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-Becca
Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005 What a Month! Well, Katrina has taken a lot of my time lately, but I wanted to at least write a small entry and let everyone know that my folks are back home in Destrehan (20 miles west of New Orleans) and have electricity, Internet . . . everything. I'd like to thank everyone out there for your prayers and thoughts. The evacuees here are becoming more hopeful that things may get better faster than expected. I hope that is true. I think the people in the shelters are ready to go home. The people of Houston have stepped up to the task and been amazing. I'm so proud of this city! My heart breaks for those who are still missing families, including children. I can't imagine how crazy I would be if my child was lost. Most of my friends and family were really lucky and will be able to bounce back in no time. I can't wait to go back to New Orleans. I love that town so much. It will come back!!! -Becca
Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 The DVD is Coming Out Hello peoples! Yes, the rumor is true. The Live DVD of "The Emotional Uncertainty Tour" is finally being released. It's a MUST HAVE! You definitely get a feel for how we are live (or how we were, seeing that Scott and Tommy are no longer around). Todd did an incredible job of putting it together. It includes a whole show, several live songs from other shows, an interview with yours truly, my first show as a solo artist (I was SO NERVOUS!), a picture gallery and so much more! I was also accepted by BMI, a songwriters' organization. They'll actually pay me royalties when my songs are used in television and radio. Once my album is released I will put links here of all the radio stations that have it so you can request the heck out of them! With that in mind . . . I wrote a new song! It's called "Let the Drama Begin" (funny, that is the name of the album. I thought of the title almost 2 years ago, and the song was written almost at the end!). It's a rocking song with incredible energy. I'm pretty sure I'm going to make a music video to it soon. It's different from songs I've written in the past. I also changed my site a little. I have so many projects and so many things going on that I really wanted a one-stop shop for the projects I'm in. I got approval to sell "Call To Fly" off of my site along with the Stage Dive Live DVD and our latest CD "And Then There's A Rose." I also have samples and streaming video/trailers at the store so you can check it all out, as well as some sales (hey, I'm a girl. Gotta go for the sales!). The "Emotional Uncertainty Tour" will be on there Aug. 16th. I guess that's the update for now. I'll talk to you all again soon! -Becca Tuesday, July 19, 2005 ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz The fest was awesome. I'm still recovering. I'm probably the sleepiest I have ever been. Craig Lightfoot played lead guitar and was a real asset to the show. Jason Bentley sang lead vocals for the first time during the show. It was amazing. I told him he did so well I was scared of losing my job. :-) Once I recover we're going back to the studio to get back to the CD. In the mean time, Team Falcon is doing really well and are scheduling more demos and camps as I type. They're such a talented group of kids I can't even describe it with words. You'll have to make it a point to see them all. Stage Dive and Rebecca Torrellas have a few shows coming up. I have a live show streaming off the news section. Make sure you check that out. In the mean time I hope you can see us Aug. 3rd at the Rhythm Room. In the mean time, I plan to sleep all the way until then. Take care and God blesszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! -Becca
Friday, July 1, 2005 Halfway Through The year 2005 is halfway done. After rehearsing with my guys last night I realized there's still so much to do to get the new album out. But I'm kind of glad I waited. Life has changed so drastically in the last two years of my life that the songs are going to be incredibly diverse, just like No Hard Feelings was. I have new things inspiring me now, both lyrically and musically. I've had inspiration come out of places I never expected. For example, when planning something like the Call To Fly Fest it brings out true colors in people. The real friends truly stick by you, and others kick you to the curb or stab you in the back. Todd and I have been experiencing some peaks and valleys lately - some of which have been hard to take. My only two relaxers lately have been playing with bandmates and hooking up on Fridays with our friends for Happy Hour Sushi at Miyako. That's been a lifesaver to me because we can take all that has gone right or wrong in the past week, let it out, and for two hours eat like kings for cheap. And since they don't just have sushi on the happy hour menu (and no, a lot of stuff on there is cooked), even friends of mine that don't like sushi get to come and hang out. I don't think they realize how much I look forward to it during the week. I'm especially ready for this one, 'cause one of my favorite holidays is coming up . . . Fourth of July! Those who know me well know I have an addiction to fireworks. If something blows up (without harming anyone) I want to see it and experience it. I remember once after an RT show there were fireworks and that's still one of my favorite shows ever. When I was younger my dad took the family to Disney World and we had to stay till the very end of the night every single day so I could see fireworks. And if it's something in the sky, like shooting stars and stuff like that, I go bananas (thank you Gwen Stefani for teaching me how to spell that!). Yesterday at band rehearsal the International Space Station did a fly by and I stopped rehearsal midway so the guys could see it! Feel free to come by Miyako and hang out with us if you are ever in the neighborhood and want to laugh and relax. It's on 6345 Westheimer (near Winrock) in a shopping strip. You'll see a combination of Kane and Krystal of Stage Dive, Scott YZ, Leah Bennett, Shirley Luk, Todd and I somewhere in there having a good time and unwinding. -Becca
Friday, June 24, 2005 Learning Flash & Music Videos While my husband and friends are out in the living room watching a horror film, I decided to spend my Friday night learning some Flash. I'm practicing it on Todd's site and on the Stage Dive site (to have it perfected for here - hehehe). I got the intro and MULTIMEDIA page on the Stage Dive site all nice and fancy! One of Todd's passions is filming, editing and directing films and music videos, and I wanted to be able to showcase that on the Web. He had several videos with Angel that were really cool and took a lot of time and effort to make, so those are in there, too! They are streaming video so take some time to check them out. I'm in a couple of them. If you checked out the news section, you will see that there's a live video of us doing "What Is It Now?" Our idea for a live DVD fell through, so I figured I'd at least put on one of my favorite performances for you to enjoy! It also streams so you don't have to wait for a download. Don't forget to save July 16th to come see us at Adrenaline Skatepark. Can't wait to sing all my songs again. It's been a year since I've performed with the band. -Becca
Sunday, June 5, 2005 Vocally challenged Hey everyone! Just writing because I haven't been able to speak much in the last two weeks. First I had pharyngitis, which later turned into laryngitis. So my voice has been on and off. :-p Needless to say it has massively hampered any possibilities of rehearsal for the July 16th show, but we shall manage. In the mean time, the theme song of "Call To Fly" is in Zakk United's hands. Make sure you email him and request it on Sunday nights. I'm going to see him soon to give him Rebecca Torrellas material to play on there, too. We're getting ready to do a national raid with "Call To Fly" (the song) and we'll have a list available to let you know where it is being played. "Have It Your Way" will probably be playing at those stations, too. Things are just blossoming, slowly but surely! It's crazy! To email Zakk United at the Buzz, click HERE. Thanks so much for supporting this movie and all that comes with it. We worked really hard on it. -Becca
Monday, May 16, 2005 To the faithfully "departed" As some of you have heard Scott YZ left the band as of last week (I'd previously mentioned there were some kinks to finishing the CD). We're OK, though. Todd and I have a friend named Craig Lightfoot who is a fantastic guitarist and he's going to help us out for our show on July 16th at Adrenaline Skatepark for the "Call To Fly" party. We know him from a cover band we were starting with also "departed" Tommy Rox (the cover band ended with his departure from Houston). Scott will still be around and probably stop by July 16th since he played a major character in the movie (both he and girlfriend Leah Bennett were in it. They were GREAT!). The two of them jam around town with drummers including Todd and our first drummer Joe Condoleo (who'll also be there on the 16th). Definitely join the party at Adrenaline Saturday, July 16th. It's going to be a blast with or more bands, giveaways, skateboarding, movie clips and lots more! For more information, check out www.calltofly.com, www.toddfalcon.com or www.adrenalineskatepark.com. As always take care and God bless. -Becca
Monday, May 9, 2005 Where's my head!!! You know, I'm glad I have a family to remember my birthday. I've been so busy lately that I didn't remember my birthday! I celebrated it with one dinner (those of you who know me well know I love to party and use my birthday as an excuse to party all week long!). It kind of snuck up on me this year. But the wonderful news is that I'm done with yet another project . . . the Stage Dive album. Yay! We have one video out on the Web site at www.stagedivetheband.com for the movie "Call To Fly." PLEASE check out the trailer to the movie at www.calltofly.com. We're having a full-blown party for the movie on July 16th at Adrenaline Skate Park. More details will come your way soon, but save the date! The next project is our album. I'm going to take a small break this week and actually get some work done at work. *SHOCK* ;-) Next week I'm going back to the studio to get a few songs finished up. We've been mixing albums on the computer and playing with so many tracks . . . it's such a fun experience to have all these things at our disposal now. My solo project will also be doing music videos that we'll have streaming off of here soon enough. I'm so excited (except for that whole work out thing so I look extra good in the videos, but I'm actually starting to enjoy this healthy thing). Believe it or not I'm eating much healthier now than I used to, with the exception of still having a once in a while craving for chips and salsa. :-p It's helped me a lot, because I have the energy to keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny! I have a training ball, free weights, videos of all kinds, ab roller, resistance exercises . . . oh yeah, and the incense to relax me in between all that. For those of you who know me well, I've cut down to drinking one coke a week (down from 6 a day) and eat Mexican food once a week (down from like 3 times a week). Margaritas have gone down considerably, too. I'm getting there!!!! Married life (when there's time to have one) has been great the last few days. Todd has been everywhere the last few weeks and time together has been close to non-existent (for a newly wed couple). We decided to relax and enjoy each other these last few days and boy does it feel good (except he's baking cookies right as I type this thing . . . boy they smell good . . . must resist temptation . . . must stay on healthy diet . . . must stay away from chocolate chip cookies . . . ). Where's that training ball . . . that'll keep me busy.
Nothing to write about It's hard to keep a journal (or horrible nickname BLOG) when there's not much new going on. I guess I'll start by saying that three songs are ready except for my final vocal. We're getting there. I'm glad we're taking our time with it because we tend to find new things to add here and there that make it a full experience. Right now I'm looking forward to resting really soon. I really could use it. :-) I'm hoping there's some good news coming your way soon so stay tuned. I'll be better about updating this thing. As always take care and God bless. -Becca
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 A green tea high and Stage Dive Rhythm guitarist Jason Bentley got me hooked on green tea. I've been taking it for a couple of days and I am feeling so creative and lucid it is amazing! I almost feel like this stuff should be illegal! It's not the greatest taste in the world without some sugar (or honey as Jason prefers it), but boy I feel very energized and relaxed. I recommend it to anyone and everyone out there. It's good for your health, too! I hadn't felt this good in a long time. I don't feel hurried or stressed! Go get some! Also, I want to finally announce on the journal that I'm the official new singer of rock band Stage Dive. Angel is pregnant with twins and will be joining us every once in a while, depending on how she feels. I'm working on a new album with them. It's a heavier sound and gives me time to have fun with my new family on stage. We also have some music videos in the works. I've never made a music video so that is a whole new experience for me. I use the name "Jade" in the band so no one gets confused as to which band they're covering in the media or what kind of music to expect at the shows. It's weird to have a stage name, but I'll go with it. Most of everyone will know who I am, anyway. We're still working on my next album, though I've seemed to have hit some minor setbacks (what else is new). Not sure what will come of all that, but the moment I know, you will know. I'm still writing new songs so there might be an album coming out before this one I'm working on now. It's a crazy time but I'm having fun. And at the end of the day that's what all this is about! You can check out videos and MP3s of Stage Dive at www.stagedivetheband.com. As always take care and God bless.
You have the right to starve to death? You've all heard the story of Terri Shiavo. I have heard a million opinions from friends and family, some of which have completely shocked me. It's amazing how many different sides there are of this case. There's the right to life side; the doctors' side of the story; the she did/didn't say she'd want to die; the "how did she get into this problem in the first place;" the financial side; the "I don't want politicians meddling in my personal business" side; and so many more. What does one do? What do you believe? I'm at a point where I don't want to judge anyone. I just want her to go in peace and quickly since there seems to be no other way of saving her life. At the end of the day God will punish those who need punishing and forgive those who ask for it. I know where Terri is going and regardless of how she feels now she will feel better where she is going. Prolonging the now inevitable just makes me think that her current pain and suffering gets worse and worse. I think it's wrong to let her starve, whether she wanted to die or not. How is it that we can kill our most horrible criminals in minutes by lethal injection and we starve an innocent person? She's getting killed regardless . . . can't we make it quick? To me, a feeding tube isn't exactly a life line, especially when you live 10+ days without it. To me, a life line is when someone is so dead that everything is being done by machines, from heartbeat to breathing to cleaning your blood Ñ specifically because that person's brain is too dead to tell the body to function normally. I'm sure that Terri probably wouldn't have wanted to live in this state because, honestly, who would want to? But I guarantee she never said, "Please, let me starve in front of my family as they plead for my life." That's the part that is so sad about this case. Whatever happened to Terri and whatever caused it, I can't imagine she would be so selfish to want to cause friction between the family and the husband she loved. My grandmother was in a coma when she was 70 and was given no hope of recovery. She woke up one day and functioned normally with a few ailments caused by Parkinson's Disease. She lived another eight happy years. In closing, leave everything in writing. Discuss with your family members what you want to happen to you. I won't disclose all my private stuff here, but my family and extended family mean more to me than anything and as long as they can deal with the situation, make decisions and at the end grieve TOGETHER peacefully . . . that will make me happy. Terri's situation is sad, but the fact that it has alienated those she loved and the whole world is watching the circus that is around her, that's even more sad. As always take care and God bless.
MARRIED!!! Hey there! I'm back with pictures! The big day finally came on March 5, 2005. There will be a point when I can show off a whole lot more, but for now I have to use what is available to me. Thanks to Todd's dad for the pictures. Drummer Marcus Roberts served as usher and lead guitarist Scott YZ was one of the groomsmen (unfortunately was absent for this set of pictures!) More to come soon. The wedding pictures are below. For honeymoon pictures, click HERE.
As always take care and God bless. Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005 Domesticated Not sure when the change happened, but I'm truly worried about myself. After a long day at work I did something I seldom do . . . SHOP! But I was deeply determined to get something for my apartment. *GASP!* I shopped for furniture without my mom having to drag me to the store. I hadn't eaten lunch and was starved, but I had to fulfill my mission first . . . I wanted a futon! A nice, modern futon to turn into a bed at my own leisure and still have my home feel . . . young! I don't think I'd ever been as excited about furniture shopping as I was today. I signed the receipt and it was ALL MINE! I can fit four people comfortably sitting down watching TV or have two people sleep over without having to hit the floor. I was so excited to celebrate I did something else weird . . . I ate sushi. Todd and my friend Shirley had been talking about a new sushi place a few days ago and the futon store was directly next to a sushi restaurant. I guess buying furniture made me hungry for posh food. Funny because I don't like fish (I mean it when I say it was a weird day). I ate to my heart's content . . . salmon with cream cheese, portobello mushroom sushi, sift-shell crab, crab and shrimp (I love my shellfish!) . . . it was surprisingly yummy! No wasabi for me, though. Todd had that. He loves hurting when he eats, for some reason (LOVES spicy stuff). The only thing that was weirder than my mood and cravings was that this restaurant made sushi at a bar, which is normal for sushi places, but it had a fish tank in the middle of it FILLED with fish. All who were facing the chilled bodies of their companions ready to be fixed for food. I thought this could count as cruelty to animals. I mean, some people would be a little miffed if Outback decorated their slaughter closet with live cows, don't you think? Anyway, so that was my weird day. The only other news is that Todd rescued a kitty that was not being fed and was being burned by kids and previous owners. His name is Ash because he came to Todd on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 9th). He's at the vet and will be till Friday taking care of
As always take care and God bless.
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2005 Superbowl Well, the Patriots pulled it off another year. Oh well. I still got to have a lot of friends over and had a great time! It's so nice to have my little tradition every year. But I'm ready for one of my fave teams to get back into the Superbowl. It's been a while! (Colts, Saints, Packers, now the Texans, 49ers, Bears, Chiefs). Maybe next year Peyton will make it! Look for a new "Call To Fly" trailer within two weeks. Marcus is coming in next week to put down some tracks for the new album. It'll be nice
Monday, Jan. 17, 2005 Relaxing Weekend Finally, a long weekend of relaxation! I got to do things I hadn't gotten to do in a long time. Sleep late, watch TV, play with the cats . . . NOT WORK! Well, I shouldn't say that. I've been working on music some, too, when Todd takes a break from post-production of "Call To Fly." The only time I distracted him was when I was yelling at the TV during the Colts game yesterday. I'm very sad the Colts lost yesterday and I don't get to see them till next year. I think all the teams I was rooting for have been eliminated. Rats! I still plan to have a Superbowl party! I've been testing some of my new recipes on Todd and other friends. So far, no fatalities. ;-) hehehe. As far as the band, we're back in the studio saddle at my apartment. Hopefully we'll have some new tunes for you to hear soon! Also, don't forget to donate to the Red Cross if you haven't already done so to help with relief efforts all over the world to help tsunami victims and mudslide victims here in the USA. As always take care and God bless.
Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005 Heading to Orlando First of all, Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday. Mine was a little crazy. Just when I thought life would slow down, it starts speeding. Todd is competing in a mini-ramp competition in "Disney City" so we are going to that to meet people and promote the movie while Todd is competing against skateboard master Carlos de Andrade! Then we'll be putting the movie out for distribution, then the wedding, then hopefully music and film festivals . . . somewhere in there I'd like to finish the albums. I think it will be a whole lot easier now that the band will be practicing and recording in my new apartment. I can record my songs in pajamas if I feel like it! I want to do so much that I run out of energy every once in a while so it is nice to have the flexibility of home. I really love my new apartment. It's near everything and quite large for the price. It has taken forever, but I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with all of my projects. The cast party for "Call to Fly" went
In closing, 2004 was spent working on numerous things that hopefully show in full bloom in 2005. Wish me luck and remember me in your
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