I heard on the radio last night that the Moscow Ballet troupe is coming to town in a couple of weeks to perform The Nutcracker. I've always wanted to see both a ballet and The Nutcracker so I'm hoping that maybe I'll get to go while they're here. Being a girl, I've always had a slight fascination with ballet. When I was in 4th grade I took ballet lessons - nothing ever came of them, though. We never even had a recital. I wonder why. But I had the tutu (Derek posted that pic a couple weeks ago) and I knew the feet and arm positions.

About that time (4th grade, I think...) Mom informed me that my grandparents were coming to visit from Junction and that Grandma, Mom, Uncle Ray & I were going to see The Nutcracker ballet in Denver while Dad, Grandpa & Derek went to see a Colorado Rockies hockey game. I was so excited!! A real ballet and The Nutcracker no less!! Ray got the tickets and came back with the sad news that the ballet was pretty much sold out and they couldn't get 4 tickets together, only 3 so guess who got shut out of the experience? Yep. I was told that I would instead accompany the boys to the hockey game. Pfft. What fun was that? I wanted to see the ballet, damn it!!!

So reluctantly I went to see Rockies Hockey. I sat next to Grandpa and some old fat man who drank beer after beer after beer. He scared me at first but as the game wore on, I realized that it was pretty cool - fast and exciting and there was even a fight! Grandpa is a pretty quiet guy when he's watching sports so I turned to the drunk next to me and watched him for his reactions. When he cheered, I cheered. If he booed or cussed, I booed and got mad. That man taught me how to watch a hockey game.

And now here I am, a huge hockey fan. If I had gotten to go to the ballet, I might be an anorexic living in New York right now!

A postscript: When Mom came back from the ballet she said the seat next to them was empty the whole time! Guess it was meant for me to see that hockey game!!

Labels: sports, stories

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