Michel Gondry @ the Apple Store

This isn't so much a post as it is a fan-girl gush. (People! When am I going to get my medical bracelet!) Prompted by Chicagoist, I headed to the Apple Store after work tonight to catch Michel Gondry basically shilling for his upcoming Be Kind Rewind (starring Mos Def and Jack Black, not these shoes). The line was down the block and around the corner by the time I got there, and I felt certain they'd cap attendance before I'd be able to squeak through the doors, but I was somewhat surprisingly able to make it in. Of course the place was totally jammed, though. I could barely even hear (much less see) from where I was standing way in the back, I got quickly overheated in my coat, my boots had no arch support, my messenger bag full of crap was weighing on my shoulders, blah blah blah. There were about fourteen times I was going to walk out in frustration and annoyance. But, my obsessive reverence knows no bounds, and I just couldn't bring myself to actively give up. I'm glad I didn't; the herd started thinning before long, and I wouldn't have wanted to miss the brilliance that was Gondry's own version of the trailer, starring himself in all the roles. (I'm sure it'll eventually end up on the DVD if it's not floating around on the intertubes somewhere already.) Not to mention that, after standing around for a while at the end of the event, watching him sign autographs and politely indulge all the rest of the beautiful dorked-out hipsters crowding him for a moment of attention, I was able to sneak my way over, shake his hand, and thank him for Eternal Sunshine. Never let it be said that my spazz-outs are not completely heartfelt and sincere, regardless of decibel level.

Plus! We're talking icing-on-cake here, people--I ran into and finally had a chance to have a nice long conversation with Kirstiecat, who took this beautiful portrait of the man.