Gardening

Honestly, if you would have asked me a few years ago if I would ever see myself in shorts and a shirt, all sweaty and dirty, crouching under a tree removing weeds or moving the lawn or cutting back bushes I would have laughed at you so hard I probably wuld have fallen off my chair.

Gardening, that means digging up dirt, watering plants, having all kinds of creepy bugs lazily crawl over your feet, mosquito bites, dark rims on your fingernails and lots more...never in a million years would I have imagined I would actually think that is fun, or relaxing, or something I look forward too.

Last Summer, having just gotten over my first bad episode of depression, I found that doing work in our backyard, removing all the weeds that had been annoying me ever since the first few sunny days had started, was actually something that I liked. While doing that you can either think about everything going on in your head, debating pros and cons while violently yanking out those pesky dandelions growing in between the cobblestones on the walkway to your front door, or you can just not think about anything at all, humming the melody to the last song you heard and getting a tan, or more likely in my case, sunburned.

While growing up I never really had to do any gardening. I grew up in a house with a yard in the front and a yard in the back, it was the middle one in a row of Town Houses. The yard in the front had a lawn, some bushes, trees and flowers and a small Hedge in the front so strangers couldn't easily see anything going on in our yard. The back was paved and we had a table tennis table there. My parents didn't believe in doing any work except maybe mowing the lawn. For cutting back trees or bushes and planting flowers the would hire someone. My dad owns his own law firm and therefore worked a lot, around 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.To compensate all the hard work we spend every vacation going to some (far away) place to relax on the beach. Not one vacation was spend at home, so we basically never used our yard.

My husband grew up totally different. His parents lived in a small apartment and owned a "Schrebergarten" (Leo.Org translates it with Garden Plot). I don't really know how common that concept is in other countries but in Germany it is very popular. People living in apartments (some even without a balcony or in the downtown areas) rent small areas on the outskirts of the city as their own yard. These yards are actually quite big and almost everyone has a small Cabin on it, complete with a camping toilet and a small kitchen. Some only have a huge lawn, a small pool, swings and sandbox for the kids or a pond for fishes, some also have plot to grow vegetables and trees to grow fruits. People go there every weekend for barbeques or to relax in the sun. A lot of them have a middle class or lower class income so spending your days in the Schrebergarten is their kind of vacation because they might not be able to afford going somwhere.

My Parents-in-Law grow their own Tomatoes, Potatoes, Asparagus, they have an Apple tree and I think a Cherry Tree too. My husband learned very early on to help with gardening, planting stuff and harvesting it later. So when we were looking for a house to rent he insisted on a yard, the bigger, the better. The place that we live in right now has a small yard, too small for him so he is constantly complaining. In the beginning I didn't really care, I never thought I would every help him do anything and basically didn't care how it looked, if the grass was too long or green enough and if there were weeds and leafs everywhere. During the really hot summer days I preferred to spend my time inside, drinking Iced Coffee and reading.

To me it is kind of amazing how I have changed in the last year, I have started liking things I never would have thought possible.

So what do you do when you need time to think about stuff. And do hey have the concept of Garden Plots where you live. Did your parents have one if you are from Germany?

Irene

It's been a while

So...this blog was kinda quite for the last...ummm...8 months. On the one hand it is not really tragic because, to be honest, one like 2 or 3 people actually read it currently. On the other hand I am mad at myself for not writing more because every once in a while I have caught myself thinking "hey it would be helpful to write/talk about your problems/ideas/opinions and maybe someone will have an advice." When I started blogging it was for fun, I wanted to do it on a regular basis, I love blogs and enjoy reading those that I read a lot. I am fascinated by being able to take a sneak-peak into the life of other people around the globe. And I thought if I keep this up and running regularly, maybe someone might enjoy sneak-peaking into my life.

But like someone, apparently John Lennon, once said (it's one of my favourite quotes)

"life is what is happening while you are busy making other plans"

So life has been busy, hectic and stressful in the last few months. I have been sick a lot and had to stay in bed a lot and basically was unhappy with myself, my health and my life. I'll spare anyone reading this the details, first of all they are personal, second of all I don't want to remember it and start dwelling on it again and third I don't want to sound like I am whining about stuff that I can't change anyways.

I have been seeing a therapist once a week since September last year because I have been suffering from depression and anxiety attacks regularly. I had been sick and in the hospital for a lot of different reasons almost every 6 months since October 2010 and at some point I started to feel so insecure about myself and my health that even thinking about leaving my house and doing something outside of my routine scared the shit out of me because I knew/thought/feared I would become sick again. In reality this wasn't true, no one has to go to the hospital because they don't follow their daily routine of getting up, going to work, cleaning and doing laundry. But my immune system was so weak that I got a flu as soon as some sneezed next to me and I just didn't dare do anything out of the ordinary. Being faced with challenges scared the hell out of me and led to panic attacks making it impossible to do anything on my own.

Those weeks and months were challenging because the job my hubby has usually requires him to go on business trips overnight almost every week. Not being able to deal with stuff on my own made it impossible for him to leave me and our kids home alone and so he only left us alone if he really couldn't avoid it. I became more and more dependant on him and felt like I couldn't do anything alone anymore. Needless to say that led to lots of fighting because he just didn't understand (he'd never been in a situation that scared him so much that he couldn't face it alone or had felt sick and weak as much as I did). He felt like "I should just get my shit together" and I felt like he is not supporting me and leaving me alone (after once promising me "in sickness and in health"). To sum it up, the last 6 months basically sucked!!

But somehow through a lot of talking, analyzing, and also asking my hubby to come to my therapist with me we sorted out the fears I had and found some solutions we both could live with. I learned a lot about myself and had the change to realize some things that happened in the past which probably led to me being the way I am today. I learned to live with the fact that I can't change the past and I can't change the way people are and how they treat me. I have learned (but still struggle with actually following through with it) that I can't and don't have to please everyone and be nice to people that don't give a shit. My health is a bit better, not perfect and I am still facing a huge surgery in September (maybe even two). But I have learned to cope with my problems by myself and so two weeks ago my threapist and I agreed that we think I made so much progress that we will stop the weekly meetings, I will come one more time right before the summer vacation starts and then we will see how it goes when we come back in September. I am really really proud of myself for reaching that point.

I would say I am far from being perfect, flawless and totally content but I am far more happy with myself and my life that I was a year ago. Now out of 7 days a week I am happy on 4 or 5 out of them, a few months ago it was the other way around.

Let's hope I will get back into the routine of writing about some more or less interesting things that happen in my crazy yet kinda boring life. If you read this (and maybe go back through the bits I have written before disappearing from the blogosphere) and like it come back and maybe tell your friends, I'd love it if someone will give me feedback.

Irene 

Oh Shit

OK, so apparently my little rant that was meant to be kinda private and quasi anonymous because only a handful people read this blog (and I just needed to let of some steam) has been read all over the would,tweeted about and even the Person I addressed it too (Mr. Jared Leto himself) read it and talked to me about it on Twitter. Holy Shit...this was NOT supossed to happen!!! I am in Shock and will never post anything again (just kidding, I just need to overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed and frightened and get used to the fact  that my opinion pissed off some friends) Would totally appreciate Feedback though,even from Non-Fans. 

Irene

Open Letter

I am someone who believes in honesty and speaking your mind and I have my unpopular opinions. But this is my blog so I can rant and speak my mind as much as I want and will do that now.

This will probably never been read by the person I intended to write it to, but maybe by others who agree with me and take comfort in knowing they are not alone with their opinion, even though they might not want to speak their mind as open as I do.

Open Letter to Jared Leto - or my opinion about what has been happening lately:

Dear Jared,
I haven't been around the Echelon very long, I only discovered Mars about two years ago, but I have heard and read a lot about the older days and the beginning of Mars, because I wanted to learn more about the beginning. I regret not knowing Mars earlier, reason number one is because I think your songs might have helped me through tough times in the past like they have helped me in the last few months, reason number two is that I heard your contact to the fans was a lot different than it is now. And it makes me sad that I missed those times.

Don't get me wrong, I admire the way you keep in contact with us, the many little tweets you send, the pictures, letting us in on your projects, it is fascinating to follow you through social media pages, like for example when you are dressed up as Rayon for the new movie or when you post pics of the places you are at. I appreciate that you address things that you think might be a problem and that you actually answer people when you are asked. Asking our opinion is something that makes us feel like we have a saying in the things you do.

While I totally despise people who nag and bother you and are rude and ungrateful, who whine about prices and capitalism and how unfair it is that they can't buy stuff, I have heard that back in the days it was far easier and a lot more fun to meet you just by chance or free of charge. I heard that you actually refused to go on stage if people tried to sell tickets to shows by using your name for it. It was about the fun and not about the money. When you were doing MarsX you actually said you liked the fans the best that showed up with their own homemade shirts and bracelets and stuff, there was no Merch to be sold at extremely high prices.

I totally understand that things change, the bandcrew grows, the fanbase grows, it is more complicated to organize the Tour, more equipment, more expensive Venues because you need bigger ones, because more fans want to see you and lets not forget that everything becomes more expensive every year. I also do understand all of that but in return let me tell you a story, one I think shows that you can do better for less money and make the fans even more happy. At least thats what i felt when I experienced it.

I am a huge fan of another band, it is a german Rock Band called Die Ärzte, they have been around a lot longer than you guys, I think they celebrate 30 years this year. I have been a fan for almost 20 years, and back in the days I bought tickets to all of the shows I could attend, just like I do with Mars now. A few weeks ago I went to one of their Concerts in Bielefeld with a friend. She told me that she had also see Mars there during the TIW-Tour so the size of the Venue is exactly the same. Things that I noticed were, that first of all the fans were so close to the stage that the Drummer was able to hand over the Drumsticks to people in the first row, there was just a very small gap to get the fans out if they needed, I used to be front row back in the days and I remember it felt like almost being on stage. And the Drummer actually came up to the front quite a lot, I think he gave out about 50 sticks, some personally, some by throwing them to the back. They joked and goofed around, they improvised, they did have a setlist I am sure but it looked like they alternated when they felt like it. They returend to the stage twice after saying goodbye and all in all played 3 hours and 15 minutes. They played songs form all their albums, even the really really old ones. And the tickets were pretty cheap. While they don't have a GT I am sure people were able to meet them outside afterwards (we didn't stay). For me it seemed like they had a lot more fun on stage than you guys.

I don't bitch about prices, I would never personally insult you for it, I wouldn't bother you with it. But that doesn't mean I don't have an opinion or that I agree with everything. I personally would love to meet you, to discuss things with you, to have a serious talk and get to know you. Which is one reason why I wouldn't get a GT, because that is not possible with a lot of others in the room and such limited time. Another reason is that prices are not affordable for me and I think they are too high for what you get for it. I understand why people bitch about it, while it is great that you offer it, it gives those who can't afford it the feeling of being left out, of not being loved by you because through prices you refuse them the chance to meet you. It shouldn't be that way, there shouldn't be something that separates the people who get to meet their idol from those you don't get the chance. People - Fans - should be treated equally. We all love you guys the same way, some maybe even more than others. And I don't think those who love you most are the same ones who can afford a GT. The ones who take comfort in your music, those who might have been fucked over by life, have lost jobs, felt like giving up, are hanging on because they believe some day they will meet you and tell you you saved their life, those DO NOT have $400 Bucks for that. The ones who do are the privileged ones, the ones with jobs or parents with good jobs who give that to their kids for christmas or birthdays, or the ones who just want to prove that they are way cooler and then brag about it, some even afford GTs for all shows and then show off...I don't believe you are someone who wants that, that only the privileged ones can afford being around you. And if you changed into a person like that I guess you are really a good actor because the role you play in front of us surely is not the one of a capitalist asshole who only wants the money!

Anyways, I could go on about how I loved the VyRTs and how much I appreciate that I met some really great girls and best friends through Mars and how I can identify with a lot of your songs...all that is true...but as always, when it comes to money things almost always change!!

I still love you and I can't wait to see you in Berlin, hopefully I will run into you by chance and get a picture.

XO,
Irene

Surgery

I know there are not a lot of people reading this and that's fine, I am not a constant blogger and this is more for fun than anything else. But if you are reading this anytime between now and thursday next week, could you please include my family in your thoughts and prayers.

My daughter has a small hole in her heart and needs open-heart surgery next week. I am dying every day a little more thinking about it. I have to be strong and can't start crying in front of her but it is so hard. Plus I am not feeling too well myself...a little depressed by the rapidly approaching fall and the mushy/rainy/windy weather.

I know the weather is probably even worse next month, but can it please be November already and everything went smooth?

Irene

Summer pt. 2

Part two of the recap starts with the day we left to drive back to Munich (and in the end back home to Nuremberg spontaneously because we forgot something we wanted to take). We left around 10 am and were home at 3pm. Watered the plants, had some late lunch and left again around 5 pm. In Munich we had some dinner (yummy Mexican food and Caesars Salad) and then stayed the night at my cousins place. She was nice enough to give us the key because unfortunately they weren’t there that weekend. We crashed around 10 pm because we had to get up at 3 am to be at the airport at 4. The plane was scheduled to leave at 6 am and we had a stopover in Lisbon on our way to Funchal, Madeira. I was a nervous wreck that morning. Not enough sleep plus I already missed my kids a bit plus I absolutely HATE flying after some horrible trip a few years back. So I slept most of the time on the plane to Lisbon (while hubby to lots of nice pictures - fortunately not of me sleeping but only of the scenery) and also on the next flight from Lisbon to Madeira. We arrived around 11 am, got our bags pretty quick and found the shuttle to the hotel in no time. So we arrived at the hotel around 1 pm and had to wait a little before the room was ready (Check-In time was 2 pm). We walked around, sat at the pool for a while and explored the hotel and surroundings a bit. The weather was gorgeous, a little cloudy but still really warm. After getting our room we changed into our swim suits, relaxed a bit on the bed (I even fell asleep for a while) and then went to the pool for two hours before Dinner.

The Hotel (we chose the Melia Madeira Mare) is really nice. Pretty new and modern, the room was big enough and had a small desk, a lounge chair and table, a small balcony (unfortunately for us right next to the humming air condition so we never really sat outside) and a modern bathroom with a bathtub and a toilet that was separated from the rest of the room by a small door (great for privacy). 

We arrived on Sunday and from then until Friday we did…nothing…or mostly nothing. Except walk down to get breakfast around 9 am (on the outside terrace right next to the pool), walk the few meters to the pool at 9:30 am (after a breakfast including fresh fruit, coffee and champagne – every day!), lay in the sun, hop into the pool, lay in the sun some more, walk to the room for a nap, walk back to the pool, walk to the restaurant to have Dinner (right next to the pool again) and walk back to the room to sleep. And all over again the next day. On Tuesday we did change the routine a bit and decided to take a small walk towards Funchal, which was told us is about an hour walk one way. The lady who greeted us told us there is a small farmers market which is nice and traditional and lots to see downtown. So we started around 3:30 pm, it was pretty warm but not too hot. When we got to downtown we were pretty disappointed because most stores were closed even though the signs said that opening hours were until 6 pm or 7 pm. It wasn’t a weekend or a holiday but still, the city was almost empty and the farmers market was…..also closed. So we got some traditional bread at the Marina and walked all the way back. We were back at the Hotel around 6 and had an early Dinner. Afterwards we decided to hit the Gym and the Indoor Pool/Jacuzzi. It was nice and we wanted to do that more often…but somehow didn’t…too lazy…

Friday we called someone to rent a car for the weekend to at least see a bit more of the Island. It isn’t really that big, maybe 50 km east to west and 25 north to south. We wanted to do a west tour and an east tour, driving along the south coast where the hotel was located until we reach the “highway” road that connects the south with the north. There are a lot of small mountain roads, which have been there a long time and are beautiful (scenery wise) and they build a “speedway” that basically runs straight through the middle (north to south) including driving through a 3 km long tunnel (not so beautiful - scenery wise). We took the highway to get to the north fast and then took all the beautiful scenery roads along the West Coast on Saturday and all the beautiful scenery roads along the East Coast on Sunday. It took all day on Saturday and we got back to the hotel around 6pm. We stopped along the way to have some late lunch in a small roadside restaurant on the coast, high up on a cliff with a great view and had some yummy and cheap food (that was like 14 Euros total for both of us). Sunday we drove along the East Coast and stopped on the most eastern part of Madeira. We walked up the cliff to take some pictures and all of a sudden I saw a few small lizards running over the sand and stones, they came out of the small holes in between and in no time we were surrounded by at least 8 of them. They didn’t really seem scared. I was only wearing flip-flops and while hubby took a picture I felt something on my foot. I screamed and jumped, almost kicking my flip-flop off the cliff because one of the small beasts nibbled on my toe. I have never seen anything like that, usually the run away as soon as they feel the ground vibrate. It was just totally weird.

We were back earlier than we thought and so we stopped at the “Mall” we had passed the day before, originally just to buy some souvenirs for the kids and maybe some ice cream but in the end I was the proud owner of some new, sexy underwear and a pair of gorgeous new High Heels (that will probably kill my feet one day). Sunday evening we started packing because we would be picked up at 3:20 am on Tuesday morning and we wanted to enjoy Monday evening without any hassle of packing, plus we wanted to sleep early. I also had to get up even earlier than hubby because I had decided to take part in another VyRT-Livestream by my favorite band which happened to start at 1 am that night. So I went to bed around 10 pm, got up a little after 1 am, watched about 2 hours of the livestream and we were picked up for the airport in the middle of the night. Arrived at the airport a little before 4 am, the Check-In wasn’t even open yet and then had to wait until 5 before we could board. The plane left at 6 and we had a stopover in Lisbon again (at 7:30 *yawn*). Finally arrived in Munich at 1 pm, got the car and drove back down to Italy. Got there around 5 pm, after being up 12 hours, dealt with some really hyper kids, who were glad to have us back and fell into bed at 9:30 pm.

Stay tuned for the Rest...

Irene

Summer pt. 1

Here is part one of the recap of our Summer Vacation 2012. 

This year we did something totally different than usual. We went to Italy, or rather South Tyrol, which is the northern, still German speaking, part of Italy. We usually spend our Easter vacation there but this year we had other plans for Easter and so we went there in the summer. The other difference was that we went there with my parents and right in the middle of the three weeks we left the kids alone with the Grandparents and us (the parents) drove back to Munich to catch a flight to Madeira, Portugal for 9 days. At the end of those days we drove back down to Italy to pick up the Kids and Grandparents again and spend another few days there.

So on a Monday we started around noon to drive down from Nuremberg, about 4 hours, past Munich and through Austria, over the Brenner Autobahn to Meran and from there up the mountains to the Hotel we always stay at and at which I already stayed at with my parents when I was about the age of my kids. The family knows us and it always is like coming home. I played on the playground with the “kids” who now run the place, still supported by their parents, now grandparents. And my kids play with their (grand)kids and who knows if they will still come here once they are grown-up.

The first day we just unpacked, went for dinner and had some wine on the balcony of our room later before heading to bed. The next morning the “Grandpa” of the house offered to lead a group of interested guest on a mountain walk/hike and hubby and my dad took the kids so me and my mom could chat and relax all day. We talked and had some yummy lunch before heading down to Meran for some shopping. We all came back around the same time for dinner.

Dinner is always something there; it’s a small celebration every night. In the morning they hand you a piece of paper with the Menu of the day, always consisting of a 5 Course Menu, the first Course is usually a salad, which you can choose yourself from the salad bar and the dressings are delicious. The second course is a small course/appetizer, a small piece of lasagna, or baked Veggies with parmesan cheese or maybe a shrimp cocktail, the third Course is either some Juice/fruity Cocktail or a soup, the main Course is meat or fish, or two different kinds of Meats to choose from, or Meat or Veggie, the last Course is Dessert. Most of the time (except a few days like Sundays and Holidays) you have a choice for the 2^nd/3^rd and Main Course. So every morning you make a cross next to the stuff you want to eat for Dinner. And the Dinner always lasts about two hours (and usually includes at least one bottle of wine if not more). I regularly gain weight when we stay there because on top of a 5 Course Dinner they also have great Cakes and the yummiest Apfelstrudel you can imagine. That, plus the opportunity to NOT do anything except lay in the sun and relax doesn’t really help with keeping your weight.

The second day we drove to a small hotel/ restaurant up on the other side of the valley which we usually visit while there, it has a great view of the mountains and some good food. The have a big lawn, some swings and a small sandbox for the kids. It is always crowded with people hiking up there (or if they are lazy like us, driving up) so we went early to get a good spot on the sun terrace. The kids played and we read or relaxed in the sun, had some yummy lunch (Spinat-/Käseknödel – Spinach/Cheese Dumplings with brown butter and parmesan cheese).

The next day (Thursday) we went to do something we always do while there, we hiked up to a small Castle which is now a tourist spot, including a small “restaurant” (Burgschänke) and tourists can learn Archery there (you can rent bows and arrows). It is usually a nice, but at some parts steep walk/hike, about 45 minutes. But you have a great view into the Valley and over Bozen and the Dolomite Alps. Unfortunately, after it was about 28 degrees Celcius and really sunny when we started, it became grey/dark pretty quick and about 10 minutes before we arrived it started raining and we heard thunder. So we had to hurry (up a steep hill, on really wet stone/concrete) but ended up being soaked to the bone once we arrived. This was a first for us but they seemed to be prepared because they opened up the little repair shop they have for the bows and arrows (it’s really warm inside) and the big dining room (which is usually closed in the summer because everyone sits outside in the sun). And they handed out towels so we could dry off the kids and wrap them into a towel and hubbys warm sweater which he had packed (for whatever reason). As soon as the sun was out again we placed our socks and shoes in the sun and waited while we had something to eat and drink. By the time we walked back down 3 hours later most of it was dry again. Afterwards my parents took the kids back to the hotel while hubby and I went to Bozen for some quick shopping (I needed my fix of some of my favorite nailpolish – KIKO Milano – and I haven’t found a shop anywhere else yet, except Meran).

On Friday everyone except me went on another walk/hike, even my mom who has problems with her knees decided to take part but I was kinda lazy. I did regret it about 30 minutes after they had left because I was pretty bored and mad at myself for being lazy but then I decided I would just take a nap (about 2 hours after getting up but oh well). I had promised them to pick them up at the end so they didn’t have to walk back, at least not the kids and my mom, I knew my dad and hubby would probably want to also walk all the way back to the parking area where they started. So after an hour nap and a shower I drove to pick them up and the afternoon was spend on the playground with the kids until the rest of the gang was back and we had the last dinner together before we would leave the next morning to drive to Munich and to fly to Madeira the day after.

The kids were totally excited and asked almost every day if we would leave (“are you leaving TODAY? When are you gonna leave us alone with Grandpa and Grandma?? Is today the day you leave?”) because my mom had promised they would get some pocket money every day, just enough to buy some ice cream or sweets, as soon as we left. Needless to say they wanted us to leave immediately after she told them the first day! 

Next up is our kids-free vacation on Madeira...stay tuned!

Irene

Opinions

Well, I neglected this personal space for a while but that was just because nothing really important happened, or if something important happened it was something regarding friends and their personal life and I didn't want to share it here even though it involved me.

But the last few days and especially today I witnessed something and I feel that I need to write down and share my personal opinion about it.

This is actually a post in which I share my "personal opinion" about people who share their "personal opinion" online in a not so very nice way or can not deal with other people sharing their "personal opinion" openly because they disagree. This is all about conversations online and I do acknowledge that online you have to be really careful about what you write and how you write it, taking into account that people might understand you wrong. But you also have to take into consideration that everyone is entitled to their own opinon, just like the saying "to live and let live"

*warning* this post includes my own, sarcastic, sometimes maybe even rude and unfiltered opinion, it might also include inappropriate language and could be offensive.

I know that, if a random group of people, who don't know each other at all or not very well or are just in the process of getting to know each other meet, be it online or in real life, there are almost as many different opinions as there are people involved and naturally you don't agree and get along with everyone. If, for example, you are stuck into a project team at work and you have to find a solution or work together on something, you always need to either be persistent to actually be able to input your idea into the final result or you can also decide you want to spare the hassle and just agree with whatever the others decide. It is your own decision if and how much other opinions matter to you, if you want to pick a fight over them or if you just let them go.

Same goes for Playgroups you might attend with your kids (and the opinions of all the other moms about "how to raise your kids the right way"), online Forums (maybe discussing the best way to build a customize computer or how to pimp your smartphone) and groups of Fans/Fandoms (arguing about who is the hottest actor in the newest Blockbuster Movie or the best lead singer of their favourite band)

I am part of the Echelon, the Fan Group for the Band 30 Seconds to Mars. The Name "Echelon" was actually invented by the Band itself, giving their Fan Base a Name so everyone could identify themselves with the Band, there are other Bands and Artist, like Lady Gaga, who calls their Fans "little Monster". So as a Fan of Mars you consider yourself an Echelon most of the time...or at least you should...but that's where the actual problem lies.

Who defines what makes you an Echelon, who says you can only be one if you do this and don't do that. Becoming an Echelon does not inculde going to some school, taking a test and getting a Diploma, you can't NOT become an Echelon because you lack certain skills. Being an Echelon for me kind of is like being a Christian. Some Christians go to church every sunday, some pray before Dinner, some only go to church on Christmas, some wear a cross, some read the Bible every Day.

There are a lot of Members of the Echelon who have a certain opinion about how you have to be, what you have to do and especially what you shouldn't do. Some take it extremely serious and get upset when someone doesn't behave according to their way of thinking. On top of that there are (mostly) girls who are just Fans of Jared or Shannon Leto because they look good, or who don't want anything but a piece of the fame and who would do anything to be seen with them or to be recognized by them or to spend a night with them. Those are called Fangirls and according to some Echelon they can NEVER be an Echelon because Echelon DON'T fangirl!

Now with the Band being on a Break from Touring, spending time at home to record a new Album (amongst oher things like goofing around, setting their kitchen on fire, growing beards and hanging with groupies) the Number One Indicator to show that you are a real Echelon (attending as many Concerts as possible and freezing your butt off in front of the Venue afterwards, as well as spending an insane amount of money for a Golden Ticket) is not something that can be easily done. Plus the absense (sometimes even over a longer period of time like a week or two) of the Boys and no real News, leads to boredom among the Echelon. Which leads to (long overdue or NOT necessary at all) discussions about the real meaning of "Echelon". There was even a Conference held in Portugal to learn more about how to be the perfect Echelon and what to do and avoid and what all the different symbols mean (and then we are mad when someone calls us a Sect/Cult) ;)

Anyways, boredom has struck the Echelon and the Fangirls so they start to pick (unfair) fights with each other. Fangirls think Echelon are weird Freaks and Echelon think Fangirls are slutty Bitches. Some (on either side) unfortunately lack a sense of Humor, the skill to read Sarcasm and the ability to accept other opinions. Some (depending on their age - most of them are teens) are just too young to know the difference between a sarcastic comment and a real opinion. Those are the ones who will start crying if you say anything (seamingly) bad about any one of the three guys. Some can not take criticism, be it towards them and their opinion or (even worse) towards something one of the guys from the band said or did. And I am right in the middle of it and enjoying the show.

I would consider myself an Echelon, I love the Band, I love how they helped me through tough times, I am grateful because I met so many great people through my Band Forums, even one or two I would actually consider real good (or best) friends now, their music helps me when I am sad or mad about something, some songs include Lyrics describing my feelings so well, better than I can do it. The Guys make me laugh when they tweet goofy stuff, they are inspiring, Jared is a great person who cares a lot about his Fans I think (without knowing him or ever meeting him personally - yet), Tomo can always make people smile and seems to be a very sweet guy and Shannon, well Shannon is just plain hot with his tattoos and muscles.

See and that's where we enter the Twilight-Zone...I called him a "hot piece of ass" which basically degrades me from "Echelon" to "Fangirl"...because I think of them as "hot pieces of ass with a great voice" instead of "inspiring Drummer or Band Leader whose sole fate it is to use his popularity to save the world". I have a few Friends among the Echelon/Fangirls, some I only know online, some I also know in real Life, some I met online and they became real Life friends. We are all about the same age, grown -up enough to be able to understand sarcasm, to not be offended if somone doesn't share our opinion and old enough to not take everything too serious. We gossip, we crack our jokes and we laugh about 15 year-olds who cry over pictures of Jared holding hands with random women (because they want him to be single so he "might" consider dating a Fan anytime in the future and "maybe he will wait until they are old enough" - not realizing that he is 40 already) and who think their world will end when Shannon is seen flirting with someone. We do not take being an Echelon way too serious, it is not a religion, more like a way of life and a way to share your love of music and your sense of humor with people like you.

Unfortunately there are some other members of the so-called "Echelon-Family" who do not tolerate it when we do that and have our fun with it and they are annoyed and offended and that causes trouble among the Echelon which is just plain annoying. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, there should be Freedom of Speech, even online and you should respect others. I don't get offended if someone thinks I am (and calls me) a Fangirl...(because it's probably true) and I don't cry myself to sleep when I get messages with rude Comments. But then I also want to have the opportunity to openly say/write what I think.

As I said: "Live and let Live" or "Don't take everything too serious" or "Life is too short to fight over little things"

So there you have it...my honest opinion...now go over to Twitter or FB and feel free to unfriend me if you disagree.

Irene