Two weeks ago, Wednesday, August 6, was the shooting at Antioch Carmike Hickory 8 theater. Vincente Mantono was a mentally ill individual who came armed with pepper spray, a hatchet, a fake bomb and a fake gun. In my opinion, he might have been trying to get himself shot; a type of suicide. Otherwise, he might've posed as more of a threat than he was if his object was to kill people. As it was, he wa the only one who died. A few suffered minor injuries.
As an Antioch resident, I will not let fear keep me from going to this theater whenever I want to. I will not let one incident or even several incidents determine that Antioch is a lost cause. I will stay in Antioch and fight the criminal stigma. Antioch still has a lot of good in it. If the good people flee then the criminals have won.
Here's the link to my editorial on Antiochtenn.com and another news link describing the attack:
My Editorial
Antioch Shooting News Story
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Imagine Dragons Part 2
I have taken a month-long hiatus because I didn't want my posts to become meaningless repetitions. Now that I have more material for writing, I shall continue. What a crazy, crazy month July has been!
On July 8th I went to another Imagine Dragons' concert at Bridgestone Arena. My friend, Amy (she invited me on the Destination Dragons tour in February) and I met up with a few of our Twitter fandom friends and we had a blast. We arrived at Bridgestone around 1:30 p.m. Doors didn't open until 6:00. Yes, it was hot; but it was completely worth it.
Some friends and I gave gifts and letters to the band. Among the gifts I gave were sparklers for each of the band members. Ben McKee, the bassist, decided to light his in the middle of the show. Dan, the lead singer, asked the crowd to pretend it was July 4th since they were in Canada on the 4th and didn't celebrate properly. After a couple of attempts at lighting the stubborn bugger, Ben finally got it lit and he held it up for all to see while everyone chanted "USA! USA! USA!" Later, I found that Ben changed his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages to him holding the sparkler.
Ben's FB Profile Pic
Dan gave a beautiful speech of being proud to be an American at times and sometimes ashamed of it because of some of the tragedies that happened. But he was mostly proud because we were a generation that wanted to accept everyone regardless of backgrounds. Music was a way to tear down all walls and bring people from all walks of life closer together. I couldn't agree more. We try to make America a better place to be in. I, too, hope, for all its faults, that my generation has what it takes to rebuild America.
The other magical moment that happened was Daniel Platzman, drummer, following me on Twitter. The other gift I got was some BBQ sauce. I found out where his favorite BBQ place was and ordered two sauces. Then I cut some strips of paper and wrote "Please follow your #1 fan: * my Twitter handle*" "<3 Platz <3" (his nickname); and "enjoy a taste of home." That night, I got a follow from my favorite drummer ever; but I did not find out until the next morning when a friend told me.
The other really cool thing that happened was meeting Faith. Faith has gone through the wringer and came out one of the strongest people I have ever known. She came all the way from Missouri and spent two nights with Amy and me. It was the best 36 hours I've ever spent getting to know a person. It's the coolest and weirdest feeling to meet someone who shares similar interests and feel like they are instantly your best friend. This is what Imagine Dragons does for people. It's not just their music-- it's what they stand for. I only hope to pass on this joy in some small way to others. It's utterly contagious.
The concert wasn't quite the same effect as back in February when I was spoiled seeing them 5 nights --almost --back to back in cramped venues at the very front of the stage making eye contact with the guys. Those venues were intimate and this one was huge and it was hard to see all of the band members. They had a catwalk on stage and Dan was at the edge of it most of the time. But I liked seeing the other guys too. Dan was so funny; there was a couple of times he laid down at the edge of the catwalk and sang. It was like he was in his bedroom laying on his bed singing to some song on the radio.
I can't believe it's been over 5 months since Destination Dragons. Yet, how they helped me beat depression and find happiness in my life through God is unforgettable. There are no words to describe how on fire I became in my attitude and perception. You simply have to experience it for yourself. I'm quite motivated and not giving up on the direction life takes me. Whatever God wills me to do, I will do; because He knew exactly what I needed 5 months ago to knock me out of my head.
I continue to hold my head up high.
On July 8th I went to another Imagine Dragons' concert at Bridgestone Arena. My friend, Amy (she invited me on the Destination Dragons tour in February) and I met up with a few of our Twitter fandom friends and we had a blast. We arrived at Bridgestone around 1:30 p.m. Doors didn't open until 6:00. Yes, it was hot; but it was completely worth it.
Some friends and I gave gifts and letters to the band. Among the gifts I gave were sparklers for each of the band members. Ben McKee, the bassist, decided to light his in the middle of the show. Dan, the lead singer, asked the crowd to pretend it was July 4th since they were in Canada on the 4th and didn't celebrate properly. After a couple of attempts at lighting the stubborn bugger, Ben finally got it lit and he held it up for all to see while everyone chanted "USA! USA! USA!" Later, I found that Ben changed his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages to him holding the sparkler.
Ben's FB Profile Pic
Dan gave a beautiful speech of being proud to be an American at times and sometimes ashamed of it because of some of the tragedies that happened. But he was mostly proud because we were a generation that wanted to accept everyone regardless of backgrounds. Music was a way to tear down all walls and bring people from all walks of life closer together. I couldn't agree more. We try to make America a better place to be in. I, too, hope, for all its faults, that my generation has what it takes to rebuild America.
The other magical moment that happened was Daniel Platzman, drummer, following me on Twitter. The other gift I got was some BBQ sauce. I found out where his favorite BBQ place was and ordered two sauces. Then I cut some strips of paper and wrote "Please follow your #1 fan: * my Twitter handle*" "<3 Platz <3" (his nickname); and "enjoy a taste of home." That night, I got a follow from my favorite drummer ever; but I did not find out until the next morning when a friend told me.
The other really cool thing that happened was meeting Faith. Faith has gone through the wringer and came out one of the strongest people I have ever known. She came all the way from Missouri and spent two nights with Amy and me. It was the best 36 hours I've ever spent getting to know a person. It's the coolest and weirdest feeling to meet someone who shares similar interests and feel like they are instantly your best friend. This is what Imagine Dragons does for people. It's not just their music-- it's what they stand for. I only hope to pass on this joy in some small way to others. It's utterly contagious.
The concert wasn't quite the same effect as back in February when I was spoiled seeing them 5 nights --almost --back to back in cramped venues at the very front of the stage making eye contact with the guys. Those venues were intimate and this one was huge and it was hard to see all of the band members. They had a catwalk on stage and Dan was at the edge of it most of the time. But I liked seeing the other guys too. Dan was so funny; there was a couple of times he laid down at the edge of the catwalk and sang. It was like he was in his bedroom laying on his bed singing to some song on the radio.
I can't believe it's been over 5 months since Destination Dragons. Yet, how they helped me beat depression and find happiness in my life through God is unforgettable. There are no words to describe how on fire I became in my attitude and perception. You simply have to experience it for yourself. I'm quite motivated and not giving up on the direction life takes me. Whatever God wills me to do, I will do; because He knew exactly what I needed 5 months ago to knock me out of my head.
I continue to hold my head up high.
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