I was running late for work this morning. I pulled into the parking lot. It was full. There was iPod boy (DJ), getting out of his vehicle that was parked outside one of the docks. I just circled around the building and parked. I'm beginning to enjoy parking there. I like the longer walk.

I hadn't talked to DJ all day. At around 16:30, he called me on the phone.

"Hello," I said.
"Hi, Watty," he said enthusiastically.
"How are you doing?" I asked.
"Pretty good," he replied.
"Good."
"How do I erase my iPod?" he asked.
"Well, you take an eraser and move it back and forth over your iPod," I stated.
"What about using a hammer?" he asked.
"That would be hammering your iPod," I said back to him. I heard him laugh.
"I'm trying to erase all my music and photos on my iPod."

So, I gave him instructions on how I'd approach doing it, despite not having done something like that before. I recall having to use the iPod updater, which automatically restores your iPod to factory settings. He asked me if I was going to be here for awhile. Nope. I advised him that I'd be leaving at 17:00.

I'd say about fifteen minutes later, he came back to my desk, showing me his iPod and saying that he had erased everything.

"Why did you erase everything off your iPod?" I asked him curiously.
"I'm returning it," he said.
"You're getting the iPod video!" I exclaimed, coming to that brilliant conclusion. He laughed and he slowly walked away.
"Returns 101, written by iPod boy," I said to him.
"It's in stock," he said. "I'm returning it after work," he continued, shining the screen against his side.
"Not if you're going to be rubbing it that way," I said, laughing.
"I'm just buffing it up," he said. "Goodnight, Watty."
"Goodnight."

At 17:00, I left the office with the president's son (PS). He kept on thanking me for various things. I know that I say thanks a lot, but it's more like he's trying too hard to be kind of like me. It's kind of flattering. It's also eerie.

Naturally, we were on highway 7, just west of the 404, when PS fell asleep. Luckily, my iPod was on, so I was fine singing along with the tunes. Still, it would be nice to have someone chat with me on a brief car trip.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that highway 7 by Jane was closed. So, I had to use Langstaff. Too bad it only has a ramp onto highway 400 going to Toronto. I needed the ramp onto that highway, but going northbound. So, taking a slightly longer route, I drove up Weston Road, drove east on Rutherford, and got on it. Yes, PS was still asleep.

It was kind of messy on the roads. There were flurries and a bit of rain happening. It didn't take me too long to hit downtown Barrie. We were on the road for two hours when I exclaimed loudly that we were in Barrie. That woke him up. At that point, I didn't care. I had to use the washroom. So, with my quick thinking, I pulled into the Costco, across the street from the Barrie Molson Centre, where we were going to be.

The washroom was sparkling. I was highly impressed. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food place. Costco's hot dogs are great. I ordered a hot dog with a drink, and an order of fries and gravy. The sad thing about PS is that he can rarely order and perhaps even think for himself. He had to ask what I was having, and then ordered the same thing.

So, we sat there, eating our food. I looked at the Costco coupon flyer that I had got. We then left the place and drove across the street. We entered the venue and found the Jann Arden merchandise. I bought a set of poetry magnets and a rubber bracelet that has be yourself on it, which is also on the back of my iPod, among other words. The merchandiser gave me a free poster, which was such a kind gesture.

We had floor seats. It was kind of cramped, but I was happy. I realized that Bob Kemmis was opening once again for Jann, for his merchandise was also available. He did come on stage, but wore a casual blazer, unlike the previous four times that I've seen him perform. He was exceptionally funny.

When he sang "Figured out," he announced a change in key, which was cute. After the number, he said it was a bad move for him to dedicate this song to the men's hockey team. To backtrack a bit, compliance woman (CW) called her husband at home earlier this afternoon. He blasted the volume on their TV set during the last period of the Canada-Russia game. She had her phone on speakerphone. We were all listening to the game. To our dismay, the Canadian men were shut out 2-0. The defending gold medalists were going home.

Anyway, a woman in the crowd yelled out that the Canadian women's hockey team do it better. He jokingly called her a "comic genius."

Bob once again did his singing-along-with-his-iPod routine. He thought it would be cheesy doing a karaoke-like number. However, he thought about Canadian Idol and got over that.

Jann Arden came on stage roughly fifteen minutes after Bob was on. She looked good. She was thinner and returned to her roots -- she was a brunette again. It took PS the longest time to understand that she's naturally a brunette. Yikes.

The show started with Jann singing "Waiting in Canada," a song that means a whole lot to me. She introduced each of her band members and was hilarious. She also introduced Bob, who was swapping guitars all night for Jann and Russell.

A woman from Barrie apparently has been writing to Jann for quite some time. The woman bought her a cheese basket. Jann asked that she come to the stage, which she did. She basically cursed the fan for giving her the basket, for she has been working out on her treadmill for months now.

As always, Jann is great at delivering jokes and stories. She shared her seeing Celine Dion's show in Las Vegas. She talked about the strange overalls that Celine had on. She talked about her being suspended by wires and getting a wire version of a wedgie. She described the two guys on stage, also suspended in the air, in flesh-coloured outfits with stiffies. Jann did an impersonation of Celine and demonstrated how she just doesn't make much sense, that Celine seems to be living in her little world with such a distorted outlook on life. Jann basically admitted that she was still recovering from seeing her vagina.

Jann talked about the various spam e-mails she gets on her Blackberry. She got her entire band Viagra and penis enlargements as a result of reading them.

"Unloved" was sung by Jann all by herself, which was different. She did not introduce any new songs. It didn't matter to me. It was great hearing and seeing her again.

At one stage, PS pointed out a guy in the audience who had fallen asleep. He was laughing. I told him that the guy is really him.

She shared a joke that she got from her dad. A Chinese couple were in bed. The wife says to her husband that she wants 69. The husband says that she can't get her chicken with green beans. *Tee hee*

Somehow, Jann talked about golfing with Anne Murray. She revealed that they were golfing at 09:00 in the morning on time. Anne had a rum and coke in one hand. She was smoking a cigar on the green with the other. She was at the third hole, trying to putt. She just skimmed the hole. She indicated that Anne said the f-word. Ha!

I loved the show. There were so many magical moments. I have to note a couple of special ones.

The first occurred when Jann sang "Good mother." I haven't seen this happen before. A number of us were singing along to her so loudly that Jann stopped singing for a bit and we all carried the song forward. It was terrific. I'll always remember that little sing-along without Jann singing.

The other was Jann singing "Hanging by a thread." It was her first time singing that song, for it's sad and it's quite a personal song to her. It's about her brother, who is incarcerated for first-degree murder. It was such an emotional song. You could tell just by looking at how Jann reacted after she had completed it. Many folks gave her a standing ovation afterwards.

After the show, I drove PS home. He slept for practically the entire ride. The only exciting part of the drive was seeing quite a bit of smoke outside that looked like thick fog. It seemed like there was a fire behind a McDonald's restaurant.

So, I continued to sing to Jann tunes on my iPod as PS slept. I got him home in roughly 55 minutes.

I then filled my car up at a local Sunoco and headed home, arriving at around 00:30. I eventually fell asleep at 02:00. I was trying to come down from an amazing night. I don't think I have just yet.

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Song that's stuck in my head: Jann Arden's "Will you remember me"
Yummy food eaten today: Hot dog with fries and gravy
What I crave: Popcorn

Recent thoughts:
Readings, lights, and random thoughts - 2009-03-15
Thoughts about work, school, and peeps - 2009-03-09
Working from home and a mini life update - 2008-12-19
The weekend is here! - 2008-01-06
A new year - 2008-01-01