What to expect when you watch a perfomance by a non-equity tour

So Ramona and I went to watch Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in Denver. Apparently the Denver Post gave it one and a half stars and said it felt like a con. The Rocky Mountain News also called it a con job and explained that the quality was less than expected because the equity tour ended before they got to Denver and so we had the non-equity tour. Apparently the new director changed things around, too. Why would you screw with a Tony-nominated show? I don't care if you directed "The Boy From Oz"; you know everyone went to that show because of Hugh Jackman (love Hugh Jackman). The show was also choreographed by the man who choreographed "Grease: You're the One That I Want" and conducted by someone who was the Resident Music Director at the Orange County Shigh School of the Arts. Even High School Musical felt less like a high school musical.

We did not walk out during intermission but we did go for some booze, with the theory it might be funnier if we drank a little. It did help a little bit, but not too much. It couldn't make the singing louder and more powerful and the show, well, more delightful.

On a brighter note, we did find another song to add to Ramona's wedding soundtrack: Love My Legs. This song will join romantic classics such as "Genie in the Bottle."

Adventures at the WUC

I don't have any coherent narratives written, so here are some random thoughts

Fun signs we drove by:
A restaurant with the sign "ciao down"
Signs by the highway asking you to "stay IN your lane" (the caps are actually on the sign)
Taco John's

Great Places:
Ian's Pizza- it is almost like Antonio's with all the crazy types of pizzas. We need something like that in Denver.
The Great Dane Pub-
Big Buck Hunter- the 2007 and not the 2006 version (the bucks in the 2006 version run too fast). Who knew we had a bunch of hunters in our group?
The sampler of all their beers also came on a wooden platter in the shape of a giant bone with the names of the beers engraved in the appropriate grooves.
Essen Haus- apparently it's "the" place to go to. People go for the authentic German food. Just kidding. They go for the giant boots of beer and the tailgating before and after games (apparently they have a $1 shuttle that will take you to the stadium). They ran out of boots while we were there so we ended up with a giant 3 liter "glass" of beer.

Memorable moments:
The flight attendant asking someone in rows 3-5 to move to one of the back rows so we can "balance the load" of the plane, and we're not taking off until someone moved.
Do we have a flat or is the highway really that bad? Yup, the highway is that bad. It was like a giant stretch of those things they put on the side of the highway so when you drove over it you knew you were drifting and needed to wake up.
Starting to refer to the humid-y motel 6 room as our "apartment." We just might pitch it as a reality TV show for Elena-vision. Who will get voted out first, the snorers? or the person rushing everyone else to get ready every morning?
Sitting on the pier by Lake Mendota. I miss the water
Trying to understand someone explain code you don't understand in a dutch accent you don't understand
Joking that the airport had one guy who was the ticket agent, the gate agent, the baggage handler, and the runway guide...and then watching the same guy do all those jobs.

Carl Kasell is My Friend!!

I'm friends with Carl Kasell - on Facebook! Thanks to a tip from our favorite Colorado Public Radio host, I befriended Mr. Kasell this morning. Woohoo! One step closer to getting his voice on my answering machine, I'm sure. Thanks, Dan!

Check out this NYT story on grown-ups (including Mr. Kasell) signing up for Facebook.

Sadly, it does not appear that Nina Totenberg has followed Carl's lead, so I'll have to find another venue to let her know about my 2003 Halloween costume.

Butternut Squash Soup

My pal Bobbi and I made some dee-lish soup Friday night! We were very excited about it. Recipe is below, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa. My apartment smelled like curry all day yesterday, but that was pleasant enough. The soup really was fantastic, and quite simple to make.

Dan, perhaps we'll have to hold a Squash Soup Throwdown in December?

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Our fabulous spread: Soup, bread, rum and ginger ale, Lost Season 2


Nancy, very excited to taste my soup!

A Really Top Drawer Quote

My day planner has quotes on the top of each day page. Yesterday's thought made me think of my Top Drawer pals...

"I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tunafish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock."
--Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

I'm hoping to try a recipe for Butternut Squash Soup this weekend. Or possibly Pumpkin Soup, if such a thing exists. If I am successful, I'll post it here!

Happy Birthday to Suzaaku!

Whoo Hooo!

Do you love it? Or do you LOVE IT LOVE IT?

Here's my take on the Cold Stone Creamery ads, with an Aspen twist.

Aspen: Do you love it? Or do you love it love it?

It's my first attempt at such sophisticated video editing. Let me know what you think!

Stop the Van Halen Tour

Funniest story I've heard on NPR in a LOOOONG time.

I mean, really, who says "This tour is just a gateway to Sucktown!" on public radio?! John Moe, apparently. If you don't have Real Player, you can download the Podcast. The Van Halen story is around 45 min. into the second hour.