It was pouring outside as I made my way to my car this morning. I literally grabbed something with a hood, put it on, and went out the door. It was my Eeyore-Pooh hooded sweatshirt in powder blue. It has a zipper down the front. It worked nicely for me today.

I parked in the lot at work. Selkirk guy pulled in and honked. He rolled down his window and asked me if I had seen an ark go by.

Each day at work is never dull. I met the president's son (PS) in the hallway. He let me look at a fax that he had photocopied and was distributing to folks who had been to the gaming expo the other week. Apparently, one of the food vendors there was handing out samples and had hepatitis A. Compliance woman (CW) let me read the memo, too. She said that she had ice cream, but during the last day of the show. The guy infected did not work that day.

iPod boy (DJ) was wearing a long-sleeved shirt today, which was quite unusual. He tends to mix his long and short-sleeved shirts when it's winter. This was early for him.

He came over to visit CW and me. I just heard him say, "Good morning... how's your jaundice doing today?" I just had to look at him. He has such a wacky sense of humour. He ended up tapping my arm and saying that he might need shots, but got that whole thing wrong. He would need the shots for rabies.

We got the e-mail today, saying that we'd have to pack our desk belongings by Tuesday. Everyone in my department is supposed to lose their computers by noon on Wednesday. The new desks get installed on Thursday. If everything works out, we get to move into our new surroundings on Friday. It seems ridiculous to be moving smack in the middle of the week. We'll be losing two days of productivity.

Work was fine. I completed writing two guides. I also did a few website maintenance tasks.

PS came over to my desk, telling me that he was going to change into a different set of clothes. Sure, it was well past 17:00 by the time that he was done changing, splashing on cologne and such. Anyway, we exited the building. Puffing outside were the shipping guy, IT guy, and a warehouse guy. They all noticed that PS looked good. IT guy joked that he had his overnight bag with him to be with his girlfriend. PS gets teased so much. It's simply because he doesn't fight back verbally.

So, we drove downtown. We had to stop at a mailbox, or PS would get all worried about the mail that he had to drop off in his hands. He is the most regimented person I know.

Anyway, we looked for parking. It was a ripoff at $30. I wasn't going to park far from Rogers Centre. We needed to grab a bite to eat and we were running a bit late.

PS is cheap. I was going to use frugal, but that would be too generous. He's cheap. I was in the lot and said that I had to reach for my purse that was in the backseat. I couldn't get it. Instead of perhaps helping me out with paying for some of the parking fee, PS took his seatbelt off and grabbed my purse for me. That's a first for me. Normally, when friends are in the car as passengers, they help me out when I'm trying to focus on pulling into a lot. I would have repaid them later. It didn't happen here. It would have been a nice courtesy, considering that I was doing all the drive and that I have never asked him to help pay for a tank of gas during our little road trip last month.

After that, we found a Shoeless Joe's restaurant. He didn't think that we'd have time to have dinner. I was hungry. I needed something, so we went in there.

I've said in the past that PS is kind of like a misfit. His manners need a bit of help. All the times that we have been in a restaurant, he has always ordered first. Not that I expect to order first all the time, but it would be nice to at least ask if I'd like to do so.

The same goes with the ketchup bottle. I don't really have ketchup often, but I like to have it with fish and chips. As soon as the server came with the ketchup bottle, he immediately scooped it up.

Well, the good news is that he didn't have any cash on him. I headed to the washroom while we were waiting for the bill. I came back and he had his credit card in his hand, still waiting for the server to fetch it. I basically thanked him at that stage for dinner. Parking was $30. Dinner was also $30. It was an even split. Well, except that I decided to pay the tip for the meal. Let's not go down the tip trail now. He tips at around five percent no matter where he goes.

And yes, he has a book in which he keeps all his receipts and he carries it with him. He has declared himself as anal when it comes to keeping tabs on his expenditures. He's not kidding.

There were tons of people lining up to enter the Rogers Centre. We did and walked up the ramps. I then had to line up to get a t-shirt, too. It wasn't the one that I had originally wanted, but I liked my second choice, too. PS got a blanket that rolls up into a little bag. We were listening to Beck perform while paying for our goods.

Beck sounded good as we walked to our seats. We were thankfully in the aisle. I took the outer seat. I insisted that he take the inner one, simply because he's shorter than I am. I can stretch my legs out in the aisle if I sit on the end.

I enjoyed Beck's last number, complete with glasses filled with water that were tapped and added a neat dimension to the number, complimenting the guitars nicely. That number rocked. I just wish I knew what that song was.

The Stones got on stage well past 21:00. The set had two floors full of concert enthusiasts. There was a huge screen in the middle, above them. The opening digital effects were great. The band came on stage and sang "Start me up," which was predictable and great.

Most folks tend to like Mick the best. He is probably the most business-savvy of the bunch and can certainly strut his stuff on stage. He looked good. My favourite Stone is the drummer, Charlie Watts. I like the quiet ones who distinctively look different compared with the rest of the band members. He's a great drummer. It's all incredibly effortless when he performs.

You could tell that the Stones love Toronto. They did practice in this city for over a month before hitting the road. The band even playing a mini concert at the Phoenix before kicking off their tour. Mick said that everyone in this city was so hospitable then.

I enjoyed Mick's introduction to Ruby Tuesday. "Are you in the mood for something more romantic?" The song was performed extremely well. I couldn't help but to sing along.

The Stones did a cover of Ray Charles' "Night time (is the right time)". The highlight of that performance was the backup singer, belting out her singing part. Her voice was strong and amazing.

Keith Richards then sang "The worst and infamy," which was neat. He may look scary, but he's a great guitarist and sings well.

I liked how Mick introduced everyone in the band, including the brass section, the backup singers, the guitarists, and the rest of the band members. The band stayed humble. It was an excellent show, despite approximately 40,000 fans packed in the former SkyDome.

The stage was great. Part of it broke off, deliberately moving closer to us. That was wonderful. I got better photos of the band!

Rolling Stones - A bigger bang tour
Rogers Centre
Setlist

Start me up
You got me rockin'
She's so cold
Tumblin' dice
Rough justice
Ruby Tuesday
Dead flowers
Bitch
Night time (is the right time)
The worst
Infamy
Miss you
Oh no, not you again
Satisfaction
Honky tonk woman
Out of control
Sympathy for the devil
Brown sugar
Jumpin' Jack flash

Encore
You can't always get what you want
It's only rock 'n' roll

So, getting out of the parking lot was simple. Instead of using the regular exit and lining up behind the rest of the cars, I drove up and over the sidewalk, and onto the road. PS now thinks that I'm nuts. I did get him home before midnight. It was something like 23:45 by the time we had left the downtown area.

Yeah, PS liked the show, but the glare from the lights and pyrotechnics hurt his eyes. He fell asleep in the car getting to the parking lot of his condo. The guy in the lot was asleep. Unfortunately, I had to wake him.

|

Song that's stuck in my head: Melanie Doane's "The space between us"
Yummy food eaten today: Fish and chips
What I crave: Bed

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