Epic night in Des Moines

My tenth Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band show, on Monday in Des Moines, unseated April's Denver show from the top of my concert rankings. Just hearing "Incident On 57th Street" live for the first time would've been enough for me. But the whole experience, from start to especially the finish, was epic…

• This was Rachel's fifth show, but the first she's experienced in the pit. Only 255 people showed up between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to enter the lottery for access to the area directly in front of the stage. (I've never seen fewer than 500 show up.) So, all of us got in. As you can see from the photos, we were 5-10 feet from the stage all night.

• I almost never say this about a concert venue. But kudos to the Wells Fargo Arena staff. Nice people all the way around. From the ticket takers to concessions to security.

• To those who wonder why anyone would see a performer ten times, here's my explanation. I could point to the value one gets for the money (this show went almost three hours without a break) or the fact that bands like this just don't come along very often. But the biggest reason is simply that every show is different. I don't just mean the crowd reaction is different or the songs are ordered differently. I mean I've heard at least two different songs at every show I've attended. In Des Moines, I heard four—"Satisfaction," "The Wanderer," "Into The Fire" and the aforementioned "Incident." (Granted, two of those were covers. But I can't tell you how cool it was to see that band play "The Wanderer.") In total, I've heard 70+ different songs at ten shows.

And for the cherry on top…

The show ended just after 11:15 p.m. and we decided to let traffic clear out before heading for the car. We saw a handful of people, most carrying Springsteen memorabilia, standing near a loading dock. So, we thought that must be where the band exits and we may as well catch a glimpse.

About 10 minutes later, an SUV creeps out, the window rolls down and there's Springsteen. (As total luck would have it, I purchased a tour poster as we left the arena. They sold out of them at the Denver show and I got the "display model" here after the guy in front of me bought the last of the main supply.) Springsteen motioned for the waiting throng to come on over and he started signing autographs.

I have to say it was a pleasure to see the lack of pushing, shoving and general poor behavior that I would've expected in this situation. I waited at the back of the group, fully expecting him to meet a few people, wave goodbye and be on his way. But, as the crowd thinned out, I thought, "Holy crap, I might actually meet the guy." Sure enough, my turn arrived. I think I thanked him for putting on a great show and I think he thanked me for coming to see it. All I'm sure about is he asked my name and I responded correctly, because my poster was signed "To Chris" when it was all over.

Others used their audience with The Boss to tell him how much his music affected them. But I'm afraid I didn't get to ask about his writing process or any other interesting subject. I figured the poor guy probably just wanted to get back to the hotel and go to sleep.

Frankly, I had the same thing in mind, after eight hours in downtown Des Moines. A long, epic day.

Kids should stay in school, right?

In 1980, my first grade class held a mock presidential election. Ronald Reagan vs. Jimmy Carter. I voted for Reagan. There was an R next to his name, which I loved because my last name begins with that letter. And his name was in red, then my favorite color, so that sealed the deal. Little did I know I’d been indoctrinated.

At least, that’s what I think happened. Nearly 30 years later, I’ve learned those sneaky Republicans pulled one over one me and my classmates, tempting us with bright colors and a smiling candidate. They did the same thing in 1991, when President George H.W. Bush delivered a nationally televised speech about the importance of saying no to drugs. Now, the shifty Democrats have the same thing in mind, as President Obama plans to address the nation’s students on Tuesday. He intends to encourage young people to work hard and stay in school.

This speech, many parents, politicians and commentators have noted, is a potential travesty. As Oklahoma Sen. Steve Russell said, “It gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality…something you’d expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.” Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer says, "The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the president justify his plans ... is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power."

Timeout.

Is this really what our country’s going to be? I understand arguing about health care. (Though I’m starting to think most Americans don’t realize there are two houses of Congress.) I get the immigration debate. I can see sniping over social security. But, the president encouraging kids to stay in school, that’s a problem? Really?

Harris Mirkin, a political science professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, told The Kansas City Star, “It shows the polarization and suspicion. It’s basically saying the president of the United States isn’t a legitimate person to speak to kids.” I’ll take him one further. It shows the fear. A lot of Americans are paralyzed by fear. Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, writes of the U.S. in “The Post-American World”: “It needs to stop cowering in fear. It is fear that has created a climate of paranoia and panic in the United States and fear that has enabled our strategic missteps…To recover its place in the world, America first has to recover its confidence.”

This blog isn’t about politics. I couldn’t give a flip whether you think President Obama walks on water or if you long for the return of President Bush. What I do care about is how scared everyone seems to be. It strikes me as quite irrational that some parents fear the president will “indoctrinate” their children on Tuesday. About 1.2 million students drop out of school each year. Let me say it again. More than one million students drop out annually.

If the president can “indoctrinate” our children with the idea that they should stay in school, I hope we'd applaud, regardless of our politics. Instead, people worry he'll try to slip something into the speech about health care reform, the auto bailout and who knows what else. (As if the nation's schoolchildren would listen to and/or care about those things.) Lots of Americans are scared, by a speech about staying in school.

And that’s kind of scary.

An open letter to my brother

My brother, Cary, and I have a common problem. Neighbors. Cary's complaint is one I'd not heard. It seems one of his apartment neighbors doesn't use air conditioning. The heat from that person's dwelling travels to Cary's and makes it harder for him to cool his home.

Cary hopes owning a freestanding home will alleviate his trouble. I'm here to tell him it won't. If anything, home ownership leaves us more exposed to annoying neighbors. When renting, moving away from the bad apples isn't nearly as difficult as when you've got a mortgage.

We've owned two homes. Here are my Top 3 Most Annoying Neighbors:

3. (tie) The one who warms up his truck and the one with the chimney pulling away from the house.

The truck warmer-upper isn't a big problem for me, as I'm usually out of bed by 6 a.m. He's more of an issue for Rachel, especially when it's pleasant enough to sleep with open windows. The truck warmer-upper starts his vehicle up and lets it warm up for at least 20 minutes, no matter the time of year. Sometimes, he'll let it go for 45 minutes. This isn’t an F-150 we're talking about, but a diesel-powered beast. That poor engine just churns and churns.

The one with the chimney pulling away from the house was a classic. His chimney issue, he said, was the result of city drainage pipes. I never could understand the connection, but he insisted the city should buy his home. As he told me one night, "I might just move out and let a bunch of homeless people live here. We'll see what the city thinks about that." Apparently, the city didn't think much of that, because he and his family continued living there long after we moved. (That's not to mention the time that one of the children pointed a rifle gun at Rachel and said, "Pow." But that's another blog.)

2. The one with the car alarm.

This neighbor parks both of his cars outside. One of the vehicles, which I assume is equipped with an aftermarket alarm system, sounds its horn anytime there's a clap of thunder. So, during a thunderstorm, every thunder is followed with "honk-honk-honk-honk-honk-honk-honk." And it's not just thunder that does the trick. Even a passing motorcycle can trigger the alarm. Our bedroom overlooks their driveway, so we've awoke to the horn many times these past few years. (Most recently, the alarm sounded four times between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Tuesday.) We've been over there to talk to them four times. Nothing changes.

1. The one with four dogs.

The City of Lenexa has an ordinance that restricts residents to two dogs per household. Of course, rules are made to have exceptions. For reasons that escape me, the city deems it acceptable for this neighbor to have four dogs. (And, no, they're not the quiet kind.) We've visited the home a half dozen times to ask them to reign in the noise. I won't recap every episode. I'll just share one example.

Earlier this year, we heard one of the dogs barking up a storm at about 7 p.m. Nothing unusual about that, as the dogs' owners often ignore their barking for 30-45 minutes at a time. The racket went on for an hour before I went outside to investigate. The dog was on the deck, the house pitch black. So, I went back inside and called the neighbor. No answer. Fast forward to 10 p.m. The dog's been barking for more than three hours. I go outside and find two other neighbors out on their decks. We all look at each other as if to say, "What now?" I go inside and call animal control. No answer. The dog's owner finally comes home just after 11 p.m. We call and basically ask, "What the hell?" He says, without a hint of apology, "We went out to dinner and didn't think we'd be gone as long as we were."

I wish I could say that's an isolated example. But we've called animal control about this home a dozen times over the years. Nothing changes.

So, Cary, there you have it. Home ownership has its advantages. But, unless you buy a Ted Turner-esque spread with plenty of acreage to protect your dwelling, there's no way to guarantee you won't live next to one of my all-time Top 3.

It all adds up

Back in February, I wrote “Reveling in my cheapskatedness.” The gist of it was I’m the geek who pours over coupons and aims to save wherever and whenever possible. I’d decided in January that I’d quantify this year’s savings, to assure myself that thriftiness/frugalness/cheapskatedness is paying off.

Yesterday, I bought tickets to Bruce Springsteen’s October concert at the Sprint Center. And, in a moment of inspiration (or weakness, depending on how you look at it), I also purchased a pair to his St. Louis show, which takes place the night before the KC concert. Given this budget-busting moment, I think today is as good a day as any to total up my year-to-date savings.

Through July, grocery, restaurant and other coupons had saved me a total of $869.41. Store savings (basic sales, special “club” pricing, etc.) totaled another $923.11. The grand savings total is $1792.52. Now I don’t feel so bad about going overboard on Springsteen tickets. Come to think of it, I could go to seven more of his shows and still come out ahead. Now, that’s a nice thought.

One down...

On Wednesday, I'll finish my first "year" of graduate school. Meaning I've completed fall, spring and summer semesters. I'll have knocked out 12 of the 36 hours required for a marketing communications degree from KU.

I distinctly recall telling myself several times during my last semester as an undergrad, way back in 1996, that I would never, ever go back to school. Seventeen years of school was enough. Or so I thought. Imagine how surprised I was a few years back when I found myself looking forward to cracking open the books again. I think, as we get older, we all have a greater appreciation for learning. Maybe it doesn't manifest itself in a return to school. But don't you find yourself more interested in things as years pass? Maybe you linger a bit longer in museums you raced through as a kid. Or perhaps the evening news ceases to be background noise and instead is something to focus on.

Anyway, I find myself far more focused on school now than I was in high school and college. It helps that most assignments and projects are related to my company or companies I'm interested in. For example, Crown Center was the subject of most of last semester's Marketing Research assignments. This semester, in Writing for Marketing Communications, I've used Crown Center and Brooks (the running shoe company) as project topics. (I won't say anything about the fall semester's dog food project, other than grrrrr.)

Unfortunately, I only get a three week break before the fall semester revs up. But I'm looking forward to the class—Financial Fundamentals for Communicators. Prime example of how I've changed since my undergrad days. Back then, I'd have run at the first sign of a financial class. Now, I know it's something that will help me do my job better. And I'm just more interested in investor relations, budgets and financial markets than I was as a 20-year-old.

One year down, two to go.

Turning back the clock

It’s Saturday night and 59-year-old Tom Watson is (I hope) enjoying sweet dreams in Turnberry, Scotland. Tomorrow, he’ll try to become the oldest person to win a major golf championship.

I’d be taken with this story regardless of where I lived. But it’s especially compelling to me as someone who shares Watson’s hometown. I’ve followed his career since I was old enough to read a sports page. My dad’s roofing company even worked on Watson’s house. He’s beloved here for his fabulous career, his longtime support of Children’s Mercy Hospital and his reputation as a decent guy.

Not far from Scotland, another amazing sports story unfolds. Lance Armstrong is in the hunt for an eighth Tour de France victory. It wasn’t enough that he win the Tour after beating cancer. It wasn’t enough to win it seven straight times. Now, he’s trying to win it at 37 years old.

As I get older, I’m ever more amazed by the power of athletics to uplift the spirit. Who can say how many people around the world are inspired tonight by Tom Watson? And how about Armstrong, whose image has helped raised millions of dollars for cancer research. Think about that. A man who rides a bike faster than most is able to stimulate such an outpouring.

I shake my head when I hear of local television news stations cutting newscast time allotted to sports, or cutting the sports department entirely. Because stories like Watson’s and Armstrong’s happen in towns all over the country. I know it because I once seeked those stories out as a local sportscaster. I hate knowing they may not be reported, that they might not have the chance to inspire.

Tomorrow, I’m going to get up at the crack of dawn and bike a bit. (Frankly, I’m not sure I ever would’ve started biking if it weren’t for Lance Armstrong.) Then, I’m going to plop down on the couch and watch Armstrong ride from Pontarlier to Verbier. And I’ll stay on that couch to see if Watson can win his most improbable major yet.

I don’t know if either man will be able to will their aging bodies to victory. But I do know I’ll be inspired as I watch them try.

Sweating it out

Thoughts while longing for a return to the Rockies…

• Great trip to Colorado for the Independence Day weekend. After spending a few days with Candice, Roland and the girls, we returned to Lenexa via a southern route that took us through Dodge City and Hutchinson. It took a bit longer, but we got to see parts of Kansas I think every Kansan ought to see at some point. Highlights: the Kansas Cosmosphere, Braum’s (as always, great food with crappy service) and E Street Radio on Sirius.

• The warm, humid weather has really knocked me on my butt this week. As I’ve sweat my way through bike riding the past few days, it’s occurred to me that I never once had to squeeze sweat from my helmet while riding in Colorado. The weather there was just perfect. One can see why so many Coloradoans are out running, biking or just enjoying the outdoors. Humidity seems to take a greater toll on me each year. It’s like kryptonite to my running. And it wreaks almost as much havoc on me while biking.

• I’ve spent far too much time zoning out on Tour de France coverage. It makes no sense. I do envy the people lining the course, though. To be lounging in the Pyrenees, waiting for the peleton to fly past…