Caller Number 14

Oh, yes, I was!

I had to go up to New Hampshire for an appointment today – it’s a long story, has to do with insurance and pharmacy and so on – and I forgot to grab my iPod from home.  Thus I had the radio on, and within minutes heard one of those, “Caller number 14 wins tickets, blah blah…” I was alone in the car, nothing else grabbing at my attention, have won tickets to two concerts and one Irish Festival in the past, so why not?  Dial… Press Talk… busy signal… Press End… Press Talk… busy signal… et al.  I was still dialing when they played the conversation with the woman who won; I took that as a pretty clear sign that I could safely stop trying.

So I kept driving, and switched over to AM radio to catch the news for a while.  And after a bit, “Caller number 10 wins tickets, blah blah…” So, sure, why not, all over again.  And, again, no success.  Sigh.

Back to FM, just at the precise moment when the announcement comes through yet again: “Caller number 14 wins tickets to see Melissa Etheridge in the Mix Lounge, as well as tickets to her sold-out show at the Wang Theater in Boston that same night, plus entry into a contest for front-row seats at MIXFest 2010.” Well, OK, I can’t stop repetitively pressing buttons now, can I? Press Talk… busy signal… Press End… Press Talk… busy signal… Press End… Press Talk… ring.  Ring.  Ring.

Wait, what? It’s actually ringing, not just the automated, “We’re sorry, your call cannot go through as dialed.  Please try your call again later,” but really ringing?  And it rang, and rang… probably 10 or 12 times.  And then…

“Hello!  Have you won anything from our station in the past 60 days?”

“Umm… nope, not since 2003, actually.  Why, have I won something from your station today??”

“Yes, you have!  Congratulations!”

How freaking cool is that?!?  So I’m going to get a small-audience acoustic set in the afternoon, and then a sold-out stage performance in the evening.  And entry into a drawing for front row seats at the MIXFest, with artists I like just fine, though they’re not quite on par with Melissa.  I’ve seen her perform three times, each in very large venues… this up-close stuff will be quite different from what I’ve seen before.

I’ll be taking my mom, because she is a heeeyyy-udge, huge Melissa Etheridge fan, and I can hear her smile from here.  It’s nowhere near a repayment for all she did for us in March and April, but it’s a tiny step in the right direction.

It just feels so, so good to look forward to something.  To know that life still holds pockets of fun and excitement.  To smile until my cheeks hurt.  Maybe it’s boring, to be happy: a lack of drama, medical or otherwise.  This is just fine with me.  I know that there is angst and pain waiting somewhere down the road, but right this moment, I feel good.  Seriously good, both physically and mentally.  So I’ll bask in this moment and stretch it out just as long as I can.