Friday, May 09, 2008

Squeezing in the fun

I know my recent posts make it sound as if our life has become one crisis after another with nothing in between except grief, sadness, trauma and paperwork. And it is true that some days start to feel a bit like that! But we've done our best to squeeze in some "together" time and make sure we were remembering to enjoy our life.

A few weeks back, my wife and I traveled up to Northampton, MA to one of our favorite little clubs to have some dinner and to see The Wailin' Jennys, a folk group from Canada. These three women - plus one new group member, a guy they referred to as "the new jenny" - are just incredible. Between the four of them, they played at least 10 or so instruments throughout the show, entertained the crowd with plenty of charm and humor, and offered up some of their most popular songs. It was a really fun evening.

But we didn't want to keep all the fun to ourselves. So we also took the entire family to see Cirque du Soleil. This is the third time their touring show has made a stop in CT. We went to see them the first time, nearly four years ago, and all five of us were blown away! So there have been steady requests from the kids to see them again. And trust me, when you can get three teens too all agree that one thing is good, you don't take that lightly! So we were thrilled to have the opportunity to see them again.

If you seen Cirque, you know what they are like. If you've not seen them, words won't really describe it. And if you've seen them on Bravo, you know what they are about, but seeing them on TV does not do justice to just how incredible they are. While the tickets are a bit pricey, there isn't a bad seat in the tent. Yes, they really do perform in a tent. But once you are inside, it really doesn't feel like a tent. And the seats wrap around about 75% of the stage so every seat is close and has an excellent view.

And the performance itself is mesmerizing. Every aspect - the clowns, the lighting, the music, the gymnastics, the dance, the storyline - everything has been pulled together by what I believe are some of the most creative people around. One minute we were laughing as clowns raced through the audience and the next we were holding our breath as men performed on the wheel of death.

The kids loved it. We loved it. And the requests to see the next touring show have already begun.

So we've certainly had our tough moments over the past few months, but we've squeezed in some laughs and some good times when we've had the opportunity. And that time together has been especially nice as we've worked our way back to normal.

14 comments:

VioletSky said...

...and add a soupcon of Canadian culture to life's enjoyment. The Wailin' Jennys are great, haven't heard them in a while. And one cannot describe the amazing agility of the Cirque du Soleil - you are right, it must be seen to be believed.
;) Sanna

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear normal times are resuming.

Looking forward to the same for myself.

whimsical brainpan said...

I'm glad that you've not only had those moments but are wise enough to treasure them.

furiousBall said...

happy with the sine wave settles huh? good to see you back.

Jazz said...

I love the cirque. They always start their tours at home in Montreal and I haven't missed one in yars and years.

I've also caught a couple of their shows in Vegas - which is the only reason to go there as far as I'm concerned.

Michelle said...

Glad to see you adding some fun into your life these days! Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the "bad" thing, we forget we need fun, too!!

I've never seen Cirque....but maybe some day. I never thought it was my "thing"...but I keep hearing how awesome it is. Now I am way curious :)

meno said...

Those tents are in my neighborhood right now. They are impressive as hell.

Anonymous said...

Just catching up, Em. You guys have had such a rough go of it lately. I'm sorry. Glad you are getting in some fun things. I LOVE Cirque du Soleil. I was reluctant to go because of my aversion to clowns, but it was phenomenal.

Lloyd Irving Bradbury said...

must be

Unknown said...

Wow. I'm so jealous right now. You've seen the Wailin' Jennies AND Cirque du Soliel? And put them both in the same blog post? Cool. I dig the Jennies.

TK Kerouac said...

TK Kerouac's HNT

Heres another laugh for you

the blogger formerly known as yinyang said...

My condolences for all of your losses. Life goes on, though. And it's good to have fun.

Melody said...

Glad to read that things are coming back together for you and the family...and a trip to to cirque de soleil to help liften your spirits too!

Andrea Frazer said...

"there isn't a bad seat in the tent" Now that's funny. If you ever go into selling camping gear, that's your slogan right there.