Carolina Rebellion 2013 Recap

This year marked the 3rd year in a row that Carolina Rebellion was not only the biggest show around... but also got BIGGER! It started as a one day show, then they added a Friday Night Pre-Show, and this year they expanded it out to a full weekend!

Due to work I wasn't able to make it Friday night but I hear Eye Empire and Beware of Darkness kicked some major ass.

Saturday started off chilly and breezy as hell but that didn't stop the bands from bringing the ROCK! Young Guns kicked off the day with a dose of Brit rock that was like a sonic cup of coffee to start the day. I didn't get the chance to see many of the bands but I could hear plenty from where we were and Sick Puppies did a badass Foo Fighters cover, In This Moment blew minds with their stage setup and sonic assault, Aranda showed us how they made a name for themselves with a killer set, Matt showed the world he was the perfect replacement at the front of Three Days Grace, and even Limp Bizkit hit the stage and sounded PERFECT! Honestly, there wasn't a bad show the whole day.

Sunday we were expecting some rain but I don't think anybody knew exactly what we were going to get hit with. It rained a ton, it was cold as hell, and the wind blew it's ass off. Several bands had to cancel their sets due to weather and the show was called off later in the day but bands like All That Remains, Sevendust, Pop Evil, and Hollywood Undead trudged thru and brought the rock to the fans. Steel Panther even gave us some face shredding comedic relief. Even with the cancellations the day still rocked.

All in all it was a freaking blast yet again. Had a great time meeting rockers, chatting with old friends, and rocking the eff out!

Cinnamon Challenge Mega Fail

Last week I blogged about photo memes that have been spreading like wildfire. I didn't mention, however, the equally long and insane list of VIDEO memes. One of my favorites has always been the Cinnamon Challenge.

For those who haven't seen one of these videos yet it's pretty simple: you take a spoonful of cinnamon and try to swallow it without water. It's basically impossible and causes an immediate and strong gag reflex, kinda like these:




As you can see, it's not fun. Well, a new study out of the University of Miami shows it can also be DEADLY! It can cause all kinds of problems all the way up to EMPHYSEMA if the cinnamon is inhaled. Last year alone poison control centers got 222 calls about cinnamon swallowing incidents and 30 teens were hospitalized after attempting the challenge.

Find a damn hobby people!

Meme Mania!

Dictionary.com defines meme as "a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes". Basically that means a meme is something that gets spread around society via things like social networks and grows, develops, and mutates as it spreads.

Some classic examples of memes are "planking" (lying flat in a random place like a plank):



Then there was "Batmanning" (hanging upside down like Batman):



Then it was "owling" (perching like an owl):



Then it started getting more complicated with  "Hadukening" (posing like u just got hit by a fireball in Street Fighter):



Which lead to "Vadering" (posing like you're being Force Choked by Darth Vader):



And the newest way to prove you have nothing better to do with your time is.... "QUIDDITCHING" (posing like you're playing Quidditch in the Harry Potter universe):



Although like most memes, it will be EVERYWHERE then disappear to make way for the next meme which is going to be...

Creepers Gonna Creep

Everyone reading this has either been the giver of or recipient of the dreaded "uncomfortable stare". It happens. Sometimes it's just our mind wandering and our face happens to be pointed at another person. Sometimes a hottie or stud catches our eye and we get caught up in the view. Other times, it's just plain creepy.

Take for example this past Sunday when me and my girlfriend had dinner in New Bern. We were walking back to the car and saw this random dude staring at the wall... or so we thought. Upon closer inspection he appeared to be reading some promotional flyers hanging in a store window. At least, that's what we thought until we saw that there was a Zumba class in the store he was standing outside of. Then we joked that maybe it was some perv watching the class but figured it was probably someone's husband.

Well, we found out later from someone who was in the class THAT HE WAS A CREEPER! He just stood out there watching them exercise. This brought several questions to mind: Did he think nobody would notice? What was his plan if anyone asked what he was doing? Does he not have internet access to watch porn at his leisure?

The moral of this story is: don't be creepy.

Seeing Red Through Diamond Eyes

This past weekend was a perfect storm of awesome. Chevelle and Deftones had shows on the same weekend and it was 2 weeks before my girlfriend's birthday which sounded like a perfect present for both of us!

It started Friday with a trip to Myrtle Beach to see Chevelle. I've seen the boys several times but it's always great in a smaller venue like the House of Blues. We got there a little late but just in time to see Pete, Sam, and Dean hit the stage. The boys fired off a medley of new tracks, old classics, and even some album cuts I've never heard them perform live like Forfeit. This was just the beginning of a long weekend so after the show we hit the hotel and crashed almost immediately.

Saturday morning we decided to venture into Myrtle Beach and check out one of the Ripley's exhibits. After getting good and lost and asking for directions we found our way and decided to try the Ripley's Haunted Museum which was effing TERRIFYING! I won't spoil the fun but remember the phrase "We're going to play a little game" if you ever give it a try yourself.

After that we decided to check out WonderWorks (or the Upside Down House as I have been calling it). That place is AWESOME! All kinds of cool exhibits, toys, games, puzzles, and interactive displays. There are a lot of kid themed as well as adult friendly things to do. We spent a little over an hour there but could have spent a whole day if we tried.

Then to wrap up the fun, it was back to the House of Blues to rock with the Deftones! The boys brought it with one of the best shows I've ever seen from them but the real show was beside the stage. We were over in the right corner near the sidebar and saw all kinds of craziness. I watched a drunk chick try to climb the railing instead of working back thru the crowd and fall about 8 feet flat on her face on the floor. I saw a guy being drug away by 6 bouncers kicking and screaming. I watched the cops cart off a girl who looked about 12 who was piss drunk and kept knocking over other people's drinks. Needless to say, it was quite a night.

A solid night's sleep at the hotel, an omelet to fill up the tummy, and we were homeward bound. 3 days later and I'm still recovering but I can proudly say... I give good birthday!

What Would You Do?

Even as a kid it bothered me how often I heard talk of frivolous lawsuits.

I'm not talking about legitimate things that need to be addressed like business disputes. No, I'm talking about things like when a man years ago tried to commit suicide by jumping out of a window and was tackled by a police officer before he could jump. The man was injured by the cop tackling him and sued... AND WON! This guy would be dead if the officer had not done what he did and now the douche turns around and SUES them.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago at an "independant living community" in California. An 87 year old woman collapsed in the dining room and a nurse called 911. The dispatcher told the nurse she needed to perform CPR on the woman or she would die. The nurse REFUSED to do it because it was against the nursing home's policy to perform CPR because, similar to the story above, people who have been SAVED by CPR have turned around and SUED the EMTs or whoever because while SAVING THEIR LIFE they cracked a rib or bruised something or whatever. The woman died and now the home is defending the nurse.

Here's the difficult part to think about: what was the right thing to do? By not performing CPR, the woman died and now the nurse has to carry that burden for the rest of her life. Had she performed CPR, there's no guarantee the woman would have lived BUT she would have definitely lost her job and could have faced a lawsuit from the home and/or the woman and her family.

I'm not saying letting others die is the right thing to do, but as a country I think a story like this should open a lot of eyes as to just how scared we are as a society of being SUED just for doing the right thing.

Facebook For Good

It's not often that Facebook is used to do something good, let alone for a stranger but it does happen and it can be an amazing thing.

James McConnell of Southsea, Hampshire, England passed away last month at age 70. James was a veteran of the British Royal Marines but at his time of passing had no known family. His graveside service was setup by Social Services but due to lack of family no formal service was scheduled.

Bob Mason was the reverend scheduled to conduct the burial and felt a calling to do the right thing so he posted this on Facebook:

DEATH OF FORMER ROYAL MARINE
I am a clergyman in Southsea and I have been asked to conduct the Burial on 21st February for Mr McConnell who was in care at Bluebell Nursing Home, Southsea.
Sadly, Mr McConnell appears to have no family, and the ceremony (graveside only, no formal Service) is being arranged by Social Services.
The Nursing home that he was with have informed me that he was a Royal Marine but he was not at the Nursing home very long so other details are scarce.
The graveside service will be held at 09.30 on the 21st Feb at Milton Cemetery, 197 Milton Road, Portsmouth. PO4 8RS.
Ladies and Gentlemen, In this day and age it is tragic enough that anyone has to leave this world with no one to mourn their passing, but this man was family and I am sure you will agree deserves a better send off. If you can make it to the graveside for that time to pay your respects to a former brother in arms then please try to be there.
Further information can be obtained by ringing the Revd Bob Mason at the address and number below.
(Revd) Bob Mason

The post netted almost 400 likes and over 100 comments and a mind-blowing TWO HUNDRED PLUS PEOPLE were in attendance to wish James McConnell, a man they had never met nor knew nothing about other than the fact that he was a veteran, farewell.

It's things like this that give me hope for humanity as a whole.

RIP James McConnell