I would definitely say, at this point in my life, Four Year Strong and The Damned Things are my absolute favourite fucking bands.

I've been following both since they first made it to the UK - I was at both's first UK headline gigs - and although I love them in a much more removed and grown-up sense than you could have said I did with Fall Out Boy, I am so deeply fucking proud of them.

I feel kind of like I've watched Four Year Strong grow up over the last couple of years. It breaks my heart to listen to 'One Step At A Time' and know it's Dan's devastation over losing his brother, and more so when you realise that Alan is singing the comforting lines of reassurance. And it totally blew us away to sit on the balcony at the Electric Ballroom and see hundreds and hundreds of kids below singing along to every fucking word.

I was so proud of those kids, on Wednesday.

With TDT, I'm still hoping that the release of the album will bring up their fanbase a lot, because a virtually empty Garage isn't a great indicator at the moment. Having heard their stuff live, though, I am delirious with excitement for Ironiclast. Knowing how heavily Joe has been involved in the writing and production of the album makes me really, really happy. Even moreso knowing that it's going to be fucking astounding.

It's kind of mean, I know, but I would love for him to be the Robbie Williams of this group - the one who goes on to massive success - although, y'know, with less general drug dependency and nonsense. Yes.

But yes. My music world is very happy and productive at the moment, and I feel like a pride-filled momma watching her babies grow up. It's awesome.

Things that made today awesome:

- all the lovely birthday wishes I've received throughout the day, on here, on Facebook and on the Fuck City forum, where someone actually created a thread for it;
- waking up to a ficlet from untelling who is amazing and needs to write more;
- finding out ashe_frost had bought me paid time for one of my LJs ♥ ;
- shiny_starlight driving us all the way to Southampton and back, despite being sick;
- awesome cupcakes from fadefromblack;
- getting to show Dan O'Connor the tattoo shiny_starlight and likethepaint bought me, after he'd told us the song I quoted was one of his current favourites (he had to tug my shirt down to see it. ♥_♥);
- the look on Dan's face when he saw the enormous quantity of sweets we'd brought them (and then getting to see him eagerly hacking his way into a plastic carton of flying saucers with my door key);
- a moment of sXe unity with FYS's merch guy, Josh;
- over-hearing people telling each other that my new tattoo is awesome in the ladies' at the venue;
- listening to Fast Times all the way home and explaining to Julie how the lyrics inadvertantly plotted out the course of TWNW;
- checking my Twitter and the Fuck City forum en route, and finding not one, but two messages from one of my favourite people ever:





All in all it has been a pretty wonderful birthday. The only way it could have been improved would have been to have picked the whole shebang up and having it happen in Chicago. ♥

You guys are all wonderful. Thank you so much.