mom and dad were here last week taking in the City and a bit of culture. i wasn't quite prepared for them but we enjoyed a few good times despite.

we went to see Carmen at the San Francisco Opera on Tuesday, tickets we'd bought a year earlier. we got all dressed up, had some snacks at Absinthe, and then wandered over. we hung out in the lobby for a bit, sipping champagne, admiring the people who'd dressed for the occasion, and wondering why those who didn't chose not to. i had a brief, slightly uncomfortable run-in with someone i dated briefly a few years earlier. i couldn't for the life of me remember her name. it was not my best moment.

anyways, inside, my mom ooh'd and ahh'd over the golden decor and was happy with our seats, even though she had been very worried they weren't close enough.

the opera itself was ... well, not all that good. i love Carmen. it's a great opera. when done right, it has a lot of, um, "ethnicity" to it. a lot of soul and wildness to it. but this production was very Elizabethan, as mom put it. some of the actors were downright stiff.

but despite that (and the fact that it was three hours and forty-five minutes long!), we enjoyed the experience. apparently, a lot more than other opera-goers. a swarm of them left before even the first curtain call. i felt bad for the singers who'd put their hearts into the performance only to find themselves bowing to an emptying theater. it was rude and despicable.

things i discovered about the opera: (1) the words, in english, are displayed to the right and left of the stage so you can follow along if you don't know the story; (2) Carmen is a French opera based in Spain, so imagine how the character Jos?'s name is pronounced; and (3) during an intermission (there are several), you can go downstairs to the buffet and order food, nibble on it, and have them save it for you until the next intermission.

Wednesday, dad and i went to a Giants game. i found out it was only the second professional game he's been to, the last being an Indians game in 1956. we had a blast. he was grinning from ear-to-ear from the moment we got there. we bought hats, got hotdogs and beer, and settled into our quite-good seats. we yelled until we were hoarse (and then yelled some more), and, eventually, the Giants won. it was a pretty good game and a pretty great day.

after that, i got a little worn out over all that had been going on in my life and my parents sensed it. i think they were pretty exhausted, too, and headed home a few days early. but it was a good visit for them and nice to see them for me.