Bring it on!

Bring it on Spring!

This year I have joined the company softball team! It has been a really fun way for me to get in some exercise and get to know some co-workers that I do not get to work with. It's an interesting experience working for such a large company, so the opportunity to hang out and get to know people from other departments has been really awesome. It makes calling for favors so much easier!

This is our team name and logo. (Wacker is the name of the street that the Lyric is on, and Moles in honor of the arcade game "Wack a Mole.")

GO MOLES! :)

These are some of my teammates/co-workers.

This past month I have been trying to take advantage of the fact that life has slowed down and try to get out and see some performances from other arts organizations around the city.

With some help from a friend who has some connections I've been able to see 2 jazz performances at Symphony Center.

They have been awesome performances! The first was a trio headed by pianist Brad Meldau and the second a small big band lead by blues pianist Marcus Roberts.


I also had the chance to see a couple of operas by Chicago Opera Theater. They do smaller productions than Lyric and present younger singers with fresh ideas on ways to experience operas. Their slogan is opera less ordinary. I have seen 2 of their shows.

The first was Le Tragedie de Carmen; which was an adaptation of Bizet's Carmen. They basically took a 3 hour opera and made it 90mins. I love Carmen and all it's glory and unfortunately they stripped away all my favorite things about the opera. This was one of the most ordinary professional operas I have ever seen. The set was 2 brick walls, and the costumes were 1 look with obvious color choices. The singers were great! But that wasn't enough to really make it a moving performance.

My trip to see the Carmen was my first visit to the Harris Theater where they have their performances. Entering the theater was an interesting experience because each floor was lite by different colors of fluorescent lights. Not only that but when you entered the doors, in order to get to the main floor you had to go down 3 stories. The stage was down underground. It was a surreal experience.

Here is my view looking down from ground level.

My ticket was on the pink and blue floor.

The second performance I saw was by Benjamin Britten and called Owen Wingrave. It was a much more entertaining production. I had never seen the opera before, so it was a surprise, and I loved the sets and lighting. A vast improvement from the previous show.

On my way to the theater I noticed some public art that made me laugh out loud!

I know my West Texas family will appreciate the hilarity in this art, considering that these objects are all over West Texas.

However, apparently in the big city, pump jacks are artistic! Ha ha!

I'm hoping to continue to go out and experience all that Chicago has to offer! This summer is different than any other summer I have had in Chicago. Different because it's my first summer not to be working 6 days a week! Bring it on Chicago, I'm ready to experience the good!