Easter Weekend

 I'm not religious however 3 different faiths were practicing important rituals this weekend. 

For me, the weekend covered a bunch of things that were small things on their own, but made it a particularly good weekend and reminded me of much to be grateful for.

On Saturday, we didn't have family Zoom because Mei was in Boston with Neve and Mason checking out colleges for Neve. During the week, I had gone to Home Depot to pick up some stuff for Christie to paint the hallway and while I was there asked at the blinds shop about their top down/bottom up customs. I returned on Friday to pick up one to replace the broken shade in the bedroom. First job is taking the old one down and patching the nail holes. When I tried to install the new ones, I found I was trying to drill into a metal piece. Luckily, Chris to the rescue, he provided metal drill bits. I also spent some time patching up paint dings around the place, almost had a paint spill mishap, cleaned up and ended up running late for my shift at Stray Cat.

After a few hours of playing with the cats (here's Wren)

I went home and decided to tackle the shade situation. Took a little more arm and shoulder muscle to get the screws in but they installed beautifully and the new shade clipped right in! I love being able to let some light in from the top while still maintaining privacy in this very large window.

I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment getting this taken care of. The old shade has been slowly deterioriating over time with the broken cord and getting this additional functionality is fantastic. This also makes me feel like I can manage the issue of running into metal again when I finally get around to installing a new curtain rod in the living room (with Chris' help, of course).

Sunday was a dance filled day. Since it was also Easter, a bunch of us had bunny ears (thanks to Kelly for getting me a pair) in class. It was a full class, really fun combos and ended with some fast pique turns which I love. 

Dash out of class and home for a quick shower and change so we can carpool to Orange County to see Ballet de Monte Carlo. Kelly, Hiromi and I were supposed to meet Joyce and Donna at Donna's house, but Hiromi was running late so we just met them in OC .

The theatre was very sparsely attended (sadly for the dancers) but this was a stunning performance! They did their version of Romeo & Juliet from the late 90s. The sets were very sparse, consisting mainly of a ramp and large white panels, some of which were curved and moved around. The Capulets and Montagues were distinguished mainly by dark or light clothing. The Friar is the character who carries us through the story, almost as if what we're seeing is him remembering the tragedy that he set in motion with his ill-advised actions. This was a piece that felt very much like theatre without words. The traditional Prokofiev score is still in place (one of my all time favourite pieces of music) and the choreography is contemporary but rooted in traditional ballet technique. The dancers all were required to convey much more with their faces than traditional ballet and they were spectacular. This was such a moving interpretation of this well-trod story that I got all verklempt at the death scene, despite no sign of poison, daggers or other means of taking one's life.

 

 My seat neighbours were there to see one of the performers, Benjamin Stone/Benvolio, who had danced with their brother/son. They were so enthusiastic and it was fun to sit next to them.

After the performance, we all went to Silver Trumpet for dinner. We had a fantastic meal, served by a wonderfully attentive server and we had time to talk and eat in a relaxed fashion without feeling the need to hurry along so we could get to the theatre. We were home before 7 for a relaxing evening, culminating in some home made chocolate chip cookies delivered by Christie (Elyana went on a baking binge). 

Before the pandemic, it may not have occurred to me that a weekend like this was so special, but I'm feeling it now and thought that through every accomplishment and event.