Yeah, I'm still here

I was told the other day that my blogs were out of date, so I figure an update might be in order. Now, there are reasons I haven't posted anything here, and that's because nothing has really happened. My passport is being processed, and it should be ready on October 18th. I've got a gazillion things that I want to do when in New York. The sad thing is, I haven't made any of the arrangements yet. I have plans to get on that on Tuesday. I'll let you know how that goes.

In the meantime, Stephen's book, I Am America (And So Can You) is available in audiobook form from Audible.com. It's well worth the 17 bucks, in my opinion anyway. The book's release date is this Tuesday, October 9th. Buy it, and buy it often. *G*

So, it's happening a little later..

Well, it was bound to happen. No, I'm not going to the 2nd anniversary show of The Colbert Report like I had planned. The family had some unexpected expenses, which makes the trip hard to make. So, instead, we have decided that we will use the tickets that I received my first email for, for November 12th. Yes, it's later than I wanted, and yes, it's not a special show, but, it's closer to what I wanted, which was to kind of make the trip into a birthday gift for my mom, who's never been to New York. Also, it's on a Monday, so we can get the show out of the way and do other things the rest of the week. It also gives me more time to get my hands on some tickets to The Daily Show, which I haven't had much luck in.

Welcome Back

Well, I'm opening this up sooner than I thought I would, simply because I have tickets, thanks to a good friend of mine to lives in New York. She has tickets for the 2 year anniversary show on October 17th, and she offered 2 of them to me and my mom. So, I'm doing what I wanted. I'm going back to New York.

I want to touch on something. As many know, Stephen broke his wrist during a bad fall at the studio before a taping about a month ago. He originally thought it to be a sprain, but when it didn't get any better, it was shown to be a hairline fracture, and he now has a cast on it. All the news reports on it, however, are quoting the wrong date. The Heroes know that he fell on June 21st, but the reports say June 27th.

here's the AP story.
----------
he AP Story:

Stephen Colbert's disdain for all things left is growing.

The host of "The Colbert Report" revealed on Thursday night's show that he broke his left wrist while running around the New York studio before taping a recent episode. Colbert removed a large "No. 1" foam hand to unmask a small cast.

"I didn't want to draw attention to it. I didn't want to play on your sympathy," Colbert said before dramatically grimacing.

The fall happened June 27, before the show went on a two-week hiatus, a spokesman for Comedy Central said Friday. Colbert, 43, was only recently fitted with a cast.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how it happened," the mock right-wing talk-show host told his audience. "My director Jimmy is suggesting I might have broken my wrist ... before the show."

Slow-motion footage was then shown of Colbert running around the set to "pump up" the crowd. Beyonce Knowles' "Ring the Alarm" was played over the footage, alluding to the singer's fall while performing the song during a concert Tuesday in Orlando, Fla.

As Colbert rounded his "C"-shaped desk and headed to high-five his audience, he slipped and fell backward.

"Yeah, that might have been it," he deadpanned.
-----------------------
I'll be one of the many spreading the correct date, and good wishes for Stephen.

Until next time.. :)

For every beginning, there must be an end

Well, it's been a month since my grand adventure. No, it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but it was fun, and it created some memories, even if some of them are a bit hazy at the moment. I know now that every time I open my Wigfield book, and see those two signatures, I can sit back and smile, remembering meeting the two men who belong to those names. I can remember the excitement of seeing the New York sign for the first time. I can feel the frustration of not knowing where the heck we were at 4 in the morning. No, it didn't turn out exactly the way I had drempt about, but it happened, and it was a good time.
I started this blog when I was wanting to go to New York to see The Colbert Report, and 'maybe' meet Stephen Colbert. I did it. My quest is complete. Well, almost. Ticket requests were opened a few days ago, and of course, I put my request in. It will be a while before I get any kind of confirmation from them, so I think I'll let this blog lie for a while. Then, in September, when I'll be on pins and needles again waiting for confirmation for my tickets, I'll start it up again, with a new beginning.
Thank you for coming along with me on this journey. We'll see you in the fall.
--Riki

What the Hell happened anyway?

Well, this time a week ago I was sitting in the waiting area at the Colbert Report. At least, I think I was. Did I dream it? Was it real? It certainly doesn't feel like it was. It all went by so quickly, and it's leaving my memory just as quick. I find it hard to remmeber a lot of it, except being afraid for my life at that gas station in the Bronx (I think it was the Bronx, anyway. We were lost) at 3am. That one is still quite vivid. Also, there's the memory of actually sitting in the waiting area, and I was staring at the TCR logo on the blue number card they gave me. All I could think was wow, I'm actually here. But now, those memories have that silvery sheen to them, that fleeting memories of dreams sometimes have. I know it was real, though. I have tangible proof. Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello signed my copy of Wigfield. I think. Let me check. Yep, their scribbled signatures are still there. So that's proof I was there, right? I was in the hallowed halls of the studio. From my vantage point, I tried to take in everything. All the little doodads on the shelves. Stephen Jr's nest. Captain America's shield hangs proudly on the wall. I have my memory of that, and still I'm disappointed. I'm not really sure what it was I expected. I was hoping for a better seat. I was hoping to shake Stephen's hand. I didn't want to be as nervous as I was. I wanted Stephen to know who I was. I know that one is huge, and totally unreasonable, but it's true. Maybe the fact that he didn't have a clue who I was is why I'm so disappointed in the trip. Perhaps I should take it as it is, a trip. An experience, because it definately was an experience. But I still want a do over.

I made it, and I lived to tell the tale

and here is the tale.

My New York Trip - April 15-18, 2007

The trip started off with a bust. Bro stayed at the gf’s place and slept in, so right off the bat we were about an hour off schedule. Not that big a deal except that it’s a good 15 hour drive to New Jersey from home and I wanted to get it started as soon as possible. After a couple of phone calls he was on his way.

We left Charlottetown around 6am and we were across the bridge and into Salisbury, NB around 8:30am. We got lost in Fredericton, which was ok. After consulting the map a few times, we were soon on our way again. We jumped to listening to the radio and my copy of Wigfield along the way. We crossed the border around 1pm and promptly lost an hour. We got called into the Border patrol office. Not as big a deal as we thought it would be. We filled out a form, they checked over the car, and that was that.

We met up with a truck driver friend of ours, and we followed him from the border at Calais straight through to Dysart’s truck stop, outside of Bangor. We made a bit of a pit stop here, long enough for a bathroom break and a bite to eat.

Our belies full, we were again on our way. It seemed like we were driving forever. All the major cities that I’ve seen on TV, we bypassed. Boston, Providence, New Haven. It seemed so surreal. Then I saw the sign that woke up the butterflies. It read New York, this way. That’s when all hell broke loose.

We got lost in the Bronx, missed a ramp, I think. I’m not exactly sure where we ended up, but we found a cop, who was nice enough to direct us a bit. We managed to find our way to the Midtown Tunnel, and to Manhattan, where we promptly got lost again. We wandered around a bit, looking for the Lincoln Tunnel, but found the Holland Tunnel instead. Somehow, we ended up on the New Jersey Turnpike, lost again. It was here that we discovered the hard way that toll booth operators on the NJT are nasty to tourists. We wandered around New Jersey until we found the street we were looking for, then went up and down that street until we found the hotel.

We did nothing on Monday, except sleep and watch TV, since it was near 8am when we finally got ourselves settled. We had driven for 24 hours, and it took at least an hour to get the room, and then another hour to set my dialysis machine up before we could just rest. I got a phone hooked up so I could go online and call my mom. I was also able to hook up with Gaia Faye, to make sure she was still going to meet us.

We slept in on Tuesday, so we didn’t leave the hotel until lunchtime. We managed to find the Lincoln Tunnel this time. We got lost in Manhattan again, trying to find the Statue of Liberty. We gave up on that and just went to the studio. There was about 30 people ahead of us, so I knew we weren’t getting a front seat.

We were there about 45 minutes before Gaia arrived. Around 5:30, they let us in. As Gaia said, we were numbers 30, 31, and 32. I spent the time waiting in the holding area talking to Bro and Gaia, and watching the security guards do their work. At one point, one person was kicked out. They had jumped the line, and did not have a number. I also found out that the titanium end on my dialysis tubing will not set off a metal detector.

We were brought into the studio, and all I could think was how dark it was in there. We were set up to the back row, and it wasn’t until we were seated that I actually took a look around. I finally saw the actual layout to the studio. I got a look at most of the things on the shelves. The only real problem with where we were sitting was that the camera (and the person in front of us with the big ass fro) blocked our view of Stephen. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The warm up guy (Jeff, we think his name was) came out. He was funny at some points, but I think for the majority of his time, he was grasping for material. He was kind of cute though. No one touched the desk, which was slightly disappointing for me. I’m not sure why, I always wanted to Windex the desk. Again, I’m not sure why.

Finally, Mark the stage manager came out, and gave his spiel about cheering when he waves the paper, and to not clap during the table of contents. Then, the lights went down, and music began to play. Like Gaia, I’m not sure what the music was, but for some reason, when I hear that music, I think of space. Weird, I know.

And there he was. Stephen Colbert. I don’t know if he did the familiar victory lap with high fives, because when he came out, everyone stood up. I tried, but my legs gave out and I couldn’t lift myself. He asked everyone to sit down, and began the Q&A.

I almost didn’t ask a question. It took me a minute or two to grow a set of thatchers and put my hand up, but I did it. I asked my question, which I am omitting for security purposes. But I will say that he did not answer my question, and what he did do upset me a bit. I kept that bit to myself. I didn’t mention it to Gaia, and didn’t even say anything to Bro about it until we were about halfway home.

After this, he started the show. It was pretty uneventful, except for the 2 times he had to start over, like Gaia said. During the Tip/Wag segment, I do believe he was yelling at me, and a few other people, for saying bears before he could get it out. I’m glad they didn’t edit that out. It was funny. Then, the show was over. He thanked us for coming, and we left.

It only took us a minute or two to convince Bro that we had to wait around to try to meet Stephen. I will say, it does get cold in NYC after dark. After the crowd dispersed, we noticed two other girls who appeared to be waiting, so we started talking to them. We kept watching the door, and people kept coming out, but it was never him. We only took our eyes off the door for a second, and I heard Bro saying “that’s him,” but he was down the street, around the corner and gone before any of us could do anything. We started to leave, but then I heard someone say that he was coming back. So we waited. It didn’t take long. About 10 minutes later, he came walking back. One of the other girls asked him for a picture. It was at this point that we noticed that he had been walking with Paul Dinello. I recognized his voice before I saw his face, which was really cool. Gaia and I got a picture with Stephen, and in my nervous confusion, I stood next to Gaia instead of Stephen. I asked them both to sign my copy of Wigfield. Stephen said he would, Paul said no, then smiled and signed. We thanked them, and then parted ways.

Bro and I then tried to make our way back to the hotel. We circled Manhattan several times, again, trying to get to the Lincoln Tunnel. At one point, we drove past Madison Square Gardens, unfortunately, it must have been just as the hockey game was over, because there were people everywhere. We made it back into New Jersey, and by sheer luck, made it back to the hotel.

We slept in again on Wednesday morning, and were again late in leaving. We left New Jersey sometime between 11am and 12pm, eastern time. We left the way we were supposed to come in, across the George Washington Bridge. We did pretty good, not getting lost until we got into Fredericton again. We only stopped along the way for gas and coffee, getting our first taste of Tim Horton’s coffee in a few days, just outside of Hartford, Connecticut, I think it was. And, in case you’re wondering, yes, they do have Roll up the Rim in the States. We got home about 5:30am Atlantic time, and went to bed.

Here is the picture that was taken with Gaia's camera. if you think I look terrified, it's because I was terrified. *L*
I couldn't get it to post properly here, so I just linked it.

2 More Sleeps!!

So, today we went to get the car. It's not a bad car, and will make the trip. This is so cool. All is really coming together. I leave on Sunday!! It's so awesome that I'm actually GOING!! This is what I've been working for since August. I didn't think it would come about as quickly as it has. So, now I've got to actually get to the hotel in New Jersey. That will be an adventure in itself, seeing that my little brother is doing the driving. We think we know where we are going. We should get some maps from somewhere, though.. not sure where... if anyone has any ideas, let me know.

The Countdown Begins

13 Days. Wow. I can't believe it. Everything seems to be coming together. The only thing I'm really worried about is my mom. She doesn't think we'll be able to handle the maze of highways once we get across the border. I have more faith in my brother than that. If nothing else, he's a good navigator, like dad. He can find his way around, and if he's still not sure, it doesn't take long for him to figure it out. I need to get my dialysis machine registered with Customs, and get a letter from my doctor about the supplies, and I'm good. It's so friggin unbelievable. I'm doing something I thought I'd never do, and I'm so totally stoked. I'm a little nervous, because bro and I will be on our own, but that's part of the adventure. I'm gonna have such a great time, I know it. The anticipation is unreal. I feel like a little kid at Christmas. I just really hope that Santa Claus smiles and looks at me with those beautiful dark eyes of his.

Is TCR ready for Riki?

Cuz Riki is going to TCR!! Oh wow. The rental agency I was looking into yesterday says that we can take the car out of the country, which means, I can go! So, guess what? I'm going! I don't think I've ever been this excited about anything. I'm going to my Mecca. Once I've made this journey, my life will be complete. Well, not really. I'd still like to be a writer on the show, but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one. This was a goal that I knew was reachable, and well, it's just about reached. I just need to find out what documents I need to take my dialysis supplies and machine across the border, and I'm set. I'll be working my tail off the next two weeks to make sure I've got the money to go. Oh, but the pessimist in me is wondering what's going to happen to screw it up. Sometimes I wish I could snuff that guy. He's such a buzz kill.

One Step Closer

Well, I said that friday would be my deadline for deciding on whether or not I was going to TCR, but I pulled it back. The deadline is now tomorrow. I found a rental agnecy that will allow me to rent the car with my bro as driver, and doesn't mind his age. The only thing that I don't know is if they wlll allow me to take the car out of the country. If they will, well, Big Apple here I come. Because of my aversion to using the phone (probably has something to do with my seven years in the call centre industry), I emailed the company. I hope to hear from them first thing. I'll let you know what they say.

April 17th Update

A bit of an update on my last post. I don't think I'm going to have the money to go, which sucks. I have found a good hotel that's not too far away. They don't have internet access, but that's ok. One the ISPs that we use has a local access number, so I'd have dialup. Right now, it seems we have to find out if we can get a rental car. If we can do that for a reasonable amount of money, and they'll let bro drive (he's under 25) we may still be able to go. We'll probably work on that on my days off next week. I'm still going to take the time off work, because I am owed it, whether I go or not. I really hope I can go. Not going would be a huge disappointment. I'll keep you posted.

Woohoo!!

Guess what!? I finally got my confirmation for tickets to a taping. I'm so excited, it's not funny. They are for April 17th. So now, I'm in plan mode. I need to get a hotel, find a car rental place that'll allow my bro to drive, get a letter from my doctor for my dialysis machine, make arrangments for supplies to be delivered, and pray to God that I have enough money to make the trip, and that nothing weird happens to keep me from going. This is my big deal trip. Unless I come into a lot of money, I'll probably never get to go on another trip like this one. I just hope nothing screws it for me. I'm terrified that it won't work out, and on April 17th, I'll be watching the show from this chair like I was January 8th. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and I'll keep you posted.

Lament for the Colboard

Well, the Colboard has been down since Thursday. Stephen's prayer day, of all days. Anyway, I posted a poem on the Col-Blog showing my distaste, and here it is.

Colboards are down,
We feel the dread.
Are they merely sick,
Or truly dead?
The one who knows,
Hid he stays.
For word we've waited
Days and days.
My workday's dull
Without my Nation.
And where is Avery?
Gone, on vacation.
When, oh when
Shall he return?
Till then, for the Colboard
Our hearts shall yearn.

Tickets, please?

Ok. So it's been a month since I sent my request for tickets to the Report. Nothing. Not even a whimper. I've heard reports of other people, who sent in requests after me getting confirmations, but not me. Come on Comedy Central. I'm loyal. I'm trustworthy. Just because I'm Canadian, doesn't mean I'm crazy. I just need a sniff, to keep my hopes alive. GIVE ME A SIGN!!!
So, no. No tickets yet, but since today is Stephen's prayer day, perhaps if I pray for tickets, I'll get confirmation. Not that I pray, but hey, you never know, right?
So, Jon and Stephen are on break this week. That's not usually a big deal, except that comedy Central and Comedy Network have a problem with showing older reruns. If they would show some of the older ones, like say at least a month earlier, it wouldn't be so bad, but they show the ones from the week before, and avid fans like myself already know them by heart. I'm sure their viewership goes way down when Jon and Stephen are on break, just because the viewers got bored. Oh well, Monday is coming, and with Monday comes new shows, with (hopefully) well rested Jon and Stephen.

A Smile That Melts Every Fangirl's Heart

I had nothing better to do today, so I decided I'd try my hand at a fanvid. I'd never done it before, had no idea what I was doing, but I thought, what the hell. Who knows, I might be good at it. Well, seven hours later, my video was done and ready to be uploaded. An hour an a half later, it was finally done. And here it is for all to see.

Edit:
Due to Viacom bitchiness, I have closed my YouTube account, but not before my Stephen fanvid was taken down. I tried to reupload it several times, to no avail. But, after a few days of screwing around and tweaking, I got it hosted to my own site, and it's here again, for your viwing pleasure. Enjoy

Ticket Requests Open!!

Well, you can imagine my excitement when I got a PM from Ashe (aka ashextray, theashepiece) on the tekjansen.com boards the other day. She told me that Comedy Central had finally opened requests for tickets to TCR taping!! I wax ecstatic at the news and sent my request in right away. That was at 10:57pm ATL on Thursday. This is Sunday, and I haven't heard back yet. Oh well. I'll keep checking my email, and I'll let you know if anything happens. I may get to go yet. *G*

My creativity (or lack thereof)

Someone on ColbertNation.com posted a challenge for writers to write some catchy poem or story to post. So, I sat down at the computer, and tried my hand. This is what I came up with.

Twas a night like any other and all through the land
The people were worried 'bout the times 'twere at hand.
Television was dying, the shows were all crap.
You had sports, reality or some kind of weird sap.
And then, in October of 2005,
Someone came to make tv seem more alive.
A man, in a dark suit, and a smart, sexy tie,
And behind his glasses, a sharp look in his eye.
He spoke from his gut, and the people rejoiced.
They all turned to the tv at the sound of his voice.
He informed them of evils, like books, bears, the cast of Friends.
He made sure they knew of the right pop culture trends.
Television was back, and it had a new king.
And he blew them away again, when they found he could sing!
They'd show their appreciation any way that they can.
First a bridge, then a mascot, then People's Sexiest Man (well, almost).
What will he do next? Only he knows.
Every day his popularity grows and grows.
And we keep watching tv, cuz we've got to have more
Of those five little words, This is the Colbert Report!

Bittersweet Victory Update and Christmas Card

Well, I thought I'd let you know that I won't be going to a taping of The Colbert Report on January 8,2007. It's just going to take too long to get a passport. It sucks. How do I know if I'll ever get the chance again? I guess I don't. I'm hoping for the best, though. I'm going to mail my Christmas card to Stephen tomorrow. Hopefully he'll get it before Christmas. I do hope that he does say something about all the Christmas cards coming his way. A lot of them are photoshopped, but there are others, like mine, which were painstakingly crafted with glue, markers, contruction paper, and stickers.
Here's what I made:

I thought it was pretty good. The stickers made it a lot easier, as my artistic talents aren't the best. *L* Geez, I hope he likes it.

Bittersweet Victory

Guess what??? As of right now, there is a ticket to a taping of the Colbert Report with my name on it. It was offered to me by a friend on TekJansen.com, AR7, as she is known. She has 4 tickets for the January 8th taping, and she offered me one. My problem is, though, all the red tape that I'm gonna have to cut through to go. Problem number 1, cost. Airfare alone is going to cost a little more than $800. At least that includes the return flight and all the fees from Charlottetown. I'd go from Halifax, but I priced it, and it's actually cheaper to fly from here. Go figure. Problem number 2, security regulations. As of January 8, 2007, anyone entering the United States by air must have a passport, and well, I don't have one. That is the next thing I must work on. Besides, any good nut needs to have a passport from the country of their origin, right? Problem number 3, dialysis. I want to take half a days supplies with me on the plane. Since the largest portion of those supplies are 2 litre bags of fluid, I'm not sure if I'd be allowed to take them on the plane. Plus, there's also the masks, handwash, caps for the tubing, clamps, and my pole, which I was going to put in my checked bag. That will probably get a look or two. Problem number 4, and this is actually the hardest one, my family. They don't want me to go to NYC by myself. I can understand that. I'm small, and legally blind. I could easily get lost or hurt, and no one would ever know about it. but that could happen to anyone. I trust the people I'm going to meet, even though I don't know their real names. I do talk to them on a daily basis, and they share my love and adoration of Stephen Colbert. What's not to like? Anyway, I'm going to start looking into everything tomorrow. I want to find out if it's feasable to even try to make the trip, before I put any money down. I'll keep you posted.

Passionately from the Heart

After Monday's beautiful show, which I am still reeling from, some of us on the ColbertNation boards were talking about the different times we've heard the beautiful singing voice of the object of our affections, Stephen Colbert. One poster, m0ment.0f.z3n, put together a compilation of downloadable songs.

And now, for your listening pleasure




m0ment.0f.z3n, you are a true Colbertan Hero.