Cultural Report: The World Goes 'Round...

Yea, from time to time my wife and I get away from the neighborhood garage sales, community meetings and out from in front of the TV, and we do something with a little more class. This time around, our friend Sid invited us to see his niece Lindsay Hicks perform in the musical, "The World Goes 'Round".

Surely you remember Lindsay; she is the Texas gal in this great poke at Sooner fans.

Anyway, we were off to San Marcos Sunday afternoon to catch the last performance by the Texas State University Department of Theater & Dance of this particular production. For those of you who haven't been to San Marcos, or at least beyond the Outlet Mall, you should really take a drive and see the place. And if you are really in the mood, there is Aquarena Springs, but Ralph the Swimming pig is no longer diving.

But for those of us with a little class, the theater made for a great afternoon.

The show is what amounts to a review of songs from John Kander and Fred Ebb. I know, I had to Google them too. But they are responsible for many songs made famous in shows like Chicago, Cabaret, & New York, New York. So in essence, the production was an opportunity for these theater students to show off their singing and show skills. This is not something you'll see at your kid's elementary school. We were seriously impressed with the talent and not just in singing but also several humorous scenes.Of course, we were focused on Lindsay who played Woman 3 - and she was certainly a stand-out in the show - but there were several other performers who made the event worth the drive. Kelly Bales (Woman 1) had an extremely powerful voice. When she and Lindsay performed the song "Class", a duet about two drunk gals decrying the lack thereof in modern society, the result was awesome comedy. They both had great comedic timing and facial expressions that really sold it. And it is obvious these two work well together. Thy paired up again in the second act with "The Grass is Always Greener", an entertaining duet about a housewife and a star trading quips about how much better the others life must be. Again, these two had the audience laughing with their impeccable timing and delivery.

One of the male actors, Tyler Wallach (Man 1) really stood out. This guy did a song, "Mr. Cellophane", which was simply awesome. He also performed with the women in the show on a great song called "Sara Lee" that had the audience really laughing.All of the actors in this show were great. I could probably go down the list and give a song by song listing and point out how well everyone did, but the point is they were all really great.

The musicians in the show were also incredible. If you just had a bunch of amateurs out there, the singers could not have performed the really intricate show tunes. These musicians genuinely did a top notch job, helping to make it a memorable afternoon.

Going up to San Marcos also gave us a chance to meet some of Sid's family including Lindsay's proud parents Jim & Monica Hicks and her brother Jake who plays football at Rice. What a talented family!At the end of the show, Sid was all smiles as Lindsay came out from back stage to meet the family. Definitely worth the drive to San Marcos.

Looking for fun? Consider a Play in San Marcos...

This is sort of a public service announcement for those of you seeking something entertaining to do this weekend...

My good friend Sid, our Mission Trace Correspondent and often caretaker of Baby the Swan, reports that his niece Lindsay is currently appearing in a stage production of Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at the Mainstage Theater at Texas State University.

Interested but not sure what it might be about? Well, according to the web page, "Oscar Wilde's comedic masterpiece satirizes English society in the late Victorian era. The plot follows the exploits of two wealthy young men who pretend their names are Ernest in order to impress their beloveds. One, Jack Worthing, is a foundling and cannot marry his love until he produces an acceptable parent. His future mother-in-law, Lady Bracknell, tells him, "To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness." Audiences have loved this play since it opened in 1895, and many critics consider it the wittiest play in the English language."

Unfortunately, my wife and I can't make it but in the event that you feel the need for a little comedy and/or culture, get up there and cheer young Lindsay on. And, if you see an Australian Black Swan wandering around in the parking lot, look for Sid!

Baby Update: Sid and the Empty Nesters

We haven’t had a Baby update since the original story (here) and in talking with our Mission Trace correspondent, Sid Seidenberger, There have been quite a few recent developments.

I’m happy to say that many of Sid’s neighbors enjoyed the story of Baby and her parents, and I thank you for taking the time to check in to my little place on the web.

As for the “Evil Duo”, Sid reports “they still lurk in the offing always at the ready to attack their trespassing offspring, who, unbeknownst to them, is their own flesh (feathers?) and blood. So sad, so very sad."

A few weeks ago, Sid told me that Baby has sought refuge from the relentless sun under his back steps to the Mission Trace Lake. Recently, he noticed that Baby has a roommate under the steps with her. He said, “Somehow a large white female duck has decided to nest under there, and she has deposited one egg and is working on another! Poor Baby is perplexed by this intruder and is harmlessly biting at this duck a-laying. The duck doesn't budge from her nest; Baby persists in protecting "her territory"; so only time will tell which fowl will prevail.”

I think Sid has really taken on the duties as Swan-Daddy. I mentioned to Sid how my wife and I are currently operating as “empty-nesters” the goal of every parent (hopefully). He told me that his sister and brother-in-law, Monica and Jim Hicks of Grand Lake Estates in Montgomery, Tx, are going through a similar experience. And as we find out, perhaps Sid is feeling a little of that parental uneasiness with Baby.

Sid compares Baby’s first night out of her cage to his Nephew Jake’s first night away from home and his parents. You may recall that our little Cygnet friend was staying in a cage to protect her from raccoons and such. Sid reports that the nervousness he had for Baby (being out on her own) made him feel for his sister and her husband. Their 17 year-old son Jake (Sid’s nephew) is off to Rice University, where he has a full ride football scholarship. How nice is that!

Because the Rice Owls have started their practices, and the players are enrolled in summer session courses, Jake was off to camp. According to his proud Uncle Sid, “Jake has never gone away to camp, left the nurturing comfort of his loving home for any extended stay, or strayed for any length of time from the safe environs of his familial surroundings.” Jake is 6 feet 5 inches tall, weighs in at 270 pounds, and has to buy size 16 shoes; I suspect he’ll be okay. He will literally be a "big man" on campus!

In the meantime, after her first night out of the cage, Sid found Baby under the back steps and was relieved that she was fine other than for having to contend with her "guest on the nest." But that relief has only been short-lived.

Last week, Sid told me about an incident that gave Baby, the duck, and everyone in slithering distance a little scare! Turns out that the eggs Baby’s new duck friend laid attracted a reptilian guest. Sid says “Jorge, the landscape crew foreman here, rushed to our back steps here in under three minutes after we called the security officer at the gate to report another "intruder" of sorts! Jorge managed to apprehend the culprit... a 7 ft. Texas Rat Snake that was in the process of devouring a duck egg!”

According to former Mission Trace HOA Grounds Committee Chairperson, Mrs. Jo Huff, "This enormous snake had been eating all the duck eggs being laid in the past few years." This seems to be why the Mission Trace duck population has been dwindling, all due to this enormous 7 ft. demon devouring all potential hatches. In speaking with other Mission Trace residents, Sid learned that many people had seen this snake before and knew it inhabited the neighborhood.

Let's hope nephew Jake won’t have to worry about Rats at Rice, though in fairness, his older sister Lindsay may have to contend with a few snakes since she attends Texas State University... Just kidding!

At any rate, just like the proud parents Monica and Jim are "empty-nesters", I think Sid can understand the anxieties parents face because, as a proud Swan-Daddy he knows that Baby has grown, and in spite of the known and unknown dangers out there, he has to learn to let her go.

Sid tells me that, “With the demise of this slithering serpent, Baby's life is back to normal. She had her feathers ruffled by that intrusive, no good, egg-gobblin' dirty rat snake, but life on the lake is once again leisurely and serene for her. Now Baby's only fowl foes are her mama and daddy, who reject her daily and prevent her from taking a truly peaceful swim as they patrol the lake more vigilantly than the Selma cops with their infamous IH-35 speed-trap of yesteryear!”

Bonus for the reference to Selma! In the end my wife and I gave up the weekend as empty-nesters and headed up to Wichita Falls to see our daughter. I’ll have a full report on our wonderful, event-filled adventure soon.

How did you spend your Father’s Day? See any snakes? Tell me about it.