An Open Letter to Andrew McMahon

You saved my life. And I'm not just saying that in a figurative sense. I mean it literally. 14 years ago when I was in the darkest place, where the light seems to never reach,
Something Corporate (via my friend Cailin McLoughlin) crawled thru my Walkman and said "you are not alone". I remember it so clearly: as I was drawing a bath, and slitting my wrists, I popped "Leaving Through the Window" into my CD player. The first song that played was "I want to save you" and it was so good, so raw, and the message was so strong, that I had to hear more of your music. So I put the razor down, and I wrapped up my wrists and I sat with my headphones on, and listened to your album. Then I listened to it for weeks and months and years to follow. Konstantine to this day, is my favorite song, my go to when I feel isolated and alone. I listened to "punk rock princess" and I felt like maybe someday I'd meet my garage band king. Your words gave me hope. You shared your soul with me, and it was the first time that I was changed by music.

Since then I've been changed by music hundreds if not thousands of time. The right song always seems to find me when I need it. Music has shaped who I am in endless words, but if it hadn't been for you, I never would have heard the music of Conor Oberst, Chris Carrabba, Adam Lazarra, Jesse Lacey, Alexi Leiho, Francis Mark, Toby Morse, Aaron Gillespie or any of the others who have painted my soul the brilliant colors that make up who I am.

Peyton Sawyer (who yes I realize is a fictional character) once said "You know, I've got this theory: There are two kinds of people in the world. There are lyric people and music people. You know, the lyrics people to tend to be analytical. You know, all about the meaning of the song. They're the ones you see with the CD insert out like five minutes after buying it, poring over the lyrics, interpreting the hell out of everything. Then there's the music people who could care less for the lyrics as long as it's just got, like, a good beat and you could dance to it. I don't know, sometimes it might be easier to be a music girl and not a lyric girl. But since I'm not, let me just say this: Sometimes things find you when you need them to find you. I believe that. And for me it's usually song lyrics."

Well I'm the rare music and song lyrics person. Your lyrics have always touched me, but when the melody of Konstantine came together and I heard the way all the instruments synchronized and I thought, somebody WROTE this. Not Beethoven, or Mozart but someone who walks the earth with ME. So every time I feel alone, like no one could understand my pain, my isolation, I listen to konstantine, and I focus on the piano and I think to myself, someone is stroking those keys with my sorrow, my passion, my hope, my dreams, and I keep breathing.

You have saved me again and again. As a part of SoCo, as Jacks Mannequin and more recently as Andrew McMahon (& into the wilderness). I have followed you thru your dark days and your struggle and I have appreciated every raw emotion you've shared through your music. It has kept me going.

But the reason I'm writing this is because you (and massive shout out to Night Riots and Atlas Genius for also ROCKING) saved me again. More subtly this time because I haven't self harmed in years, and I wasn't drawing a bath with a razor. But I was dying, I just didn't know. I'm not sure if the people around me did either. We don't always realize how much we're struggling, that our light is going out, until it's almost too late. We forget the brilliance that is inside us and we allow ourselves to be silenced by our circumstances.

Life is funny sometimes. As a wife and mother I constantly sacrifice for my family. But months ago when I saw you were coming to town I thought "I have to see Andrew" so I bought tickets, and it was selfish. Because this is my husbands birthday weekend and this probably isn't how he would have chosen to spend it but, I just had to see you.

I came and I saw you as well as Night Riots and Atlas Genius and I FELT "it", something long dead inside of me that only someone screaming their heart out on stage can awaken. The visceral part of me that can empathetically feel what you feel. That knows the struggle and the pain in every word, in every chord.

So thank you, though you may never read this. And thank you to artists like you who put all that you have into every word. Somewhere, somebody is listening and they keep breathing because of you.

After I drafted the majority of this, I dragged myself upstairs (in a very long line) & about had a heart attack when I saw that I had WON, on a five dollar raffle something that will forever be unbelievably priceless to me.

Easy DIY No Sew Curtains

You will need:

•  fabric
•  one roll of Stitch Witchery (can be found at craft and fabric stores)
•  iron
•  ironing board
•  small, thin, damp cotton cloth
•  curtain rod
•  drapery clip rings

1.) Measure your window. Curtains look best when they are hung high and wide. With that said, measure how high you want your curtains hung as well as the width of your window. Record your measurements and make sure you take them to the fabric store. If you're not sure what length will look best go with an extra 3 inches than you think you'll need and have someone else hold them up for you to decide what looks best.

2.) Head to the nearest fabric store and shop away! If you happen to live in the Greater Orlando area check out The Sewing Studio. They are so patient with me every time I go in. (I did have to get my drapery clip rings at WalMart though) Be sure to choose your fabric wisely. Curtains really make a statement, so make sure the color and design are exactly what you want. I like to pull each bolt off the shelf and compare my favorites side-by-side before I make my final selection.

3.) Purchase the correct amount of fabric (feel free to ask anyone who works at the store for help in terms of calculating yardage) and also one large roll of Stitch Witchery (this stuff is magical).

4.) Measure the window one last time and cut (yikes!) your fabric into two equal-sized panels. (Measure twice cut once) Remember you will be “hemming” both the top and the bottom part of the panel, so account for one inch on both ends.

5.) Fold over 1/2 inch of fabric and iron a small seam all the way around each side of the panel. A half inch will be roughly the size of your stitch witchery.

6.)  Insert the stitch witchery inside the seam and press down with the iron for 10-15 seconds in each spot. Slowly iron around the entire panel until the stitch witchery holds  all the seams together. I kept the fabric relatively damp during this process to be sure the fabric didn't burn

7.) Hang the panel on the curtain rod using drapery clip rings (space about 4 inches apart) and Hurray! You have just made a no-sew curtain panel.

These were my first ever curtains, and I was so glad not to have to get kitchen themed curtains for my bedroom. Next time I will buy more fabric so the curtains will be a little longer and bunch more. Overall I was satisfied with my results. I got the idea from restoredstyle.com.

How do the major food delivery services rank?

So, in my area (Greater Orlando) there are 3 major restaurant delivery services GrubHub, Doorstep Delivery and OrderUp. If you're considering using any of these to order I figured I'd share my experiences with you.

Doorstep Delivery: These guys were the first company I used to order food delivery. I do like them, but their delivery prices are pretty expensive. Usually $3.99 & Up. The wait times are average for the industry, around an hour for each restaurant. The one thing I love about them is that, atleast for my area, they have a very large selection.

GrubHub: These guys have the lowest delivery fees typically. One company for example: Giovanni's is $1.50 to deliver thru GrubHub but $3.99 to deliver thru Doorstep. The selection, and times are comparable to Doorstep.

OrderUp: Right now, they're the least palatable option in Orlando. Their delivery fees are comparable with Doorstep, and delivery time is on par for industry average but for my workplace they only have 3 restaurants delivering. That's pretty limited compared to the pages of options I get with the other 2 delivery services. However, some areas in the Orlando area have GREAT options, so definitely check them out.

Overall: GrubHub is my personal favorite. I love ordering from Zona Fresca thru them, and have had great luck with their delivery drivers. Plus they allow me to tip using my card.

Happy Eats!

Upcoming Nerd Conventions Central Florida 2015-2016 (A Work In Progress)

Comic Cons

Clermont Comic Con is a Comic Convention at 3700 S Highway 27 Clermont, FL 34711 featuring Mitch Hyman and Alex Savuik taking place on November 22nd.

Clearwater Comic Con takes place at the Clearwater Main Library sometime in March and is sponsored by Emerald City Comics.

Tampa Bay Comic Conhttp://tampabaycomiccon.com/

http://www.wizardworld.com/home-orlando.html

http://northfloridacomiccon.com/

http://www.ancientcitycon.com/

http://daytonabeachcomicconvention.com/

http://www.florida-comics.com/ (Melbourne)

http://megaconvention.com/ (Orlando)

http://infinitytoyandcomicon.com/ (Orlando)

http://coralspringsmuseum.org/comics-fest-coral-springs/

Gaming Cons

http://www.enigmacon.net/

http://www.ameliacon.com/

http://umicon-daytona.com/

http://www.hmgs-south.com/vendors_13.html (Orlando)

http://www.wasabicon.com/ (Jacksonville)

http://www.boardgaming.info/cruisecon/index.html (cruise out of Jacksonville)

http://www.jaxarcadex.com/

http://www.boardgaming.info/convention/ (Kissimmee)

http://www.rapiercon.com/ (Jacksonville)

Sci-FI

http://necronomiconfl.com/ (Tampa)

http://www.omniexpo.com/ (Orlando)

http://www.floridaanime.com/ (Orlando)

http://www.spacecoastnerdfest.org/  (Melbourne)

http://www.hurricanewho.com/ (Orlando) October 30th- November 1st

https://www.facebook.com/events/1591498794467876/ (Tampa) October 25th


More: http://www.floridageekscene.com/category/conventions/page/2/