SolitaryRoamer

Rockin' with Frampton and more

Another busy but fun week is gone and I’m not quite ready for the next one to start. Yes, it’s 5:49 a.m. Monday as I begin to type this. I took a nap for a couple of hours Sunday evening then got up and began to edit photos, write a travel story and write a blog for work. So I decided I would just stay up since I’m interviewing the drummer from Shinedown in a few hours and don’t want to sleep through it.

The week started off slow. I didn’t feel that great on Monday so I went home early but began feeling better in the afternoon. After making 72-hour kits at my singles branch’s family home evening activity, I took my friend Shiree out to the local Spoon Me frozen yogurt shop for a food review. Obvious jokes aside, it was a fun time with a good treat (I’m talking about the yogurt).

But Tuesday I was still feeling exhausted and didn’t get into work until late. So I ended up staying there late too, but did go out to dinner with a few coworkers.

Wednesday, however, was where the real fun happened. It was the day of the Peter Frampton concert and my friend/upstairs neighbor Janell was going to the concert with me. But I had a fun Frampton moment earlier in the day as I logged onto Twitter and saw that Peter Frampton himself had re-tweeted one of my earlier posts, which read: “Tuacahn comes alive tonight! @PeterFrampton will rock the red rocks.” Finally, I had achieved my goal of getting a celebrity RT.

I was told I would get meet & greet passes but wasn’t sure if it would work out. I was supposed to be able to meet both Gladys Knight and Foreigner earlier this year at Tuacahn concerts but they canceled their meet & greets. But I did get to meet Charlie Daniels, the guys from America and four of the American Idols, including Melinda Doolittle.

The concert was great (you can read my review for TheSpectrum.com here). And we did get to meet Frampton very briefly after the show. Since it was toward the end of his tour he was apparently quite tired. He didn’t sign anything and we were all basically limited to a quick photo with him (photo is coming). But right after the photo I told him I was the reporter who interviewed him for the local paper and also thanked him for the re-tweet earlier. He made the connection and a big smile formed on his face. He thanked me for the article and shook my hand.

Then the next day I logged onto Twitter again and found a surprise. Frampton had found my review of his show online and tweeted the link. And he sent me an @ message via Twitter: “Thanks so much for the review. I am sorry we didn't get to spend more time after the show. I WILL be back thanks to all there!!”

I spent the bulk of Thursday in the Enterprise area writing about Jason Knowles, a young man with some developmental and physical challenges who wanted to help his community. So he began collecting recycling from his neighbors and talking it to the local bins. You can read my story here and watch the video I helped our photo editor shoot here. I also did a little scenic drive along the Crestline Road between Enterprise and Panaca, Nevada, for my Backways & Byways column.

I spent Thursday night on the phone telling my dad about my adventures with Peter Frampton and calling to set up about a dozen appointments for my branch president at church. I had big plans to write a couple of stories that night but it didn’t happen. So I spent Friday morning and early afternoon finishing the Jason Knowles story and the story about Ramadan that came from my dinner with the Muslim family in Cedar City the previous week.

My plans for Saturday included one event: The first Zion Canyon Music Festival in Springdale. Because it was $20 to get in and I planned to be there all day, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in going. But Janell sent me a text late that morning and said she was interested. And I was happy to have the company. You can read more about that festival on my work blog here.

We did take a break from the festival to visit some of the galleries and grab dinner. We stopped by to see my friends Tim Campbell and Dave West, who both own galleries in Springdale. Janell was just as impressed with Dave’s photography as I am every time I visit him. And he’s just a genuinely nice guy, as is Tim. We a tasty dinner at Casa de Amigos, which is probably the best Mexican joint in Southern Utah.

Then it was back to the park to finish out the festival. Unfortunately a rainstorm decided to shut it down early. We initially fled in search of an umbrella and returned. But the rain was coming down so hard we decided to call it a night, completely forgetting that we had taken my cheapo camp chairs to sit on. Apparently they now live in Springdale.

On the way home we consoled ourselves for missing the headliners, The Mother Hips, by listening to some Frampton and singing along to “Baby I Love Your Way.”

It was probably good we got home a little early because I had a long day of church ahead of me Sunday. Because my branch president had so many appointments I decided to go into church early to make sure they went well. So I got there at 9:30 a.m. and didn’t leave until after 5 p.m. It was a long, long day, but my branch president’s day was much longer so I can’t complain too much. And it felt good to serve.

This week probably won’t be quite as exciting but there are some fun things planned for a few evenings. Thursday and Friday I’ll be reviewing a couple of plays at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. Then on Saturday night I’m attending a couple of art openings out at Kayenta. Plus I have to try and work ahead to get some extra stories done because I’ll be covering the LDS General Conference the first weekend of October.

Rockin' Robin and Michael Jackson

So it seems as if I’ve made it a habit of blogging on Sunday nights. But at least I’m blogging.

It was yet another busy week. I’m beginning to think those are the only kind of weeks that exist now. But I am hoping this next one will be a little slower-paced. I kicked off Tuesday with yet another impromptu interview with my branch president. Since I’m often sitting outside his office during interviews I usually end up getting called in for an impromptu discussion at some point in the evening, especially if one of the schedule interviewees doesn’t show. So, of course, my dating life was a topic of concern for him (I’m quickly approaching the magic age of 31 where you are not supposed to attend the YSA branch/ward anymore). I think he’s just as confused about my dating life as I am.

Wednesday took me north to Cedar City where I interviewed director/actor David Ivers for a story I’m working on for the fall season of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. I’ve admired Ivers’ work for a number of years (he directed last year’s “Cyrano de Bergerac”) so it was a neat opportunity to meet him. And later that night I had dinner with a Muslim family for a story I’m writing about Ramadan. I’ve been trying to track down a local Muslim family willing to talk with me for about five year now, so I’m pretty excited.

The next day I continued Shakespeare interview in Cedar before returning to St. George. And that night I took my friend Jana with me to see a concert at the Kayenta community featuring songs from musicals. I was expecting some good music, but the entire performance was actually very entertaining. There were great moments of both comedy and drama — though most of it was funny. Yet a few of the more dramatic elements were among the highlights, including “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables,” “Music of the Night” from “Phantom of the Opera” and “Johanna” from “Sweeney Todd.”

Friday night brought a different kind of concert as six friends and I traveled out to Springdale to see the amazing Janet Robin in concert. She’s probably the best guitar player I’ve ever seen live. She does things on the acoustic guitar that you didn’t know were possible, often playing it like an electric. Plus she’s just a nice lady. I’ve interviewed her a few times and she’s always fun.

Friday also marked the day that my Peter Frampton story and blog ran in The Spectrum and on our Web site. And I wrote about the night hike with Jeremiah. So check them out.

I was supposed to rise early Saturday for a hike but was exhausted from the week. But I did manage to get up for a picnic at Sand Hollow Reservoir with Jen and a few others. It was a beautiful day with clear water and cool puffy clouds in the sky. You can see my photo gallery from the lake on my Facebook page.

Saturday just got better as the day progressed and it came time for my friend Brent’s Michael Jackson party. Brent had tickets to see MJ in London before the King of Pop passed away, so the party was in honor of that missed opportunity, and the chance to host a rockin’ BBQ at his pleasant backyard/patio. I tried to replace Michael by playing a thrilling version of “Beat It” on the guitar and, of course, many sported white gloves. Here is my iPhone gallery and Brent's Facebook gallery.

Plus, I got to rock my fedora for the first time.

But with the picnic and the party, I was distracted Saturday from my church calling and forgot to do a few things, which left me scrambling for much of my 6.5 hours at church today. But it all turned out OK and I even ended up joining the branch choir, just in time to perform in sacrament meeting a few hours later.

God is in the rain

The busy life continues and it’s a fascinating ride. I find that I’m tired at the end of each day but not exhausted. I feel as if I’m fulfilling things and really living life. And that’s a good feeling.

As far as the church calling goes, I got out of Wednesday night branch presidency meeting this week but spent the time doing church stuff anyway. My friend Brent and I are home teaching companions and we are assigned to six different households; so we got a start on that.

Then I spent part of Saturday helping with baptisms for the dead for the first time in about six years — and my first time in the St. George Temple. The baptistery here is much bigger than the one in the tiny Spokane Temple where I last did baptisms for the dead.

And I was one of the lucky Utah Latter-day Saints that got to skip church today and participate in the dedication of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple via video transmission in my stake center. I had never been to a temple dedication before so that was a neat experience. And my mild migraine finally faded toward the end of the 90-minute session.

Work has been busy but going well. Things just seemed to flow this week. I wrote more stories than usual on top of extra editing duties because my coworker is still on maternity leave and I still ended up with enough hours to get started on a few things for next week. My favorite parts of work this week was interviewing the three lead actors for the local production of “Aida” at the Tuacahn Amphitheater, which I wrote about in my work blog. I returned to Tuacahn on Friday evening for a dress rehearsal of “Aida” and brought my friend Jana along with me. She was also nice enough to “help me out” with a food review at the lovely Riverwalk Grill in St. George, where I tried a seafood bisque for the first time.

I had all sorts of big plans for Saturday but I crashed instead. Mostly I spent the day shopping. Yep, shopping. For nearly five hours. First stop was the farmers market at Ancestor Square in St. George where I picked up some pears and something for my mom. I also bought some mangoes and sticky rice from Benja’s, a tasty Thai restaurant at Ancestor Square, for breakfast. Next it was off to the factory outlets, Old Navy and Target where I came away with five shirts, one pair of jeans, two pairs of shoes, six pairs of socks and a fedora for only about $150. Not bad.

After the temple experience, the best part of Saturday was the rain. It doesn’t rain nearly enough here in the desert. And this summer seems like it has been even drier than usual. And when it does rain in the desert it smells so good. It rained a little before I went to the temple and it was raining when we got out and went to Iceberg for milkshakes. So when I got home and it was still lightly raining I decided to go for a nighttime walk in the rain. I changed out of my suit and into shorts and flip-flops and set out to walk around my neighborhood, something I haven’t done in the four years I’ve lived here.

The cool raindrops felt so good after the heat of summer. It had been more than 100 degrees earlier that day but the storm cooled it down about 30 degrees. In many ways it was just as spiritual as my experience in the temple earlier that day. I’ve always felt a strong spiritual tie to nature. And that night it truly felt as if God was in the rain.

A song for peace on 9/11

On this fifth anniversary of the horrendous terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, I had a unique experience that offered hope rather than sorrow.

The Mesgana dance group comprises young Ethiopian girls — ages 7 through 13 — who are recipients of the Utah-based Children of Ethiopian Education Fund. The group came to the local Tuacahn Center for the Arts as part of its first U.S. tour to raise funds and bring awareness about how difficult it is for Ethiopian girls to go to school.

The girls were absolutely adorable, especially little Sofia Kedir, the youngest of the group. Though she was 7, Sofia looked like she was about 5. And she was a regular diva, often leading the rest of the dancers and clapping her hands in the air to encourage audience interaction.

Aside from the cuteness factor, the night was also an excellent cultural learning experience. Since Ethiopia was never under the rule of a European country, much of its culture is still intact. The girls not only performed traditional dances to Ethiopian music, but also modeled fashions from their country.

However we in the audience also learned of the extreme poverty in which most of these girls live. It made me grateful for the opportunity my family and I (along with a few friends) have in putting Diane Odysey Castillo through school in the Philippines. I baptized Diane, 16, when she turned 8 while on my mission in Baguio, Philippines. I also performed the ordinance of naming and blessing for her baby brother, Hans Daniel, now 8. Their family lived in a small two-room shack with no electricity or running water and and outhouse out back. The best Christmas of life came when my missionary companion and I gathered all the toys we could find around our apartment and took them to the Castillos and one other family.

So when Diane tracked me down via e-mail a few months ago, told me she was about to enter college to become a nurse but did not have a way to afford it, I knew I wanted to help. Diane said she wanted to become a nurse so she could help her still very poor family. They obviously did not have the money to help her so she needed a sponsor family. As I talked to my mom about Diane’s case, we decided it was something we would do as a family. Diane is now almost done with her first semester and has been nominated by her classmates to participate in the Miss Nursing pageant. And thanks to some recent help from two great women, Janice Brooks-Nichter and Sally Musemeche, we have been able to meet all her costs.

Thankfully many generous Americans are helping the girls of Mesgana by sponsoring their education. In the wake of 9/11 it’s nice to know that Americans are not just waging a war that has killed countless civilians but we are also doing some good things around the world. I just wish there was more emphasis placed on the latter.

The girls of Mesgana sang a song about peace near the end of their performance. Though I couldn’t understand the words my heart sang along.