The show must go on

My daughter was disappointed this morning when it was announced schools would be closed, because she has been rehearsing for months, and very intensively this week, for her school's Dance Concert, which opens tonight. She is in two of the dances, all of which have been created by student choreographers. This is her second year performing (she is on the right in the still from last year's concert, above). She exhaled when it was decided at noon that even though school was not in session today, Dance Concert would go on as planned, since the venue was sold out and the dancers were itching to dance!

My daughters five best friends who have been with her since kindergarten, all attended tonight and the six girls went out for dinner afterward. I love the way these girls support one another's pursuits, even though they are all at different high schools now. My husband and I will attend tomorrow night's performance, and Saturday night's too, and in the middle of it all, on Saturday during the day, we will also attend junior college day, the kickoff of the whole college application process for eleventh graders. My girl was tapped by her teachers to lead one of the college day workshops so she is having a very busy time. And of course, there is always schoolwork. I've literally been holding my breath all week on her behalf!

Observing my tamped down anxiety, my husband looked over his professorial reading glasses and said, "I think you need to see someone and take something."

I opted for pop culture escapism. While I waited for my girl to come home, I watched the American Idol auditions. I didn't think I would watch this season, but out of curiosity I tuned in last week and who knew that I would fall in love with new judge Steven Tyler of Aerosmith? Aging rock and roller, khol-rimmed eyes and a Puckish sense of fun, no meanness in him that I can see, irreverent and foul mouthed and challenged in the area of impulse control, a recovered addict with the classic rocker's to hell and back trajectory, and now the rocker has the balls to say yes to being a judge on bubble-gum pop American Idol—and my God, he's adorable! Somewhat unhinged and this is me take it or leave it and if you take it, we'll have a blast and if you don't, well, I plan to have a blast anyway.

The other new judge, singer Jennifer Lopez appeals to me, too. Overall it's a kinder, gentler judging panel, way more playful, and way more in touch with what it takes for those kids to stand up there and lay themselves bare. This new panel respects the voices, the musicality, the performances. They are not about humiliating the contestants, and for me that is a relief. Steven Tyler said he wants to find the next Janis Joplin, and he's clearly attracted to the voices that have tears and pain and broken chords in them, those are the ones who move him. He's currently writing his autobiography, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? No, not at all. I can't really hear it over my own noise, so we're good.