The Hazard Chronicles

The Theatre

Those who know me well know that I love live theater- especially the big Broadway variety with show-stopping musical performances and insightful, literary plotlines. I will attend pretty much any chance I get, and consider myself lucky to have lived in places where there are ample opportunities for such entertainment. There is also something magical about the stage with actors in costume, and watching a drama unfold right there in front of you in real-time; a scripted drama, sure, but meaningful nonetheless for the simple fact that no two performances are ever exactly alike. For all these reasons and more, it is rare for me not to be thoroughly entertained by a show.

Every once in a while though, a production will fail to strike that chord with me, and I walk away feeling a little bit cheated. Sometimes this is predictable, such as when we take chances on little-known shows played by actors with emerging talent (other times however, these are the best kind). What I didn’t expect though, was that I would feel this way after watching the show that swept the Tony awards, won a Grammy, was hailed by the New York Times as “the best musical of the century,” and has earned an ongoing spot on Broadway for the last five years running.

So what was it about The Book of Mormon Musical that got to me so much? The answer, really, is that I just didn’t like it. The humor was too raw and abrasive for my tastes. Oh, there were plenty of times that I laughed out loud, and the song and dance numbers were some of the best I have ever seen. Additionally, I think that people who see the show as a skewer to the Mormon religion or to any other specific group of people are probably missing the point entirely (or have not seen it). Also, like any act worthy of Broadway, there were moments of poignancy and deeper themes to consider- gems hidden (or not so hidden) throughout the storyline that cause a person to think about things in a new way. In this case, I think the writers make an important commentary on the nature of religious faith, believe it or not, in a really good and charitable way. They also tell a touching coming-of-age story including themes of emotional and spiritual maturity that, for many people, will hit very close to home. It did for me. There really was a lot to like here. But in the end, for me, it just wasn’t enough. The whole thing felt tainted in a negative way by the gratuitous use of sexual and scatological references that, even for the makers of South Park, were way over the top. Like I told Rachel, it seemed like a good idea somehow ended up in the hands of a bunch of sixth graders with an expanded vocabulary. It was rather disappointing.

Anyway, I am still glad that I saw it, and even though the night wasn’t “magical,” it is always fun to dress up and go out with Rachel on a date and eat good food and have good conversations, and then come home to sleeping children. That is magic enough to make any night extremely worthwhile.

New Bike

If you know Rachel well (or even if you’re just a casual acquaintance), then you may know that she loves riding her bike. Last year she started participating in races, and this weekend she finally went all-in and bought herself a brand new road bike. It’s a nice one too, apparently. It has an all-carbon frame and fancy components…yeah, I’m not really a bike guy, so I can’t really say much more. You’ll have to ask her for details. All I know is that it weighs about as much as my running shoes do, and costs about as much as a nice electric guitar. It’s a fun bike to ride.

Getting her new bike was also the entire focus of our day on Saturday. See, we have a lot of bike shops around here, but Rachel is too cool for that. Instead of just going down the street like I probably would have done, we had to load all the kids in the car and drive 6 hours to a little-known shop in some out-of-the-way place in Washington (round trip, including one flat tire, one unintentional detour, and one stop at Little Caesars for pizza). To her credit, she got it for like $600 cheaper than she could at the local places, and we actually had a lot of fun in the car, so I guess the trip was well worth it. I am glad our kids are good travelers.

Now I just have to get myself in good enough shape to keep up with her on my mountain bike. Not likely!

These pictures were taken on a walk I went on with the kids while Rachel was in the bike shop. If you look closely, you will notice that Maren only has one shoe on. This was her fashion statement and she insisted on it. Whatever.

Rachel with her new bike

Invent Idaho

A few weeks ago on this blog I threw a minor tantrum about Evelyn’s school project, Invent Idaho. I talked about how the expectations on these 2^nd graders were way higher than what they could actually do on their own, and how much time the project took on the part of the parents. I haven’t changed my mind either- I still think this project is better suited to older kids. What I have to say though, is that Evelyn is totally rocking it. Her project won for her school and went to Regionals last week. It won there too, and is now headed to the state tournament in Moscow. I am very proud of her. Even though Rachel and I supported her and helped her with a lot of stuff along the way, she is the one who had all the ideas and who did all of the work.

For those who are curious, her invention is a “Rattle Stopper.” It is basically a bungee cord with c-clamps on the end instead of hooks, and she uses it to hold down a part of our BBQ grill that rattles in the wind and keeps her up at night. It is incredibly simple, but I guess sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

Here is Evelyn’s advertisement for her product:

Evelyn Hazard #8

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

The Rattle Stopper

The name of my invention is the Rattle Stopper.

I think the Rattle Stopper is great for many reasons,so you should buy it.

One reason is it does not cost much! It only costs $5.99!

Another reason is the clips come in colors!

Colors like orange, green,purple, and black.

Finally,the Rattle Stopper makes a shape.

The shape it makes is a rainbow

Now you know why the rattle

Stopper is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a completely random picture of Lindsey. There is no story associated with it, but I figured it had been a while since she made an appearance on our blog. Isn't she cute? 

The End. Have a nice week!