A mid-afternoon pick-me-up

Thanks, Ms. Donna Murphy, I needed this:

Pants on fire much?

I'm so tired of being represented in government by people who insult our intelligence, vote against our best interest, and then expect us to blindly reelect them as we do every year.  

Orrin Hatch in the Washington Post:

This use of reconciliation to jam through this legislation, against the will of the American people, would be unprecedented in scope. And the havoc wrought would threaten our system of checks and balances, corrode the legislative process, degrade our system of government and damage the prospects of bipartisanship.

Seriously Senator Hatch, stop with the hypocrisy and the lies.  If you have substantive problems with health care reform, feel free to air them, but I'm personally insulted that you think that Utahns are too stupid to fact check the malarky that comes out of your mouth.  A fourth grader with a computer could disprove your distortions.  


The Republican minority has damaged the prospects of bipartisanship by voting against everything put forward (even ideas they used to espouse...and worse, legislation they actually sponsored.)  

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Hatch said Thursday that using reconciliation would be “one of the worst grabs for power in the history of the country” that would permanently impact relations between the two parties. 

“It is going to be outright war and it should be, because it would be such an abuse of the reconciliation rules,” Hatch said. “If they abuse those rules it is going to lead to even more heated animosities between not just the two parties, but even between individual senators.”  

Fascinating political posturing Senator...but in case your memory is shot, let me remind you that you voted for… 

• The College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 ( passed through reconciliation)
• The Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (which passed through reconciliation)
• The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (which passed through reconciliation)
• The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (which passed through reconciliation)
• The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (which passed through reconcilation)
• The Marriage Tax Penalty Relief Reconciliation Act of 2000 (which passed through reconciliation)
• The Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 (which passed through reconciliation)

(source: whorunsgov.com and www.sunlightfoundation.com)

AND major health care reform has already passed both legislative bodies.  The stuff that's set to pass through reconciliation amounts to a handful of tweaks (and if we're lucky, an option for the general public to buy into some public program like medicare.)


So Senator Hatch, grow a pair.  Stand up and be vocal about things if you must, but be honest with us.  Argue with the democrats on substance, not straw men.  But most importantly, be a part of the solution or get the hell out of the way.  

My day in tweets...sorta.

• 15:55 Sigh...those nutty Republicans... bit.ly/ddhA8E The 2010 Comprehensive Daily Kos/Research 2000 Poll of Self-Identified Republicans #

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Best New Online Video Ever...Today!

If you're a musical theatre nerd, this video really doesn't need any introduction other than this:

Pee first. Seriously, pee first.

Here's the link.

My Commute

I hate winter. HATE. I frankly don't care that the snow is pretty. I don't give a rat's ass about the skiers. (Have you seen a ski mountain during the summer or fall? It looks like someone's head after the barber had a seizure mid-buzz.) Here's my commute today:

8:20 - arrive at bus stop to catch the 8:25 bus to work

8:25 - the 8:25 goes by...the wrong direction. Either the bus driver is on crack or the bus is just late late late. Turns out, it's just running really late (20 min by my calculations.) The driver recognizes me and signals me to run across the street and get on.

8:30 - the bus gets to a TRAX train station. Because TRAX is a more direct route, I get off and wait.

8:31 - A four car Sandy train goes by. (I'm going the other direction.)

8:33 - A four car Sandy train goes by.

8:34 - A four car Sandy train goes by. Seriously.

8:35 - the downtown train is scheduled to come. I can either take the downtown train and transfer or take the University line. Either way. But though the downtown train is scheduled to come, it doesn't.

8:40 - a University train comes by...15 minutes late, which is okay because I wasn't there when it was scheduled to come. Still, there's only one car...weird...and it's packed like sardines. Brandon doesn't fit.

8:45 - the Downtown train comes...10 minutes late. There's only one car on this one too. Doesn't make sense to take this train, so I decide to wait the 10 minutes till the next university train is scheduled to come.

8:50 - Another Sandy train comes by. Four cars. WTF???

8:55 - the next University train is scheduled to come. It doesn't.

9:00 - another downtown train comes by...packed...only two cars...dammit (mhrip)

9:05 - Yet ANOTHER Sandy train comes by. This is five so far. Or TWENTY practically empty cars.

9:10 - The University train comes. Finally. Two cars. Packed. Brandon forces himself into one of the stairwells on the last car.

9:14 - Train FINALLY leaves the station.

9:15 to 9:50 - the train slowly takes 35 minutes to do a 20 minute route. And it's packed the whole way. And I have to get off every stop because I'm in the stairwell and everybody needs to exit. I still can't feel my toes.

9:55 - I'm at work. 55 minutes late. Cold. Miserable. But I missed Staff Meeting. Totally worth it!

The Review of Reviews: The Review

Okay, today I'm gonna talk about something unabashedly un-political! Feel free to nod off, or perk up...whatever is the opposite of what you do when I talk politics.

So the reviews are in. And here's what Salt Lake's City Weekly said:

A New Brain, Eleemosynary & Roundup
Small Stages: Three community theater companies bring new productions.
By City Weekly Staff

A New Brain
If a musical is going to go the “throughsung” route, it’s usually because something about the subject matter feels particularly operatic. William Finn’s musical aims for that level of emotional grandeur, and instead it swings between pleasantly quirky and merely overwrought.

There’s a certain appropriateness to telling the story of Gordon Schwinn (Jon McBride) in this fashion: He’s a composer who dreams of producing great work.

Unfortunately, his current job finds him penning silly ditties for a children’s television program—and his chance for ever creating something more profound is in doubt when he’s diagnosed with a rare brain disease.

Not surprisingly, the diagnosis puts Gordon in a contemplative frame of mind— and from there, Finn’s score spins in multiple directions. We get a glimpse of his childhood with a horse-betting father; a male nurse gets a solo describing himself as “Poor, Unsuccessful and Fat”; a wandering homeless woman (Julie Carrillo) offers odd insights. And it’s hard to get a handle on what a lot of this has to do with a man facing his mortality and turning it into a dark fantasia.

Dark Horse Company Theatre does put together a solid cast of performers to provide an evening’s entertainment. Carrillo is a vocal standout, as is Rhett Richins as Gordon’s lover Roger, who gets a gorgeous solo moment with “Sailing.” And there’s an effectively emotional scene of Gordon’s mother (Karin Gittins) letting loose her parental anguish in “The Music Still Plays On.” You’ll just need to make it through the parts of the story that didn’t quite require a whole song and dance.

—Scott Renshaw

Dark Horse Company Theatre
University of Utah Post Theatre
245 S. Fort Douglas Blvd.
801-581-7100
Through Nov. 15
DarkHorseCompanyTheatre.com

Eleemosynary
The 1980s were a good decade for thinky, conceptual plays that don’t really go anywhere but instead analyze things like “the relationships among three generations of women.” Lee Blessing’s Eleemosynary is one of those. As such, it’s a humdinger; it’s the kind of script that people describe as “delicate.” This is because it’s all about those relationships, which are tricky.

These plays are really psychological whodunits: After the characters are introduced in all their inscrutable quirkiness, the main point is to drill down through layers of their past traumas until a common root to all their conflicting neuroses and motivations is miraculously revealed. In this case, the three generations of women are represented by metaphysical adventurer Dorothea (Jan Frederickson), her daughter Artemis who had eidetic memory of past events (Holly Fowers), and monomaniacal granddaughter Echo (Aly Dowe).

This particular psychological drill-down centers around the issue of intellectual development: Dorothea’s desire for an education was thwarted during an era when women were discouraged from such pursuits, so she made damned sure Artemis went to college; later, their mother/daughter conflict was played out in Echo, making her a shockingly fierce spelling-bee champion. The sins of the mothers are visited upon the daughter.

As Echo, Dowe is the standout in this production with her budding emotional range. Fowers’ Artemis remains stiff and reticent, and I was wishing for a broader performance from Frederickson as the wacky, free-spirited Dorothea.

Still, despite a few technical glitches, the show’s pacing is remarkably snappy. It’s a modest production, and an ambitious one. And, if Blessing’s play was an odd choice for Pinnacle, the challenge was well met. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

—Brandon Burt

Pinnacle Acting Company
Midvale Performing Arts Center
695 W. Center Street
Through Nov. 14
PinnacleActingCompany.org

Roundup
In Kurt Proctor’s world-premiere play Roundup, the romanticizing of the Old West is explored through family stories and a pile of old cowboy poems. We’re left wondering if that West ever really existed—or if that’s even a question worth asking.

Carl (Joe Welsch) feels he’s missed out on something. His dad was a real cowboy, keeping herds on the land before freerange was a catch phrase. His brother, Randy (Greg Peters), followed in those near-mythical bootprints but doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.

It’s a promising premise, and Peters in particular offers a strong performance. However, the show doesn’t quite hold together. Rather than build and develop its themes and characters, Roundup pummels the audience with history, relationships and prejudices in the opening scene.

Characters talk over each other in a manner that is supposed to come off as naturalistic, but instead feels like an improvised rehearsal exercise.

Similarly jumbled is the depiction of the drinking problem of one of the characters. His alcoholism, its causes and the related concern of his family are unevenly portrayed, giving the development a disingenuous air.

However, the play does give insight to the core question of what it means to live in the West in the shadow of rugged individuals, be they real, imagined or somewhere in-between. The show is at its best when this territory is covered by two characters onstage, talking around a fire, under the stars—like we do in these parts.

— Rob Tennant

Utah Contemporary Theatre
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
138 W. 300 South
801-355-ARTS
Through Nov. 21
UtahContemporaryTheatre.org

And ANY of this is useful? So I thought I'd respond:

It's a sad day when a newspaper review reveals more about the writer’s lack of research, experience, and/or writing abilities than about the work they he or she is reviewing. Obviously the above reviewers had only a few short paragraphs' space to describe and critique three entire shows. But that's no excuse for writing an incoherent, rambling synopsis then tacking on a couple critical sentences to pass off a half-assed assessment as a "review."

This does NOTHING for the theatre-going public, the performers, or the producing organization. A review should adequately discuss a production, and give the reader an idea of why your assessment is valid...or at least why youthink your assessment is valid. Regardless of whether the reviewer is dissecting a professional production or a “community” theatre piece, a valid, well-written, critical assessment is essential to the vitality of the theatre community…both the artists and the theatre-goers. If your newspaper can’t spare the resources to write an intelligent review, simply publish the company’s press release and leave it at that.

With a statement like "If a musical is going to go the “throughsung” (sic) route, it’s usually because something about the subject matter feels particularly operatic," Mr. Renshaw simply reveals either his lack of knowledge about the musical theatre genre or his laziness in formulating an opening argument. His entire review, but especially the opening paragraph, is a waste of the reader’s time and the newspaper’s space.

Mr. Tennant’s sweeping generalizations about UCT’s Roundup make the core of his review muddled and unreadable. In his middle paragraphs he has written nothing specific enough to be useful to either the artists or the public. The entire review feels like a first draft, hastily cobbled together from notes he made during the performance--all the while wishing he was working on one of his other "more important" deadlines.

Mr. Burt’s review of Eleemosynary is at least well written, but falls woefully short when, after three long paragraphs about the material, he takes two tiny paragraphs to actually discuss the production. Once again, the reviewer gives the reader very little information about the quality of the performances, direction, and overall production.

Finally, Mr. Renshaw, what the hell is “You’ll just need to make it through the parts of the story that didn’t quite require a whole song and dance.” supposed to mean? Your excruciating review of A New Brain is an embarrassment, plain and simple. If you find the material “swing[ing] between pleasantly quirky and merely overwrought” could you please take a moment to explain why? It sounds to me like you coined (or stole) an intelligent-sounding phrase with big five-dollar words but then not only failed provide context, you failed to check the dictionary to see what the words actually mean.

Rarely does a local reviewer actually write something useful anymore. Perhaps it’s because the newspaper industry is dying and reviewers are most often staff writers whose primary job is something more glamorous. But that’s no excuse for shoddy work. City Weekly readers expect and deserve better.

Suck it, City Weekly.

Wicked Awesome!

Ordinary Days video at broadwayworld.com

No More Mr. Nice Gay

WARNING...this is a serious rant...with "adult" language. You might want to skip it and read something nicer if such things are likely to offend you. Perhaps this link would be more appropriate.

So did you hear about the election yesterday in Maine? The Maine legislature had passed a law giving gay couples full marriage rights...well, marriage state rights. The anti-gay marriage people made a big ol' stink, got something on the ballot, and by a small majority vote, the right of same-sex couples to legal recognition (and benefits) for their unions was revoked.

I'm so fucking tired of being nice. I'm so tired of fighting you "defenders of traditional marriage" for basic human rights. If marriage is a civil institution, the government has no business denying it to any two consenting adults. If it's a religious one, the laws have no business respecting one religion over another. Yet while we try to be respectful of your religious liberty, you use your religious freedom to deny our relationships civil equality. Frankly, I don't give a shit whether your church wants to marry the homos or not. Preach bigotry from your pulpit...that's a reflection on you, not on me. But when your religious beliefs trump not only my religious beliefs, but also basic human decency (and decades of scientific social research), it sounds a bit to me like this isn't the democratic republic I thought we lived in...it's a theocracy, governed by your own narrow-minded dogma.

And the thing is, we don't want to overthrow your churches. We don't CARE about your churches. All we want is basic fairness. But you opponents of same-sex marriage aren't concerned with fairness or decency. All you can wrap their filthy little closed minds around is the idea of two men goin' at it. Never mind basic human rights, it's all about bum sex. And someone else's bum sex at that! Why should ANYONE care what happens in the bedroom of two consenting adults. Frankly I don't want to know what my siblings or parents (or any other straight couples) do in the privacy of their own boudoirs!

Okay, brace yourselves, it's "math" time. A disclaimer: these are VERY rough figures, based on cursory examinations of recent numbers on the US Census Bureau's website...I'm not a statistician and I'm sure there are HUGE mathematical errors, but I think the basic principles are sound-ish, and most importantly it illustrates the disproportionate hysteria over a relatively small matter. I'll indent the "math" stuff so you can skip it if necessary.

According to national estimates, in 2008 there were 304 million people living in the US. Approximately 60.1 million of them are married and living together. A little over 20% of the US population is under 15, and while I'm reluctant to include 16 year olds in the "marriage eligible" category, for the sake of argument let's include them. So there are 243.2 million people in this country who are marriage age. According to Kinsey's study in the 50's, about 10% of the population is gay-ish. More realistic estimates put that somewhere between 2% and 5%. So let's say it's 5%...which means there are about 12.1 million homos in the country. Now, given the above stats, about 1/4 of "marriage eligible" people (15 and over...yikes) are married and living together. So...assuming gays are as likely to marry as straights, which is a big assumption, about 3 million gays are actually affected by the illegality of gay marriage...or 1.5 million marriages. And if 3% of the population is gay, the numbers drop to 7.3 million homos, 1.8 million of whom will probably get married, resulting in about 900,000 marriages. Total. That's NOTHING! Definitely not much to warrant the public outrage.

Now...the divorce rate in the US is currently about 3.5 divorces per 1000 people...which works out to about 1.25 million divorces every year (of the slightly more than 60 million "functioning" marriages)...about 1/4 million fewer than gays who otherwise would marry, were marriage available. So the point is this: More "straight" marriages fail EVERY YEAR than gay marriages that would potentially exist. Let me repeat that another way: If gay marriage was legal, fewer than a million same sex marriages would happen. Period. Yet every year, all by themselves, 2.5 million straight people fuck up their own "traditional" marriages.

Who is the real threat to marriage? The six tenths of one percent of the population who actually WANTS to get married or the 50% of heterosexuals whose "traditional" marriages will end in divorce? Of all the straight marriages currently in the US, 2% will end this year alone.

But no, gays are the number one threat to marriage and freedom in this country. Asshole.

Ugh. Fine. If you want to be that way, I say let's REALLY do some damage to the "institution of traditional marriage." Let's get every gay person out there to marry someone of the opposite sex. And then flaunt it. "Oh yeah, we're married, but since marriage is such a farce we don't have sex with each other...instead we fuck around on the side...and while committed same-sex relationships aren't legal, THIS totally is." See what that does to the institution of marriage! I think it's time we give the conservatives what they've been asking for. Up to this point, our goal has been simply to have the same civil rights that every straight American enjoys. Yet they've framed as a war on marriage. Well I think it's time we do declare war on marriage. Obviously it's an antiquated, bigoted institution. So let's get government out of it altogether. Leave it to the churches. Revoke the tax benefits for married couples, for families. Drop inheritance rights completely. When your spouse dies, we're gonna tax the shit out of your house...hope you have savings...and by the way, if it's a joint savings, we're coming for that too. Deny hospital visitation to anyone who can't prove they are a blood relative. Fuck marriage...the institution reeks of your bigotry and hypocrisy. Just like I wouldn't join your church, I don't want your institution. And I don't want my country pandering to your bigotry either. Suck on that.

I really think the gays should stop respecting the rights of the people who won't respect theirs. Maybe it's time to stop begging for rights we won't get till the old bigots die off and start stripping the straights of their rights. And while we're at it, let's revoke the tax exempt status of churches.

Except we're better than that. We believe that fundamental human rights belong to everybody, regardless of religious ideology. And then when our values are attacked, when our rights are denied...we tend to turn the other cheek. Ironic, isn't it, that the so-called Christian right is receiving a fundamental lesson in Christianity from the homos.

Sorry for the rant.

My NYC Itinerary - so y'alls can be jealous

Okay, for those who don't know, I'm flying to NYC tonight. After my week there in May I bragged the city up to my mother. Oh, who am I kidding...I bragged it up to anyone who would listen. Anyway, my mom responded with "Ooooh, I wanna go!" So I said when and she said October. Coincidentally, our trip occurs right smack dab in the middle of the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF).

So here's a brief (not brief) run-down of what we're gonna do...weather permitting...or maybe we'll just brave the rain anyway.

Wednesday, Sept 30
11:59 PM- take off for NYC. The Red Eye. Just like the movie except with more sleeping and fewer creepy bad guys, I'm hoping.

Thursday, Oct 1
6:29 AM - Arrive at JFK Airport groggy but enthusiastic. Collect our baggage (I've instructed mom that if it doesn't fit in her carry-on, she can't bring it) and hop the Air Train and Subway to the city.
8:00 AM (ish) - Drop off our bags at the hotel...tell them we'll be back around 1:00 and beg them to let us check in early. Then find some breakfast.
9:00 AM to Noon - The weather looks iffy for the weekend, but Thursday should be nice. Hopefully mom will be up for a walking tour. I'm thinking Central Park.
1:00 PM - Back at the hotel. Whether or not they let us check in early, I'm gonna park mom there and go solo to see...
2:00 PM - The matinee of A Steady Rain!!! Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig read the phone book for 90 minutes and the crowd goes wild! Wait...no...I'm told it's actually a good play, but for all I care they COULD read the phone book for 90 minutes and it would be worth what I paid for my ticket in the nosebleeds. (I swear my ticket actually says "nosebleeds" on it.) I'm not gonna say exactly how much it cost, but let's just say Hugh and Daniel are splitting a buck a minute on me alone. Totally cheaper than a 900 number AND it's Bond vs Wolverine! What could be better?
3:30 PM - Head back to the hotel. By this time, mom should be checked in.
3:31 PM - Pass out. I'll be running on 4 1/2 hours of airplane sleep. Gonna be tired.
#:## PM - Wake up and take mom to dinner. Somewhere touristy. Maybe. Whatever it is, it's gotta be fast because I'm gonna sleep as long as I can and we've got the evening show at
8:00 PM - Shrek - the Musical! My mother's first Broadway musical. Ever. EVER! Cheesy, catchy, fluffy, heartwarming, and LOADS OF FUN. Can't think of a better introduction to big splashy musicals that she won't be offended by.
10:30 PM - (or whenever Shrek is over) Talk mom into dessert then go back to the hotel and crash. Long day. Need strength for tomorrow.

Friday, October 2
Current weather forecast - Occasional showers possible. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the low 60s.
8:00 AM - Take mom to Central Park. Obviously we didn't have much time at all to see stuff there, so we're gonna spend the morning dodging the rain. Bring an umbrella.
Noon - Grab lunch and drop mom off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Mom, the Met is something that you need to experience for yourself. I wouldn't want to rob you of that. Byeee!"
1:00 PM - NYMF show #1 - Fantasy Football: The Musical? A "bromantic musical comedy"? Hmmm... No matter, Christine Pedi is in it so that's all I care about.
4:00 PM - (insert Edward Kleban's "Fridays at Four" here...good song...google that shit.) NYMF Show #2 - Fat Camp. (giggle) That's all. I'm hoping it's a 90 minute musical. But in case it's not, I'll give mom directions to get from the Met to Studio 54. Yeah, THAT Studio 54. Of course it's a theatre now. And guess what's playing there?
7:00 PM - Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher's 2 1/2 hour one-woman show about...well Carrie Fisher. What could be more exciting for mom's second Broadway show! Here's a taste:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYVr7Wnsw6s

9:30 PM - stagger out of the show wishfully drunk (AKA sober), put mom in a taxi back to the hotel and...
10:30 PM - The Cure - NYMF Show #3. According to nymf.org:

In this rock 'n' roll fable, two friends stumble across the world's last surviving vampires. Offered the chance to live forever, one man is seduced while
the other barely escapes with his life, setting in motion an even greater fight
for survival. At the crossroads of humanity and immortality, lies...THE CURE."

Dun dun duuuuunnnnn! Okay, it's intriguing. But even more intriguing is the
list of the show's "themes" on nymf.org:

THEMES: Gay, Sex, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction

Hmmmm....A romantic sci-fi drama about gay sex? A sexy sci-fi romance about gay drama? A romantic gay having dramatic sci-fi sex? WHO CARES! I'm soooo there.
12:00 AM - (or thereabouts) Back to the hotel. Crash.
3:00 AM - freaky gay vampire nightmare

Saturday, October 2
Current weather forecast - Showers. SHOWERS??? Well that messes with my plans. I was gonna take mom down to ground zero and then out over the Brooklyn Bridge. Hmmm...Monday's supposed to be better. Maybe we'll do that Monday morning. Grrr. Maybe I shouldn't have been so excited to see A Steady Rain. Curse you Hugh Jackman and your weather-controlling charm!
9:00 AM - Sleep in. It's raining.
10:00 AM - Tell mom if she's bored, read a book. It's raining and I'm sleeping.
11:00 AM - Fine. I'm awake. Let me hop in the shower and we'll go get some brunch. That's breakfast for people who slept in until 11 am.
2:00 PM - Mom's third Broadway show: Next to Normal! Okay, this isn't her cup of tea, but she doesn't drink tea and I talked it up so much that Mom is actually excited to see it.
4:30 PM - Explain to mom that yes some people do use that many "F" words and that the bright bright lights were part of the show for a reason. Then trek through the rain to Rockefeller Center.
5:00 PM - Top of the Rock. Ooooh...look at all the pretty clouds! This is what New York City looks like from the other side of the rain. Okay maybe I'll have to re-think this one. Hopefully it's just scattered showers because I'm gonna give her detailed instructions on how to get to New World Stages (See that street? You can wander Rockefeller Center and look at all the cool stuff until 7:15 PM. Then get on that street and go past Radio City Music Hall. I will call you when my show is out.)
7:15 PM - Call mom. "Where are you?...What???...How did you get there? Well turn around and head the other direction. I'm coming to get you."
8:00 PM - Altar Boyz "No mom, these boys aren't Mormon. No, they're not a real boy band. They're actors. For crying out loud Mom, 'Christ how'd ya do that' isn't taking the Lord's name in vain."
9:30 PM - Mom admits that beside the sacrilidge she actually did enjoy Altar Boyz. Take her back to the hotel and reassure her that Next to Normal and Altar Boyz are actually more fun than the Saturday sessions of General Conference.
10:30 PM - NYMF show #4: R.R.R.E.D. - a secret musical with special celebrity guest star Former Miss America and Current Broadway Star Kate Shindle! Really do I need to say anything else?

Sunday, October 3
Current weather forecast - Rain. Seriously, more rain? It's "The Lord's Day"...can't he do something to make the weather pleasant? Urgh.
9:30 AM - The Guggenheim Museum. "It's practically like going to church, mom. Besides, it's still General Conference weekend. You can read EVERYTHING you missed when you get home."
1:00 PM - Mary Poppins. No, I'm not going. Mom's doing this one solo. Besides, I have tickets for...
3:00 PM - Hair. Now THAT's a church I could get into.
3:30 PM - Mom gets picked up by the daughter of a friend who's living in the area. They watch General Conference. Which is fine as long as they get back in time for
7:00 PM - Ordinary Days. Okay, I'm REALLY excited for this one. It's the Roundabout Underground...a little off-off Broadway series presented by Roundabout Theatre Company in the 65 seat Harold and Miriam Steinberg Theatre. This show is by the amazing Adam Gwon (he has a podcast with some of the songs on it and I must say...they're delightful!) Plus the cast of four includes Hunter Foster, Kate Wetherhead, Lisa Brescia, and Jared Gertner.
9:00 PM - NYMF show #5: Judas and Me. Now I'm sure it won't be as exciting as my recent brilliance as Judas in Oddsmell...er...Godspell but I can go and be respectful. Kidding. I'm "Pee Excited" for this show. Seriously. Depends City. I may have to be fitted for a catheter. I'd tell you what it's about and who's in it, but I might lose control of my bladder right here and now. Click the link and drool for yourself.

Monday, October 5
Current weather forecast - Fair/Partly Cloudy. Perfect weather to do everything outdoorsy in New York City. Go outside. Have fun on Mother Nature. Frolic in the lovely autumn weather. WTF??? We're flying home today and NOW the weather cooperates??? Well don't tell anybody but we're flying out at 7. Soooo I'm gonna use the day to catch up on all the stuff we missed. Ground zero/Brooklyn Bridge? Totally there. We'll check out, stow the luggage at the hotel, and just wander till 2 or 3.

7 PM - wipe a tear, we're coming home.

Walk for Life

Hey y'all...both of you...listen up! I'm participating in the Utah AIDS Foundation Walk for Life this year and have set a goal to raise $100. So click on the link below and go donate. Until I reach $100, the scary maid picture stays! ;-)

http://www.firstgiving.com/brandonsuisse