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Swinging chair-dancing - not as easy as it sounds
March 10, 2004

So the B and I went to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra perform last night at the Morrison Center. Indeed, we both love Glenn Miller’s musical arrangements, and the way that it is generally so upbeat and happy. We own plenty of phonograph records (yes, yes, we're record geeks) that we listen to on a fairly regular basis, and we’re pretty comfortable with his work and the repertoire the band was used to.

I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I also have a feeling that Glenn himself would roll over in his presumptuously watery grave if he knew about this.

Some of the members of the band were fabulous. Others were at least good. However, on more than one song, it just didn’t seem like they were all together – like the music was strained or they weren’t comfortable with what they were playing. The vocalists had no style, though they were good.

We stayed until intermission, but decided to leave then. I had come to hear one of my faves, “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,” which I ended up being disappointed hearing, as it was lackluster. We went to eat at Chili’s instead of staying for the rest of the show.

It may be rather Seinfeldian of me, but what’s up with recognition applause? I dig applause in and of itself, and I dig applause after a performer does a solo. But when a song is performed that’s a popular tune, people seem to think, “ooh…. Oh! I know this song!!!” *insert clapping wildly, along with whistling after listening to the first few bars*. And seeing how at least 80% of the audience held social security checks in their sweaty little hands, one would think that the audience would be a little more…well… refined.

Then again, this is Boise, Idaho.

On another aside, as I was waiting for the B outside of Chili’s before departing, I had a thought that comes to me every once in a while that shocks me right out of my socks. What in the hell am I still doing here? I don’t really like Boise. I’ve never liked Boise. The air quality here sucks. The small-town mindset of the city council and majority of the population sucks. The proximity of anything I enjoy doing at least partially sucks. Granted, Boise does have some things going for it, but 75% of everything here sucks. The gleaning of an awesome job and low living rates keeps me here for the time being. Oh what I would give to have the money to move….

Comments

Home is where you make it. Packing your stuff up is the hard part. Unpacking it somewhere else seems easy by comparison. Just 2c from a girl who moved every 2 years of her life until she finally found "home." :) xo.

Posted by: styro at March 11, 2004 8:57 AM

It's so true. 75% of everything here does indeed suck. However, you've got access to that 25% of cool, so it's okay. Besides, moving away just for the sake of moving away will not necessarily bring you to a place of less sucking. It's good to have a game plan if you want less sucking in the place in which you live.

Posted by: fern at March 11, 2004 11:02 AM

So I'm fascinated that Boise has sucky air quality. Why is that? I thought that the air really was better out West than it is out here in the congested, polluted Northeast.

Posted by: lotus at March 11, 2004 12:52 PM

indeed, i do have a little bit of a plan for moving... mostly just the direction, though, which = East. i have to take time off of work to visit prospects, but for now i'm thinking Atlanta. we'll see about that.
as for the air quality, it's kind of a long story. Boise itself has crappy air quality due to the fact that the town is laid out in a valley that wind hardly ever touches, really. the traffic and nastiness from cars, manufacturing, etc. builds up in the valley and doesn't go away until we have a freak windstorm. there are places in boise that have better air quality than where i live (which just happens to be pretty much at the bottom of the valley). however, none of these places are cute, kitschy, or where i would even step foot. sad, and true.

Posted by: devlyn at March 11, 2004 1:26 PM

I thought the same thing so we just moved to Kuna. Now I get to smell cow crap every evening, listen to trains all night long, and drive back and forth to Boise every day.

But the food at Artic Circle keeps me there.

Posted by: Kevin at March 18, 2004 3:05 PM