Monday Dec 15 and Tuesday Dec 16

I woke up Monday in my own bed and a house full of nasty kerosene heater smell...it had burned dry and filled the house (and my bedroom) with that odor....yuck. It filled up my head and made me a little sick to my stomach....
The reason I had to be home this morning was to be here when they came to install my new satellite internet. (When I bought this house, I was told that I could get Verizon DSL....hint..ALWAYS check yourself!!!...not true...NO high speed internet at this place at ALL) Well, high speed internet is still something I am waiting on (they are due to try again the saturday after christmas). It can not be installed if you don't have electricity....
So, when the installer called and asked that, and told me he couldn't come, I decided the best thing for me to do would be to take off on the next part, and last part of my adventure....the MSG Neil shows. For these I am staying at Jilly's....so down to NJ I go....
The ride was an easy one. I stopped for breakfast and breaks and it still only took 2 1/2 hours. At around 10, I called Jill to let her know I was on my way. I figured that when I stayed there before, although she sleeps later than I, she was usually moving by then. There seemed to be something wrong with the phone because it went right to voice mail. I think I also left a message on the cell phone....but I didn't think much of it as I moved down the Turnpike....
Until I got to her house. It was quiet and dark at noon. I rang the bell. No answer. I called the house phone...didn't ring and went right to voice mail. Hmmmmm....as I stood there wondering what I should do, a very tired appearing Don opened the door...
So...as always the great host, I was assured that it was ok, and ushered into the house while he called up the stairs to Jill...who came down looking really tired too....I guess the night before was a long one for them!!! But...NEIL IS GOING TO PLAY IN JUST A FEW HOURS!!!!! ....didn't matter I had already seen him twice, I was more excited than ever because these were the last two shows of this tour (Neil often gives a little more in the last show) and I already KNEW how great these shows were.....
So they got ready for their day and we worried about time and when to go and such as that....
The preshow party was at Mustang Harry's at 6pm SHARP or they would not hold a table for the group. Of course, we wanted a meal, and reviewed our options...eat in NJ, eat in Manhattan, eat at Mustang Harry's. I think we decided to eat in the city, but when I was delivered to MH (I thought I was meeting someone there for a ticket, but she couldn't make it until the next day, come to find out) we just stayed and ate. When we got there in a small group, the hostess held us as she conferred with others and jilly just went upstairs and found RUSTIES!!!! Forgive me if I forget who all were there, but i KNOW that Karen S, Keith, Joe, Kathy B were all present, excited over a great Grizzly Circus Living Room Jam that Karen held the night before....(that I missed, as it turned out, for NO GOOD REASON, as I didn't get my satellite install ANYWAY!!!!!....but i did warm the house so maybe that helped my pipes not bust during the next freeze before the electric came back). The VD (Volume Drinkers) and Cristina and Julie and Bill A and HarryO and Trasher and others all came too....or were there already.....and we sat down and had a very tasty meal. I had a spicy fish dish which was good and hit the spot, as I admittedly had not been fueling my body very well on this trip (which I will pay for later....).
We collected ourselves and walked over to the venue....Madison Square Garden. There were some rusties just about on the fence and we gathered near them for the show. I tried sitting down as much as possible....standing from 7 or so until after 12 in the same place is trying....Everest and Wilco continue to present some great music in their sets...but of course, i am HERE to see Neil....and see him I do. There are a couple men who are very high on something right on the fence, allowing people to get on the fence in front of them. Ok, allowing women.....Cristina is one of the women they pull up to the fence....but she, wanting to share the wealth, turned to me early into neil's show and pulled me into the place. The men didn't know quite what to do and one started rubbing my back. I made it clear that free feels were not acceptable to me and I just stayed there for likely an hour before Cristina came back and wanted the spot...which i gave up with lots of thanks for allowing me to see neil RIGHT THERE.....
We went back to the bar thereafter for the inevitable rustie conversation about how great the show was...and it was. Neil sang things like 'New York City will never die' and just set the crowd on fire....
My hosts, knowing how much I need coffee, set the pot for me and we all went to sleep at some point Monday night....I was down for the count almost as soon as I came into the house!!! LOL

Tuesday was a SLOWWWWW day. I took Pouchie for a walk...the cutest little dog I have ever known, besides Tim and Dees dachshunds....We again wondered about when to go and get there and where to eat....mostly because Jill doesn't have a ticket. She spent much of the morning on the computer and phone trying to buy a GA and unload other tickets that she didn't mean to buy.....we had a meal along the way to the city this time....again, a great meal, but I think I had a little too much carbs....

At the bar this time, it was Harry and a smaller group of rusties, just sitting at the bar. I joined them while Jill tried to find a ticket. I was trying to hook up with Monica, but forgot to check my phone and she must have had a nerve wracking half hour trying to discern who in the crowd I may have been!!! Jill ended up walking blocks away in the falling snow to get to a place to buy a ticket, but she WAS successful....

New York City in the falling snow at Christmas time is a beautiful thing. A few of us hung outside Mustang Harry's and watched it fall....it was so peaceful....

Tickets in hand (and sold...), we walk to the venue for Neil's last show this tour. The fourth for me in five days (and for others too.....this run was a well attended rustie group activity....lol), and STILL i didn't get enough. Never enough Neil.

When we came in to the floor, we find Karen and KathyB RIGHT ON THE FENCE with BillA and Laura and others.....and they are NOT sharing. I had to get sick to get on the fence!!! LOL....no, i would have rather actually HEARD and SEEN neil to bothering my friends......

Jill and i positioned ourselves right behind them (so we had 'second row' and conciously 'expanded' to hold room for us and our friends....harry, thrasher, etc...and jill got rid of a guy who actually commented that since we had been up to the fence up until then, we should let THEM in for the neil part.....WHAT THE!!!!!! Do they really think that we stood there all those hours for Everest and Wilco????!!!!

Ah, well....I was excited, so I didn't sit as much between sets as I did the first two nights....and it was hot....and i wasn't sleeping or eating like i should have been.....and somewhere around Cortez i started to get a hot flash--which led to overwhelming dizziness and nausea. At some point KathyB noticed me and I admitted to being really dizzy and she pushed me up to the fence....but it didn't work and next thing i know i am looking into harrys face as he is trying to get me off the floor....shit. They stood me up and kept telling me to stand or they would take me away (ha ha hee hee ho ho, the the funny farm.......). Anyway, the rest of the show was a wash for a me.....the music was so loud it somehow melded with all the dizziness and hotsweats and kept me on this wave that i couldn't make stop.....but it did. Neil did stop. And left. And i missed it....

Oh well....
At Mustang Harry's we had a couple good laughs and i had a coke to get some sugar....and that was a good thing. I think between it all...including that high carb meal and no intake after.....produced the fall out....LOL

I drove back to Jills house in the rain....and ran a red light in manhattan. The officer wasn't too kind but he wasn't going to stand in the rain to write me the ticket, so he let me go (whew!!!!) and we got home and again, i hit the couch hard and didn't get up until......