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When a friend asked me if I would like to go see Faust at the Ordway, I was hesitant-not because I wasn't interested in seeing the Opera, but because it would be the first time I would venture into a part of the culture and arts world that I had been avoiding.

My Mom is an artist-a REAL artist-and she prides herself in knowing that all of her children have an open mind to the arts and culture world.

The one kid that didn't ride Alexandra's Artistic Boat was me. The boat trip was always free and had a lot of space and time to be able to venture anywhere a creative soul would want to go, but I just never felt comfortable being a passenger on that ship. Years of figure skating and then trying to catch up in school took their toll on me and the last place I wanted to spend my time was at museums and art galleries.

I know, I know, calm down before you get out your big judgment wand and hit me over the head. But I am speaking the truth, and at this point in my life, trying to pass myself off as someone other than who I really am would only come across as me being a big phony.

Back to the point that I was trying to make. (Sorry, ADD kicked in for a moment.)

The Opera is something that as a child I admired from afar but was just never comfortable participating in because I listened to other people from the arts world talk about how hard it was to understand the language unless you speak operatic Italian. Or in the case of Faust, operatic French.

I had also listened and watched through the mainstream media how people who go enjoy the Opera are boring intellectuals from blue-blood families that have nothing better to do than spend hours dressing up for the other blue bloods to see who is more cultured and smarter by giving their rave review at the end of the performance despite the fact they fell asleep half way through.

Well I was wrong on every front and judgment that I had made about the Opera all of these damn years and I am sorry that I let my ignorance get the best of me.

I not only liked Faust a lot but I want to go back and sit even closer next time so I can watch the facial expressions up close of the talented cast (whose names I don't want to butcher so I will give you www.minnesotaopera.org.) There were times in the performance where I felt like if I closed my eyes there were certain images of things I wanted to do that came to mind. Since I was sitting with my mom though, I was trying not to go there.

Second I was a bit distracted watching the other people around us-many of whom looked like doctors and professors that could sit stoically and unnerved during the performance but you know when they get home and take off their uncomfortable clothes --OUT comes that side of them that is very much like Faust who made the pact with the devil.

Again I don't want to try and come across as a professional critic here but I would challenge everyone who has wanted to venture out of their comfort zone to take a night off and go to the Ordway to see Faust. I promise you if you pay close attention to the subtitles and lose yourself in the music, when you get home there is a pretty good chance that underneath your cold exterior you will feel like a hot little devil, too.

One more thought I want to share with you: Experience + Open mindedness=Educated opinions.