On November 29, 1999, my mother, my best friend Tara, and I all took a subway from Brooklyn, into Manhatten to watch the Goo Goo Dolls from outside on MTV's Total Request Live. When we arrived in Manhatten, it was about 3:40. The show had already started! We raced down the next three blocks so that we wouldn't miss anymore of the show. When we get there, we stood in our usual TRL spot, because we always have the best view from there. At about 3:55, this man standing next to me asked me, "Are you waiting for The Goo Goo Dolls?" I replied, "Yes." Then he said, "Oh, do you want to see a picture?" And so he took out a picture and showed me and Tara a picture of him with Johnny. A few minutes later, I asked a woman who works for MTV if she could tell me where the Goo's will be leaving from, and she told me she wasn't able to give out that information (which sucked!) At about 4:05, the Goo's STILL weren't on, so since Tara and I were restless, we continued to look at the man's pictures of him and all these famous people. Then the man said to me he knew where The GGD were to leave from, and then he said "See? There's their van across the street." I seriously thought he was joshing us.

At about 4:15 or 4:20 or so (around that time period), I was looking down at the ground and my mom said "They're on!" My face *SHOT* up as soon as I heard those words. I immediately spotted out the back of Johnny's head. Wow, did he look beautiful, even if I did just see him from the back! Then I saw Robby, and finally saw Mike. I took some pictures, and then moved into a phone booth to get some shots of Robby. During a commercial break (or possibly a video break), Robby came to the window, waved, and stood there for a second. I quickly snapped my camera, and then he left. I'm convinced he was posing for my picture. Then Johnny came to the window and waved and stuff. I took more pics! Then, after about five to maybe seven or eight minutes of them being there, they walked off the set, and so did all the audience. I looked at my watch. It was only 4:30, and the show ended at five. I later found at that the GGD were still on, and that everybody was moving because of the Foo Fighters. So after they walked off we decided to follow the guy and see where he was standing. When we got there, it was me, Tara, my mom, 3 girls, their mom, 2 other girls, and the guy and his two friends. I asked one of the girls if she was waiting for the GGD here, and she told me yes. So, now I knew that this was the entrance.

At about 5:45, we were still waiting for the GGD. Then the security came out and told us to behave and everything, that the Foo Fighters were coming out. Tara and I aren't big Foo Fighter fans so we just backed off and continued to impatiently wait for The Goos. At about 6:05/6:10, the guard came back out, and I could see The Goo Goo Dolls through the closed doors. I was so excited!!! There weren't even barracades or anything!!! When they came out, Johnny had a pocket full of Nutter Butter's and said "Who wants cookies?" Of course, everybody grabbed out for them (I, on the otherhand, did not get any!). Then I asked Johnny if I could take a picture with him, but Mike cut me off and said, "No, we don't have time for that stuff tonight, we have to go on to another appearence." I was just like "Ok". So then Tara, who had my A Boy Named Goo c.d. cover because I was busy taking pictures, asked Johnny for his autograph. He signed my c.d. and then Tara handed it back to me. Then Johnny, of course, was taking pictures with everyone. I wasn't able to get over to him quickly enough so I didn't get to talk to him or anything, but I did get touch his leather jacket. Let me tell you this, though - he is so beautiful in person, especially when you're standing a foot away from him. Getting back to my encounter, I then asked Robby if he could sign my c.d. As I was trying to hand it to him, my mom screamed out "Laura, look out." I was appearently in the way of a picture Johnny was taking with these little girls (aw, he is so sweet!!!). So now Robby was on one side, and I was on the other. He motioned for me to go around and so I did, and we met up behind everyone else. I handed him the c.d. and he signed it. After that I said "thank you" and he touched my hand and said "Thank you, God bless you." I took more pictures after that as they were leaving, which I'll scan when I get them back and send them in. I scanned my autographed "A Boy Named Goo" c.d., and included it with this encounter. On a closing note, November 29, 1999 wa truly the best day of my life.