My Whole Life Isn't Really a Party...

it's just that a lot of it is becoming rather routine, so my social exploits sometimes seem the only thing worthy of an audience. So, here we find snapshots from another enjoyable weekend. Last night I went with a huge EV posse to support Boogie Howser, our local cover band at a gig in Sinchon, which is just at the edge of Seoul.

This was what happened when Stu played "The Piano Man."


Here's Stu playing and singing The Rainbow Connection, in the most perfect Kermit the Frog voice I have ever, ever heard.


Woohoo!


Here are 5 of the 16 people that we may or may not have crammed into one van (whether we did this or not depends on whether or not you are my mother reading this right now, hi mom!)


The bar was a cozy little joint by the name of Mike's Cabin.

Three cheers for live music and lively people.

Yesterday and today we had choreography sessions for the May 5th, Children's Day extravaganza. I am pleasantly amazed to find myself in the dance group for our modified version of Love Shack. The choreography is bouncy and fun and thankfully I am able to keep up thus far. I am actually one of two couples doing a partner dance, one that involves two lifts. Now, it is (or at the very least, should be) no secret that fat people do not like to be picked up. We fear that we will crush the picker-upper to smithereens with our tremendous poundage, causing them intense pain and ourselves total embarrassment. In other words, I was (and am) a little nervous about the lifts. Lucky for me, my dance partner, while incredibly thin, is all sinewy strength and is very, very trustworthy and encouraging. The first lift is a quick jump with me facing out and my knees tucked, and I am more or less comfortable with it now. Today, however, when I learned that I would be expected to to run at my partner and jump onto his hip with one of my legs bent and one straightened, while being spun, I thought I might pee my pants. I asked if we could try the lift in the water first. I wasn't completely joking. After a couple of tries though, it seems like we've got it pretty well.

Today there was also a rehearsal for next month's main stage show (for which I'm understudying), and I actually got put in, which was a great time and kind of a rare treat for this early in the game.

This weekend has been the first with weather nice enough to perform the Genie Show outdoors. I did three shows yesterday afternoon and three this morning. The show definitely works better in the outside venue and I've found some new energy in the material. I've also been working with an actor with whom I'd never previously worked, and that is always great for shaking things up and making them fresh. The kids sometimes treat us a bit like rock stars, practically trampling each other as they struggle to attain our coveted post-show high-fives. I'll see if I can't get some pictures from the show up here sometime soon.

Today was basically the perfect day. I got to perform, rehearse a script, and flex my (literal) dancing muscles in our choreography session AND at an after-work dance class. Days like this are exactly what I pictured when I thought about coming here and exactly what I wanted. I will be sore tomorrow. It's already worth it.