Like A Waterfall

When it rains, it pours, or so they say. I'm not sure who this "they" is, but the saying seems to be correct nonetheless.

Today was one of those crazy days that happen only in New York, and only to spastic people like me. It started off simply enough. I woke up, showered, ate some lunch (since I slept past noon - it's the weekend, c'mon) read a little bit. Then I decided that my routine was way too boring for a Saturday, especially a beautiful Saturday in the city.

Let me preface this story with some background information. Last week, my boss asked me to proofread her blog about design week. She'd attended some event at the Javits Center. In proofreading, I googled the Javits Center to make sure she spelled the name right (she didn't) and found myself on the page for Fangocon NYC, hosted by Fangoria. Among those participating in the festivities was James Marsters, best known for his role as Spike on Buffy.

I will be perfectly frank with you right now: I love this man. I mean, not love him for real, I understand he plays a fictional character on television, and he's probably twice my age. But I have a lot of respect for him. He was in 3 of my favorite TV shows, had a band I obsessed over, and is just so damn cute. I'm not saying I think I'm the next Mrs. Marsters, because hey, never met the guy and usually that's a prerequisite for true love, but when it comes to him, I do tend to get a little fangirly. Must be the hair :)

Anyway, other than Buffy and Angel, I'm not that big into horror. I like the Twilight series and most vampire stuff in general, but the whole Freddy Kruegger thing (if I even spelled that right) scares the hell out of me...in a not so good way. I try to avoid it for the most part. But I was willing to go anyway, if only to catch a glimpse of the illustrious former vamp. And I was willing to pay the relatively cheap conference price for the day in order to attend his concert.

But as luck would have it, I didn't have to! The concert was not part of the event, so you didn't need to have a convention ticket to go, meaning that I was able to skip the scariness in full AND save money. Go me.

The concert was incredible! James sang a bunch of awesome songs, including one that he'd only performed in public once before, based on a movie he was in. He interacted with the crowd too. At the very beginning, he told us all that we seemed so far away and asked us to move our seats closer to him. There was a little bit of an issue with the speakers and some feedback, but it was an all-around amazing experience.

The best part was right after the speakers failed the second time. James was taking a break from playing while some guy tried to fix it, and a member of the audience asked what kind of guitar he had. He took a minute to explain that his Gibson had been drop-kicked by accident or something like that, and mentioned that a fan had given him this guitar and that he took it all over the world. At this point, a lady in the front row started sobbing. It turns out she'd given it to him, and he thanked her again and told her how much he loved it. It's always nice when a fan gets to talk to someone they like so much, isn't it? The rest of his performance was very smooth and I bought his CD, Like A Waterfall. I'm not disappointed :)

After the event (and a phone call to my mother letting her know she is now forgiven from banning me from going to London to see him in concert while I was still in high school) I hit up Starbucks and started to walk home. I wasn't planning to walk the whole way, but I always enjoy mocking tourists at Times Square for not knowing how to avoid the comedy club promoters, so I thought it would be amusing. On my way, I saw a woman driving a jeep. But not just any jeep. This was the BARBIE jeep. I kid you not, it was bright pink with the BARBIE logo on the side. I only wish I had managed to get a pic before she barrelled through the light.

Thinking that would be the most exciting thing on my walk, I put away my camera and headed uptown. I'd made it to about 43rd when I saw a familiar face attached to a freakishly tall and thin body. Yup, it was definitely Paris Hilton, sans any BFF. She should really give that show a third try. I know the second one's not over yet, but they're probably done taping it right? So wouldn't you think she'd have some BFF arm candy or something? She was with another girl, but it seemed more follower than friendship. Perhaps another "hungry tiger" on the loose. And may I just say, if you have to make a TV show to find a BFF, maybe you should be eaten by a hungry tiger? Just a thought.

I ended up walking to Columbus Circle, where I took some fabulous pics of the fountains. I love those fountains, with the steps and the lights. So beautiful. It was the perfect way to end the perfect night.