Reality Bites by James Norton

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What do a new car, two birthdays, this paper’s weblog, three women and Michael Buble all have in common?

Well, not much, unless your name is Jamie Norton, and you just lived the last ten days of my life. Notice I didn’t mention my trip to the medium last week or visiting a particular person’s grave. I figured I would just let that issue lay in last week’s Reality Bites, and leave it there, for now anyway.

That being said, all of the above listed events, items and people were major factors in my personal life in the last 10 days and have really helped me come out of my shell that I have been living in for the better part of the last year or maybe more longer. This isn’t going to be one of my columns that peels back too much personal crap which makes most of my family cringe and invites personal attacks, so they can all breathe now.

I didn’t think I would be but in the end I was sad to see the Saab truck go back to the dealer. Two years came and went so fast it was silly. I have a second car, which I love, but for work I need something new that has a warranty and is cost effective. My father and I both moved into smaller sedans in the Saab line. The difference in gas mileage is so ridiculous it’s crazy, and I am quite fond of the new car.

It’s no secret that both of my kids are here visiting from England for the entire summer, but not many people knew that both of their birthdays happened in the last nine days. Corey turned 14 and Kaitlin turned 13. And, yes, I feel very old, thank you. My mother’s birthday is also the same as Corey’s, so that’s a bonus for us all to celebrate together while they are here.

Without spending a lot of time on the subject because of obvious reasons, I want to thank the people who read my column last week in both print and especially on the weblog who posted nice comments, privately emailed me and called me. I didn’t expect that much positive reaction, and I am very grateful.

Now, to the main event – last Saturday night I went to see Michael Buble at The Wang. OK, so now you’re probably wondering if I am a Michael Buble fan. The short answer is not specifically. The more detailed answer would be that I do appreciate his work as an artist and I have quite the range of musical taste, which does include him.

Wow, talk about riding the fence on that one. It’s a male ego thing, trust me.

Without naming names, I went with three wonderful women, two of them I have known for a number of years. A week ago, I was at dinner with my two friends, and one of them mentioned not being able to get tickets to see Michael Buble. I suggested that I make a call and see what I could do. Bob, if you’re reading this, thank you.

We managed to land four tickets – pit center, row two. If you are familiar with The Wang, that’s about five feet from the stage. It was great to get out. The seats were unbelievable. I had great company with my lovely friends, and we even went out to a nightclub afterward. We all really had the best time. It’s nice to do something with people you can trust and enjoy their company.

It’s been a very good 10 days in the life of Jamie Norton.