January 2011: I decide to make Ellie’s second birthday party circus themed. There are tons of great ideas on the internet and it all came together so nicely.
February 2011: We have a giant snow storm that cancels school for four days and Elliott’s birthday party. Boo. We reschedule it for two weeks later. Big top circus, here we come!
Except that most people that were going to come to the original party couldn’t make it to the rescheduled one. And the clown I had scheduled (and paid a deposit on) didn’t show up. Anger. That was the big attraction at the circus-themed birthday party. Fail.
____________________________________
April 2011: We buy tickets and take these two little ladies to the circus that’s in town.
It was horrible. There were no tigers, elephants, or acrobats like was advertised on the tickets (and in their advertisements). It was lamelamelame. Good thing the girls were two and three years old and didn’t know how disappointing it was.
Chris and I kept looking at each other thinking “Really? This is it?” We finally asked what was going on and the man selling these death weapons balloons informed us that the guy with the animals got into a fight with the circus owner and he and his animals left.
Great. So the guy with all the acts left, but you guys didn’t think to cancel the rest of the shows because there was nothing else left? Thanks.
____________________________________
June 2011: We cancel our U-verse and get Netflix.
July 2011: On Netflix I find this six-part series entitled Circus. It’s an amazing journey with The Big Apple Circus during their 2008 season. The people, both performers and crew, are so intriguing that I probably would have watched all six one-hour shows back-to-back had I not had things to do like go to the bathroom, eat food, and take care of kids. I loved it.
I cried multiple times (spoiler alert!) especially when George the mini horse dies. It was heartbreaking.
And as I was watching this series and the work that these people put into their acts and the show as a whole, it just reminded me of how completely pathetic the circus we went to was. It was an embarrassment. I only wish I could take Elliott to this circus.
But as discussed in the series, times are tough and entertainment is the first thing to go when money is tight. There was talk about if the circus could survive the recession (that was starting and, obviously, only got worse) and it looks like they’ve had to scale back considerably. Because I checked their schedule. Because I want to go see them.
And they only go to two cities now: D.C. and NYC. Sad.
But watch the series. It’s enthralling. And then you’ll understand why I am not circus. Sigh.
Leave a Reply