See, we have no money. Okay, we have a little. But we also have two kids in college, one of them in midtown Manhattan, which appears to be slightly more expensive than, say, Westerville, Ohio.
So we went to visit the other kid, the one in Athens, Ohio, on Saturday. Our goal was not to spend money. Or very much. And we didn't. And we still had a lot of fun.
We heard Columbus funketeers The Urban Jazz Coalition. For free. And although their source material was mostly funk-lite (Spyro Gyra, Chuck Mangione), they considerably funked up the proceedings, and got as down and dirty as Spyro Gyra will allow. It was a good time. Then we listened to African American students read "poetry" and espouse how they were not gangstas and hos. Actually, it never entered my mind, but it was good to be reassured, albeit in an angry, confrontational way. We ate good Turkish food at Salaam. Not free, but not very expensive either. We drank coffee at Donkey, and kibbutzed with the couple next to us, who were playing Trivial Pursuit. We went to Casa Nueva, suffered through mediocre Columbus rock band The Whiles, and eventually hit the jackpot at midnight when Southeast Engine came on stage. Man, I love those guys. They make beautiful, loud, soulful music, and they're pleasant human beings as well.
Then we drove home. By 3:30 we were in bed. So much for the quiet life of the empty nesters.
Oh yeah, it was great to see Rachel as well, who is loving college life.
Your first O.U. Dads' Weekend was my last. All four were spectacular, and I truly treasure the time spent with my daughter and her friends.
ReplyDeletePlus, had a spectaculr time Tuesday at Mem Aud at the Four Girls and Their Buddy concert. First show I saw there since April 1, 1976.
As soon as I sent the last comment - and could not retrieve it - I realized through my fevery haze that I cannot, in my present state, even accurately count Three Girls.
ReplyDeleteHa! I think Emmylou is great enough to count for two.
ReplyDeleteI saw a similar concert a couple years back, with Gillian Welch in place of Shawn Colvin. But Emmylou, Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller are a great combination, regardless of who they're paired (or tripled?) with.