Our First Fourth

Although we would argue that this isn't the first time we've experienced "fireworks" together, this was our first Fourth of July. After a bbq at my parents' we headed to the park a couple blocks away for the show.

Double Date

Tonight we went to IMPROV in Schaumburg with my friend Shawn and Shawn's date. The main act was Ralphie Mae.

Plant Collecting at The Morton Arboretum

Today me and Kelly collected some wild plants for the Morton Arboretum's Herbarium, where I work. The purpose of this was two-fold: to do something we hadn't done together before (romantic) and to strengthen the herbarium's plant collection (scientific). The specimens turned out great, and Kelly did a great job helping me to press and dry them.

Pow-Wow at Starved Rock

On this day Jason took Kelly for a new experience -- a native american pow-wow. It was held at Starved Rock State Park. We were dazzled by all of the colorful and complex costumes. The fringes, beads and feathers gave the impression of constant motion. The drum circle in the background was a constant heartbeat for the event. We sat on bales of hay and watched the dances. In spite of it being an extremely hot May day, people danced their hearts out. We were totally impressed by a group of young girls that did dances with rings which they manipulated. Every different costume was for a different dance. A dress with many silver jangling pieces was a "Good Medicine" dress, and that dance was extremely noisey. Many people threw money at the feet of the dancers, which they collected and gave to their elders or the drum circle. Their culture teaches them to share. Another outfit with long white yarn fringe entailed a dance that evoked images of swaying prairie grasses. A man sounded a mournful tribute to his friend who had passed away, using a conch shell. Jason and I shared fry bread and drank lemonade. We checked out the many vendors and Jason bought a lizard necklace, and I bought a purple ring and a blue blanket.

Then we went for a hike up on the cliffs of Starved Rock and got rained on! We saw a deer and lots of different birds, adding to the bird list Jason gave me.

On the way home we both got hungry at the same time, and noticed the pattern that we both seemed to have the same metabolism, because we get hungry or are not hungry at the same times. Not just our hearts, but our stomachs are in tune with each other!

Jason probaby won't like this last picture -- but I love it! He's so handsome in his glasses. He's trying to figure out if those swallows are rough-winged or cliff. And the wind is puffing out his shirt so it looks funny.

Keane at the Riviera Theatre

Tonight me and Kelly saw Keane at the Riviera Theatre.* I was already familiar with their music, but Kelly had only been listening to them for a couple of weeks. Still, she seemed to really enjoy herself. The crowd was amazing, and in response, the band gave us an incredible show. I'd been depending on Keane to impress my girl, and luckily they came through without a flaw.

Hearing Keane's music and being with Kelly made the evening very special. It must have had something to do with the swirling mixture of passionate music and being in love. I couldn't have asked for a better feeling, which seemed to peak as they played "Bad Dream," a song preceded by a recording of the Yeats poem that inspired it.

"Bad Dream" talks about a soldier struggling with his emotions—about having to kill people he doesn't know, about possible friendships erased by enemy lines, and so much more—it reminds me of how lucky I've been in life, despite hardships. It doesn’t seem possible, but the song has a thread of love woven through it. Love and adversity are two things very particular to humanity, and I think they go together very well in art. Kelly, of course, is responsible for the romantic love in my life. We've only been together for four and a half months, but each day with her is like a tiny beautiful lifetime.

What else is there to say? Great show!

*Photos and videos found at http://www.keanemusic.com/ and YouTube, all taken by fans at the show.

Here are some more concert clips from YouTube:
Bedshaped
Bad Dream
This Is The Last Time
Try Again

Somewhere Only We Know

It's a Love Thing

Today I told Kelly that I loved her, and man, I meant it! It happened in the late hours as we started to fall asleep. Actually, Kelly was already asleep, so I whispered the words in her ear. She woke up, turned around and said something like, "I have something to tell you," as if it were something other than a reciprocal "I love you." But she did say "I love you," and I was very glad!

One Month Anniversary

Jason and I met up to reenact our fateful meeting date at the Bou. Jason showed up first again, and he'd snagged the same table by the door. I believe we ordered the same drinks. And Jason picked out a card for his mom's birthday from the rack, I helped. He wrote it at the table, sealed it, wrote "To: Mom From: Jason" on the envelope. Then crossed out "Mom" and wrote "Kelly", and slid the card over to me. I had not suspected a thing. I kept the card on my desk for months after, until I finally took it home to put in my memory box. It was so romantic.