Augie

I watched a game in Jacksonville from the concourse on a tiny monitor over the concession stand instead of bake in the heat. We were the last people in our row of ridiculously expensive seats to give up and seek shelter. It was dangerously hot.

Look at the bright side! Self-awareness is not one of your problems, apparently!

The intensity of the hair dryer intake reminded me of a wedding I went to for a childhood friend. Another of our little gang was there with his bride whom I had never met. She walked right up to me and her first words were “So, you’re the one who sat on my husband’s head and farted.” What do you say to that??? I do not remember that AT ALL, but I also didn’t deny with all my heart, because…..🤷‍♂️ It turns out she was lovely and with a good sense of humor. She didn’t seem angry about anything I might have done, she just wanted to know who was who. .

….and the last 10 seconds of yours. Fair enough.

This is the kind of deep thinking that keeps me coming back. My first weekend at college they had a big introductory event. Beer trucks and music and new friends until the sun came up and it was time to jump on a bus to a camp for some retreat. Shortly after boarding the bus I realized there was no bathroom on board. Shortly after that I would have given anything for a bathroom. I’ll skip the long agonizing ride, but it was one to remember…..or forget, but I can’t forget it. I’ve tried. When we got to our destination I was first off the bus heading to the closest building, looking for the first bathroom I could find. I barely noticed on the way in that it said “Women” on the door. It certainly did not slow me down. No time to waste! A couple minutes later my stall is surrounded by girls from the bus. It was eye opening, to say the least. Nothing dainty happened in there! Don’t flaunt it, but it’s nothing new to them.

I could go many layers deep there, but I won’t. Of fame and fortune, I only want one.

I was the youngest kid and we still had 4 seats when I was in high school. My dad would let me pick friends to take to games for free when we had extra seats. I remember taking some guys who never would have had a chance to see a game live without some help like that. I remember the guy from the neighborhood I invited to the Monday Night game against the Raiders which we won in amazing fashion on an Ahmad Rashad TD catch late. A CLASSIC game. That was a great night and remains an amazing memory for me. My buddy that night had some ugly family issues, and I hope that was a nice break for him from the stuff at home. He was a buddy, it wasn’t a pity invite. But as kids we maybe don’t see that as much. Little things we do in life, intentionally or otherwise, can seem much bigger in the eyes of others and last a long time….. for better or for worse.

I heard that at the Van Morrison concert the last time he played that amphitheater he wanted to ban alcohol sales. Apparently he has an alcohol problem, but the venue exists to make money. Are you going to slash your fee, Van, to stand for your principles? No alcohol, no hits, what a great concept! (Not.) I do understand, though. We’ve known musicians who tour the globe, and we’ve had conversations about how monotonous it is to do the same hits over and over, night after night, city after city. BUT, that is what people are paying to see. They follow the money and keep people happy. .

No, I was not warned. If ANY of that had been known BEFORE the event, it would have been different. It would have happened without me.

We sat in the nosebleeds to see the Eagles and Chris Stapleton not too long ago. They will have to PAY ME more than $300 to get me to do it again in a giant arena. On the flip side, we saw Jonathan Taylor (James’ brother) in a tiny little venue a couple tables from the stage and it was awesome! And for a fraction of the price. Great time. Side note: We saw Van Morrison on his “everything but the hits tour”. He played for a couple hours without ever playing anything familiar. That was impressive, but not in a good way. I felt ripped off after that one.

I was actually a bit surprised how many Falcons fans there were, FWIW. I enjoy games more at home than in person. Or, hate them less, in some cases. I did it to myself.

Went…

You’re old. I kid, of course. Mostly. We’ve noticed in recent years how differently people can perceive value. Even people we have been friends with for decades just see things differently. That’s fine. We finally drew a line and said we may not see ALL the shows, but we will not be seeing them from cheap seats, watching a giant monitor in the back of the upper deck. Good seats for fewer shows is our preference. Oh, I prefer watching Bills games at home. There, I said it!

So, melt it?

It’s funny you say that. Just about a week ago I went to the only place I’ll buy wings. The guy is from Grand Island, so it’s familiar flavors. I’ve been getting pizza there as well for at least a decade, and on the last trip it was the first time ever that I ever thought “this is just too much cheese.” Somebody got a little heavy handed. .