Hokie-ness is Fun-ness

First things first: The Merriam Theater breeds claustrophobics.

Moving on...

Tonight, after not spending any quality time with my friend for months, I accepted her fiance's ticket and joined her and her parents for a once-in-a-life-time educational experience called The Chinese New Year Spectacular.

Even though the house was packed to the brim, no one seemed to know what to expect. The show turned out to be a myriad talent show of mandarin-speaking Chinese singers and dancers whose acts were strung together by a Lower Merion-bred American Chinese-speaking emcee. While people around us praised his impeccable Chinese, I couldn't get my mind off his hokie introductions to each act. My favorite was, "Please welcome the next dance troupe as they dance like lotus flowers blossoming." So corny that I couldn't help but smile. My favorite act was the erhu hands down.

By the way, you'll all be interested in knowing that my friend is well on her way to winning the Powerball Lottery. It's up to $240 million. I've advised her not to tell anyone about her good fortune, but I thought I'd take the liberty of spilling the beans anyway. So if you're hurtin' for money, you know who can help!