First things first... on Friday the 13th, I had an appointment with the CI audiologist who made her trip here to meet with clients. We weren't doing any actual adjustments, as I don't have any insurance coverage at this point and didn't quite have the finances to pay for a mapping session. She did update the software on my Naidas though, and we switched out the T-mic filters. I swear things were louder after the switch! I was then on my way. I greeted my dog Bryan as I got back into my car (I had my car all packed up and ready to go, and brought the dog along so I could take him straight to the vet for boarding after my appointment, which was quick).
I dropped Bryan off, and was on my way! I hit the interstate heading south, and jammed out to Hanson the entire way down. I mean, I'm going to a Hanson concert, so why not! I was going to enjoy myself and have a fun Hanson-y weekend. I made it to Denver and checked into my hotel close to the downtown area, and just hung out in my room for the rest of the evening. I was tired after a long drive, and just hitting the Denver traffic was enough to stress me out.
I tried to watch some TV in my room while I was relaxing, but I could not figure out how to turn on the captions. The remote didn't work properly and I couldn't navigate the menu options (the arrow buttons only changed the channel/volume, rather than go through selections like they should have). So I gave up and focused on my iPad, wishing I had brought my laptop along too. Ah well. I made the best of it.
The next day, I got up and got dressed. I texted with a friend of mine, who made the trip to Denver from Omaha for the concert, and we made plans to meet up and hang out, something we both were very much looking forward to doing! We have been internet friends for 20 years, meeting through a Hanson e-pals list online (like pencils, but via emails instead). Over the years, we would not only continue with emails, but chat on AIM/MSN/whatever messenger was popular at the time, become MySpace friends, Facebook friends, Twitter, etc. We tried to meet up once a few years ago during a trip to Omaha (my mom and I like to make occasional trips to Omaha), but it never happened. She ended up picking me up from the hotel and we made our way downtown, hunting for a parking spot so we could have lunch. We lunched at the Cheesecake Factory, and then drove around, trying to find something to do. We ended up at Hammond's Candies and checked out their shop (we were too late for a tour, which would have been cool to do but perhaps another time).
Eventually we made our way back to my hotel room and hung out for a bit, charging up our phones and getting ready for the concert. Uber was called and we got a ride to the venue, and waited in line until the doors open. We did lose track of one another after I went to check out the merchandise that was being sold, so I made my way up the stairs and ended up with a pretty decent view. I did find my friend in the crowd and we texted back and forth throughout the night.
Lights dimmed, and the brothers Hanson came on stage to start the concert. I was stoked! My first concert with bilateral cochlear implants, hearing with BOTH ears (for once I am at a concert, hearing in stereo!). I was thrilled that I was able to hear the music well, not hearing too much from the audience. At one point, Taylor was encouraging the audience to scream, as he always does, and boy did they ever scream. But, it did not bother me or hurt my ears in the slightest bit. I was real pleased with my implants and how they handled high volumes. The concert was at a perfect volume for me without being too loud. It was great! And of course, being the camera geek I am, I took tons of photos and recorded several videos. I absolutely enjoyed myself at this concert. The concert ended, and I found my friend outside by the tour bus and we hung out some more while I waited in line for the after party.
Taylor Hanson has been doing after parties in some cities after the concerts, acting as the DJ. I had read from others online who said the afterparties could get awkward, with fans just standing there staring at this musician playing songs off his MacBook, but I figured it could be fun to at least experience it anyway. Back into the venue I went, with a brand new wrist band (we had to get wrist bands for the concert too), and was right up front off to the side. I watched Taylor do his thing as DJ, but didn't stay for the whole thing as it was getting cold out and my friend was still out there waiting. Didn't want her to freeze to death. I found her, she called for another Uber, and back to my hotel we went. She got her stuff out of my room and headed back to her hotel.
Sunday, I slowly got up and going. Checked out of the hotel, and made my way to a Krispy Kreme to buy a dozen pack of donuts, eat some lunch at another location, and then finally hitting the road. I swear, the drive home seemed to take much longer! Sure was real glad when I made it back home and back into my own place. My dog would have to wait until the next day to be picked up as I didn't arrive back into town until about 5ish (the vet is only open from 4-4:30 on weekends for pick ups and drop offs so I missed the pick up time). First thing I did the following day was get Bryan picked up and taken home, and he sure was happy to get back home too!
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