Leno in the House!

Kelvin and I hardly ever "go out" to concerts, shows, or more, locally, in part because finding childcare seems to be a bit of a hassle but also because my working mom guilt makes me feel terrible about leaving the kids during nights and weekends during our "family time" (Kelvin doesn't have the same reservations about us escaping for date nights and thinks we should do it more!).

However, post-pandemic, we have been trying to do more "couple-y" things, and have also been inspired by our friends Shannon and Brian who, despite being wonderful, attentive parents, also get out plenty without their kids and have adult fun!

We double-dated on Sunday afternoon to a Jay Leno show that was held at Eureka's Arkley Center and super well advertised many months ago. I remember watching clips of the Tonight Show (and my favorite segment "Jaywalking") when back in medical school, but haven't watched any of him since. While I do enjoy comedians (especially "clean" ones), Kelvin adores watching comedy shows-- he loves to track down Netflix stand-up specials as well as live events (like on the cruise ship!). Kelvin found it remarkable that an entertainer of his quality came to the North Coast as part of the Cal Poly (formerly HSU) Center Arts series, for which we get brochures. We're glad that the show didn't get canceled by our recent crazy NorCal weather (with more mountain snow, many roads are, once again, closed)! 

The show did not disappoint!  Jay, at 72 and despite some recent health scares (a burn and another motorcycle accident), is sharp as a tack and truly hilarious. His hour-and-a-half-or-so set included musings on his own aging and health issues, his family (Scottish mom and Italian dad), longstanding successful marriage, and interactions with other celebrities, but notably avoided anything really touchy or political. Kelvin was roaring in his seat and I was even laughing out loud at his stories and jokes. He is a true talent and it's incredible that he's still motivated and healthy enough to perform stand-up.  

We followed the matinee show with a delicious dinner at Kelvin's favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Arcata, and the kids (Iver, Hudson, and Niall) were in good hands with preschool teacher/babysitter Lisa at our house.  It truly was a win-win afternoon-eve, and I can see us going out more in the future to events like these!