To the couple in Row Q who felt it necessary to stand up through most of the Jason Isbell show at Wolf Trap last night, thanks from those of us in rows R through U.  We definitely enjoyed watching you guys shake and shimmy more than the performance we came out to see.

When I got really hungry before the show I convinced myself that it was okay just for tonight, to go to the concessions and order that big quarter pound beef hot dog and an order of tortilla chips and queso.  Go ahead live a little you are out on a date.

But when I got to the concession stand and read the menu guilt overtook me.

“Can I help you sir?” the girl asked from behind the counter.

“Yes, I will have a Mezze Platter (Hummus, Tabbouleh, Peppers, Cucumbers, Marinated Olives & Tortilla Chips) and a Deluxe Black Bean Burger (Aged Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Chipotle Mayo & Arugula) please,”  I said with disappointment.

“Let me check to see if we have a Black Bean Burger left,” she said as I began to imagine the taste of that quarter pound beef hot dog once again.

A swift confirmation from the back confirmed the bad news.

“Yes, we have one” she said with a big smile.

“Oh,” I said.  “That’s great.”

And off I went to share the good news and my newly discovered concession fares with my wife waiting at the picnic table.

The best part of all this is, that between the biking and the eating changes, I am at weights I haven’t experienced since I had two colon resections back to back twenty years ago.  And of course even eating plants is much more fun than having two colon resections.

The worst part of it is, when the bouquet of barbecued meats wisp across my yard from my neighbor’s grill to my nostrils,  while I am rotating the plant based ears of corn on my grill, I am convinced that between the amount of corn I am eating for dinner and the amount of oats I am consuming for breakfast, that I will surely be mooing by the end of the summer.

It was really nice to be back at Wolf Trap again.  We used to go see many shows every summer, this summer, Jason Isbell may be our only one. Though Kim thought the lyrics sad and maybe a bit depressing; “I like to look at the glass half full,” she said.  But writing about real life is sometimes hard, sometimes it can be a bit depressing.

And we had fun in spite of the nice couple standing and shaking and head bobbing a few rows up.  I guess it’s like having your French bread snapped in half, some people just don’t understand.

But they were having fun too, and it didn’t rain, and the show was really awesome, and I had a Black Bean Burger (with Aged Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Chipotle Mayo, and not to forget… Arugula).

And that is the glass half full.