Blessed and Lucky.

So, I haven't written a post in a while, huh? Well, was busy last week taking care of some zardoz business over someplace else. Who was #400? Oh, yeah, that was ME!!! *ahem* here's the damn post I had been working on before I got busy and distracted....... I got an email last Wednesday, one that I assumed had gone to the entire volunteer community of the Old Town School of Folk Music. It said: We could use some help selling merchandise for the Rosanne Cash show at the Harris Theater on Friday.....blah blah blah. I deleted it. My first thoughts were that I didn't want to stay downtown after work on Friday. Usually Fridays by 4:30 I'm so ready to head for the hills, or at least out of the Loop and closer to my own digs. Last Thursday morning I woke up, and Woke the F UP. This is Rosanne Cash. As in nominated for a Granny Rosanne Cash. "Seven Year Ache" Rosanne Cash. A legend in her own right, not to mention who her dad was..... 8:00 am I email Old Town's volunteer manager: You wouldn't happen to still need help for the Rosanne Cash, do you? sit and stew stew and sit sit and stew 3:00 pm response received: Von, sure, we'd love to have you help out. Here are your instructions..... Instructions that included how to get backstage, and how to get my ticket to the show! The show was amazing. Beyond amazing. Fantastic. Her voice, I can't even talk about it. Which is saying something for me, because as a general rule I dislike female singers. I like some, but they have to have some distinct character to their voices for me to like them at all. For example, I like Stevie Nicks, Natalie Merchant, Joan Jett, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and now Rosanne Cash. There has to be something extra there for female singers to hold my attentions. (I know, it's a weird thing, but it's my thing, whatever) So after the show we have to return the merch and count the $$. Where do we do this? Backstage. We get there (all access pass? yes? go right through) and there's no more than 10 people there. And Rosanne Cash. As a rule, I leave the artists alone. This is true of me at Old Town, Folk & Roots, anywhere where I'm doing something that has musicians involved. They've done their job, it's rest time, leave them alone. As we were getting ready to head out, one of the other people I was working with (D) was stalling. "What?" "I don't know what to do?" "What? You want to meet her, don't you?" "Kinda. Yes. Yes I do" "Well, go do it. This is your only chance, probably ever. She's up for a Grammy in two days. Do it. Just go over there." We were overheard by our "boss" for the evening, an awesome staffer at Old Town, A. She took us right over to Rosanne and introduced us all. Rosanne was one of those genuinely warm people. You know the ones - she took your hand to shake it in both of hers. She leaned in to talk, made eye contact, touched your arm when she thanked us for helping out. I told her she was fantastic. Because she was. On stage, in person, just all around. After the big meeting, we headed out. We were in Millennium Park, and it was snowing. It wasn't cold cold, there was no wind. It was 11:00 at night, so there weren't really any other people around. The city was all clean and twinkly and quiet, just beautiful. I stopped walking (as I sometimes do) and just looked all around me, taking it all in, hoping to remember the entire evening forever. As I was getting in the cab, I thought 'Blessed and lucky. Some people, many people, would never even have a chance to have this experience. 1,000 people at that concert tonight would have paid big bucks to meet her. I truly am a very lucky girl.' I think the part of me that is finally growing up can see that I do have really amazing experiences in my life, and I need to stop taking them for granted. ** Side note. I highly, HIGHLY recommend you go and buy Rosanne's new album "The List", which is based on a list of songs her dad gave to her when she was 17 or 18. Amazing. With guest artists Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and others!**

Fridge Note

To: 3Bulls From: Vonfornow Dudes - I'd love to post many many comments over dere at your bloggy blog, BUT It keeps telling me that I'm basically SPAM, and doesn't want my comments. PLEASE FIX. okthanksbye

In case I end up a Lifetime cautionary tale:

Dear Readers, I'm going on a "daaate" tonight. I use the word daaaate because it's not really a date. I'm meeting one of the Plenty of Fish people for a drink. NO, it's not the married one. I've cut married guy loose, and I think he finally took the hint. This guy is a transplant from New Jersey. We haven't talked on the phone, but we've texted. He's funny. He thinks I'm "awesome" We'll see. He already has one major strike against him - No car. This is a problem and potential deal breaker. You all know how much I hate driving, so my future ex-husband needs to a) have a car and b) be willing to drive me all over the damn place - like, say Milwaukee? - I'm actually not really excited about it. There's another guy that I think I will ultimately like much better (he's an author!). But for karma's sake, I'm going to meet Rob. Got that? His name is Rob. I met him on Plenty of Fish. He's from New Jersey. So if I end up MIA or dead (not cooly zombie-fied, just dead) or something - you've got some intel for teh police. kthanksbye **plus, I have a much more important first meeting on Saturday that I'd really like to be alive for**

Remember?

Remember a whillllllle ago I wrote a post about the twins that I wanted to get back in touch with? M & B? Well, through internet stalking and teh Facebookz I've found them both, and we keep in touch and stuff. Just found out on B's FB page that M is in Haiti. And he's in the hospital. Yeah, um, NO, he's not a doctor. He's a college professor. B says that he was taken to the hosiptal for "something minor". Well, it's Haiti, so I'm guessing it's not that minor, and I'm worried what kind of care he's getting. Please keep him in your thoughts/prayers/whatever.

The weekend

Sitting here, watching me some football. "Are you ready for some foooootttbaaaaaalll!!!" Every time. I do that every time I watch football. So, here's my weekend. Friday I volunteered at Trad Fest at Old Town. It was awesome. It's always awesome. It's this annual event they have. It's a big gigantic open house thing. There's a pot luck dinner, and live bands, and song circles, and jams, and Cajun dancing, and square dancing. It's a ridiculous good time. I'm grateful I got to be there. I worked the door, so collected money, kept track of the will call and comp lists, stuff like that. Worked with Dierdre, and she's pretty awesome. We met some adorable gays named Harry and Benji. They were so fabulous I wanted them to adopt me right away. Saturday was kinda crap. I went to DANK to register the adult students for their new semester. Nice for all but one of the entire class to not show up this week. C'mon people, 8am on a Saturday? And now I have to do it again!?!? They are going to get a very stern email from me. Better be there next week, grumble grumble. After that I had to go get a new tire. Sigh. VonMOm would tell you it's all my fault, and I'm a shitty driver, blah blah blah. The fact of the matter is that my tires are about 7 years old, and well, they're old. So that evily high curb I clipped might not have cashed my tire if the darn things weren't so old. Like I have $$ for a new tire. Went home and napped after that. I ended up napping too long, and had no get-up-and-go after that. I ended up staying home and watching really bad television. I mean really bad. I mean "The Pregnancy Pact" on Lifetime bad. I went to bed super early just because I was bored. This morning I was at the grocery store by 8:30. It was awesome. It was like my own private grocery store. Went to book club this afternoon. Awesome. Fantastic book, great book club gals, good bar, good beer. Sitting here, watching football. I'm a girl, so it's basically like this "I don't like that Manning guy. I hope his team loses" No such luck. Now, it's "I don't like Brett Favre. I hope his team loses." Annnnd. It's Sunday.

They certainly are

I went to a Catholic, all girls high school. I don't talk about it much. Mostly because it was forever ago, but also because I don't think there's much to write about there. However. There was one thing my senior year that was awesome, and affects me to this day. Some time during the second half of my senior year, we got to vote on a class song. The way it was explained to us was that this song was going to be for us. It would be ours right there in that moment of graduating high school, and it would be ours forever after. At the time of the vote, I thought a few things: I don't really give a shit I do like that one song, but there's no way it'll win How much will I really think about this years from now? Well, I was wrong - The song that won was "These are days" by the 10,000 Maniacs, which was the song I wanted to win. Not only was Natalie Merchants voice fantastic, the words were just so appropriate to that time. It's like it was written just for us. I heard that song the other day while I was driving to Old Town. I blasted it, and sang every sing word. Surprising even myself, I teared up a little. I realized that while those lyrics were appropriate my senior year, they are still appropriate today. Not only are they appropriate, but they have a way of calming me and making me happy at the same time. I realized that the promise of what the present is, and what the future can be exists every day. I just have to remember to look for it. It's pretty awesome that I can claim this song as mine. These are days you'll remember Never before, and never since, I promise Will the whole world be warm as this And as you'll feel it You'll know it's true That you -you are blessed and lucky It's true - that you Are touched by something That will grow and bloom in you These are days you'll remember When May is rushing over you With desire to be part of the miracles You see in every hour You'll know it's true That you are blessed and lucky It's true - that you Are touched by something That will grow and bloom in you These are days These are the days That you might fill with laughter Until you break These days you might feel a shaft of light Make its way across your face And when you do You'll know - how it was Meant to be See the signs and know their meaning You'll know - how it was Meant to be Hear the signs and know they're speaking To you To you *happy weekend to you*

annnnnnd

Thanks very much. I giggled. A lot. And I even laughed. Maybe guffawed a bit. I turned on my computer way more than I thought I would over the weekend. My mood is much improved. Thanks again. NOW back to the snark and bitchiness that is usually me.