Busy Week - Juventas, Spam, UnWilcoing, Pre-My Little Ponying

I think I'm getting cultural overload. On Sunday, we met up with Ming's family to see Circus Juventas (galleries) perform "Atlanticus". Don't worry if you don't know who they are - you'd have to live here in Minnesota. Circus Juventas is a collection of approximately 7th grade through college junior kids who get together and practice for who knows how long so they can put on the equivalent of Cirque du Soleil: lots of costumes, trapeze, three-person contortionist sculptures that look incredibly hard to hold, flipping around on ribbons and rings and chandeliers 30-50' off the ground, teeter totter bouncing tricks, the Russian swing (not a sex act - but a platform that you can ride in a 360 degree circle), juggling, the German wheel (also not a sex act), ladder tricks, jump rope tricks, etc. All of it wrapped with dancing and a rather haphazard story about a giant pearl found by some explorers, desired by a bad octopus guy, and eventually returned to the king of Atlanticus. Personally, I was impressed that Ming's wife was willing to let Eryn sit on her through a chunk of the circus - that shows almost as much physical prowess as the contortionists. Although I don't think their legs fell asleep like hers did.

There was popcorn.


Then last night, we went to Spamalot at the Ordway. It was funny, and there were definitely some Monty-Pythonish pieces to it, but in some ways it reminded me more of a Mel Brooks production than Monty Python. I think it was the self-referential Broadway show humor - just a bit too The Producers - and the Jewish bits. Although those were also some of the best bits. It was the banter at the end, more than anything, that was Monty Python, and the reenactment of the French knights taunting Arthur, as they added some gestures and gymnastics with the crenelations that weren't in the movie. I saw the coworker who sits closest to me at work there (with her son) and my boss. I guess that's what happens when you buy your tickets from the company store. Although when I bought them, a year ago, I wasn't with my current group, so I didn't even know them then. I think it bodes well that I ended up at a Monty Python event with these coworkers, because I certainly didn't see any of my old coworkers there.

To keep the cultural process moving, I was supposed to go to Wilco next Tuesday in Duluth on tickets I'd won from City Pages, but Tall Brad has to go see the doctor (he's the Wilco fan, and the reason I signed up for the contest), Kyle initially declined, Linzy was already back from Duluth, and Eryn (yes, I was going to take my 4 year old to an outdoor concert in Duluth at 7:30 p.m., 150 miles from home) snubbed me so she could do a birthday party (which I'm taking her to, so I'm sort of snubbing myself). Fortunately for me J.R. Norton, who along with Taylor interviewed me on the podcast at Flak Radio, had played a Wilco song on his "songs that remind me of how so many summers have passed that I'm now old" solocast (I joke - he's young...I'm old - my summer song list includes cuts from Depeche Mode - i.e. "Pipeline" and Thorogood's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer"), and I suspected he might be as appreciative of the tickets as I was of the Reyka and podcasting experience. He was game, so as of today, there are two Wilco tickets on the way to his house. I bet it will be much more exciting than a fourth birthday party.

Icing on the cake...are you ready? I also picked up two tickets to My Little Pony Live: The World's Biggest Tea Party. Oh yeah...you WISH you were so lucky. Pooteewheet's not. I bought two tickets...not three. Call me passive-aggressive. It's going to be a daddy-daughter bonding experience with Minty, Pinkie Pie and Rarity the Unicorn. I'm hoping a brush with a unicorn keeps her celibate into her 20s. But don't feel bad for me, because I'm just going to be sitting in the audience, all outward signs pointing to how much I'm enjoying the show and music, but in my head will be looping "Fuck Yeah" from the Team America soundtrack.

By the way, they're accepting audition tapes (how to). I'd give a bit of my mojo to be the reviewer on that project. Those have to be some of the funniest damn things ever: "If you are over 18 and are interested in a performer position, we accept video demonstrations. For more information about this process, select below." Select below includes directions like "Take 4 beats and then state your name clearly." I bet they include that just so they can immediately eliminate the idiots who can't count to four or keep and beat. And there's favorite instructions, " YOUR FULL BODY COSTUME ROLE VIDEOTAPE SHOULD INCLUDE:". J-Money, if that whole WXII thing doesn't work out, I think with a little modification you could just reuse your existing video.