I'm excited

: Fireworks (Happy Birthday, America!)
: Muddled

about two upcoming events. First, Toby Lightman is playing at the Dame on Monday, July 12th. I've been wanting to go to a concert, get out, listen to music around other people (yeah, ain't Paxil wonderful?) and most of the Dame concerts are pretty reasonable ($12/evening, $3 late night). Plus, as a non-smoker living in the blessed indoor-smoke-free Lexington, I feel that I should go and check out places that, admittedly, are feeling the impact, and I have a reliable source that the Dame is one of the bars concerned with dropping revenue. Also, the Dame has become the spot to listen to a variety of live music in Lexington, carrying on the legacies of Lynagh's Music Club and the Wrocklage.

Now, I was looking into going, and the only thing stopping me was my need to conserve money and not, as one friend put it, spend it on magic beans. And I do really like Lightman's 'Devils and Angels', and her soul/rock sound. And I've heard good things about local band Mother Jane, which is also playing. So...you can imagine my delight when I found out that CD106.3 was sponsoring the concert and offering free tickets. I'm hoping I can get one on Tuesday, maybe see if N, J, or D might like to go, too.

The second thing is that the schedule for the Kentucky Theatre's Summer Classics Series includes one of my favourite movies--Auntie Mame. Since my passion is shared by quite a few of my friends, and there are a couple who haven't seen it but thought it would be worth seeing, several of us are going to go. None of us have seen it on the big screen. The Classics series movies are only $2.50. I'm tempted to go the week before, too, because they're showing To Kill a Mockingbird, another of my all-time favourites.

It occurred to me recently that despite a little more time and plenty of free or cheap things to do in the area (go to museums, historical tours, etc.) and my relative freedom from having a car this summer and some extra time due to the layoff, I really have not been taking advantage of my opportunities. Now that I have for the most part conquered my depression and anxiety, it's time I stopped living in the past and what I didn't ever get to do, and start doing the things I'd like to. I still have certain limiting factors--responsibilities such as work and pets, and trying to work within a limited budget, but there are things that I can treat myself to that are either free or at least much cheaper than a standard movie ticket.

Dwana was telling me we have an aviation museum here in Lexington (never heard of it), and I'm even tempted to go down to the children's museum even though I don't have a kid (do you think I could rent one?) UK's art museum is a great way to spend a summer Saturday. And the Shakespeare Festival is starting soon, and I at least want to see Jesus Christ, Superstar, which is one of my favourite musicals, especially as my friend Brenda has been working on the costumes, and perhaps The Tempest, which is one of my favourite of Shakespeare's plays.

If you know of other Lexington or area cultural or just plain fun places to go to, let me know. :)

PS Poor Cerys, she really, really wants to go out, but when I take her she turns around and scurries back down the hall to our door. She is having none of this boom-boom, crackle stuff of the fireworks. Now that she's older, and has cataracts, she seems to be more sensitive to really loud noises. I learned to stop taking her to the fireworks down at Idle Hour a couple of years ago--she'd just tremble. Now she's become afraid of thunderstorms, too. Poor puppy. Well, they'll die down eventually.


PPS Turns out that one of the women from Mother Jane is J's cousin, Beth, so she'd like to go. Yay!