I wanted to do something for my 30th birthday. Originally I was thinking of going somewhere like an anime convention, but the only one that was happening around my birthday was in Minnesota or something, and it seemed like a smaller event. I was looking for something big! Somehow I heard on short notice that deadmau5 was playing. I can’t remember if it was through SongKick, a website for finding concerts, or some other method, but thursday morning I spontaneously decided to go. I was on a tight budget, with just $300 available to spend. Two weeks ago I went all out for an airsoft game. That was a great airsoft game. Operation: Green Fox is what I called it, and it was DooM Squad’s first game of 2017. We had 12 players, loads of pyrotechnics, and a unique gameplay with five different player classes.

I knew I had to make the trip super cheap. To fill up my truck, it takes $100, and I figured I would need one tank for each direction. That only left $100 for a hotel and food for two days, and I would have to drive. I can’t stand driving in downtown Seattle. If I lived there, I would be fine with it, but I tire pretty quickly when touring, and heavy traffic adds extra stress. I’ve had one too many excursions in Seattle that left me physically drained and emotionally unstable, so I decided I’d catch a bus.

Greyhound it was, and the round trip only cost $94, less than a single tank of gas for my truck! Plus I get to use my compy while on the bus, something I couldn’t do if I drove.

The concert tickets were $84. Normally, tickets would be $34, but I waited until the last minute so I had to purchase from a ticket marketplace. I did some searching and found stubhub. Their site looked a little sketchy at first, as it seemed too plain, too boilerplate, and lacking charachter. In the end there were no worries though; everything went smoothly and I was soon holding tickets with the name, “Eric Wastl” or something like that.

I wanted a deadmau5 shirt, but at $30 with my budget, I couldn’t do it. Maybe I’ll hit up eBay later on and see if I can get a deal.

When I arrived in Seattle, I set off to find my hostel. That’s right, hostel! It was my first time and I was actually excited to try it out. I stayed at Hostelling International Seattle at the American Hotel, South King Street, Seattle, WA. I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. Everything was clean, the staff were friendly, and my roomates were interesting! I met Steve who had just got off a plane from Australia. He wore a cowboy hat, toted an old backpacking rig, and spoke about what he learned about the Gates Foundation. Important topics like mosquito nets in sub saharan Africa, and how religion and warzones are hindering birth control and disease eradication.

Before the concert I ate a super delicious meal at a deli in Chinatown. Rice and lots of veggies. I missed lunch because of the bus ride, so I got a little food drunk.

I danced the Melbourne Shuffle with Manny and Brayden. Manny was just learning and wasn’t feeling confident. Brayden was experienced and helping Manny. Brayden gave me a hug as he said bye.

Water was $5.50 a bottle, or you could wait 5 minutes in line for the drinking fountain! I bought one and refilled it.

I went to a Japanese dollar store, where everything was $1.30 unless otherwise marked. I didn’t realize that until after I left. I thought everything was just not labelled, and I didn’t want to ask how much anything cost, so I didn’t buy anything.

Next time I go to Seattle, I want to take the train to downtown. That was my biggest pain about Seattle previously, having to drive downtown. Next time I can park somewhere distant, then rail into downtown. I rested at a bus stop bench and a cute girl asked me for directions. I was lost too so I couldn’t help.

Lots of cute girls at the deadmau5 concert. Some of the outfits holy mackerel. One of my favorite outfits was a leotard with a transparent top and pasties. Or the two petite girls holding hands wearing tight leggings and strappy tanktops.

The opening artist was Feed Me. The music was so loud, and I could feel the thumping bass in my chest. Once I got acclimated to it, I experienced a kind of bliss that I was searching for. Feed Me had great rhythmic style and fast snappy beats. I was sitting for the first half to save energy for deadmau5, but I couldn’t do that for long. I had to get up and move to the music.

I travelled here alone. I closed my eyes, holding my jacket in my arms and swaying back and forth. I felt synesthesia and saw some haleucinations of myself in the crowd. I felt alone at first, then I felt everyone around me, a mass of complete strangers, but together in this experience. I felt alive, and happy.