a wonderful awesome epic adventure

this weekend i went to council bluffs to see sonic youth and the flaming lips in concert, and i am happy to report that good things can happen even in iowa. if you ever go to a show with me and see me holding my face with my hands and beaming a 1.21 gigowatt smile stageward and trying to stare at all members of the band at once, you're probably seeing one of my favorite bands with me, and you're probably seeing me nearly as happy as i ever am. and if you had gone with me and aaron on friday, that's more or less what you would have seen, since sonic youth is probably my favorite band that's still making music today, and the flaming lips are both near the top of that list AND probably the most carnival-like live show i've ever seen, and a 5 year old at a carnaval is exactly what i felt like. so it was a very, very, very good night for me.

a few highlights beyond the ecstatic joy of being there:

thurston moore, who is about as old as my dad, looking like he could be my not much older brother, and rocking with the enthusiasm of a teenager.
sonic youth's legendary stack of guitars (mhat, you know what i'm talking about--but we were closer this time!).
candle, reena, pink steam
the drunk woman next to me who kept telling me "baby, you're hot--and i'm a lesbian!!!" (also popular: "you're BROOOOAD!")
aaron telling above enebriated and purported lesbian "hey, keep your hands off my boyfriend!" (thanks, aaron).
lesbian girl to aaron: "hey, it's ok, we're on the same team!" aaron: "no we're not."
wayne coyne "crowd surfing" in a big plastic ball like a giant hamster rockstar pre-show.
wayne coyne explaining why flaming lips fans are superior to other fans.
wayne coyne.
aaron's version of the 1.21 gigowatt smile.

in other great news, southwest airlines told me today they're sending me a check for the equivalent of the cost of replacing all the things i lost in the baggage debacle. it's like i used the stuff for 5 months, destroyed it, and found someone who would pay full price to buy it from me. this is so much better than having a job. i think i'm going to fly southwest again soon with some more expensive things when this money runs out.