Blog #5: An Attempted Mugging, A Theater of Diplomats, and A Sad Clown

Yesterday didn’t start out very pleasant. It began with little to no sleep, which completely threw me off all day. I was late to work, missed a meeting, was late to another. My whole day was out of whack.

The only bright spot was that I was looking forward to going to a free ballet playing at Lincoln Center at 7 pm. However, the day continued to knock me down on my way traveling to Lincoln Center after work. As I went to enter the subway turnstiles, a homeless man grabbed me, trying to get my wallet for my MetroCard, screaming at me to "give him a swipe." I pushed him off and quickly went through the turnstile and hurried toward my train.

It was a brief but traumatic event for me. I have made it my goal in life never to get mugged, and it's not looking good.

But, ever the selective optimist, I made it to Lincoln Center, still excited to see the Kazakhstan Astana Ballet. But after waiting for an hour in 20 degree weather, we were told “transparently” that the show was for a diplomatic event and they didn’t know how many seats that they’d have to give away AND that we’d have to wait another hour and a half until the show started so that they knew how many diplomats didn't show up...only in New York.

Disgruntled and over the day, I made my way to the subway to go home. That's when I caught the glimmering light of the Metropolitan Opera. I had forgotten it was around here. In an urge to not let this day end on a sucky note, I went in, asked for the cheapest ticket, and ended up seeing the Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci double performance. And they were wonderful.

So the lesson here readers is refuse to have a bad day. Whether you're almost mugged or you waited out in the cold for nothing, any day can be brightened with a night at the opera.