The True Love

I know most of you already think I have odd taste in men. This post will do nothing to change that. In fact, you will probably question it even more. David Letterman is "the Idol" . Steve Martin: "the Ideal Man". Cal Ripken: "the Hero". Matthew Perry: "The Future Husband". However, all these men, truth be told, don't hold a candle to the one who has been at the top of The Hierarchy all of these years. And after 18 years of total love and worship, today, June 24, 2006, I finally met him. He is none other than "The True Love", the Hot Rod himself, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.



It started innocently enough. I began watching pro wrestling when I was 10 years old because I had a crush on a boy who watched it. The crush soon faded, but my love of watching did not. I loved the gimmicks and the toned bodies and the personalities. Randy Savage & Elizabeth, Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, Jesse Ventura, Bobby Heenan, Jake Roberts, the Honky Tonk Man became became fixtures I couldn't get enough of. I was completely hooked. And then one day I saw Roddy Piper and my whole world changed.

Whatever that something is that creates love at first sight, Roddy had in spades. He was handsome, intelligent, articulate and funny. And to a pre-teen who was mad at everything and thought the world was against her, Roddy became the lone bright spot. He made me happy, and for that alone, I am forever indebted to him. It became my mission to learn everything I could about him. Weekends were spent at the video store renting videos of old matches. I collected everything I could, from magazines and books to t-shirts to action figures to miscellaneous stuff (him singing, a coloring book, collector coin, etc...), absorbing everything about him like a sponge. I sacrificed hours of my life watching straight-to-video movies like "Jungleground", "No Contest" and "Hell Comes to Frogtown" and D-list TV shows, "Walker, Texas Ranger", "Silk Stalkings" and "Robocop: the TV Series" among others, solely because he was in them. True love knows no bounds.

The years passed, and I developed other "admirations" and interests and watched wrestling less, especially since Roddy wasn't around as much. Yet when he makes a TV appearance I'll still make it a point to tune in. Hearing the bagpipes and seeing him smile never fail to light that spark of pure happiness. Since my teenage years, many loves have come and gone, but there's only one first True Love, and he will always have a special place in my heart because of that.

When I read that Roddy was going to be in New York at this comic book convention, I had mixed feelings. The 28-year old didn't want to be caught anywhere near this convention. But ultimately I had no choice but to go. I had to do it for the 10-year old. I owed it to my childhood.

I waited in line for a half hour or so. There were some scary costumed people, and grown men who cared about X-Men a little too much. And I can say with absolute certainty that I was the most attractive person there -- by far. It was extremely humid inside and between the heat and the rain, I was hoping I would have looked a little better (still though, the MOST attractive person there...).

Finally my turn came. I introduced myself, and the 10-year old in me completely took over. I gushed and thanked him for all the joy, happiness and inspiration he had brought me over the years. He was very nice and complementary. And not thinking it was even possible, more handsome in person. He gave me a kiss and a hug and then we took the above picture. Then Roddy Piper hugged me again. The 10-year old couldn't of asked for anything more.

I don't expect many of you to understand just how important this was for me. The best comparison I can think of is to just think of someone who is significant to you. And for a few moments, you know you matter to them. All I've ever wanted was to one day meet him and thank him. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have finally been able to do so.

Quote of the Day:
"Just when you think you have the answers, I change the questions." -Roddy Piper

***

Below are some more pictures I took. Yes, that is Virgil and Captain Lou Albano. I felt kinda bad for them because while the Roddy line had a constant stream of people, their lines were painfully short. The Roddy line even overshadowed the Steven Seagal line. Thankfully, even the scary comic book people have some taste.

Catching Up

So much to talk about, so little free time...

Sarah & Paul's Wedding:

I headed down to Washington last weekend for my high school friend, Sarah's, wedding. The wedding was held at Ft. Meyer, an Army base adjacent to Arlington Cemetery once ran by Gen. Patton. It was a hot, muggy Washington day. The ceremony was at one and Sarah looked so beautiful. It was a brief ceremony. My friend Karen and I noticed Sarah's brother was nowhere to be seen. We found out afterwards that he was hospitalized that morning for appendicitis. That was theonly downer.

After the ceremony, we had 5 hours to kill before the reception. Karen, her boyfriend Ryan and I drove to nearby Georgetown and had lunch with Jenn at J Paul's and watched the World Cup. Sans Jenn, we then walked around some (Ryan had never been to DC before) and took a quick jaunt to Arlington Cemetery.

Since it was still super muggy, we only went to see JFK's grave. Here's the view of DC from the grave:



All around the cemetery, there are signs asking visitors to please have respect for the premises and to keep voices to a minimum. And around JFK's grave, there are bonus signs reading "SILENCE! RESPECT!". Apparently, one tourist was illiterate because from 30 yards away, she was yelling to a guard, "EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME GUARD??? WHERE IS THE WHITE CROSS?? THE WHITE CROSS??". The guard, looking mortified at the woman, put his finger to his mouth and asked her to speak in hushed tones. Her classy response, "Why do I have to be quiet? There's nothing but DEAD PEOPLE around here!" Personally, I think the woman should have been shot on sight, or at least fined $100. 50 feet away is the white cross, which denotes RFK's grave. Across from the grave is a little monument and reflecting pool. Despite signs asking visitors from touching the monuments, that didn't stop ANOTHER tourist from leaning on the monument, on her CELL PHONE, yelling, "I'm at the cemetery. *pause* The CEMETERY." Karen, Ryan and I were horrified by all of this. Such disrespect. This is why other countries hate us.

Finally, the reception came. We ate, we danced, we talked. Below are some pics from the event. The first is of Karen and I. Number 2 is of Sarah, Paul and I and number 3 is the WJ posse that attended the wedding:





Congrats Sarah & Paul!!!

Tom Petty #8

Voyage #8 to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Madison Square Garden last night was exactly the same as voyage #7. The concert was more sing-a-long than the Virginia show. Tom played the exact set and wore the exact outfit. I was stupid and forgot to recharge the batteries on my camera to take any additional pictures. I just stood and danced and enjoyed the show. The new song "Square One" is really good. "Refugee" and "You Wreck Me" are two of my favorites.

I also bought a hooded jacket commemorating the 30th anniversary of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Alas, there were no tour programs.

I Scream

I love my job. I've been there for a little over two weeks and in that time, have been given free ice cream 4 times. The first 3 came from Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cakes. Today was Tenant Appreciation Day in my building. In the lobby, we were given free Good Humor ice cream bars and a raffle to win an iPod or digital camera. Luck has been on my side so far. Let's just hope it continues.

Quote of the Day:
"Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it." -Gordon R. Dickson.

Wordplay

Thanks to the good people at Time Out New York, I was able to see a free screening of the documentary Wordplay the other night. It's about crosswords and the people who love them. Among those who do, Mike Mussina and Jon Stewart, who both appear in the film. I love them as well, but am not in the film.

Crossword puzzles have been a staple in my life for the past 15 years. I find them relaxing and fun and it was nice to see people who share my passion for them...even if they are a little more extreme than I.

If you love the documentaries Spellbound and Word Wars, then Wordplay will be right up your alley. Even Erin, who doesn't do crosswords, found the documentary funny and interesting. Go see it!!

Quote of the Day:
"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death." -Albert Einstein

Tom Petty #7

Last night I made my 7th pilgrimage to see Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. This is a special tour, with the band celebrating their 30th anniversary. I took the train down to Washington, DC and headed to the Nissan Pavilion. What made the night even extra special was going with Jenn, who had never seen Mr. Petty before. She was even treated to see the rare side of me called "Super Happy Fun Ellen". Tom Petty shows are the rare occasions I let Super Happy Fun Ellen appear.

We had awesome seats (thanks TomPetty.com pre-sale!!). Trey Anastacio of Phish phame opened. I haven't listened to much Phish in my day, but did enjoy his set. Tom was as awesome as ever. Stevie Nicks came out for a couple of songs. Although an incredible concert, I have seen better TP&TH shows. Still, lots of fun. Only 9 more days until Tom Petty #8 at the Garden.

Here are some pics from the big evening.








Quote of the Day:
"Redemption comes for those who wait / Forgiveness is the key" -Tom Petty, "Lonesome Sundown"

Pardon the Girly-Girl Gushing

I am in love. I am totally and completely in love. That's capital L-O-V-E. And like so many men before, he doesn't know and doesn't care. Tonight, Cheryl and I made a pilgrimage to the Barnes & Noble in Union Square to meet the uber-dreamy CNN journalist Anderson Cooper. He was there promoting his new book. Thanks to Cheryl saving a seat, I was saved an extra 45 minutes waiting in line. I also learned that Cheryl, is in fact, really Cynthia Nixon. I had no idea I was among the famous all this time.

When it was my turn, he shaked my hand. A very nice, warm, firm grip. I really had nothing to say to him, unless it was to make a complete fool out of myself and declare my undying love for him. Instead, I spent my few precious moments with Anderson blatantly staring at him and looking into those beautiful, piercing (though not quite at the Cal Ripken echelon) blue eyes. He thanked me for waiting in line and I went on my merry way.

Take a look at these pictures and tell me he's not the cutest thing ever. Anderson Cooper. *sigh*




Quote of the Day:
"I love that if you have a crush on a boy, you can call your agent and get to meet him. That's probably the biggest perk." -Claire Danes on Being Famous