It's official... I'm going to the Madonna concert in Toronto. Yay! I thought I wasn't going to. I tried booking for the July 18th concert online, but they were sold out. I was sad. I checked back about half an hour later, and two shows were added. So, I'm going to the July 21st one, instead. I still can't believe that I'll be seeing her for a third time!

Yesterday, my drive from Fargo to Minneapolis-St. Paul went well. Traffic was good, and I felt great about doing 80 mph in a 70 zone again. I realized that no matter how long it has been since I've been away from both ND and MN, everything seems natural and normal, as if I've lived in these places all my life.

The Homewood Suites in Bloomington is just steps away from the Mall of America. Woo hoo! Breakfast this morning was amazing, consisting of scrambled eggs and sausage. It actually makes the Wingate Inn look a bit shabby, but I still love it.

For lunch, we stopped in St. Cloud and visited the Outback steakhouse. I had steak and shrimp. Exceptionally friendly service. I'd go back. St. Cloud is cool.

I introduced by friend to Culver's yesterday afternoon in Albertville, MN. I had my usual large strawberry milkshake and ordered an oreo one for him. I've got him hooked. They are so damn creamy and good.

Here's today's Daily Dirt:

1. What do you plan on becoming?
   A person with a Master's degree before the decade is over!

2. If you could marry anyone, who would it be?
   John Mayer would be nice, after seeing the cutie last night...

3. How many kids do you want?
   Two, but the thought of giving birth still scares me right now.

4. Do you think you'll be successful?
   I hope so.

5. What event do you think may happen in the near-ish future because of everything that's happened?
   I'll get a job as a technical writer, as I've been pretty successful with this thus far.

We spent many hours prior to the John Mayer show in St. Paul. Parking was only $10, which was a steal considering how close we were from the concert venue. The Riverfront area is trendy. It's a cross between the Danforth in Toronto and Osborne Village in Winnipeg. We went to the Liffey bar and restaurant. It was loud. Mind you, it was such a warm day that folks were wearing sandals, and for the first time this year, I didn't wear my coat. It felt like mid-spring here. There isn't any snow on the ground. Can I stay here longer?

There were a couple of women there with extremely loud voices and laughs. To our dismay, they sat next to us that the concert. If I hear those laughs one more time this trip, I'm checking myself into an asylum. They kept on bragging about the millions of concerts they were at. One of them talked so fast that it got annoying.

So, Guster opened for John Mayer. Besides the two singers' voices being so beautiful separately and together, it was the drummer/percussionist who stole that show. He was so into his bongo/drum playing that it was nice to see.

JM came on stage about 45 minutes later and didn't disappoint. Loved his dry humour. He is such an amazing musician. He had a white print t-shirt and sort of khaki cargo pants, both baggy as you'd expect him to wear. There were lots of screaming fans, primarily women (like me!) and the turnout was great. There really isn't a bad seat at the Xcel Energy Center. They were cushy and comfortable, and I can see why each Wild game is sold out at that arena.

As usual, I bought a t-shirt. I got a long-sleeved JM shirt with a map of the U.S. and a bit of Canada on the back. It's funny how the designers stuck British Columbia and Quebec together on that map, as if they were neighbours. I was puzzled for a bit, but figured it out later.

We went for a bite to eat at TGI Fridays after the show. It's promoting an Atkins-friendly menu, which was nice. I tried their cheeseburger cheeseburger, which was essentially a small salad with two beef patties and cheese on each of them. it was good. I'd get that again.

Today, I hope to walk across the street and visit the Mall of America. Then, I'm off to Dinkytown to check out used CDs at Cheapos, among other things.

The Powerball lottery is tonight. I bought my first Powerball ticket in ND, so I'm hoping that it's lucky. More later... must do some sightseeing now.

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Song that's stuck in my head: John Mayer's "My stupid mouth"
Yummy food eaten today: Scrambled eggs and sausage
What I crave: Seeing Madonna in concert

Recent thoughts:
Readings, lights, and random thoughts - 2009-03-15
Thoughts about work, school, and peeps - 2009-03-09
Working from home and a mini life update - 2008-12-19
The weekend is here! - 2008-01-06
A new year - 2008-01-01