August 8, 2015- July 18, 2014- Duran Duran in PA- Part 2

They did 2 more songs, “Hungry like the Wolf” and “Planet Earth” before John was the next speaker. Michelle T was asking him a question but I barely heard it because I was shocked to see Nick Rhodes sitting two rows in front of me.

   That was very odd; how had he gotten there and what had happened to the previous occupant of that chair?  A few seconds later he disappeared and the girl who was sitting there before returned. I heard someone saying hello to me; when I looked over to my right side, there was Nick.

    It was so cool that he was now next to and also talking to me. Jamie looked back and seemed just as surprised and thrilled. He asked me how I was doing and I said fine. I was kind of nervous as I asked him a similar question.

   I wasn’t even caring that this interaction was distracting me from what John was saying, which was definitely weird. Nick was only there for like 45 seconds before he walked back up onto the stage. The guy who had been next to me before magically reappeared.

   The other band members were also coming out to the audience after John spoke which excited the fans. What an unusual concert it had been so far. Another 15 minutes passed before they all went back onto the stage. No one seemed to mind that only 3 songs had been performed within the first hour.

   I was so happy when right before they started up the music again, I was teleported to a much better seat in the 4^th row, to the left of the stage. It was a bit nerve wracking but also wonderful being closer to one of my favorite groups, esp. the one particular member. I still can’t get over my shame of liking bassist guy.

     ” New Moon on Monday” was the next song; I’ve never seen them do this one in concert before. Well, according to my scrapbook set list from my first ever DD concert in 2000, it had been performed but I don’t remember this. Besides, it was only the “Nick and Simon Show” then. It wasn’t until 5 years later that I finally got to see the entire original band.

   The whole event lasted 2 and a half hours. The last song that they did was “Rio”. I was smiling during parts of that. They didn’t perform this one at the last show that I was at up in the Foxwoods Casino/Resort. They probably would have done so at the cancelled Atlantic City one. I still can’t believe that I went to both places in one weekend.

   This PA concert certainly was a different and interesting experience. It was still kind of early by the time we left that venue. We had to find a place to have our dinner at. It would have to be cheaper than our lunchtime one, probably a fast food eatery.

   We decided to stop at the McDonalds in the town near where my Aunt Ann lives. I’m pretty sure that all 4 of her kids worked at that place at various times during the 70s-mid 1980s.  As we were getting out of the van, the scene around me was fading and I was soon back in my house in the real world.

 

      Christmas gifts from my cousins’ McDonalds- 1970s plate set and 1980s Muppet Babies     

 

Dreamtime-

July 18, 2014- Duran Duran in PA

I was with my Girl Scout troop again, only this time we had a different leader. Miss J was blond and in her early-mid-30s. She resembled someone whom I’m familiar with but can’t think of her name right now. I wondered why our actual leader, Miss K, was not a part of this program. I was thinking how sad it is that she died. I forget how long ago that happened, maybe 10 years.

   Maybe Miss J was just a substitute leader because Miss K was sick or something like that. We were in her green van. Eleven of my troop mates were a part of this day trip. We were heading towards Peddler’s Village. I heard Jamie telling Michelle that she went there once with her aunt. I’ve been there a few times, twice with Mom, Aunt Ann and cousins.

   I discovered that there was also going to be another destination on this journey. The 2 Michelles were talking about how they couldn’t wait to see Simon. Jane said that she hoped that they would perform “Lonely in Your Nightmare”.  I was happy that we would be doing 2 fun things in one trip.

  I was sitting near the window. The view outside was beautiful; it was autumn and the leaves were in the colors of that season. The temps were in the low 60s which was mild weather for early October. We were all wearing the matching yellow jackets with our names stitched on the front upper left side.

    We arrived at Peddler’s Village by 9:30 a.m. We would be spending 2 and a half hours looking around in the shops before meeting for lunch at the Cock ‘n Bull restaurant. I’ve eaten there once or twice; the food is delicious.

   We were also observing the scarecrows that were a part of the contest. I took pictures of some of them as I did in real life. The one was a creepy spider in a web. Another was a farmer who sort of looked like my big 80s crush, Don Mattingly.

   I was hanging out with Jamie. We went into the stationary store that has a section with lots of stickers. We both bought some to add to our collections and to trade with. We looked in the toy store next. I saw a cute teddy bear that I thought about buying but someone else had done so by the time that I went back to that aisle for it.

   After lunch, we were already heading towards the concert venue which was about a 35 minute drive from Peddler’s Village. It seemed strange but also nice that Duran Duran was doing a show in such a rural environment. As if they would do so in reality. And even odder was that it was taking place starting at 3 p.m.

   The place was pretty small too; capacity of around 360 people. How had we been so lucky to get tickets for such an event? Maybe Sam would telepathically answer this after the program. Our troop’s seats were scattered in the same general area which was also kind of weird. I was sitting right behind Jamie.

   The two Michelles were lucky, they got to sit next to each other closer to the stage. I was a little jealous of them. I was mostly grateful that we were even there at all. I was in the 10^th row which was about the midway point.

   The band came out onto the stage 25 minutes later. The first song that they performed was “All You Need is Now” Their appearance was as it had been 6 years ago. Simon had the beard and mustache though. We looked as we did in the mid-1980s. I wondered why Sam hadn’t made them closer to their age at that time too. Time is always pretty bizarre in this fantasy world.

   After this song, Simon was talking for about 15 minutes. He answered some questions next. I was assuming that the other DD guys would be doing the same thing throughout this show which did turn out to be the case.

  August 8, 2015- More DD in PA

Jenny said that she has been to 33 DD concerts since 1987. I wish that I had been to more than 10 over the past 10 years, like another one during their 2007 Broadway run.

   She has a lot of tour shirts. I told her that I finally bought my first two and that I am getting over my shame of wearing them.  We were looking at the ones that they had for sale there. I saw one that I would be interested in but I really don’t have the money for another one now.

   She was at John's book signing in NYC. He also signed a pick of his that she had been lucky enough to catch at a concert. She actually has two of them. He wasn’t really signing other stuff besides the book but he did this for her which was nice.

   I told Jenny that I would have loved to have seen them when they were younger. She added when we were younger to that statement. I did mention to her my ridiculous afterlife fantasy of our spirits going to any concerts that we want to. I am pretty sure that I told either Lori and/or the girl next to me that too.

   The girl next to me said that she gets teased about being so passionate about them. I said that my brother teases me about them too but uses the word obsessed. I like the word she used and also devoted. I bet that if I had been into them when I was younger, I would be even more passionate about them now. I really wish that I had been.

   Jenny agreed with me when I said that I wish that we could go to another DD concert soon. It will be a long time before they are in this area again. I’m sure that they will wait until around March or April to do the Garden. I will certainly try to get a good seat through the fan club then.

   I checked my email and saw a lot of Facebook stuff of Jenny’s on there, including some of her photos of the concert. I felt so good when I saw that she referred to me as her new Duranie friend. I did respond to this, saying that meeting and hanging (forgot to add out after this word) with her made this event even more special.

 

 

August 7- DD Concert- Bethlehem PA

I arrived in Bethlehem by noon. I should have taken a little bit later bus. I didn’t realize that there really isn’t much to do in that area. I had my lunch and wrote in my journal in a small park. I then went to Rite Aid where I got some Tic-Tacs.

   I looked in an upscale thrift shop then did some more sitting around and a bit of daydreaming in another area of that park.

   When I finally walked to the outdoor venue- Steel Stacks- I heard “Come Undone” DD was obviously doing a sound check. Part of me was thinking that maybe this was just on a stereo system at first. After that, I heard “Is There Something I Should Know?”

   I actually approached a girl in a Planet Earth t-shirt like I have but in blue and began talking to her around that time. We walked over to the fenced in area to try to find a spot where maybe we would be able to peek in to see DD but no such luck.

   I hung out with this girl, Jenny, and her parents before the show. They were so nice. Jenny also likes JT. I told her that I was ashamed about liking him and she said that I shouldn’t be.

   When her phone rang, I heard “Is There Something I Should Know?” as the ringtone. We were certain that they would be doing this during the show but that didn’t happen. So I guess that they don’t always perform stuff that is done during sound check.

   Jenny shared part of her chicken salad sub sandwich from Wawa with me. That saved me some money on dinner. I had only brought my lunch and some snacks and juice boxes with me.

     Jenny and her mother had good seats in the front section. Those tickets were all grabbed up by the employees of this venue and anyone who makes a pledge to its arts foundation; they were the first to go on presale.

   A small part of me is wishing that I had just made that pledge but that would have been an additional $100.00 that I would have had to take out of my auto repair fund. It is bad enough that I have been dipping into this for other DD stuff lately.

   It was cool that a couple of people who sat near me actually remembered me from previous DD concerts and events. Lori was the girl at the JT book signing who sent me some photos of it. The girl next to me was at the Wellmont and Central Park shows. I didn’t think that I was that memorable.

   Lori said that she would send me photos of this show. I felt bad that I didn’t say goodbye to her. I was worried about possibly missing the bus.

   I used my binoculars way too much during this concert, mostly on bassist guy. The lady to my left must have thought that I was obsessed with him. She motioned for me to move over so that I could get an even better view of him. That was nice of her.

   The show was good but it went by way too quickly; it only lasted for 75 minutes. Jenny and I didn’t care for the opening act, a girl singer. Her dad drove me to the bus stop. I am now Facebook friends with her.

   Unfortunately, I screwed up the bus schedule. I thought that the last bus to NYC was at 11:30 but it turns out that this is the last one from NYC to here. The driver said that the next one wasn’t until 7:30 a.m. and suggested that I stay at a hotel down the road.

   Thank goodness that a nice guy who I had been talking to while waiting for the bus offered to drive me to the Sands Resort Casino. I discovered that there was a 1:45 a.m. bus to NYC from this destination. That was a very long 2 hour wait for me.

   I did worry that the driver would say that I could not go on the bus because my ticket was for the other stop but luckily she didn’t. It’s the same line and the stop was not that far from this one.

   I was so damn exhausted. I think that I did fall half asleep for a bit during the ride. I had to wait about an hour for the first train to Linden at Penn Station.

   I went into Quick Check hoping to find a mocha Frappuccino. I was so happy that they had this. I took the cab home; I had just missed the first bus to my town.

   My brother was already awake when I got home. I was hoping to get a little peace and quiet before he woke up. I told him all about my adventure. I am sure that he thinks that it was crazy that I took a bus to PA just to see DD.

   I don’t remember when I first discovered that I had accidentally left the binocular case with the lens covers in it at the venue. I was very upset about this. I am too afraid to tell my brother about it.

   I found out from looking on Facebook that our childhood friend Cindy was also at this concert. Jenny had tagged me in a photo that she took at it. Cindy saw this and left a comment. I think it said “You were in my backyard.” She lives in Allentown.

    I did reply to this. We don’t usually interact on this site or elsewhere, except for birthday wishes. I haven’t seen her since her grandfather’s funeral in 1992.

   Even though I was upset about the bus fiasco, I was kind of glad that I didn’t get it right. If I had noticed that there wasn’t a bus until the next morning I probably would have never ordered a ticket for this venue.

    I am sure that Amy will say that she is proud of me for socializing at this event. I guess that I did an okay job of it but I was still feeling pretty anxious. I can’t see that I will ever feel comfortable doing so. That is kind of pathetic. I wish that I could be normal.

June 26, 2015- Communication

I had to talk to our neighbor when I was leaving the house for my therapy appointment. He was planting flowers in his yard. I had prayed that he would temporarily go inside so I could avoid this. Just saying hello and commenting on how nice the flowers are was a major effort.

   Yesterday, I was  about to take the bag out to the garbage can but when I saw our other neighbor out in his yard I put it down and waited until he went back inside before doing this. It’s not as if he is a monster that I should be fearful of but to me most interactions with people are frightening.

   I keep putting off getting a haircut because I am too anxious to call for an appointment and also about having to make small talk with the stylist when I am there.

   I am feeling less like talking to people now than ever before. It is just too difficult and mentally exhausting. I don’t have much to say and I am not that good at expressing myself. I really don’t even like the sound of my own voice. Also, it mostly feels like I am putting on a big act. I prefer just being an observer.

   Amy said that we will have to work on this issue but I don’t see how it would be possible for me to ever feel comfortable socializing. I am sure that most people would think that it is strange that it is so hard for me.

   I am the complete opposite of my brother who is very talkative even to strangers. I have moments when I feel less uneasy speaking to people but not that often. I am better at it in my dreams. If only this could be the case in reality too.

   Sometimes, Mike doesn’t understand what I am telling him so I have to re-explain myself which is frustrating. I have to do this for Mom and even my therapist occasionally too. Did I not say things clearly or do they just not get it? I mostly blame myself for not being good at communication.

    At times he criticizes what I am saying and/or tries to correct the way that I have done so. This makes me kind of afraid to even talk to him. He also does this to Mom.

   I often have to repeat myself to Mom and Mike because of their hearing problems and/or the fact that they aren’t really paying that much attention to me. Saying things the first time is hard enough so doing this again is tiring.

    It is also upsetting that they sometimes think that I am speaking in an angry tone which is far from the truth. I am a low talker so my voice just may sound like I am yelling when I raise it. They-particularly my brother-don’t seem to believe this, however.

   My brother occasionally will change the subject that I have brought up partway through our conversation because he seems bored and would rather talk about himself/his interests. This is pretty rude and upsetting.

   Occasionally, I worry that perhaps other people are also kind of uninterested in what I have to say. I have felt this way for a long time. I am sure that Amy would tell me that I need to change these negative types of thoughts. That is going to be very difficult.

 

Dreamtime-

February 3, 2012- DD Video/Cartoon Characters

I got to be in a Duran Duran video in the holodeck. I must have won a contest. It was sort of a strange video for a song that doesn’t even exist in my reality. Weirder yet was that it was being filmed in a few places in Cranford.

   The DD guys and the crew were staying at the same hotel – The Coachman Inn. This hasn’t been there for many years. Another hotel is but I’m not even sure of its name. It was cool seeing this place again. I got to hang out with the group there for a little while, also part of the prize.

    When I was a kid, I was always so excited and relieved to see the big sign for that hotel as we were driving home on the Parkway from either the shore or the mall. I did have fun at those places but the thought of being home again was comforting, esp. when my Ginger pup was around.

    They made me look glamorous for the video, doing my hair and makeup and giving me a beautiful and expensive outfit to wear. I was looking semi-pretty to begin with, which I have no idea how the aliens create such an illusion but I wish that they’d let me stay that way in the real world.

   I was chatting with Nick about fashion and makeup for about 15 minutes. I wasn’t even feeling nervous. I didn’t really say much to the others, just the basic hello and other small talk.

     Everyone in the video was moving in slow motion during part of it, only this was actually really happening and not added as a special effect later. No one thought that this was odd.

   When I left the hotel, my father was in the parking lot. Why did he have to be a part of this? I hope that he was a good Dad in this reality. Were my parents still married here? It was present day but everyone looked 10-15 years younger.

   Dad was standing near our 1984 tan Buick Century. He told me that he had been at Woodbridge Mall but that when he was driving home on the Parkway as he reached our exit-136-that suddenly our town was no longer there. A forest was now in its place.

   I said “How is this possible?”  Our town is very close to this hotel; when I looked over in that direction I saw that he was right. I told him that maybe it still is there but that it is now beyond the forest

    Dad seemed pretty upset about this.  I told him that maybe we should just go somewhere for coffee before checking this out. I also said that maybe afterwards things would be back to normal in our town.

   He took us someplace in Kenilworth. We went on the Parkway to get there. During that drive, I saw a very strange but also funny site – there were cartoon characters in their vehicles on this road also. There was Scooby and the gang in the Mystery Machine van, which is my all-time favorite cartoon. Others included Batman and Robin, The Flinstones, Hong Kong Phooey and The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt.

   It ended after we had our coffee so I don’t know if our town was where it should be again; hopefully it was. I’ve lived there all of my life and probably will until the day that I die.

The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt

 

Note- bottom 2 photos are from the internet

July 22, 2015- My Brother- Part 2

  

 

Mike hit me in the face with his Tonka Jeep accidentally which knocked out my baby tooth. I liked playing with that jeep and other toys of his like the Big Wheel from Grandma at the farm, Lincoln Logs and his action figures.

   He didn’t have that many- a few each of “Battlestar Galactica”, Star Trek -The Motion Picture, and Star Wars. Missy had a whole Darth Vader head case full of the latter; we were always jealous of our cousin for this.

   I’d look at his “Star Trek” slides on my View Master which I still have. He got rid of his but kept the slides which is kind of strange. The “Yogi Bear/Huckleberry Hound” and Scenic Wonders of America are both of ours. I have Sleeping Beauty, The Rescuers and the Muppets.

   We both had the Rescuers lunch boxes, after that it was Tupperware ones. We were really into the Disney movies when we were kids. Mom said that they took us to see many of these films at Ed and Aunt Joan’s theaters. I only remember a few like The Jungle Book, The Rescuers and Sleeping Beauty.

   We still have 3 Disney records- It’s a Small World, The Best of Disney (2 album set) and Mary Poppins. I remember some of the words to “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”. Dad played “Chim- Chim -Cheree “on his violin once.

   That’s the only time that we’ve ever heard him play. I don’t know why he gave it up- he was good. Mom said that he had taken lessons for a long time.

    Dad signed Mike up for the higher amount of judo lessons which he wasn’t too happy about. Even Mom had told Dad to go for the lower amount. My brother eventually quick going to them, but I forget how far into this he did so. He was in one competition in which he earned a yellow belt.

   We liked going to that Sears in Watchung with our parents; it was like a mini adventure for us. That town is about 25 minutes away but it seemed much further. Isn’t that the case about a lot of places when you are a kid? - Possibly not for everyone though.

   My brother would sometimes wander off in that and other department stores which was annoying and a bit worrisome. We would have an employee page him to meet up with us when we were unable to find him.

   He does the same thing these days occasionally which is still irritating. I don’t have him paged though. Sometimes I think about doing so.

   Were we weird kids for having fun when we went to such places as a furniture store like Huffman Koos and to home improvement stores – Channel and Rickel. I loved looking at the paint colors and sometimes took those sample card things home. I also liked the smell of the lumber there.  All 3 places are no longer in business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            

 
Note- Photos from internet- stores, violin, action figures, jeep, lunch boxes, Lincoln Logs, and Big Wheel.