Boys

The weather at the beach today was delicious.

Also, there were three boys nearby me on the sand, probably around 20 years old, who buried each other in the sand, one by one. Two of them buried the one friend, then he got out of the sand, another guy laid down, they buried him, then he got up and they buried the last guy. Then the first guy who was buried laid down again and was buried in sand a second time, alongside guy #3 who was still lying there, buried in sand.

I loved that they were playing the way 12 year old boys might, but they were so much older. One thing I really appreciate among the male gender when I come across it is a healthy degree of hanging onto boyhood playfulness.

Note: This is different from a man who is taking his sweet time in embracing adulthood responsibilities in order to, you know, mature.

When I see boys around the age of eight who haven't become self-conscious about what other boys or girls think of them, it really touches my heart. Because so often guys enter this phase of acting like Joe Cool, and so often they never leave that phase. Plus a lot of people in general get to the adult stage of life and rarely act like a kid when the time is appropriate to do so.

I grew up in a playful family--who remains playful--and so if nothing else, being silly really goes back to my roots and what I know to be natural. I'm comfortable with being silly. On occasion I have urges to literally frolic. If someone is too stiff, it aggravates me.

So when I see guys around the age of 20 burying each other in the sand without hesitation, it makes me cheer inside. Bravo, boys. Keep it up. And thanks for the entertainment today.

Friday is heeeere

If you asked me if I spent my Friday evening watching "Hot in Cleveland," the Celine Dion documentary, dancing to Rapper's Delight (twice), and drinking Coors Light,

well I would have to say, yes, yes I did do those things.

Technical difficulties won't stop me

So I decided to look up information about Craig Ferguson tickets tonight and discovered they are super easy to get. I set up an account, chose my show, and shabam! Tickets!

That's not the story I'm here to tell, though.

There was a caveat:

There was one of those e-ticket screens, you know, like you get when signing in for a flight (I just wrote "plane ride," thought of the other term--"flight"--then deleted "plane ride." I sound like a 5-year-old: Plane ride!) and then you can print your boarding pass.

Well I'm at home, and I don't have a printer here. My landlords might, come to think of it, but oh well. No worries. Because I have the situation under control.

I sent the following message (edited to disguise my confirmation number, should one of you try to nab my free Craig tickets) to the help department through one of those "Contact us" forms.

Yeah that's what they're called, the "Help Department." Shut up, I've had a long day/week/month/couple of months. Anyway, here's the message in all its Luddite, ridiculous glory:

"Hi,

I just registered for 2 tickets to a Craig Ferguson show. The tickets are available, but I didn't realize I would have to print them. My computer is not hooked up to a printer. Is there a way I can access the ticket print-off page again (for example, tomorrow at work, where there is a printer)?

I see there's a QR code on there, but I don't have a smart phone--seriously. I realize this probably sounds like a joke, not having a printer or a smart phone. :)

Anyway, here's what I think is the confirmation number: #xxxxx

Help me see CraigyFerg, please!

Thanks, 

Bailey"

This is for real. If you requested this contact form through a records request, the only thing that would differ is the confirmation number and perhaps the font choice of the records request people.

After sending the above message, I 1)realized I could copy and paste the page with the e-ticket to a Word document and email it to myself to print later. Then as I composed an email to myself, to which I would attach the Word document, I, by nature of habit, I guess*, pasted the ticket information again into the body of the email and 2)realized that such was an option in place of bothering to attach the Word document to the email at all.

Finally, I 3)Went ahead and attached the document to the email anyway. For good measure.

I have got my ass covered on this, I tell ya. Hey, Ray Romano is a guest, I wanna see that guy, not to mention Craigy himself. And hopefully Secretariat!!

I thought about sending a second message to the ticket people at the Help Department to say, "Oh I figured it out, I copied and pasted, and I'll print it later," but decided against it.

Oh boy, I'm a mess.

You might think that one of these days I'll catch up to the 21st century, but I've gotta be honest with you: I'm not planning on it. I'm quite happy here in 1996.

I also learned something this evening, which is important for all of us, I think, to know and understand. From the producers of Craig's show, please read this carefully (emphasis mine): "The audience is asked not to bring any items to the show for the purpose of giving them to Craig Ferguson, Geoff Peterson, other characters or guests of the show."

Now I'm not sure Secretariat counts as a "character." I would like to count him (her?) an animal, rather. So I'm debating whether I should bring a salt lick or a nice crunchy apple for my equine friend. It might prevent me from getting inside. Perhaps an apple is the better choice, as I could always pass it off as my own snack.

*I do a lot of copying and pasting**, what can I say.
**Not to be confused with plagiarism, which I do not support nor participate in.

Look at me, I figured out how to post a Goodreads review on my blog

Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great writing. I was glued to this book.

View all my reviews

Hard to look away

Cordelia and I said we weren't going to watch the man walk across Niagara Falls on a cable wire.

Oh we watched it.

Congratulations, Nik Wallenda!