Thursday, September 2, 2010

A Frustaci Thing

Written by Erin

Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.

Tuesday, 17 April 2007

Do you ever have moments of shear silliness? I'm talking about those times where you roll on the floor laughing so hard you forget all responsibilities, all expectations, all rational— so hard in fact, your belly aches.

As children, we frequently have them, yet they seem to diminish with our youth.
Last week while visiting my parents, my mom and I casually slipped into one of these moments. We goofed around in a mixture of tickling, hugging and wrestling. Even the dog stared up at us in bewilderment.

We joked about how being adults is sometimes overrated. Been there, done that.

Against our will though, we were quickly dragged back to reality when the phone rang. It was a friend of my mother's who had been going through rough times. I watched as my mother's face went from a carefree smile to a look of burdened sadness. A friend of a friend had lost her grown child in a car accident. This woman will never see her son get married, hold grandchildren in her arms or share another moment of uncontrollable laughter with him.

The same is true for all the parents who lost their children during the horrific shooting at Virginia Tech this week. My heart goes out to them.

While these tragedies are sobering reminders to never take life for granted, they also remind us to appreciate the more lighthearted moments of happiness. What a wonderful feeling it is to simply let laughter flow from deep within with a loved one. It really doesn't get any better. Those are the best moments.
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2. Men in skirts

Tuesday, 20 March 2007

    I'm not talking about kilts, I'm talking about the costumes in Jessica Lang's "DeProfundis". The mere thought may make some men sweat and cling to their manhood. However, if you can get passed the shock, there's a greater appreciation to be had.
    While many 20-30-somethings were out on the town downing one green beer after another, I spent St. Patrick's Day at the beautiful Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. I joked that we would probably be the youngest in the theater that night, but to my surprise, we weren't. Several other young couples decided to forgo the drunken debauchery for a night of fine arts.    Because I have always loved ballet, my boyfriend got me tickets to Dance Creations for Christmas. For three months, I had something special to look forward to. We got all dressed up and went to dinner. The performance was a collection of three contemporary dance presentations— two being world premieres.
    As the lights dimmed the stage exploded with dancers. But this was no Swan Lake. The music was fast and rhythmic. The movement was wild and edgy and absolutely stunning. Bodies slid out from under the curtain and crawled across the stage. Darrell Grand Mountrie's "Second Exposure" was a high-impact contemporary celebration.
    The second performance was a completely different style. Jessica Lang's "DeProfundis" began with a dancer suspended in the air in a long flowing white costume above a stage of dancers' silhouettes. As the lights brightened, the dancer's figures emerged. The men wore yards of white fabric that exaggerated every move. The women wore long white sleeves that flowed gracefully in all directions.
    To round out the night, Lila York's "Celts" had the audience mesmerized. From our second row seats, I could hardly pull my eyes away from the dancer's feet. They leaped and kicked to the celtic music. A few times the timing was a little off, but overall, the performance was sharp and lively.
    Though the ballet did not quite reach the ranks of Sunday Football for my boyfriend, he did enjoy the show. It was a refreshing change to do something we don't normally do. And it's something to do again.

Check out the Colorado Ballet

A new season starts in April and will include Le Corsaire, Dracula, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, The Repertory Series and a special co-presentation with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble of the Alvin Ailey 50th Anniversary Tour. visit coloradoballet.org
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3. Super Bowl Lessons

Monday, 05 February 2007

Here are some things I learned from Super Bowl XLI.

1. Under no circumstances should a person do a whole month of grocery shopping two hours before kick off on Super Bowl Sunday. I admit I have been putting it off for months and needed everything from barbecue sauce to toilet bowl cleaner, but I don't think I ever made it past isle nine. While there were plenty of checkers and the lines were not long, I could barely make it down the spaghetti isle in one piece. Maybe I should have been wearing football pads.

2. No matter how much food you buy for a Super Bowl party, if you have nine guys in one room, they will eat it all. Here's the damage: three bags of chips, a jar of french onion dip, a box of corn dogs, a container of chicken strips, two pounds of italian beef sandwiches, four deep-dish Chicago style pizzas, a 9x11 dish of Jello and a tray of sugar cookies. We probably could have fed a small army.

3. The half time shows never seem to be as good as they used to, but there are always at least a few commercials people will talk about afterward. Come to think of it, the half time shows are typically remembered for an unintentional/intentional blooper. Did anyone see the curtain behind Prince?

4. Someone will always spill a beer on the white carpet. If they didn't it wouldn't be a good party.

5. The comfiest seats are a precious commodity. If you get there late, you'll end up on the floor or on a hard wooden chair in the back. No matter how old a guy is, he will revert back to a 12-year-old mentality whenever he needs to get up. It's common to hear "seatback" from the mouth a a 20-30-year-old. It's also common to see people fly off the chair to steal his seat.

Any other Super Bowl observations? Post a comment to share yours.

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4. Good sense gone

Thursday, 18 January 2007

Call it a brain fart, a mental glitch or an airhead moment. Call it what you will, but we all do stupid things.

The worst are the stupid things that completely blindside you— the kind that seem monumental at the time.

I wish I could say I am a rare exception, but I probably have more of these mental glitches than most people. Just the other day, my heart sank and I thought I was going to have a panic attack.

My purse was nowhere near my desk. I rushed to my car. No luck. I knew instantly I had left it behind at the coffee shop earlier that morning.

I sped over and jogged to the door, all the while my anxiety continued to build. As I frantically approached the counter, I discovered how lucky I was. It had been found and was being kept safely in the back room. Everything was still in tact. Checkbook, credit cards driver license, lip gloss, gum and loose change— all there.

I thanked the employees over and over before leaving. It wasn't until the drive back to the office that I started thinking logically.

OK, so the worst thing that could have happened is it would have been gone. I'd have to cancel my credit cards and get a new driver's license. My overly priced purse and Starbucks gift cards would be gone. As sad as that would be, it was all materialistic objects I could do without.

I realized how stupid I was being, not because I left the purse, but because of how I reacted. Just that morning I read in the paper about the two high school boys from Berthoud who lost their legs in an accident and how 200 or more residents were left homeless after an apartment fire in Colorado Springs. And there I was, worried about a purse.

No matter how hard we try not to, sometimes we do sweat the small stuff. And when we do, we need to stop and put things back into perspective. Then, chalk it up to a brain fart.

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5. Hope no one is watching

Thursday, 11 January 2007

Have you ever burst into sporadic dancing for no apparent reason at all? Come on, you know what I'm talking about. It's the kind of dancing where your arms are flailing uncontrollably, your rear is shaking and you can't stop bouncing up and down.

It's one of those things no one admits to, but I speculate everyone does. In fact, I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who has never danced in front of their mirror alone. If you did find someone who fits the bill, they are missing out.

While you may look absolutely ridiculous, there's something energizing about letting loose. Little kids do it all the time. They aren't as self-conscious as adults.
It's even in the movies. (Think Cameron Diaz in Charlie's Angels.)

Besides, I can't think of a better way to make yourself laugh at yourself. If you are brave enough to try your moves out in public, check out this week's cover story. It highlights places to go dancing in northern Colorado. It even lists places where you can get some lessons— not that you will need them!

"Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening,and live like it's heaven on earth." William Purkey

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