Just how crazy do you think I am?
Wait, wait, don't tell me. Because
however crazy you think I am, I think I'm even crazier.
If you know me and you know how I think, you understand. Maybe.
As you may know, I've been preoccupied
with Billy Joel since April (long story, check the blog archive for
details) and tomorrow I will be driving to Chicago by myself for his sold-out
concert.
I'm not sure if I'm more excited or
nervous. And I'm already wondering what life, post-concert, will be
like.
You see, it's become more than just a
concert for me. It's an epic adventure – a challenge of creativity
and bravery, an opportunity to carpe the snot out of the diem.
Others might say it's an exercise in futility, stupidity and time
wasting.
The first challenge was to convince
myself that I could do this alone. I'm still worried about getting
lost on the drive and just the thought of riding the “L” makes
me nervous. (Although the Red Line is a straight shot from right
outside my hotel to Wrigley so if I screw that up, I'm some special
kind of stupid.)
But I'm OK with the “alone” part.
It's kind of exciting, in fact. I'm making plans for things that I
want to do without having to listen to anyone whine, like go to the
art museum. I may even have lunch at the House of Blues... by myself.
Heck, I can have lunch anywhere and anytime I want.
The second challenge was securing a
concert ticket. This was more a matter of perseverance and dumb luck.
But still, I navigated the ticket sites and ordered the ticket all by
myself.
And here's where the crazy starts to
show. Not only did I whine to anyone who would listen (and a few who
didn't) and blog about the concert being sold out and how unfair
scalpers are, I started sending emails.
Sending random emails is a sure sign of
mid-level crazy.
First I emailed the official Billy Joel
web site (maintained by Sony Corp. if you read the fine print) to ask
if any additional tickets would be released (there were, and I got
one). I still haven't heard back from them (ha).
Then, in a fit of pique I emailed the
Cubs organization asking if the high-end VIP tickets ($500+) included
a starting spot in the Cubs lineup. They actually did take the
time to send a nice reply, saying that was news to them and that
concert questions should be directed to Sony (as if).
After I had my ticket, the final
challenge was to wait patiently.
Which I failed miserably at.
What do I do when I have too much time
on my hands? Send emails.
Not only did I blog about wanting to
interview Billy Joel, I sent emails requesting an interview. Neither
Sony nor a talent rep who may or may not represent Billy Joel (can
you trust press releases you find on the i-net?) have responded to my
(very polite) requests.
Did that stop me? Of course not.
Yesterday (that's two days before the
concert) I decided to try to get press credentials. I had no idea
what this might involve, but it was another adventure! I did actually
hear back from the concert promoters (yay!), but after sending a
couple of clarification emails the final answer was a big, fat
“Requested Credentials Are Not Available” (boo!).
So, did I really think I'd get to
interview Billy Joel or get a press pass authorizing me to wander
around Wrigley? No. But that doesn't mean it wasn't exciting to
receive those emails. And I'm not going to give up. I'm taking my
notebook full of interview questions with me.
Did I have a lot of fun doing some
kinda crazy, unexpected, definitely out of the ordinary stuff? You
betcha.
Saturday night when I arrive back home
in West Branch – without getting lost anywhere at anytime and blissed out from a day at the art museum – I
expect I'll have some fun Chicago memories to share. But more than
that, I think I'll have a little more self-confidence and courage to
try some more new challenges.
In one of those cosmic coincidences (or "God winks") I recently saw a quote attributed to
Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Above all, try something.”
Carpe credentials!
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