Raditude

Standing in the cold, outside behind the Best Buy in Chino Hills, I'm waiting to get autographs from the members of my favorite band - Weezer. They've been in that position, officially, since 1994… or was it 1995? Hell if can remember such details these days. If I had known then that my brain wires were gonna start to break, I would have written stuff down, taken more photos, or at least purchased an extended warranty.

Anyway, it is really cold out here! This can't be good for me and my wacky temperature-sensitive MS body. Maybe if I was smart I would have worn a jacket. Oh well, at least I have my layers of fat.

There are a few parents out here who have their babies or toddlers or whatever with them out in this cold. Seeing these people makes me question not only them, but myself. Would I do the same? I mean, they are my official favorite band... The fact that I consider it proves - I have bad judgment!

I feel so old here! Well, I feel so old almost everywhere. Except when people start talking about things like kids and careers and all that stuff. I'm still a Toys R Us kid okay?! Anyway, I am pretty sure I am older than quite a few people here. That's sad though. I mean, their first CD came out 15 years ago. So you figure that fans of theirs should be around the 30s area age-wise. These people do not look that old. Where are the OG fans? (Oh yea, those parents with the frozen babies) Most of these people here had to have started with Hash Pipe or Island in the Sun or something... Keep Fishing? Perfect Situation? Jeez, what if they only know Pork & Beans or the new single? These people are bad news bears.

It is nice to have my sister here too. She's gonna get her Muppets metal lunch box signed. Good choice! Me, I'm gonna get CD booklets signed, one for each band member. Rivers can sign his solo CD, "Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo". Pat can sign "Land, Sea, Air" from his own band Special Goodness. I'll have Scott sign "Raditude" and Brian can sign "Maladroit". This way signatures aren't all squeezed onto one little booklet and I get around the 1-Item-Only rule for the autographs. Cleverness!

Looking around, people are getting some silly stuff signed instead of just an album or CD. An XBox? A bottle of tequila? A shoe?! Okay people, come on now. I could have brought one of the shirts I have put away from concerts I went to, but I think what I have will be good. I'm keeping it simple. No need to get all wacky.

Alrighty, I'm going in...





Well that was cool! The guys were nice. Not really talkative, but I mean with all these people you kinda just wanna be in keep-it-moving mode. Except Pat! When I gave Pat the cover of the Special Goodness CD to sign he was like DUUUUUUUDE! He was so psyched, which made me super happy. Then he was telling me they will have a new CD soon and I of course told him I can't wait. So that was nice.

Here are the covers... (Yea, the Raditude one got smeared a little. *sad face*)



And my sister's lunch box...


Afterwards my sister played a little Rock Band on an in-store display that had some Weezer songs loaded onto it and rocked the drums on "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On A Shaker Hymn)". Then we watched the band sign some more before we left. On the way out, we got one of the employees to give us each a button that the workers were wearing to promote the event. She got a blue one and I got a green one. Sister wins since blue is cooler, but she's the one who asked, so she gets the better one. Thems the rules.

Well, that went pretty well. I'm satisfied. Best part? When Pat got psyched. Go Pat! The guys seemed real nice and I love the new album. I've had it on repeat for days now. It's been 15 years since the debut, here's to 15 more... Cheers!