May I be struck by lightning - the brightest lightning!!! I did meet a nice Ukrainian boy at the play!

Well, a nice 24 year old single Dutch actor pretending to be a 32 year old single Ukrainian doctor. (Actually, I'm not sure how to prounce his real last name. It's not easy to say like "Czajkowski" or "Shevchenko".)

Baba and Gido's 50th Wedding Anniversary was worth the extra wait. It was hilarious!!! If they bring it back for a third time, I'd probably go again. The cast would circulate through the crowd and talk to and about the people as if they were really their family and friends. We got an extra warm reception at the door and free drinks to compensate for the previous night's confusion. My friend Christina and I even surprised the cast by starting the whole crowd clinking glasses for Baba and Gido to kiss! I wonder how many people thought that was planned!!!

Throughout the show, Baba kept trying to look for a prospective wife for her son, Terry. She would circulate through the crowd asking women if they were single, if they could cook and how big they make their cabbage rolls. I told her that "her" son is very handsome, and when I make my kutia, it always sticks to the ceiling.

Even though it was only a play, "Terry" was really cute!!! On the way out, I gave him my business card and told him to give me a call if he was really looking for a wife. He said he is single, but not a doctor and added, "I'm 24, but I can play older".

I resisted saying, "I'm 29, but I can play younger"!

Regarding my other so-called invitation, I've decided not to attend Peter and Sophie's 40th Anniversary Party in favor of Folkfest.

I bought my parents tickets to Baba and Gido's 50th Anniversary Party. This is an interactive play put on by the Off Broadway Dinner Theatre. The action happens around you, and the actors make believe you are really at an anniversary party for their family. Apparently, Dad, Mom, my friend Christina and I are playing the parts of the black sheep.

When we arrived for the show, "Baba", "Gido" and their "son" greeted us warmly at the door. Baba even shoved her son forward when she saw there were two "nice young ladies" in the receiving line, excitedly telling us he was a doctor.

However, when we tried to take our seats, there was a bit of a chekaty. We were listed as having a ticket for Tuesday, but not on the seating chart. We turned out to be on the seating chart for Wednesday instead. The director explained that there is a new girl in the box office who is still learning the ropes, and this is by far not the first mistake she has made. The performance was already oversold by 10 or 15 people, so the hall was crammed full.

Where were we going to sit? Ya ne znaty ...

They told us our only options were to come back on Wednesday instead. The change didn't work that well for any of us, since Mom and Dad had already driven in from out of town, I took the day off work and Christina usually works until 5:30 PM so might be late tomorrow, but what else could we do? Dad said we should have asked for our money back and refused to come, but the show is so popular, they could have resold our seats a hundred times over. They get 200 calls a day for it, and all of the shows are sold out. The last time the play ran, Christina and I couldn't even get tickets.

The director apologized profusely, but I still found myself grumbling, "Nai tebe kachka kopne!" all the way to Boston Pizza. A real Baba would have at least given me some holubtsi and pyrohy for the road ...

I have decided that this summer is not a lucky one for me and Ukrainian anniversary parties. My third cousin on my dad's side left a message on my answering machine at the end of June to ask for my cousin Christine's address in Saskatoon. Eleanor said she wanted to mail her an invitation to a 40th anniversary party she was having for her parents. I left a message with Christine and Daniel's address and the new address of Christine's parents in Regina. Christine was on holidays at the time, and in the course of picking up her mail, I saw her invitation arrive. I patiently waited to get mine, but it never came. I asked around, and my parents got one as did her parents. Finally, my mom took a closer look at her and Dad's, and noticed it said, "... and family", to include my brother and I.

Nice to know Eleanor still thinks I'm 12.

I hope I have better luck tonight. Maybe it's fate, and I'll meet a nice Ukrainian boy.

1. Ukrainian for "wait"
2. Ukrainian for "I don't know"
3. Ukrainian for "May a duck kick you!". (It doesn't sound like much in English, but ...)

BABA AND GIDO GET ENCORE RUN
Play featuring Ukrainian couple back by popular demand
Jeanette Stewart, of The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Baba and Gido proved to be such loveable characters at their first 50th wedding anniversary, the Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has decided to bring the Ukrainian couple back for another run.

When the production of Baba and Gido's 50th Wedding Anniversary first ran in 2004, the play sold out with a waiting list of more than 1,500 names. The theatre decided to repeat the interactive play because of this success.

"I was getting a lot of pressure from people who said, 'oh you should bring that back,' " said owner Peter Kooy. "I thought, why not."

Along with encouragement from the public was the knowledge the play could "put bums in the seats," which is essential during the tough summer tourism season, Kooy said.

The show is an interactive experience where the audience becomes part of the production. It's a Saskatchewan take on the popular Tony and Tina's Italian Wedding. When the Off Broadway Dinner Theatre couldn't get the rights to the production, local playwright Liz Reynolds stepped in and created the Ukrainian wedding anniversary.

The play took six months to create, in which Reynolds spent a lot of time researching with curators at a local Ukrainian museum to ensure the customs portrayed were authentic.

"We wanted to be respectful of Ukrainian traditions," Reynolds said. "Because we made it a Ukrainian family, and because we have so many Ukrainians in our community, we wanted to be respectful of their traditions and their families."

It paid off.

Since the theatre ran the production in 2004, several other theatres in Saskatchewan have picked up the production. A theatre in Prince Albert was about to shut their doors when they ran the show. It was wildly successful, and put them back in business. A group in Winnipeg also produced the show, and Kooy has had inquiries from a group in Michigan interested in the production.

While there's no doubt the Ukrainian connection has a particular appeal in the province, Kooy said the play "works on many different levels."

Along with the authentic celebration of Ukrainian traditions and the cultural inside jokes, there is also a family-based humour that crosses cultural lines.

"It's close to real life," Kooy said.

For the upcoming production, Reynolds introduced some new characters, including a pair of identical twins, took out the old ones who didn't work as well and tweaked the dialogue.

Despite the fix-ups, Reynolds said the kinks are never out in an interactive show. "That's part of the fun," she said. "You do the best you can, and when you get an audience you just go with whatever they throw at you."

When the audience arrives they meet Baba and Gido, and become part of the show. They are fed a hearty Ukrainian meal, which includes perogies, sausage and cabbage rolls.

Performers Mary Nordick, Fran Edwards and Juanita Vogelgesang will return to play their original roles. Robert Reynolds will again direct the play, this time also playing Father Bernard, the aging priest who first married Baba and Gido 50 years ago.

Reynolds has felt the effect of her successful play first hand, with people stopping her in the street and telling her they are coming. "I think we'll get a lot of repeat business," she said. Seven shows are already sold out.

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007

Today at Wal-Mart, I was merrily chatting with the cashier, when I noticed the jewellery she was wearing. I excitedly commented, "Hey! I have one of those necklaces with my name in Hebrew, too!". I love monogrammed items, so had picked one up a few years ago at Folkfest. It consisted of three square wooden letter beads and round black beads between.

She suddenly fell silent and looked uncomfortable. Then, I noticed the rest of her jewellery, which included a Star of David pendant. I don't think she picked her jewellery up as a Folkfest novelty.

I immediately felt like a bit of an idiot, then thought, "Well ... how does she know I'm not Jewish myself?".

Oh, I don't know ... maybe a few not so subtle hints I was projecting, such as:

1. There are one, maybe two, synagogues in Saskatoon. Apparently, I haven't been to Temple in nearly 30 years.
2. I was wearing a 1" jeweled cross necklace.
3. I was wearing a t-shirt that says, "Take the Plunge! Make a Splash with Jesus! Redeemer VBS 2007".
4. Maybe the necklace doesn't say her name in Hebrew. I can't read Hebrew.

Oy ...

Today I listened to a random CD that was left in the stereo at work and discovered a group, and one song in particular, that I really like. "Stained Glass Masquerade" is all about how people sometimes put on an act when they are at church to appear as though they have it all together. I love the imagery of "happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples", but it doesn't make me think of my own situation. I find in my current church is that vulnerablity is not looked down upon, which is one thing that attracted me there.

"Stained Glass Masquerade"
by Casting Crowns

Is there anyone that fails?
Is there anyone that falls?
Am I the only one in church today
feelin' so small?

'Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain?
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who's been there?
Are there any hands to raise?
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage?

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be?

Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away?
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay?

I have dubbed 2007 "The Summer of Annoying Songs". It seems that, more often than not, I will be listening to the radio and suddenly exclaim, "Argh! I hate this song ...".

"Umbrella" by Rihanna has great lyrics, which could be about a relationship or a friendship:

When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella

One of my clients' schools actually used this song as the background music for an end of the year slideshow.

The first time I heard this song, I loved it. What made me hate it was, following that, I heard one particular part of it in my head over and over for the next three days:

(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

It seems like there is only one way to get Rihanna's repetatively chanting voice out of your brain ... which brings me to "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston.

This song has a very happy and catchy beat that makes you want to sing along. However, I'm not the only person who has commented on how unsettling the lyrics are:

You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do your dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal
When they say it's over

It's okay, Sean. You can stand under Rihanna's umbrella!

Speaking of songs about beautiful girls, "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes is, in my mind, the ultimate bad song of summer 2007. I heard it for the first time in a Payless Shoes store, and immediately commented to a total stranger, "Just when you thought this song couldn't get any worse, it did".

Not only does "Cupid's Chokehold" sport the least romantic descriptions of love since 50 Cent said he loved someone "like a fat kid loves cake":

I mean she even cooks me pancakes
And Alka Seltzer when my tummy aches
If that ain't love then I don't know what love is

but it samples an old song which I also hated, "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp:

Take a look at my girlfriend
She's the only one I got
Not much of a girlfriend
I never seem to get a lot

which is also totally non-sensical, considering the rest of the song is about how great his girlfriend is.

Not to mention ... get a lot of what?

If it's what I think it is, maybe if you could write better lyrics, you'd get some.

Ba ba da da!

I am so excited that they are making a movie of Get Smart, the 60s secret agent comedy!!!



My biggest hope is that they will not change Get Smart too much for the modern day. Maxwell's loudly ringing shoe phone and the Cone of "Silence" were among the funniest parts of the show, but they are a bit behind the times now.



The casting looks great so far. Steve Carell will play Maxwell Smart, A.K.A. Agent 86, formerly played by Don Adams. Maxwell's wife and partner, Agent 99, will be played by Anne Hathaway, who looks a lot like the original actress, Barbara Feldon.

Another movie I am looking forward to next year is The Untouchables: Capone Rising. This is the prequel to the 1987 movie The Untouchables, which starred Kevin Coster, Andy Garcia, Robert DeNiro and Sean Connery. I watched that movie on a nearly daily basis in high school, because I was fascinated with 1920s Chicago.

Here is a famous scene, where Frank Nitti faces off against Elliot Ness:


I always wondered what poor guy came out of court that day and said, "What the ... MY CAR!!!".

In response to Pope Benedict XVI's assertion that Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation, Old Lutheran.com has declared July 23rd-27th "Wear Your Lutheran T-shirt To Work Week". To help celebrate, all T-shirts which have the word "Lutheran" on them are on sale for $10 each.

They also feature all manner of cool and comical Lutheran stuff, such as coffee mugs, cookbooks, luggage tags and Martin Luther wind-up toys and bobble head dolls. Check out their merchandise at www.oldlutheran.com!

The Centre for Lutheran Pride!
(But Not Too Proud ...)

POPE: OTHER DENOMINATIONS NOT TRUE CHURCHES
Benedict issues statement asserting that Jesus established ‘only one church’
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 7:52 a.m. CT July 10, 2007

LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.

Benedict approved a document from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church.

On Saturday, Benedict revisited another key aspect of Vatican II by reviving the old Latin Mass. Traditional Catholics cheered the move, but more liberal ones called it a step back from Vatican II.

Benedict, who attended Vatican II as a young theologian, has long complained about what he considers the erroneous interpretation of the council by liberals, saying it was not a break from the past but rather a renewal of church tradition.

In the latest document — formulated as five questions and answers — the Vatican seeks to set the record straight on Vatican II’s ecumenical intent, saying some contemporary theological interpretation had been “erroneous or ambiguous” and had prompted confusion and doubt.

It restates key sections of a 2000 document the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, “Dominus Iesus,” which set off a firestorm of criticism among Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the “means of salvation.”

In the new document and an accompanying commentary, which were released as the pope vacations here in Italy’s Dolomite mountains, the Vatican repeated that position.

“Christ ‘established here on earth’ only one church,” the document said. The other communities “cannot be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense” because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ’s original apostles.

The Rev. Sara MacVane of the Anglican Centre in Rome, said there was nothing new in the document.

“I don’t know what motivated it at this time,” she said. “But it’s important always to point out that there’s the official position and there’s the huge amount of friendship and fellowship and worshipping together that goes on at all levels, certainly between Anglican and Catholics and all the other groups and Catholics.”

The document said Orthodox churches were indeed “churches” because they have apostolic succession and that they enjoyed “many elements of sanctification and of truth.” But it said they lack something because they do not recognize the primacy of the pope — a defect, or a “wound” that harmed them, it said.

“This is obviously not compatible with the doctrine of primacy which, according to the Catholic faith, is an ‘internal constitutive principle’ of the very existence of a particular church,” the commentary said.

Despite the harsh tone of the document, it stresses that Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue.

“However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive, it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith,” the commentary said.

The document, signed by the congregation prefect, U.S. Cardinal William Levada, was approved by Benedict on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul — a major ecumenical feast day.

There was no indication about why the pope felt it necessary to release the document, particularly since his 2000 document summed up the same principles. Some analysts suggested it could be a question of internal church politics, or that it could simply be an indication of Benedict using his office as pope to again stress key doctrinal issues from his time at the congregation.

Father Augustine Di Noia, undersecretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the document did not alter the commitment for ecumenical dialogue, but aimed to assert Catholic identity in those talks.

“The Church is not backtracking on ecumenical commitment,” Di Noia told Vatican radio.

“But, as you know, it is fundamental to any kind of dialogue that the participants are clear about their own identity. That is, dialogue cannot be an occasion to accommodate or soften what you actually understand yourself to be.”

© 2007 MSNBC Interactive

I work at a group home for at risk teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 18. These girls deal with a variety of issues, including suicidal thoughts and "cutting".

Last week, we received free tickets from Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan to a youth matinee of Julius Caesar. Being a huge Shakespeare fan myself, I was quite excited. When the girls asked me what the play was about, I told them it was a historical play about the plot to murder Julius Caesar.

When they stared at me blankly, I told them, "There's a lot of stabbing".

Then they were quite excited, too.

We went to see the play today, and the girls loved it - despite some confusion about the dialogue. I'd neglected to think of the fact that none of them had ever studied Shakepeare in school. Luckily, stabbing is the universal language.

I was enjoying the play myself, until Act I, scene iii, when Cassius aimed his dagger towards his own chest and said:

I know where I will wear this dagger then;
Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius.

My eyes grew wide, as I thought, "Oh, crap ... I just remembered how this play ends ...".

However, I was in for a surprise in Act II, scene i when Portia limped over to her husband Brutus, pulled her skirt aside and confessed:

Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose 'em.
I have made strong proof of my constancy,
Giving myself a voluntary wound
Here, in my thigh. Can I bear that with patience,
And not my husband's secrets?

OH ... CRAP!

The curtain closes, following the suicides of:

• Cassius, who convinces Pindarus to stab him
• Titinius, who stabs himself because Cassius is dead
• Brutus, who runs on his sword and dies


and lest we forget ...

• Portia, who "swallowed fire" in Act IV, scene iii. (The most popular explanation of this is that she swallowed hot coals. Brutus and Cassius only talked about this, and we didn't get to see it.)
  

The residents loved it, but it couldn't have been any less appropriate if Mark Antony had started smoking a big joint!

Et tu, Shakespeare?

Today is July 7, 2007 - or 07/07/07!!! I did not even realize this was coming up until my cousin pointed it out: it is her birthday today.

I hope you have a great one, Christine!

IT'S THE JACKPOT OF WEDDING DAYS
Chris Zdeb, The Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Desperate Housewife actress Eva Longoria and San Antonio Spurs basketball star Tony Parker may be the most famous couple exchanging 'I dos' on July 7 but they're not alone. Tens of thousands of couples are also getting married that day.

More than 37,000 couples -- a 300 per cent increase from the average Saturday in July -- have signed up with theknot.com, a wedding planning website, saying they plan to marry that day. More than 530 registered users of weddingbells.ca plan to tie the knot then too.

The reason for the crush is that July 7, 2007 or 7/7/07 is considered by some to be the luckiest day to get married this century.

Actually, the number 7 is not so much a number of luck, but of completion and perfection, says numberologist Colin Maxwell. It comes from the Bible and reference in the Old Testament to the 7 days of creation including the day that God rested; the number symbology of 7 throughout the New Testament, he explains.

Still, the date falling on a Saturday, during one of the most popular months of the year to get married, is like the jackpot of wedding days, says Alison McGill, editor-in-chief of Weddingbells magazine.

Some couples have been waiting up to two years for the big date hoping it will make them lucky in love. But most are choosing it because 7/7/07 is a novelty, McGill says.

Edmonton bride-to-be Kathleen Conway says she and fiance John Brough accidentally fell into the swirl of the day. They were simply looking for a day after the end of June but early in the summer that would be convenient for out-of-town family members.

"When we realized it was 7/7/7 we thought that was kind of neat and would be a good way to remember our anniversary," Conway says.

"We had no idea it was going to become the wedding phenomenon that it became."

Does it give them an edge over other couples?

"I think we're lucky already," Conway says. "I think we've always thought so, so it's hard to feel any more lucky than we feel now."

According to numberologist Maxwell, "Some people getting married on that date will more likely succeed based upon the particular numerological cycle year that the person is in based on their birthdate."

Although 7/7/07 is nearly numerically perfect, the triple 7 can lead to miscommunication, and interactions between the partners can be strained, one numerologist told divorcelawyersguide.com.

Nonetheless, the popularity of the 7th is definitely a boon to the bridal industry, especially in the U.S., and particularly in Las Vegas where it's being described as the most popular wedding day in the city's history. The Little Chapel of the Flowers alone has more than 110 weddings booked -- four weddings, held every 30 minutes, from 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight. In Chicago, 7 couples will marry in the lawn and garden section of 7 Wal-Mart stores as part of the chain's Lucky in Love Wedding Search.

Closer to home, Bridal Debut in Sherwood Park is dressing 58 brides for the big day. "And we're only one bridal salon," says owner Heather Dymchuk. "Usually, we have 20 on a Saturday, 25 if it's a long weekend.

"The last time it was this busy was the millennium year, 2000," Dymchuk says.

Rebecca Manchul and Jeff McKay originally planned to wed in August but moved the date after realizing the first Saturday in July was loaded with 7s.

With almost half of weddings endings in divorce these days, a bridal couple can use all the help they can get, including a lucky number, Manchul quips.

She admits to being a little superstitious, but 7 has been McKay's lucky number since his birth on December 7, 1977.

"I always have the number 7 on my hockey jersey and try to incorporate it somehow in anything to do with numbers," he says.

Manchul says she's always liked the number 7, noting the couple met on June 7, five years ago, and both of their first names have 7 letters.

But the main reason they're getting married July 7 is because "we thought it would be a really cool thing to have that as our wedding date," McKay says.

It takes more than lucky numbers for a marriage to succeed, McKay says. It takes things like friendship and communication and selflessness.

Manchul and McKay also have two young sons Tyson, 3, and Carter, 1, who will be part of the wedding ceremony. (According to an online survey by Weddingbells magazine, 71 per cent of brides-and-grooms-to-be already live with their fiance or significant other.)

The couple have invited 170 people to their ceremony and reception at the Ellerslie Rugby Club. They'll sit down to dinner at 7 p.m. and bride and groom hope the luck of the day rubs off on their guests as each are given an instant lotto scratch-and-win card and a penny to scratch it with.

Theirs is a fiscally restrained wedding as far as weddings go. The average couple spends about $17,300 on their big day, finds a Weddingbells online survey. But on the higher end is the Lucky No. 7 Wedding Package offered by the Ritz-Carlton New York in Central Park. For a group of 77, the posh hotel is offering a 7-bottle champagne toast, a 7-tier wedding cake and 7 Tiffany & Co. diamonds for the bride. Room 2007 will be available for the bridal party to get ready in, and afterward, the couple gets a 7-night honeymoon at any Ritz-Carlton hotel -- all for $77,777 US. A 7-day advance payment is required.

Besides being a day to remember, 7/7/07 makes it harder for new husbands to forget their wedding anniversary in the years to come.

"I'm usually pretty good with dates, but this will help," McKay acknowledges.

As for whether the day itself will boost their chances for a long and happy marriage, "just being with her is lucky enough for me," he says.

czdeb@thejournal.canwest.com

© The Edmonton Journal 2007

Last night, for the second time in two days, I could not see Transformers because it was sold out. However, I did hear a bit of a spoiler in advance ...

Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons.