Week-end

I was mentioning at one point that this week has been rather like being tossed alternately, repeatedly (and, in truth, rather violently) between buckets of scalding hot and icy cold water. There were moments of elation that I haven't experienced in quite awhile...and dejection -- utterly. I didn't know there could be such a gamut of emotion in one week. Now I do. :)

Fortunately, the week ended on what turned out to be an exceptionally high note. Despite the fact that my "date" for the evening was hit by a car on Wednesday (!?) I went to see The Christmas Revels perform at Lisner last night...and the show was spectacular. My friend TOWWAS sings with them, so that was exciting in and of itself. The theme this year was Scandanavian...and, ok, I don't speak any of those languages, but the music was gorgeous...and the show was funny... And the dancers! They imported two exceptionally handsome Norwegian men who did a traditional Norwegian folk dance that involved a lot of deep knee bends and knocking a hat off a pole 8 feet in the air. They both had excellent stage personalities and were outstanding dancers. Yum. And I got to dance out to the lobby with the cast on "The Lord of the Dance"....AND I got to sing my favorite "Dona Nobis Pacem" chorus with the audience. Had the evening ended there, I would have gone home happy.

But it didn't end there! Oh no!!

After the show, TOWWAS invited JChu and I to go out with the cast. And they were high on adrenaline and singing incessantly over beer and pizza... I finally got to meet some of the people TOWWAS has been telling me I should meet -- and she was right, I loved them. But the best part of the evening? We had a long conversation with this Norwegian dancer...who was, arguably, even more charming in person than he was on stage. He explained to me why Norwegians toast so enthusiastically and shared pictures of his children... Then at one point, this conversation happened:

Him: So, you saw show?
Me: Oh yes!
Him: So...what was worst part?
Me: [thoughtful pause] Well...[exaggerated grimace]...there were these two guys who danced...
Him: [listening intently, then concerned] Oh? You mean me?!
Me: [doe-eyed surprise] Hmm? Oh, you danced?!
Him: Yes...me...him, there...
Me: [sly grin]

Much laughter then. :) I'd like to think I helped him fully understand the English for "smartass." All that was just before some surreal conversation of how many different slang expressions there are for "boobs" in English -- and his admission that the DC Revels had the best boobs (or was it "racks"? Anyway...). What fun just all around! Had the evening ended there, I would have gone home happy.

But it didn't end there! Oh no!!

On the metro on the way home, JChu and I got to witness a little slice of the aftermath of a DC Saturday night. There was nearly a knock-down between two well-drunk boys. Then a funny vignette with two guys and a girl (Note to dark-haired dude: "No, she's not going to call you despite the fact she took your card...unless she calls to get your friend's phone number"). And then a funnier conversation between the same two guys over a statistic they read on a metro ad (Note to dark-haired dude: "No, the statistic 1 in 20 does not, in fact, translate to 800,000 out of 1,000,000"). I nearly fell down laughing when we finally got off the train.

So all in all, a really excellent ending to a really up and down week. Kind of makes me wonder what lies ahead! :)