…and I would drive nine hundred miles, and I would drive nine hundred more
Nov 16 '04 (Updated Nov 18 '04)
The Bottom Line You've read all about the Chicago meet and greet several times over already; let me explain why I showed up
Nine hundred miles – in a car.
I certainly knew what I was getting myself and my wife into – I've driven from California to Texas twice, from Dallas to Denver and back twice, and I rode along with my parents for an epic round tripper involving San Francisco and Philadelphia twice in my youth.
Nine hundred miles – in a car.
What could possibly have possessed me to spend thirty four of ninety six hours in a car, getting very little sleep at all, pushing myself and my wife to a limit no self-respecting thirty-eight year old man should ever aspire to? (Amy has explained our trip in some detail, so I can get on with this article now…)
It's really quite simple - if you ever have the opportunity to meet with even just one fellow epinionator, I suggest that you jump at the chance to do so.
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I first took that leap with Kristina Frazier-Henry back in March of 2004. Kristina and I had exchanged pleasantries and comments within our respective reviews, and our acquaintance had slowly grown over time, expanding as we found other common interests and intriguing connections between us. Soon, it was apparent that a special bond had been forged, a strange friendship bridging many miles, built upon the desire to discuss experiences that exceeded our epinions community. During a (overwhelmingly disastrous) business trip to Dallas for Kristina, she and I met got together for a very enjoyable evening of dinner and discussion, and a trip to the mall that included much goading on her part inside Victoria's Secret - miss fh loves to push the buttons.
This first experience led to a second, as Kristina organized a trip for me to attend a Prince concert in Indianapolis with her and another epinions writer, the now infamous Towel Man, Paul Lorentz. Kristina's work called her away from this meeting, but Paul and I still made the trip. As with Kristina, Paul and I had been slowly getting to know each other through our comments and through the Epinions Music Source - a vibrant community of epinions' media writers hosted by category lead lambchops. (thanks Shelly, for creating and hosting this terrifically fun forum) That trip to Indianapolis was revelatory for me, a fascinating excursion into a completely different mindset from my own, and I cherish the memories of those two days. (Thanks kfh-babe for making it happen, and thanks Towel Man for sharing it with me)
Epinions was the common foundation that cast Paul and I as the new Odd Couple - one gay, one straight; one atheist, one evangelical; one performing in a gay theater group, one leading worship in church. These are the things that we are told divide us all into the reds and blues on the maps of our minds and in our media, two unruly, angry mobs shouting each other down across a crowded public thoroughfare. But glory hallelujah and thank the super Doppler radar tower – these are the very things that we transcend with a strangely beautiful love I think neither of us can ever explain.
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Nine hundred miles – is a ridiculously long way to drive in one shot, but we did it, we made it, and after this party, we'd do it all over again without hesitation. (Except that we'd remember to bring pillows in the car this time.)
A very long way…but not nearly long enough to keep my wife and I away from Chicago this past weekend. Chicago was our siren, offering the promise of strengthened friendships and rare opportunities – we were compelled to do whatever we could to make this trip. You see, there are bridges between us that shorten the gap and all the tolls are paid by the value of the friendships we share…
Over the course of the past year, there have been others that I have begun to form more lasting friendships with – mostly, these persons are music writers that share the same desire for quality expression of our love for music. There are others in other categories whom I have come to enjoy through the writings they have shared, or the comments they have left for me. Some of these people came to Chicago, and I was finally able to meet them face to face; some of those who came were completely new to me, and I welcomed the chance to start something new with each one.
Nine hundred miles – is nothing. There is no distance great enough to prevent the creation of friendships, tenuous or strong, strange or stranger still. What could be more exciting than the chance to prove that the strictures of society can be broken, that the things that divide us can be put aside in favor of ties that don't break. What could be more productive than the creation of a caring community, one that transcends statistics and numbers, pundits and prophets, colors and lines.
To all of you who attended the Chicago show – thank you for even the briefest moments spent together. I will remember you.
To all of you reading this article – thank you for your time, and your thoughtful consideration of what I've shared. It is my hope that you will be encouraged to reach out in the face of disagreement, division and derision, pushing past the politics and pain to find what really matters, that strangely beautiful love between those who learn to set aside "values" in favor of value.
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Have you come here for forgiveness
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus
To the lepers in your head?
Did I ask too much, more than a lot?
You gave me nothing now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well, we hurt each other then we do it again
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life, with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life, but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
"One"
- copyright 1991, U2
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Related reviews
Kristina's Evanescence review that hooked me on the band and more importantly, Kristina herself
My Evanescence review that helped spark some very meaningful conversations between Kristina and I
Kristina's account of our meeting in March
"Grace" - a tale Kristina requested during our dinner
Paul's account of our meeting in April
The same tale as seen from my very tenuous position in the passenger seat of Paul's car
Chicago Meet and Greet topic page
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Answers to unasked questions
Yes, there is much more I can talk about, and I will - in upcoming articles
Yes, I have pictures from Chicago, although if you'd like to join us at www.epinionsmusicsource.com, you can see the Towel sequence now – but don't read the forum just for the pictures ;)
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Epinions.com ID:
bob_tomato
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Member: Andrew
Location: Dallas Metroplex
Reviews written: 285
Trusted by: 211 members
About Me:
no more thhppptttt...
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