Thursday Greatness!
Here is my heart and I give it to you
Take me with you across this land
These are my dreams, so simple and few
Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands
Thursday was one of the best days I’ve had in recent memory, if not ever. I got up around 11:30 to get ready for the Craig Ferguson taping, intent on getting there super early to not only get a place in line but to put my friends’ souls at ease when they got there and I was already there, tickets in hand (‘cause there was this whole paranoia thing...heh). So anyway, I left my house around 12:30 and got to the studio soon thereafter. I ended up parking at the Farmer’s Market, which would later cost me $20! (those bastards!).
I had no clue what to do with myself, so I followed some people past some benches marked “audience” until I saw an entrance guarded by a man with an x-ray scanner. I told him what I was there for and if there was anywhere to wait. He laughed at me and couldn’t believe I was there so early. OK, thank you for saying so. He said I should go wander around the Grove or something, because they wouldn’t call us until 3:30 anyway. So I left, a tad humiliated, and proceeded to walk back to the benches marked “audience.” I called Whitney to explain my humiliation and after I hung up I got ordered by a security guard to go wait on the sidewalk outside the premises. Another walk of shame.
So things had been going kinda rough, but about 10 minutes after I had started standing on the sidewalk (a line had started to form with two people in front of me), a group of three people entered line behind me. I striked up a conversation and one of them was a Browncoat and from the SoCal board. We continued talking until gradually more people showed up and we were all talking and having a great time. Wendy showed up around 2:00 or so, and I decided to cross the street to get a bagel, as I hadn’t eaten all day. Whitney and Steffy called when I was across the street and I tried my best to direct them to where we were...despite this, a minute later I saw them walking toward the group. I yelled out to them but traffic on Fairfax was too loud. The stupid little bagel shop was closed so I ended up going to the little restaurant next door and getting a can of 7-up with an extra cup in case someone else was thirsty.
Back across the street, James had also shown up and the line was growing. We talked about various things, including the various places we had ever visited, and once again my paltry travel experience made me yearn to go places. I’d love to travel, but I’m not too keen on going by myself...but I digress.
LJ Cut for length
Soon enough, we were ushered down to the “audience” benches I had been kicked off earlier. I had a good talk with Wendy (everyone else was separated by a beam and far away from my good ear), and then the producer Chucky B. showed up, getting the excitement level way up. Suzanne gave him a button and that exchange was great, too. When we finally got inside, our little group of four got right in the middle in great seats.
There were so many highlights from the taping, so many sidesplitting moments of laughter, so much great Nathan-ness, etc., that I won’t try to remember them all. At the beginning was a performance by a country singer named Miranda Lambert, and I liked the song. Roseanne Barr was the first guest, and I’d had no clue she was on the schedule, but I was so excited. I love her and “Roseanne” is one of my favorite shows :) Nathan was the next guest, and he was of course funny as always. Near the end, Craig got a lesson in Browncoat exuberance and the Browncoats, in turn, got a shout-out on national TV. Yay!
Leaving the studio, I was in such a great mood, but I knew the greatness of the day was only half over. Wendy, Steffy, Whitney, and I had scored tickets for the Loreena McKennitt concert that night at the Gibson amphitheater (originally at the Greek Theatre but moved due to the fires in Griffith Park). Learning about the concert in the first place was only because Whitney and I had been talking about music we liked on AIM a few nights before. On a whim, I checked Ticketmaster and saw Loreena McKennitt (who we both mentioned sharing an interest in) was playing in L.A. on Thursday night. We tip-toed around the issue a bit until she point-blank said “Let’s go!” I sure didn’t need convincing, so that was that!
After fighting some traffic after the Craig Ferguson taping, we all met up at City Walk. A quick change of clothes later, we ran off toward the theatre to exchange our tickets. The process was so simple and they did a great job at organizing the exchange. We then had about an hour to kill before the show, so we got some quick dinner (thank God). I had a great time with the girls, talking and eating, but soon it was time to head back over to the theatre and take our seats!
Let me just say, the concert was hands-down amazing. As much as I love her music, hearing it live was even better. Even the songs I wasn’t familiar with sounded beautiful and I was so happy to be sitting there and taking it all in. She sang a few of my favorite songs, including “Dante’s Prayer” and “The Highwayman” (the latter of which blew away the album version, I felt). Some of what she sang was so beautiful I even found myself tearing up. Anyway, the show came to an end after TWO encores. The first encore was unexpected enough, but how awesome was two!
After a hilarious conversation about the physics of “The Highwayman” back en route to our cars, we finally parted ways after a great day together. But first, Wendy almost lost her car and we all had to find it, and then I gave Whitney the CD’s I’d promised her. She played “Kings of Spain” for Steffy and Wendy in her car, and that was great seeing their expressions. Whitney and I were bouncing away (her moreso than I, lol), and that was great fun. So I left Universal in high spirits, and when I got home around 12:30 a.m., I decided I would make myself go to work at 6:00 a.m., to prove that I could stay out late and have fun and not have work the next morning ruin my night (and yes, I did end up going to work...from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).
So that was my GREAT day with great people and great stuff :)
Take me with you across this land
These are my dreams, so simple and few
Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands
Thursday was one of the best days I’ve had in recent memory, if not ever. I got up around 11:30 to get ready for the Craig Ferguson taping, intent on getting there super early to not only get a place in line but to put my friends’ souls at ease when they got there and I was already there, tickets in hand (‘cause there was this whole paranoia thing...heh). So anyway, I left my house around 12:30 and got to the studio soon thereafter. I ended up parking at the Farmer’s Market, which would later cost me $20! (those bastards!).
I had no clue what to do with myself, so I followed some people past some benches marked “audience” until I saw an entrance guarded by a man with an x-ray scanner. I told him what I was there for and if there was anywhere to wait. He laughed at me and couldn’t believe I was there so early. OK, thank you for saying so. He said I should go wander around the Grove or something, because they wouldn’t call us until 3:30 anyway. So I left, a tad humiliated, and proceeded to walk back to the benches marked “audience.” I called Whitney to explain my humiliation and after I hung up I got ordered by a security guard to go wait on the sidewalk outside the premises. Another walk of shame.
So things had been going kinda rough, but about 10 minutes after I had started standing on the sidewalk (a line had started to form with two people in front of me), a group of three people entered line behind me. I striked up a conversation and one of them was a Browncoat and from the SoCal board. We continued talking until gradually more people showed up and we were all talking and having a great time. Wendy showed up around 2:00 or so, and I decided to cross the street to get a bagel, as I hadn’t eaten all day. Whitney and Steffy called when I was across the street and I tried my best to direct them to where we were...despite this, a minute later I saw them walking toward the group. I yelled out to them but traffic on Fairfax was too loud. The stupid little bagel shop was closed so I ended up going to the little restaurant next door and getting a can of 7-up with an extra cup in case someone else was thirsty.
Back across the street, James had also shown up and the line was growing. We talked about various things, including the various places we had ever visited, and once again my paltry travel experience made me yearn to go places. I’d love to travel, but I’m not too keen on going by myself...but I digress.
LJ Cut for length
Soon enough, we were ushered down to the “audience” benches I had been kicked off earlier. I had a good talk with Wendy (everyone else was separated by a beam and far away from my good ear), and then the producer Chucky B. showed up, getting the excitement level way up. Suzanne gave him a button and that exchange was great, too. When we finally got inside, our little group of four got right in the middle in great seats.
There were so many highlights from the taping, so many sidesplitting moments of laughter, so much great Nathan-ness, etc., that I won’t try to remember them all. At the beginning was a performance by a country singer named Miranda Lambert, and I liked the song. Roseanne Barr was the first guest, and I’d had no clue she was on the schedule, but I was so excited. I love her and “Roseanne” is one of my favorite shows :) Nathan was the next guest, and he was of course funny as always. Near the end, Craig got a lesson in Browncoat exuberance and the Browncoats, in turn, got a shout-out on national TV. Yay!
Leaving the studio, I was in such a great mood, but I knew the greatness of the day was only half over. Wendy, Steffy, Whitney, and I had scored tickets for the Loreena McKennitt concert that night at the Gibson amphitheater (originally at the Greek Theatre but moved due to the fires in Griffith Park). Learning about the concert in the first place was only because Whitney and I had been talking about music we liked on AIM a few nights before. On a whim, I checked Ticketmaster and saw Loreena McKennitt (who we both mentioned sharing an interest in) was playing in L.A. on Thursday night. We tip-toed around the issue a bit until she point-blank said “Let’s go!” I sure didn’t need convincing, so that was that!
After fighting some traffic after the Craig Ferguson taping, we all met up at City Walk. A quick change of clothes later, we ran off toward the theatre to exchange our tickets. The process was so simple and they did a great job at organizing the exchange. We then had about an hour to kill before the show, so we got some quick dinner (thank God). I had a great time with the girls, talking and eating, but soon it was time to head back over to the theatre and take our seats!
Let me just say, the concert was hands-down amazing. As much as I love her music, hearing it live was even better. Even the songs I wasn’t familiar with sounded beautiful and I was so happy to be sitting there and taking it all in. She sang a few of my favorite songs, including “Dante’s Prayer” and “The Highwayman” (the latter of which blew away the album version, I felt). Some of what she sang was so beautiful I even found myself tearing up. Anyway, the show came to an end after TWO encores. The first encore was unexpected enough, but how awesome was two!
After a hilarious conversation about the physics of “The Highwayman” back en route to our cars, we finally parted ways after a great day together. But first, Wendy almost lost her car and we all had to find it, and then I gave Whitney the CD’s I’d promised her. She played “Kings of Spain” for Steffy and Wendy in her car, and that was great seeing their expressions. Whitney and I were bouncing away (her moreso than I, lol), and that was great fun. So I left Universal in high spirits, and when I got home around 12:30 a.m., I decided I would make myself go to work at 6:00 a.m., to prove that I could stay out late and have fun and not have work the next morning ruin my night (and yes, I did end up going to work...from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).
So that was my GREAT day with great people and great stuff :)