Flaming Spider Cello, Hockey and Strong Coffee!
Warning one must be drinking coffee while reading this blog entry! Stop reading NOW and make your cup of coffee. Strong! Wait did you just keep reading! Make that damn cup of coffee! Anyway I had a great weekend in the metropolis of Minneapolis, MN! I was able to meet up with my Aunt and Uncle and a friend who I have been wanting to hang out with for a while now, Laura Nelson! It was a weekend packed with a few great adventures. As I left the city of Sioux Falls after sleeping off my hangover (not from alcohol), but from the previous night shift at the hospital, I was able to enjoy the last gleam of the setting sun as it evanesced behind an evolving wall of clouds. As the darkness crept across the land I thought of work, life and the weekend ahead.
Friday:
I was able to find my way to where Laura and her homies call home. Laura somehow new that I enjoy COFFEE! Mmmmm ... the coffee was like a materialistic monkey who had so many bananas he was in monkey Heaven. ( OK, so that was weird description of what coffee tastes like) anyway, the homies came home one by one. It has yet to fail me, especially when I hang out with college students, to want to go back. Relive the days. The time of my life. As Darkness approached the City, She became afraid and turned on Her lights. It was time for some orchestra! How does one describe the talent of so many musicians? Incredible! First off, the building. It is three tiers tall and wide open. The ceiling, in my opinion, looked like ice cubes had been dumped in cement, frozen in random places, not melting. Just there to jounce the sound around. As the performance began our ears, or shall I say, the ears of those there that night became alive. Just imagine what each individuals tympanic membrane would look like vibrating to so many different sound waves. The most impressive part was the cello soloist. His name was Anthony Ross. As I sat there watching and listening to his performance I could not stop watching his hands. There would simply not be any sound coming from his inanimate instrument unless it was for this hand to glide the bow across each string which, was of coarse, pushed down by each finger from his other hand. As I sat there watching these intricate motions I thought to myself, “How would I describe this in words?” Well, here it goes:
As his left hand moved up and down the fingerboard, in complete incarceration to each command of nerve running its coarse, from brain to finger it resembled a spider. Spinning his web. Intricate and to perfection. Waiting for the unwary visitor, or in this case, the perfect touch of string to allow the perfect sound to catch the listeners ear, making his purpose complete. Filling his satisfaction and that of the surrounding crowd. This was the cello being played to perfection by Anthony Ross. As Laura put it, “He plays the cello fervently as if there is a flame under his chair.” It was quite the show, which now leaves me with an appreciation for the orchestra. Being able to watch them live is, in my opinion, something we should all do in our lives. It brings it more to life, which will lead you to appreciate it when you hear it on the radio. After the show we went to a party which was a great time. Always enjoy some drinks, music, and a little swing dancing thrown in.
Saturday:
Saturday was yet another day full of adventure. We went to the Green Spoon for lunch and I probably ate the BEST wrap I have EVER had! http://www.greenspooncafe.com/ After lunch it was windy. No Really Windy...but we faced the weather and went on a short walk around the campus. Indeed we had more to do that day! Off to the MIA (http://www.artsmia.org/). Art is the World’s time capsule. To be able to see so much talent of artists in one place really brings one to reality. Allowing one to witness the creativity of the entire world in one place. There is so much creativity in this world now and in the past, we cannot simply wrap our minds around it. To even think of what is to come, cannot be brought to actuality. To see paintings of long ago and those of the present, was well worth our time and I intend to go back.
The end of the day involved eating dinner with my Aunt and Uncle and a Wild game. It was a great hockey game, but sadly, the Wild could not outscore their opponents, thus ending in defeat. Saturday was once again a great adventure and not a moment was wasted. Truly an enjoyable day.
Sunday:
It was the last day of my time in the Cities, so Laura made some delicious pancakes. Oh, so good and of course you can not forget the coffee! We went to Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary, http://www.mary.org/.
My patron Saint is Saint John the Apostle. As we made our way to a pew, guess what statue was directly in front of us? The crucifixion of Christ, while his mother Mary and the Apostle John looked up from below with looks of frozen woebegone. Yet, little did they know it was an act that would change the world.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the story of my weekend. I would like to thank Laura Nelson for a great weekend of adventures and hope for more to come!
(I hope you enjoyed your coffee too!)
