Still Alive, Also Still Married (The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Lord Of The Rings Date)

The hubby and I are still alive. Also, still married.

We went to the symphony and saw Lord of The Rings. I did not bring my camera and was upset that nothing in my closet made me feel anything resembling happy-confident-time. So much so that I wore jeans.

Now, of course, my husband also wore jeans. The difference is it took me 2 more hours and a bedroom that ended up looking like our closet had vomited all over it before I resorted to the same choice.

I guess I can't actually say we saw LOTR. What we saw was the first two and a half hours.

Our awesome seats? Were positioned so that we had to sort of turtle our heads into our necks, crane backwards, and stare straight up if we wanted to watch the movie on the big screen.

The other option would have been to watch the orchestra and the 2 choirs, but since the stage at the symphony is above the level of the seating unless you're in the balcony, they were also way above our eye lines. As expected with my mood, this severely pissed me off. Who builds a high stage that towers above several hundred seats at the venue that belongs exclusively to the symphony orchestra? It was almost like the symphony was taunting me.

We did get to stare at the back calves of the conductor and the shoes of several people playing instruments in parts of the first row. So there's that. Score.

After the first, oh, 150 minutes, the first intermission was given. Granted, the first half of the first LOTR movie is movie-length. It did not help that the symphony needed excessive applause before starting. For the orchestra (yay!). Then, the conductor (woo-who!). Who grabs the first violinist and makes her stand and take a bow (double time clapping!). The choirs (*whistles*). The president of the symphony appears (more clapping!) and then speaks (should we do the wave after? Nah. More clapping is so much more refined). Who then does more re-introducing (at this point, I am golf clapping and very determined to keep looking ahead with my big mouth shut). It went on and on. I wasn't sure at any point if we were actually going to see any performances until the movie actually started.

The music was beautiful. The choirs were great.

Still, once the lights went up on that first intermission, I will not pretend that I was over the moon about it. Maybe I'm just not fancy anymore? I don't like refined events? Or do I just hate leaving the house now? I don't know.

What I do know? The husband had a headache, and after he told me that about 5 minutes into intermission, I immediately took to convincing him we should go. He had a headache. Very appropriate reason for us to leave early.

I was also throwing fist fulls of cupcake mints in my mouth trying not to comment on the overpowering smell of the people around us (perfume and body odor, not in that order). Not to mention trying not to comment on the stage being 2 feet higher than we were and the giant screen's placement just out of our comfort zone. I made it all the way to the car before I went off on the highlighted soloist-fancy-pants-soprano lady in the ballgown. Who was one of the few people I could actually see and the bulk of the playbill. I waited 2 and a half hours for her to stand and sing something. Since she received the longest and loudest ovation prior to the performance. For just arriving on stage. Did I mention, I could actually see her?

She sang about 2 lines in the first half of the show. 2 lines that were with the choirs, and that the choirs did just fine. At the same volume as her singing. There was no need for a soloist, since there didn't seem to be a solo part.

Maybe in the second half she gets to go all Whitney Houston, but I was totally fine not personally witnessing that.

We came home. Which is where we've been since, other than the hubby being at work. I went to the grocery once, too, I think. There's been spring cleaning, various home repairs, and a obsessive amount of time spent on creating the World's Most Awesome Care Package for a friend having surgery. Red Dead Redemption phase is over at home and a new video game for the husband has given me loads of time to read a stack of books and clean the flower beds.

Of course, in case you are wondering about the PS3 game, I would lovingly explain it as something something vault, something something radroaches, something something pew pew pew guns and something something apocalypse. Or something.

We haven't given up on dating. In fact, at my insistence (because I never learn?), I bought us tickets to a comedian we like that is coming in the fall. At the Fox Theater, which we enjoy as a venue and have been to many times. The tickets went on sale at 10 am Saturday. Which was helpful since I found out the comedian was coming to town, going to be at the Fox, and that we wanted to go around 9:55 am on that day. By 10:08, we had decent seats and confirmed tickets. I did not get crazy excited. Nice and calm sort of nodding occurred.

I didn't even start sing-songing the words "Hot Pockets" until just now, honestly.

*Takes five minutes to sing "Hot Pockets" in head over and over*

...

For now, we have eye appointments together next week. That's... Sort of... Date-y... Right?

One Date To Rule Them All!

It is coming.

Summer ended. Fall came and went. Christmas. New Year's. Valentine's and St. Patrick's Day. All leading up to what spring meant to us. A date, planned well in advance!

Next weekend, the hubby and I will be putting on our snazzy clothes and going to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Classical? No.

Incredible? Hopefully yes.

Lord. Of. The. Rings.

Too long to wait after purchasing tickets in August? Maybe.

Was I bordering on clinically insane after getting these tickets? You tell me.

I'm a little scared. Will we be the oldest people there? And what should I wear? Because it's the symphony. But it is also LOTR. Is there a happy medium? If so, I am pretty sure I do not own it and haven't since the Renaissance Fair of 1999.

New Year's Resolutions

Welcome to the materialistic post that precedes the 12 days posts of the HOLY SH*TMAS countdown. Maybe next year my New Year's resolution will be to be less materialistic? This year, the prerequisites are the same as usual.

Exercise more!

Eat salads! (Notice how that doesn't say more salads. Just salads. Missin' from the diet. Because they're gross.)

Take my blood pressure daily!

Keep a food journal!

And so on. To say that they are half hearted resolutions would be giving them half a heart more than they are receiving.

My real resolution is that I am trying to STOP announcing to my husband that I have to pee whenever I get up to do just that. Commercial break? "I have to pee!" Returning from errands. "I have to pee!" Getting up from the computer? "I have to pee!"

Yeah. Point made. Every time I walk through a room, and he's in said room, it seems I need to tell him I am well hydrated and dealing with the repercussions of that. I know it's not a pretty lady thing to do. I know. I just can't seem to stop.

And we need to step up our dating game and date the pants off of 2011. This month, we're going to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for the first time. Ooooooooo. Ahhhhhhhh. We also need to really focus on more at-home dates. I have a hot river rock massage kit from the clearance section at Borders that has been on a shelf for over a year. That sh*t is gonna happen. Word.

We also still need to see Tron. Yay. No, really, I'm not rolling my eyes right now and giving myself a neck massage to get all the Tron-induced tension out of my head.

Okay, I totally am. Tron. I better get some nachos or something special for that viewing, Man. Something. A pretzel or something. Sour Patch Kids? What goes with "something bothers me about Olivia Wilde" and the realization that she's maybe why I stopped watching House? Twizzlers?

A Cow. I Has One.

My poor, poor husband. Attempting to play his game. Microphone to the other online players still on.

Me, in the background, but not nearly quiet enough to be background noise...

"Want to go to there! WANT. WANT." Insert whining here.

"I have to go, guys," he says. "Have to make the wife happy."

I love being on the email list for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Granted, we haven't been yet, and this was the first email from them that peaked my interest, but still. Worth it.

I was having a cow.

Idina Menzel.

Elphaba. Maureen. Original coach of Vocal Adrenaline. Married to and procreating with Taye Diggs. There is nothing this woman cannot do!

And we're seeing her from the middle of the 6th row in January, with a full orchestra backing her. If she asks me to moo, I am mooing. If you get that reference, high fives and musical-nerd respect, yo.

And we're not going to the grocery this week. I can stay on a budget! Watch me! I hate money. As in not having enough of it. The husband better get ready for some fish. Our freezer is full of fish. Does that sound dirty? I mean it literally. Sorry...

Someone is on a very strange, intoxicating high from excitement. I don't know what else I would get high on. Cake? Anyway, if it was possible for me to jog, I would do that right now. I can barely sit still. Awesome future date!

Moo with me! Mooooooooooooooo! Mooooooooooooo!

Sweet (Geeky) Heavens! LOTR! Swoons!

The hubby and I spent the afternoon together. Romance! Action! Drama! Friendship! Danger! Loves! Violence! Bloody, bloody violence! Sean Bean! Say it so it rhymes! Sean Bean!

We were watching the extended super-special-y Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. We drew the curtains closed and cuddled on our dramatically oversized couch (which, thanks to Rothman's Furniture professional store layout of "stick it all in one giant room", we managed to purchase and have delivered several years ago with NO idea of how gargantuan it really was). I was in my happy place, sitting super close to the husband (my right side) with Maverick the dog stretching out so her head rested on my shoulder (to my left). Pandora the cat changed position around us frequently but never strayed more than a few feet away on the ottoman.

As I've mentioned before, movies aren't really dates to us. With our earlier Penguin date, we gave ourselves over yesterday to errands and decided to phone it in today. It was all pjs and leftovers.

Yet, watching this particular movie came from a future date. A date we discovered and about 5 minutes later jumped into with both feet. YES, PLEASE.

I was lazily looking on some St. Louis websites this morning while the hubby did techie things I'll never understand on his computer. I happened to see the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra website. We've never been and have talked about going. The theater is supposedly beautiful and happens to be very close to the Fox Theater. So we know where it is and where to park. Score! Plus, the orchestra is supposed to be superb and well known nationally. Win-win.

I started scrolling down the events. Wow. Blah blah Mozart and Beethoven blah blah orchestra. Not that I don't want to see classical music. I would probably enjoy it. The husband actually owns cds of this stuff. That's cool. Orchestra-y. I continue strolling. They throw an ABBA night in there. What? I keep looking. Brahms. Okay. Then, I see they're playing the soundtrack to Hitchcock's Psycho the movie over Halloween weekend (while showing the film alongside on a big screen behind the orchestra). I'm starting to feel warm, fuzzy feelings in my tummy.

I don't remember it until I see it. Then I might have squealed a little.

I remember reading about how the orchestra did the score of the Lord the Rings movies, how it was sold out, and how it blew everybody away. I see they are doing Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. They are going to perform the entire score on 3 nights while playing the movie on a big screen. Tingles. I gots 'em. Clickity, clickity, clickity. Could there be 2 seats left for us? Any of those nights? I am not busy in April 2011. If I become busy, well, we all have our priorities. MINE WOULD BE LOTR with the frickin' orchestra.

Um... Hi. I literally turn, scoot my chair towards my husband's desk chair, and begin a vain but vigorous pulling attempt on it. It's enough to be very, very annoying. I don't do it often. Just when I really, really want him to see something.

He scoots over, asking, "What? Why can't you just tell me?"

I point and sort of gurgle and clap and point and gesture wildly. He reads it and says, "Cool!"

Victory lap around the office. I do my awesome, awesome dance.

For some reason (I'm guessing tickets went on sale today), there aren't 2 random seats for us. There is one sold out section at each of the shows. But, at all 3, there are a lot of seats available. A LOT.

Clickity, clickity, clickity. Which show has the best seats available? Oh, all 3 basically have the same opening? Well, we'll take Friday night, then, thank you very much.

2 SEATS. 6TH ROW CENTER, BABY.

A few hours later, the hubby asks if I want to watch the movie. I say, sure, and hence, our afternoon together watching Lord of the Rings. Excellent choice, husband, as I had forgotten how incredible the score was. Every time the music swelled, it was like a separate memory for me. The melodies are just so memorable, so lovely, and so right for this movie. Hear them anywhere and it'd come back to you.

I'm in geek nirvana right now. I have a Bachelor's in English (don't ask) and one of my medieval lit professors worked for Tolkien back in the day. Granted, she was completely batty and kind of looked like she belonged in Middle Earth. And she had no warm, fuzzy feelings for the author. That's besides the point. I was one person removed from Tolkien in a different time period on another continent... IT COUNTS. I saw all 3 of the movies in the theater with my grandmother (she loved them - one of many of my great memories of our times together). I have all 3 special editions of the movies. I obviously have the books. And I'm married to a software engineer. I'm a nerd on a professional level.

Is there possibly a better date that we could plan? Come on! Ridiculous. It's going to be awesome! We have how many months to wait and I'm already at a "maybe I should learn Elvish!" level of excitement. This is what life feels like... When you decide to increase your cultural knowledge,expand your horizons, and go all high brow by buying tickets to the symphony orchestra!

In other words, one date to rule them all!!!