InnerTeub

I think I’ve mentioned before my friend who was running down the National Mall one morning and got so into her music that she didn’t notice for a quarter of mile that there was a police car behind her with sirens on trying to get her to move out of the way. Once she did notice and was able to get off the sidewalk/path, she had to fess up:  she was so unaware of her surroundings because she was rocking out to … mmmmBop.

I mention this because I know that if you can relate to that, you won’t judge me for mentioning that while training for the 2006 Marine Corps Marathon, my Power Song, my Go-To-Lets-Rock-This-Run song was … Cherry Cherry, by Neil Diamond.

Look, I don’t know. When you run for hours at at a time you will find yourself air-banding to whatever keeps you moving.

Anyway, I mention THAT because this weekend I found myself (she says, as if she didn’t actively purchase tickets, make plans, and drive us there. Oh no, I just, like, TRIPPED, and FOUND MYSELF) at a Neil Diamond Cover Band concert (SUPER DIAMOND, WOOO) with my brothers, sisters-in-law and parents. I’m not sure if every parent wants to spend their 39th wedding anniversary at a fake Neil Diamond show — hell, I’m not sure if even MY parents want to spend their 39th wedding anniversary at a fake Neil Diamond show — but they were good sports about it:

Before the show started, my brothers and I started laying down bets: First Song (20 points), Song in the First Five (10 points), Closing Song (20 points).

I nailed it, you guys. I can’t remember what my brothers picked (I mean, who remembers the losing guesses? No one, that’s who), but I was DEAD ON with mine:

• Opener: Cherry Cherry
• First Five: Forever in Blue Jeans
• Closer: America

Oh, Cherry Cherry. Just like 2006, you never let me down.

(In case you are wondering, I celebrated my victory by… buying everyone another round of drinks. I might be a winner, but I’m still a little sister, so. You know.)

(My brother doesn’t, um, normally look like this; earlier that day was the Denver Zombie Bar Crawl, and when you marry a woman who used to work in special effects make-up — which he did — you are contractually required to Go All Out)

But enough about my amazing ability to predict what a fake Neil Diamond concert set list will be. At one point during the show, I leaned to my brother and said “Man, the white man overbite is strong in this place”, to which he correctly replied: “I think in this particular group there’s no need for so many qualifiers; you can safely just call it “The Bite.”

And how. It was a pretty good text book Stuff White People Like weekend — Neil Diamon, PBR, and the occasional zombie bar crawl. Good work, team Lewis, good work.