I covered the WrestleMania XXX ticket party Friday night Nov. 15 at Champions Square. www.nola.com/festivals/index.ssf/2013/11/wrestlemania_xxx_ticket_event.html
(Paul showed up, among the several thousand, to get some John Hancocks.)
And while it was nice to meet the WWE publicity people I've been emailing this year, I was more excited to meet Ann, the local PR go-between for me and the WWE. That's because she sounded hot on the phone. Turns out, she was hot.
After I did my interviews and took enough notes, I started talking to Ann next to one of the autograph stands. I learned that she volunteered for the assignment at work because she likes wrestling. Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Granted, she was working the event and was obligated to make sure I had everything I needed. But she didn't have to talk to me for an hour and a half. The fact that we were "working" was not brought up after about 10 minutes.
It was just us talking about life and wrestling in general. Her favorite is still Mick Foley. "I read his book in 2000." Well, shit. So did I.
(That's the hardcore legend, Mick Foley. I have an autograph from him on a sock.)
After establishing enough groundwork and knowing I had to get going in order to write my story in a timely fashion, I said that I was going to leave and just needed to go back in the Champions Square offices to get my stuff.
Ann: "OK, I'll wait right here."
Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
I expected her to go back inside and converse with the other PR people. Or just leave. Not "I'll wait right here." My heart was aflutter.
When I came back outside, she wasn't right there. She was gone. That sounded more like it. She wasn't really going to walk out with me. With my hopes dashed, I walked out as fans continued to stand in line for autographs.
But what's this? There was Ann waiting for me on the first step leading up to the Superdome.
Me: Oh there you are.
Ann: Yeah. I just needed to sit down for a sec.
Indeed. We had been standing for our whole conversation. I was once again aflutter because she had waited. Did I mention how well we were hitting it off? I had her in stitches.
(Sir Saint agrees that Ann was into it. YES! YES! YES!)
And while the first few LOLs I figured she was being nice, after an hour and half, if she wasn't into it, she would said "Well, I have to go check on another media member" or "check in with so and so." Or something. It wouldn't have been hard to get out of the conversation. But she just kept on laughing.
She also mentioned how hungry she was a little earlier. The media spread was grapes and crackers. So I says to her on the steps of Champions Square, "You wanna g ---"
"Oh there you are." It was her boss who sat down next to her. She introduced us, and he wouldn't shut up about 1980s wrestling. He then said, "Ann, let's go back in and check on ..."
I didn't pay attention to the rest. Off they went back to the offices. Fuck. This was finishing up a work week for them, so it's not like I could follow them and wait for her to be alone again to ask her out.
Besides, I had a story to write. And I had her number, so I could call her. I couldn't help but wonder, though, what would have happened if her boss would have stayed inside. It seemed like she thought she was done working when I said I was leaving. We could have gotten a drink or something.
It seemed like she was into it, but I worried about losing momentum by waiting until Monday to say something. But that's what I had to do for I only had an email and her office number.
Sure enough when I called Monday it was like Friday night never happened. She said it was nice to meet me and looked forward to working together leading up to the actual show.
When I asked her to come look at my personal wrestling collection that night, she said ... just kidding. I didn't do that.
No, I asked her to a Pelicans game that Wednesday night. She said she had to work. She said it immediately. She said it definitively. She left no room for a maybe next time or how about another day.
I felt like I had taken a body slam on the concrete. It was like my afluttering heart had been put in a figure four.
THE TINA CURSING CORNER
My mom was exited about a recent Sons of Anarchy episode. "It was a fucking bloodbath."
Mom has been cleaning up poop in her backyard. "It's two cats. One doesn't have a tail. It's weird."
Me: Maybe it's not a cat.
Mom: Oh, it's a fucking cat.
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