Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout

I didn't see this exact cat shirt, but this conveys the idea... Much has already been written about last weekend's inaugural Eaux Claires Festival, but I can't resist adding my observations to the mix. The sound quality was amazing. Even pretty far away from the stage, the sound was clear and the mix was great. Big video screens also helped the crowd-averse enjoy the event while maintaining our personal space. The sound was also good because, for the most part, the festival goers were really into the music and not too loud and drunk or constantly talking during the sets. IT WAS HOT. STICKY AND HOT. The guidebook for the festival that included poetic descriptions of the musicians was beautiful. I stopped reading it at lunch on Saturday because I was starting to cry at the restaurant.  Not as many man bun sightings as in Uptown, but they were a noticeable presence. The other fashion highlight was all the awesome cosmic cat and kitten shirts.  Oh, Eau Claire(s) ...

Based on my suggestion (so I can take the credit or get the blame), our student Kinks tribute band is performing "Come Dancing" as part of our set at the Whiskey Junction on August 7. I should probably be embarrassed to admit this, but as a preteen of the early 80's, this song from 1982 was my first real introduction to the Kinks, and holds a special nostalgic place in my heart. Not only does it remind me of my preteendom, but my brother had his own version of his song that went "The day they knocked down the Co-Op, my sister stood and cried. The day they knocked down the Co-Op, part of my childhood died, just died." Despite Chad's often warranted critique that my posts are way too long, I'm now going to dive into a long explanation and exploration of that one simple lyric. There are just too many amazing and enlightening layers to it that I don't want my gentle readers to miss: Check out the video for this (which I can't link to, sorry!...

...and a cool glass and a MEDAL. That's right, a freakin' medal. And I feel like I totally deserved it. This Fourth of July, I ran my first half marathon, (the Twin Cities Red, White & Boom), and it made me feel pretty darn mighty. It also blew my mind. Even though I've been running/jogging for over fifteen years, I wasn't at all "athletic" in my formative years, so still don't always think of myself as the running type.  Aforementioned Race Loot (sans cool glass) And how did it go? One cool thing about running is that it's very personal, so it's hard to say what is objectively awesome. You have to take your age, sex ( your sex, not if you've had it or not), sleep deprivation level, the humidity, how many people you have to dodge, how hilly the course is, your previous race and training times, if you're sick or hungover or being chased (and by what), etc., etc., into account. I really did not know what to expect for my first ha...