I’ve become a person who travels for concerts. Is that a weird thing?

It’s totally normalized for me now. I’m some kind of Grateful Dead style groupie and I’m probably way too old for that kind of thing but it’s awesome and I love it.

In April I took my two daughters to see SUGA in NYC. We drove there, saw him twice over two days, and then drove home, stopping at Dia Beacon, an unbelievably beautiful art gallery in an old factory, on the way home.

In May, I took the youngest – Little Miss Sunshine, now there’s a term from the vault – to see Taylor Swift in Philadelphia, again for two nights. We drove down, had an amazing time, saw another gorgeous art gallery, drove home three days later.

At the high school, word got around that Little Miss Sunshine was heading to Philly for the weekend for the concert and she became a minor celebrity, with the girls in the hallway whispering reverently as she walked by. I was surprised, I mean, wasn’t half of Ottawa going?

I’ve been brainwashed into thinking this is normal.

I like to think of it is my New Normal, in any case. There aren’t a lot of bands I’d travel for but it just happened the two of these landed within driving distance just 10 days apart (would have been too much to ask them to coordinate their dates?) so off we went.

I’m saying Yes these days to things I want and having a marvelous time. I’ve got my play clothes on and I’m not holding back. I’m making the costumes, I’m trading the friendship bracelets, I’m handing out free photo cards. I’m all in.

Welcome to the Groupie Years, I like it here.