#2029 3 things: JT, long flight and the Jazz

It's not my normal Three Things day, but it's okay to change it up, right? I've got a few things to follow-up with.

1. Justin Timberlake in SLC. T and I saw Justin Timberlake in concert on the 12th. JT's stage set-up was cool as hell. It wound through the entire arena floor. There was a big stage at one end where the band was set up, then a winding "river" that led to the middle of the floor where there was a small circular stage that was surrounded by an actual bar on the floor for the people who could afford those kinds of tickets, I guess. From there, the river continued to wind to the other end of the arena where there was a good sized stage. JT used every inch of the stages as he danced and sang his way through the solid two hour set. He's a tremendous performer. I liked the songs from his FutureSex/LoveSounds album the most, but all the songs were good and the show was a lot of fun. T and I both truly enjoyed the experience.

Here's a review and photos from the Salt Lake Tribune. The writer makes some good points. I thought the campfire part was hokey and I completely LOVED "Mirrors".

2. Weekend wrap-up and the epic flight home. I was in Southern California over the weekend. I wrote about Saturday's fun in my last post here. On Sunday, my mom slept in a little and I took a walk to the local Starbucks. I was listening to the Hamilton soundtrack (going to see the musical on Sunday!!). I was familiar with the first act, I guess, but I hadn't listened or paid too much attention to the second half. I was missing out. It's wonderful. I was weeping as I was walking home from Starbucks. Phillip! Alexander! Eliza! <> So good. I am super excited to see the show!

Lizzie came up from San Diego and arrived right about the time I got home from Starbucks, still wiping tears from my eyes. The three of us went to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, El Cholo, where I had one of my most favorite meals in the world, filet mignon tacos. Such a treat! I ate way too many chips, but the guacamole was so good and they washed down so easily with my giant, ice cold Pacifico beer. It was a treat. When we got home Lizzie and Mom took a nap. I couldn't possibly sleep because the Jazz are in the playoffs and it was Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sadly, the Jazz did not win that day, but I watched the whole thing. Lizzie left for home later in the evening.

On Monday Mom and I had an early lunch, then she dropped me off at the Long Beach airport. When I got there, I found that my flight was delayed, but only about 20 minutes. It was quite windy, but the sun was shining and it was warm. I sat outside and read a book. Then my flight got delayed again and again until there was about an hour delay from the original departure time. I finally boarded the flight and we were heading to SLC. I was reading and I thought that we should be getting close to SLC. About that time, the pilot came made the announcement that we were turning around and heading to Las Vegas because high winds in SLC were causing flights to be diverted. We spent an hour or more in Las Vegas, then finally came home where it was snowing. BOOOOO! Bottom line: I was supposed to be home by 6:30 and the plane landed sometime between 10:30 and 11:00. Thankfully MT came to pick me up and he had the heater blasting in the car because I can tell you I was underdressed for the weather.

3. Jazz in the playoffs! As I mentioned above, the Utah Jazz made it to the NBA playoffs this season. It's so great to see them there. I don't think there were many Jazz fans who held out hope in October, November or December that the team would get to the post-season. They were able to put together a beautiful second half of the season to get the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Tonight was Game 2 of the first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Jazz were able to get the win. I'm so happy for them to split the games on the road. That's a big deal. Game 3 in Salt Lake City on Friday night. I'll be watching from the best seat in my house. Go Jazz!