This weekend, I saw The Flaming Lips for the second time. The first time I saw them was a couple years ago at the Pageant, and it was easily the best show I've ever been to. Not only was their set full of my favorite songs, but it's impossible not to sing along as confetti is shot out of cannons and aliens dance on stage. Basically, I imagine it's like the best trip anyone on acid has ever had.

The show this weekend was in Columbia, outside of the Blue Note. I had the option to buy tickets to the STL show, but since Saturday was Andy's birthday, I wanted to go all out! I'm really glad I did. It was also the first outdoor concert experience for both of us, and it couldn't have been better.

Although the show was incredible (they closed with "Do You Realize?", Wayne rolled around in his infamous plastic bubble, and a topless chick spent half of the concert hanging out of her window), I still managed to do some people-watching.

Here are a few of the archetypes I noticed on Saturday:

1. The Bouncer. The Bouncer has an inherit sense of concert justice that will not be compromised. He (or she) maintains order by ushering drunk people away, ensuring that everyone can see the stage, and intimidating people who are acting like assholes. The Bouncer by us looked exactly like Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons and successfully guided loud, drunk girls away from us, lectured some frat boy on the logistics of crowd surfing, and politely but firmly chastised anyone blocking our view.

2. The Know It All. The Know It All has an overwhelming, yet pretentious love for the band. He (or she) feels compelled to predict the set list, reflect on how this experience is different than "the time I saw them at ____," and balk at anyone having an unproportionate amount of fun. The Know It All will sing along, fist pump furiously, and use any down time to spew useless facts. The Know It All on Saturday was a Michael Cera-ish hipster. Maybe this is why I had the urge to fight him, Mortal Combat-style.

3. The Ignorant Slut. The Ignorant Slut is dolled up, drunk, and has no idea why she (or he) is there. They doesn't know anything about the band, but spent hours getting ready and has consumed enough Miller Lite to have a good time. He/she doesn't care if half of their beer ends up on your shoes, or that they has no idea what the fuck is going on. The Ignorant Slut by us was wearing fake feather eye lashes (which were frankly kind of fabulous), and kept asking "What is TFL?" as her friends gushed about the show.

I'm sure there are others I'm leaving out of this list, but these were definitely the most prominent concert-goers in the 3x3 space where we spent most of the show. Overall, I had a great time. Not only did I get to see possibly my favorite live band ever, but I hung out with friends from college, and had a much needed slice of Shakespeare's pizza (with wheat crust, of course).

As Comic Book Guy would say, best. weekend. ever.

In lieu of the blog I planned to write about The Remains of the Day and my three-day stint as a juror, I decided to post about something even more boring: goals.

I'm not sure if this inspiration is a result of the start of the school year, a time when beginning new and sharpening your pencils for success seems contagious, or if I just need to have something in print to make sure I follow through with my plans. (I think it's a little of column A, a little of column B.) I don't have any outrageous aspirations, but there are a few things I would like to accomplish in the next year:

1. Get an "A" in all of my certification classes. I don't think this will be challenging, but I'm only taking 200 level classes right now. For me, the issue isn't the material, but rather having the time to read, study, and find the energy after work to do anything but watch tv. I'm enthused now that I'm finally working on the education component of my teaching certification, so hopefully this excitement will translate into good grades. Also, if you know me at all, you know that I enjoy bragging rights, and being on the Dean's List would be pretty amazing.

2. Learn to sew. I'm not looking to turn into Betsy Ross, but I would like to be able to hem pants, take in a dress, sew on a button, etc. Being freakishly frugal, I hate taking things to tailors, and it would be nice to be able to buy something and know that I can take it up an inch or two, or make a thrift store find fit me.

3. Make my room into a Kelly-friendly, unique space. I've started this process, now that I have a desk in my room, but eventually I'd like to paint the walls, hang all of my records, and get a twin bed into my room/our guest bedroom. I'm sick of staring at the Anthropologie website and coveting their bright quilts and vintage-inspired drapes. I'm determined to make my room the adorable place I know it has the potential to be!

4. Write more. This is a goal that comes up annually, but I'm really going to try. I need to be less focused on a finished product and put more emphasis on writing something, anything, when I want to.

5. Keep growing out my hair. Did you notice that I saved the easiest goal for last? I feel like I'm six months away from the Bridget Bardot bed-head hair I've always wanted, and no amount of pictures of Michelle Williams' cute pixie cut is going to change that!

Overall, these aren't huge goals, but maybe that's because I'm saving those for later. Buying a house, starting a teaching career, and moving still seem far away, regardless of how much I prepare for them. Let's see how successful I am with these baby steps. :)