Mexico is the New Romainia

The Kelly Miller Circus came to Riverside Park on Thursday night. The idea of circuses has always intrigued me, but the use of the animals has always really bothered me. Before we went, I decided to check the site to see if they said anything about the treatment of their animals. Their statement is troubling to say the least. Rather than defending their treatment, they just attack PETA. While you might feel that PETA goes a bit far on occasions, this Bill O'Reilly style offensive is offensive. It didn't stop us fro going though & overall we had a great time. We got there a few minutes late so we didn't have to see the tiger act, & the dog act was ridiculous, but I doubt they're being abused. The Elephants, however, made me look away. At least they only brought out 3 of them. I think they bring the ones that aren't suffering from major gaping wounds @ the moment. I wished I'd brought something to throw @ the elephant "trainer" like rotten produce or eggs or something.The acrobats & tumblers were great though, & they made up the vast majority of the show. In movies & on TV, these acts are always from Romania or Bulgaria or Greece, but other than the tumbling troop which was supposedly from Kenya in their leopard clad outfits so as to look exotic & savage (they're probably from Akron or Westland or somewhere equally unappealing) they were all from Mexico. The circus is based in Oklahoma so I guess they have access to more family acts like that from South of the Border than circuses based in places like Tacoma or Sault St. Marie (Sault St. Marie get all the crazy Canucks though). The main woman who was in most of the acts did some crazy shit. Her husband balanced a super-long stripper pole on his forehead & she proceeded to climb it & then spin around by her legs, stripper-style. He also attached a pole to his crotch which she climbed & then swung around by a strap attached to her neck. The only thing they were missing was Tubgirl, & they'd have had the whole sex-worker show going full-steam.Aside from the animals, my other complaint has to do w/ the clown... Tony the Clown. Tony? Really? As a rule, like stripper, clowns should never have names that are actually the names of people we've known. Bozo, Chuckles, Peanut... these are clown names. Not Tony, Rob, or Joe. I don't know if the clown was Mexican or not, but the entire support staff was, including the guy selling popcorn with whom I spoke for a bit during the intermission. After we overcame the language barrier, I learned that this guy has been working for Kelly Miller for 6 years & some other circus for the previous 18 years. He said they work for 8 months out of the year (March-October) & he really seemed to love it. I'm not certain of his legal status, but I figured it'd be a good summer job for an illegal. That's a long time to keep a job though so maybe he's legal. I don't personally care either way, I was just surprised by his longevity. When I was growing up, I never realized joining a circus was still a career choice available to people. Rotten Ralph did it, but as Jerry said, the post-modern alternative was just following the Dead. They were hiring though, & if I were 15 years younger, I'd think about it. Could have had a chance to get out of this wreck
The time that you came and the day that you left
Could have had a chance
Could have had a chance

Never thought I could make it this far
With a dent in my soul and a hole in my heart
Never thought I could
Never thought I could

But when the lights are turning 'round
And wheels are rolling on the ground
That day I'll burn this whole place down
When the circus comes to town

You left your name carved on a tree
You scratched mine out right in front of me
Didn't mean that much
Didn't mean that much

I'll scratch your name out on that tree
I'll chase your heart right out of me
Doesn't mean that much
Doesn't mean that much
In other news, be sure to check out Stephanie's new blog as we welcome her back to the blogosphere.... and no, there were, unfortunately, no sideshow freaks.