SUNDAY

Here is the itinerary for last Sunday lest you think the old scribe is loafing !

700 a m three games of handball.
900 a m 4 hours work for Wiseguys.com.
1100 a m Iris show at a Las Vegas nursery (love flowers)
200 p m lecture at the Atomic Testing Museum with five who worked in local testing.
330 p m Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus at the Orleans Casino.
815 p m umpire American Legion baseball game.

Two quick reviews, ...the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas is a fine museum documenting accurately the history of testing in Nevada and elsewhere. It would be a must see historically and educationallly! They have programs (free) lectures and speakers relevant to the theme. Sunday five men who experienced work careers in the field told of their personal histories about nuclear testing and answered questions, I think! I had to leave for the circus after a late start.
They started 13 minutes late while waiting for a local journalist to arrive and host. He never did and they went without him. I went to hear their stories and learn some history, I did. Starting late and the no show host graded this down gallantly and then Monday at 456 to update my story, I got the usual voicemail telling me they were there from 9-5 AND THEY WERE NOT, I was pissed and then the phone went into double voicemail hell and I called my psychiatrist. Total medicore experience, the stories and speakers fine the whole deal D minus and thats with free snacks afterward.

It got better fast. THE CIRUS ! Who is told old for this ? Not me. It was sensational. A perfectly produced show for children of all ages. Ringling Bros Barnum and Baily Circus at the Orleans Arena Casino in Las Vegas. 8 shows in 3 days, much different and better than last year, if ever you want entertainment at its best this is it. The show of course changes with new specialty acts and current production every year and lots of traditional stuff that I love, elephants, big cats, clowns, high wire acts and a taste of Cirque. What does it cost to maintain 10 elephants a day, 13 white tigers and dozens of performers who must be on short contracts. They made this middle of three Sunday shows look like a world premire for about 7000 of us kids. They had a great Ringmaster, live music timed perfectly to everything they did, great continuity, clever innovative new angles to old themes, lots of color and amazement. How hard is it to write about something so visually perfect ? Somewhere in the 50's I can remember my parents taking me to Sioux City and seeing this show and the loading of the train afterward. I was in awe then and even now 50 years later I'm even more in awe. 110 three A+'s, when do they come back next year ?