Weekend of Culture

Ben surprised me with tickets to the Phoenix Symphony for Saturday night and we saw a great performance including Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. It was a fun evening connecting with live music. One of the highlights was the violin player who had a golden retriever guide dog on stage and he slept through the entire performance!

You must all read Jodi Picoult's latest book "Change of Heart" - it might be her best one yet! I started a separate book blog link to keep track of my latest reads if you are ever looking for my opinion on recent reads.

I admit to being an Oprah junkie. I admire her and think she has impecable taste. Most everything she touches turns to gold and I think it's because she only promotes things that are of a certain quality. If she mentions a book I usually read it and usually enjoy it or learn something from it. I have been tuning into "The Big Give" and also listening to the "New Earth" podcasts. Not to mention her support for a certain presidential candidate :)

I've been looking forward to seeing Oprah's "The Color Purple" since it started on Broadway last year. Finally it made the way to Gammage Theater in Tempe and I went with 6 girlfriends this weekend. I read the book in 8th grade and saw the movie years ago. I remember the story being emotional and touching but I admit I was a little skeptical on how they would make this into a musical. Well, I was not disappointed. The music was great. The singing was amazing. The show had drama for sure and dealt with sad issues but was also funny and smart and inspirational. And for those of you who have seen it, I stand with you and say "Hell NO!!!"