livin' in the afterglow.

oh yeah.

if i smoked, i'd be having one right now.

i'm here to say a huge thank you again, Maureen; that show was incredible. just amazing.

so here, Gentle Reader, share my joy in some of the photos Maureen & i took. and have some afterglow on me.

yum.

living in the afterglow.

holy.
freaking.
crap.

Keith was...
amazing.
incredible.
and really, really cute.

we had beyond killer seats. three rows up from the floor. he had a catwalk set up that ended up at a small stage that was really close to us.

wow.

someone had brought a sign that they had made: "5th concert - $500. travel to concerts: 1,000 miles. a kiss from Keith: priceless."

after the second song, he stopped and read it aloud, then said, 'well, i can't give you a kiss because i'm married, but would you settle for a hug?'

um, sure! so he jumped off the stage, went up to where she was sitting, grabbed her by the hand and brought her up stage. he hugged her. he talked to her. she was practically peeing her pants.

i would be, too.

a little later on in the concert, he once again jumped off the stage, went up into the crowd, finished playing, then turned to his handler, got a silver Sharpie, signed the guitar and handed it to a guy in the crowd.

hole-lee crap.

he's beyond cool.

i've got pictures. i will post later. going home and back to the rat race tomorrow.

it's all for a reason.

this all started Monday.

my boss came in Monday Morning with one red, swollen eyeball. it made me gasp.
and i'm not a gasper.

but he wouldn't go to the doctor. 'it's allergies,' he said.

allergies my left foot. i have allergies. my eye doesn't look like that when i get an allergy attack.

i gave him my bottle of allergy eye drops. believe me, i don't want that back. it's pinkeye, i tell him.

no, he says. allergies.

allergic to the doctor, i think.

Tuesday morning.

same uggy looking eye.

same stubborn man.

enter our department manager. who sends him home. go to the doctor, she says. people will complain.

um, hello?! i've been complaining.

thank heavens, he went to the urgent care. guess what? it was allergies.

psych.

that would be pinkeye. p-i-n-k-e-y-e.

so because he was gone for the day, i didn't get to leave work early enough.

i missed my flight to Reno.

so as i stood there rebooking my ticket and crying, a very sweet woman came up to me and said 'is it going better?"

no it's not, i missed my flight and it's been horrible at work and at home...sob, boo hoo, waaaah.

'honey,' she said, putting her arm around me. 'there's a reason you're not supposed to be on that plane.'

that shut me up.

'seriously.' she says. 'it doesn't mean that the plane is going down, but there is a reason you were to miss this flight. everything happens for a reason. you just remember that.'

that woman was my angel yesterday. i really believe God sent her to me just to keep me on track and remind me that even though i want to believe it's all about me, there really is a Bigger Picture out there, and i lose sight of that.

frequently.

i'm constantly telling Brendan that things happen for a reason. i can't explain the reasons but there is a reason and everything works the way it's supposed to. so, no, there was no plane crash last night.

but i'll never know the reason why i wasn't to make that flight.

thanks NiceDeltaLady. you put me back in perspective.

tonight: Keith!

the saga continues...

so.

just when you think it couldn't get worse....you get to work and open up your email.

myself, and the rest of the management team, got an email this a.m. from the paging department in Valley Forge. to paraphrase, they reminded us that we still had 23 ads in waiting for the section of the book paging today.

and then actually had the cahones to ask if we weren't working the waiting reports, designed to clear said pages.

oh.no.you.didn't.just.say.that.

we were all up in arms. but, feeling we didn't have a leg to stand on, because yes we have messed up lately, we sucked it up.

but we were pissed.

me especially.

i found myself later in the manager's office (calm down, just talking, i'm not in trouble) and venting again (i had said the same thing to my supervisor just an hour earlier).

i'm not paranoid. but kids, this sniping is nothing more than them venting because we came out there to try & help them, and instead the office eventually was closed. see? they say. you're not as big as you think you are. you can't even get our stuff clear and WE got CLOSED.

do not get me started again on that whole fiasco of the months we all spent there.

and my manager agreed with me.

dang. i feel good! i'm not paranoid, so i won't be in the local state hospital wearing a 'hug me' jacket.

oh, and did i also mention the conversation my supervisor had with me? no? well, file this under the 'what the $%&*#$!!' department.

'can we talk?' he says.

'yeah, what's up?' thinking, oh mercy. what have i done now?

'um....you're gonna hate me.'

not yet. but the day is still young, i think.

'can you cancel your vacation next month?'

oh.no.you.didn't.

my vacation. my trip. to see Keith.

i don't hate you. i may just have to maim you and slash yer tires.
(ed. note: we at *random thoughts do not, under any circumstanced condone violence. unless it's for revenge and you're absolutely positive you can get away with it.)

um. no. sorry, i say. i have an nonrefundable air ticket.

which i do.

oh, he says. then never mind. it's just that we're gonna be so busy then, and...

dude. we are gonna be so busy then, and after that, and after that...and besides, if i do not go, my sister in law will be out cash, as will i.

so, after that major heart attack-slash-stroke, all is well in LotusLand.

for now.



oh, and by the way. my manager called the other publishing office, the one that sent the rude email? she read them the riot act, and they actually had the cahones to say 'i offended people with my email? why good golly, i don't see how!!'

it's no wonder i'm nucking futz.

happy dance time!!

holy freaking crap. i'm about to wet my chonies.

what - too much information? again??

that is Keith Urban. second only to Donny in my book for talent and sheer yummy factor.

and i have a date with him.

oh fine. so i'm in a group date with 50,000 screaming chickies. with a scattering of men. but daaaaaaang.

i'm gonna go see Keee-thhhh, i'm gonna go see Keee-thhhh!

i just bought my air ticket, and, next month, my butt is on a plane to Reno, then my sister-in-law and i are off to Sacramento.

to see Keith.

holy.freaking.crap.

and while i'm sorry that Maureen's original date had to bow out, well...

i'm not all that sorry.

and Jax, i know - you think he's greasy. but i don't care.

i'm seeing Keith next month.

woo-hoo!!!