Take Me Out

Fourteen years ago today I was rushing headlong toward romance, with a copy of the Franz Ferdinand album tucked under my arm. In my sights was the woman who is now my wife and the mother of my two youngest children; back then she was a friend of a friend, someone I was keen to take out. We were both fans of Franz Ferdinand, playing Take Me Out to repeat, and anticipating the debut album (released fourteen years ago yesterday) that would soundtrack the first year of our relationship. I won Nina over (I think) that Valentines Day with a handmade card - and two tickets to see Franz Ferdinand a few weeks later at QMU in Glasgow. Things went well (the gig was great), time passed...one wedding and two children later, (sadly, neither Franz nor Ferdinand made the names shortlist). Although we regularly listen back, we have never looked back...

...and I have never been allowed to give her a shop bought card since. Despite selling the very finest selection of greetings cards available to humanity in Paper Tiger, I have had to labour away using pieces from the craft department to make every Valentine, birthday, anniversary and Christmas card ever since.

Ten years on, I managed to repeat the trick for our anniversary in 2014, acquiring surprise tickets to see the band at the majestic Barrowlands Ballroom. I stalked Alex on Twitter before the gig, and relayed my Take Me Out tale to him. At the gig he dedicated a song to us, buying me another few years of credibility with my wife.

And now here I am, with our tenth wedding anniversary approaching, and Valentines Day just around the corner, I needed to come up with something else. So I've made a card. Take Me Out.

I can buy this one in the shop, but this is a special one - I have got the band to sign it for me at Fopp today. And they signed the new album, which is Always Ascending, which is - as always - awesome. And a copy of Take Me Out. Because that's where it all began.

And I have the tickets for next Saturday at the O2 Academy in Glasgow, but she doesn't know about that yet...

...Nina will have her card and her surprise on Wednesday; so please don't tell her!

EDIT: card and tickets handed over this morning - I am Superman.