only in vail

    so i went to a street beat show to see robert randolph play a free show in vail not too long ago. i attended, not really expecting much, but more to kill time before heading down to denver to see some friends. little did i know that from this one show alone, i'd have several different instances where i experienced an "only in vail" kind of moment. some friends and i strolled in like we would any other outdoor winter show we've attended this season and made our way closer to the stage. the show started and the crowd around us bobbed back and forth getting into the music. but as the band warmed up, i noticed the crowd warm up with them, and slowly but surely, the non chalant tip-toe up and down bobs turned into full on jumps and as the music peaked, the air above me began to fill with a familiar smoke. everywhere i turned, i noticed groups of friends discretely lighting up a joint, smoking a pre packed bowl, or just blatantly smoking a fat doobie. sure, this is something one would normally see at any outdoor show or festival. the difference was that when i turned to my left, i noticed a familiar face with a group of mr. familiar face's friends huddled in a group lighting up a joint and lookin as happy as can be. i blatantly stared at this fellow as i tried to figure out how i recognized this man who looked old enough to be my father and soon realized this man was someone i see on the bus ride to work every morning. it's quite common, living in a small town, to recognize people anywhere you go, but this particular encounter was specifically much more enjoyable than others. as i sit on the bus every morning, attempting to doze off for an extra 30 minutes on the way to work, i see a relatively conservative looking man get on the bus a few stops after mine, wearing the quintessential vail type north face winter jacket and hat, usually with reading material in hand, unassumingly on his way to his 9-5 job. it brought a warmness in my heart to come across this man at the show, enjoying his recreational substance with his group of middle aged friends because it lessened my fear of aging, and gave me hope for my older self. not to say that i'd be going to some mediocre show and lighting up a doobie when i'm middle aged, but it just reminded me that i shouldn't be so afraid of aging in fear that i might lose my youthful spirit.
    soon after this encounter, we jumped our way closer to the front when i noticed an asian girl, similar to my height jumping up and down with her friends in front of me. i probably don't have to explain the ratio of asians to whites for anyone to know that there simply aren't many of us in vail, so it's clearly noticeable when one of us see's another. i didn't think much of it, but still found myself glancing over at her out of curiosity, quick to look away anytime there was eye contact. as we awkwardly exchanged looks while pretending not to, i thought, "am i as noticeable to other people as she was to me?" standing there amongst my friends and other random people i never realized that maybe i don't blend in as much as i felt i did, but stuck out as much as this girl did to me. as these thoughts were running through my head, i noticed another straight black haired head jumping closer to my vicinity and now there were three of us in the same 100 ft diameter. what are the odds? i reflected on how rare of an occasion this was when suddenly my eyes zoomed in and noticed a feather in this girls hair, pretty much in the same spot as i had mine. an eerie feeling came over me followed by the need rip out my feather and separate myself from this situation because it was getting far too strange. i realized then that my urge to be different and original consumed me and the very sight of anyone being the slightest bit similar to me damn near gave me an internal panic attack. is this why i'm constantly trying to separate myself from familiar places and faces, getting antsy and feeling unsettled when life becomes too...settled?

its funny how such simple incidents can arouse all these thoughts and somehow, i still never come up with a conclusion to my endless internal issues. i recently discovered a book in my living room called sun-sign revelations and have been obsessing over the detailed character traits listed under my sign. it tells me that "sagittarius distrusts security and frets when he feels confined and safe...they have faith that they will eventually find the right track to run on, but until the track is found and the goal is achieved, they are uncomfortable in a single place and have no inner peace." so i guess the search for content continues...

2 and a half weeks left in the season. where will this sagittarius end up next?

it's been a while. feels good to be back.