Pinch Me.

Ok, so here is my Dave news...

First let me say, this post is dedicated to the Ticket Girl at the Ed Sullivan Theatre to whom I shall bestow my first born.

For reasons we will probably never figure out, Ticket Girl put a special sticker on our tickets giving the 4 of us audience upgraded seats. As it was later explained to us, this meant we would be receiving some of the best seats in the house! I was already excited, but this pretty much sent me over the edge. Not only was I going to be at the show, I was going to have prime seating. I would have been happy sitting in the far back corner in the back row. I didn't care, I was there.

So, after much hooting and hollering and jumping up and down, we returned to the theatre at the time we were told. After we got our audience prep and knew the run down of what was expected of us as "leaders" of the crowd, we filed into the theatre. Some of the people in this group knew people who work for CBS and they were told they were getting the best seats in the house - the balcony. Unobstructed view and a bathroom. (Those of us not in the balcony were not allowed to use the facilities once taping had started.)

The 4 of us walked in behind a lovely couple we had met and befriended in line. The 10-15 people in front of us were ushered to the seats on the right-hand side. Then the man in front of me was told he could go that way. Well, that way meant... the front row, center. Um yeah, the 4 of us were in the VERY FRONT ROW, an arm's length away from the stage. Upon realization of this, the woman in front of me and I started shreiking at the top of our lungs, OMG, OMG, OMG, WE'RE IN THE FRONT ROW! It was incredible, just pure raw emotional excitement. I had MD pinch me.

After we sat down the man from the lovely couple said to me, "Yeah, the balcony seats suck ass!" I agreed.

I had a perfect view of Dave during his monologue, the musical guests (the Smashing Pumpkins) and Will It Float. I could see the guests (Queen Latifah and some comedy writer guy) pretty well when they were seated and I could see the top of Dave's head. There really are a lot of cameras and cue card people walking around. But that's ok, I was as close as one could get. And I was thrilled.

Oh, if that wasn't enough, I know, how could it get better? I also caught the guitar pick from the bass player of the CBS Orchestra, who totally threw it right to me. So I even got a souvenir!

I don't think we could have had a better experience. Things were going our way. And I will remember that day and our trip fondly. It was perfect, perfect, perfect.

The show airs tonight (Friday) . You better believe we are DVRing the heck out of it! You all should watch for us. We'll be easy to spot right there in the FRONT!

I still can't believe this all happened, I can't believe we were there. It'll probably hit me when we watch it tonight.

-- The picture above is of our tickets to the show with the audience upgrade sticker! We weren't allowed to keep them, but we sure as hell could take pictures of them! Sadly no pictures were allowed to be taken inside the theatre, but we got plenty of them outside.

Ideas that I wish were mine:

• Target commercials


• The subway system in New York


• Sharpie markers


• Microsoft


• Nachos
  

What do you wish you had thought of?

New York, New York

To say that our trip to New York was amazing would be an understatement. It was downright perfect! For only being there for 2 full days, we were able to do and see so much. With the Yankees game and tour and David Letterman(!), that alone was a lot, but we were also able to visit Times Square and Ground Zero and we still had time to conquer the public transportation system, visiting 3 boroughs in 2 days.

New York City is a fantastic city. I could spend days just standing in Manhattan watching the people and soaking up the excitement. I'm sure you could spend a lifetime there and still never see everything that it offers. I am very much pining to return. I hope it's not another 11 more years before I go back.

*I have Dave news, but I am not blogging about it yet because I don't want to spoil the news in case some people read it before I can tell them. But trust me, it's good stuff. You'll want to come back and read about it.

Pack it up, pack it in.

So tomorrow we take off for NYC. We’re staying in the lovely (I hope?) borough of Queens. (I quite like the word ‘borough’.) We’ll be 4 crazy midwestern kids left to our own devices in the man-swallowing metropolis of New York. It’ll be nothing if not an adventure, all activities aside.

The last time I was in New York, it was 11 years ago. I went on a bus trip with some of my family. We saw Broadway shows, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and went to the top of the World Trade Center. Interesting. I wonder how much of it I will remember once we're there. If I had my Mom's keen sense of direction, I would remember exactly where everything is and how to get there. Alas, I do not have that talent. Not even kinda.

I'm excited for all of it. Everyone is. It should be a blast.

It's all about me...or 'i'

I'm amazed at how everything is so i, i, i. We're so self-involved. We have the iPod, the iTunes, the iPhone, the iEvery apple accessory.

And how long before i takes over the world? We'll soon have iCar, iDouble cheeseburgers, iPergo flooring and iMore.

It's time that we start focusing on u and less on ourselves.

(But iWouldn't mind having one of these. They seem cool. But there's a little too much iRed tape to deal with right now. )

P.S. Did you all hear that I'm going to the Late Show with David Letterman!?

OMG!

I have a major announcement to make. You're going to want to sit down for this one...

I AM GOING TO THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN!

It's true, this dream, 13 years in the making, has finally come to be! I just don't even know what to do with myself, excited doesn't even come close to explaining how I feel. I am a behemoth fan of Mr. Letterman and have always dreamt of seeing the show. And now, on July 9, I will get that opportunity. Wow.

And the best part of it, is that I will get to see the show with my wonderful fiance and my best friend! What could be greater than that?

Wow. Still trying to breathe.

On a side note -

anyone ever been to the Melting Pot? Is that the most fun you've ever had eating, or what?

It's not about being older

Another year has come and gone - but not without some excitement! - and I am officially one year older. (And one year away from being 30. Whoa.) It was a wonderful birthday celebration! I got to celebrate with some really dear friends and family and the ultimate thoughtful schemer, my fiance, who has once again surprised me.

29 is tricky. I shall blog my thoughts on this later, but for now I will thank all of those who called me, emailed me, texted me, thought of me and celebrated with me. I am beyond thankful for all of you and grateful for your wishes of well. June 15 is a day that I will always cherish because it reminds me of all of the wonderful people I have in my life and that truly warms my heart. That's what birthdays are all about and that is why I love them.

Wow. Fun. Cool.

Justin Verlander, the phenom pitcher for the De-troit Tigers, pitched a no-hitter last night against the Brewers! It was so fun to watch. I just so happened to be at my parents last night and my Dad had the game on. In the sixth inning he says, "I shouldn't say anything, but Verlander has a no-hitter going". Everyone knows that saying that usually jynxs things. But not last night! Even my good friend Turtle Parade, who is an Indians fan, was rooting for him. Fun stuff!

I love baseball.

Your what hurts?

My foot. It had glass in it. I (unknowingly) stepped on it. Then I walked around on it all night. Thank goodness for wine. It helped deaden the pain. I think the fiance got it all out. He was tres helpful. It still hurts.

Thelma and Louise.

Whew! I am no longer a fugitive of the law. My debt to society has been paid. I can roam freely (albeit slower) once again.

Thanks for coming with, Louise. I'll be sure that Brad Pitt doesn't turn you in for aiding and abedding (sp?) a criminal.

(and the audience is on its feet...)

LOST was so good last night I can't even stand it. It was so good that is has inspired me to post an entry again after 6 months. Now that's powerful.

What a terrific piece of television. Two hours was not long enough. I probably could have sat for another hour or two. This, my friends, is what they call a payoff episode. For all you naysayers out there, aren't you a little upset with yourselves for being non-believers half way through the season? I never gave up. I am admittedly often confused and believed that maybe I was the one who just didn't get it. But that idea has been demolished. No, no one has a friggen clue what is going on and that is the true beauty of this show. I accept that and will be the ultimate suspender of belief for the next 3 years if we continue to get episodes such as this.

Jack, Kate, Ben, Locke, Juliette, Sawyer, Jin, Hurley, dear sweet, bad-ass Sayid, et al, I cannot wait til we meet again in '08. Godspeed.

Best. Idea. Ever.

A big thumbs up to Best Buy for being so revolutionary with their work ideals. Check out this article, then send your resume in to Best Buy's headquarters...

http://biz.yahoo.com/special/allbiz120606_article1.html

Wow. Haven't we all been waiting for someone to blaze the trails with this idea?? Here's to hoping this concept is as viable as we all knew it would be.

Help wanted re: eyebrows

How long does it take for eyebrows to grow back in?? I've been plucking for years, but I would kinda like them to grow back in so I can start all over and possibly get a professional waxer or something to give me that great, face-changing perfect arch to my eyebrows. But I'm wondering how long I'll have to look like I'm completely ignorning my appearance with these straggly hairs that are trying to make their way back in.

Can anyone provide any help on this??

I'm going to be an Aunt!

Thanksgiving 2006 was so wonderful! The fiance’s family came into town from Indiana and Chicago and spent a few days with us. I’ve mentioned before about how fun they are and how much I enjoy being a part of a bigger family. This was no exception. It was a blast!

But perhaps my favorite part of the whole week was when His 5-year old niece called me “Aunt Michelle”, completely unsolicited. She was simply asking me a question, and it came out of her mouth so naturally, as if she had been calling me that for years. It was precious! And it brought tears to my eyes. Right there at breakfast. Being an only child I have had zero chances to be an aunt thus far in my life, and now I’m going to be one, 5 times over! I want to the best “Auntie M” ever! (That’s what they are going to call me… how cute is that!?)

I cannot thank His family enough for being so welcoming and making me feel like a part of the family so quickly. Nine months is not a lot of time, and there is a lot of distance between us and his entire family, so we don’t get to see them that often, but in that time they have managed to make me feel like I am one of them. And that means more to me than they will ever know. They were all especially kind to my parents, whom they just met for the first time this weekend, and to my best friend. What more can I ask? (Even as I am writing this, I am sitting here with His dog on my lap/arm. She’s making it difficult to type, but it’s totally worth it. She loves me too!) I truly am blessed and thankful.

I've been thinking...

I think I'm going to dimantle this blog. I haven't felt inspired by it for a while now. The title and stuff just isn't doing it for me. While those two things are very important in my life, I don't feel they accurately portray the cleverness and insight I'd hoped to share with the world. I'll keep you posted, but rest assured I'm not leaving, I'm just going through a Madonna-like reinvention in my career and will emerge a bigger and better blog.

K.

Whew! You'll excuse me for the blog break while I've been basking in the enjoyment of becoming betrothed, won't you??

Thanks!

Here's how it happened...

Mike thought of EVERYTHING! He had a very elaborate scheme planned and I fell for it all. I was completely surprised! We were in Whitewater, Wisconsin for a conference that he went to for work, and I was there for fun and to go somewhere I had never been.

So, a couple of weeks prior he had told me that there was a mingling event with all of the conference attendees and their significant others, and that it was a dressy affair. So, on that Saturday, he had told me to be ready by 4:30 and that he would come back to the hotel to change and we would leave. So I was all ready to go, all dressed up and everything. And then the phone in the hotel room rang, it was the front desk telling me that I had something at the desk and asked me to come pick it up. When I got down there, the woman handed me an envelope that said "please do me the favor of reading this letter in the lobby for reasons that I will explain in the letter". So I sat down and started reading. And immediately started bawling. So I'm sitting in the lobby, all dressed up, crying. In the letter he told me that there was no mingling event, that he had used that as an excuse for us to get dressed up because he was taking me to one of the nicest restaurants in Milwaukee. (The 21st best restaurant in the country.) The letter said that I should finish reading and if he hadn't met me in the lobby by the time I was done, to head back up to the room and he would meet me there. I waited for about 10 minutes (and read the letter once more) and headed back up to the room. Little did I know, he was in the hotel and had watched me leave to go down to the front desk. Once I was gone, he had gone into the room and set up candles and had champagne and champagne glasses with our names engraved on them. And that's what I saw when I walked back into the room. I cried even harder when I saw him standing there! And then he proposed. It was amazing!

He put so much thought into all of it. I'm a very lucky girl! (Also, the week prior, he had given me a gift certificate to get a manicure, so that my nails would look nice when I showed people the ring, although I didn't know that at the time. See, he thought of EVERYTHING!)

It could not have been more perfect! I'm crying just writing this.

Wow.

I am forever tied to Wisconsin!

Well friends, as it turns out, I came home from Wisconsin with something even better than cheese. . . I came home with an amazingly thoughtful fiance and one stunningly perfect engagement ring!!! Yes, this trip to Whitewater, WI proved to be thee most special trip I have ever taken. (My next entry will be about the proposal and the perfect weekend I just had. I just didn't want to leave you all hanging wondering about my cheese adventures.)

Heaven, here I come!

This blogger is headed to the CHEESE capital of the World . . . that's right, the great and wonderful state of Wisconsin! And I'm pretty darned excited. Any place that claims CHEESE as its finest product has got to be a blissful place. I'm hoping to find myself amongst all kinds of CHEESE statues, monuments, rivers, lakes and streams. I'm guessing that there will be little old ladies standing on the streets outside of their CHEESE stores passing out samples. And I bet there is just a whiff of sharp cheddar in the air that lingers over the whole state. Yummmm!!!

I will not return to Ohio without some sort of CHEESE-like item, whether that be CHEESE itself or a CHEESE-shaped magnet or a t-shirt with CHEESE on it or one of those CHEESE hats that Green Bay Packers fans always wear - I've always been a giant fan of those!!

This is going to be one heck of a trip! I can't wait. I'll be sure to share all of my CHEESE adventures when I return.