Almost Like the Real Thing

It's big, alright. The part I have trouble with is this quote:

"When we got into it, I said 'Let's put one up that will make people in the new north end feel like they're sitting in their living room watching TV,"' Dodds said. "That's about how it will be."

So, being at the game will be as good as being at home watching the game on TV. The imitation is more real than the real thing.

Ghost From a Wishing Well

Karen's brother-in-law answered a music trivia question correctly, and won two tickets to see Gordon Lightfoot (way to go, Chris!). As he and his family were planning to be away on Saturday, and knowing Karen is a Lightfoot fan, he had the tickets given to her(thanks Chris!). She picked me to be her date, so we did dinner before the concert, and got to our seats (which were pretty good seats) early enough so we didn't miss a thing.

This was my first time to see him in concert, though I've been fond of his music as long as I can remember. He did two sets. He looked kinda frail, but he's getting on in years, so that's to be expected. Someone sitting behind us mentioned that Gordon was having some sort of throat problem, which made him sound hoarse. I didn't pick up on that; while he sounded slightly different live than in recordings, I thought his voice was fine. He didn't talk much at all, just mostly sang old songs and new.

The theater wasn't completely full, but mostly so, and there was a lot of good energy floating around. We had a very nice time, and it was timely as well. Karen has been saying she wanted to go out, just the two of us, so this fit the bill nicely. Karen's dad watched Ethan for us (thanks Ralph!).

After the concert ended, we drifted up Burlington's Church Street to find coffee and dessert. We ended up at a coffee and tea joint called Uncommon Grounds. We each had a cup of decaf and a goody (they have very good cheesecake there).

All in all, a nice evening. It's been many, many years since I went to a big concert (not in a coffeehouse somewhere), and it seemed almost that long since Karen and I had gone on a date.

Music in my head: If You Could Read My Mind, Gordon Lightfoot

Have You Heard This One?

Real listening is a willingness to let the other person change you. - Alan Alda, in Never Have Your Dog Stuffed