spoof 2014

Really excited to share these pictures.  I had always wanted to be part of Spoof…imagine a med student version of Saturday Night Live meets Jimmy Kimmel in a piano bar operated by some marriage of Disney and Bollywood.  But my participation was always hindered by something: broken shoulder; clerkships and pregnancy; infant child; some combo of the above.  I know, I know…excuses <sigh>.

Anyway, I was ecstatic when a fellow classmate asked me to take the above pictures to be part of the “Weekend HUPdate.”  Unfortunately, since I had to dodge out after the first two hours of the 3.5-hour production, not sure if these made the final cut, but wanted to wait until after the show to share.  While I wish our life resembles the above, most often it’s some variation of this…

…which is exactly what I feared when I took my daughter to the matinee of the Spoof production after a…let’s just say dramatic morning and early afternoon.  I had already dragged her into the city literally kicking and screaming earlier that morning, let her get utterly soaked by the cold “spring” rain, broke her heart by not letting her walk the full mile back to the parked car, and pretty much ruined any sense of a real nap.

But with John in Alaska, this was our only opportunity to see the show as well as our girl friend Sally who also has kids and is soon moving across the country for residency.  I brought snacks, sat in the very back, and prepared for quick escapes.

Aurelia pulled it together in a way I didn’t expect.  I need to remind myself that she is so much her father’s daughter: extroverted; playful; distractible; loves music and laughter; feeds off others’ energy.  She could not get enough of all the new people, the costumes and, of course, the music!  At one point, we were sitting on the stairs of the auditorium and she was literally springing to her feet, jumping up and down and clapping to the beat of the Bollywood piece.

Thanks so much to everyone there for being kind and generous to her/us (like our friend Hayley who we miss terribly; she took for her a quick walk while I went to the bathroom by myself and watched a skit undistracted).  And thank you to Jen Olenik for these pictures that so beautifully capture her spirit: