OK, so. I'm not sure if y'all know this or not, but I, Jude, have never had a close encounter with that Master Debater [tm Logan, Veronica Mars] Clay Aiken. No, really -- it's true. No Meet and Greet, no Front Row Seat*, no chance encounter (rinse, repeat). I try to keep it a secret because...well, that's just the way I am. Quietly suffering in silence, not one to trumpet my disappointment. That's me.

*other than at the Raleigh IT, where the front row was situated about a football field's length away from the stage with multiple dancers and famewhores in between, not to mention being as far over on the non-grindage side as one could get without actually sitting on a bench outside the venue.

Until last week at Easton, that is. Despite my insisting to anyone within earshot that there was no way I'd ever get a Bus Encounter (I believe I may have used the words "twenty deep" one or two times, as in "By the time we get there, they'll be lined up TWENTY DEEP, dangit!!"), my friend Solitaire insisted I take the chance. And though I tried to persuade our other friend dreamlarge to join us in our Quest for the Holy Handshake, alas, she decided she'd rather take her chances with the Gangs of Easton sooner than brave some PJ-pantsed dude in a hoodie. Which is understandable, as I see it.

Anyway (for those still with me), to make a long story longer, we proceeded to the area behind the venue where the bus stood waiting. After too much time spent listening to some woman brag about her unfettered life and her picture-taking skills -- a woman who, I might add, had NEVER EVEN HEARD OF THE CLUPPY DIARIES (I know, right??!!) -- we were accosted by a security hulk telling us to get the hell out of the way and what the hell were we doing waiting for some kid young enough to be our son, for God's sake???

OK, that's not really what he said, but that's what he meant.

So he apparently told most of the group to head down a steep alley where Clay would presumably be exiting out a back door. I don't know for sure, because I wasn't listening. Suddenly, Solitaire and I found ourselves alone with this burly guy who might or might not have worked for the venue, but who certainly must have had something to do with Easton, since he pointed behind him to a huge leashed pure white cat lying on the sidewalk and insisted it was his, which proved (somehow) that he was from the area. So being the animal person that I am, I went up and made a big fuss over the white cat, which thrilled this guy to no end. Let me tell ya, this guy bragged more about that cat than I've ever done about any of my kids. By the time I could finally drag myself away (did you know his cat was from Germany??), Solitaire had abandoned me to go hang with the rest of the hopeful Claymates down the path.

Thank goodness we didn't have to wait too long. I was standing with Sol very close to the end of the long line -- and we were pretty far uphill -- still thinking that this was a wild goose chase. I think I might have even mentioned once or twice that I had no luck when it came to such things, but nonetheless, we continued to wait. Suddenly, I saw two figures walking up the hill toward our end of the line. I'd heard a little cheer, but I thought maybe it was because they spotted Clay somewhere down around the bottom of the incline. But as the figures got a bit closer, and I took in the flannel pants and hoodie, a little flickering mini-Christmas-bulb went off in my head.

"Izzat him????" I asked Solitaire, cleverly, as he was nearly on top of the line.

"Hah gahs, thanks for comin'," the Hoodie said.

He started at the end, which meant mine was the second hand he shook. I believe he was saying something to the effect of "MerryChristmasthanksforcomin'MerryChristmasthanksforcomin'MerryChristmasthanksforcomin'," but I may be wrong. All I know is that I didn't have time to blink before he was past. Honestly? I can't tell you what he looked like close-up because he moved SO fast that I was still back on the "Hah gahs" when he was already five people past me.

His hand wasn't clammy, though. That much I can tell you.

And so endeth my One And Only Encounter With Clay Aiken. A little more satisfying than his sprint past me at the CBS Morning Show, a little less satisfying than a small bowl of fried rice. I'm glad I finally had the opportunity, though it's one less thing I can whine about, sad to say, and you all know very well how much I LOVES to whine!! I'm sure the encounter was even more meaningful for him.

As for the concert, it was lovely and entertaining. I loved the symphony -- they were excellent. Overall, the sound quality was wonderful, the lighting was cool -- especially when the beams of light were rotating around Clay -- and I LOVED the fake snow fluttering down over the audience when the concert ended. And Clay sounded and looked fantastic and made me LOLOL as we used to say on AOL, so what's not to love??

Anyway, to celebrate, and because it's almost Christmas, and also because I love me some butterflyshine g, here's a brand spankin' new Cluppy Diary.