Monika and I went to the opera last week - Madame Butterfly at the Met.

It was actually my first time ever going to the opera. Puccini.

So many different levels of things going on. I was paying attention to the craft of it - the forms, the voicings of the songs - but also watching the people, wondering who was there because they really enjoy opera, who was there out of some unwritten social contract that "thou shalt be cultured and attend the opera every now and then.