No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on May 8, 2010

I first saw Cirque when I was up at the Yale School of Drama. I use to go into New York City when I could especially when I couldn’t stand it anymore at the school. The YSD was a meat grinder that would chew you up and spit you out without as please or thank you but I know it made me a much better stage manager and a better person after it was done with me. I just had a hard time of it when I was there.

So I was in the city walking around and I just happen to walk by the tent with a sign for this group called Cirque du Soleil. I bought a cheap ticket, walking into the tent, sat down and in an afternoon my entire world changed. I saw the human body do things that I would have thought impossible. I was amazed and dazzled by everything from the costumes to the music to the energy in the tent. I believed in the power of humanity and it gave me hope, which I had been sadly lacking.

Since then I have seen every touring production of Cirque either in Atlanta or here in New York. I have seen the show in Orlando at Disney. I haven’t seen any of the Vegas shows since I haven’t been in Vegas for quite a while. But someday I would like to.

Cirque has become a touchstone for me. It reminds me of what is possible. It gives me hope for my future. It inspires me as an artist and a human being. It is hard to put in words how much the work of Cirque has meant to me over the years so let’s say a lot.

Caroline loves Cirque too. Her first show was on New Years Eve in Orlando when she saw, until she fell asleep, La Nouba. Since then she has seen live productions of Corteo and Kooza and has enjoyed both. She has seen all the others on DVD or on Bravo when they do a marathon but seeing it in person is a lot different from seeing it on TV. For one thing there is a lot going on in the background that the camera never picks up or focuses on.

Peter knows how much Cirque means to me. For Mother’s Day he got us tickets to the afternoon show of Ova today. We are hoping that the weather holds out or at least clears up for us.

I am grateful for the magic that is Cirque Du Soleil.

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off on My Mother’s Day Present for 2010
Tags:

Posted By Kathleen David on May 7, 2010

Makes me want to take a long walk in a local national park or something. Or do more yard work if I can get the sheers sharpened today.

We have a busy weekend planned with trips to the Cirque on Saturday to see Ova and then to visit my Mother-in-Law on Sunday for Mother’s day.

I find I have more energy today then I have had in a while. Maybe it’s the illusion of spring but it is nice to have it back for a while.

Today is a bunch of small things I need to do before I can get back to the big things

I can’t believe that anyone is saying that reading Miranda Rights to a suspect who is an American Citizen is wrong. He is an American Citizen and thus has the rights of such. I don’t care what his beliefs are or his lack of, but we have to do it the right way or we are no better than the Taliban. We pride ourselves on our legal systems. Let’s not turn it into any more of two-tiered system than it already is.

I know a lot of people in Nashville. I ask that you think good thoughts as they dig out or bail out from the river water. I know one person who has lost his entire business because of the flood waters. He has flood insurance so he will be OK once the assessment has been done. He and his wife are so glad that they paid that extra money over the years now.

And continued good thoughts and wishes for all those on the Gulf Coast who are watching their summer business dissolve into nothing because of what may happen. It is going to take them a long time to recover from this.

Arizona is finding out that their new law is causing their convention business to run to other venues. There are rumblings that the all-star game is going to be under attended by ball-players because of the law. It was a stupid law that seems to have been created so it can go to the Supreme Court to get shot down as unconstitutional.

I promise more creative thoughts down the road. Right now I am kind of sorting out a lot of stuff in my brain.

I am grateful for my legal rights.

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Beautiful Spring Day
Tags:

Posted By Kathleen David on May 6, 2010

Try 2 since my word program ate the first one.

The weather is iffy. If I go out and start yard work it will rain. If I stay inside and work, it won’t. Yes, I can control the weather with my actions.

Peter saw Iron Man 2 and enjoyed it. Unfortunately one of our favorite scenes from the trailers is not in the film. But overall he gives it a thumbs up.

Peter came up with a theory about LOST that makes me feel a little better but not much. It is getting harder to watch it these days (I am asking for vagueness in your comments and lets avoid spoilers right now.)

I want to answer a question that was posed to me the other day. If you buy a book (say you bought Interview with a Vampire in Hardcover when it first came out) and then sell the book on E-Bay, you aren’t breaking any laws. You purchased a physical book and it is yours to do with as you want. If you make a profit on the book, more power to you. But scanning it and putting out on the Internet is wrong. Using the library argument is so wrong that I am not even going to start explain why. You have one copy of the book and if you sell the one copy, then you have none but someone else has the one.

Peter signs various things that he wrote from free because he feels that you have already paid for the book or comic or fill-in-the-blank and the least he can do is sign it. But scanning in one of his books so your friends can read it robs us of royalties that keep the lights on and put food on the table. Lending the physical book or comic to a friend is fine because again it is your copy to do with as you will. And maybe that person will then buy some of Peter’s other books. But if they can find everything online for free, where is the incentive to buy anything?

Supernatural is wrapping up with a big bang. We’ll see how this plays out.

Mets are apparently are trying to lose 8 straight after winning 8 to balance the cosmic scales or something. The number of games going into extra innings is getting absurd.

Well the weather is improving so I think outside is where I am going for a bit.

Also I can feel the coffee kicking in so Have a great day.

I am grateful for people who buy my husband’s books, comic books, and other things.

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off on RTBTCKI Will it or Won’t it Rain Edition
Tags:

Posted By Kathleen David on May 5, 2010

The holiday that celebrates the Mexican Army defeating the French for their independence. Imagine what would have happened if France had stayed in power. People in countries both North and South of the US would be speaking French.

And honestly until it became a big deal here in the United States, it was a rather minor holiday in Mexico. It is not the Mexican equivalent of St. Patrick’s Day unless you are working for the liquor distributors who have made this yet another important drinking holiday.

This morning so far I have gotten Peter to the train since he is going into the city for a screening of Iron Man 2, gotten the recyclables to the curb for pick up, and gotten Caroline to school on time. Next on the plate is some computer stuff for Peter, laundry, post office, larder, and cat food. By that time it will be time to get Caroline. And then we are going to pick up sticks so that Peter can mow the back. He mowed the front so that we won’t get a ticket for an unruly lawn.

Since our phone contract was almost up, we got Peter a new phone. They combined his need for a phone with his love for his GPS and he has a GPS now in the palm of his hand. Which makes him very happy. He is still learning how to use it but it can be rather complicated. It didn’t add much to the bill so it is worth it to us.

I am grateful for cool phones that work for us.

Category: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tags:

Posted By Kathleen David on May 4, 2010

I knew the minute I heard that the license had been renegotiated with Terry Nation’s estate that we were going to be seeing them again. I have to say that this was a rather different way for using them. I honestly thought we were going to the Battle Planet when I saw the preview which I think might have been a little more interesting than what we got but what we got was not bad and Doctor Who kicking it old style.

Honestly you could have dropped the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane into this plot with very few dialogue changes or the 3rd Doctor and Liz or the 7th Doctor and Ace. This was a very standard pretty safe by the numbers Doctor Who plot.

I was distracted a bit by Bill Patterson (Bracewell) because I knew that I had seen him in something else. The voice was driving me crazy. It turns out he was Henry Salt in Baron Munchausen. So I went back and watched it again.

More behind the cut because this one is hard to figure out what is a spoiler and what isn’t.

Next week we get to see a Moffat creation come back and I would suggest that you don’t Blink.

I am grateful for an episode that does feel like old style Who. (more…)

Category: Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Tags: