04.09.07
Street Performers and True Art
One of the reasons I like living in an urban area is that, in good weather, you can walk around certain areas and see street performers sharing their talents in the hopes of some financial compensation. Some of these performers are amazing and well worth a 1-5 dollar donation for the enjoyment or amazement they bring.
I remember being completely amazed the first time I saw someone playing buckets and refrigerator parts as a full drum set on the street. That kid was good. I’ve also seen a man escape from a straight jacket, someone else jump rope while on a 10 foot tall unicycle, and countless musicians of all abilities perform on open streets. I’d love to see this beatboxing flute player perform at Quincy Market in Boston, but YouTube brings him to my home.
I’ve often annoyed friends and family because when someone is good, I stop to listen or watch. I can’t help myself. I’ve always loved live performances and stand in complete awe of someone who is actually capable of performing well. I practically idolized Mark Austin, and old friend of mine who would play acoustic guitar on Boston’s red line during rush hour. He once cut a CD for me, and it is still one of my all time favorites.
Today I read an amazing article from the Washington Post in which this year’s winner of the Avery Fisher Prize for classical music, Joshua Bell, performed in a DC metro station during rush hour. Out of the over 1097 people who passed him on their way to work, only 7 stopped to listen for a minute or more. Only 7! The one bright light in the article was the following quote:
“Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch.”
Sadly, that sentence was followed by:
“And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away.”
I am reminded of the scriptures in which we are told that we must become “as a little child” in order to receive the kingdom of God. (3 Nephi 11: 37-38, Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17, and 3 Nephi 9:22) Every child that saw Joshua Bell perform wanted to stop and listen, but their parents prevailed in moving on, consumed with cares of this world.
I hope that I will always take the time to listen and see the beauty around me, even if it is inconvenient. I hope that when my child grows up, he will learn that it is okay to stop and listen.
04.05.07
April Snow?
I’ve always loved New England for its crazy weather. This winter and spring have been no exception. It didn’t snow until January, which meant no white Christmas. But, at the rate we are going we could have a white Easter! OK, so the snow on the ground this morning isn’t likely to last until Sunday, but think how easy it would be to find all those colored easter eggs on a light blanket of snow.
Is Al Gore correct about his Inconvenient Truth? Probably, but I have another theory, too. Perhaps the Earth’s magnetic poles are getting ready to flip. Won’t that be fun when all compasses start pointing south. I wonder what other weird weather and seismic phenomena will occur when the poles do flip. Don’t believe me? Check out this article from National Geographic on the change in magnetic poles. The earth is way past due for a pole flip.
04.01.07
What’s the Point in April Fool’s Day?
I’ve never understood the purpose of April Fool’s Day. There are enough pranksters in the world without dedicating a day in which everyone feels the need to fool their friends.
Case in point. At midnight last night, my husband’s best friend emerged from the computer room to tell me that my husband was about to spend $3000 on patio furniture. I was tired and didn’t want to move. I wasn’t even sure why I was still awake. (Oh yeah, my husband’s best friend still hadn’t left after our small dinner party.) I didn’t believe the claim, but they both insisted that Teo was going to click the “purchase” button. I heaved myself off of the couch just so they could smugly tell me “April Fools!”
Okay, so I’ve done my share of April Fools pranks. There was my freshman year of college when I called home to tell my mom I was getting married. (She should have known better. She should have realized that if was really going to get married, I would have just shown up married. Oh, wait, I did that to her about 20 years later, but not on April Fools day. It was Christmas) My sophomore year, I sent out wedding announcements for a guy with whom I had been having a prank war. There was a year where I turned all the items in the kitchen cabinet upside down on a slightly OCD roommate.
So I guess I have a history of enjoying April Fools Day. Perhaps I’m just getting old. Either that, or pregnancy has sapped all the prankster out of me. Hmm. Teo might need to watch out for next year.
Update: Even Google can’t help itself. See it’s April Fools page here.
