I had this vision of how to spend my 35th birthday – at a concert, moshing. What better way to say “screw you” to a mid-life crisis than by rocking out? I wanted to see Thrice on their summer tour with Deftones and Rise Against. The show on my birthday (happening tomorrow) is taking place in Raleigh, NC. We were waiting to see if Bret closed a deal before we booked anything, ha ha, to see if we had money to go! We ended up nixing all overnight traveling, and decided to spread out the “celebration money” and do more things locally. I even saved a few bucks on the tickets. So we decided to go to the show in at the new MGM casino in National Harbor. I have to say, it’s a beautiful place! Parking was super easy (and free) and there were lots of signs leading the way to the theater.

After Thrice played, we decided to walk around a little bit. While Rise Against is all well and good, we were like, Eh. We found our way to a big, outdoor deck with a colored water fountain, overlooking the harbor. The night was perfect. A warm breeze. Ah, so peaceful.



After hanging outside for a bit, we went back in for the last song of the Rise Against set, and then Deftones. I thoroughly enjoyed their set! They were such a big part of my late teens/early 20’s. I even got goosebumps when they played Change (In The House Of Flies). Amazing show.
But, there was another side, a side I don’t like to admit – I’m getting older.
During the Thrice set, we saw the mosh pit, and headed over. Upon arriving at the circle, instead of watching for a minute or two to get a feel for the vibe and intensity, I hopped right in.
Barely 10 seconds passed before I was on the floor.
I hopped up, ready to keep going, nope, sorry lady, you’re back on the floor.
Hopped up again, oh, hello again floor!
Probably best that I was humbled so quickly, or else I’d be more beat up. I still enjoyed the set, and I love hanging out on the side of the pit. It’s nice and open, and you only have a few people running into you.
As we sat in between sets, I realized, wow, I already have a bruise.
The next day, we were able to sleep in, and upon waking I felt like an elephant had stepped on me.
I spent the day hobbling around, complaining about my sore neck…and body.
I was so not with it, that I dropped almost half a bag of floss picks on the floor. I just looked at them, then at Bret, and said “I can’t adult today!”
I took multiple naps and lay downs.
In some ways, I felt like I was recovering from a hangover. That’s something I haven’t done in almost 3 years!
My ears were ringing all day.
Dudes, I’m actually getting older. Now, to be fair, I did throw myself into an arena of guys twice my size, who were pushing each other around. But still, I’m getting older! I really don’t mind getting older, there’s a part of me that’s looking forward to all the senior discounts and freebies, but the past few days were the first time I realized that my body will show my age too.
All that to say, I can’t think of a better way to age, than by rocking out. 🙂


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