Happy New Year Stevie babyyy!! SMOOCH!!

Happy New Year Stephen! 

My long-time Journey fan club pen-pal, Roy, (whom I have been writing to since I was 18 but have never met in person because he lives in Birmingham England), sent me a Xmas card and wrote that "Main Man, (you) gave an interview about Journey before Xmas and sounded so humble, not like the big-headed guy they claimed he was." now, I am completely "out of the loop" when it comes to keeping up with the latest Journey-news, I confess, so this interview is one I haven't heard yet. 

But with or without the "big-headedness," (aka: we're jealous, he makes us look bad, we feel threatened in some way), I am sure you were sincere about whatever you discussed. That's one thing I've always admired about you the most--sincerity and integrity. 

You may have had less amounts of those virtues when you were young, sure, but you have always had them, and they always showed through the bad-boy exterior of your peak years on stage. You convey a sense of cocky arrogant vulnerability, all at the same time, and that is what women fall in love with.

So, I guess that's why I love you. But it must work on men too!  See, Roy and I met through the pen-pal section of the old Journey newsletters many years ago. We still keep in touch, and we always mention you. (Are your ears burning?!)  And, we both think of you as the "Main Man," as do millions of other fans. He tells me about the concerts he's seen, and I tell him all about the concerts I've seen too. I knew him before he ever got married, had kids, AND got divorced! He's going to be 50 this year! Unbelievable!

Anyway, Roy is a great friend-o-mine-across-the-pond, and he absolutely adores you, just as I do. I am not the only whacked-out former groupie-fan who still carries a torch, thankyouverymuch!!!

Anyway, our week in Pittsburgh hasn't exactly been fun. First Pete and Nate drove my mom up to Michigan to get all of her belongings, then they got back and the next day, Pete got sick, for 24 hours--vomiting and chilled, feverish, etc.

Oh, but then it was MY turn---ugh it was awful--I got sick in the car! Luckily we had containers. Ick. Then it was Pete's son's turn, Nathan. So we had to postpone Pete's birthday celebration, and eating cake, (much less any OTHER food) until today. 

Pete just turned 53. I am still only 42--however, I firmly believe that "my heart is young, but my soul is old."  In fact, at the risk of sounding like a grouchy old lady, I cannot STAND that lame-ass Ryan Seacrest taking over the New Years Rockin' Eve from Dick Clark!! we should have been allowed to VOTE on that dammit! His 15 minutes of fame should have ended YEARS ago. Pipsqueak.

Get off my lawn!! Hehehe

Ahem. Despite my still not 100% back to normal status, Pete insisted on getting me out of bed (I had been there for 20 hours), and taking me out for New Year's Eve. There is a whacked-out phenomenon in Pittsburgh, (more than one), called "First Night." Why the HELL it's called that, for the LAST night of 2010, I'll never know. 

Basically it's like one big gallery crawl, people roam tge closed off streets downtown, visiting art galleries, stages, and tents that offer food, music, art, and performances of various magicians, comedians, musical groups, even fire spinners and things of that nature. The big musical group this year was "Tower of Power," Pete said they are a 70's group from San Francisco, and to me they sound similar to Earth, Wind and Fire. VERY COOL!! We enjoyed watching them a lot!

We also saw a ballet performance, a comedian, and a group of playwright-actors called the Neo-Futurists, from Chicago. Now, keep in mind that I am not a big fan of crowds. So when people come to a sudden dead stop right in front of me, like a bunch of boneheads, I actually yell loudly, "what don't you GET about being in a CROWD? There are a HUNDRED people BEHIND you!!" and I push my way through, being a bitch-on-wheels. (I'd probably get shot in NY if I did that)!! But having lived in DC for a decade, I really started to verbalize whatever annoyed me, no matter WHO overheard. Like, I'd say loudly, "Yeah, hi, welcome to DC, SHARE THE FARKING SIDEWALK, you Douchebag tourists!"

I can be a royal curmudgeon when I wanna be! Get off my LAWN!! ROWR!!

I miss the days of SOCIAL ETTIQUETTE, don't you?! You may think I am too young to be allowed to say such a thing, but I miss common courtesy and common sense too. I really do. Those things are nearly extinct nowadays and frankly it burns my butt. 

Ah well...enough curmudgeon-ing, let's get down to the brass tacks: what are YOUR New Years Resolutions for 2011?!

Come on Stevie baby, sock it to me! You can trust me! I won't tell a SOUL!! 

I'll show ya MINE, if you'll show me YOURS! Hehehe *wink*

Well, ok then, BE THAT WAY, ya brat. Hmph! I'll just pretend one of yours is to look me up and meet me in Pittsburgh for a coffee. Deal?! Get OVAH HEAH!

Mine are:

1. Make my little piece of the world somehow just a little better than I found it.

2. Lose weight. Yeah, yeah, every friggin' year that's on the list...but if you're coming here to meet me for coffee, I MEAN IT! (I would enjoy being Pete's trophy-wife at his 35th high school class reunion too)!

3. Hopefully we'll be able to get a mortgage soon and buy tge house we really love!! 

Well, those are my top 3. 

Bye for now. Oh, and I hope you get a vague twinge of remembrance when you see this photo---you signed this for me the first night of your FTLOSM tour in Milwaukee, and the other guys came out after the show to greet everyone, and THEY signed it too!! I have it on my wall to this day. 

(DRAT! My iPhone won't let me upload pictures), I'll just add it next time)!

Bye for now Mister Main Man!!

Love, Rebecca