Looking Back

Wow, so I guess it has been quite a while since I've updated my blog. It certainly has been a busy last couple of months and whenever I've had ideas or events to blog about I haven't had the motivation.

I'm not going to go into a lengthy post about everything I've done since early August but here are some brief highlights:

Lollapalooza - In early August, I made a 3-day weekend into a fairly non-stop weekend of music and partying. I ventured to downtown Chicago after work on a Thursday and arrived at my cousin's downtown apartment by Midnight. From Friday to Sunday, I balanced spending time with my cousins and trying to attend all the sets of the groups that I love and discovering new bands.

Young the Giant was as good live as they are in the studio and their after show was incredible -- I made it to the first row of the after show at a small venue and literally stood beside the lead singer during part of the performance!

Phantogram knocked my socks off with their deep beats and beautiful melodies -- I'm seeing them again tomorrow in Minneapolis. Foster the People played their hits to a huge crowd. Foo Fighters rocked out in the rain. The Glitch Mob and Skrillex killed it at Perry's DJ tent.

Ellie Goulding danced around with her white legs and British accent at the Google+ Stage. I fell asleep to My Morning Jacket as I sat to the side of the stage after a long Saturday of music. MUSE put on the best live performance that I've ever seen.

Deadmau5 produced some of the coolest live music and lights against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline. NAS and Damian Marley were awesome and one could almost see them through the haze of marijuana smoke that was drifting throughout the crowd. Walk the Moon played zero songs that I knew but I now know all of them well!

I saw the White Lies for the second time and Two Door Cinema Club for the first. And while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not there Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. was a great live band to see!

So it ended up being an incredible weekend of music and I wasn't even a bit tired as I drove home from 10 pm until 4:30 am on Sunday night/Monday morning.

Triathlons - With all the madness of the summer, I neglected to train like I needed to in order to accomplish my triathlon goals. I battled through allergies and a cold to complete the Tree Town Adventure Race in Forest City. It was a very well organized race and I had a blast kayaking down the Winnebago, biking through Pilot Knob and running the bike path through Pammel Park.

Later in August I had my first ever Did-Not-Finish in a race when I had some lower back issues at a 70.3 mile triathlon near Cedar Rapids. I completed the 1.2 mile swim and the 56 mile bike through hilly terrain but couldn't muster enough strength to attempt the 13.1 mile run when my lower back hurt enough that I almost didn't complete the bike. It was a depressing day for me and a reminder that I have to train and work hard if I'm going to do races of this distance.

Seattle/Tacoma - At the end of August, I traveled to Tacoma, Washington, to hang out with some buddies for a week. We went to a Mariners game, went out in Tacoma and Seattle, ate some great seafood and also drove up to Cape Flattery (the Northwest tip of the continental U.S.) and went surfing. Surfing was one of my 30 Things to do Before I Turn 30 and it was both exhausting and fun -- I definitely want to do it again but maybe in warmer waters.

Las Vegas - I traveled to Las Vegas for work in October and stayed at the BELLAGIO! Boosh. Even working 8-9 hours per day, we were able to get in two rounds of golf, dinner at a Michelin Star restaurant (Michael Mina at Bellagio), I played a fair amount of poker and also saw Cirque du Soleil's KA at the MGM Grand. One night I stayed up until 4:30 am and had to be up by 6:30 am for work. Let's just say 5 nights in Vegas was enough.

Odds and Ends - I've been playing quite a bit of poker lately and feel like I've been playing well -- other than some momentary brain lapses in a tournament last weekend. My hourly rate is increasing and I think I've made some fairly advanced plays at my stakes. My next step is to build my comfort level playing $2-5 NL Hold Em and be a little more consistent when I play.

We took 3rd place this year at the Bear Creek Pro-Am in August and I had a great time playing with my boss and two of his friends.

Want to see a strange, poetic movie? Check out "Tree of Life" with Brad Pitt. It's weird but I think I liked it.

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While I apologize that it has taken so long to write a blog entry, maybe it's a good thing.

I'm starting to spend a lot more time looking forward than looking back.

Enjoy the ride,

Damm