I arrived on DC on Thursday afternoon, at Reagan National Airport, via Houston George Bush international - the Home of my friend Vicky (who's now living in Australia, and my most prolific Twitter Buddy!). Of COURSE, vicky has to tell me that Houston's airport's specialty was flight delays and long walks! And I only have ONE HOUR at DC Reagan Airport to check out my baggages and GET to the bloody venue for the concert! Unwashed, and sweaty, acheing and all that!!!
Well... 3.15PM, my luggage finally appeared at the baggage claim, and I dashed off with my 40-lbs suitcase, following the sign to find the Metro station. It was all the way to the end of Baggage Claim, Up the stairs, and all the way back 180-degrees about 200 meters to the Metro Platform that takes me to Town!
Meet and Greet registration starts at 4.15!!! Metro took me to Farragut West Station - and from there, lucky me, I have another 7 blocks to go towards the Venue! I could have hailed a taxi, BUT, they will take me around instead of straight DOWN the street, and would have cost me... WHO CARES!! I wasn't going to spend anymore money, and I walked down! Dragging my bloody luggage and computer case on it, makes it more like 45-lbs! Took me 20 mins to get to DAR Constitutional Hall where the concert would be... and ONCE I was there, my friend calls, saying she is driving over and will find me so I could place my suitcase in her car! FINALLY!!!
We were on the back at Pre-registration! We arrived about 4.30 - there were about 75 VIPs preregistering there! I thought Oh... Crap!! I am tired, and achey, and sweaty... I changed my tee-shirt into a tight fitting one with "naked reader" written across the chest in my friends car, grabbed some T-shirts and Russell Stover chocolate boxes for Neil & Chris, and RAN to the back of the line to line up for my VIP passes.
About 5PM, the scheduled start of the M&G - we all got our VIP passes, and from the venue you could hear "The way it used to be" followed by "It's A Sin" blasting! Doors are locked. It was sound check. And NATURALLY... the M&G were LATE.... surprise, surprise!! Neil was sound checking inside, and we couldn't see it! ;-/.
Standing on the line..., we moved slowly... very slowly down the stair cases towards the basement where there is a dining lounge. The Vendor tables that sells official merchandises were set up but they couldn't SELL before the concert started. I joked with a nice but bored table attendant, about who would want to buy tees when the concert start, we would want to sing and dance! He laughed and say you can't just dance there.... you gotta shop a little! Yeah, RIGHT!! We'll get too sweaty from dancing, we'll need change of clothes! $35 for a tee, and $65 for a hoodie! CRIKEY!!! At least those goes to the Boys' retirement fund!
6PM ONE HOUR standing on the line. The line moved very slowly indeed! And I was down in the basement. Then someone on the line told me and my friend who was there with me, that they were taking a few at a time to meet with Neil and Chris who were standing at the bottom of the stair cases, guarded by a huge bouncer guy with tattoos and the biggest earpiercing the size of a coaster!
I joked with my friend - "Alright, my shoulder hurts, my legs are aching, wake me up when it's our turn!" And some giggled!
Before you knew it...Mr. Bouncer asked me "how many in your party" and I said "two!" he told us to wait, waiting for the group in front of us to clear up, and then he told the two of us, to go see Neil and Chris. A TWO-to-TWO meeting...!!! OH MY GOD... OH MY GOD...OH MY GOD...! I was thinking... Alright... it's fine!!! It's almost a private meeting - like a jail visit, where the guards are watching you, but you get to see your family and talk to them closely, and privately! You'll be ALRIGHT!!! ;-D
And... my friend went straight to Neil and said hi...and then some! She's so smitten with Neil - well... DOH!! So... I said Hi to Chris first, who was standing next to Neil, with NO sunglasses and no hat, no shaving either! Had a limp handshake from him, and then shook Neil's hand and said Hi to him ;-p And.... my friend started hogging Neil with statement that he had met her before, and so on, and went on to her Novel that she is writing, for which she wanted to used Pet Shop Boys song titles as the Chapter Titles. Neil gave her permission for that! Wheee....!!!
I decided to engage Chris instead. I asked Chris how he's feeling, and that I missed his twittering. Chris said "Oh... yea, I haven't twittered today!" Hehehehehe.... I KNOW! That's why I missed it... (didn't say that, naturally!) but I said, "Yea..., but Neil did!" Chris turned to Neil and asked "did you twitter today?" Neil had to think for a moment. I said "You did! The TV Show..." And Neil went, "Oh... YEA! The Jimmy Fallon Show!" It’s a
I might have said "I knew it was you!" to Neil - as opposed to Chris's twitter, which always have twist of humour and comments. Neil's tend to be factual, informational and... a bit dry really!
My friend talked to Neil for a while - various subjects. I kept Chris busy talking - asked about Ibiza, and he said he spent most time on the beach, swimming and surfing. We talked about Arsenal a little, and told him my friend Mikki was twittering me while the game was on. Chris asked if it was the last one that Arsenal lost. I said, no, the previous one when they won 6-1. Chris signed my VIP badge. And silly me... I totally FORGOT to ask Neil to sign it!
Then I took out my Fat Literally issue, and Chris's eye was widening! He probably commented “I never seen anyone with one of that before…” He asked where I wanted him to sign it, so I opened to the page of his full-body shoot on page 37 and told him "on your beautiful full body photo!" He grinned - looking flattered! ;-p
Neil was still talking to my friend, or rather, she was busy talking to HIM! But I showed him the Literally anyway, and that immediately grabbed his interest. And I remember Neil also exclaimed "A subscriber!" And he signed on the third page. Neil commented that it was a "fat" issue. "When we first started having these, we had an eighteen pages newsletter. This is 68 pages!"
I mentioned that this was actually my second copy of Literally this time - and showed the address label in the envelope that says it was sent to my old Hawaii Address. It's been forwarded to Denver, my new address.
Chris was interested, and asked, "...but it was eventually delivered to you?" I said "yes!" (It's right HERE, Chrissy Darling!!! of COURSE it was delivered to me! -- didn't say that!)
I said I actually had another copy that was sent directly to my new address in Denver. I told them "I guess I renewed too early!" Chris exclaimed "So you got TWO?!" And this time I jumped back and exclaimed back "Yeah...! I paid you!" Oh GOD! I can't believe I actually snapped back at Chrissy Boy! And Neil was watching, probably with his jaw half dropped.
I wasn't sure how to explain that - Hey... I had an overlapping subscription, I supposed, and said "I always renew in July" I guess my previous year's subscription was from my Hawaii address, and apparently they now have two addresses in file, since my new subscription is on my new Denver address. The PSB Club sent Literally's to both addresses!
Then Neil commented, "...then you have something in common with the new president, Barrack Obama!" Yeah... true, Obama is a Hawaii Boy! Born in Hawaii. My friend commented on that and Neil said "Oh yes! We LOVE Barrack Obama!"
Of course! Considering our last record for president... Barrack Obama is a saint!
So I jumped back into the conversation and asked "Weren't you at the Election Party at the U.S Embassy?"
Chris answered "Oh YEAH! We were there!" He was excited. "They asked us to perform at the party, and we said no, but we would be there!"
WOW... Chris...! I didn't know that! I said "... maybe you should have performed..." but my friend said "no, performing is work!"
Neil said somethings about that - mostly commenting on all the California wine they've got at the U.S embassy. He was very happy to have those different wines. Chris said they had rows of Burger King and Subways at the Embassy! And he was excited! O.K, Chris....! Food is his thing, despite being that skinny!
I tried to hide my dislike for Burger King! I said "....o.k....!" I thought... B.K... eeewww!! For an embassy party... ;-/
I gave Neil and Chris their presents, which was a t-shirt from my favourite bookstore in Denver. And Neil exclaimed "Ohhh... presents!" That's cute, Neil!
I had one on, that says "naked reader" across the chest. Neil read it outloud! I said "That means unpretentious reader!" And gave Chris and Neil a t-shirt that says "Free speech" across the chest, and a box of Russell Stover's chocolates for Neil and toffee for Chris. I told Chris that I had those toffees when Arsenal won their last game. Chris commented "well... won't be able to eat them!" I wonder if he was thinking that Arsenal's been losing or playing lousy these days!
Then I asked Neil what's his favourite wine, and he said at the moment it's Pinot Noir. Hmmm... that's easy to find! I told him of Hawaii wines that are only available through their winery at Ulupalakua, Maui. I told him I can bring some for him to try.... He seemed perplexed! :
:Last thing, I asked Chris "could I give you a hug?" And Chris jumped on his feet and exclaimed "NO!" to the instant laughter of the guard who was watching us. I cracked up laughing myself! And I think Neil looked at him and laughed too! A second later Chris said, "...oh, alright!" And I gave him a BIG hug. I SHOULD have told him I love him dearly, like a brother!
But HEY...! I managed to give Chris Lowe a hug! How precious is that??? And I would have been satisfied with watching his immediate typically-Chris-Lowe reaction at the sound of the offer! That alone was PRECIOUS! To see it first hand... WOW! The hug was a nice bonus.
And YES!! I gave Neil a big hug too! Feels tighter with Neil, actually! :-p
But clearly, Chris was beaming - probably amused by his own reaction, knowing that it amused those who were there (My friend, Neil and me, and the cracked up Security guy!). He said "We'll be on stage at..." whatever the time he said, which I immediately forgot!
Neil said "well, enjoy the show!" And I thought I blurted "it would be hard NOT to...!" (Smart ass!!!) and my friend said "We'll see you again in Atlantic City!" So Neil said, "so... see you at Atlantic City!"
And the next minute... we were making our ways out of the meet and greet area, since other groups will see N & C now - and it was LATER than planned! My brain was scrambled worse than an omelet with seafood and crab mixed with spinach and mushroom...! And I was thinking... GOD, now I am really tired! Unless the show starts soon, I'm going to fall asleep on the sidewalk waiting to be admitted back into the VIP row for the show....!
Another half hour before the door so... I am overwhelmed! I got to hug Neil and Chris...! aaaahhhhhhh....!!! My back hurts, my leg's hurts, and the show is not even started yet!
There you have it! My recount of the meet & greet with Neil & Chris at Washington DC's Consitution Hall on September 3, 2009!
Excellent!!!... 
