Wednesday, June 30, 2010

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...

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

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.