Back from a rare trip to the Twin Cities in August

I do miss regularly updating my blog. I'm still not into writing daily like I used to. Yet, I have a lot to share and write about.

In early August, I returned to the Twin Cities for a concert. It was awesome. I had a great time.

It made sense that the band that I had discovered for the first time was in the Twin Cities. Guster was the opening act for John Mayer. This band blew me away and I have been a fan ever since. I returned to see this band, as they rarely cross the border.

It was also nice to return to the Twin Cities in the summertime. I am normally there for a hockey game, when it's colder. I enjoyed wearing shorts and a t-shirt every day.

Let's see if I can write more regularly. I'll start with perhaps once a week and see how all that goes.

Concert was fabulous!

The concert last night was wonderful. I saw Boy George and Culture Club for the first time in my life. I'm so glad that I decided to try my hand at getting a ticket.

The drive to get to the venue is roughly 1.5 hours from where I live. I got a t-shirt. Yay

I'm taking it easy today. I will need to briefly head out in a few hours, but it's a quieter day this long Labour Day weekend.

Selling a concert ticket and getting protective film on my new car's hood

Roughly two years ago, I bought three concert tickets for two friends and me. I had a special code for early access. Unfortunately, I couldn't get three tickets together. Instead, I got a single ticket for me and two tickets together for my friend and her boyfriend.

She paid me back for her tickets. The pandemic happened and this concert has been rescheduled to two weeks from now.

Her boyfriend can't go. So, my friend and I will sit together. I need to sell the single ticket.

I have been able to sell my last two tickets for the Minnesota Wild and Lady Gaga. Here's hoping that I can for this concert.

As for car news, I asked my salesperson if I can get protective film installed on my new car's hood. I have it on my current car and it has been wonderful. I do not have any paint chips. I'm happy that it will be installed in time for pickup next Wednesday.

Good weekend and packing

It has been a great weekend. I saw two friends on Saturday and went out on Sunday to fetch a few things.

I'm starting to pack for my trip. I leave on Friday. This week is rather busy, especially with a concert on Thursday night.

It'll be nice to relax a bit once I'm over the border.

My spider plant and an online concert

On Sunday, I went out. It was a rare outing, but I hit a farmers' market to pick up a free plant.

I enjoyed hitting the market. I ended up buying some cool items, such as lemon shortbread and blackcurrant kombucha.

My new plant is a spider plant. I feel like naming it Spike. I have never owned a spider plant in my life until now.

I'm watching a concert online. It's still going and it's nearly 1 am. Thank goodness I'm a night owl.

Packed and ready for the weekend

I'm all packed for my mini staycation. I am going to a concert tonight. I am so looking forward to the next couple of days!

Have a happy, safe weekend, everyone!

Robyn and pushy, drunk idiots

The other night, I went to see Robyn. It was a general admission concert.

I didn't realize that I had purchased a VIP ticket. I got early access into the venue to get a decent standing spot. I also got a commemorative bucket hat and laminated concert badge.

I got to the venue at 17:30. I was standing until 23:00, with a couple of bathroom breaks. My legs were not functioning well after the show. They felt like Jello.

For the most part, I am not a huge fan of general admission tickets. I'd sooner have a seat. You can dance and then take a break. I also like not spending most of the night up against other people.

Robyn was wonderful. She's a dynamic performer who sounds amazing. I had a wonderful time seeing her.

She is also incredibly strong. She started her career doing bubblegum-type music. She didn't want to fit in that mould and decided to break free. She has had her own say in her music ever since.

The downside to this concert was guys who ended up pushing and poking into me. It's one thing to brush someone by accident. When there are guys bumping into me often, I will push back. Sure, they are drunk, but it's pretty rude.

My legs are still sore from dancing and standing on my feet for over five hours. Thank goodness I don't go to such concerts often.

Concert and Jello legs

I just came back from a concert. I got a VIP ticket. I stood there for five hours. My legs feel like Jello.

More details about this fabulous show in a following post. I hope my legs come back to life in the morning!

Concert, movie, and road trip home

I attended a wonderful concert on Saturday. I was on my feet for over four hours.

Today, I spent part of my afternoon at a movie theatre, legs reclined, watching Bohemian Rhapsody.

I drive home tomorrow. It will be a long drive, but I hope to return to Columbus again soon.

Weed scents in front of Best Buy

As I had written in a previous post, weed is legal in Canada. However, it depends on where you live to be able to smoke it in public.

I was at a Best Buy on Saturday afternoon. I visited a city a bit east of where I live. Roughly an hour later, I came out of the store. I smelled weed in the air.

I tend to associate smelling weed to being at a music concert. It will take me a while to associate it to my daily life.

Concert, food, and sleep

It has been a busy couple of evenings. I went to see Jann Arden in concert the other night. I love her music so much!

I just came back from a food event this evening. It was a ton of fun. I'm now trying to learn how to wind down for the day. It's tough!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour

Last night, I went to see Elton John in concert. He is on his farewell tour.

I have seen him in concert at least three times. The last time was back in 2009 when he was touring with Billy Joel. For some reason, I thought that this tour was six years ago. I was so wrong.

Anyway, I had a fabulous time. The only issue that I had was two women sitting next to me. They insisted on chatting through the whole concert. Why? None of us around you paid good money to hear you talk about topics that don't interest us. If you want to chat, do it outside.

What was even worse was one of the woman's leather jacket that she had on It had this pointy piece on it and it kept on poking my right arm for the first hour. I eventually elbowed her a number of times. She decided to switch places with her friend. I got relief.

It's amazing how some folks need a hammer dropped on their head to take a hint in manners.

Erasure - Chains of Love

I just came back from seeing Erasure in concert. I haven't seen this duo in a decade. It was such a fun, energetic show!

Here's one of their songs that was on the setlist tonight -- Chains of Love.

I'm off to bed. Hopefully, I can fall asleep!

A call to set up a lunch date

During the intermission between bands the other night, I remembered that I needed to forward a work e-mail to my guy. He works from home and only comes to the office when he needs to.

He is travelling this weekend and will be away on business for two weeks. I had to let him know that the parking lot is going through a ton of construction at work, which is outlined in the forwarded e-mail.

I also told him that I was in his neck of the woods with my manager the following day to conduct student interviews for the upcoming work term.

On Tuesday, I participated in these interviews. At around 15:30, my cell phone rang. I didn't pick it up in time. My guy had called.

I immediately called him back. I was in a room with my manager, so I couldn't be too mushy.

"Hey," I said.
"Hey," he said. "Am I interrupting your interviews?" he asked me.
"Our last candidate is writing a test, so your timing is perfect. How are you doing?" I asked him.
"I'm good. How about you?" he asked me back.
"I'm hanging in there," I replied.
"Just letting you know that my trip is confirmed. I fly out on Saturday at 16:00," he said.
"Cool. Can we do lunch?" I asked him.
"Sure. How about 13:00?" he asked.
"Perfect," I replied.
"I'll let you go, so you continue to grill," he teased.
"I don't grill!" I said.

He's sweet and thoughtful. I like when he calls me. It made my day.

Concert and achiness

On Monday night, I went to see a concert in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was amazing. I was on my feet for nearly three hours, dancing, cheering, and singing.

I tend to park several blocks away from the concert venue. Let's just say that I got a pretty good workout that night.

The band was amazing. The music was great, as expected. I had a great time.

Naturally, with all that dancing and walking, my legs were achy. Yep, I'm getting old.

It was well worth the pain to go see this band play live.

Beer and food festival, and busy days ahead

On Saturday, my friend and I met up at my home. We decided to take one car to head over to a festival that celebrated craft beer and food truck goodness.

I offered to drive. It was nice to catch up. We spent about three hours at the festival. I got bitten by bugs a couple of times. I know that they aren't mosquitoes, as those bites tend to swell up a ton. These bugs were probably something else. I'm itchy, I have small bumps, but I'm okay.

After we were done at the festival, we went shopping. I don't recommend walking that much in one day. We had a lot of energy and had fun. My legs were somewhat achy before I hit the sack and they needed a rest!

We went to an East Indian restaurant for dinner. It was a buffet, but we both don't eat plates upon plates of food. We go for the variety of curries, salads, and more. It was great to have yummy food and chat some more.

Sadly, all good weekends must come to an end. These next few days will be busy. I have a concert and a brief road trip for work. At least this week is interesting!

Work, concert, and countryside... yee-haw!

It has been a busy week. We have a major software release to get out the door.

My team spent Monday and Tuesday doing test uploads to a software repository. I have a couple of colleagues who were originally tasked with doing this work, but they just didn't get it. Instead, they watched as we did the work.

Today (now Friday), my team does the official uploads for this release. Since we know that the test uploads went fine, we expect the same to occur on repeat.

During all this chaos, I managed to see Jann Arden perform in Toronto on Wednesday night. This show was  different than the one that I saw in October. This show had an orchestra backing her up and it was Christmas-themed. I had a wonderful time. She never disappoints.

My guy is doing fine in Cairo.

"How are things?" I asked him on Skype.
"Good. I'm in the countryside," he replied.
"What's the countryside like?" I asked him.
"It's flat with some shallow buildings. Yee-haw!" he exclaimed.
"I didn't realize that the locals there say, 'Yee-haw!'" I remarked, laughing.

He is good at making me laugh.

Date night - at a concert

Last night, my guy and I went to see Depeche Mode in concert. The last time the band was here, I couldn't go. I vowed to not miss the next show.

I thought that our seats weren't that great, but they turned out nicely. We had a side view of the stage.

The concert was amazing! I chatted with the usher. I thanked him at the end and wished him a good evening. He reciprocated.

I also chatted with an older man next to me with his wife. It was my guy's first Depeche Mode show. It was this guy's second. So, I ended up talking about the band's music with both men.

I realize why I do not drink beer at shows. It isn't because I am cheap, although my guy would approve of saving a ridiculous amount of money for a beer at such a venue. It's because you constantly have to leave to hit the washroom and come back. It was a pain after hitting double digits letting folks pass by. I simply wanted to enjoy the show.

I had a wonderful time. My guy did, too.

Concert and parking lot changes

The other night, I went to see a concert. I had a fabulous time!

I used to work downtown. I have a particular parking lot where I park and walk over to the venue. It has been roughly a couple of years since I have parked at this lot. It has changed! It no longer is dumpy. Luckily, the price is still right.

After the show, I walked back to the building in which the parking lot is located. The security guard and I had a brief conversation. He was pleasant and asked me if I was going to the parking lot. I was and even indicated the level. He was kind to point to the elevator that would take me down. I had used a different elevator that got me on the mezzanine level earlier in the evening. I thanked him and continued on my merry way.

Unfortunately, leaving the parking lot was annoying. The person in front of me could not get his payment method going at the exit area. After patiently waiting for him to get his transaction done for five minutes, I went to a different kiosk, put my ticket in, and left.

I do like the new parking lot. The parking spaces are wide, which prevents idiots from dinging my car if I am parked next to them.

Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack and CDs

I have a pretty good music collection. These days, it's easy to purchase and download music digitally. Some of the benefits include a lack of physical storage and portability.

However, I still like owning records (a.k.a, vinyl), cassettes, CDs, and concert DVDs. These days, my rule is that if I love an artist or band, that I will buy the artist's or band's latest CD or DVD.

Depeche Mode is a good example. I have already pre-ordered the band's latest CD. I am seeing them in concert this September.

I have been streaming the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack these days. Both this soundtrack and the one for Fifty Shades of Grey are great. The variety and thoughtful selection of songs got me. I also like the artwork and information that you get with the CD.

On Saturday, I was at Walmart and bought the former soundtrack. It wasn't planned. It was staring at me. The price was pretty good, too.

I thought that I would be ordering it from Amazon. Sadly, many music stores in Canada aren't offering CDs in their stores any more. I don't see a CD section at Best Buy. HMV is closing across the country. Chapters Indigo has a decent music section, but the prices can run high.

I am thankful that Walmart has a music section still. I have fond memories of visiting music stores. I am glad that I can relive a bit of that now and again.