I apologize for the recent lapse in postings.  This has been an excellent week, the kind of week that you hope for, a memory burned into the mind for the rest of my life.  Tuesday we went to the Pearl Jam concert in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  It was definitely a concert worth 80 dollars, and 10 dollar cups of beer.  Despite the Gestapo at the front gate, relieving us of our $1 water bottles, we had a decent time getting in and getting situated in our seats.  We didn't have the best seats in the house, as you can see from the photo to the left, but we were close enough to see the concert and get out of there again without waiting all night.  I was sated because they played two of my favorite songs, "Jeremy" and "Evenflow", so I felt like I got my money's worth.  Eddie Vedder sounded great, the night was cool with a breeze and a full moon watching over the crowd silently.

After the concert, we went back to our hotel on the water, sitting on the balcony, listening to the languid lapping of waves against the shore, full of excitement and memories from when the first Pearl Jam album came out, spending time with good friends.  The next day was equally exciting because I had taken the day off. We woke to the dolphins playing just out shore of our hotel, about 10 or 12.  Unfortunately, you're not allowed out far enough to swim with the dolphins, but we could watch and wonder. We spent the first part of the day laying on the beach, a cool breeze coming off the water, the sun high in the sky, the water temperate and refreshing.  Because it was a weekday, we weren't crowded off the sands so we lay under the gradient blue sky, letting the stress drain away.

I have to say, it is really hard to go back to work after two days like that.  I realized that it is very easy to forget that these moments of perfection are few and far between, but when they come they have the ability to erase months of stress, doubt and unhappiness.  I spent the remainder of the week in an excellent mood, which no one could break.  Obviously, you can't spend your life lying on the beach, because there is so much to see, so much to do.  But it does make you wonder if you're doing the right things in your day to day life.  I see these types of days as time in the waiting room of life.  You're waiting for the next thing, for it to be your turn, and in that time you reflect on the things you've done, like you're preparing for some big test or inquisition.  What are you waiting for, really?  I see lots of people going away, spending the entire time drinking in a bar, or in search of carnal pleasure.  If you push all of that aside and just sit, listening to the waves hitting the fragile sands, you can see forever across the azure blue.  If you look hard enough, you can see where it is you should be, what you should be doing.

Ironically, the beach and Pearl Jam put some of my life into perspective.  I am a huge fan of the Seattle sound and bands. Grunge is still pertinent in my opinion.  What does it say about our society as a whole?  Grunge, in my mind, represents the decay of the old concepts that have held us down as a society.  By exposing the dirt and the grime that lies beneath it all, we can start to clean it up, find a new way to paint the world so that we can all be happy together.  For me, these two fleeting days charged my batteries and gave me some direction.

So, if you got to got to go to this concert, I'm sure you came away with your own thoughts and perspectives.  But with the sun shining bright, summer upon us, is it time for you to find your own special moment?  What would do it for you?