Stay Frosty

 It's been a very hectic several weeks since last I blogged. I've missed it if none of you have. There are some great stories to share about what happened, but first a snippet about my evening. This morning I thought about posting and using the title Stay Frosty. It's a reference to a Van Halen song which includes some great lines in it. I'm thinking about it because I'm "where the folks who know bout frostiness stay frostiest the most." California. Specifically San Diego, California (since the last time I was in California it was California, Maryland). The trip out here was brutal, and each night after class I have been working on stuff I'd have done if I were in the office, reviewing some online training, and getting ready for the next day.

One small sliver I have chosen for myself is breakfast. I have stopped, slowed down, and ignored everything except my food and a book for breakfast. I have been looking forward to breakfast all week. Other than that, it's been do something for someone else all day--even though I'm here alone. As we got out of class early today I toured the USS Midway and deliberately got lost in downtown San Diego driving around with the top down (the story of how I came to have a convertible is part of my brutal travel tale but more on that later). When I got back to the hotel I dozed while finishing my book and thought about crawling into bed early.

After  popping downstairs for my daily soft drink I returned to my room and a got text from my cousin asking if I knew that Van Halen was playing San Diego. Tonight. Starting about the time he texted me. Short story long, I didn't, they were, there were tickets, the stadium was less than 9 miles from my hotel, and by the time I arrived Kool and the Gang had finished playing.

Two solid hours of Van Halen (sans Mike) playing half of the Van Halen repertoire. Unparalleled evening. Incredible evening. The venue was large, but still intimate. The acoustics were fantastic. Eddie was Eddie. He remains one of the greatest living guitar players and unquestionably wins the title of best guitarist with the biggest ego. He also is the reason that Van Halen has remained my favorite band for more years than I can count (and for me that's really saying something).

The only thing that lacked was that they didn't play Stay Frosty. Oh well, if you want to be a monk you gotta cook a lotta rice. Stay Frosty.

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