I can truly tell that spring break is a week away, given how challenging last week was. Due to two doctors’ appointments, I took Wednesday off, but I still felt just as drained on Friday as if I’d actually worked five days.
I noticed that one of my neighboring teachers, who is new to my high school, but not the teaching profession, also looked just as drained. I asked him how things were going and he said that he couldn’t believe how things were organized at our school. He’d moved from a high school in San Antonio and just figured that since we taught in the capital, things would be much more organized.
I laughed and said the first thing that came to mind. “That’s just like expecting Vatican City not to have prostitutes!” We shared a laugh and he said he really liked my analogy.
It’s wonderful how such a small, humorous comment can make life breathable…at least long enough to finish out the remaining class period of a draining week.
I did myself a favor on my day off by going grocery shopping after my doctors’ appointments, so I could cook for the upcoming week three days earlier. That little schedule shuffling came in handy, given the fun things that I’d planned to do on the weekend. Plus, I got to munch on my delicious black olive and eggplant quiche for a couple of days before dividing it up into individual lunch containers for the upcoming week.
I had organized for three capoeira girlfriends to join me to see the latest Cirque du Soleil show, Quidam. The tickets were a little pricey, but we splurged in order to treat ourselves to a wonderful show and hang with each other.
Our evening began at my place for a little happy hour. One friend abstained from drinking for Lent, which made her the designated driver for the night. Although our happy hour was BYOB only the teetotler actually brought her own drink. Boxed red wine to the rescue!
We hit the road to the Cedar Park Center, which was an easy, entertaining 30-minute drive since we had some good conversation going the whole ride north.
Once we hit our seats, the “ringmaster” began interacting with the crowd for a few minutes. The show officially began about ten minutes later. That was such perfect timing, given that three out of four of us were mothers who had to settle childcare obligations before going out.
I’d seen another Cirque du Soleil show called Alegria about ten years ago; so seeing another Cirque du Soleil show was long overdue. Just like the other show where I remember holding my breath and fearing that someone would get hurt or drop something, I loved the show and marveled at the physical strength and flexibility of the acrobats.
One of the clowns interacted a lot with the crowd while the acrobats set up for the next breathtaking feat to shame the rest of us stiff, overweight slobs. (I should be losing weight over the next 30 days though since I’ve joined in my capoeira school’s physical challenge!)
For all the contraptions that suspended the acrobats in the air and objects juggled too high for my comfort, my favorite acrobatic part was the couple who balanced in different positions, using only the strength and flexibility of their bodies.
Afterwards, we made the mad dash into the cold, crowded parking lot. Our designated driver had the forethought to park near the end of a row so we could get out in little time. We then rode back into Austin to a sweet little hole in the wall. Another capoeirista friend had invited the group to this place in order to celebrate a birthday and just hang out and have a good time in general.
For $5 a person, we danced to Brazilian and African music and had access to an all-you-can-eat buffet. I was initially weary about that buffet, but it was absolutely delicious, consisting of mixed vegetables, a beef dish, and a chicken dish. Everything was seasoned so beautifully, I suspect it was all laced with pork.
I’m so happy to train with such a diverse group of people who are interested in doing various cultural things in addition to capoeira. It truly helps to make the stress and illogicalness of school a more bearable situation.