A Win-Win Situation

After the last post, we'd hate to leave the impression that our Sasquatch experience as a whole was 100% miserable. It was like low 70's at worst. It really turned out to be another fun road trip with friends and good music. So, even though the last post dripped with surrender, we thought we'd share a little photo log (with a touch of commentary) of the experience.

Saturday's highlights (for us, anyway) included Bjork, Arcade Fire, Electrelane, Ghostland Observatory, Grizzly Bear, and the Beastie Boys. The Long Winters probably would have been a highlight as well, though sadly we're pretty sure we spent that hour waiting in line for a couple of footlongs; which were worth EVERY minute.
Earlier that day, while enjoying Electrelane's show, Brandi spotted Napoleon Dynamite; or at least that's who we thought he was emulating 2 years ago when we saw him running past us at Coachella. As it turns out, it was Richard Parry of Arcade Fire. So we decided we'd pull out the camera (hopefully, without him noticing).

Not to be outdone, we were joined by another member of the Arcade Fire later on the same stage during Grizzly Bear. Win Butler! How cool are we? Two members of one of the biggest it bands in the world on two different occasions, gravitating right to us to enjoy two of the bands that we all think are pretty cool. These pictures are only slightly staged by maybe a few feet. (If you question just how close we were, Win wears a 36x36 dungaree.) With the exception of one annoying tall dude with a pony tail, no one even bothered them. Here's a shot of Brandi trying to kiss a rock star and Tim trying to find the aforementioned rock star in order to protect his honor.
The rest of the weekend was a bit of a blur, which is a surprise since we weren't even dropping "e" like Nate and Tonia. But who needs drugs when you're learning how to suck Diet Pepsi through a candy straw? (Is it just us, or is Nate pulling off a great Chris Isaak here?)

The Day The Music Died

The title really should be "days" since it has been a work in process. The omen began with the death of our iPods. Brandi's gave up on her several months ago and we made the blank screen discovery of Tim's just before embarking on a full 36 hour drive to Sasquatch and back. I have no doubt that we'll replace them some day, i.e., the day Paisley's full ride scholarship arrives in the mail. We reverted to cds and now know what the pioneers had to deal with on their little road trip.

The second painful realization was a process in and of itself. This was our first experience with the Sasquatch Music Festival but for the most part, it's all pretty much the same big party. The obvious difference was that the goal of Coachella is avoiding heat stroke, at Sasquatch, the threat was hypothermia. The setting overlooking the Columbia River was quite inspiring but it's hard to stay inspired through the nicotine (if you're lucky) haze and crowded collection of circus freak rejects. We had supposed that Coachella had outgrown us this year, but the harsh reality is that we've probably outgrown Coachella, and Sasquatch, and Lollapalooza, and Glastonbury. And in defense of poor Paisley, not all of it is her fault. Sure Brandi was a bit hampered by the tummy but Tim wasn't exactly skipping circles - except for when the line to the "Honey Bucket" (port-a-potty) wasn't moving fast enough. Sasquatch probably had half the attendees as Coachella but maybe 1/3 of the space, so it was always crowded. Brandi coined the term "festival intolerance."

Going into the event, we tried to convince ourselves that we could be one of those "cool" couples that haul their children around for two days forcing them to this insanity. But it would be unforgivable to rob these little ones of their innocence before they can even utter the words "how" and "why." Sure it was the perfect photo opt for Gwyneth and Apple with the little pink ear covers, but being married to Chris Martin means that you don't have to try and explain why the guy next to you is using your name's sake fruit to smoke their drugs.


Yes, we're getting old and have added blankets, snacks, and ear plugs to the festival bag. But even though music will still play a big part in our lives (even if they're cds), it looks like we've both accepted the idea of trading in the festival bag for a diaper bag. A rite of passage that reveals our budding maturity in our ability to accept and adjust. The music isn't dead, these days, it's just in bed by 8 p.m. Does anyone know if The Lawrence Welk Show is still on?

Rockabye Baby!

We've been reading several different pieces trying to prepare ourselves for the pregnancy and the next 18 years. According to the literature, babies like classical music AND it's even supposed to make them smarter. (Tim really supports this concept, but mostly to defend himself when Brandi makes fun of him for being in the high school band. Which is apparently different than being in a band during high school.) We've searched high and low for some Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven without much luck. Which is not to say that we didn't find anything else. We came across these gems and have made many purchases. What's cooler than laying your baby down to a little Radiohead? Everything in its Right Place gives baby the security she needs, even though it's missing Thom Yorke's voice. I guess the lack of lyrics is a good thing for Zeppelin's Baby I'm Gonna Leave You. Milk before meat.

It's almost enough to justify this:

Forever in blue genes

Considering our given fields of study, we have a pretty solid understanding of genetics. Knowing this, there's going to be a strong propensity for young Paisley being too cool for school. What we have worried about is how quickly she'll pick up on the music snobbishness that we take so much pride in. Luckily, her 16 week ultrasound picture resembled the cover art work on one of the greatest albums of all time, that we can't help but beam with pride. What do you think?