Pacific Northwest Ballet

My office Christmas party was this weekend--Friday we closed at 2:30 (AWESOME!) so we could all go home and get fancied-up for the PNB showing of "The Nutcracker." The show started at 7:30, but traffic was AWFUL! It usually takes me about 20-30 minutes to get to Chris' house, but it took nearly an hour, and then an additional 40 minutes from Chris' house to the Seattle Center where McCaw hall is. That is not usually that long of a drive either.

A quick sidenote--Seattle traffic is SOOOO bizarre. The speed limits are all low (30 on most streets, 60 on the highways) but NO ONE goes the speed limit--everyone pretty much drives 5 under ALWAYS. Or, if you catch people speeding it is pretty ridiculous. But traffic isn't predictable--it gets cloggy at wierd times and in wierd places. If I had to use one word to describe Seattle in general (people, traffic, life) it would be Quirky. This place is strange.

Anyway, the show. It was alright--nothing spectacular, and definitely not worth the $58 per ticket that my boss paid for them! I don't understand the Nutcracker--I mean, i get the story line and such, but, I don't get why it is such a HUGE deal for ballet. As far as interesting music and dancing goes, it isn't that incredible. It is nostalgic and that is nice, but, there are only so many times you can see it--and even still, the Baryshnikov version on tape is SO much better.

Chris and I decided that we are either going to go see "Dracula" (the ballet) or "Pagliacci" (since neither of us has ever seen an opera).

We went roller skating with a big group of people on Saturday night. It was kind of lame. Bailey wanted to for her birthday, and it was an ALRIGHT time, but, considering that the majority of people there were kids there who were as old as I was the last time I went skating, I think our group was a little out of place. The police officer there even asked us if we were drunk skating that night--alas, no. no we weren't.

In other news--I am going to find out from my church what I need to do to play in the orchestra on sunday mornings. It would be early, but, i think it would be good for me to get my day going like that.