Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

Where I grew up.

Where I used to live.

Where I live.

Where I once lived and will live again.

Nanny’s life (from my old web site).

A Boing Boing link brought me to this panorama of the Star Wars fans at the wrong theatre, and I’m guessing the telephone in the picture is the one I called. There are so many other fascinating panoramas that mean something to me.

• The 37th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assasination at the National Civil Rights Museum here in Memphis
• The Eyes Wide Open Memorial, commemorating those soldiers killed in Iraq
• This is the huge anti-war protest in London that happened last year. The war began when I was in London in 2003, and I went to the first march. It was huge and looked a lot like this one a year later.
• The Tribute in light to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks. I saw this quite by accident. I was in NYC in April of 2002. Things in my marriage has just turned suddenly wrong, and I took off to see some close friends. I had been out and about by myself for the day, it was now night, and I was planning to meet some friends for drinks. I got off the subway, walked up to street level, and called my parents because I hadn’t spoken to them in a while. I noticed several people crowded around several pictures on a fence. Talking to my parents, I suddently realized that I was at the church next to ground zero. I looked up, and the tribute was still there. It was a cloudy night, but I could make out the lights. I found out later that it was one of the last nights the tribute was in place.

You’d never know it from my time in Memphis, but I grew up at gigs. I’ve been holding on to my ticket stubs since the beginning. When my parents sold the house they’d been in for 25 years last summer, I had the task of going through everything of mine that was there. In the process, another slew of ticket stubs emerged, ones I’d forgotten about. I added those to the ones I already had gathered together, and I decided I was going to do something meaningful with them.

When I first moved to Memphis, I went to Michael’s craft store and about had a meltdown trying to find a "normal" scrap book. Seems scrapbooking has now become a verb, which I find most unfortunate. It was nearly impossible to find a plain book with black pages amidst all the themed stickers and glitter glue, but I did it. I got about 10 pages filled, and then internship really began, and the project was suspended.

Today, I was reading some of the new questions on Ask Metafilter, and this one popped up, which got me thinking again about my ticket stub project. That link lead to this one, and before I knew it, I was in the kitchen, moving around the directional lamp trying to get lighting right to begin photographing my collection. I didn’t get far, but it’s a start.

Here are a few of my favorite ticket stubs from way, WAY back when. (For a little context, know that I was 13 for most of 1983.):

I camped out overnight at the Fox Theatre Box Office for this ticket. At the concert, I swooned! I really think I passed out from sheer excitement! As a result, I went home right afterwards, while my friends actually met him!

There is another post that will occur in which I will explain how the song "Wolves, Lower" changed my life. This was the beginning of a love affair I had with this band. All ages at the Agora. My dreams had been answered!

Got a change to talk to Fred for a long while at the backstage door afterwards. He was very sweet to my friend Heather and I.

I got to meet all of the B-52s in person, and I got everyone’s autographs on the back of my ticket stub… even Ricky’s.

Will the ticket stug project ever come to fruition? Will it ever be complete? I think it will be, but it won’t be any time soon. In the meantime, at least I can share a little of it with you. It’s silly, but the collection brings me immense joy. So many memories crammed into such a small space.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love the Internet!

I saw a link on Boing Boing just now that says the following:

Star Wars geeks in line at Grauman’s will answer payphone calls — Jess sez, “Star Wars fans are already lining up at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles for the Episode III premiere in six weeks. Perhaps more interesting, however, is the fact that they are apparently answering the payphone outside the theatre. Give them a ring at (323) 462-9609 and see who answers.” I just rang it and the guy who answered it did a great impression of someone answering a pay phone in line for Star Wars — so it may even be true!

… so I called the number! I spoke to a nice guy named Elliot. He’s 21 and got laid off from his job in January, and he’s a huge Star Wars fan. He said there were about 9 people there when I called, and it was “46 days and counting” until the movie opens. People don’t have specific places in line. Instead, they just spend lots and lots of time there. They sign in and out like a job. When the movie opens, they will decide the order of the line by whoever has spent the most time waiting. There is a site going online today called Lining Up about the scene outside the theatre.

When I said goodbye, Elliot said, “Bye, and may the force be with you!”

What a week. Does blogging about Medieval Fighters and Star Wars Fanatics have an affect on my position in the Geek Hierarchy?! I’ll have to ask Adam.
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Update: They mentioned me on Boing Boing! I have arrived! Also, on an unrelated note, what the hell is wrong with Blogger these days?! It’s enough to make a blogger want to go to Word Press or Moveable Type!

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10am

Abby and Aaron are driving past a large field in Nashville.

Abby: What are those people doing? It looks like they are ready to pillage a village, like they should have brooms with fires at the end, like that scene in Frankenstein. It looks like that guy is wearing a cape.

Aaron: I don’t know. It looks like maybe it’s a tarp. Maybe they are going to play Lacrosse.
Abby: I swear it’s a cape. Weird.

2pm

Abby and Aaron are coming back from brunch and a hike, and are once again passing the same field. There is a large group of people fighting in the field… like REALLY fighting, and they are all dressed up.

Abby: Oh my god! You have to park. We have to go see.

Aaron: Totally! I’m going!

A&A park, get out of the car and read a sign:

Abby: Oh my god! We have to call Adam! Do you remember that conversation we had on the way to the Loveless?

Aaron. Yeah.

Abby: I can’t believe I was actually right!

Aaron: I know!

(More pictures to follow.)

It’s so funny, I will forgive their lack of an apostrophe!

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