Saturday, September 20, 2008

Musical Review - Mamma Mia!

First, let me preface this post by making a statement to some of my friends: yes, I still have my man card.

Reminder...my reviews are not your typical synopsis, just my perspective based on expectations.

Ok. Last Friday Dianna and I got to see my favorite musical - Mamma Mia!, after great meal at the Fort Worth location of Gloria's. (I have got to go back there to take Dianna salsa dancing.)
This is a must see....for every ABBA fan. I didn't really listen to music on the radio until my junior high years. Prior to that my music listening experienced consisted of two things....a little bit of radio music while driving home with my parents from Santa Fe Downs waiting for the horse racing results to be announced to us after leaving the track early and, playing 8 track tapes from my Dad's Columbia House collection. I think for the most part he just let the selection of the month be sent by default. There was everything from the Eagles, Diana Ross, ELO, Commodores, Ferrante & Teicher, John Williams, Willie Nelson, etc., and there were a couple of ABBA 8 tracks. Although, I gave most of the 8 track tapes equal play, the ABBA was on my heavy rotation. ABBA actually ranks in my top 10 favorite bands. Keep in mind I think I have one of the most diverse tastes in music (or, so I think); everything from Nirvana, Offspring, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Van Hagar, Cinderella, Poison, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Metallica, La Onda, Kumbia Kings, Blink 182, Greenday, Kanye West, Blackeyed Peas, Death Cab for Cutie, Weezer, etc, etc......

Anyways, ABBA is definitely good stuff (ok, great stuff). They were a talented band. And, Mamma Mia! amazingly interweaves 22 ABBA songs into a musical production with a story line that matches the songs. This is somewhat similar to the All Shook Up musical based on Elvis Presley tunes. Every song performed was fantastic with the exception of Under Attack. This song opens the Act II and is what I refer to as a 'dream sequence.' It doesn't fit. The rest of the songs do....I just wish the Mamma Mia song list included Fernando (Ferny is a nickname for Fernando)....for this song to fit they would have to change one the characters name to Fernando. And, if they would ask me I would tell them to include this song.

This was great evening of entertainment. Next time I plan on taking my mom to see this musical.

Getting back into it.....and, that stop sign means what?

Finally, I went sub 41:00 on a 10,000 meter row (40:49 to be exact). It's not that I haven't gone that fast before, but, I haven't gone that fast since returning from vacation. My usual Saturday gym routine involves a 45 minutes of resistance training but, I skipped that portion this morning since my parents were driving up to visit. I just didn't have enough time to lift and row. So, skipping that helped keep my time low. I really need to start rowing more often.

Change of subject - the concept of a 4 way stop intersection....
There's a 4 way stop intersection somewhat close to our home (beach & heritage trace) that Dianna and I just hate driving through. Why, do you ask? It's because 99% of the time we go through the intersection we are cut off by a driver going out of turn. The 4 way stop is such a simple concept. The driver sitting there the longest goes next. Tonight, I almost hit a someone going out of turn...and there was a Fort Worth police car in line....but, the officer was was too busy chit chatting on his cell phone to see the near miss.
So, who are these people? I think it might be the same one's who spit out their gum in the grocery store parking lot, or is, the same people who insist on watching their news from the only cable news network that has to constantly remind their viewers that they are "fair and balanced," or is it, the same people who walk their dog(s) only to let them take a dump in your yard, without picking it up? These folks are either just completely selfish, or lack the intelligence required to operate a motor vehicle.....or, maybe both.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

You're allergic to what? get real.

Warning this is a RANT (sarcasm ON)....

Today's was M's first day of preschool. I took the day off today so I could extend my 3 day weekend to 4 days and, to see M off on her first day. Dianna told me that M will not get to take peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to preschool. Apparently, some classmate(s) has a very bad nut allergy in her class. This is not good....PB&J is M's favorite meal. In fact, she could eat PB&J sandwiches EVERY day, if we let her. I can't comprehend this....growing up it was extremely rare to hear of a kid having a nut allergy and, now it is quite common. On the drive home today, after picking up M, Dianna tells that the entire private school where M attends is now peanut free because so many kids have nut allergies. How about this concept.....they put all of these peanut sensitive kids in the same room during lunch? That way the rest of the kids can enjoy their PB&J's. I guess I need to get used to this kind of thinking - another blog I read refers to the concept of the "lowest common denominator." This blog mentioned how society seems to be brought down because of the lowest common denominator. An example mentioned is that we all have to suffer driving on the freeway when the selfish drivers merge at the last possible moment. The PB&J ban is kind of like this and, so is the dumb kid in the class slowing the education process down for the rest of the students.

Maybe I have lack of perspective on the nut allergy issue...but, what are these kids going to do in college? Should state governments build special college campuses that are designated peanut-free zones? What about when it's time for these kids to enter the workforce? Does that employer suddenly have to become a peanut-free work place? Do these same employers designate peanut eating zones near the entrance, where all the peanut loving employees can gather and eat their peanuts, including special receptacles to dispose of their empty peanut packaging?

(sarcasm OFF)