I don't want to sleep I just want to keep on loving you
Over the weekend, my mom and I took a road-trip up to Atlanta for a couple of days. Saturday we went to the zoo and saw the usual lot of animals (elephants, lions, birds, etc). Although there weren't any rare animals there, I really loved the layout of the zoo. The exhibits were roomy and the animals looked healthy and happy. The weather was beautiful, about ten degrees cooler than it is here. Going to the zoo always makes me feel like a child...I still love to see the animals hop around and lounge in the grass. I still ooh and ahh over the giraffes and lions/tigers. At some exhibits, I could just stand there all day and watch the animals. But at the same time, when I watch the little kids run their parents ragged and hear them shriek with laugher, I feel out of place. Like I don't belong there because I don't have any kids of my own. But is anybody ever too old to enjoy things like that? Maybe we're just less likely to admit the childlike wonder that some of us still possess as we get older. There are bits and pieces of that wonder inside me, but not as much as there once was. So I try to hold onto the things that make me feel that way.
On Sunday, we went to the aquarium and watched a Dolphin show. It was amazing to see them swim and jump. I haven't seen a Dolphin show since I was in elementary school. The performance was so moving that I almost cried several times. They're such elegant, majestic creatures and they have such a deep, special bond with their trainers. It's humbling and moving. I also got to see the penguins up close while I was there which was exciting for me (they're one of my favorite animals). Aside from that, the aquarium didn't really excite me, I'm just not a fish lover, but it was still worth going. After that we went to the Coca-Cola museum and sampled different sodas from across the world. That was also a pretty cool experience. Then we drove across town and went to the high museum of art. Aside from the neo-classic sculptures scattered throughout the museum, there wasn't much there that appealed to me. But it was still nice to go to a quiet place to look at some beautiful artwork. The last time I got to do that was when I was still a student at Ball State (they had an awesome, but small art museum).
Sunday night we went to the amphitheater to see Ted Nugent, Reo Speedwagon, and Styx in concert (the Midwest Express tour). It was raining when we got there but the place was still packed. Luckily our seats were under a roof so we still got the outdoor experience without getting wet. Ted's performance did not impress me. The music was loud and I had a throbbing headache before his set was over with. I've never really been a fan of his music and this concert did not change my mind. His set didn't last long and when Reo took the stage, I knew the tone of the concert was about to change. These guys, like Styx, still know how to get the audience pumped. I didn't know all of the songs they sang, but I was still dancing to them like I had heard them a hundred times before. My throat was a little raw by the time their set was over, but I was euphoric.
While we were waiting for Styx to take the stage, I was a bundle of nervous but excited energy. It may seem a little silly but it was like reuniting with an old friend. After seeing them on stage in March, I felt like I was already familiar with them in a way I hadn't been before so I was eager to see them again. As soon as Tommy and Lawrence took stage, I was on my feet, screaming and clapping along with a thousand other people. I was on my feet, dancing, singing, and swaying to the music the whole time they played. My throat was raw by the time they got to Come Sail Away. Before Lawrence started to sing that, he made this joke that after the world ends in seven months (JY referenced that earlier in the show), classic rock would rise again. The aliens would come and dig through the rubble, brush the iPads aside, and pick up a Styx album, lol. I love that guy, he's such a ham but he's a great showman. The audience got so involved in that song, it was awesome. I love the edge that Lawrence has brought to the song (I appreciate both versions of the song). Everybody was singing and I was dancing, it was so much fun. And then there was confetti when they sang Rocking the Paradise and everybody on stage was rocking along with the rest of us. That's what I love about Styx, you can see how much fun they're having and how well they all get along. It was exactly the way I remembered it being, but better. Tommy only sang a few songs this time and the other guys sang the majority of the songs they played. He looked a little sick/tired so maybe he needed a break from it but he was still as active on stage as he was the last time I saw them. He did sing Man in the Wilderness and it was hauntingly beautiful. It was my favorite of the entire concert. It was an amazing night and I can't wait to see them in concert again (yes I'm addicted).
It was a truly amazing weekend and it was something I've needed for a long time. To just get away and forget about life for a while. It's what I needed to get my energy and focus back. Hopefully, it will help me deal with some of the daily stressors I go through. I hope you all had a good weekend as well.
On Sunday, we went to the aquarium and watched a Dolphin show. It was amazing to see them swim and jump. I haven't seen a Dolphin show since I was in elementary school. The performance was so moving that I almost cried several times. They're such elegant, majestic creatures and they have such a deep, special bond with their trainers. It's humbling and moving. I also got to see the penguins up close while I was there which was exciting for me (they're one of my favorite animals). Aside from that, the aquarium didn't really excite me, I'm just not a fish lover, but it was still worth going. After that we went to the Coca-Cola museum and sampled different sodas from across the world. That was also a pretty cool experience. Then we drove across town and went to the high museum of art. Aside from the neo-classic sculptures scattered throughout the museum, there wasn't much there that appealed to me. But it was still nice to go to a quiet place to look at some beautiful artwork. The last time I got to do that was when I was still a student at Ball State (they had an awesome, but small art museum).
Sunday night we went to the amphitheater to see Ted Nugent, Reo Speedwagon, and Styx in concert (the Midwest Express tour). It was raining when we got there but the place was still packed. Luckily our seats were under a roof so we still got the outdoor experience without getting wet. Ted's performance did not impress me. The music was loud and I had a throbbing headache before his set was over with. I've never really been a fan of his music and this concert did not change my mind. His set didn't last long and when Reo took the stage, I knew the tone of the concert was about to change. These guys, like Styx, still know how to get the audience pumped. I didn't know all of the songs they sang, but I was still dancing to them like I had heard them a hundred times before. My throat was a little raw by the time their set was over, but I was euphoric.
While we were waiting for Styx to take the stage, I was a bundle of nervous but excited energy. It may seem a little silly but it was like reuniting with an old friend. After seeing them on stage in March, I felt like I was already familiar with them in a way I hadn't been before so I was eager to see them again. As soon as Tommy and Lawrence took stage, I was on my feet, screaming and clapping along with a thousand other people. I was on my feet, dancing, singing, and swaying to the music the whole time they played. My throat was raw by the time they got to Come Sail Away. Before Lawrence started to sing that, he made this joke that after the world ends in seven months (JY referenced that earlier in the show), classic rock would rise again. The aliens would come and dig through the rubble, brush the iPads aside, and pick up a Styx album, lol. I love that guy, he's such a ham but he's a great showman. The audience got so involved in that song, it was awesome. I love the edge that Lawrence has brought to the song (I appreciate both versions of the song). Everybody was singing and I was dancing, it was so much fun. And then there was confetti when they sang Rocking the Paradise and everybody on stage was rocking along with the rest of us. That's what I love about Styx, you can see how much fun they're having and how well they all get along. It was exactly the way I remembered it being, but better. Tommy only sang a few songs this time and the other guys sang the majority of the songs they played. He looked a little sick/tired so maybe he needed a break from it but he was still as active on stage as he was the last time I saw them. He did sing Man in the Wilderness and it was hauntingly beautiful. It was my favorite of the entire concert. It was an amazing night and I can't wait to see them in concert again (yes I'm addicted).
It was a truly amazing weekend and it was something I've needed for a long time. To just get away and forget about life for a while. It's what I needed to get my energy and focus back. Hopefully, it will help me deal with some of the daily stressors I go through. I hope you all had a good weekend as well.