I think Orlando is too big, too sad for me to comprehend fully right now. I keep orbiting it in my thoughts but I don't yet have the courage to take it all in.

So instead I'll chat about the third concert in my life that I attended on Saturday. Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band.

I do not attend concerts to listen to live music. I attend concerts because 1. someone bought me tickets, or 2. I wanted to see a Beatle before I (or the Beatle) died. Paul McCartney used to be my favorite Beatle but I'm kind of over him and also Ringo is so cute.

So yes I may have been one of 10% of the crowd who was under 50 but it was still fun, Ringo was great, he and his band all wore skinny jeans like I expect any man who came to fame in the 70s would, and they all acted how I expected them to act which was pretty much like Bill Nighy in Love Actually but less aggressively sexual. I was transported back to middle school when the biggest love of my life was everything Beatles. It was fun. It was cute.

A+, would not do again because I still don't understand the point of concerts, but I am very glad I went. If anyone else has great concert stories, I would love to hear them!

(my second concert was Ghostface Killah last year- my niece bought me tickets when I visited her- and that was an A+ would do again experience, it was the pinnacle of beer and a good time)

I LOVE TO GRILL!

I don't think I have the grilling thing all figured out but I do enjoy it immensely. I have several cuts of meat that are just sitting in my freezer and waiting for when I have access to a grill again (I don't have a grill but I dogsit for people who do and will start july 4 weekend). I haven't done a lot of grill experimentation with rubs- with my steaks, I like NY strip steak that has just been salted and peppered. I did lamb with smoked salt last year that was pretty good! Absurdly enough I love grilling chicken (lime/sugar/salt/garlic) until it's charred and dry because that's how I like chicken.

I enjoyed also experimenting with grilling peaches, pineapple, asparagus, cauliflower- nothing AMAZING yet but it's fun to try.

edited to add: Also grilled halloumi sounds DELICIOUS and I am adding it to my list

it makes me really happy that you linked to this and I wish I had known about the salamanders when writing that piece!

I went to a game a couple months ago, my first hockey game actually, and it was ENTHRALLING. Also I was extremely impressed that there seemed to be music queued up for every possible break (don't know if that was specific to the rink or if it's a hockey thing).

I love this comic, I love the quotes and writing, and the art is fantastic as well. <3

that's fair too! If those had been the people who had been my first "in" to Rent I probably would have had a very different response. I think works that represent people who aren't often represented in media don't have to appeal to everyone, and can be flawed art, but that doesn't make their representation less important especially if they're telling stories that aren't being told elsewhere.

I mean, I get the criticisms /now/. I definitely don't strongly identify with any of the main protagonists from Rent anymore.

But also hearing that there was a famous musical with lesbians in it in middle school, in a conservative part of the country surrounded by (mostly white) people who were not OK with gayness of any kind, but some people liked this musical? Rent was my first exposure to any kind of LGBTQ qualities in the mainstream and I will always appreciate it for that. I think that's probably why I loved it so much.

I live outside Boston so the Boston Breakers are my team (you see them there, they're at the bottom of the league rn) but they're still great GO BREAKERS

I couldn't believe it when I learned over the summer that women's soccer was BANNED in England from like the 20's to the late 60's. Because it was damaging to women's bodies but also because the games drew huge crowds. UGH THE PATRIARCHY.

I haven't heard as much about the UK women's team relative to the men's though and that is super interesting!!!

"Jackson's ghost came to me in a dream and begged me to take him off paper money and so that's why we're putting him on the back of the $20"

would have been acceptable too

That's awesome that you do science outreach (I noticed your post about the cow eyes further up the thread)- how do you like it?

Volunteering is a good point too! I guess I thought I'd missed out on some things because I didn't do them while I was still in undergrad but it's likely that some organizations accept a wide range of people.