Hawkeye Heaven

We made our annual trip to Iowa last weekend, and had lots to do. We celebrated my father's 60th birthday with a family BBQ and a trip to the movie theater (Die Hard for guys, Ratatouille for yours truly). My dad and stepmom threw us a wedding reception for our extended family, and it was just perfect -- a good size so we had time to say hello to everyone. We were so touched.

We also took a little day trip to Iowa City, coincidentally near the tenth anniversary of my graduation. I've been back once since then, maybe five years ago, but we seemed to cover a lot more ground this time. We toured most of the campus and took in lots of new additions to the school. We went through the memorial union, and had to trudge through a crowd just disbanding from a Hillary Clinton rally featuring the lady herself. We also went to one of my old dorms, and were actually able to get into my old room! We walked through the downtown area, and stopped at the new football stadium on the way out of town.

Being back in those neighborhoods again, I can feel my soul thrumming with the confidence and autonomy I had in those years, I really thrived in college more than at any other time of life. Maybe it's the thing I've been most skilled at in my life. Of course, it's easy to forget about all the drama of college, being poor, stressed and tired, dating, breaking up and meeting new people again. But I really do miss it.

John Mayer at Red Rocks

Last month Dave and I went to see John Mayer at Red Rocks. John Mayer's show -- on its own -- was wonderful as expected, he's amazing, and he had some fantastic blues solos that aren't on the radio much. But the crowd at Red Rocks was so awful that I doubt I'll return to a concert there! Certainly not in general admission.

I wouldn't have bought general admission seats if another option was available, and I think my instincts were right. We got there 2 1/2 hours before Mayer took the stage at 9:30, and there wasn't a seat available. In fact people were sitting in the stairs and shrubbery around the outskirts of the seating area. A friend of mine in the same predicament stood on the stairs for FOUR HOURS, and was repeatedly told that she would have to move because she was a fire hazard. This poor person paid $50 to see the show!

So, oversold. But after about a half hour of wandering around, a kind soul offered to squeeze us in. And we ended up in the middle of the world's largest cocktail party. I struggled to listen to the music while people drank excessively, got high, and got sick around us. I didn't have a truly happy moment of enjoying the concert until the encore, when all of our inebriated neighbors were making for the highway.

Buyer beware -- if you're over 23, do not buy general admission at Red Rocks!!

But buy Continuum, it's awesome. I would go so far as to call these songs masterpieces -- Belief, The Heart of Life, and I'm Gonna Find Another You.