the ocean

So the last leg of the bachelor party last weekend was a trip to the Weird Al concert at Ravinia. Like many of us, my friend who is getting married grew up with Weird Al's musical output and even performed it for a talent show, which the other kids were absolutely wrong for not realizing was very cool. So he had a yen to experience "Eat It" and "Amish Paradise" live and in person, which I was absolutely not going to prevent. Mother nature, that bitch, had other ideas, though.

You see, there was essentially a hurricane in Highland Park last Sunday night, even though Ian gleefully reported to me from Chicago that there was not so much as a cloud in the sky. It was so intense that even though we were sitting in the pavilion, it felt like it was raining in there because the wind blew it in at essentially a 90 degree angle. Not that I am complaining, given that the people on the lawn and all of their many and varied belongings got completely drenched. And, of course, no rain had been in the forecast, so most of the crowd showed up with candles, card games, snack tables, and arrays of cheeses but no umbrellas or ponchos. My mom, my sister, and my nephew were among the unfortunate lawngoers who had to make a mad dash for the parking lot through six inches of accumulated rain. And that was my nephew's first concert; I'll wait until he's older to tell him just to lie and tell people it was Sabrina Carpenter or something.

The show itself was pretty solid. He did all the hits, as well as the themesongs he wrote for not one but two animated shows I did not know existed. There were costumes galore, including Star Wars outfits for "Yoda" and the fat suit for "Fat," which does in fact hit different now. And although I can't claim to be an expert, I thought the accordion playing was pretty strong. More than worth the hypothermia.