Friday, November 11, 2016

Culturally Speaking

November 7, 2016

In my ongoing quest for Cultural Experiences That Don’t Put Me To Sleep, I went to hear a string quartet from the symphony at a local library branch. I did it because it was close, it was free, and it lasted less than an hour; for me that’s the Trifecta of a Perfect Cultural Experience.

Several things became apparent: 

1. That a kid named Andrew was much too young for cultural experiences; well before the concert started I was tired of hearing his name.

2. That even an hour of classical music is more than enough for me.

3. That people who leave theaters and concerts halls and won’t let other drivers join the line to the exit aren’t just being obnoxious because it’s late and there’s a ton of traffic; they’re being obnoxious because they’re obnoxious. It was not even 8 p.m., and it was a library parking lot, and they were still carrying on like, “If I don’t get out now, I’ll be stuck for hours!”

Maybe they’re just conditioned from their previous cultural experiences.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm confused. Do you like "cultural experiences" or don't you? If you don't, why do you keep going?

Peg said...

I do. I like classical music a lot, but even when it's exceptionally well-played, I usually like it in small doses. An evening at the symphony is just an expensive nap for me. I really like opera, too, but also in small doses. That's why I love finding cultural events that don't involve a lot of driving or a lot of money and aren't too long. (Having easy parking doesn't hurt, either.)

(Ballet is the exception. I will drive, pay, and search for parking for ballet.)