I’ve been to many concerts, but never one quite so full of technical wizardry and skilled showmanship as Saturday’s U2 concert. Despite a driving rainstorm that lasted for most of the two hours that the band was on stage, they treated the audience to a thrilling performance that highlighted their consummate professionalism and musical cohesiveness. Songs that are 20 years older or more–like “Mysterious Ways”, “Pride”, and “I Will Follow”–sounded fresh and vital. The Edge’s falsetto accompaniment on “The Fly” and “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” was almost indistinguishable from the original recorded tracks. Bono was Bono: swaggering and dramatic and pompous. But it’s hard to roll your eyes and maintain one’s postmodern sense of irony when he’s leading 60,000 people in a sing-along of “Where the Streets Have No Name”. All you can do is smile and join in.

The band kept most of its focus on its older catalog (a wise move, considering the forgettableness of their last couple albums). I was pleased that they included “Zooropa”, one of my favorites from their early flirtation with electronica. I wasn’t sure what to make of the enormous claw-like structure that formed the stage, but the giant video screen was a nice touch. Seeing their oversized selves perform in the rain was like watching a music video directed by someone who stopped watching MTV in 1989. And I mean that as a compliment.

I’ve seen U2 in concert three times now (always in Minneapolis) and I expect I’ll probably see them again. They showed no signs of growing tired of the touring life. But it will be difficult for them to top the sheer spectacle of this performance.

When I returned to work today, many of my colleagues mentioned how they tuned out the news while they were unemployed. “Reading the news just made me angry,” said many of them. I can sympathize with that sentiment. There’s not much good news to be had at the moment, what with all the talk about debt default, climate weirding, and oppressive regimes overseas. Avoiding the news seems like a sensible prescription for better mental health and a happier disposition.

But I’m not one of those people who can tune out. If I don’t scan my newsfeeds at least a couple times a day, a general sense of unease settles over me. It’s probably a mild case of OCD exacerbated by Twitter and the like. If I could physically manipulate my iPhone during commutes and waits in checkout lines, my compulsion would be even more apparent. All this time spent absorbing the world’s dysfunctional behavior probably isn’t doing anything to improve my own catalog of neuroses, but it does give me some small and amorphous sense of control. That desire for control is probably what drives most information junkies. We know we’re all powerless against the tidal forces shaping world events, but we secretly hope that whatever scraps of information we glean from our constant scanning can somehow be fitted into the edifices of our own lives. It makes no sense, I know, but that won’t stop me opening Google Reader as soon as I’m done with this post.

The governor called a special session for later this afternoon, so my unemployment stint should be coming to an end soon. Depending on procedural details, I should be back in the office Wednesday or Thursday. Being out of work for nearly three weeks has reminded me how fortunate I am to have a job to which I can return. I spent a little time during my time off perusing job vacancies and opportunities are still relatively scarce for both new and experienced attorneys. I’m glad I don’t have to compete for those jobs with the 600+ newly minted attorneys who are just out of school and looking for work.

I’m not quite ready to stop worrying, though. This budget deal likely contains further administrative reductions and another round of more permanent layoffs may be coming. But for now, I’m looking forward to seeing my colleagues and cleaning up my inbox.

For a few hours yesterday, a photo of me and Governor Dayton appeared on the homepage of the Star Tribune. Here’s the pic:

After the Humphrey Institute event, I briefly chatted with the governor and thanked him for his support of state workers. Several photographers snapped pictures of us, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. Several Star Tribune readers commented that the picture deliberately portrayed Dayton in a sympathetic light by showing him talking with a “wheelchair-bound person.” Of course, expecting enlightened political discourse from Strib commenters is a little like expecting an orgy to break out at Sunday services. I considered posting a brief comment pointing out that I was just one of many invited Humphrey Fellows at the event who briefly spoke with the Governor and that my disability should not be interpreted as a political statement, but then I decided I’d have more fun gaming on my computer.

I’m still not exactly sure when I’ll be called back to work. It could be as soon as Tuesday if everything goes smoothly.

If I’m not careful, prolonged unemployment will slowly turn my brain into gray mush. I should start a daily mental exercise regimen that includes a game of chess against the computer, the NY Times crossword puzzle, reading the complete works of Spinoza, and teaching myself Latin. But what do I do instead. Watch a video of the climactic lightsaber duel from The Phantom Menace rendered with an a capella soundtrack. I’ll probably watch it again after I post this. And then maybe I’ll play a little Plants vs. Zombies in a pathetic attempt to fool myself into believing I accomplished something. Feeling despondent, I’ll then watch 5 episodes of Farscape on Netflix. And then, right before I drift drift off to sleep, I’ll promise myself to start learning Latin first thing in the morning.