Bee's wishes and Karaoke dreams!

I celebrated my 23rd birthday this weekend. We had a great time at a Bee's game, going to the zoo, and finishing up the celebrations with a little karaoke. I have pictures of the first two excursions, but sadly, I forgot my camera when we went to karaoke. First thing is first: the Bee's game.
Andy found a Chicago dog and feasted with great gusto.

We were so happy to have Levi (Andy's brother) in town for the weekend. As you can see, he was excited too!


Poor Portland #29 (Brian, as we learned)...he had an error in the first inning and we didn't let him live it down for the rest of the game. It's just not worth it unless you can mock relentlessly.

I took this picture to prove I was there too. That's pretty much the extent of it. :)

The boys being boys. They kept me entertained through the entire game between the mocking of #29/Brian and the competition of 'who can be more irritating' with another guy in the stands.
Then it was off to the zoo!





The zoo was great fun! We saw lots of cute animals (including a baby giraffe that was having a lot of fun with a branch) and we only got rained on a little bit.

The evening of the 25th, we went to the Tavernacle to celebrate my birthday Karaoke style. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but I will try to do my best to describe the happenings of the evening. After a delicious bbq (courtesy of Brett and Katie...Thank you!!) we headed down to the Tavernacle around 10pm. Upon entering the bar I quickly informed the DJ that it was my birthday (it's truly amazing what flirting will get you) and asked if I could sing quickly. He assured me (with a wink) that I would be his first priority. Vomit. I smiled sweetly and joined my party. To my surprise, my name was called two singers later. I jumped on stage and wailed Pat Benetar's 'Heartbreaker." Fun. My friend, Josh, and his boyfriend, Thomas, joined our party shortly after my debut. Here are a few highlights from the evening:
1. After Brett rocked Queen's "This Thing Called Love" he quickly had a stalker/fan that needed to talk to him at various points throughout the evening. This stalker obviously thought Brett was gay and was very VERY interested in him. At one point, the stalker became very hostile toward Brett (he was quite belligerent). It kept me entertained. I was secretly hoping a fight would break out. It never did.
2. The DJ announced to the bar that it was my birthday and that he never wanted to see me without a drink in my hand. After I finished my song, a guy brought over a tequila shot. I thanked him graciously and handed the shot to someone who could handle it. The fact that someone would buy me a shot thrilled me!
3. The SHAMELESS flirting by the DJ (even after he figured out that Andy and I were engaged). He was terrible. I didn't mind, though. It meant that I got to sing again (The favorite 'Let's Hear it for the Boy').

After the bar, we went back to Brett and Katie's for my delicious birthday pie! It was a successful birthday!!!

Considerable trouble, considerable joy...

Big River closed on Saturday. After a fourteen show run we all said good-bye to Huckleberry Finn and his friend Jim. We were with them through their adventures on the river that ended successfully.
I wanted to share some pictures from the show:










Thank you, friends! I had fun and I will miss you all!

You, Madam, are an idiot.

On a day where the clinic is scheduled to see 126 patients, it is critical that people utilize their time and complete their tasks efficiently. Considering the daunting size of the clinic this fine Wednesday, we were handling the masses with grace until a woman threw a wrench into the well-oiled machine that is 'the fracture clinic.' The story unfolds:

A mother enters the clinic and signs her son in as usual. She is asked if her insurance and address are correct. She affirms the question and takes a seat. She waits 15-30 minutes patiently and with purpose. Her son's name was called and she was led back to a room. The mother was told that because her son had a certain type of fracture, repeat films would not be necessary. They could pull them up on the computer. The mother thanked the Medical assistant for the information and continued waiting for the doctor to view her son's films.

"Hello! I'm doctor Blah Blah."
"Hello Dr. Blah Blah."
"I reviewed your son's films and...(doctor looks around) did your son go to the restroom?"
"Oh he's not in the restroom. He's at school. Did he need to be here?

Moral of the story: Don't forget to bring the patient to the appointment.

A few of my favorite Vingnettes

All of these are true and have happened in the past week or so:

As Candace is trying to quiet an 11 month old with a broken tibia, the patient's 8 year-old brother stares at her.
"Are you married?" he asks.
"Yes," she replies a little annoyed that this child is attempting conversation while the baby is trying his damnedest to wriggle out of her clutch and onto the floor
"Oh" the boy continued. "Is your husband hot?"
"Excuse me?" Candace asks in disbelief.
"He must be hot. Because I think you're hot. So your husband must be hot."
Right then a Medical Assistant walks in the room and saves Candace from this strange turn of events. She passes off the baby quite willingly and leaves the child in endless wonder.

PS- The mother had magically disappeared for this...interesting.
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There is a silly idea that a bad dress rehearsal will make for a good opening night. If that was the case then our opening night was the greatest performance known to man (at least in my case).
I couldn't seem to get my energy up, remember my lines and/or lyrics, and I just seemed to be in everyone's way.
Finally, we reached the intermission and I decided that it was not too late to save this performance. I vowed to be more peppy, more focused, and just try harder all around.
I bounded onto the stage dressed in my tart attire. All of my actions were bigger than normal in a desperate attempt to get my energy up; my notes were louder and my kicks were higher. In making my kicks higher, it caused my skirt to hang lower in the back which resulted in someone stepping on it. Shortly after I realized someone was on my skirt, the snaps popped and my 10 lbs. skirt fell to the floor. Keep in mind, this is all during a high energy dance number.
The theatre gods were not smiling on me.
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While Denise waits patiently for a green tea soy latte, she is forced to stand too
close to an 'unconventional couple. Because of the close proximity to this dirty old man and his 19 year old play toy she over hears one of the worst lines ever presented in public (or in private for that matter).

Play toy: Oh! (giggle giggle) I feel like I'm drunk!
Dirty old man: You are! Drunk with love!

Denise does her best not to vomit or break into laughter. Rather, she flies to Utah and describes the nauseating story to her daughter who will give it literary immortality and make it public for all to read.

This past week in a nutshell. Take it for what it's worth.

Struggling to remain PC

Not too long ago, my friend, Katie, and I went for a quick massage at Massage Envy. We sat in the waiting room sipping tap water in front of the blazing fire. Massage Envy tries to hard to be a professional, relaxing place...they fail. We sat on our stiff couches and stared at the taupe walls just wishing the massage 'therapist' would show up already.
Finally a man walks in. "Katie? Hi, my name is Bill and I will be your massage therapist today." Katie stands and follows Bill to a room. I am left sitting uncomfortably sipping my somewhat chlorinated water.
I hear rustling by the door; assuming it was my therapist I stood up and glanced at the door. Seeing as no one was there I once again slumped into the taut recliner. "Candace?" I turned in the arm chair and was face to face with a little person.
"Hi! My name is Kevin and I will be your massage therapist."
I stared at him in complete disbelief. really?
I stood and followed him to a room. He went through the whole list of instructions: disrobe, lay face down under the blanket, etc. I followed his instructions and waited for him to reenter.
knock, knock, knock.
"You ready?"
Kevin entered the room and began arranging his various lotions...then I felt the strangest thing ever...my bed began moving downward until it was on the floor. At that point, the massage commenced.

Weird.

Big River...opens tomorrow!!!

Big River

Written by William Hauptman

Music and Lyrics by Roger Miller


A rousing, high spirited show that sets your hands to clapping, your feet stomping and your heart to rise within you! Based on Mark Twain's incredible story of Huck Finn, Big River takes place along the Mississippi River Valley sometime in the late 1840’s. It was one of the most robust and shameful times in our country. The country was expanding and the practice of slavery had reached historical levels. Big River celebrates the story of a young white boy and a run a-way slave and their friendship against all odds.

A delightfully melodic score, Big River is a joyful show for the whole family!


The play maintains the usage of racial language which is offensive to contemporary audiences. Please watch for community dialogues our Community Institute will sponsor to encourage discussion and promote understanding regarding the language of race.


Performance Times:

All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Matinee performances begin at 2:00 p.m. and are held on the 2nd & 3rd Saturday's of each performance series.


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'Big River' at the Grand
The Grand Theatre's production of the musical "Big River" opens Friday and plays through May 17.
The musical, set in the late 1840s, is based on Mark Twain's novel about Huck Finn. Against the backdrop of the Mississippi River, the musical tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a young white boy and a runaway slave. The play maintains the antiquated racial language of the period, which might sound offensive to contemporary audiences.
"Big River" is directed by Jim Christian, theater professor at Weber State University, and features Gary Neilson as Twain, Andrew Marshall as Huck and Greg Boarden as Jim. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 7-10 and May 13-17, with 2 p.m. matinees on May 10 and 17. Tickets are $18-$24 for floor seats, $10 for balcony seats (group, senior and student discounts), available by calling 801-957-3322 or visiting www.the-grand.org.
A discussion with the director and actors will be at 4 p.m. May 17. The theater is at 1575 S. State St., Salt Lake City.
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'Big River' deals with a big language issue

By Erica Hansen
Deseret News
Published: Sunday, April 27, 2008 1:16 a.m. MDT

Huckleberry Finn and runaway slave Jim set out to float down the ol' Mississippi River as the Grand Theatre opens its production of the Tony award-winning "Big River," a musical adaptation of the Mark Twain classic "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."

The musical, by Roger Miller, who is responsible for the classic country hits "King of the Road" and "Dang Me," is filled with bluegrass and folk tunes like "Waitin' for the Light to Shine," "Worlds Apart" and "The Boys."

But anytime Huck Finn shows up, regardless of its status as an American classic, controversy follows.

Over the years, many schools have struggled with its content, and parents have tried to get the book removed from the curriculum.

At issue: language.

"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" uses the N-word more than 200 times, mostly said by Huck when referring to his slave friend, Jim.

"Big River" has kept Twain's language, using the word 17 times, and the Grand Theatre has chosen to do the same.

"The intention in keeping the language in there, Twain wrote it for a reason. And as difficult as it is, it shows where we are, and where we've come from," said Richard Scott, artistic director at the Grand.

To address the language issue, the Grand will have a brief announcement by a prominent member of the black community addressing the language prior to every show. It will also host a post-show discussion after the matinee on May 17.
"We wanted to make sure we brought that to life. It affects members of our community: our friends, our neighbors. We wanted to give it a little more vitality," Scott said.

"It was very intentional by Twain to use those racist words and what they meant. Because of contemporary society and the pain that that language can create, we thought it was important to address it and encourage people to talk about it."

Still, Huck Finn is a great adventure that, at its heart, is a story about friendship — a friendship against all odds.

"Big River" opens Friday and runs through May 19 at the Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State. Shows dates vary, show times are 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees available. Tickets: $5-$24 (801-957-3322 or www.the-grand.org).