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Free Jovi Concert – not free for me!

So, last week I entered the CW11 contest for tickets for Bon Jovi’s free concert in Central Park on July 12th. I did it not thinking I’d ever win. I never win anything. Ever.

I won tickets.

So now we have a dilemma. Since we live 4-5 hours away we have to figure out how to get there – car, bus, train, air. If we take the car, where can we park without driving into the city? Don’t want to drive in the city. Can we park and ride somehow? We have to come back immediately after the concert because my husband has to work in the afternoon on Sunday.

• The cost to take the bus is outrageous and will get us there late for the doors opening at 2 p.m. They have given away 80,000 tickets and are only letting 60,000 people in. If we get there at 3:30 after a 5 hour bus ride and are turned away I will be very upset. The bus home is very close to the ending time of the concert but I think we could make it. If I’m wrong we’d have to hang around Port Authority overnight – always a fun option.
• The train is not an option – there is no train home until the next morning. Too late and don’t want to stay overnight in the station or spend the money to stay in a hotel.
• Flights? Ahahahahahaha. Times are excellent, but 2 round-trip tickets, even on JetBlue, is an outrageous $558!!! For a 1 hour flight each way. Give me a break. That doesn’t include taxi fare either, of course.

So, unless we pay a fortune, chance the bus or figure out some park and ride strategy I don’t see this working. It’s very upsetting and just a huge tease.

Any ideas?

Mishmash

I’ve been lazy. So sue me. I keep thinking of things to write about. And then not writing. Actually, I should not be so hard on myself. I’ve been married for exactly 16 days. it’s not difficult or anything. The concept is just so new. B and I have been together 10 years and lived together 4 already. This just makes it official. More often than not I find I have to remind myself to think of him as “my husband.” Mostly this has just been a change in vernacular.

And an exercise in patience waiting to be able to officially change my name. And I am torn about doing it anyway. I have always had a love/hate thing with my maiden name. I’m sick of spelling it for everyone, hearing jokes about snoozing and for most of my life I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. And then my father died. My grandfather, his father, is still alive – and he will be 89 in December. My sister got married and changed her name last year. So when grandpa passes away (and I’m not saying that will be soon – for having heart problems and diabetes, the old Marine has been strong as an ox!) I will be the only descendent left with the name. My father was the only son. Still, this is my opportunity to change to a name I don’t have to spell. I’m doing it, but under minor protest. And I’m keeping my maiden as the middle – I figure this a fair compromise.

I wanted to mention something completely different – Bon Jovi. I love the Jovi. Well, I did until this last tour which for the first time ever excluded my area, but I digress. Bon Jovi has this crazy ability to be “there for me” at the most opportune moments. Here’s an example:

Saturday evening B and I were at a local restaurant for dinner. Seated behind me in a booth were 6-8 kids of about 13 years of age. All girls except for one. You can imagine the cacophony. Their parents were at a table next to us and exhibited the same bad manners as their offspring. Toward the end of our meal I held my head in my hands, trying in vain to cover my ears and I told Brian I was “trying to go to my ‘happy’ place.” We had a giggle and then it happened, “I’ll Be There For You” by Bon Jovi came on the PA.

I’m not saying these events are important in the grand scheme of things. They just hit at the precisely right moment every time. This is a rare song to hear in public now. And “I’ll be there for you” was just what I could use at that moment.

It’s like, cosmic.

Or something.

What else? I had a migraine – low grade – for two days this week. I worked through it but it was SO annoying. I still expect it to come back at any moment. Sigh.