Why we live here

Back in late January, when a friend was visiting and we’d gone to two Styx shows plus a Geoff Tate wine signing plus a Geoff Tate show plus a tried-but-didn’t-get-decent-tickets Styx show, Eddie Izzard popped up in my Twitter feed to say he was doing some shows at the Coronet Theatre in LA. But alas, we couldn’t go.

Then, a couple of weeks later, he tweeted that he would be there again. And we were all over that, as they say, like white on rice.*

This experience reminded me why I love living in Southern California so very much. Especially living close to, but not in, Los Angeles.

We took the motorcycle, which we could do because the weather is so mellow here in February. On the way down, we passed Vivid Entertainment just off the freeway, which delighted me (how many of you can say you went by a porn headquarters recently?).

The Coronet has a great way of handling GA tickets: At 6 pm, they start giving out tickets, first-come, first-served. We were actually there early, and they gave us our tickets anyway, plus the ones for Fran and Thom, with whom we wished to sit when they arrived. Because we were early, we got second-row center tickets. For Eddie Izzard. Granted, it wasn’t an official performance; he was trying out material/practicing for his next tour. But where else but LA can you go to a show like that?

After obtaining our tickets and meeting up with Thom (Fran, coming from work, would arrive later), we pondered our dinner options. On our side of the block alone, we had the choice of organic vegan, Vietnamese, kabobs, or a chili/German. Or, of course, we could’ve gone across the street to Live! Nude! Girls! because they probably had burgers at the very least. We opted for Vietnamese, where I learned that Pho is pronounced fuh, and was presented with the largest noodle bowl I could imagine. I brought half of it home….

Eddie was, of course, brilliant as always. What else can I say? While we waited for him to come on, the four of us discussed upcoming concerts some or all of us were going to, including Styx, Marillion, and Van Halen. All coming to LA. Yay!

We elected to ride up the coast on the way home. Ken’s motorcycle helmet’s Bluetooth battery had run out, so we couldn’t talk, but sometimes it’s okay to lean against my beloved’s back and ponder this and that and simply experience and enjoy. The just-past-full moon illuminated the surf, which glowed in the moonlight, reminding me of The Last Unicorn. Magical.

Then we were home to our wee furry beasties, the DVR full of fun stuff to watch, popcorn and wine and then our bed to cuddle in. All that, all those opportunities and experiences, in one fun evening.

And that, my friends, is why I love where I live.

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*Why do they say that? I mean, white rice is the product of having removed the yummy brown coating that contains all the nutrients. And while we’re on the subject, why is over-processed, nutrient-deficient white rice more expensive than brown rice?