"Reading" Week

"Time flies when you're having fun". Definitely true for this week. So "reading week" is over, but other than read two books that have nothing to do with school, I didn't do much "reading".

With that said, it was a nice relaxing week to unwind from the 2 weeks of craziness prior to this week. It was nice to drop by the high school and say hi to a few teachers and see some old faces again, but the highlight was definitely the Auto Show and Phantom of the Opera.

Auto Show:
Highlight of the autoshow was the opportunity to test drive various cars on a couple of different tracks. The chance to test drive 3 different Mercedes-Benz vehicle was worth the price of admission alone. Unlike the people I went with, I felt the Toyota 4x4 off road test drive was a pretty good experience. Maybe it have something to do with the fact that I got the 4Runner while the others were stuck with the FJ Cruiser and Tacoma. But it was something that you probably won't be able to do at any dealership, and unless you go offroading, you won't have a new 4x4 at the disposable going through various terrains. A few interesting concept vehicles and a few new designs from Audi and other manufacturers, but nothing really mind-blowing.

Phantom of the Opera:
Been looking forward to this show for awhile. It was definitely an awesome show. I did not watch the original version that was shown between 1989 and 1999, but it lived up to my expectation completely. I won't do a complete review, seeing as I'm no professional. However, the show itself was pretty much flawless. John Cudia (Phantom) and Marni Raab (Christine) were exceptional in their parts. The lighting effects were spectacular, along with the various sets and props. There were no major flaws or hiccups in the play. It felt like Kim Stengel (Carlotta) was a tad slow starting in terms of her voice, simply due to the high notes she had to hit at the opening scene, but it warmed up quickly and was beautiful throughout the performance. There were a couple of very minor tech issues that will probably be fixed that occured when the full cast was on stage, but they were probably issues that only a tech geek like me would notice. If you have never seen Phantom, it is definitely a show worth watching. According to the Star 90% of the tickets have already been sold, so hurry!

Best of the Rest:
Cafe Crepe was good and affordable. Great time spent catching up with a friend...
Great conversation at Starbucks, looking forward to the summer ahead...
Assisting with the ACCI bantam girls team...I miss playing on short nets!

Is there anyone that would be interested in going to hear the TSO perform the entire Holst's the Planet suite? $12 tickets through www.tsoundcheck.com! Its May 9-10. Also another concert is the TSO presenting the Magical Music of Disney, May 15-16!

Reading week is over soon, too soon...