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At the Circus
Niles: I've always liked the thought of meeting the great people of history, but then I think what if it's like high school and none of the really cool dead people want to talk to me?
-- from Frasier
Thursday, May 18, 2000
One year ago: Expectations
Two years ago: Dino Martinis
Three years ago: A Bobolink for a Chorister
Good news from Jack! He called me after his CAT scan, or whatever the test was. His surgery will be scheduled for the middle of June, if the HMO approves it. He's feeling better too, since he's been mostly fasting for the last week. He'll probably even go into work tomorrow. So I decided not to go up there this weekend. I'm torn -- I'm really glad he's feeling better, but now I probably won't get to see him this weekend, or for who knows how long. On the plus side, I did get to do some family stuff tonight, I'll enter a dance contest tomorrow, and I want to get to the street fair Saturday morning.
Since I didn't have to take off north, I had a chance to go to an entertainment at my nephew J---'s school. He's been interested in clowns ever since the Seafair clowns drove by the house when he was 18 months old. I don't know what prompted it, but he had the idea that his elementary school should put on a circus, with the kids playing all the parts.
Terrible traffic made me about five minutes late, but I saw most of the half-hour show. My sister had coached the clowns in some skits, my nephew juggled, did the devil sticks and rode a small bike, and other kids did a magic act, charmed a "snake", and other assorted feats. The crowd enjoyed the show, and not just because they were mostly friends and family. We then adjourned to my sister's house and had root beer floats.
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A rare event for me: I actually watched TV tonight. I normally just listen to Frasier and other sitcoms on a TV-sound radio, but tonight was the season finale and I wanted to see it and hear it.
The show lived up to my hopes. They always have clever writing and sound structure. The motif of characters popping through doors when they aren't wanted was repeated several times, which made the farcical tension keep building. This situation (Niles and Daphne admit to each other that they "Have feelings" for each other) has been building for many years, but they did a good job with the payoff. David Hyde Pierce is such a fine actor! He did understated longing sincerely and convincingly.
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My brother called me back tonight. I decided to lend him money for the rent and a few bills. It's a one-time deal. If this happens again, I'll let him be evicted. But I made him wait until after the TV show, before I walked the two blocks to his building and wrote a check. Am I being a sucker? I guess I'll give everyone a chance, every ten or twenty years or so.
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