when people wear them in public or to bed. -I strongly dislike the mid-life crisis, muscle bulging dude (or female) who wears Ed Hardy and Affliction clothing. -I hate when people throw up peace signs in EVERY picture they take of themselves, or that their friends take of them. -I don't like how the radio is powered by ads and not music, but when the music does come on, I get mad and wish it didn't suck the originality out of people listening to it. I always feel like an old grandpa when I listen to the radio, I'll hear a song and think to myself, 'Oh, so this is the song everyone has been singing lately.'
And you get my point, just about everything can bug me in one way or another... The list could go on. But, FOR THE LOVE, please stop doing these things.
Thank you.

Check this out, an original song written by Kelli Jean Russell, or known in the blogging world as Kelzone. I feel honored to have a song dedicated to me, or at least with my name in the lyrics. Good gosh, this is so AWESOME. Bahhhhh!!!! LUB YOU.
One + Only's
This is 'bout our one and only's memories that comfort when we're lonely; I'll never forget the day we met that lame dance party but I'll never regret; I liked the way you moved 'cross the floor, your smiles, styles; I wanted to know more. I never imagined that in the end we'd become the best of friends. o-o But we've become the best of friends o-o I'm here for you till the bitter end.
Jordan wears his too tight jeans, rock and roll is what he sings, Sarah Morrison's who he reads, but peace and love is all he needs. o-o peace and love is what he needs, o-o he finds it in the songs he sings.
This is 'bout our one and only's, memories that comfort when we're lonely. Hangin' at the swimming pool by Hema's house to keep us cool; he launched a surfboard at my head, his face I neatly ripped to shreds, but he so gently reminded me of the principle to act forgivingly. o-o he taught me to have charity, o-o reminded me to act forgivingly.
Jordan wears his rosary, has faith in God and does good deeds; the Holy Bible's what he reads, but peace and love is all he needs. o-o Holy Bible and a rosary, o-o finds peace and love in his good deeds.
This is 'bout our one and only's, memories that comfort when we're lonely. For the salvation of his soul and the sake of our friendship I wrote this whole song then found in reality when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, souls and friends aren't saved through songs, but in our hearts is where they belong. o-o For our friendship and his soul, o-o in our hearts we'll keep it whole.
Jordan wears a smile on his face, claims I am his saving grace; Together I know we can succeed - in spreading peace and love a all we need. o-o we'll diminish animosity, o-o cause peace and love is all we really need.
---

Yes, you've seen her before and you prolly know her. Her name is Annie Salmon and she gets the Friend of the Summer award, presented by yours truly. Alls I know is that the more this summer comes to an end, the more I come to realize that Annie and I have become better friends than we ever have. Whatever happened this summer, I swear that Annie and I were doing something together. But, I really didn't care what it was, because more times than not, we did nothing, but TOGETHER. Thats friendship at its finest. To all my amigos and amigas reading this who are not Annie, then please understand that maybe you didn't text/call me enough of hang out with me more than Annie did. So you can consider your self a close second. An honor none the less. So please, if you see Annie, make sure you tell her congrats on her Friend of the Summer award. She worked hard for it, and deserves all of what it entitles... For what its worth.

Mandrate Dictionary
Mandrate: / man-dr8 / 1 a: To drink a man drink; ex: mood altering drinks (beer, energy drinks, muscle enhancing) 2 b: To drink an old school soda; ex: soft drinks
Mandration: / man-dr8-shun / 1 a: The process of Mandrate;
ED: / e-d / 1 a: Energy Drink; Nuff said
STD: / s-t-d / 1 a: Sleepy Truck Driver; ex. sentence: " Would you like to mandrate with an ED so we don't become STD's? "
Hydrate: / hi-dr8 / 1 a: What losers do with water; 2 b: What jocks do with sports drinks
BFC: / b-f-c / 1 a: Big Freakin Can; 2 b: Single container of 24oz or more of Mandrate; ex sentence: " Man! That was a huge BFC. "
Overdrate: / over-dr8 / 1 a: The act of drinking too many ED's in a short period of time; This usually leads to comments; ex comments: " Dude! Can you hear my heartbeat?" or " My voice is so loud in my brain."
Check this out. My buddy, my homeboy, my long lost amigo that was never lost, has put his love for hydration online. MANDRATE.com Show some lub and lets us all MANDRATE! (except for the female gender, I mean who are we kidding, look at the name, it doesn't say 'everybodydrate' so please no complaints and sorry if it seems a little harsh.)

Do you remember your childhood? As I sit her with the one and only KELZONE watching Saved By The Bell, one of the best shows every child can relate to, I came to realize, I WANT MY CHILDHOOD BACK! I mean, times were simple right? You got to wake up in the summer, watch TV, (my personal faves were Ghost-Writer and of coarse, Saved By The Bell), then you eat your favorite cereal and go back to sleep or bum around some more. You might of had some chores to do, but seriously? Who honestly couldn't say they wanted their childhood back? I wish I could go ride my bike around the neighborhood a million times after watching the movie RAD a million times more. Or when I had all the time in the world, well actually just about 3 months of summer vacation, to do whatever it is that you REALLY wanted to do. Summer and childhood go hand in hand. Agreed?
What do YOU want back from your childhood? Whatever it is, make it happen. You owe it to your self to have what makes you happy. So if you haven't done something you WANT to do, then stop reading this and bring back your childhood and have some good times.

Isn't always time for change. I mean, think about how much has changed in the past month for you. You prolly made some new homies, some people that changed your life that you never thought you would have ever met. The past month has been straight cray cray. Well, maybe month in a half. But still. I mean, my road trip out of the blue for starters with Mason + Ben, then being on 'summer vacation' for the rest of the time after that. I mean I wake up and go to the pool EVERY DAY it seems. But now that its August and the heat is winding down, its time for another change. School starts in 2 weeks for most of us, and we will all part ways and meet up again at Christmas break, or if we were never that good of friends until next summer.
As for this picture dealing with change, how do you feel about Kat Von D's new hair? She is beautiful no matter what she does. But it took me a solid second to register who it was, but its still amazing.
I guess what we all now need to do is embrace the change we are all facing and run with it.
 [Look at those jeans, you know they've been thru lots. ]
This is a serious issue. You know that one pair of jeans that will never let you down no matter what? That one pair of jeans that you wear day in day out just because you have never found a pair that even comes close to comparing. No matter how many times you try and wear a 'replacement' pair for a day or two, but when you put back on your favorite pair, how everything just seems to be better? Or when do your laundry and your favorite pair is never in their because your always wearing them so they cant be washed. However, when you do finally wash them, they always feel like a NEW pair of your favorite jeans because they kind of fit a little different due to washing/drying and the whole actually being clean and not dirty thing. None the less, your favorite pair of jeans tells a lot about a person. It says what your style is. How you treat your clothes and more importantly how loyal you are to your jeans. I RARELY change my jeans line up. My favorite skinny/black jeans always get first priority over most clothes I own. Its just the way it is. I mean I've had other pairs of favorite jeans that have now been pushed to my second or third favorite pair, and don't get me wrong, those have had their days of wear + tear, and now their on their retirement 'leg' (pun) of their life of being my favorite pair of jeans. Those second and third place jeans will always have a place in my heart forever for always being there. Your favorite pair of jeans is always your consistency of what to base your life off of at the time. If your jeans don't fit you right/make you happy, your days will suck. You wont be happy. So the question is, why try to change what is going good? If you get one thing out of this post, its just to appreciate your favorite pair of jeans to the fullest. I mean, who cares if you wear the same pair for DAYS in a row. The way I see it, if you don't care, people shouldn't either. Or if they don't smell bad then you're good to go. So wear your favorite pair of jeans. LOVE your favorite pair of jeans.

There's always more than meets the eyes with Nathan - he's pretty crafty and you need to watch him. A lot of people think he's brash but he just responds by saying " I don’t give a ****" - It's all part of his style.
He's traveled the world on the WCT circuit, come close to winning gold, spent time building his own mini empire and recently launched RVCA Australia, not a small feat by any means.

What am I supposed to say? If you want to be 'different', you are going to have to be 'different' along with everyone else who thinks they are 'different'.
But, I do however think that people have a right to be whoever they are, not whoever social protocol tells them to be. When you do the things you want to do, you do them well, and awesome. When you do the things you hate, you'll be unhappy. If you try and fake your way thru it, people can tell. All I'm saying in this cluster of words is the fact that people need to be what they are comfortable with. Not what they THINK they want to be. But, hey, don't you have to want to be, before you can be?
If you get anything out of this, I commend you, because I wrote it and I don't really know what I'm trying to get across. Bah.

This is probably going to be another post about something you've read about on here. Everybody Else. My main goal is to get these guys to come play a show at SLCC. I know you would come, just for the fact that if I like them, then by default they are awesome. It almost seems kind of weird I'm giving so much praise to 3 dudes in a band who kind of sing love songs, but, thats what all songs are about when it comes down to it. Right? Well, read this review and be amazed. Or check out their space on the internet. http://www.myspace.com/everybodyelse
An L.A.-based trio named for a Kinks B-side, Everybody Else, owe much to the harmonies and economical songwriting of the sixties, but they draw just as much on more modern music. Meat Market grooves like Outkast but has the screaming, bluesy vocals of Little Richard or the Animals. Say Goodbye combines an electroclash beat and new wave guitars with Elvis Costello-style lead vocals and a three part harmony reminiscent of the Beach Boys. The common thread is infuriatingly catchy songs and minimalist, Dancey arrangements that sound both retro and modern at the same time. The lyrics are full of concrete images, and are often more melancholy than the music they accompany. Over the fuzzed-out disco of In Memoriam are words about mourning the memories of lost love: I still see the blue, sunken barge/ down by the shore and I/ can taste the blackberry juice on our fingers/ But theres an echo of careless, callow footsteps/ that run by so quickly. Listeners are left in that magical place where we dont really know what we are feeling, but its giving us chills.
Their debut album, "Everybody Else," was produced Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Howl) and captures the spirit of their electrifying live show, marked by an energy that always seems to teeter on the edge of chaos without ever falling apart. The album is out everywhere in the United States, and has just been released in Japan and Korea. An all-acoustic version of the record, entitled "1 1/2," was released in April 2008, and an outtake EP, "Gold Noise," was released in October, 2008. The band are currently in the studio, working on a new album.

Some great songs I recommend for anyones playlist this summer.
Chester French - C'mon Chester French - Jimmy Choos Discovery - So Insane Discovery - Orange Shirt Phoenix - 1901 Phoenix - Lasso Phoenix - Liztomania The Sounds - Underground The Sounds - Dorchester Hotel The Virgins - One Week of Danger The Virgins - Teen Lovers Manchester Orchestra - I've Got Friends Cage The Elephant - In One Ear Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Dull Life Silversun Pickups - There's No Secrets This Year Cobra Starship - Good Girls Go Bad Cobra Starship - Hot Mess Taking Back Sunday - Summer, Man Taking Back Sunday - Swing Taking Back Sunday - Cut Me Up Jenny Shwayze - Get U Home Beardo - I Love Beardo

Its summer time, I'm not burned, I'm just burned out. I'm not ready for what's next, but what's next is what's for for the best.
Did you read that poem I just wrote off the top of my head? It makes no sense other than its the middle of summer and I don't want this season to end. It finally stopped raining and I'm sitting here in my cut-offs ready for the heat, not the cold.

Because I'm in high school again, I'm putting up a picture of Miken. In my mind she invented MySpace. She claims herself that she will probably die with her MySpace account. And I don't doubt that. Although she didn't invent facebook or twitter, she is also on there too. Show her some love and follow her on twitter @miken1818.
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