Today is Labor Day, which is basically just an excuse to take the day off. I have to imagine that at its inception Labor Day was supposed to be a day to celebrate being a part of a labor union, and I suspect, being glad they are there so that tyrant employers cannot force you to work through amputations and other malfeasances. Of course, now it is just a time for people to sit on their asses all day, barbecue, and/or actually get up off the couch and go to Rib Fest in downtown Indy. I am not going to complain about having the day off, but hey, I might as well be jaded about it, too.
The weekend was both busy and laid back, which was pretty nice. On Friday, we made big plans to go to the aforementioned Rib Fest to see Pat Benatar perform. You see, Rib Fest has become the bastion of fallen idols. In the last few years, Rick Springfield, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Hootie and the Blowfish (a headliner this year, too) have all "graced" the Rib Fest stage in that last paroxysm of a once great career (or in Rick Springfield's case, milking a one hit wonder for 20 years). I actually find it sort of sad that an artist of Pat Benatar's caliber is reduced to this, but I suppose it happens to all artists of a certain age (well, ones that aren't Cher or Madonna...though you'd think Aretha Franklin would jump [if she could] to be at Rib Fest). Anyway, I have to wonder in 20 years if the same fate will befall Sheryl Crow or Bjork. Okay, I just threw Bjork in there because I would find it highly entertaining to view the slack jawed yokels trying to comprehend what she's doing on stage while trying to fill their gaping maws with ribs and fries. Long story Long, we started the night at the Rathskeller at 5, and by the time 8:00 rolled around, we just weren't feeling it. So, Pat had to go into obscurity without us.
I met up with Tyler and we caught a late dinner at BARcelona Tapas, which is a new restaurant in downtown Indy. It was really pretty nice, though I am not sure if it is really a place you should go for a meal. Yes, I understand "tapas" is basically appetizers, but Americans are used to a truckload of food brought to the table (hence the morbid obesity rate), and when you have to order four things to make a dent in your appetite, it makes you feel a bit decedent. The food was great though, and I think it would be great to go there in a large group.
Saturday was the normal errands day for me, and then I was to meet up with Tyler and his friends to go to Sky Concert downtown. Sky Concert has been going on for 25 years, and it is basically a gigantic fireworks display synchronized to a soundtrack. Tyler's best friend works for one of the main sponsors, so he was able to get his hands on VIP area tickets, which were really the best spot to see the fireworks. Blanch and HR were able to join us, and it was a pretty great time, outside of the George W Bush speeches and overall jingoist nature of some of the music, but hey, it was a country music station doing the music. After the concert and the traffic, we all met up at the Metro for some cocktails. It was pretty laid back and fun, and then Tyler, Blanch, Romeo and I all headed back to Tyler's house to eat White Castles and pass out.
Sunday was VERY uneventful. I sat around all day and caught up on a television show that I had missed this summer that all the websites and reviewers are talking about. It is called "Mad Men," and it takes place in 1960 New York when advertising was this sort of mythic art and the men behind it were revered. I am honestly still not sure what all the fuss is about. It is certainly well written, acted, and put together, but I do not put it higher than "Damages," "Burn Notice," and "Saving Grace". I'll continue to watch it through the end of it's season, but I'm not sure if it is something I will continue with next summer.
Since I had made my pledge in a previous blog about my exercising, I decided to get on my bike again and head north on the Monon Trail. Even though Indianapolis is one of the fattest cities in the nation, we do have a pretty amazing set of greenway and trails, and I am embarrassed to say that this is only the third time I've been on it, with the second being on Saturday. The Monon Trail used to be an interurban railway, which is really just another name for mass transportation. It is pretty ironic that Indianapolis, a city plagued with woeful mass transit, used to be a leader in it. Cars killed the trains here, and the drubbing continues. The Trail has been paved from 10th street downtown all the way up into Carmel, which is a norther burb. All told, it is about 15 or so miles long. I got onto the Trail at 22nd Street, and I kept pedaling north until I reached the end of the Indianapolis leg of the trail at 86th/82nd (if you live here, you know), which is well over 9 miles. So, round trip, I did about 20 miles on the bike. I was pretty amazed with myself!
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