Week 16: It was a strange week
It was a very strange week. It started with spring semester starting. I added on a class this semester and felt a little nervous about time management. A couple of my courses are a lot more intense, so it’s been an interesting adjustment so far. On Wednesday, some friends invited us to join them at one of the most bizarre, albeit thoroughly entertaining concerts I’ve attended. At school, the kids get breaks to get their wiggles out. They sing and dance around the room. There’s an app called Go Noodle with all kinds of children’s musicians leading the kids in song. One of those artists, Koo Koo Kanga Roo was coming to a club in town. It’s a cool venue. Tickets were a good price. The band (is it really a band?) is a riot. And we were headed there with great friends. When we arrived just after the doors opened, the place was already packed. I didn’t expect this. I thought it would be a few parents hanging out while the kids danced on the open floor. It was like Bad Religion mosh pit packed. We found a spot and the music started. It was weird. There were screens with dancing pizzas and chomping dinosaurs and a couple of guys dressed in gold screaming lyrics about Panera and cats. The most bizarre part were the adult superfans who showed up without kids and stood up front. We lost it a couple of times during this hilarious spectacle, but eventually we were jumping, stomping, singing, and dancing along with everyone else. A couple of days later, I found myself at an art gallery, which was readying itself for a celebration of its 40th anniversary. I entered a piece in a juried exhibit and earned a spot alongside some pretty amazing artists. I was dropping off my work. That night Jeff and I were invited to attend the Governor’s Inaugural Ball. It was our first black tie event. I rented a beautiful dress and I got to see Jeff in a tux for the first time. I was so nervous. I’m terrible with small talk. I am completely awkward in situations I’m unsure of, and we were to be announced in while I walked in heels down stairs. We saw so many people we knew, including standing in line next to an old neighbor from the house I lived in when I was small. When our name was announced, we walked through a curtain and I watched my feet until halfway down the stairs when I looked up and saw a room full of hundreds of people. I took a breath and glimpsed an enormous ice sculpture of the state capitol. Then a friend waved and I relaxed. It was a beautiful evening. We drank champagne while chatting with friends. We found our way to the dance floor and danced and sang wildly. The governor took a break from photos to dance along. From school to kids concerts to a gallery to a ball. It was a wonderfully strange week and kind of encapsulates who we are lately.
