Words Written: “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” 1042
Writing Stats: Conferred with Sarah about our author questionnaire for Virgin Books. Discovered I’d made that most embarrassing of author gaffes, sending the wrong cover letter, and rectified the situation.

To recap the last few days. Because they’ve been amazing!

Wednesday Ken and I drove separately to Long Beach, left the bike outside Tani’s, and took the car the rest of the way down to San Juan Capistrano, where we met my HS/college friend Mitch (Meech!) and his partner Ray. They’d been in San Diego for a conference of Mitch’s, and we’d been planning on having lunch that day for months. It was fantastic to see him—he and Ray make a wonderful couple. We ate at El Adobe Capistrano, a gorgeous Mexican place we’ve been to before.

After that, we went back to Tani’s, and Ken hopped on the bike and headed north. He was going to take back roads and hit some check points on a rally-type thing he’s doing (it runs over the course of the year, I think) on the way to Portland. Sigh. I missed him immediately. But I hied myself to a nearby B&N and wrote 2/3 of a new story for a private-call anthology, and read for a little bit.

Since I was in Cat’s neck of the woods, she and I hooked up for dinner at a Hof’s Hut. We hadn’t spent any quality time together in a while, and it was great to hook up again.

Then I wandered over to Tani’s and hung out there while she finished getting ready (I was early), and her husband drove us to the airport. There we met up with Sheri (“You’re not going to write about all of this in your journal, are you?”) and Lisa, and boarded a plane for Cleveland.

A red-eye flight.

I can’t sleep on planes, and this flight wasn’t long enough for me to bother to take out my contacts and make the effort. So I read a huge chunk of a Nora Roberts book, The Villa. I’d sort of hoped to get a little work done, but the guy in front of me put his seat back, and I was pretty sleepy anyway.

So we arrived on Thursday. Hello Cleeeevelaaaand! Got to our hotel fine with Sheri driving and me navigating and all of us punchy and exhausted. I was rooming with Tani and she kindly let me have the bed while she took the sofabed. We all scarfed the free complimentary breakfast (this was a Hilton, so it was a real breakfast—bacon, eggs, bagels, etc. And grits. Can’t forget the grits!) and went comatose for about four hours. Then it was the usual preparatory “fluff and buff” before we headed out to meet up with other fans at a restaurant…and then off to the concert. Tani had managed to find someone with an extra second-row ticket, so I was in good shape for, um, sitting with all my friends in the front row and looking innocent…

Before the show we were treated with a spectacular thunder-and-lightning storm. The rain was blowing sideways under the roof covering the seating area. They let the lawn ticket holders down under the covering, and the place was pretty full by the time the show started.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime performance on several levels: Styx was performing with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, the show was being filmed for HDTV and a DVD, and they were going to perform two brand new songs as well as two Christmas songs (for potential holiday videos). Before the show, we were informed that it would be filmed so if you didn’t want to be on film—or you were there with someone you shouldn’t be, hee hee—you should leave, and that they wanted a lot of enthusiasm from the crowd. No problem there. As if.

The concert was truly a joy to experience. As a former choral and band geek (French horn), I love the combination, the ability to play with and mesh “different” types of music. The kids were so enthusiastic, it brought tears to my eyes more than once. During “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” they apparently didn’t have parts to play, so they all got up and danced. We didn’t learn until the next day that it was not rehearsed. They spontaneously got up and bounced around and got so into it. (I suspect they planned it amongst themselves, however.) They did the same during another song, but damned if I can remember which one now. (Tani, Sheri? Anyone? Bueller?)

It was a long show, with an intermission. (I managed to get one of the set lists for the first half, and the full list is in the program I bought as well as online here.) The music was…I can’t describe it, really. The orchestra was perfect, and the band was so on. They did mess up twice, restarting both songs (because of the filming), but it didn’t matter. We in the audience did our damndest to give back everything we got, plus more.

And then there were the cameras.

I’m not fond of video cameras; they make me self-conscious. So it was an interesting experience trying to ignore the camera guy when he was right in my face. Which was quite a bit—for all of us. When I was doing the “Too Much Time on My Hands” hand jive, he came running down from the other side of the audience. The chorus was almost done by the time he got to me, but egads. I managed to totally forget about him during “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” because it is a song one must give one’s whole body and soul to, so I’m sure that’s the footage that’ll end up on air. I’m trying not to think about it.

I wore my waist cincher to the show—figuring it would look better than a slightly bulky back brace underneath my clothes—so at least I looked good.

I’m so glad I came. I’m so glad Ken knew I should, when I hesitated over the cost of the flight. “So glad” doesn’t begin to explain how I feel. The show was unbelievable. My friends are fantastic. (Except for a few minutes ago when Sheri was hassling me for hogging the armrest. [g])

We went out after the show with friends, and didn’t get back to the hotel until 3 a.m. Once again, sleep was not long in coming. Usually after concerts I’m so buzzed it takes me hours and some wine to calm me down, but I guess the late-night food and the nearly hour drive back to the hotel, coupled with so little sleep the previous few nights, caught up with me. We didn’t even try to get down to breakfast Friday morning.

We finally staggered out of the hotel at 2 p.m., ate at a grill next door, and headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pretty overwhelming in itself, crammed full of memorabilia from all eras of rock. It was nifty to see clothing I recognized from videos, and personal items, and just all-around cool stuff. I bought a shirt in the gift shop, and a present for Ken, and postcards for a few people.

We walked to a Starbuck’s for some desperately needed caffeine and sugar, then hung out in the rooms until we realized we were starving, at which point we went through the cat-herding process of ordering way, way, way too much Chinese food (and running out to pick up wine). Party animals that we are, the rest of the evening (and well into the night and early morning) was spent stuffing ourselves silly, drinking, watching the end of that night’s Styx concert on the crew’s webcam, and checking e-mail. (Oh, and a chocolate-seeking expedition down to the vending machine room, although I didn’t go, because I wasn’t hungry. The fact that I was wearing purple satin pyjamas and Tani’s tiara had nothing to do with the decision. Honest.)

Today we managed to make breakfast, then leisurely packed up our rooms. We got to the airport three hours early (after discovering that Ohio hides their gas stations or something), but that was fine. We’re good at hanging out together. And we had a good laugh over a t-shirt in the R&R Hall of Fame store in the airport that said “Frequent Concert Go-er—Please Speak Loudly” (or something like that).

<>-<>-<>

Home now, safe and sound. Cats are happy to see me. I miss Ken. Lots of stuff to catch up on, though, to distract me. But for now, a good night’s sleep in my own bed.

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Currently Reading: More magazine, latest issue; Treat Your Own Back,
Lately Listened To: Mirror Mirror, Lorraine a’Malena; The Red Shoes, Kate Bush; Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Duran Duran; If I Was, Midge Ure and Ultravox; 7 Deadly Zens, Tommy Shaw (have I mentioned lately how much I love my iPod?!)
Recently Watched: CONCERT!