I woke up this morning with a whole body of sore muscles, no doubt due to all my activities yesterday. I did a lot of stuff!
First. Dexter and I rode over to redbike to meet up with Judy.
He sat on the lawn waiting for me to bring the trailer and bike around.
Judy, a fellow Pashley sister, rode her princess sovereign.
We had sandwiches at elm.
Dexter is a wonderful lunch-mate.
Later on we returned to the bungalow for a work party. There are always a lot of apple computers out when we're working.
Silver.
Black.
White.
Dougal kept us company. This is his new face.
Then, after riding to pilates class and back, Don and I took the train to the Coliseum for a Bon Jovi concert.
Actually, we didn't even know we were going until 1 am the previous night (or early that morning) so I didn't have time to prepare a pair of faded jeans with lots of holes in them. Too bad. That's the sort of thing I think of wearing to a Bon Jovi concert. That and maybe a super old rock t-shirt. Yeah.
I have a lot of sentimental attachment to Bon Jovi. My brother and I used to drive to school and back (I was in grade 10, he was in grade 12) in a Nissan Pathfinder (two door). We had a mixed tape that featured Bryan Adams on one side and Bon Jovi on the other.
I have to hand it to my bro, Simon, for influencing my early musical tastes. When everybody was crazy about New Kids On The Block he warned me about getting on board. He ensured that our first CDs in the house were Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway and EMF's Unbelievable. It's like how my mom refused to buy me coloured jeans. Now I can look back and never be embarrassed about that sort of thing. Simon made sure we never listened to anything regrettable. And really, the Dance Mix '93 we had is actually a classic.
He and my sister were at the concert too, but sitting in a different section. Pity, since my brother is crazy fun at concerts. He screams and hollers and shouts out all the lyrics. Man knows how to party.
We arrived during Kid Rock's opening act.
We didn't feel like bothering people to get up to access our seats so we took the opportunity to walk around the coliseum and check out the crowd.
Wow. Every time I come to a big concert like this I remember that I exist in only a small pocket of Edmonton. It's always sociologically fascinating to see other demographics of Edmonton.
Like... the crazy amounts of people of tattoos.
Such as this guy.
And this woman, who seemed to have the names of her... children tattooed beneath butterflies.
?
Small ones.
Face ones.
Inaccurate music ones.
Horse ones.
Leaf with feather.
Sleeves.
Dragon and Betty Boop.
The photo is small, but she also had several piercings.
The other demographic that was largely represented?
Bottle blonds.
Curly with bangs.
Uh... curly again. Is this a perm? I think it was permed.
Choppy.
Actually, there was a lot of fashion faux pas in the realm of badly coordinated undergarments. Too many white and clear bra straps. Ladies, sometimes you just have to face the fact that strapless is the best way to go.
And there were a lot of panties migrating out of jeans.
Or in some cases, hands migrating INTO jeans.
Speaking of jeans, here are some acid wash ones!
Oh yes, back to the blonds.
Feathered.
Salute.
A kid rock fan dancing it up.
Lots of litter.
Straw cowboy hats.
And then some actual cowboy types.
While I was busily running around collecting "samples," Don was relaxing with his iPhone.
Animal print leggings.
These days I complain a lot about leggings that are not pants. At least these ones were opaque. But still not pants.
Lots of dudes were wearing jackets like this.
And t-shirts like this.
Ball caps and jeans and beer. Very Albertan.
Bandana and a shirt that has been DIY converted into a demin vest.
Wig.
A Kid Rock fan.
Goatee.
And then there were happy reunions.
Group hug, and watch the beers!
I ate twizzlers.
And wore a jean jacket with a bling sailor broach on it.
The sun was setting.
People took their seats for the main show.
Don and I shared a foot long hot dog.
When in Rome...
Then Bon Jovi hit the stage and all hell broke loose.
Yeeeaaah!
Rock on!
Group photo.
Lone wolf.
And as the night progressed we were treated to many a face-melting solo from Richie Sambora.
I was up out of my seat and screaming the lyrics out to most of the songs. The ones I didn't know were easy to learn, regardless. I didn't even realize I would remember all the words. Something from that 15 year old Miss Sarah just erupted and all the lyrics poured out. In many of the choruses I actually prefer to sing the Richie Sambora parts because the Bon Jovi parts aren't in my range.
Even though I don't have tattoos or blond hair or wear leggings as pants, I felt like I fit in as an avid fan. Something about singing how you're "halfway there" and "living on a prayer" at the top of your lungs makes all the differences you have melt away.
It was crazy fun!
I haven't pumped my fist that much in a long time.
And felt really good :)
14 comments:
Glad I caught this on Twitter and could relive the concert through you. I thoroughly enjoyed your photos and the captions. Especially the tattoos.
Cheers,
Crystal McPhee
I normally really enjoy the positive tone of your entries and so I was surprised to see the judgmental photo commentary on some of the concert-goers' body types/weight, which was here when I first went to comment but now appears to have been removed. I'm guessing maybe you had second thoughts?
Crystal - Glad you enjoyed the concert:)
Heidi - Yeah, something didn't feel quite right about it, and I removed it even before I saw your comment. It's so hard to generalize without seeing rude and unkind. Admittedly, there was just an overwhelming amount of beer tummies. And a lot of people were so out of shape they could barely make it down the steps to their seats. It's when I see weight problems to that degree that I feel really sad for what our nation is like.
And I know it's dangerous to generalize, but statistics do indicate that North America has an obesity issue, by far, over Europe or Asia.
This was very apparent at the concert. But then I thought about the photos I posted and those weren't even indicative of the big big people I saw, and lots of people have tummies for lots of reasons (baby, hello!) and I thought better of it.
I'm so not perfect. I hope you still like me.
Heidi - I'm obviously still meditating on this. I somehow think that our bad habits shape the lack of activity and health I witness. This is all tied into my lifestyle with bikes, and how I want to promote active living.
Sadly, I don't think a lot of people feel as though they have a choice in terms of the lifestyle they seek. Lots of things are just automatic because of marketing and culture trends and it's not that individual's fault.
I guess when I see such a large proportion of tired bodies it reminds me that we are an unhealthy nation, overall. Sort of like the people in hover chairs in the cartoon, Wall-E.
This makes me sad. But the way I first phrased it and illustrated it wasn't coming across properly. Hence the nixing.
Still feel bad. It was mean. And I am not a mean person. But you're right to call me out. I needed to own up.
Awesome collection of pictures! I'm still showering when I see people wearing _such leggings...
No one who has followed your blog for the last year or more could think you're a mean person. We're all human and we all say or think things now and again that might seem unkind.
I love your blog because your 'realness' comes through the pages, even though I'm sure there are aspects of your life you don't choose to reveal.
I found your blogpost through a Bon Jovi Google Alert.
I was laughing so hard about your captions. Bon Jovi shows are an experience of its own, not only for the music but for your eyes too ;-)
But nothing better than all sorts of different people come together besause of the love of music !!
Heidi from Switzerland
I have to jump in here again.
This is a blog. Filled with Sarah's personal musings. She is passionate about fashion, health and sustainable transportation, and there is nothing wrong with stating her personal observations. A blog is meant to be a creative outlet and she is accountable to no one but herself.
In my opinion you shouldn't have to apologize Sarah. Thank you for your honesty and sharing what many people think but are not confident enough to say.
I was not going to post anything but I must disagree with Crystal. You are correct in that this is a blog and Miss Sarah has the right to publish whatever she wants. But I think one must also agree that the pictures of the aforementioned people in question had not given their permission to be posted on some random blog. I have a fundamental problem with this because these people did not ask to have their picture in a blog. How would all of you feel if someone managed to take a very unflattering picture of you an post it onto some public blog for everyone to read smart witty comments about how unattractive or unhealthy you are? The "bottle blonds" are someone's friends, daughters, wives etc and to make fun of them behind their backs reeks of high school.
I appreciate that she apologized because I am a woman of size and am working hard to get healthy and would hate to think someone took pictures of my unflattering silouette then posted it onto the internet without my permission to become public fodder. If someone wants to make those comments behind my back to a group of friends there is not much I can do but to have pictures posted on the internet is quite another thing. Simply put it is cyber bullying. If Miss Sarah did not feel comfortable enough to go up to those people and enquire about their health and lifestyle then she probably should not have taken the coward's way and put them up on her blog.
And lastly, need we not forget Miss Sarah has a husband who is a representative in our local government which means that for better or worse she has a higher level of accountability. I know as a voter I would think twice about supporting someone whose partner is using a public blog to judge people in a not so flattering light merely on their appearance. These "bottle blonds" could very well be the people who voted her husband in. As for the "unhealthy" not size 12 and under people, I do not even want to touch that because I am so sick of people thinking they have the right to ridicule, judge or comment on my weight without actually talking to me. I do not need your concern or judgement and as for the health aspects my doctor and I are taking care of that. Here's hoping my plump butt doesn't end up on someone's website/blog.
foxli - The concert was awesome!
Crystal - Thanks for your feedback. I'm afraid this is going to turn into a mess, but I'm glad you know I'm not coming from a malicious place. The reason I removed those photos was because the point I was trying to illustrate wasn't coming across. The tone was all wrong. But I'll just have to take the fall out. People are entitled to feel taken aback, but I just hope they know I didn't set out to hurt people.
Hi Anon - Thanks for putting in your comment here. Writing online is always a touchy grey area, especially when Don is such a public figure. I concede that although it's not necessarily fair, I suppose we are held to a higher standard than others. That said, my views and opinions are my own, and I would hope that people who feel inclined to vote or not vote for Don would do so based on his work ethic, his record, and his vision for the city. Whether or not my writing influences that is up to the constituents.
Just to clarify, I in no way meant to portray the bottle blonds or tattoed folk as people who were unintelligent or otherwise bad people. My intent was to note that there were several demographics of people at the concert that I don't usually see on a day-to-day basis and the most notable where blonds and tattoos. I meant for it to come across as a lighthearted novelty. I apologize for what has been perceived as bullying. As for the accusations of my cowardice and insensitivity, I can only say that I feel as though my writing here has been taken out of context. However, if that is your true conclusion then I can only say that I am sad to have fallen short of your expectations, and if there is anything further I can do to put you at ease, please let me know.
I would say more, but I don't believe the comments section in this blog post will ever be sufficient clear the air with people on either side of this discussion.
I do think it's good that this is a venue where people feel inclined to talk about such matters. It's true that every person has their own story about their life, their body, their experience, and I in no way am able to accurately pay tribute to these collected nuances in my photographs and writing.
Perhaps in an ideal cyber world everything would be perfect and nobody would ever be offended and we would be free of miscommunication and misunderstanding. And not to dismiss your concerns, but I'm not sure this is avoidable. We as people are imperfect and since my blog is a very personal expression of my lifestyle, my own imperfections are no doubt likely to manifest from time to time.
I could probably go on forever trying to clarify my intentions, but I should probably wrap it up. I would be pleased to discuss this with you further, in person, if you ever please. I have no problems being accountable for my actions and am sincere in my overtures to meet.
Being imperfect is something I can't avoid, but I will never shy away from a constructive discussion.
I hope I have adequately addressed some of your concerns. Thanks for reading!
Dexter was a charming lunch companion, indeed. And I loved my smoked salmon sammie. Yums. I had a wonderful time with you & Lil D.
Anyone who has spent time with you knows that you are a bubbly and lovely person (inside and out).
P.S. What was the title of that bicycle book you recommended to me?
Hey Judy,
I had a great time with you too! Thanks for the compliments:)
The book is Pedaling Revolution. If you don't have the urge to read it right away, I can lend it to you once I'm done the Masters at the end of August. But it is worth buying if you feel like it.
I'm glad that you have sincerely addressed the critcism of this post. I read it with partially a wry smile and partially a little surprise as it didn't seem to be you (at least not my perception of you as you come across in this blog).
But to change the subject, I must have missed it, but what happened to Dougal? He looks like a pirate dog... ;)
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