They Died in Their Soup

Out of tragedy springs triumph! The story of Nunsense, Amen! is that a convent of nuns has to do a fundraiser to bury four dead sisters who died when the cook, Sister Julia, child of God, made soup that was tainted with botulism. But, as the Head Nun of the Novices says, "If they hadn't died we wouldn't be here performing for you tonight!"

More as the days go by ...

The Nunsense Story Begins

As we come to the home stretch of our work on Nunsense, Amen!, I'll be telling the tale of five nuns on a mission--to promote spirituality, a don't-take-yourself-too-seriously attitude and the idea that laughter is worth engineering.

It starts with our five nuns and their performance information:

Nunsense, Amen!

By Dan Goggin

Directed and Choreographed by John Breen

Musical Direction: John Swenson

Assistant Choreographer: Angel Abcede

Stage Manager: Jennifer Elledge

Featuring: Angel Abcede, Michael Apuada, John Breen, Robert Ertel and John Swenson

Friday, Dec. 14 and Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007

Showtimes: 7 p.m.

The Spot, 4437 N. Broadway in Chicago

Tickets: $10

Reservations: (773) 271-3887

Hope one and all can show their support as this rag-tag team raises the cathedral ceiling!

Memories from San Fran

My childhood friend Ben moved to San Francisco a long time ago and I caught up with him twice this year when I visited the West Coast recently. Well, he sent me a photo today of my last trip two-and-a-half weeks ago, which included a dinner at a newly revamped restaurant in the Financial District. He's a food blogger so he wrote about his experience with me at the restaurant, which was called ROE.

I don't remember much except the duck appetizer and some fruity martinis, but the photo he sent reminded me of the mochi ice cream and root-beer floats we had. Mmmmm.

My Birthday Nun Pictures

Wow, what a wonderful birthday I had! Yes, I had to do Nunsense, Amen! rehearsals, but afterwards, we went out to publicize and everyone we saw loved us in our nun outifts. Then my Bob and Michael's David met us at Halsted's Bar and Grill for food and then it was over. Wow, how the greatest of times goes by so quickly. Happy birthday to me!!!

Snowy Thanksgiving Morning

A healthy snow drifted down on me and my friend Kristine for the Thanksgiving Day Parade on State Street this year. For the second time in a row, we decided to brave the cold and catch the larger-than-life balloons, marching bands and Santa. Elvis coming out of a limo was a new twist this year, and longer-than-normal breaks in the parade sent Kristine and I into a Dunkin' Donuts for some warmth. But we caught Santa at the end and took a "glog" break at the North Pole Village set up in Daley Plaza.

Right now, Bob has a big dinner cooking and it'll be the two of us for a while. Happy holiday to all!

Los Angeles Stop-over

Just a quick stop in Los Angeles. I visited my cousins while on a post-convention trip to spy on a new convenience-grocer chain opening up in the L.A. area. Here's some shots of me and my cousin Celia with her dog Wonton. I also got a shot of the great view they have from their penthouse.

Sidetrip to Sacramento

The day after the wedding, we visited my aunt and my cousins in Sacramento. We took a lot of the centerpieces from the day before and brought them to the graves of my grandmother and other uncles and aunts who've passed away. Is that wierd? I guess that's where wedding centerpieces get a second life.

It was fun to spend more time with my cousins and their children's child. Our family is becoming white people!

My Cousin's Big Fat Filipino Wedding

My cousin Iza married her longtime boy-toy Julien last Saturday in San Francisco. It was held at a beautiful winery and they did the traditional Filipino things (chain of coins, candle and veil ceremony and money dance). I was the MC and had a lot of fun dancing and making merry.

One of my cousins said, "I didn't even notice that there was a pole in the room until you started dancing ..."

Atlanta Pics

Just a couple of Atlanta photos to post, but I'm already in Los Angeles, completing the last leg of my convention-wedding-store tour. I'll be home soon to get my other cool wedding photos up as well as some spy shots from the Fresh & Easy stores in L.A. that I was sent to cover. Chat soon!

Off to Atlanta

I'm going to fly out tomorrow morning for a trip to Atlanta for the annual convenience-store convention. Then it's off to San Fran for my cousin Iza's wedding and then a final trip to Los Angeles to spy on a secretive chain of convenience-grocery stores. Catch you soon!