I can sing again! Now that the coughing has completely subsided, my vocal cords are happy and my voice has returned to its former glory. Uh. At any rate I no longer sound like a caterwauling emphysemic everytime I belt out Britney.

So last night I sang with Ben Folds. It was amazing. Just him on piano, and me singing... and about 500 other people too. But they were kind of in the background. Really it was just me singing along to some badass songs. I have been practicing the piano pretty religiously since the beginning of the year (when I took it up again after a twelve year hiatus), so I think there was this one point where he was going to let me take over the keys. Of course, I demurred, because people came to see him play, not me. I'm not conceited.

Seriously though, Ben rocked. It was my third time seeing him in concert, and my first without Alyssa and the Fillmore. Alyssa is in Romania right now, and the Fillmore is still in SF on Geary. Couldn't bring it with me to DC. :o( But I have a new concert buddy, Adriane, who is about the same height as Lyss and me, and is therefore doomed to share our fate: the shadow of the Oaf.

Why do really tall guys feel the need to park in front of me at concerts? I think I'm going to make a shirt just for wearing to concerts that says "Tall people go here" on the back. Or bring a stepstool to stand on. Adriane and I both broke our backs from standing on tip toe to see the stage!

Cost of concert: $35
Concert T-shirt: $20
Cost of transportation: $15 (cab home... damn you Metro!)
Cost of back surgery: $10,000 (actually it would be free since we're military, and I'm exaggerating, but still)

The diagram above demonstrates the painstaking accuracy with which the Oaf blocks my Ben viewage. (Note: Adriane had a similar Oaf in front of her. It would have made the diagram busier to have two shorties and two Oafs. Just remember, for every shorty there is an equal and opposite Oaf blocking her view.)