Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Improvables Strike Back

After months of negotiations, bargaining, and everything else that goes into getting an Improv troupe settled into a new theater, the Improvables made their triumphant return to the stage and grand debut at the Davis Center for the Performing Arts last night. It also marked our third annual Halloween show, and a near-capacity crowd turned out to help us celebrate the occasion.
Yes, you read that right. Steve was the evening's M.C., with Biz, Guy, and Scott facing off against Ian, Parker, and yours truly; Michael provided the music on guitar. We got to play some of the seasonal favorites, including “Oxygen Deprivation,” “Tombstone,” and “Campfire Tale,” as well as old classics like “Greatest Hits” and “Film Noir.”
If last night's show was any indication of what is to come at our new home at the Connie Leishman Performance Hall/black box theater, we hope to enjoy many, many more performances of the sort in the years to come.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Getting Spooky

Halloween will soon be upon us, as you're probably already aware, and I enjoyed getting into the spirit of the season tonight by taking part in the South Davis Recreation Center’s annual “Spooktacular” event. This year’s shindig was, apparently, the fifth straight year that it has taken place; who knew that it would be so well attended or so much fun?
Members of the Improvables, in anticipation of our upcoming return to the stage at the Davis Center for the Performing Arts, were asked to volunteer at this event, and Ryan I ended up representing the troupe and helping to pass out candy to the many trick-or-treaters who visited Trick-or-Treat Lane.
We were there for three hours, and it was busy the entire time – far busier than any of the Trunk-or-Treats with which I have assisted. By the end of the evening, we were pretty pooped.
I dressed up - or intended to dress up - as Stoick the Vast from How to Train Your Dragon. Many of the people who came by told me they thought I was Thor, which is someone I'm more than okay with being misidentified as.
As an added bonus, Ryan reprised his Hello Kitty Darth Vader costume from a few years ago. The picture says it all:
Good times were had by all.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Steve's 30th

October is a great month for birthdays in our family, and earlier tonight, it was Steve's turn for a birthday party. Summer organized a surprise gathering for him at the Foxboro clubhouse, just a few blocks from his house, and a good number of his family and friends showed up to participate.
There was a good deal of delicious food as we waited . . . and waited . . . for Steve and Summer's arrival. But with my seven nieces and nephews around, there's never a dull moment.
Fortunately, the birthday boy eventually showed up, and he seemed genuinely surprised.
. . . and there was much rejoicing.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Party Down!

I had another birthday yesterday. Try as I might, I have been unsuccessful at finding a way to stop them from happening since I turned, oh, probably 21.
At any rate, I arranged for a party of sorts at the Karaoke Café, my new favorite hangout, last night, and Ben and Adi, Steve and Summer, Biz, and Pepe were good enough to join me to celebrate the occasion. This night also marked Steve and Summer's first time returning to the spot of their first date six months earlier.
Some of the highlights from the evening included my getting to sing "Weird Al" Yankovic's "One More Minute," an old family favorite, with my three siblings on backup:
The girls collaborating together on the Dixie Chicks' "Wide Open Spaces":
Singing N*SYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" along with the other boys (actions included):
As well as the Soggy Bottom Boys' "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow":
Good times were had by all.
Sorry you missed out on things? Join us for the next birthday party, won't ya?