An a-ha Moment

Last weekend, I took a little trip to a not-so-little city a ways south of here. In a rare instance of independence, I went without any of my family. And although I took this photo while I was there, it's not what you'd think.There was no baseball involved.

See, I've got some really old friends. Well, I mean, they're not old. They're younger than I am, but I've got a good friend from pre-school who I still hang out with from time to time and one from kindergarten. I've written about these girls before. But I digress.

My best bud from kindergarten e-mailed me a few months ago to ask if I'd like to go see one of the iconic bands from our high school days in their farewell tour...in Los Angeles...in May. Her treat, she said. Well, sure! Well, better ask the husband. What date was that again? May 16th? Oooooooh... You mean the anniversary of that day when you were the maid of honor in my wedding? How do I even bring this up with the husband?

Now, I've been married for 11 years and I know my husband pretty well. He's a nice guy. And he's always supportive of things I want to do for myself. He was, I suspect, a lot more understanding of this situation than I would have been, had the roles been reversed. I felt horribly guilty for even asking if I could abandon him with the kids on our anniversary, but a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see a band I'd loved, but never seen, for the last possible time with one of my dearest friends? There would be other anniversaries, right? Eeek.

My husband does not get resentful about things like this. I'm so very, very lucky. Because I went. And it was so awesome that the high is only just wearing off. (And no, there weren't drugs involved.)

I learned a lot of things on this trip.

1. Although L.A. intimidates me in general, the financial district is pretty darned tame...especially on a Sunday. 2. That funny Scandinavian cell phone company builds some pretty kick-ass concert venues.3. A long road trip with a good girlfriend isn't really so long at all. (A lot shorter, in fact, than a long road trip with two quarrelsome children.)4. Not all pop-rockstars from the 80s age poorly. At least not those from Norway.5. The addition of a far-larger-than-life chameleon as a backdrop adds very little to concert atmosphere.6. If, as a teenager, you loved your music like some kind of alternate religion, you never ever forget the lyrics and the nostalgia is almost unbearable.

7. It sucks to be reminded of how much you loved a particular band right when they're going away. And hard to fathom that it's been 25 years.8. Some concert venues have given up entirely on keeping out cameras. I guess they figure they can't keep out the cell phones...oh, the irony if Club Nokia banned cell phones. If you need a blast from the 80s past, I'm including one of their songs. If you were alive, and particularly in high school, during the 80s, you already know it. If you were a fan of more classic rock, you'll doubtlessly want to skip it. Apologies for the pretty crappy sound quality, which varies because, as I discovered, the microphone on my camera is on the top. I also think it picked up the audience singing more than the band here and there. In real life, they sounded great and the lead singer could still hit all the high notes. Hopefully, those horribly out of tune warbly notes aren't me!


9. I'm not actually a teenager anymore. The long roadtrip and unfamiliar bed with no husband to snuggle up to took more wind out of my sails than I anticipated.

10. Every stay-at-home mom should have a husband so awesome that he comes home shortly after lunch, just so you can take a really, really long nap...even though your kid was too sick for school on Monday and he had to take the whole day off just for that.

When opportunities like this one come up, I should jump at them more often than not. I had so much fun reliving a tiny piece of my life with someone else who was there for it.

I am so grateful for the opportunity.