Una serata di lacrime e risate

Last night was opera night. We ended up with an extra ticket so both Daniel and Nathan were going to go with me, but unexpectedly, Matthew expressed an interest. Daniel was great and offered to let Matthew go instead. I figured it would be a good first opera because they performed two one act operas (Pagliacci and Gianni Schicchi), one a tragedy and one a comedy. It would let him experience a bit of variety and would be shorter than many other operas in case he got bored with the whole thing. Somewhat to my surprise, he really enjoyed it. I guess that means I have one more kid that is ready to be placed in the opera rotation.

The Highs and the Lows

The past week has been long, so long. Last Saturday we were in lockdown all day because of a nearby shooting and subsequent manhunt which was, unfortunately, unsuccessful. The police lifted the lockdown just in time for Daniel, Nathan and I to head out to the opera. We was “Moby-Dick.” It was composed in 2010 and was definitely a modern opera. I’m not a fan of modern music because it lacks the structure, the form of more classical music. It doesn’t go where my brain or my ears expect it to go and it leaves me feeling vaguely unsettled and as if, even though the curtain has dropped, there was something lacking. Give me a good old I-IV-V-V7-I chord progression any day! So it felt like one of the longest operas I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen Wagner so that’s saying something!

Monday was Nathan’s audition for this year’s school musical, “The Music Man.” He was anxious all weekend, half excited and half nervous. He felt like he did well at his audition and then the waiting game started. He had to wait for the remainder of the auditions to happen on Tuesday before the callback list would be posted. Needless to say, he wasn’t focusing well.

Tuesday and Wednesday were jam packed with Matthew’s geography bee (still so proud of him!), Dare graduation and Arrow of Light ceremony. At 2:29 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, one minute before school was supposed to end, I got a text from Nathan saying that the middle school had gone into lockdown. Kevin was waiting at middle school seminary building so he could take Nathan to the dentist and he saw the cops shoving kids back into the church as they headed out to go back to the school or home. Needless to say, Nathan was pretty tense. It is not every day that the school goes into lockdown when it is definitely not a drill. They were only in lockdown for about twenty minutes, but in that time we also received the automated call letting us know that the elementary school was in lockdown as well. We found out later that the lockdowns had been a precautionary measure as the police executed an operation that resulted in the arrest of three people though to be connected to Saturday’s shooter, although the shooter was still at large. Due to the lockdown, any after school activities at the middle school were cancelled so Tuesday’s musical auditions got pushed to Wednesday which meant the publishing of the callback list was postponed as well…which didn’t help Nathan’s state of mind. On Wednesday the shooter was finally caught and honestly, I think the whole neighborhood heaved a sigh of relief.

On Wednesday evening, Daniel participated in Battle of the Bands at the high school. It was not very well planned or publicized this year and as such there were only two bands participating, but his band won first place and while it was fairly anticlimactic due to the lack of many competitors, he gets a share in the prize money and was pleased about that.

On Thursday I had a niece head into surgery to get a recently discovered, very large cyst removed. Everything went well, but it did add to the general stress of the week. Nathan had callbacks for which he was again, excited and nervous. And once he came home, the waiting began again. The drama teacher at the middle school posts the cast list online the evening of callbacks and he came home and started playing what they call “the refresh game,” the constant refreshing of the webpage to see if the list is up yet. Those three hours were very long for him, but he has no idea what it was like in the olden days when we had to wait for a week and then showed up at school to see the cast list posted on the drama room door. Finding out at home means everyone can cry out their disappointments without the audience of all the other students. Anyway, he was anxiously awaiting the posting of the list which finally happened around 9 p.m. And heading up the list was Nathan, playing Professor Harold Hill! He is super excited! I’m super excited! We’re all super excited! His phone was going crazy as people reached out to offer congrats!

So it has been a busy week around here. We’ve had some stresses and anxious moments. But we’ve also had an amazing week full of triumphs for all three boys. I’m glad that the week is nearly over though. I need to catch up on my sleep…and my house cleaning.

A Year at the Opera

Matthew’s teacher is one of those who is a firm believer in the arts. She incorporates the arts into her classroom regularly and the kids have come to love all the art, music, drama and dance that she uses to reinforce learning. In fact, she is so good that this year she won a state award for excellence in incorporating the arts into her classroom. Here is the tidbit about her class that is posted on the school website:

“In an effort to create a well-balanced educational experience that addresses the many and varied needs of each child, K.L. intentionally creates consistent and frequent integrated arts experiences with her students.

Mrs. L.'s fourth grade students perform brain dances every morning to get their thinking started on the right foot. They also learn the elements of dance while learning important academic concepts in memorable ways. They create and perform dances for many concepts, including the rock and water cycles, clouds, weather, fossils, geometry, fractions, and multiplication. One of the students’ favorite experiences is creating and performing Native American hoop dances during their study of Utah history.

One project in particular that showcases Mrs. L.’s ability to integrate all four art forms into her instruction is her current opera production. The students have created the story, music, lyrics, scenery, and costumes. We’ve enjoyed watching the process take shape, and we can’t wait to share the finished production with our community.”

Matthew has really enjoyed being in her class this year. He is so active that getting up to dance around is good for him and helps him stay focused. He loves music and singing and really enjoys the art and dancing as well. As for the opera, the kids have been working on it all year and Matthew was super excited that today was performance day. Utah opera has a program where the teachers take a class about the creation of an opera in their classrooms and then, when the kids have created their librettos, they send them to Utah opera and someone writes the music for them. Then they rehearse and perform their opera. His teacher has wanted to do an opera for years but had never been able to take the class. This year our school’s full-time music specialist (I’m so glad we have him! My kids love him!) was able to take the class so he and Mrs. L. were able to work together to make the opera happen.

The kids did a great job. I was so pleased with what they came up with. And they were all pleased as punch. Our local free newspaper (not one of the biggies) even wrote an article about it. So last year Matthew’s class was on the news and this year they are in the paper. He’s had great teachers and I’m so grateful for everything they’ve done for him!

Why Have I Never Done This Before?!

Last night was opera night. But one of my nieces went to prom instead. And the rest of us were not terribly excited to go see a guy kill his best friend.  (The opera this time was “Of Mice and Men.” I really, really hated that book.) So we opted to eat dinner and get pedicures instead. The little girls were invited to come and we had a great time. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t discover how awesome pedicures are until now. I would have wanted to go get one on a regular basis. As it is, now that I have discovered the wonder that is the pedicure, I’ll have to occasionally work one into my budget.

I wore sandals today even though it was a bit chilly. :-)

“I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.” ~Woody Allen

Last night was opera night and it was the first time that I have ever seen the Macarena performed in the Capitol Theater. That, combined with a slow motion pillow fight, a few mighty fine Karate Kid moves, and a bunch of saucy comments made for a highly enjoyable evening. So many of the well known operas are tragedies (La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Carmen, etc.) but I must say that while I have my favorites among them, I really enjoy a comic opera! Seriously, operas such as Die Fledermaus, which is a comic opera often performed in English, are like opera light and are a good way for the non-opera lovers to get a taste of a classic art form. Having an unknown opera turn out to be a comedy is always a pleasant surprise and “The Italian Girl in Algiers” was one of those surprises. Good times, people!

Macbeth Is Not A Comedy

At least it's not supposed to be.

Last night was opera night and the offering was "Macbeth" by Verdi. In addition to the strangely humorous findings that appeared in what is usually such a grisly story, I was wicked tired (Did you know that after your child gets injured the combination of leftover adrenaline and the overwhelming need to check on the aforementioned child fifty times in the night make sleep incredibly difficult to come by? I was up until after two reading a really stupid book. I usually only do that for really good books.) and sitting by Esther who has one of the smartest (and sassiest) mouths I've ever known. When the curtain rose on the three witches ("Double, double toil and trouble" and all that), there were thirty witches instead. I kid you not. It was like the ultimate in multiple personality disorder. And about five minutes in, one of the witches on the back row fell down the stairs on the back of the elevated set piece. We heard a big thunk and a couple of her fellow witches took a quick glance back. Esther and I were both trying really hard not to laugh which of course resulted in the unavoidable completely silent but hard to miss full body shaking.

Other humorous moments included the herd of stealthy (not!) assassins stomping their way around stage, the open throne (it didn't have a seat and although we found out later that it was so the ghost could suddenly appear, Esther and I were throwing around comments about the porcelain throne), and the fact that after Macbeth fell dead on the stage, he sat back up and sang some more. That is a pretty common opera occurrence. They always have to get their last two cents (or five cents, or $1.50) in before they can stay dead. But to its credit, the music was great and the singing was fabulous. And hey, I wasn't really in the mood for a drama anyway!

Things That Happen Because I Live In A House With Only Boys

Last night was the opera (Regina-not my favorite, but there were some parts I enjoyed) and as I was getting ready to go, the following conversation occurred:

Nathan: "What are you wearing?"
Me: "A dress."
Nathan: "Is it like a really long shirt?"
Me: "It's like a shirt and a skirt hooked together."
(brief pause)
Nathan: "I think Allie has one of those."

Perhaps I've been a slacker in educating my children about girly stuff. After all, someday they are probably going to want to date someone who wears "one of those."

O Boy!

During dinner before the opera on Saturday night (PF Chang's . . . yum!), my sisters and I had a conversation about Rachael's recent post listing ten things she loves that start with the letter P. It sounded like fun, so I had her assign me a letter. So here it is, ten things I love that start with the letter O:

1. Order-Yes, that is the OCD talking.

2. Obedience-from my three rambunctious children.

3. Octaves- and all the notes in between. I love music, singing can lift my mood and listening to marvelous music is a balm to my soul.

4. Oranges-Not just to eat, but orangey scents are one of my favorite aromas.

5. Olivia de Havilland- and all her fellow actors in "Gone With The Wind," one of my all time favorite movies. Consequently, the novel is one of my favorite books as well.

6. Oz-Did you know that there are fourteen books in the original series? And the only reason "Gone With The Wind" didn't win the Emmy for best picture in 1939 was that "The Wizard of Oz" did?

7. Old Musicals-How can anyone not love films like "Singing In the Rain?"

8. Onomatopoeia-Clink, bang, buzz! I love words! There is just something about a finely crafted phrase or a perfectly descriptive paragraph. Reading them and writing them bring me joy.

9. On time! Seriously, chronic lateness is one of my pet peeves.

10. Ochre-as in red, my favorite color.

11. Opera night! This time it was "Madame Butterfly," which was marvelous enough to pretty much make up for missing the last one. Ah, Puccini!

Okay, so I know that there are more than ten, but I couldn't decide which one to leave out!

Please Pass the Advil!!!!!

I woke up on Saturday morning with a headache. Not a My-head-is-a-bit-achey-I-think-I'll-take-a-couple-Tylenol headache. A Holy-cow-when-I-move-anything-the-whole- world-spins headache. For those of you who are lucky enough not to be afflicted with migraines or other such heinous types of headaches, let me describe what it is like. First, take a railroad spike (the bigger and rustier the better) and shove it through your head. Location doesn't matter much, although my personal favorites are the temples and right behind my ears. Now, tune your radio to whatever kind of music you absolutely abhor. Whether it is country or hip hop, rap or hard rock, make it really loathsome. And then turn it up as loud as you can. Loud enough that your teeth vibrate. Next, look directly into the sun. Then add in some dizziness, nausea, and vomiting and you've got a pretty good idea of what a really gruesome headache feels like. I know that people look forward to being resurrected and being restored to their perfect bodies for a variety of reasons, everything from anxiously awaiting the return of the thin, svelte pre-baby body to welcoming a full, lush landscape of hair. But me, the things I look forward to the most are not having to endure any more skull crushing headaches and being able to see farther than three inches without my glasses. Seriously, I would happily be fat for eternity if it meant I never had to spend another day vomiting due to the enormously sharp pain in my temporal lobe.

As a result of this mind numbing experience, I missed the opera and dinner with my mom and my sisters. I was totally bummed. It was PF Chang's and Don Giovanni for heaven's sake! Mozart! So to make myself feel better (a little bit anyway), I used the money I had set aside for dinner and bought a pair of shoes. They are red. And cute. And they were on sale. And the 6 1/2 actually fit even though I usually can't cram my short, fat little feet into a regular width shoe. And I was lucky enough to get the last pair in my size in the store. And there was a teeny tiny ding on one shoe so they gave me an additional 10% off. And when my change came out as 98 cents, the guy just gave me $1. So I missed dinner and the opera (dang it!), but I got a really cute pair of shoes at 56% off the regular price. And they are red. My favorite color.