Reclaiming my student status in the fall, I was still hung up on my not-so-bright decision. I had just purchased "The Phish Book" and brought it to one of my classes. As fate would have it, another Phan was taking the class. We got to talking and he asked me if I was heading down to Vegas, being that at this point, those shows were a week and a half away. I told him what happened and he felt for me.

The next day, he pulls me aside and produces two tickets, one for each show. With a smile on his face, he told me that one of his buds bought them through mail order, but he had something come up and would be unable to attend. Then he told me that his bud wanted me to have them and to have a good time. I almost leaped out of my desk.

We drove down together and had one of the most memorable times of my life. Getting paid in beer to play for a local bar when I was only 20, camping out in the Walgreen's parking lot, meeting up with a friend I hadn't seen in months, and the wonderful music all capped off the experience of a lifetime. Which finally brings me to my point - I couldn't believe my luck!