I could do worse!

I could do worse than attend the opera with my son! After all, we've done it before----last year, Justin, Robbie, and I attended a live performance at the Times-Union Center of "La Traviatta". Before the opera, the three of us had dinner at the Omni, right across the street, and we saw a cast of characters NOT part of the opera. Oddly dressed middle-aged adults were lining the bar area as we ate our pre-show meals, specially designed for the time crunch between eating and show-going. We saw men in tail coats and t-shirts, top hats and blue jeans, and one man dressed totally in leather, but not motorcycle leather------suede, cowboy-style with fringes everywhere. What was going on that brought out the characters? We heard later that a Van Halen concert was taking place in the same structure that held the Opera House. Is that a culture clash or what????

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Today might be the same scenario, although pre-theater we are having lunch at 5 Guys (remember: the mighty have fallen!!!) before going into the AMC Theater to watch a live broadcast of "La Rondine" by Puccini being sent from The Met in New York City!!!!! Justin asked me earlier in the week if I wanted to go, and I said, "SURE!!!" Oh, we are excited about this. I already got the tickets so we won't have to wait in line and are encouraged to be in the theater 30 minutes prior as it's first come, first served. I wonder if there will be the rope lines up like when a new movie comes out...............Later in the day, a cast of characters like to "linger" around the theater-area but the police have stepped up their presence in order to reduce the amount of loitering and scaring the regular folks. Top hats and fringed leather is not the order of the day for this group, however.

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Well, Linda has a new-born, healthy granddaughter, Amanda, with both mom and baby doing great. Linda reported that when she called Tommy at work to let him know about the birth, he broke down and wept. Me, too!

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Fox and Friends had so much to offer this a.m., which made me chuckle. The primary thing that got me was the one anchor referring to "Blago" as "the gift that keeps on giving." Blago gave this amazing speech yesterday, parading all these so-called accomplishments across the stage (or radio dial, as the case may be) and declaring that these accomplishments were what got him impeached. Really? Does he really believe that? They showed footage of him jogging down the middle of a snow covered street as photographers tried to keep up with him, and it was ridiculous, just ridiculous to watch.

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From that story they rolled into Madoff and that debacle, speculating why oh why that man is not behind bars, even after violating his bail agreement by attempting to shift assets around right under every one's noses. Millions in jewellery and cash being shuffled and no one will notice? One of our members at church has a niece who lost her entire family investment business, $8 million in assets, as a hedge fund manager due to her involvement with Bernie Madoff, while he's still living the high life in a penthouse in Manhattan (which Fox and Friends calls "Weekend at Bernie's!!). Only in America! Now they also showed a line of hot sauces named after Madoff, described by the creator as being "as hot as the hell fires that should consume Bernie Madoff"! Well, I guess we know who got "burned" by him and who did not!

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Justin just arrived to start taking down the decorations so I'd better go and supervise him. I hate the taking down of the decor because it makes me happy to see it there, but as I told Judy R., it's great to see it up and looking gorgeous, but then it's nice to return to "normal", too. Like the great joy one has when company comes, and then the quiet that settles after they are gone. Both are excellent!