An evening out

Abby and I went to the symphony at the Kennedy Center tonight. A few impressions of the show. First, it was a tough program to enjoy as it was all 20th century music. Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Stravinsky. Not my favs, although the Prokofiev piece was a piano concerto that allowed the soloist to really show off a lot. Even if it wasn't that enjoyable in musical terms, it was amazing to see the guy bang on the keyboard. Second, boy oh boy, the audience was seriously old. Afterwards, I speculated that the median age of the audience was at least 60. And when I mentioned the composers on the program to our babysitter (and the one on the next show that we'll attend - Aaron Copland - who I claimed is much more appealing to a mass audience), I got a blank stare. Doesn't bode well for the future of classical music in the U.S.

Regarding our babysitter, she's incredibly overqualified. Harvard grad, intern with a Senator, future law student at U. Mich, etc. Only in DC can you find a babysitter like her. Margaret was screaming when we left, but reportedly calmed down shortly after our departure. Makes sense. After all, what's the point of screaming when there's no one to manipulate. Last time we left Teddy with her to see a movie ("No Country For Old Men" - a great flick - brutal, but incredibly tense and atmospheric), he cried most of the time. Apparently, he was better this time.

The real fun happened on our way home. While walking down a dark block in our neighborhood, we passed two gentlemen. After they walked by us, I asked Abby, "Did you recognize that guy?" Apparently not, but it was Ralph Nader. I pondered whether it would be inappropriate to heckle him. To combine my opinion of him with Abby's, I could have yelled something like, "Hey you commie (profanity), you cost Gore the election!" In the end, I didn't yell anything, but I did expound on his hypocrisy at length as we continued home. How dare a populist like Nader hang out in my preppy, affluent neighborhood! He better not live around here!

If I had yelled something at him, I figure that one of two things would have happened. Either the scruffy fellow with him, possibly his security guard, would've wrestled me to the ground. Or Ralph would've looked at me, dressed in my "professorial" tweed jacket and khakis that I happened to wear for the symphony, and dismissed me as one of "those people." He might be right, but I still think that he's a (profanity.)