Nostalgia

U2 Concert Photos Denver via Greeblehaus.com

U2 Concert Photos and That Time I Met Bono

I often feel like a fangirl when I write about bands that I have photographed, but when it comes to U2, there is no doubt. FAN. GIRL. ALL. CAPS. I know it's the in-vogue thing to dog them right now. But to the haters, I…

Top 24 Best Albums of 2014

Another fun year for music! If you would like to see *all* the songs I have collected during 2014, here is my Best of 2014 Playlist. Below are 24 *albums* (listed alphabetically) that I listened to so much this year, had there been a record…
Yes All Women

#YesAllWomen : The Problem With Abuse

Trigger Warning: This content deals with accounts of sexual assault and physical violence.
...Is that it pops back up when you least expect it. This weekend, after the horrific shooting in Santa Barbara, a video was released by the murderer where he bemoans his bad luck with women. I watched about 15 seconds of it before I felt the nausea creep up my throat, but what was more surprising than this man's issues was the reaction to it by other men. Posts showed up all over social media pondering why women didn't just give it up for him. "It" presumably being whatever this disturbed young man wanted. I, along with many many many others, started sharing my stories of abuse on the Twitter hashtag #YesAllWomen. The tweets were meant to say no, not all men are bad or commit acts of abuse, but yes, ALL women have to deal with it on almost a daily basis. That fear is indoctrinated from the beginning. That women are taught how not to be raped, but rarely do we teach men not to rape.

Eighteen Years

We met at a concert and it's almost an age test to see who remembers the bands who played: The Mighty Lemondrops and Material Issue. I get very reminiscent with I hear "Inside Out" and "Valerie Loves Me." When we tell the story, each of us leave out details we don't like, but the main point is this: it was a condemned bar and Bryan was moving back to Baltimore the very next day. The company I worked for was hiring and I gave him my number under that pretense. But we both knew there was something there, even then.

#MonAndJon

When people ask how I met Monika, we usually look at each other and shrug. Twitter? Ignite Boulder? A concert? All of the above? It was quite a while ago for sure, and that lady has become a most cherished friend. The difference in our ages makes us more like sisters sometimes, although Monika is quite mature and me... not so much. So basically we meet in the middle? What *is* clearly defined, though, is how Monika met Jonathon. And then married him 23 days later. I remember it distinctly because I am there in that timeline, at Day 5 Concert. I got a text while they were in route, "I am bringing a guy. I want your opinion."

The Name Change Is Coming

For a few years at least, I have been considering changing my blog name. Should I just use my real name like every grownup I know? But Aimee Giese has lots of i's and e's and no one knows how to pronounce it (Giese rhymes…