I had been anticipating Saturday night for almost a month! I went to Seattle to see Smucker's Stars on Ice and it was SO much fun! Naturally, I had been watching Dancing with the Stars and they kept mentioning how Evan Lysacek was continuing to learn his dances each week while traveling back and forth between California and whatever city where the tour was playing. Kinda makes Kate Gosselin saying that being a full-time mommy made her bad on the show a painful joke.
Anyway, I discovered that the show (and Evan!) would be coming to Seattle so I bought the most expensive ticket that I could afford. My seat was really far back - about as high as you could go and still be in Key Arena. But that just made for a better view. Not necessarily of the faces, but of the entire performances as a whole. Look, do I wish I could have been down RIGHT on the ice and sitting next to the seat that Jeremy Abbot chose to sit down in during one of his performances? Of course I do! But it was truly thrilling to be in the arena at all watching the show.
While I admit that I bought my ticket because I wanted the chance to see Evan Lysacek skate live, I was blown away by the entire show. Some of the more beautiful performances were by Alissa Czisney, Yuka Sato and Sasha Cohen. Then there were the "fun" routines by Michael Weiss (showing off an AMAZING back flip not once but three times!), Yuka Sato skating to a jazzy It Don't mean a Thing and Todd Eldridge skating to I want you to want Me. And of course, because I am gay, I also loved watching Jeremy Abbot's routines because he is just so beautiful to watch. The night, though, was about watching Evan Lysacek skate live which he did to Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror, complete with sequined glove! Don't tell anyone who works at the arena, but I made a video of his performance even though they said not to (SHHHHH). How could I not??? This must be what it's like to watch them skate during competitions, minus the pressure to earn points. There were a couple falls, but above all it looked like they were all just having a LOT of fun doing something they love doing!
During the intermission I struck up a conversation with the woman sitting next to me. She had asked to see the souvenir that I bought (I'll talk about that later) and she ended up mentioning her gay son in San Diego. I told her that I am also gay and that I sing with the Seattle Men's chorus and from there we talked all the way until the lights dimmed for the second Act. I even found out that Peter was her husband's name.
Of course, I didn't come away without a couple souvenirs, actually. One was free and the other was expensive. When I first got to Key Arena, I saw signs for photos with the cast (a backdrop, not the actual stars - it actually said that on the sign!). So I got in line and got my picture taken with the backdrop. I also wanted a program and I figured they would be selling them, so I searched for a shop stand. The programs were $15, but below that was a sign offering programs autographed by the cast of the show for $45. When it was my turn, I asked the guy behind the counter if the "entire" cast autographed the program - naturally I wanted to make sure Evan had signed it if I was going to dish out two hours of work for it. He came back with the program and flipped through it. He did discover that some of the cast hadn't signed the program, but the important one had, so I bought it. The biggest problem about that, though, was that they didn't have a bag, so I had it out on the seat next to me during the show and people kept asking if they could look at it - many of them parents with sticky-fingered children!
Sunday was also an exciting day. I took a Greyhound bus to Tacoma to watch my cousin Jessica graduate. This was my first time traveling by Greyhound bus and I'm not sure I could do it across country. As we were leaving the Seattle bus station, my cousin called and asked if I knew where the bus would drop me off in Tacoma - they were going to try and pick me up. I told her that the bus station was only a few blocks from the Tacoma Dome where the ceremony was held and I could easily walk it. I wanted their priority to be saving me a fantastic seat!
Unfortunately, the woman behind me heard my conversation. First, let me talk about this woman. She was one of those people who have a naturally LOUD voice! Granted, she was right behind me, but I couldn't help notice people several rows in front of me turning around when she got particularly loud. After my phone conversation with Jessica, the woman confirmed that the Tacoma Dome is right by the bus station and then she said "I couldn't help but notice that you have a phone. May I please borrow it to call my husband so he'll know when to pick me up in Tacoma?" I have discovered a brand new fear: lending my cell phone to a complete stranger! She told me the call was local, but I really wouldn't have known that she called Japan or Africa until after she gave the phone back to me. Thankfully, my phone has a keyboard for texting and she was unable to figure out the numbers so I had to dial for her. 253 is a Tacoma area code, right? Okay, it is, I checked!
I found my family among the thousands of people gathered. They had really great seats with an excellent view. But is it just me or are the seats at stadiums REALLY crammed in? In order for a person to get by us in the row we all had to stand up to let them by. When I sat down, my knees were often pressed up against the seat in front of me. This is why I hate going to sporting events! It's hard to enjoy something when I am crammed into the arena like a sardine.
As the graduates began entering the arena, we all struggled to find Jessica. The Tacoma Dome, it turns out, is a VERY dark place! I imagine it is a bit brighter during a game, but I have a feeling that PLU was saving a bit on the electric bill. Later, my aunt Kathy wondered if it was "mood lighting" they were going for. We were never really able to find Jessica among the graduates. When it was her turn to receive the diploma, it came so fast we almost forgot to cheer for her! They did have large screens and a camera that all the graduates passed by as they exited the stage. I tried to get Jessica's picture on that, but the girl just walked WAY to fast!
After the ceremony was over and we were dismissed, they turned on these HUGE flood lights. We all agreed it would have been nice to have those on earlier so we could actually see Jessica. Through our cell phones, we eventually found our happy graduate. Then, we had to follow her around while she tried to find her friends. There was a red carpet and my cousin Nate and I joked that it might be our only chance to get a "red carpet moment" so I took a picture of him posing on it. Of course, we also got the group pictures with friends and family.
For dinner, they brought me back to Bellevue and we went to Azteca Mexican Restaurant because Jessica wanted Mexican food and it was her day. Jessica and I have had a long running joke because she and I always order the same thing: two cheese enchiladas. Once time when the waiter came to me for my order, I pointed at Jessica and said, "I want exactly what she had." Unfortunately, the waiter thought I was pointing at Aunt Kathy and brought me what she had ordered! So THIS time I placed my order without pointing at Jessica: Two cheese enchiladas. When my dinner came and I cut into it, I saw that there was chicken in it. I don't hate chicken, of course, but I thought I had specifically ordered CHEESE! I took a poll around the table and Uncle Jerry said, "I dunno, there might have been two syllables in your order..." My cousin Nate said, "Maybe she thought you wanted some oil-stained chicken from the Gulf of Mexico..." Every one stared at him blankly, but suddenly I got the joke. "Are you making a reference to Jessica Simpson wondering about Chicken of the Sea tuna?" He laughed and said "YES! At least someone got the joke!"
It was a busy, but fun weekend! Thank God we have Monday off for Memorial Day so I can get a little rest before going back to work! Thank you, Troops!
