People Watching

"A round man cannot be expected to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape." -Mark Twain

A very good friend gave us two $140 tickets to the St. Louis Blues game last night.  They were a birthday present.  Of course, I have already been celebrating for some time.  I do a Birth Month.  A day is such a short span of time.

I hadn't noticed the ticket price until I was seated on the front row right behind the glass in the Scott Trade Center.  It was enjoyable watching the Blues dominate the Ducks with a 9 to 3 final score.  It was so much better up close and personal.  Hockey is not my number one sport, but I enjoyed every part of the exciting game.  By the way, Mark Twain used to take to the ice on Bear Creek and the Mississippi River when he was a boy.  By all accounts he was very good.

The game was great, but I was also able to pursue my favorite hobby--people watching.  As a stage actor, I must do it.  People are required reading for all actors.  It is impossible to play real people without careful observation, and once you start, you can't stop.  It is downright addictive.

People are the most interesting creatures.  I am able to practice this pasttime anywhere, anytime, any day.  Therefore, I love airports.  The dramas that play out there are both comic and full of pathos.  Malls, stores, and supermarkets are full of human comedy and drama.  Now after last night, one of my favorite observation posts is a hockey game.

Where could you find thousands of people all proudly wearing the same shirt?  Where can you find normally sane parents standing up and screaming "Kill him" at a fight on the ice.  During the week Harvey is a non-violent man.  On hockey nights all bets are off.  At least that was my obervation.

Great theater also unfolds as guys stroll in with a trophy date.  You can get a lot of street cred if you make the right entrance with the right woman.  At least that is also my observation.  In addition, a few rebels swim up stream as Ducks in a Blue's stream.  You can't have drama without controversy.

We all modify our shapes.  We all play our parts.  Shakespeare asserted that "All the world's a stage." T. S. Eliot, another St. Louis observer, wrote, "We put on a face to meet the faces that we meet."  What strange creatures we humans are.  How great to be able to watch the show!