The Moth, in NYC

I'm a podcast nut. Seriously. I think I subscribe to about 30 different podcasts and listen to them religiously. My favorites come and go, but I've been pretty steady in listening to ones that clock in around 20 minutes to an hour. On regular rotation: To the Best of our Knowledge, This American Life, Tapestry, Stuff you Should Know, Mom Stuff, Tech Stuff, Radio Lab, Hearing Voices, Sheila Rogers' show on books, White Coat Black Art, and so on and so forth.

One that I never miss is The Moth. Real Stories Told Live, Without Notes. Every week, it features a story, usually funny, sometimes kind of chilling, that usually has me laughing out loud as I walk along the streets of Montreal. As the shows are held weekly in NY, LA, Chicago, and Detroit, it was only a matter of time until I saw one. This was the day I saw one. Today. New York, The Bitter End, Bleeker Street. The theme for the night: Denial.

Well, I think I was in denial, because I showed up at 7 p.m. for a 7:30 show, fully expecting I would be allowed in. My mistake. The line circled the corner and then some. I was at the end of it, and then somewhere in the middle, when the line began to move. Sadly, I did not make it in when the show started, but stood outside in the bitter cold until 9. Only after intermission were we were finally allowed in by an unfriendly fat bouncer. The five performers were funny... not nearly as good as the ones on the radio show... but certainly a bit whack and entertaining. I think the experience of waiting outside chilled my humerus (pun intended). Or maybe the advantage of the radio show is that they can pick and choose among the performers and find the ones worth airing.

The lesson learned was this -- things that involve waiting in line are never worth the wait. The time spent talking to my friend while waiting: priceless.