I had Bonnie Raitt tickets! Great tickets! 3rd row, center to be specific. I purchased them 6 months ahead of time in order to get those seats! Now the concert was only a month away and I hadn't invited anyone to go with me yet.

I was living with a woman named Jenny but I hadn't told her about the tickets. I didn't invite her because I had a pretty good idea we wouldn't be together by the time the concert date rolled around. I bet that sounds pretty cold, but I was never that interested in her! Not like that. Okay, I guess I need to explain. I'm really a bitch!

I had finally figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up! When I did, it hit me like a ton of bricks and well... I couldn't think of anything else! I don't know where that expression comes from - a ton of bricks - but it works well!

A woman with her own band had asked me if I wanted to be their manager and sort of like the V-8 commercial when they hit themselves in the head, it was like WHAM! WHY HAVEN'T I THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE? And, like I've already said, I didn't think of anything else for a long time.

Jenny was really nice. She was also pretty crazy about me. She seemed to be happy just following me around and helping me keep my shit together. I appreciated her for that a lot! But I didn't love her.

I loved the band! They were really good and their leader had an incredible stage presence that connected her to her audience like I'd never seen. She told me she had been making a living as a musician for over 9 years and until she met me, had never considered letting anyone manage her career other than herself. It was a huge compliment and i didn't take it for granted. She was sure to explain that, for a musician to actually earn enough to "make a living" without needing a day job, was significant. I thought about that and was sure she was right.

I became totally immersed in the band and the music. I learned as I went along. I couldn't fathom why I'd never thought of doing it before! Jenny sort of got swept up with me and was always there to do anything I asked her to. From the time I woke up 'til I went to sleep at night, I was all about the business of the band. I remember, probably eight or ten months had passed when suddenly I just flopped down hard on my bed and took a huge breath. Then I exhaled, looked at Jenny, who was always right beside me, and said "Wow! Ya know, I can't remember the last time I thought of or have done anything that wasn't about the band! Can you?" Jenny just shook her head and laughed.

I realized that what I wanted to do for the rest of my life was to be around artists. I am drawn to them! Musicians, painters, actors, writers, poets... Artists! I also found that being the manager of a band on a local level was, for the most part, just like being a roadie and a babysitter combined. Because, as amazing as artists are, it has been my experience that they are also very self-involved. Huge ego's! But hey, what better way is there to feed a healthy ego, than to get on stage and sing in front of hundreds of screaming fans? Right?

Eventually, the band and I would part ways. I realized that the only way to help them or any other musician make that jump from local clubs to stardom and fame was to know somebody in the business. Producers were important, I thought... How do I get to know a producer? I saw an ad in a trade magazine for the Los Angeles Recording Workshop. They could teach me to be a recording engineer! Recording engineers know PRODUCERS!!

But hey! I'll get back to that later! I was telling you about the concert tickets...