Active weeks!

Boy, we've been pretty busy with things since school started.  I'm still convinced I'll forget to take Will to school some morning.  So far everyone is liking things, although Katie says that she doesn't like the bus this year because there's never a place to sit.  Will has jumped right in and talks about friends he's made already.  It's pretty cute.  I drop him off, and he runs up to either Joshua or Will C. (my Will is Will P.) and says "Hi guys, what should we do today?" 

We've also managed to go to the Hyland Park book festival (7th year in a row....thank you very much!), took my niece Sarah and the kids to Como Town/Zoo, went camping last weekend, and saw the Foo Fighters.  Oh, and don't forget that I'm still training for the duathlon in....4 days.

Hmmm, where should I start.  Well, I'll start with the simplest entry first.  I have a movie to upload from Como and pictures from camping.  And since I have to get Will to preschool in 20 minutes, and I have a meeting all morning today - you'll have to wait for those.

We've known the Foo Fighters were coming to St. Paul since May, I think.  We didn't buy tickets right away because it was on a school night.  Who would we get to babysit?  All our babysitters were still in school and would have to get up early the next morning - probably wouldn't be able to babysit til midnight the night before.  If only I knew someone who didn't have to be up early the next morning....

But wait!  I do!  My niece, Sarah would be a freshman at the U in September.  So....I may have dropped some hints about trying to get a late class on Thursdays when she went to register.  Luckily, she was all about late classes, so it wasn't a problem.  I was able to pick her up the afternoon of concert day and she babysat the kids, put them to bed. 

Ok - now for the concert....it was great!  The opening band, Rise Against was a LITTLE to loud pounding for me.  I think my chest rattled and shook for 10 minutes after they were done - great stage work, cool music, just too much bass.  We had been sitting in different seats for the opener because we got there a little late and didn't want to make all the people in our row stand up just yet.  But then the real owners of the seats showed up and we had to move.  We got in our row and I said something to the woman sitting by us - who happened to be sitting in our seats - something like "Hey - we're 5 &6 but don't worry about it, we'll just scoot down for now."  She gave me a dirty look and scooted herself and her husband down.  Well.....obviously she misunderstood me and I'm thinking to myself, I'll have to apologize for the misunderstanding once this bass pounding roar is done with. 

The opening act finished and everyone in our row got up and went upstairs - we followed.  We wanted to look at t-shirts, go to the bathroom and find some drinks.  We get back, the Foo start and they are beyond wonderful.  We decided that this was the FOURTH time we were seeing them....but we may be forgetting one in there somewhere.   My neighbor lady wasn't back yet so I could enjoy my elbow space.  But she and her husband returned 3-4 songs in, stood for about 2 songs......AND THEN SAT THE REST OF THE FRICKING CONCERT!  He stood for a few songs here and there and I could see out of the corner of my eye her pulling on his pants leg to sit down.

Now, let me take a moment to describe where our seats were at.  We had fricking awesome seats.  Fan seats - not just casual listener seats.  We were on the side of the stage (not directly on the side, but towards the front a bit) and in the 10th row.  Let's just say, I could see the sweat, and the sideburns.  Knowing how much it probably pissed her off that EVERYONE was on their feet the whole show, I made an extra attempt to jump and dance as close to her as possible and scream as much as I could. :)  You know, doing my little part to help her "enjoy" the show. 

It reminded me of a Pearl Jam that my friend Shelley and I went to in July 2006.  Again we had pretty good seats (fan club seats) - on the floor, row 29.  Anyway - we were enjoying all the people around us - except this little blonde chippee directly in front of us.  She was in her early 20's and there with her boyfriend.  During Pearl Jam's set she constantly insisted on taking pictures....not of the band....but of her and her boyfriend.  You know, when you hold the camera in front of you to get an off center picture of yourself?  Well, he was NOT having it and getting annoyed because he wanted to enjoy the band, and she kept whining about how she wanted to take their picture.  She easily took 15 pictures of the two of them....along with our angry faces in the background....getting blinded by the flash. 

And....we did NOT go through her purse, laughing at how much make-up she brought to the concert, using her powder, etc.  We did not.  Nope, not us.