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The circus
We attended the Ben Hur Shrine Circus last night, thanks to some friends who generously gave us some coupons.
Before the circus, all I "knew" about the Shriners is that they raise money for kids, they wear funny hats and ride tricycles, and that their mysterious logo/symbol reminded me of the Masons. Also, I'd heard that their circuses were some of the better ones in terms of animal treatment.
My eyes told me a little differently. The lion/tigers act seemed like barely controlled chaos with a sprinkling of gratuitous whipping, with the lion seemingly defeated and mangy and the tigers seemingly hate-filled and skinny.
The elephant act was pretty good, but I was torn between fascination and guilt while watching it skip around the ring and do handstands. This was cool, though:
The best act involved a clown and his little stuffed animals, one of which (an elephant) followed him around the ring and was revealed at the end of the act to be a little Toto-looking dog in a stuffed animal costume. Guess you had to be there, but we all agreed it was cute, and the dog seemed happy enough.
We left after the second act of the second half because it was nearing 10:00 and the boys were tired, and asking to leave. They'd even stopped demanding cotton candy and glowing light sabers, so we knew they were tired.
This morning I found, to my dismay, lots of evidence online that the animals used in the Shrine circuses are often very, very badly treated. Frank was similarly saddened by this, and we've agreed that exotic animal circuses just aren't the places for us.
(Thank you, super nice generous friends. I hope you're not offended by this entry; we really appreciate the coupons and the spirit in which they were given.)
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Have you read "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen? It's a book about a guy who ends up working for the circus. The main story is about him, but the animals play a big part. I liked the book, although it made me depressed about getting older.
Seeing as you read a book a day or something, you should check it out.
Yep, read it, loved it, have lent it out already, and had the same reaction as you about growing old.
Keep the book recommendations coming!