The Improvables' Halloween Extravaganza 2013

Friday night marked the Improvables' fifth annual Halloween performance, as well as our second anniversary of performing at the Davis Center for the Performing Arts (aka CenterPoint Legacy Theatre). It's hard to believe that we have been together that long and that we have put on that many Halloween shows, but the calendar doesn't lie.

Among the highlights were "Half Life," played by Bryan, Keenan, and Brianne:

. . . Erica's zombie costume, inspired by "The Walking Dead":

. . . and our many fans who dressed up for the occasion, including our costume contest winners, one of who is pictured here as the Last Airbender:

Following the show, the assorted troupe members (and an enthusiastic audience member dressed as Bruce Lee) posed for this group shot:

Yours truly chose to dress up as Teddy Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States and one of all-time favorite historical figures.

Good times were had by all.

Day 312: Harold B. Lee on Hope and Patriotism

Sigh . . . Is this what Michelle Obama felt like during all of those years that she was not proud of her country?

Like many of you, I'm severely disappointed by the results of yesterday's presidential election. I believe Barack Obama not only to be the worst president in our country's history but also a true threat to the Constitution, which I believe was inspired by our Father in Heaven.

Nevertheless, I love my country, and I believe there are yet many good people in it who will take a stand and will fight for those principles that will get us back on track as a nation. My sister shared some very inspired words today, uttered nearly 40 years ago by President Harold B. Lee. I draw a great deal of comfort from them, and I hope that they help you, too.

Thanks, Biz.

Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail.

This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the New Jerusalem. . . . This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple.

We are living in a time of great crisis. The country is torn with scandal and with criticism, with faultfinding and condemnation. There are those who have downgraded the image of this nation as probably never before in the history of the country.

I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. . . . It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through.
We must be on the optimistic side. This is a great nation; this is a great country; this is the most favored of all lands. While it is true that there are dangers and difficulties that lie ahead of us, we must not assume that we are going to stand by and watch the country go to ruin. We should not be heard to predict ills and calamities for the nation. On the contrary, we should be providing optimistic support for the nation.

You must remember . . . that this church is one of the most powerful agencies for the progress of the world, and we should . . . all sound with one voice. We must tell the world how we feel about this land and this nation and should bear our testimonies about the great mission and destiny that it has.

If we do this, we will help turn the tide of this great country and lessen the influence of the pessimists. We must be careful that we do not say or do anything that will further weaken the country. It is the
negative, pessimistic comments about the nation that do as much harm as anything to the country today. We who carry these sacred responsibilities must preach the gospel of peace, and peace can only come by overcoming the things of the world. Now, we must be the dynamic force that will help turn the tide of fear and pessimism.

(Excerpts from a talk given at Ricks College Devotional Assembly, "Have Faith in America ," October 26, 1973, and printed in two sources: Ye Are the Light of the World: Selected Sermons and Writings of Harold B. Lee, 340, 350-351, and The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams, 365-366.)

Day 298: Early Voting

I am proudly now 0-2 in voting for failed presidents named "Barack."

This is Disconcertingly Choppy, and I approve this message.

Day 224: USA! USA!

Alas, the 30th Summer Olympic Games in London, England, are now a thing of the past. I've enjoyed watching several international sporting events over the past 16 days and have found a newfound surge in love for my country - dare I say patriotism? - as the U.S. athletes have performed very well, earning 46 golds and 104 total medals.


Mom reflected that sentiment in these cupcakes, which she brought for us to share at tonight's family dinner.

Day 187: Centerville Parade

Generally speaking, I don't care too much for parades - either watching or taking part in them. I could write up a list of about 1,000 other things that I'd rather be doing on a hot, 90-degree-plus summer day.

Nevertheless, the Improvables were asked to provide announcers for yesterday's Fourth of July parade, and sometimes you just gotta "take one for the team" and step up and volunteer to help. Ten members of the troupe were stationed at three announcing booths along the parade route, which began at Chase Lane and traveled south down Main Street to Pages Lane.

Steve, Summer, and I were positioned at the steps of Centerville's City Hall, where Summer kept track of the approaching floats while Steve and I took turns announcing and, on occasion, ad libbing when necessary.

You definitely have to stand up and applaud when the veterans pass by, as was the case with this group that carried our country's flag:

I also liked the superhero float, which featured several members of the Avengers, Batman, and Spider-Man, among others:

We took advantage of this opportunity to promote our troupe, and after the last float has passed by us, we handed out a stack of fliers to the parade goers.

It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

Day 178: Voting in the Primary

For participating in the democratic process and voting in today's Utah Republican primary, I was awarded this handsome sticker:


I could be wrong, but I think both Mitt Romney and Orrin Hatch have a good chance of winning here.

From Valley Forge to Bountiful

I got to shake the president's hand yesterday. No, it was not Barack Obama. It was our nation's very first president, George Washington - or, at least, it was a man who looked and spoke a lot like him.

(Side note of small significance: The real George Washington did not wear a wig. It is his real hair that you see in all of the portraits. Of course, it would have taken a real nerd to have pointed that out. And we all know that I'm just not capable of that kind of nerdiness. Right?)

President Washington was the surprise guest speaker at my ward's fifth-Sunday, combined elders quorum/Relief Society meeting yesterday morning. Needless to say, it was one of the most unusual meetings I have attended as part of a three-hour chuch block. But that does not mean that it wasn't interesting or educational.

He spoke on a variety of topics, including the importance of the Constitution, why the United States is a Christian nation and should remain so, and why a democracy is the least-desirable form of government. (Yes, really. John Adams, if I am remembering correctly, said that a nation is in trouble when the voice of the people chooses leaders and legislation that are contrary to the commandments of the Lord. Pres. Washington tied it in to chapter 29 of Mosiah.)

I was also very interested in the story of "the man God wouldn't let die." In a nutshell, George Washington, as a young man, fought in the British army during the French and Indian War of the 1750s. In one particularly gruesome battle, all of the British officers but Washington were killed, and he was left alone to lead the soldiers in combat. Four horses were shot out from under him, and there were also four bullet holes in his clothing - but he was not even wounded. It was clear that he was a man that God prepared to do a great work in this land.

Some other amazing facts about GW: He was dyslexic. A few months ago on this blog, I wrote about some heroes of mine who happened to be dyslexic - and now I add Washington to the list. He also led the continental army in the Revolutionary War over eight years and was not paid a dime for it. Additionally, he is still the only president to have received 100 percent of the electoral vote. And he did it twice!

By the way, Pres. Washington's real name, according to the card he handed me, is Gary V. Dolzer. He lives in Kaysville. From what I can gather, he is apparently just one of a group of actors who are available to portray a core group of the Founding Fathers at readings, seminars, and firesides across the Wasatch Front.

My only regret is that I did not ask Pres. Washington to sign a dollar bill, or at least put his initials on a quarter, for me.

Honest Abe's 200th Birthday Extravaganza

If only Abraham Lincoln had not gone to Ford's Theatre on that ill-fated night in April 1865, he would be 200 years old today.


Okay, well, obviously he wouldn't have lived to be that long. Even so, I feel inclined today to say "happy birthday" to the greatest president our nation has ever had - yes, I can say that even despite the media's slobbering love affair with Barack Obama.

All week long on the History Channel, they have been showing various programs dedicated to the life and memory of Honest Abe. I managed to catch one of them the other night, and I must say that the wisdom, leadership, courage, and character demonstrated by this man never cease to amaze me. If a person was ever prepared to lead a country at the time when it most needed a great leader, then Abraham Lincoln was it.

Also, who could forget Abraham Lincoln's supporting role in the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure? It's comedy gold.

In Pres. Lincoln's honor, today I listened to soundtrack of The Civil War, which is one of my favorite musicals. His "Letter to Mrs. Bixby," as narrated by James Garner, is one of the best parts. In fact, just about every speech Lincoln ever made is great stuff and contains wise counsel. Some of my favorite lines of his include:

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.

If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.

My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.

We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.

Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.

With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.

Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!

The Glass Is Half Full

On Tuesday, American voters had their say. Whatever the outcome, it was going to be a historic election: We would either have our first black president or our first female vice president. The result: Barack Obama - like it or not - will be the 44th president of the United States.


To a lot of people I know, Obama's election was absolutely devastating news. After the verdict had become official Tuesday night, I spent a few minutes on Facebook, where I read all kinds of status updates from friends that said things like "The end is near" and "Our country has been flushed down the toilet."

I think most of them were kidding - maybe. (I have some weird friends, which is a compliment, in my book. "Normal" people are boring.)

To be honest, I felt somewhat disheartened, too, as I watched Obama's victory speech, delivered in front of a rabid crowd of supporters in Chicago.

Since then, I've done a lot of thinking about current events. And I began to realize that I was looking at a glass that was half empty, not half full. I began to think about all of the things that were and are still good about the United States of America. There are quite a few of them.


This is still the greatest country on Earth. This is a free land, where the restored gospel could come forth (and where its headquarters remain). I go back in my mind to the years I spent in Peru, in the third world, and I cannot now take for granted how good we have it here - because we really do have it a lot better than we think.

I think about the recent general conference of the Church that we had in October, both the people who delivered the messages and the messages themselves. And I don't recall hearing anything of panic or despair in their voices. Rather, I heard a lot of sound, wise counsel and a lot of hope, from people who are in control in the face of the storms of life and are looking optimistically to the present and to the future.

I also think about all of the people who rallied to help get Proposition 8 passed in California - something good that happened Tuesday - and I think, There are still good people in this country. There are still people who care about what I care about and are willing to take a stand on it.

I still don't like Barack Obama. I have questions about his ability to lead. I don't know where he's going to take this country in the next four years. It's also going to take a while for me to get used to saying "President Obama." (It just doesn't roll off the tongue like "President Lincoln" or "President Roosevelt.")

But, come January 20, I'm still going to give him a chance. I can disagree with him on issues and still support him as president. If Obama fails as president, then we, as Americans, will all fail. I'll take being led by Barack Obama any day over being led by Fidel Castro, what's-his-bucket in North Korea, or any other regime across the globe - even Canada (which, by the way, still waits for Alec Baldwin). And I don't wanna be a Canadian idiot. (Clayton knows what I mean.)

I just hope that, come January 20, Obama will be the kind of person his supporters believe they elected November 4.