8.9.09

• Lollapalooza Day 2:

- Hotter. Bearable with water.

- I met this guy. He stopped for the festival during an 11-week drive across the U.S.

- A surprising number of people are willing to give media members their names, ages and hometowns ... until they also have to have their photo taken. All of those who refused were women.

- If you feel something splashed, splattered or spilled on you while you're attending a large event at which vendors are selling large amounts of alcohol and don't immediately hear, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" or similar, a fist fight is likely to come next.

- It's amazing who you'll end up talking to, running into, recognizing at any given place. Maybe you know them, maybe you don't, maybe you've seen them in a magazine. Regardless, watching people – observing – never gets old.

- Even important people make mistakes.

- Be courteous. Decline politely. Don't forget that everyone has feelings, insecurities, interests, successes regardless of how they might appear. People are still people, even when they're in huge groups. Remember that large groups are full of individuals who have something in common with you.

- Let me preface this by saying that I don't have kids. But I assume that making sure they can hear past age 25 would be up there on the list of parenting priorities. Buy them cool concert earmuffs. And please keep your anklebiters away from me with their rogue Frisbees.

- I don't know why both a hand-held microphone and a larger (boom?) microphone are used when filming interviews. Could one of you TV people help me out?

• Lollapalooza Day 3:

- Miserably hot. Water. Water. Water.

- Apparently someone does sell flip-flops at Lollapalooza. I'd like to think someone saw my earlier post and scurried to task, but someone is probably just smarter than I gave them credit for.

- I saw a motorcyclist who had a dog on his lap (strapped to him in something like those front-backpack baby carriers, I'm sure). The dog was wearing goggles. Goggles! The only thing cuter than that would be if he were wearing Mutt Muffs, too.

- If Chicago gets the Olympics in 2016, Lolla will skip a year. (Remember that 10-year contract I mentioned?)

- Even "important" people are just people. While it's probably flattering to be adored by strangers, I bet it's more flattering to be treated like a human being.

- ... But everyone has someone who makes them a little starry-eyed.

- There are certain things that no one will admit to. Like feeling completely miserable after paying $205 to stand in the sun and sweat profusely.

- It's easy to get lost in the shadows when you make excuses for yourself or where you are when you feel as though you don't belong. When you remember that you ARE someone (no matter who that might be), being confident comes more easily.

- There's so much more to tell, but this weekend has shown me how truly out of shape I am. My feet are bandaged. My muscles ache. My skin is slightly less than burned (thanks to UV bracelets and several tubes of sunscreen). My mind is reeling from everything I saw and heard and discussed. But for spending three days in a place where I'm convinced that no one is comfortable, I had a fantastic weekend with even better company. Now it's time to recover.