I left off last time with us finding that Judy, Martha’s friend/sister, had taken a serious fall and might be in real danger. We didn’t know for sure.
But there was nothing we could do about it. Judy is in Kansas. We were in southern Texas. We couldn’t get to her. And until we heard back from either her or her friends, we would have no way of knowing her situation.
I asked Martha if she still wanted to go to Ismo’s performance, which was to be that very night, and if we didn’t want to be late, we’d have to leave soon. I was half expecting her to say that she would cancel. But, no. She said that it would do her no good to sit and stew all night. So, off we went.
About the photos: We were so rattled after the call about Judy that I never got any decent pictures of the theater where Ismo was performing. But, first, here’s a shot of one of San Antonio’s landmark’s, the Tower of the Americas. It was built to go along with the 1968 World's Fair, the HemisFair. Small claim to fame. I attended the aforesaid HemisFair as a young lad in ’68. I’m sure my presence made all the difference. More seriously, check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_the_Americas and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HemisFair_%2768
Second, you’ll recall that we had a lovely, romantic,walk in the rain along the River Walk. Folks taking the river cruises (usually a lot of fun) may not have been quite as happy about the weather.
Third, and finally, here's Martha and moi at the Emma Hotel in the Pearl District on our 2022 visit. Sometime, we’ll actually have to stay there. As it is, the place is an excellent selfie backdrop.
After some difficulty, we arrived at the theater. I found parking and we walked briskly. We weren’t late. Almost, but not quite.
We joined the crowd and went up to our seats which proved to be in the balcony. After a while, a local comic came on as the opening act. He wasn’t bad. Not as good as Ismo, but okay.
Then Ismo was on the stage. Rather than try to describe his performance, I’ll do two things. First, I’ll say that such was his talent that Martha managed to forget her worries about Judy for a time. Second, I will provide links to YouTube and other video sites, and you can see for yourself what he’s like.
*In the first footnote, for example, you’ll find a link to his take on why “English Is So Messed Up,” which is great. This is a perfect example of his linguistic humor. It was probably this routine that caused us to fall in love with his comedy. It includes his response to on “She sells seashells by the seashore.” He was practicing it to improve his English. Then he thought, “When the hell would I ever use that sentence?”(
*And here, in the second footnotes, we have a link to him talking about how comics have to be very careful not to be taken literally...while other performers can (almost literally) get away with bloody murder: “If I said, ‘I just killed a man. I put a gun against his head.’ That would be a confession. But if I added [singing] ‘🎶Mama!🎵’ that’s fine.”
*His take on “silent letters.” To him, a wholly alien concept.
*He asks why American English has so many uses, mostly contradictory, of the word sh1t.
*He talks about how some Americans think he isn’t really from Finland, and that he just created a silly Finnish character. To which he responds, if he were to do that, why pick Finland of all places?
*His take on American driver’s licenses. “It has my height and my weight. What the hell does that have to do with driving?”
*More on American driver’s licenses, and how confusing the American DMV is. “Do you want to fly with this license?...I thought you had to have lessons [to fly a plane] but...if it is just a matter of checking a box...”
And, as I say, there are a great many more clips to be had on his Youtube page (1), his Facebook account (2), and his Instagram page (3). Do check them out when you get a chance.
Long story short, though, we had a great time. And, when the performance was over, we wished comedians did encores, the way that musicians do, but you can’t have everything.
Off we went. We went back to the car and headed for the hotel. Unfortunately, there was no message from Judy or any of her friends. Honestly, we hadn’t expected any. But, it was still worrying.
So we went to bed. We had enjoyed ourselves enormously. But we were still fearful. And while we slept soundly, we weren’t entirely at peace. And we wouldn’t be...
Until 7 a.m. the next morning. When Martha’s phone rang.
And there was Judy, cheerful as a lark...
As she called us from her hospital bed in Wichita.
More to come.
Copyright©2025 Michael Jay Tucker
Footnotes:
Copyright©2025 Michael Jay Tucker
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