Yesterday was…atypical. Called in sick to work. Not because of the gorgeous weather, but because I am still sick, after biding my time for weeks, hoping for a spontaneous and miraculous recovery. Much of my day off was spent waiting (with Waiting Room stuck in my head…I wait, I wait, I wait, I wait). Excitedly waiting for the little man’s school bus to arrive (the husband usually has the honor). Patiently waiting for over half an hour to see the doctor. Contemplating extraneous consumer goods while waiting for my prescriptions to be filled. Waiting to hear David Sedaris speak…though we were never able to see him, it was so danged crowded.
Two asides here:
1) before I left the house the husband, an avid listener of Democracy Now!, called out to me “…have fun with all those NPR nerds. Geesh, they might just be worse than your internet friends.” Uh, thanks?
2) walking into the U of M bookstore, in the recently renovated Coffman Union, we thought we’d taken a wrong turn…and mistakenly entered mall hell, the storefront looks that much like a Banana Republic. But after walking a few hundred feet into the cavernous space we felt more like spelunkers than mallrats. We could have heard echoes, if it weren’t for the hundreds of “NPR nerds” who turned out for the event. It was already so packed by the time we arrived that we didn’t get anywhere near Mr. Sedaris. We’re not even sure what part of the store he was in, but we settled for a spot on the floor in the art supply section, near the envelopes and portfolios. Thankfully they had a decent PA set up.
Back to waiting…distractedly, through an opening band’s set, while waiting for the headliners. The Decemberists did not disappoint. I didn’t think I could love them any more than I already did…but I do now. And, already suffused with glowing love for this band, they topped it all off by closing their encore with a cover…of Echo and the Bunnymen’s Bring on the Dancing Horses. I nearly swooned. Yet I seemed to be the only one in my immediate vicinity who recognized and/or was excited by this song. It felt like I was having a private little moment, something special between myself and The Decemberists. It was pure magic. But enough gushing. I apologize for the lack of high quality action shots. In order to get any kind of view I had to squeeze myself (stage)left of center, behind the sound guy, and climb atop a squishy vinyl booth seat. Not the steadiest stance, ’specially for picture taking.
