Feb 17 2008

Avenue Q

Today I had the great honour of seeing an incredibly funny play at the Fox Theatre in Saint Louis, MO, USA. I went with two great friends to see Avenue Q, which is might be explained as “Sesame Street for adults.” The show features Muppets, but includes profanity, alcohol, one-night stands, and truly deserves this label:

full puppet nudity

I knew that the performance would be entertaining and funny, but I had no idea that the cast would be so talented that one would forget within five minutes that there were people controlling the puppets. The actors mimicked the movements and facial expressions of the puppets, so they seemed to just become part of the background. The set was equally captivating; the foreground of the apartments on Avenue Q didn’t change structurally, but the details–street lamps coming on in the evening, stars filling the sky, and neon lights blinking for the bar scene–transposed the set into a myriad of environments.

Some of the personal perks of the show (for me), were:

#5:
The connection of “Schadenfreude” to my Psychology of Humour and Laughter class.

#4:
The awkward silence after Rod’s closing line during his ‘I’m not gay’ song My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada.

#3:
Trekkie’s line in The Internet is for Porn, right before Kate says “I hate you men”.

#2:
The Bad Idea Bears.

#1:
Getting to see the show with two great friends from Uni.

Avenue Q

Overall, a great experience. 🙂

|:| Zach |:|

P.S. If you want to know what the lines were for #4 and #3 in the list above, just search for the Avenue Q lyrics. 😉 It’s up to you to decide if you want to look up the lyrics, but these two think it would be a good idea:
Bears

Feb 12 2008

No children allowed

Well, after an incredibly long day of working on homework, I still don’t feel caught up at all. However, I did find a picture of this excellent sign that is up in an apartment complex. This, my friends, is a prime example of why misplaced modifiers are a huge pet peeve of mine; they can really convey the wrong message. 😉

Click for the full size:
No children allowed

|:| Zach |:|

Feb 09 2008

Slow Dance

Just a little while ago, I received an email containing a poem that needs to be shared with the world. This poem was written by a young girl with cancer, currently in a hospital in New York, United States. When you read the poem, you may feel a variety of different emotions sweeping over you; the true power of wonderful art. These feelings are different for each person, as they are the crashing synthesis of the poem’s message and one’s own life as it relates to that message. For instance, one may feel deeply sad, suggesting that the message is something that one has thought about, yet has not fully considered its implications. I think this a beautiful reminder, and I deeply appreciate the person who sent it to me (you know who you are):

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down,
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask “How are you?,”
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You’d better slow down,
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die,
Cause you never had time
To call and say, “Hi”
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away.
Life is not a race. Do take it slower.
Hear the music…
Before the song is over.

|:| Zach |:|