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The issue I wanted to address is how quickly tickets seem to sell out for shows or how quickly the "good seats" seem to disappear. My venue is a non-Ticketmaster venue and while I can't speak for Ticketmaster venues, my guess is they might be experiencing the same problems. Here's what happens:

Say a show goes on sale at 10am. There are four ways to purchase tickets: on the phone, on the internet, at an outlet or at the venue's box office. The problem lies with the internet. What's going on is that everyone logs on at 10am to see what sort of tickets they can get. However, a large portion of these people (sometimes the vast majority of them) only want to purchase tickets if they get phenomenally good seats. If they don't get placed in the first five rows, they don't buy anything. Obviously mathematics dictates that not everyone is going to get placed in the first five rows. So what ends up happening is they slowly get placed in other, less sought after, seats. Eventually they fill up the floor and then 100 Level and, if demand is large enough, the higher levels. But they only wanted what, for most people, are "once in a lifetime" seats. So they don't buy them. But in the mean time, the computer system is still holding these seats. We call it a "counter hold" although I don't know if that's an industry-wide term.

A "counter hold" is a fancy way of saying that if someone is in the process of buying tickets, someone can't swoop in and buy those tickets out from under you. If this wasn't in place, buying tickets would be pandemonium...ok, it would be pandemonium-er. But the flaw in this system is that if someone chooses not to buy the tickets they are holding, there is a lag time between when they close their browser and when the computer system releases the tickets. The system can't tell that someone has closed their browser. So it keeps holding the tickets. There is a timer running and after a certain amount of time, typically 3 - 5 minutes, the system will automatically release the tickets. But when a show is a particularly hot ticket, a show can appear sold-out (or close to sold-out) for 10 to 15 minutes as the system gets logged jammed with lookie-loos that only want to go to a show if they get incredibly good seats.

It's not unusual to see situations where the 15th person in line gets better seats than the first person in line. This stuns that 15th person and really pisses-off that first person. They automatically assume that venue (or a rogue box office worker) is holding back the good seats for their friends. While I can't tell you that that has never occurred in the history of ticket sales, it's not near as common as people think. If a show is a slam-dunk sell out, there's not much you can do beside log on and hope you get lucky. If you're trying to get tickets to an MLB or NFL playoff game, you better either be lucky or know somebody with the team. But most shows don't sell out. And if you know that your show isn't going to sell out, there's a really good chance you'll get better tickets at 10:30am than you will at 10:00am (this is assuming a 10:00am on-sale). It's a scary proposition to sit there and wait once tickets go on-sale but unless you're going after tickets for the Led Zeppelin reunion or Coldplay, chances are you'll do better.

Of course, now that I've told you that, it'll probably just make the problem worse.

Celebrate spot is a one-mile fun walk or a 5K walk for dogs and their people to benefit the Young Women's Breast Cancer Program at Siteman Cancer Center. This program provides support and education to young women who are living with breast cancer and conducts research focused on the unique issues regarding breast cancer in women under the age of 44.

The walk, which is held each October, took place Sunday morning, October 12th at Forest Park. Dogs of all breeds and sizes came to strut their stuff!

After the walk, there was a Post-Party which included fun and games such as:

1. A Stupid Pet Tricks Contest, judged by local celebrities
2. "PAWty" Pics and "PAWtographs" with our celebs and their dogs
3. Prizes for the Best Dressed Dog, Largest Dog, Smallest Dog and the Dog and its Person who look the most alike.

Check out video and photos from the 2008 event.

My Aussie, my toddler and I all enjoyed the event and will definitely be there again next year. It's a great way to mingle with other animal lovers while doing something good for your dog and for charity.

RealAge.com is a website that is "dedicated to providing you the best health information possible in order to empower you to live a younger and ultimately a healthier, longer life. "

I visit the site maybe once a week, and it's filled with great snipits of health articles written in collaboration with a team of medical and scientific experts.

I've visited the site for the first time about 6 months ago and took their test to see my "RealAge." Your RealAge is the biological age of your body, based on how well you've maintained it.

You're asked questions such as:

On a typical day, about how many hours do you sleep?

How many times per year do you typically visit your doctor or healthcare provider?

How many OVER-THE-COUNTER medicines do you take each day?

How many miles will you DRIVE and RIDE as a passenger in a car,
van or truck in the next 12 months?

Have you ever had a sunburn that caused blistering?

If you have EVER used tobacco on a regular basis for 3 or MORE MONTHS, which did/do you use?

Turns out my My RealAge was 7.3 years younger than my actual age. Not too shabby. If you end up taking the test, let me know how you fair. The thing is, there's always room for improvement and you can retake the test whenever you'd like to see how well (or poorly) you're aging.

Take the test now

Jack the Ripper cordially invites you to submit artwork for his 120th Anniversary Art Show and Party. This will no doubt be St. Louis's premiere Halloween Art Show.

He is looking for art in all media and styles. Don't limit your thinking to just pumpkins and black cats. Jack is open to anything that's dark, moody, surreal, goth, weird, strange, bizarre, unusual, darkly humorous, or fitting in any way for a Halloween show.

Jack's Halloween Art Show and Party is a one night event. In addition to fantastic art, there will be food, entertainment and a cash bar. Come in costume. It is a Halloween party after all. 

Saturday, October 18, 2008. 7pm-1am
Admission is only $2.00.
Koken Art Factory, 2500 Ohio Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63104

Important Dates:
Oct. 1 - Submission deadline
Oct. 5 - Acceptance notification
Oct. 12 - Art drop-off at Koken, 12-5pm
Oct. 13 - Art drop-off at Koken, 5-9pm
Oct. 18 - Show and Party! 7pm-1am
Oct. 19 - Art pick-up, 12-5pm
Oct. 20 - Final art pick-up, 5-7pm

If you are interested in submitting your art, please click here to read submission instructions. Jack is a stickler for details and you don't want to make him mad, trust me! He also recommends that you read over the Waiver Form, the Drop-off rules and the Show Description on the website so there are no surprises. You can also email Jack with questions at jacksartshow@gmail.com

The weather's supposed to be gorgeous this weekend, so if you're looking for some family-friendly events, you have the opportunity to catch the Washington Town & Country Fair or the St. Clair County Fair - both of which are just a short drive away.

The 79th Washington Town & Country Fair is underway, but continues through late Sunday, August 10th.

Musical artists such as Terri Clark, ACM award winner Tracy Lawrence and Huey Lewis and the News will all be playing the Main Stage Friday and Saturday night. Check here for the main stage music schedule. 

Family activities include the Purina Farms Petting Zoo, the Talent Show, lots of contests like turtle races, a hula hoop contest and of course, the bubble gum blowing competition. Birds of Prey and Great Cat Adventures allow the opportunity for kids (and adults) to get up close and personal with nature's creatures including Bengal & Siberian Tigers, Lions, Cougar and Panther.

Children age 5 and under are free, as is parking.

The 154th Annual St. Clair County Fair is also underway at Belle Clair Fairgrounds in Belleville. You can partake tonight from 5pm until midnight and again Saturday from 2pm until midnight. Click here or call 618.233.0052 for more information.