First, I found out I got all As again this semester. I was a little nervous about Arabic because I'd been getting a lot of Bs on tests lately, but it turns out I got a 92% in the class! So this was a great start to my day...
Then, Miguel doesn't work on Fridays so we drove down to Old Town Alexandria, where we got coffee, muffins, and a newspaper, and we relaxed on a park bench by the river for a while. After lounging around town and poking in stores for several hours, he took me to my favorite Chinese restaurant to enjoy my favorite food... spicy peanut noodles. Later on, we rented a movie, took a long walk around the park in M's neighborhood, and went to a wonderful dinner at a place called Vermilion in Alexandria that evening, where I indulged in several glasses of wine and truly delectable filet mignon (which I never order, but figured I would totally spoil myself).
However, the true highlight of the night was one of my gifts from Miguel. Along with a new DVD player (mine broke in Tucson), a Lonely Planet "best places to travel" guidebook, and a grammar and English language handbook, I received... (are you ready for this?!?!?)... tickets to the Rick Wakeman "Grand Piano Tour" coming to DC next month. I about leaped off the couch and jumped onto the ceiling.
And this is another secret about myself I have just revealed to you... I am a huge Rick Wakeman fan, which pretty much puts me in the total dork category. If you're unfamiliar with this legend of the synthesizer, I will tell you that he was the British keyboardist from the band, "Yes," in the 1970s, and then he ventured off on his own with his first solo album, "The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth"...
This album was a childhood favorite... especially the song "Anne Boleyn." Coincidentally, she was beheaded on the same day as my birthday.
Rick Wakeman has a penchant for creating electronic/keyboard music that recreates the days of medieval life... ie: not only does he have an album about Henry VIII's wives, but he also wrote an entire album devoted to King Arthur and that book's characters. My personal favorite on that album is "Merlin the Magician."
Anyway, we are going to see Mr. Wakeman on June 18 at the Birchmere, which is a very small venue that only holds 300 people... so I might actually even get to meet Rick Wakeman! What a dream...
I called my brother last night to tell him the exciting news (as he also enjoy's RW's music although he publicly scoffs at it), and he has offered me $50 if I yell out during a quiet point in the concert, "Play Catherine Parr"!! I mean really, that is just freaking hilarious. I told him I would do it, and that Miguel could capture me doing it on my digital camera. I might also holler out for "Sir Galahad, Sir Galahad!"
On that note, I leave you for the day. But before I do, here is a clip of Rick Wakeman actually playing a portion of Catherine Parr with Merlin the Magician at the end in concert a couple of years ago... it rocks!!!!...
Nerds rule.
1 comment:
Happy Birthday.
From everyone in Tucson
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