Cirque Du Awards And Michael Jackson
No more messing around. Now that I’m back from visiting my primate relatives, it’s time to accept some blogging awards recently bestowed upon me—probably by mistake, but no take-backsies. I know, I know, your eyes just glazed over like giant cataracts. But relax. When have I ever stuck to the rules?
The lovely Brigitte’s Banter clubbed me with the Thanks for Writing Award. Truthlets & thoughtbits impaled me with the Illuminating Blogger Award. And Raising the Curtain and Wendy’s Works tied and quartered me with the One Lovely Blog award. To these talented bloggers, I give a sincere thank you. I truly do, because not only am I honored by their recognition, I’m relieved that their insightful, well-written, and informative blogs free me up to write crap. I encourage you to check out their wonderful sites.
Now comes the rebellious disregard of the rules, which for my nominees, I have listed below so as not to be completely repugnant. But instead of sharing seven snooze-inviting bits about me, I’d like to share seven things I learned at Cirque Du Soleil’s Michael Jackson, the Immortal World Tour in Columbus last weekend. And oh, what a fantabulous show it was!
Image credit: ticketmaster.com
Seven Things Learned at the Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil Tribute:
1) There is something in this world that can drag an inhibited introvert out of her seat and make her dance. Of course, the stiff moves and crossed arms screamed robot rather than woman, but in my defense, knee bending and barely perceptible butt swaying did indeed occur.
2) Michael Jackson was a one-of-a-kind, brilliant, all-appealing artist. One peak at the audience proved that.
3) Americans cannot go two and a half hours without eating. Hamburgers, pizza, popcorn, pretzels, candy, soda, beer—all of it super-sized, of course. As for me, I enjoyed my popcorn. And thanks to its sodium content, I haven’t peed in days.
4) A direct relationship exists between beer consumption and a whistle’s decibels. Thank you, Mr. Whistling Budweiser, seat J23, for my new bout of tinnitus.
5) Humans are not meant to dangle dozens of meters in the air suspended only by another biped’s foot. Unless they adorn skin-tight suits outlining exquisitely defined muscles. Note to self: Must add a few more squats to workout regimen…
6) Even a one-legged performer is more coordinated than me.
7) Stranded in a parking lot with thousands of other attendees waiting their turn to leave is the quickest way to rupture an aneurysm.
This is NOT Mr. Rubin and I, in case you were wondering. (Image credit: articles.philly.com)
Award Recipients:
After grave thought, perhaps ten seconds worth or so, I decided to pass all of today’s awards onto some wonderful male bloggers for the following reasons:
1) These fellows have great blogs.
2) I adore men’s ability to carry every piece of luggage and still manage to find the car, all while sipping a Starbuck’s coffee.
3) I find it pleasantly sadistic to pass on un-masculine sounding awards to masculine members.
As always, participation is optional. In fact, I’m sure for many of you nominees, these awards will make it as far as the nearest mouse click to someplace else—if you’re not there already. But it’s my way of letting you know I enjoy your content.
Nominees (in no particular order):
This man from Microsoft Clip Art just won three blogger awards. Lucky bastard.
Award Rules:
For those of you still hanging around, much like my family was in the Jerome Schottenstein Center parking lot, the official award rules are listed below.
Thanks for Writing Award
- Display the award on your page
- Award it to your favorite commentators
- Ask them to forward it to their favorite commentators
- Link their page to their names
Illuminating Blogger Award
- Thank the awarder
- Share 1 Random Thing
- Nominate 5 bloggers
One Lovely Blog Award
- Thank and link back to the nominator
- Share 7 things about yourself
- Nominate 15 deserving bloggers and let them know
Yes! Still managed to come in under 700 words. Life is good…
98 Responses to “Cirque Du Awards And Michael Jackson”
[...] Carrie Rubin, who has nominated me for a whopping total of three awards: Illuminating Blogger Award, One Lovely Blog Award and Thanks For Writing Award. [...]
So jealous you got to see the show…I’ll be planning my next trip to the US around the show’s tour dates just so I’ll get the chance to see it. I mean, I don’t think anything can top the Michael Jackson + Cirque du Soleil combination.
Oh, and totally related to the whole spasm-type dancing : )
It was a wonderful show. One of my favorites. Even if it brought out the robot in me…
Thanks for stopping by.
your stuff is always so amusing and original! Congrats, anyway!
Thank you! That’s nice to hear.
Carrie, congrats on all your well deserved awards! I love how you break the rules.
I laughed my way through your 7 revelations.
Glad to hear it. And now I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear my urinary system has recovered nicely from all of that salty popcorn…
Congrats and Congrats again!
You go girl 
And the MJ CDS! I’m jealous 
I really thought that WAS you and Mr R. ! Good thing you posted a disclaimer. Very cool. 
Yes, Mr. Rubin and I are often mistaken for professional athletes and acrobats what with our 2% body fat and extreme agility, so I understand your confusion…
Thanks for stopping by!
Congrats on your awards! I was in Columbus this past weekend, too, but I didn’t get to see the show. I will have to catch it if comes around again. This summer, we are going to Vegas to see Cirque’s Love. I am looking forward to it!
That’s funny, because I’m going to Vegas this summer as well. I guess we’re sharing vacation brainwaves. But I’m starting to wonder what I was thinking. A hundred degree plus weather? Oh, boy, should be interesting…
I know – it is going to be hot, hot, hot! We are going in the beginning of August. It seemed like a good idea when we booked it in February!
I’m going the end of this month. In fact, I’m linking to your bunny post while I’m gone. Too lazy to write anything of my own.
Why thank you dear Ohio blog friend! I want to hear all about your Vegas adventure!
That’s assuming I don’t melt in the heat. Although my boys believe that water is the only thing that will melt me…
Aw this has cheered me up no end. Thank you. I will return to say something more profound later on or even quote some rock star lyrics back at you. In fact I have one, ‘Starships were meant to fly’ Says it all really. I need to up my game
“Hands up, and touch the sky.” Nicki’s a little more contemporary than Tom Petty. Good to keep things balanced.
Just having a little fun with the awards. Not sure if you “play” the award game or not. No biggie if you don’t.
Cirque du Soleil does a Michael Jackson show? That sounds amazing, I must research this!
They do. But I think it’s only for this year in a select number of cities. Well worth it if they happen to have one out your way.
Congrats on all your new awards!
Thanks! Triplets are always nice.
Words fail me! No, never that – however, as all great works of literature are essentially a product of teamwork, I would like to thank Honey my dog for keeping my face lubricated unfailingly throughout my writing. Thank you, thank you, thank you – I shall now build a mantelpiece…. (was that too strong, do you think?)
Certainly not. There can never be too much gushing. But there can be too much canine lubrication. You’ll know when you start passing worms…
Okay, that last bit was perhaps too much, but I don’t suppose anyone expects anything more from me. Do with the awards as you see fit. I look forward to reading your book–you have a wonderful way with words, a useful trait for a writer, no doubt, but your sentences are the kind one wants to re-read. Cara patiently waits in my reading queue.
Great post Carrie. You are hilarious. Thanks for the lovely pingback.
Thank you for the award and for the nice words. Hope the job is going well.
No one made a mistake in giving you these awards. Whoot whoot!
Thank you! That makes me feel warm and squishy.
Thanks for the wonderful shoutout Carrie. Your blog is a must read for me – always entertaining and uplifting. I particularly like your rationale for passing the awards onto male bloggers. Maybe we should come up with an appropriate looking SNAG/Macho blogger award
.
The male bloggers could use a more masculine sounding award, that’s for sure.
Thanks so much for the kind words. They go far in keeping us doing what we do, don’t they? And by the way, I’ve added you to my blog roll. As I mentioned to a couple other bloggers that I’ve added, once you enter the Carrie zone, you can never leave…
Ah, the Hotel California of the blog world, without the twisted part
. Thanks Carrie, means much. I seriously have to pinch myself that I am playing in the same sandpit as real writers, like you!
That’s so funny to hear, because I still can’t manage to call myself a writer. Not in public, anyway.
Cirque de sole is so cool. I saw the Beatles in Vegas. Very good. I think you could dangle from wires in a leotard! Install that somewhere in your house and practice.
Hmmm, that last comment makes me think your husband and you are up to some mischief. Keeping things spicy in Nebraska, no doubt…
They really do put on some amazing productions. It takes a lot to keep me entertained (my mind always wanders), but they manage to do so and then some.
Are you sure that picture wasn’t you and Mr. Rubin? I think you’re just being modest. Whatever. I won’t give away your secret if you don’t want me to. I love those Cirque shows. I saw one years ago and was speechless. Great job on your word count for such a meaty award post.
Yeah, I thought for sure the award rules would put me over 700 words, but I even had a couple to spare.
The Cirque shows really are incredible. I’m not a big live theater person, but I love stimulating productions like Cirque Du Soleil. And you caught me. That is indeed the hubby and me, doing our morning calisthetics…
Love it!
Yay! Congrats on your award. Loving your new (I think?) photo…
Yes, it’s new. I thought it was time to accessorize…
Love this post, and congrats! Yes, I think awards are really great, until well after seven of them, Award Fatigue sets in and you’re hoping and praying your name is not on the list. HHAHAH.. or maybe that’s just me… hmmm….
Love Cirque de Soleil! And speaking of relief, I won’t be cast in the TV series, BUT I’m secretly delighted as I really didn’t want my community to pelt stones at me anyhow. Win-win, I think. 
Pink.
One of my favorite sayings is: “Rejection is God’s protection.” That may apply in your case to the TV series. I like to think that some rejections are meant to be.
Glad you enjoyed the post. Although I’m not ungrateful for any awards that come my way, I do like to have a little fun with them, because as you point out, award fatigue can certainly set in.
Wooo!!!! Love that quote! Rejection is God’s Protection. Woo.. me Twitters dis… And yes, with all the controversy going on in my city, I think it’s MUCH better to stay out of the limelight. I was actually secretly relieved. Funny, eh? I kind of like my second blog remaining anonymous as I realized by even venturing onto FaceBook forums how harsh the Muslim community really can be (not all, but the louder ones yes). So, me hides away and steps out every now and then. Meow.
It’s great you have fun with those awards!
I always love reading your writing. It’s a nice Dairy Queen treat with extra sprinkles. 
Pink.
I didn’t realize your Pink blog was your second blog. Do you write two at once or have you stopped on the other one? Yes, blogging anonymously has its perks, but since mine isn’t anonymous, I best behave.
haha.. Pink blog is primary, I have a secondary one I occasionally blog into that is more Muslimy stuff that is silent venting of the nuances of that community. Not as interesting as the Pink kitties on this one. Like there is maybe 20 posts on that one over 6 months versus 600+ on this one with weekly postings nearly.
Well, it was daily before, but now I’m a lot better (I hope). 
HAHAH.
Pink.
I love how you can turn a boring award acceptance into something entertaining and original. How do you do this?? Did you go to school for writing? I am thinking about taking an after-degree program to do just that, but it’s hard to know if it will help.
School for writing? Not quite, but I love that you think that. No, I was busy educating myself in the sciences where I toiled for years. But I’ve always enjoyed writing as well as being snarky, so thus my nontraditional award posts.
Thanks again for the award and for your kind words. Despite my joking, I am truly honored to be recognized. I’ve also added you to my blog roll, and as I told an earlier commenter, once you’ve entered the Carrie zone, you can never leave….(cue evil laugh here.)
Thank you for the add on your blog roll! You are awesome. Keep doing what you do!
Thank you!
Thank you! I don’t receive many awards (although we did win the Promethean Times’ Person of the Year award two years running!), so it’s always nice to get one, even though I haven’t quite figured out how to respond to them.
Wow. The Cirque de Soleil Miquel Jaqusonne Experience. Scary french mime/clowns invoking the specter of an androgynous pop oddity? And in Columbus, Ohio? Sign me up!
Look, you know I can’t help myself. I have a sickness. In reality, it sounds like an evening of great fun. I remember a lot of good times like that. I think it’s important to get these things out of the way before your boys leave for college. It’s not like you won’t do things like this after that (you will, of course), but they’re harder to make happen.
And, I was disappointed that you disallowed comments on yesterday’s post, because any time I hear “Columbus, Ohio,” I have to comment.
Now, I should say that after reading your post, I did a little research on Columbus (Wikipedia, the historian’s friend) and was surprised to find many positive things about it, including (as you obviously already know) it’s world-class zoo. All very interesting.
HOWEVER, even before becoming an expert on Columbus via Wikipedia, I like to think I know more about it than the average non-Buckeye, in that I am aware it exists.
Seriously–I feel sorry for Columbus for a couple reasons. Ask anyone outside the rustbelt what the biggest city in Ohio is. That’s easy–Cincinnati. No? Well, then Cleveland.
Okay, how about the capitol? I think that’s Dayton, right? Akron?
And Columbus has no professional sports teams. “Wait just a minute, smart guy,” you say, “Columbus has a professional hockey team–the ridiculously named Blue Jackets!”
I stand by my statement.
Much love to ‘The Discovery City.’
Wow, you really did your homework. I’m impressed. Or alarmed…But despite your findings, Columbus is actually a pretty nice place to spend a few days. I can’t believe we didn’t discover the zoo until last year. I’m not a huge zoo person, but this one is amazing. I suppose it’s because Jack Hanna is behind it. It’s definitely worth a stop whenever you’re so drawn to Ohio that you just can’t resist the temptation any longer…
MJ and Cirque Du Soleil would seem an odd combo, but it was a visual and auditory treat, not counting the whistler behind me. And you’re right. It’s good to do these things while the boys are still around. Not that I see myself having empty nest syndrome–ha! not by a long shot–but I do enjoy spending time with the little foul-mouthed rugrats.
I don’t think you’re too much into blogger awards, and who could blame you? But there is no way I could leave you off that manly list.
I can’t believe you didn’t discover the zoo until last year either. But then, I love a good zoo. In fact, from what I know of Columbus, if I was in Columbus (for example, if I were serving a Federal prison sentence or if my plane was forced to land in Columbus because of engine troubles) I’d head to the zoo first.
I’ve been to the Philadelphia Zoo, so in a way, I feel like I’ve been to the Columbus Zoo, as I often fail to discern between Pennsylvania and Ohio, particularly in that blighted York-Youngstown zone.
In all seriousness, though, looking up facts on Columbus isn’t so surprising if you understand my compulsion (and that’s probably the right word for it) to find out about stuff. It sounds funny–and I’m really glad I’m the way I am–but it can be a big pain in the ass and a HUGE time-waster. Sometimes when I’m writing a PT post, and I have to do a little research, I’ll “wake up” an hour later after having read about the Salt Creek Pupfish.
You remember Cliff Klavin (Sp?) from Cheers (in fact, I’ll bet you LOVED that show; I hated it). Anyway, I’m Cliff.
Oh, I’ve been known to go on fact-finding missions myself, only to reemerge in a different time zone, so I can’t fault you there. Research is so much easier with the Internet, but it’s also dangerously never-ending.
Sorry to disappoint you, but although I’ve seen Cheers, it was not a must-see show in my book. Not like Dexter and Justified, anyway. I just threw those out there since they’re my favorite shows, and I’m sure you’d have plenty to say about that. And I’m also sure you look spiffy in your postal uniform, Cliff.
Congratulations Carrie! I like that you chose to talk about the cirque du soleil Michael Jackson show instead of the usual… Nice that your nominees are men — yeah men!
Yeah, I thought I’d choose the guys and shake things up a bit. Unlike my dancing at the show, which just disturbed things up a bit.
I must be living in a hole because when I read your post title and then your mention of the Cirque Du Soleil’s Michael Jackson, the Immortal World Tour, I thought it was a joke!!! But I’m glad you liked the show, it sounded like fun. Were you able to hear the music over all the munching and crunching? That comment about not be able to go without food for 2 hours cracked me up. It really is an American thing!
It was an amazing show. I’m so glad we had the chance to see it. I love his music, and seeing kids and grandparents alike dancing and singing along was a real treat. But yes, there was a lot of “munching and crunching.” The only reason we got something to eat was because we missed dinner since we left for the show early. So I guess it’s good they had something open. But still, you’d think we Americans would starve if we couldn’t get refreshments at intermission!
Oh, I know some of those people who would “starve” if they didn’t eat for that long! My kids get hungry without food for a few hours but that’s only because they don’t have reserves of fat. I know it’s time to refuel when I hear the cranky whine…
It is nice when they get older, and you don’t have to always have snacks on hand.
The image of you dancing was appreciated. I’m glad you had a good time it sure sounds like a lot of fun! My dancing is a bit like Elaine from the old show Sienfeld. It’s a shame because Navar is a great dancer oh well such is life.
Congratualtions to the Award recipients. I will have to do a little blog hopping to take a peek. :+)
Good to know your hubby can kick up his heels. Sadly, my husband is even a worse dancer than me. Just not in our genes, I guess.
“barely perceptible butt swaying” is not the way Jacob Yoder would have described it…just saying.
Ha ha! Oh, touché! And now you get the award for the comment that threw me off my guard and most surprised me.
I should make up little “great comment” awards. But that would require effort…so…no, guess not. But nice idea!
[...] heart warming, even when you’re trying to ignore them by reading other bloggers, notably The Write Transition. LEP is high energy like her Clown Dad. She gets bored easily too. Her attention span moved to the [...]
Spoiler alert: Le Clown is a girl.
Well, that explains everything…
Glad you liked the show. Congrats on the awards and thanks for passing them on.
Have you ever seen Father Ted (it is on Netflix streaming which is cool), a very funny British comedy from the nineties? “The One Lovely blog award” sounds like something from there. Check out this clip after the main character “Father Ted” has been wrongly accused of being racist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHh3ykPQEl4
That show looks hilarious–thanks for the clip. I’ve never seen it, but I love British humor–one of my favorite movies is “Death at a Funeral” (not the American remake, but the original British one). So funny.
And you’re welcome for the awards. Do with them as you see fit.
I might have to do a post on it. I kind of imagine you would like Father Ted.
Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones appeared as the same character in both versions of “Death at a Funeral” didn’t he? My wife and I watched the British one last year. She thought it seemed familiar as she had seen a part of the American one, but didn’t realise it was a remake of the earlier film.
Yes, Peter Dinklage was in both films. I’m glad to see him getting some recognition for “Game of Thrones.” I think he’s such a talented actor.
Carrie,
You’re awesome. You deserve any praise given your way. Did I nominate you for the Alan Smithee Blog award yet? It’s the only one you really need – at least, it’s the only one I swear by: http://clownonfire.wordpress.com/the-awards-circus/alan-smithee/
I thank you for the nominations. I don’t know what I will do with them, but I will wear the badges close to my heart… My daughter just had a big fall and we’re back from the ER, we thought she had a broken arm, but it’s a muscle strain. This post made me smile, and was the best uplifting remedy I could have hoped for.
Le Clown
Ooh, a trip to the ER. Isn’t that fun? But happy to hear her arm wasn’t broken.
I do indeed have the Alan Smithee Blog award–it’s proudly displayed in my sidebar, along with Sweet Mother’s shameful blog-promoting Decently Ironed badge. You two are very clever, indeed.
Thanks for stopping by. I have no expectations of award propagation, but it was fun to mess with some male bloggers.
Congrats! Any Cirque du Soleil show is on my bucket list. I haven’t ever been and really, really want to. Glad you had fun and showed off the white girl robot dance. Thanks for representin’.
Thank goodness they were very strict about no cameras or video recordings. I would not want my dancing (or whatever it’s called) ending up on You Tube.
If you get a chance to see one of their shows, you should. They’re really fabulous.
Oh, sure, give me another batch of fabulous blogs to read. And I thought I was going to get some work done this morning…
So it’s the beer consumption that does it. Dang, I need to drink more. I’ve always wanted to be able to whistle like that.
You should take lessons from that guy. His whistle was downright shrieking. And in between, he blessed us with his singing. But his excitement was palpable, which made me smile. So it was all good.
OK, I love you for this post. MJ was The Best, and I’m fighting the inclination to put that it all caps. Hubby and i agree on few things pop-culture-wise but we both believe that Jacko was categorically supreme. Congrats on the awards! You picked some great recipients too!
Thank you! I agree–no one can compare to MJ. When everyone from kids to grandparents are tapping their toes and singing, you know you’ve got timeless talent. What a great show it was.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it!
Congratulations on the awards and the creative ways in which you always handle them! I’m far more pedestrian in mine.
Glad you enjoyed the trip—now get back to writing!
Thanks. I always worry that as soon as someone sees the post is about blog awards, he or she will take off running.
And yes, I do need to get back to writing. Easier said than done with two boys in the house…
C– thanks for the mention and you deserve all the awards. They may seem a bit silly, but they’re still cool and don’t you just love putting up all those awards on your site? I feel like a Girl Scout, Miss America and a celebrity without having to go through all the work and beauty maintenance.
.
I will do anything that gives me the illusion of cool, and that includes lining my blog with awards.
But seriously, I do thank you for the nomination. I always have fun putting these posts together. I added you to my blog roll, too. See, once you enter the Carrie universe, you never leave. Sucks for you, no?
Ooooh, me likey the Carrie universe and thank you. I’m adding you to mine so now you’re be front page on my Banter bulls**t as well (and other notable and uber-cool, worthy topics).
.
I meant (YOU’LL be front page…) jeez, and I call myself a writer. sigh.
Don’t you wish we could go back and change our comments on other blogs? I would have changed it for you, but now, no need.
It’s my anal-retentive-ness that plagues most writers. I’m sure you afflicted with the same. Commas, semi-colons, misspellings. Drives me CA-razy. (and I meant to misspell that).
Well, thank you!
First, congratulations on the multiple awards!
Second, thanks for giving me a great idea for how to combine numerous awards, thank you speeches and nominations into a single post
Third, thanks a lot for the triple nomination/award, I’m honoured! The awards will be promptly placed under my “Awards” page and I promise to write up a proper thank you post in the foreseeable future. Or at least in our lifetime for sure!
You’re very welcome. Good to see you play the blogger award game. They’re so rare, you know.
I suppose someday I’ll receive a message telling me to quit defaming these awards and play nicely, but until then, I’ll continue to bend the rules.
….In the world with overabundance of awards and a multitude of nominations, one woman isn’t afraid to bend the rules.
She will play the game, but she will play it on her own terms.
She will accept the awards, but she will not accept ridiculous limitations.
She’s not afraid to speak her mind and she will change the blogging game forever.
This Summer. Get Ready. To. Get Nominated.
Carrie Rubin in “The Write Awards”!
Oh, I suddenly feel like Angelina Jolie! There’s no stopping me! Now…just need a few more children and a face that men would go to war over…
Thanks for a good laugh. I needed one. I’m about to go work out.
Have a good workout session! I’d sing the “Eye of the Tiger”, but I’m afraid my bad singing doesn’t carry over to text very well….
I can’t believe I have not heard of this Immortal World Tour! Sounds fun. Popcorn has a similar effect on me. Very funny post again, and I will check out the men on your list.
You’ll have to check if it tours near you. The tickets were pricey but worth it. It was a great tribute to a wonderful entertainer, and my kids loved it, too.
And yes, with that popcorn, I could feel the salt coming out of my pores. But I ate it anyway…
Congratulations on your awards! The cirque du Soleil tribute sounds amazing… am going to see if I can find any youtube videos of it.
It really was. I’m so glad we were lucky enough to see it.
Thanks for stopping by!