you can take a girl out of jersey...

...BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE BON JOVI OUT OF A GIRL. it's a proven fact. i have an irrational love for my jon. when any of his songs come on when i'm out at a bar or a club, you know i'm suddenly jumping around like an idiot screaming all the lyrics. i have been to new orleans 4 times in the past, and never flashed anyone even once, but i would probably take my shirt off for bon jovi tickets. it's just the way things are. i didn't even own any bon jovi tapes growing up (course, i didn't really own ANY tapes, but still) yet i am a raging bon jovi fan now. it's got to be in the genes, or in the nj water or something. whatever it is, there is no denying that I LOVE JON BON JOVI.

AND I AM GOING TO SEE BON JOVI AT HIS SOLD OUT CONCERT ON SATURDAY IN CORPORATE BOX SEATS.

did you all catch that? make sure you're sitting down, and let me repeat:

I AM GOING TO SEE BON JOVI AT HIS SOLD OUT CONCERT ON SATURDAY IN CORPORATE BOX SEATS.

feel free to be insanely jealous now. i sure would be, if i weren't going. HA!

it's pretty random (a christmas miracle, perhaps?) how i got the tickets. see, last friday night, the crew went out in adams morgan to celebrate / mourn the fact that our friend erin was moving to arizona. damn you airlines! damn you! taking away all my friends! ..but, uh, back to the point. dinner. delicious. filled with alcohol. matt and i decided to walk to the bar we were meeting some others at after dinner, while the rest of the crew drove there.

so. we get to the bar first, and find another couple, D and K, who was there to see erin. matt and i sat down and started chatting with D&K, when someone shushed the bar crowd to make an announcement.

announcey person: ok everyone! quiet! everyone get your ticket stubs ready, we're going to hold the drawing now...

me: drawing? for what?

announcey person: ...for the bon jovi tickets! get out your stubs!

me: OH MY GOD I NEED A STUB! WHERE DO I GET A STUB? NEED! STUB! AUGH!!

it was clearly too late, since the announcey person was already starting to read off numbers from the winning ticket. D&K looked a little taken aback by my sudden bon jovi-fueled outburst.

d: you like bon jovi...?

me: yeah. a lot.

d: really??

me: well, yeah. i mean, i'm from nj. i'm, like, required to.

matt: we're both huge fans, actually. my first cassette tape ever was bon jovi.

d: really? so you'd actually want to go to the concert?

me: uh, YEAH.

d: really? huh. bon jovi? you'd go?

me: YES YES *wistful look at ticket lady, quiet sob*

d: ...cause, well, i won.

..and he held up the ticket stub with the numbers that had just been called.

there was some quick debate ("what? you don't want it? SERIOUSLY?" "no, really, take it, i wouldn't even go." "you're kidding! seriously? are you sure? SERIOUSLY??") but it ended with me happily bounding over to the announcey lady, beaming from ear to ear, to hand over D's winning stub.

LOVE YOU, D & K! this is totally better than anything santa could bring. do you realize how sold out these tickets are? VERY SOLD OUT! apparently every nj transplant in the dc metro area feels the same way i do and bought out both shows in a matter of minutes. BUT I AM GOING. AND I AM SO HAPPY. :-)