Guy Fieri, Jackson Pollack, and Bon Jovi

We started our day at a hole-in-the-wall taco joint. Guy Fieri (of Diner's, Drive ins and Dives) recommended it to us. It is called California Taco and gets its name for the street it is located on. It is up near the school where Dad works, so he rearranged his day to join us for lunch. It isn't a diner or a drive in, so I'm gonna have to go with dive. It was good, but as with all new experiences we didn't really know the menu enough to know what we wanted to order. We all left thinking we'd know what we wanted if we went back. It was good, but I don't think any of us were blown away. This is strange because Guy just gushed over the food while doing the show. Jami's comment was....if this is what he thinks is "really, really great" I wonder what the other restaurants are like. The heat level was low. It was more like American Mexican then true Mexican. The hot sauces wouldn't have even regitered on Andy's scale. I would classify them as mild and more mild.







We then went to the Omaha Art Museum. It is a nice museum if you want to see only a few of each item. The entire Greek and Antiquities section consisted of about 10 or 12 pots and jars. It had room of impressionist paintings. It did a good job of not overwhelming you with too much of anything. The building the art is housed in is more impressive than the art. It is entirely made of pink marble. Floors, walls, steps leading up to the entrance. Everything. Of course I didn't think to get a good pic of that. It also had an impressive program for kids that Jami very patiently did with the kids. The museum had backpacks full of seek and find type activities ready to check out. Small or not, it is hard to stand 12 inches from a Pollack or Degas or Monet and not feel something.








The night ended with most of the people in the house getting ready for bed, while Mom hauled me down to the Qwest center for the concert. People watching is fun. Almost an event in itself. Apparently only 30 to 40 something aged white people like Bon Jovi. There was a longish wait between the opening act and when Bon Jovi took the stage. The woman in front of me filled the time by calling and texting every person she knew that was going to the concert. Same routine each time. She'd call, get the person, ask where they were and tell them where she was. Each time she'd help them find her by standing up, waving her hand a little, then the wave would get wider and wider until people near her were in danger of becoming part of her act. She'd locate the person she was calling and when she was satisfied they saw her too, she'd hang up. And call the next person. There was one woman there that on first glance I thought she'd forgotten to wear a shirt. Then I realized she had one on it was just teeny tiny. I guess when you spend as much on enhancements that this woman had the only way to show them off is to wear a shirt that is way too small. Her surgeon should be commended.

The band finally took the stage at 9:15 and without a break put on a fantastic show until after 11:00. Jon is amazing. I can literally remember when some of these songs first hit the air 27 years ago. How he's kept that band together without the egos of the other 3 destroying his kindgom is beyond me. Jon has aged well and done a good job of staying current. As much as I can say I love Jon, and the fan next to me loved Jon, and the woman in the non-shirt loved Jon, no one in that arena loved Jon as much as JON loves Jon. He manipulated all 16,000 fans the entire night to make sure his ego was stroked. If the cheers quited down he demanded more. If the fans sat down he cajoled them out of his seat. There was a dance all night between the performance and the required adulation of the crowd.

Richie looked as good as Richie is going to look. He's lost about 45 pounds since the last concert I saw him in concert and had some work done on his face. The weight loss was good. He didn't sweat as much as before and therefore didn't need as many costume changes. I've seen some pics in People Magazine post face lift and I was a little worried he couldn't move his face anymore. He must be more used to the new face now because he made all the faces I've seen at previous concerts. He's good at his craft. He plays a mean guitar and every so often Jon would let him out of his assigned spot to come up near Jon to share the spotlight and do a guitar solo.

And then there are the other two. (That is all the more press they normally get in the press, so that is all the more press they get on my blog!!)

The concert was awesome. At one point Jon had the whole band out on the center of things on a make shift catwalk. Jon and Ritchie had their guitars. Tico had something that looked like a card board box, and the other one with crazy hair (does he have a name?) who normally plays keyboard came out with an accordian. Yes, an accordian. At a Bon Jovi concert. It wasn't really unplugged, but it was much more stripped down version of their normal concert sound stuff.

It was a good night, but a late one. My ride had to come get me after 11:00 and we didn't get home until 11:40 or so.

I ate at a resaurant touted by Guy Fieri, walked amongst the master painters, sat 20 feet from Richie Sambora, but in the end of the day that didn't register on the greatness scale. I watched my family rearange their schedule to go to a resaurant Jami and I picked. I watched my sister patiently teaching her 6 and 8 year old the importance of art. I played webkinz with my niece and nephew and listened to their squeels of delight. My nephew made sure Grandma told me he said good night, even though I wasn't at home during bed time. My mom and dad both were willing to drive into downtown Omaha late at night to make sure I got to and from the concert. That is greatness. All the fun and entertainment of the day would have been empty without a family behind me. Yesterday was a good day.