Hank Green VS Harry and The Potters

Dude.

It was.... MAGICAL

I've listened to a few of Hank Green's songs on Youtube, but I think he sounds much better live. He got really nervous and messed up some (some songs more than others- he couldn't play Phineas Gage), but none of us cared. It made him more human, less Internet Legend- just a guy doing something he loved.

Did I mention the concert was free? In the Missoula Public Library Parking Lot. About 60 feet from this computer through 2 walls.

I got a picture with Hank, his autograph, and hugged him and his wife Katherine (I don't know if it's a C or K).

Harry and the Potters were phenomenal. I've never heard any of their music before, but 10 seconds in I was an instant fan. I bought 4 cds of theirs ($5 each!) and a t-shirt for me and one for Leigh- to be paid back in cash or bagels and determined at a later date.

I didn't know the words, but the choruses were catchy and repetitive, so it was easy to join in.

Also apparently the two guys ("Harry Potter" and "Harry Potter") are brothers.
I got their autographs as well.

My journal has a page of awesome.

Did I mention there were like 50-60 people there? And most were there because it was a Harry Potter event sponsored by the library for the teen program?

I was there an hour early for sound check with Pita Pit for dinner (1 block away) and fell in with 3 Harry Potter nerds/ Nerdfighter girls. When they asked where I was from, "Indiana,", they said:

"Where is that?"

.
.
.

What?

"We don't know where that is- we're from Canada."

What?

Yep. 3 Canadian girls from Calgary. They were awesome concert-mates. I made sure to get a picture of them and their names. Facebook friends? I think so.
Meghan, Tatyaana, and Olivia.
Remember that page of awesome? Their names are on the back of it. #epicwinning
After the show the 4 of us talked with Hank about the differences between Canada and the US. I had to help them with a vending machine and US coins. Apparently Meghan ended up with some German coin or something "Gustav VI Adolf" ? Idk. I've never had to do that before #newexperience

Also they gave me a "looney" or a Canadian 1 dollar coin, so called because it has a loon on it. It's a waterfowl, for those of you non-outdoorsy types.

Also western Canada also doesn't have maple trees, something I thought odd.

I now have 4 more CDs to listen to and then get tired of in the car, which is actually a lot of music. It'll take me a bit to learn all the words.

After lunch, I'm going to go back to Wally World and do grocery shopping. Then I'll probably go swimming again.

Did I mention the KOA campground has a pool? And hot tubs? #freakingsweet

The campsite I got was a "more private one" according to the nice old lady yesterday.

Bull.

When I drove up to my spot, 2 kids from the site next door (separated by 3 feet and a small wooden "fence") were laying on MY picnic table.
And as soon as I opened the door of the car their dog started going ballistic. Not, Hey there's a person HI HI HI HI HI but INTRUDER ALERT INTRUDER ALERT RESTRICTIONS OFF KILL ON SIGHT

The pool was mildly crowded, but since I was the only person in the 5ft section over 4 feet tall, it was nice. The swim felt SO good. I can't wait for the Pacific.

After the concert and such, I walked the girls back to their hotel... which was literally around the corner. As soon as we said good night, good luck, and DFTBA (they had to drive 8 hours back this morning for Tatyaana's sister's graduation tonight), I walked LITERALLY 4 steps and was stopped by a random girl that needed a pen. BADLY. The one I dug out of my bag (I was prepared for autographs and such) went dry. I had another. Though she was writing as fast as she could, she still took a little bit to get whatever it was down. I didn't look, but it seemed less like a phone number and more like a if-I-ever-see-you-again love letter. She said I was a live-saver and ran off. Good deed for the night? I guess so.

I got back to my car, which was in a public lot off downtown (downtown Missoula is SO COOL). The public lots charge a 25-50-75 cent weird rate, so that from 7-5 is $8.50. I had gotten there at 4:05 or so, paid 50 cents for until 5, and stopped at the visitor information center to ask where I could move it after 5. I was told that after 5 it becomes free to park there. Sweet. I didn't have to move it because I wouldn't get a ticket.

Well, I got back to my car well after 10 and there were like 5 other cars in the lot. One RIGHT NEXT to mine. It would have been not so creepy except that car was full of ... stuff. Blankets, bags, newspapers- all sorts of stuff. Like even the front windshield was full of stuff. What made it worse was that there was a creepy crazy-cat/bag lady standing there. Just standing there. Between what I assumed was her car and mine. She had a hand in her pocket and I was seriously afraid I was about to get robbed or something. She didn't, and the crisis was averted. However, apparently just up the street there was some show at a theater and she asked me if I had been there. I hadn't, so she wandered away.

CREEPY.

I drove back to my campsite, only to try to go to sleep to the sound of the bratty little snot kid from the site on the OTHER side of mine, similarly separated. As in, the three tents were less than 20 feet away from each other. What. The. F.

All the way to 11:30 this kid was screaming and crying. Like bratty 7-9 year old, not a baby.

He started again at 6:30 this morning. SERIOUSLY?!
What kind of family lets their 8 year old get stay up until almost midnight, and who then gets up before dawn? On VACATION?!

I eventually got up at 7:30-:45ish, tired of the crying and whining. SOMEthing was hurting this kid, and he didn't want to do SOMEthing. I don't know.

KOA buffet is actually, like, breakfast. Real scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, etc. It was pretty good. I also drank a small cup of coffee. First one in months #letsseehowthisgoes

Oh right the soda meter:

Sodas consumed: 3

I had one of the Old Faithful Rootbeers I bought up at Tower Falls. It was more like Birch Beer, which I don't like near as much, and I realized why. It tastes like licorice. Licorice is gross.

I also found the Wally World on the way here and picked up a cheap pair of headphones for library use. #best10dollarsever

Did I mention that Montana apparently doesn't have sales tax? Like, a $10 pair of headphones costs.... $10. Either that or the tax is factored in. I don't know but I don't care #winningeitherway

The hashtags are fun #soaddictedatthemoment

The library also has 3 hour parking, so my car is safe for another hour.

WAIT I FORGOT THE CREEPY GUY

There was this creepy, thin, oldish guy that wandered up to the concert. The audience is almost entirely 17-20 year olds (minus me), library teens and sometimes their parents. There were a few little kids running around, being adorable... and this guy.

The kind of guy who may or may not be homeless but looks like it- clean at least.

He got really into the music. REALLY. Into it.

He walked around for 2 hours air-drumming along and telling everyone who would listen (and many who would not) about how this was great and he was a great drummer with at least 4 different bands (seriously, the name changed constantly). He seemed really overwhelmed by the atmosphere. He struck me as not all there, but honestly emotional about the experience. Also we could barely understand anything he said. I kind of felt bad for him.

He was also waving around a denim jacket covered in Sharpie autograph scrawls that he said was worth millions of dollars. If I get more time later today I'll try to post pics. I got one of him and the jacket, just in case. No idea what his name was.

Sorry this was so long, I've been writing this and on Youtube for the past 2 hours and I have 5 minutes left, with no renewal time after. Maybe I can get a later session.

Strike that 30 seconds THUNDERCATS ARE GO

DFTBA