But enought about me, let me tell you about someone truly exceptional. On Saturday night I saw this violinist from Germany perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony. She was born in 1983 and her name is Julia Fischer. I had never heard of her before, but her performance was incredible. She was so good the audience compelled her to play an encore before intermission.

But enough about Julia Fischer, let’s get back to me. I’m going to eat a frankfurter now. My performance may be so good it might command an encore before the day comes to a close!

It makes me sad that there are so few people remotely my age who attend a concert like the one I just did. A ticket in the cheap-seats of Heinz Hall costs less that $20, which makes me fairly certain cost isn’t the issue. I don’t know what “the issue” is, but I hope it goes away. Let’s face it, regardless of what type of music one prefers, it’s very difficult to get more bang for your buck in terms of observing musical talent live and in person than when you go and see a world class orchestra.

People, including me, are missing out. Perhaps I should make it my goal to see the PSO once every season of the year.

When I think about the fact that I go to the symphony at all as a 24-year-old, I wonder if I’m ahead of the curve. That is, when I’m 70 will I be the only one at the symphony, or will my generation be attending in due time? My guess is the latter. Maybe a better question is whether I’ll still be game for the occasional rock show when I’m 70. I hope so, but no promises.

The handlebar is here. 104!

First, my bun guy couldn’t get downtown because of the parade, so at about 11:15 I booked it down to Restaurant Depot on my bike. I made it there and back in less than 30 minutes, and thankfully we ended up with buns for everyone (who wanted one)!

Then, as I was making an order, a man named Larry asked me what part of New Jersey I was from. He knew I was from New Jersey because today I happen to be wearing a green hoodie that reads “JERSEY PRIDE” across its back. It’s my all-time favorite article of clothing.

I told Larry I grew up in a town called Summit, and he responded that until two years ago he lived in nearby Maplewood. Now Larry lives in Squirrel Hill, and I live in the Strip District.

Anyway, we got to talking and he mentioned that he works for the Pittsburgh Symphony. I mentioned that I just saw the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony give a free concert and that I’d like to go to more classical performances, but that my budget is a fairly limited one these days.

So, we got to talking more and it came up that I used to play in the New Jersey Youth Symphony. Turns out that his son Jack, who is two years younger than me, did as well. Turns out I remember Jack because we were in the same chamber orchestra when I was in the sixth grade. I played the viola and he played the cello. Jack, considering his age advantage, was better than me.

In any case, Jack graduated from the University of Chicago last year. I gave Larry my card and told him to say hello to Jack for me. After that, Larry told me that I could go see the Pittsburgh Symphony as his guest sometime. He gave me his card. Turns out he’s President and CEO of the entire orchestra.

Later in the day I cut up a kielbasa and a knockwurst into bite size pieces for a man from Washington DC. I served these pieces to him without a bun. I gave them to him in a bowl with some chili and cheese. He tipped me with a t-shirt that reads “THE BIG GAME, FEBRUARY 5, 2006, DETROIT, MICHIGAN.” Aside from a large “XL” in the background it says nothing else.

Quite a day, wouldn’t you say! 45.