Salsa Sunday

Looking for something different to do Sunday, I dragged my son to the opening concert on the steps of the Albright Knox Art Gallery.   It took a little coercion to pull him from C.O.D. on the XBOX, but the allure of an Elmwood Taco & Sub (ETS) lunch and the promise to leave him to his video games for the rest of the night seemed to do the trick.

We grabbed our backpacks, jumped on our bikes and headed out.  It's a short ride to the gallery lawn and even with the stop at ETS we arrived about 10 minutes before the band started.  The shady areas of the lawn were already crowded but we found a nice spot near the cube sculpture and settled in.  Some people had their lawn chairs and newspapers while other more romantic couples sipped wine lounging on their blankets.  It was sunny and hot but the crowd didn't seem to mind.

The MC kicked it off with a thank you to the sponsoring Buffalo News and the music began.  The latin sounds came from the band La Krema highlighted by an energetic and melodic singer equipped with plaid fedora and sunglasses.  The 4 piece horn section and  fast-as-lightening percussionist made the gallery rock.

A few couples ventured to the "dance floor" to show their latin rhythms.  The band leader started a salsa and called out his dancers.  Two couples in red and white whose hips kept up with their feet to a non-stop beat.  They were fantastic and I worked p a sweat just watching them.  I asked my son if he wanted to try a salsa with me.  I got that look.  Although he was adamant about leaving about an hour, he did spend some time translating the spanish lyrics for me.  I started questioning his language skills when one song seemed to focus on thirst and an uncle.  Ah that tuition is so worth it.

I kept my promise and we left after an hour or so.  Too soon for me.  This was a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon and a real gem for the Elmwood Village.  I highly recommend it!

The Salsa Dancers.

Kid is ready to go.

Holiday Music Conspiracy

Why do we have two local radio stations playing all holiday music all day?   I find a nice Thanksgiving hostess gift because all the stores have changed to Christmas.  I am receiving at least 5 catalogues a day informing me that I can be assured to get my product before Christmas.  It is the middle of November, I have not even figured out Thanksgiving yet and already I am bombarded.  I think there is a conspiracy.

My thought is that the government is forcing media and retail to push Christmas as early as possible, thus making us all crazy in November and our minds so weak that  we will forget the real issues that are going on the world.   If I hear "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" I will be thinking about all the gifts I need to buy as opposed to the Health Care Reform Bill.  If I get a ton of catalogues pushing the Christmas gift, I will be thinking about wrapping and decorating, not about the other mail of poor investment returns, sky rocketing interest rates and increase fuel costs.  If everywhere I look I see Christmas decorations, I will be stressing about parties and entertaining as opposed to Afghanistan and our troops.

What an ingenious idea!  For the months of November and December I am so "consumerized" and frantic that I cannot possibly care about the real world.  Doesn't that give our politicians a well deserved break so they can push through any corrupt, whittled down, irrelevant piece of legislation without question or backlash?

Maybe it's not that much of a scheme.  Maybe the Christmas music is enough to make you brain dead.  I just heard "The Christmas Donkey.  What the hell is that?  This Thanksgiving I will be thankful for SIRIUS radio and the ability to change stations.