The day my husband asked me to marry him I was definetly special. The day my wedding reception was moved from the quaint little dining room to the roof top swanky PDiddy palace spot was also a day I lucked out! All the way into the honeymoon. Where our hotel room was bumped to the top floor with a balcony and a view. I get drunk on favoritism. Now I know what everyone is thinking...Of course you get free stuff and get lucky, life is always easier for pretty tall blondes. (Not that I think that I'm that great, just that people have said to me many times...it's cause your hot. Oh yeah you..(insert special treatment here) happened to you cause your hot.
I will be the first to admit that there have been times in my life where I got favor ( I say "favor" instead of luck, because I believe that God grants favor to those who ask for it. Go Ahead! Judge away, but you may find a cynical attitude toward this theory may find you behind more winning lottery tickets and less parking spaces than those "lucky" people )granted because someone liked the way I looked, but it happens a lot less than you'd think. Then there are the times when I feel like I've just missed favor. I find myself on a movie set with George Clooney, and they pick the only other tall blonde extra right in front of me to be play a ticket agent. I watch her jealously as they put her through hair and makeup, and an adorable little stewertess uniform. I kept thinking.."Come on! I was so close!" moments later I am brought back to reality when I say to myself, "Are you seriously complaining! You are no less than 6 feet from George himself, you've looked him in the eye several times. Everytime they reset the scene he smiles, and your COMPLAAINING! Get a grip girl! This is one of the coolest things you've ever done in your life!"
But there is always a catch. Something really cool happens to me, then something really crappy happens. I got to be on a set with George Clooney, and I lost $200.00. Got a $300 tip from a customer, and my scooter got stolen. Since then the streak has continued. I fall at work and sprain my back, then I meet Brian McKnight. My car gets stolen, got a promotion. Accidentally burned half my hair off with bleach, bank tells me they made a mistake and have credited my account. Broke a laptop, my sister buys me one for no reason at all. You see why I was nervous when the following took place.
I have a pretty cool job by all definitions. This year alone I have met, John Legend,(pretty celebrity) Bill Belhemy (douche), Sommore (major douche), Brian McKinght (wonderful!), Bilal (cool and professional) , 88 Keys (WAY cool), a bunch of dudes from Tribe Called Quest, and I know I am forgetting many more. I get to work from home 60% of the time. This is definitively favor!
I went to my first Elvis Costello show in Chicago a few weeks ago. And it was really fun! He was doing the spinning song book tour, that he hasn't done in many years. They have a vintage giant light up spinning carnival wheel, and he pulls audience members up to spin it. The song it lands on is the one they play. However, the show was at a very nice, older theatre. The crowd was older, and incredibly lame. They only stood for the few really well known songs, "Alison, Veronica, Pump it Up" and they didn't cheer a lot. Very lame.
After the show we waited around to see if we could meet him. And no such luck. He was annoyed after signing only a couple autographs. So as we walked next to his Cadilac beast and I was shouting "Great show Elvis! Please remember this face!" I know I sounded like a crazy person, but I didn't care.
Then sure enough we went to see him 5 weeks later here in St. Louis! It was much more rock show! He came out loud! And the pit was general admission. This is why I love St. Louis. Rock show front rows are for the determined, not the wealthy. So when I bought general admission seats, I was prepared to get my "shelbows" (My husbands word for sharp elbows: assume hands on hips and shelbow your way through a crowd...seriously it works!) out and get to the front row! I was dancing and screaming along. After the opening number, Eddie Vedder came out and did Substitute by The Who with him. People were goin nuts! It was a real rock show!
A very tall, very gorgeous women tapped me on the shoulder, and when I saw her I immediately recognised her from Chicago. She was the women whom Elvis instructed to pull people up. She leaned in and said softly in my ear. Mr Costello would like to know if you would like to spin the wheel. I squealed!
"I would love to spin the wheel!" She put her finger up to her puckered lips, and gazed down to her feet. As if to say "shut up before I am mobbed!" Then when the song ended she escorted me to the steps of the stage and Elvis notioned me to join him center stage. I almost threw up. I got that really tight feeling in my stomach you get when you cant tell if you have menstraul cramps or gas. He asked my name in the microphone. And then repeated it back several times. I don't know what it is about hearing one of your heros/crushes say your name, but I felt like Beyonce. "Say my name!"
Next thing I know I was seated in the "socitey lounge" and handed a cocktail next to Steve Nieve. My chubby, hairy, favorite keyboard playing British nugget! I was then asked if I would get up and dance in the gogo cage. You can't imagine the feeling of relief that came over me. Before I was a bartender I gogo danced at a 1960s tiki themed bar for 6 years! If there is one thing I can do in my sleep..it's gogo!
By the time the song had ended, the nausea had subsided. I had a blast! I even got to meet him after and he signed my poster. Just as I thought that was the top of the top, the coolest thing that will ever happen to me...my stomach sank. What is in store for me now? Stomach cancer? Mugging?...Ooh I know, anvil!
I felt the nausea return.
Turns out my universal punishment for my awesome night on stage with Elvis Costello was jury duty..And not just called. Oh no. I served on a criminal trial. Blog to come....still looking out for anvils though!
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