China and South Dakota. same same.

Let's not dwell too long on how utterly outrageous my blog hiatus was. I've been out of control.
Taking it back a bit: in May, the TIE team made a historic trip to Guangzhou, China.
With 6 shows in 2 days, we spent most of our time illegally trapped inside a Red Army building (our venue). Foreigners and photographs aren't allowed inside, so let's not complain I don't have photos of the giant Communist star we removed from the stage and just be happy I'm not in a Chinese prison.

Between shows, Lindsey and I ventured into Martyr's Park--described as "very peaceful." Clearly:

Nothing says 'peace' quite like a giant gun rising from the earth.

So, what stop should we get off at?:

Don't know why, but I think of my dad when I think about peasant revolts and the rise of the proletariat.

Imitation Mickey Mouses should always get decapitated:

Cheese Fun:

I think I asked Lindsey to attempt to encapsulate both cheese and fun into her face.
Safety 13th:

Back in the park, kids with swords:
Me, with Penguin hair, on a lamp:
Inside the underground malls, there are DJs, of course. They're spinnin' tunes in glass cages all day and night:
Getting serious at the arcade:
Costume change:
Someone was actually playing, so I couldn't hold the gun.
I really wanted to eat here, but was inexplicably vetoed:
The Pearl River:
An army-glorifying ballet:
At one show, a little boy said to me (or rather, to Pipi the Penguin) in one breath: "Hello how are you nice to meet you see you tomorrow."

I went to South Dakota for wedding mania!
First, the wedding of Jenna Hardy, a friend from high school band camp and SDSU--also met several times when we lived on the east coast.
The beautiful bride and I:
A guy at the wedding wore really tight jeans. My new friend Thoa and I inconspicuously took a photo:
My family held a picnic party to celebrate my return, much like the prodigal son. It was amazing! We didn't kill the fatted calf, but we had KFC, which is even better.

I chased my cousins around the park. They managed to get us to stand still long enough for this photo:
Throughout the week, I hung out with Grandma, visited friends, etc....then drove up to Aberdeen for wedding #2: Jessica McQuillen. I was honored to be a bridesmaid:
Two of my favorite people, Nikki and Dallas:

I dance dramatically:

So ends the tale for now. Jacksonvillians may look out for a Source article in the near future.
next blog: Lysistrata and the big MOVE out of the Bedazzler's Lair...

Devon and Jeff get Hong Konged

As Devon and Jeff have stopped blogging about their amazing time in The Kong, I will now take it upon myself to reconstruct, briefly, their time here.
It started out really bad for them. Mostly because I'm not a good tour guide and I had to work for the first few days they were here. My poor guiding skills mixed with Devon's desire for a detailed itinerary is a recipe for...for something.
Still, they were kind enough to meet me and some work friends for Dim Sum:
I don't remember when that was--this all went down in April. Today is June. I can't even remember what I did last week. So, in that case, I think I'll just post a bunch of photos that don't make me look too fat or ugly.
This guy was driving the boat with his foot until I asked if I could take a picture:

We went to a Kung Fu demo and thought this looked like a Chinese version of Tyler:




By my tour guiding skills, which rely on serendipity, we ended up discovering a boat from Stanley to Po Toi, an island with ferry service only 2 days a week or something. It apparently hasn't changed since Medieval times and has its own theme song. I loved this island!



This one reminds me of my dad:





Another highlight was The Noon Day Gun--a shot fired every day at noon by our good friend, this guy:

That was him showing us the golden bullet.
Now, he checks his watch. It must be high noon for the Noon Day Gun:

And he rings a bell, too:

I'm sure we did more while they were here, but I must not have had my camera on me. Or something.
Tales of Guangzhou, China, next up. It may or may not include illegal entry into a Red Army building.