what an exciting day

Today was pretty good I'd say. First, I got up early to hitch a ride with my dad downtown on his way to work. I went to this coffee shop I like and got a latte and scone (I love scones) and read/researched all morning. (You may think summer equals no work for me, but it's not true. This girl has a thesis to work on.) I then met Dad for lunch, and afterwards we walked over to the state capitol to look at some of the art on display. Next I went by Ryan's hotel to say hi again (for the third time, since I passed it both going and coming to the coffee shop). I had to say hi again, because he had called earlier in the morning to inform me that a particular famous guest was expected to check in some time today. But so far no word. Then I went around the corner to the Palace of the Governor's, which houses the Museum of New Mexico and is also the oldest continuously occupied government building in the United States, built in 1610. As soon as I'd bought my ticket for the museum and entered the first exhibit room my phone rang and it was Ryan.

Now I'm going to break up my narrative to show you a poem I wrote today (which I don't pretend is actually good). It's a haiku that was inspired by Jack Kerouac, but we'll get to that later.

Ahem:

Ryan called- "He's here"
I ran around the corner
It was Yo-Yo Ma

So sure enough, I booked it out of that museum and actually ran down the street and around the corner, in time to see Ryan carrying luggage and chatting it up with Mr. Ma (sans cello). He had to check in at the desk, and Ryan left to help this other guy get to his room, so I made myself comfortable in the little lobby staring right at Yo-Yo Ma, but pretending to be totally unaware and disinterested. After a few minutes he left, and Ryan came back, and I went back to the museum to learn more about New Mexico.

Now, back to Kerouac. The museum currently has a temporary exhibit with the original On the Road manuscript, typed out on a super long scroll that is displayed in this long and skinny case. Included in the exhibit is a room about his haikus (which weren't always in the 5-7-5 format, and I guess became known as the "American style"), and they have some old typewriters and paper for visitors to write their own. We already know where this goes.

At 3pm Ryan was supposed to get off of work, and he was going to give me a ride back home, so I went back the to hotel (I walked this time), and once again saw Yo-Yo Ma. This time he was talking to some old people in the doorway. I had just shown Ryan my haiku, and he said "are you going to have him sign it?" Getting an autograph hadn't even crossed my mind, because I hate to be one of those annoying fans around famous people (not, mind you, that I'm ever actually around famous people), but I did have the perfect piece of paper in my hand...

Unfortunately Yo-Yo Ma didn't come out of the hotel with the people he was talking to, and instead went back to his room. I even stuck around in hopes he'd come back out (I mean, he had a sweater tied around his shoulders as if he were headed outside)while Ryan walked several blocks to get his truck, but that new autograph plan was foiled. He never came back out.

So that was the end of that. We came home, and I watched a movie with Mom (the sixth day in a row we've watched a movie). Then I went on a Taco Bell run with Dad, and when we got back home Ryan was in the driveway and said:

"Hey Andi, guess what. Rocky [another valet at the hotel] called me and said he was talking to Yo-Yo Ma and he told him about how you like him and wanted an autograph, so apparently he wrote you a little something on a sticky note and it's waiting in the office for me when I go to work tomorrow."

!!!!! I mean, it's not quite as exciting as if I'd talked to him myself and had him sign my haiku, but still. It's exciting. And I can always stick the note to my poem.