20 Adventures from my 20s: #14

When I was living in San Diego, unemployed and applying for jobs over previous nights' tapings of The Colbert Report, I fell in love with Stephen Colbert. I ask Pam where he filmed from, fully prepared to suggest she play hooky for a day and we head up to LA to see a live taping. I remember when she told me that he filmed from New York and I actually remember thinking in my head I'll never be able to see him live! That's precisely why it was such an adventure

SEEING LIVE TAPINGS OF THE COLBERT REPORT

I also remember, upon making my move to New York official, I'll be able to see The Colbert Report! I looked up the studio and found that it wasn't too far from my own office, Hells Kitchen and Chelsea respectively. I never had a good excuse to leave work early to make it, and always showed up too late to make it on the standby list. I put it from my mind, knowing I was here for awhile and I was sure some good day off would coincide with a taping.

Kathleen had tickets to come visit me in late January 2011, a week that become a Snowpocalype in New York City. This ended up being one of the best things that could happen for a few reasons. One, it was super super fun stomping through waist-deep snow in Central Park, and two, in what I gleaned to be a rather unprecedented news, I got some snow days off of work, which meant my schedule was now free and clear to hang out with Kathleen instead of having to go to work and meet up with her later.

She agreed to the idea of a possible Colbert taping... it meant showing up, standing around, getting our names on the standby list, and possibly not seeing it at all.

Well, in a grand scheme of overcompensation, we ended up there something like 4 hours in advance. Waiting outside, very alone, in the Snowpocalypse. Looking back, I don't know how we entertained ourselves for so long so alone. And I remember it was long. And we were getting very cold, and very hungry, and starting to get edgy. People started showing up about half an hour before the standby list is taken. At least we were first for that. As soon as we put our name down, we hightailed it on frozen feet to the Chipotle we saw from the walk from the subway, irritable and snapping at each other.

We wandered back... not happy about the cold but happy about possibly seeing Stephen Colbert. We were in for a big surprise. First, they called our name from the standby list, so we got in line, absolutely stoked. Then, after going through security, someone pulled us aside and gave us a small white card. He indicated to us that they would ask for white cards first, and this would allow us to go in first. In the waiting room you get to watch previous episodes of the Report, and despite how crowded it was getting, we were getting excited. After a warm-up, and info, they were letting us into the studio and indeed asked for the white cards first. We literally got front row seats.

We were on a huuuuge cloud nine that January 31, 2011. At the end of the show, Stephen shook the hands of everyone in the front row. I actually shook his hand and my face must have been just one big smile.

When Kathleen and I left after the taping, we were so hyped up, I wanted to ride that high and do something else crazy, so we headed to the East Village and got my nose pierced on St Marks Place.

I called it my Stephen Colbert piercing and swore I would always think of Stephen Colbert whenever I saw it. For the record: the piercing was the easiest of them all, even more easy than lobe piercings. The needle felt worse for the second since it's thicker and cartilage, but once the needle was through, I never noticed it ever again, no infection or anything. And I can always remember seeing The Colbert Report live! Made even more bittersweet now that it's off the air.