I wept a bit today. It wasn't because of the FedEx man's buns or the picture of a kitten hanging from a branch that I got in e-mail today. It wasn't the faxes, the forms, the phone or that awful printer. It was the Smoking Popes.

Driving to work this morning in my new Grand Am, I had their new record in my CD player. It's not new, really, because they officially broke up a while ago, but it just came out. It's a live record from a show in 1998 at the Metro in Chicago. I'm not ashamed to say that I like the Popes. I like lots of things that people think are stupid-- like long walks on the beach, romance novels, and Oprah. I pity the people that don't like the Smoking Popes. They must be hard, angry individuals. They probably eat too much and smoke drugs and stay out 'til the sun comes up.

Well, I was sitting in traffic on 202, my windows rolled up with the a/c on, and my green tea snug in the cupholder, steam wafting past my player. Minutes ticked by, and I shared them with the Popes. Their energy is incredible on this record. Sure, it's not all clean and shiny like on their studio records, but it stole me away from the rush hour. The live rendition of what I consider one of their finest songs, "Pretty Pathetic," is just great. One guitar, Josh Caterer's voice, and the crowd singing in unison was enough to give me shivers. When the band broke in, I nearly wept. Nearly.

This is no rip-off, either, by my standards. Live has 22 tracks spanning their entire career over a stretch of 70 minutes. Well worth my buck-- that's what I say. Another thing that's absolutely great about this record is the tempo. Many of the tracks are juiced-up and fast, turning what once was a mellow love song into a frenetic, fun romp that makes me wanna dance! This morning, as I listened to "Writing a Letter," my butt started moving! I must've looked hilarious to the other drivers!

All their best are here, in fine array: "Waiting Around," "Paul," "Star Struck One," and "You Spoke to Me," just to name a few. By the last notes of "Rubella," my heart was full to bursting. Then, Josh began to talk about the feelings that the closing track, "I Know You Love Me," evoked for him. It turns out that the song is about his relationship with Christ! And all this time I just thought it was sweet. His heartfelt delivery demonstrated a true sincerity I haven't often heard on records, and by the end, my face was wet with tears. Not because of Christ, not because of the beauty of the song, but because I never had a chance to see them live. This single performance showed me that I'd frittered away the few chances I had to see them in concert and this would be the closest I would ever get. My heart pounded and my mascara was a mess. Everyone at work surely thought my husband was beating me... but if only they knew.

--Ryan, do we want to use this or not? I work with her and she insisted. Let her down easy if y'don't dig it. wisdom

-James P. Wisdom