Interesting experience catching a matinee of Altar Boyz playing up at the Lawrence Welk Theatre this afternoon.  The audience was definitely of two minds: the people there for Altar Boyz and the people there because it was at the Lawrence Welk.  The group I went with loved the show, despite some of the blue hairs actually interrupting the show to yell that it was too loud.  Even walking out they couldn’t show enough respect to the rest of the audience to do so quietly.  It was a great show, and most of the audience definitely seemed to appreciate the humor of the show and the amazing performances of the cast.

Outside after the show, Erik McEwen, the very cool actor who plays the token jew in the Catholic boy band was talking to some of the appreciative audience members, and when asked commented on how shocked the cast was at the outburst from the audience.  The show’s been running since July and this was the first time they’d seen this type of reaction.

I’d write more about the show, but I think the North County Times’ review nailed it, so go read Frankie Moran.  Spinner’s exhausted, and I think I should be too. 

Between the Olympics and the Democratic convention I’m a bit really quite sick of cheerleaders and talking heads and silly speeches.  So then come the thought: what if instead of spending four days waving flags, and telling each other how wonderful they are and how much they don’t deserve the reputation their party’s leadership has earned them during the last seven years, thousands of Republicans rewrote their airline tickets and redirected their minivans and went to the Gulf Coast to volunteer with hurricane evacuees?

Although personally I think they deserve to have their convention speeches underscrolled by reports of rising flood levels, and maybe alternated with some archival footage of President Bush congratulating Brownie on his heckuva job during Katrina, wouldn’t it be nice if thousands of politically motivated Americans would do something good instead of something pretty?  They’ve already got the time off work, don’t they?

Wow!  Amazing perspective from the 10m diving platform.  Found myself getting a little anxious even though there’s no way of falling off from here.  [via]

Sarah Palin?  Well, she is a fellow Vandal. Go to KPBS if you have any thoughts you want to share.

We owe an incredible debt to Del Martin for her advocacy over the years that led to us having the right to get married.  So, how ironic is it that I was sitting here working on invitations for our reception when I learned about her death? 

Finally got rid of the placeholder graphic (which I really liked) and got some content on the wedding site. 

Cal athletes took home seventeen medals from the Beijing Olympics. 

The Bears’ athletes won most of their medals in the water, from the “Water Cube” to the Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park to the Yingdong Natatorium. Of Cal’s medalists, only [basketball player Jason] Kidd and Cal alumna Vicky Galindo in softball did not compete in or on the water.

Interesting to note that one of Cal’s medals was also the silver for Milorad Cavic, swimming for Serbia in the 100-meter butterfly where he was edged out by that Phelps kid by 1/100th of a second.

With seventeen medals Cal placed behind only fifteen of the countries competing, and did far better than most.

Go Bears!

Yes, it’s almost one in the morning.  Watching the USA-Hungary water polo match in another window.  After seeing NBC television butcher every other big event I figured staying up late for the online really live broadcast would be the only way to go for this one.  Currently 2-2 in the first.

What’s great about libraries.  [via]

In a wonderful example of some do-gooder trying to suck all the fun out of life, some nutritionist is complaining about Michael Phelps’ reported endorsement of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes.  Look, the kid just won eight gold medals after working harder than hard for years.  There’s no reason for him to live his life as a monk at some shrine of living healthy; let him have a life and enjoy the bennies (both the cash and the sugar rush) of his accomplishments.