I need a vacation after vacation...

Right? It's like, when you get home from vacation, you need another 2-5 day buffer to "come down" from vacation. It's the ultimate Catch-22. You go on vacation; and you go for as long as you possibly can, squeezing every last beautifully work-free, sunshiney, new town, beachy, drop out of it. Licking the proverbial dish clean. And because we (I) do this, we doom ourselves to a week's worth of "head explode" - playing catch up and cursing yourself for not at least attempting to do SOME homework while on vacation. You don't do that? Well, I do.

Whinning aside...

This weekend I went on a mini-cultural vaca to Cedar City, Utah. High rolla! You just don't know how intense Cedar City can be, Internet! That town is crazy! No, it's not. But, it does house the Tony Award Winning Utah Shakespearean Festival and THAT my friends, makes Cedar City an excellent town to mini-vaca indeed.

My good friend heidikins and I packed up the Elantra (Stella, affectionately) on Friday morning and we were on the road by 9:30am. After a little side-stop in Lehi to call the ticket office and confirm that would could still get into our scheduled plays without our tickets (yep... both of us forgot our damnable tickets in SLC), we praised the electronic age and subsequently, made it to Cedar City around 1:00 without incident. After some particularly dissatisfying pizza at the Pizza Factory (though I spotted more socks with sandals in that hour than I had in 2 hours in Provo... which is HUGE), we decided to see a little film called Despicable Me. I can tell what you're thinking, couldn't we have eaten crappy pizza and gone to a movie in SLC? Well shore we COULD have! But haven't you noticed how going to a movie NOT where you live seems more... exciting? It kinda does. I saw Ironman 2 in Vietnam and it will forever be the most exciting movie experience of my life... that and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban premire in London. Talk about a major geek-out.

Anyway... all these things (bad pizza and great film) were merely time-fillers as we anticipated the play we were to see that night; Macbeth. And oh what a Macbeth it was! Easily, EASILY one of the best productions of Macbeth I've ever seen. I'm of the mind that you MUST have an excellent Lady Macbeth if the play is to succeed - and this Lady Macbeth was - in a phrase - a psycho bitch. What? You find a more accurate way to describe Lady Macbeth and I'll gladly use it (whoring wench? Shakespear approved!). For now - she is a psycho bitch and what a psycho bitch she was! In addition, Banquo "the zombie-ghost" scared the "wee" out of me by standing there being all "night of the living dead" - plaguing Macbeth and the audience with his gaping bloody mouth and empty eyes. Shudder. Both heidikins and I were most pleased with the play and had high hopes for the next night. It was a GREAT way to start our little vacation.

Oh PS: we also saw Elder Oaks there (and I'd bet he'd agree with my Lady Macbeth assessment!). It was one of those moments where I'm looking at this gentleman sitting outside the theater thinking, "do I know him?" Which takes a longer look than just a glance - some might describe it as a stare - but I feel it was more of a quizzical brow - and when I realized who he was - he'd seen that I'd realized who he was as I sorta smiled, gasped, looked hurridly away, and finally, tried to (subtley?) wack Heidi with my water bottle so she could stare... er quizzically brow... at him too. I'm sure I played it super smooth. This is actually the second time I've spotted him at a cultural event. Terilyn and I saw him and his wife Kristen at the Madam Butterfly last winter. You could say we happen to run in the same cultural circle. Ho ho ho. It means I'm SOMEBODY!... or now officially face-tagged as "suspect" on his burley body guards Iphone. Yeeeeaaaaah....

The next morning, we slept in. Slept in REAL good. We then donned our hiking wear and camelbaks and traveled to the secret slot canyon in secretville just outside of Cedar City. Is it really called secret slot canyon? No it isn't. But I'm not going to TELL you what it's called BECAUSE last year Heidi and I were the only happy hikers there (as it's rather off the beaten path and fairly unknown... then) and THIS time? Well, lets say we seriously passed SEVERAL groups of 20+ (20+!) people throughout the duration of the hike. That's a lot of people! Oh... and two dogs! Yeah! Dogs! Most looked like groups of SUU students... except the socks and sandals group wearing BYU t's (I jest not... BYU always rules the socks and sandals contests).... and a handful of large families. Though the hike was still amazing! Fantastical! Gorgeous! Awe-inspiring! It was also sorta... crowded. People been flappin their gums! Letting the cat out of the bag!

Well I won't be that person... today - but I WILL show you the wonderous wonders of that canyon you can't ever find because I won't tell you. How's that? (Pics curtosy of Heidkins)

Just to give you some perspective... cause I look tall in most pictures (cricket chirp)

Hooooooommmmmm.....

Happy Hoooooooommmmmm

Eek! It's cold! The water's gonna get me! (we climbed that ladder... which is more foreboding than you'd think!)

This water was even colder. I'd also like you to note how that ladder goes up barely half-way. The other half of the climb was accommodated by a leaning log with little nobs, a wet rope, and an encouraging sign "GOOD LUCK!" Alright, there was no sign. 

After our secret hike in the secret slot canyon in secretville outside of Cedar City - we ventured back to my Aunty's house (where we were staying for FREE whilst she was at her High School reunion in Emery County - I know - we're bless-ed), readied ourselves (might've taken a baby-nap too...mmmmm), and went to eat some excellent Mexican food at the secret Mexican restaurant... just kidding... I'll tell you... we ate at a local joint called Lupita's. It's fan-tas-tic and pretty authentic. I recommend it... last exit in Cedar City across from Wal-Mart in the same chain as Downeast Outfitters and Nails. There, does that make up for the secret canyon secret of secrets? If not you'll just have to work through it on your own.

The next play we saw was the world premiere of Great Expectations, the musical. Internet, I love Dickens. I do. I LOVE him. Thus, I love Great Expectations. I think Pip is one of the most timeless, endearing, enduring characters in all of literature. That's why, Internet, (and if you'll forgive the pun) I had great expectations of Great Expectations; even when I found out it was a musical.

Like my dating expectations... it was all downhill from there (ba dum chi!).

Oh Internet, it was a disaster. The actors were great! Fantastic! And I very quickly developed a crush on the floppy haired Pip (Jack Noseworthy), but that was about the extent of my enjoyment. I liked the actors, hated the adaptation. Fail. FAIL! FAIL! Ridiculously cheeseball songs, skeletal if at all visable plot, and very shallow character development. And that's really all I want to say about it - because it's just offensive. I'm still working through the great disappointment of great expectations. Dear Charles, please... please forgive us.

Thus, other than the poor rendition of Great Expectations (the musical), it was a very lovely vacation. We drove home Sunday morning, churched, and feasted with friends before Monday started again. It was a good mini-vacation and I'd been looking forward to it for months. However, I am now suffering the wrath of leaving work and neglecting school. I forget this vacational-caveat as one naturally does. Why think of the mounds of work and catch-up you'll have to do BEFORE you book a vacation? In fact, why think of the fact you have to RETURN from vacation and the misery that brings? If we considered THAT (wah wah wah) - no one could go on vacation - I can guarantee you that! I think the next vacation I attempt, I will make sure there is at LEAST a day or two buffer before having to jump back into the swing of reality. You'd think I would've learned my lesson after spending two weeks in Indochina and then literally jumping right into school and work not 2 days later... turns out...