1st Broadway Show: Phantom of the Opera

This year I actually made a list of New Year's resolutions. I didn't write them down, so the list grows and shrinks as I think of and forget about various items. One item that's been on it since the beginning and that I did not forget about was to go see a Broadway show because I had never been to one before. So when my friend Gail said she was coming to visit NYC with her daughter, and asked if I wanted to go see Phantom of the Opera with her, I jumped at the chance. So we had a foursome with Gail, her daughter Leicie, Tiffany (who made sure we knew where we were going), and myself.

The show was at the Majestic Theater on 44th Street, and our seats were pretty good - center stage and maybe between five and ten rows behind the orchestra seating. Of course the singing, set, and costumes we wonderful. I was a little worried that it might be difficult to follow the story if the singing was too operatic, but that didn't turn out to be a problem. My only complaint would be that the seats in the theater are rather uncomfortable - sitting with good posture was making my back hurt, so I found myself curling up in a slouched position for most of the performance.

So now I can cross going to a Broadway show off my list for this year. Other things on my list of New Year's resolutions include getting a new hobby that both Kenji and I can do together (we picked rock climbing), and doing some volunteer work (delivering books for the library to shut-ins every other week). I think there were some other items too, but at the moment I can't recall what they are.

Fake Rock Climbing!

Yesterday, Kenji and I took an introductory rock climbing lesson at NJ Rock Gym, an indoor climbing facility in Fairfield, NJ. I call this post fake rock climbing because the walls at the gym aren't really rock.

This was a first time for both of us. The instructor at the gym, Margo, taught us how to tie the appropriate knots and how to belay. The belayer is the person who holds the other end of the rope that the climber is tied to, and makes sure that the climber won't get killed if he or she should fall off the wall.

It was fun - we each did probably around six or eight climbs during and after the lesson. The gym walls were probably only 25 or 30 feet tall - tall enough to give us an idea of what it's like. The walls we climbed were not especially difficult, but there were some walls at the gym that I'm sure we'll needs lots of practice before being able to tackle them. I think I have more upper body strength than I expected I would, but I still got tired pretty quickly. As the belayer, when you are ready to let the climber come down, you have to let the rope slip through your "brake" hand - this was the part I liked least, as my right hand are very wimpy and began to feel raw after belaying only few climbs for Kenji. I wonder if wearing little half gloves to rock climbing is a wussie thing to do. After all, I didn't notice any of the other climbers there wearing anything on their hands.

Volunteering

Shortly after we arrived in New Jersey, I took up volunteering once a week at our neighborhood school, tutoring a first grader. That ended with the school year back in May, and I'm really not sure whether the tutoring program is even up and running again during this school year. I would think that if it is, the organizers would have kept the tutors' contact information, as they may be the folks most willing to sign up for the program the next time around. I never received a call from the organizers, so either no one organized the program this year, or else they decided they didn't like me as a tutor!

Either way, it doesn't matter. I probably wouldn't have done the program again, now that I work Wednesday afternoons.

This year, instead of tutoring, I've started volunteering for our local library, driving books around town to shut-ins. Today was my first day, and I had about eleven elderly folks to whom I made deliveries. Several lived in the same elder-care complexes, so I really only had to make seven stops. I saw only five of the eleven people; the other six simply wanted their books left with the front desk of their building or by their front door. The folks I did meet were all grateful to see me, especially since they'd already finished the books they had been reading, and were itching to get new ones. I enjoyed the experience, and look forward to driving more books a couple of Fridays from now.