Archive for February, 2008

SKIP THE ELEVATOR

HERE GOES. SO LAST NIGHT I LEFT EARLY TO GO TO THE FRIDAY NIGHT SHOW, AS I HAD SOME ERRANDS TO DO…I HAD JUST HAD A SPLENDID AFTERNOON BRUNCH AT ALICE’S TEACUP, FEASTING ON SCONES AND CLOTTED CREAM WITH MY FRIENDS KATHY AND LAURA…I WAS STUFFED NEEDLESS TO SAY. TIM ALWAYS CALLS ME WHEN I ‘M ABOUT TO LEAVE FOR WORK, AS HE IS JUST FINISHING WORK. I LOSE HIS CALL WHEN I’M ON THE ELEVATOR GOING DOWN TO OUR LOBBY…SO I SAID “SHOULD I TAKE THE STAIRS TONIGHT?” “NO THE ELEVATOR”AND NOW I BLAME HIM.

SO I GET ON THE ELEVATOR AND PRESS LOBBY, IT GOES TO LOBBY, BUT THE DOORS DO NOT OPEN, AT ALL…I HIT THE OPEN BUTTON, NOTHING…THAN SUDDENLY IT STARTS SPEEDING UP TO ??? I RANDOMLY PRESS A FLOOR, 8. AT 8 IT STOPS AND SHAKES, AND AGAIN NOTHING…I PRESS OPEN, THAN LOBBY, THAN OPEN…AND THAN I FELL THE SWEAT BEGINNING TO FORM, AND MY HEART BEAT A BIT FASTER (IT’S ALREADY BEATING FAST, BECAUSE I HAVE WHEAT ALLERGIES, AND CONSUMED 2 HUGE, DELICIOUS PUMPKIN AND GOAT CHEESE SCONES), AND MY CHEST FEELS TIGHT…ALL PANIC ATTACK SYMPTOMS.

I SEE AN INTERCOM, PRESS THAT, AND NOW HEAR MY HERO, BELOVED DOORMAN, RALPH SAY “ARE YOU ALRIGHT”…HE PROMISES TO GET HELP, AND I SAY JUST KEEP CHECKING INTERMITTENTLY, WHICH HE DOES. ANOTHER SOUL WHO LIVES ON 8 TAPS ON THE ELEVATOR DOOR AND ASKS IF ANYONE’S IN THERE, WHICH I REPLY YES. HE SAYS THIS HAPPENED THE OTHER DAY, HE’LL GET HELP…I THANK HIM.

MOMENTS FLOAT BY… I DECIDE TO SIT ON MY DOWN JACKET, ON THE FLOOR, AND PLACE MY PURSE IN FRONT OF ME, FOR CUSHION IN FRONT AND UNDER ME, IN CASE MY FEAR OF THE ELEVATOR SUDDENLY CRASHING TO THE BOTTOM FLOOR OCCURS. I TRY TO DECIDE WHAT POSITION WOULD BE LESS DAMAGING IF INDEED IT DOES CRASH, AND TRY THOSE PATTERNS…

THAN RALPH COMES UP TO 8 AND ASKS ME TO TRY AND OPEN THE DOOR, NOTHING…HE GOES BACK DOWN, AND APOLOGIZES THAT THE TECH MAN HASN’T ARRIVED YET.

I AM COMFORTED BY THE SOUNDS OF CHILDREN’S VOICES RUNNING AND LAUGHING ON THE FLOOR I’M ON..AND LONG FOR THEM TO STAY FOR SOME KIND OF NORMALITY. I THINK OF DANIEL IN THE LIONS DEN, PROTECTED, AND PETER SEEING JESUS WALKING ON THE WATER, BRAVELY WALKING TOWARDS HIM, BUT AS SOON AS HE ANALYZES THE CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND HIM, HE STARTS TO FALTER, FEAR AND SINK, TILL JESUS INVITES HIM TO GRAB HIS OUTSTRETCHED HAND…I’M CALMED, FOR A BIT, TILL LIKE PETER I AGAIN WONDER COULD THIS CRASH? WILL FIREMEN HAVE TO COME TO FORCE THE DOOR OPEN, AND ME CRAWL OUT SPRAWLED BTWN 2 FLOORS, HOW MANY HOURS???

THEN I BALANCE MY CHECKBOOK, THEN READ ABOUT 5 TEXT MESSAGES FROM TIM ASKING “WHERE ARE YOU” AND ME NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE ANY CALLS, BECAUSE THERE’S NO SERVICE…AND EVEN TEXT WON’T SEND…AND THAN WONDERING HOW TO REACH MICHELLE OUR STAGE MGR…AND TELL HER SHE BETTER PUT HEATHER ON.

THAN I REALIZE IF I’M PATIENT SOME OF MY TEXTS START TO GO THROUGH IF I USE DIGITAL/ANALOGUE??? AND ALL THESE TEXTS START REACHING ME FROM TIM, MICHELLE, SARA, HEATHER, TRAVIS…AH LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO SOUND SO OVER DRAMATIC…BUT I ALSO THOUGHT OF THOSE IN TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES, LIKE 9/11 AND SUCH, WHO COULDN’T REACH THEIR LOVED ONES, WHO DIDN’T HAVE TIME, WHO WERE CAUGHT OFF GUARD, WHO LONGED FOR A HUMAN VOICE OF A LOVED ONE…AND I TRIED NOT TO WEEP…BECAUSE I KNEW THAT I WOULDN’T STOP…AND THAN I THOUGHT, SINCE IT IS LENT AND EASTER IS ARRIVING SOON…OF JESUS , ALONE, FACING DEATH, ALONE WITH NO ONE WHO LOVED HIM TO COMFORT HIM…AT TIMES IN THAT SHORT SPAN OF UNDER AN HOUR…I FELT SO ALONE, ABANDONED…HOPEFUL, KNOWING I ‘D BE ALRIGHT…AND THAN DOUBTING…

AND THAN THE TECH GUY SHOWED UP AND SAID I’M GOING TO TRY SOMETHING….”NO” I HAVE TO GO ABOVE…OH MAN, I THOUGHT NOW WHAT…AND AFTER ?? THE FLOOR SWUNG, SHOOK AND THE DOOR OPENED SLIGHTLY AND I BOUNDED OUT LIKE A FAWN AND RAN DOWN THE STAIRS AND HUGGED RALPH…CALLED MICHELLE, TIM, MY PARENTS, WALKED UP TO THE 11TH FLOOR, TO MY APT…MY NEIGHBOR INVITED ME IN AND OPENED A BOTTLE OF WINE…AND

I’M GREATFUL I WENT TO THE BATHROOM BEFORE I GOT ON…

RAINY DAYS AND SNOWY NIGHTS

WHEN IS SPRING COMING? NO, I KNOW WE’VE HAD A VERY MILD WINTER…EVEN THOUGH I GREW UP IN MICHIGAN AND LIVED IN NYC FOR 17 YEARS..I STILL DON’T LIKE IT. I’M A WUSS…I LIKE THE SUN. I THINK I HAVE “SAD” SEASONAL ADD??? DISORDER…MAYBE I’LL GO TO A TANNING BOOTH? DOES THAT HELP?

ANYWAY..LIFE IS GOOD AT JBOYS. OUR DIRECTOR, DES, WAS HERE A BIT AGO…AND WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE SHOW AND IT WAS SO WONDERFUL HAVING NOTES AGAIN, AND ESPECIALLY HIM SEEING THE NEW MEMBERS AND GUIDING THEM WITH THE ORIGINAL INTENTIONS OF THE SHOW…AND KEEPING US IN SHAPE AND FOCUSED ON JUST TELLING THE WONDERFUL STORY.

ALRIGHT OFF TO TWO SHOWS…BYE

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