| Live in the moment
The music was slamming; crowd upbeat, and I was belting out tunes in my very best In the Shower Voice (if you've ever sang in the shower, and are not a professional singer, then you know. If you know what an angry cat with a raging sore throat might sound like in the shower, then you have a pretty good idea of my exact Shower Voice). I spent last Monday night at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, rocking out to Heart, where, thanks to my Olathe bestie, I had excellent floor seats not that far from the stage.
I am not a rocker, though. I am a nerd. So of course I noticed that cell phones have replaced the butane lighters of old, the ones people would flick in a dark concert venue to show appreciation. Then I noticed how many people were taking photo after photo of the band, and wondered: Are they here for the experience, or for the pictures? Then I noticed the phone in my own hand, and checked myself. (Irony alert!)
There isn't anything wrong with capturing the moment for some memories later on, but like so many things, maybe aim for balance. That is, don't be so focused on taking snaps that you forget to actually have and enjoy the experience you're documenting. When I looked past all the upraised phones in front of me, and to my left, I spotted an older man, stoop-backed, standing up in his seat. He swayed, he danced, raised his hands, and moved with the music he'd come to hear. If he had a phone, I didn't see it.
But there's nothing wrong with just living in the moment, either. That older guy had it right. Be like him, not like me and everyone else who was more focused on taking shots than the music. It might prove more memorable.
— Katharhynn, from the Newsroom
(A fellow concert-goer views, through his phone screen, the band he paid money to see in person. But, of course, so did I!)
Happy St. Paddy's Day!
It's already upon us! Put on your green, and go have fun!
But please, for the sake of my aforementioned nerdy self ... don't call it "St. Patty's Day." Patty is short for Patricia. The saint is called Patrick, which in Gaelic is rendered "Padraic" (or Padraig). The name itself originated in Latin, and referred to someone of noble birth (think "patrician"); we don't know for certain what St. Patrick's actual name was, although some have taken educated guesses. But "Paddy" is the Irish nickname for a man named Patrick. Not Patty!
Now go have a green beer and laugh at me.
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