just to demonstrate that pathetic fandom still exists after 40...I have to blog this...Tim Minchin called me a genius!
yes, he may have meant it in a slightly sarcastic way...but all the same...

I bought tickets to his Comedy Festival shows way back in November last year. this was so early that I scored front row, centre, seats. Then disaster struck: we tried about six babysitters and couldn't find ANYONE to sit with our kid for a lousy 3 hours. I then tried about six friends: no one was free to come with me. I then stood outside the Forum trying to GIVE the ticket away, but there were not people who were there alone, or none who would admit to it.

so I went in and sat down with an empty seat beside me.

sure enough, after Tim bounced onstage and did the opening number, he looked down.

"Where's that person?" he demanded. The girl on the other side of the empty seat shifted uncomfortably. I thought of a couple of things to say but they were very lame things, so kept my mouth shut.

"That is the ONE SEAT that should have someone in it," he said. it was in fact the very middle of the row, right in front of the mike.

so I shifted. I moved across from my seat into my husband's empty seat, thus filling the ONE SEAT and leaving mine empty.

hence the comment: "you're something of a genius aren't you" and on with the show.

omg he noticed me! etc. it was almost worth the $28 I blew on the ticket, plus the embarrassment, to be called a genius by Tim.