As a parent of a 2yr old, I don’t get out to see bands as often as I used to (I know it is certainly possible, but we are not really connected into a babysitting network, so we only go out when family is visiting)… but it turns out that all you need is a toddler and to live in the right city.

I went out to University Village on the weekend to hang out, buy a book on grilling (new house has me out on the patio a bit more than usual), get some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream… and I ended up spending an hour in a little playground in the middle of the place. Dave Dreder (from the Presidents of the United States of America) was there with his daughter (and Dave’s son, but he wasn’t playing, he was hanging out in the stroller) and as we watched our kids play we ended up talking about gender differences from the earliest ages (I don’t have any particular interest in big trucks, why does my son love them?), their upcoming album (sorry no link, it isn’t published yet…) and some of their upcoming local shows.

Cool stuff, small world, etc.

On a related note, though certainly not a recent event, on New Year’s Eve my brother and I went out to a Presidents’ concert at the Crocodile Cafe, with a bunch of opening acts (the Divorce, The Fitness and Anna Oxygen)…. it seemed very Seattle to both of us, a perfect concert for someone who is relatively new to the area, though I suspect my view of the Seattle music scene is a bit behind the times 🙂

(Listening To: Video Killed the Radio Star [Presidents of the USA / Presidents Of The United States Of America])