Random Act of Gratitude #137: A Director's Faith

Despite my original expectation to not at all do Grease, I've ended up doing just that. Ha! (Long story.)

In the end, I must express my gratitude to Kent, the director, who has cast me in the last role I would ever expect to be playing. It's not the role itself for which I'm thankful (I'm not ungrateful for it, but I would have been happy with anything), but rather for the fact that Kent has faith in my ability to, as he puts it, play outside of my physical type. I'm always open to a challenge when it comes to performance, so let the games begin!

Random Act of Gratitude #136: The Company of Friends

I had a smashing evening today and was blessed with the company of several friends.

First, it was the customary dinner at the home of Betsy and Co. (And a special thanks to Mike for the smashing meal.)

Then it was off to see '9' at the movies with several others, followed by a most enjoyable gathering at Ye Olde Jack Astor's, where additional friends joined up later.

So, thanks to Betsy, Mike, Jade, Ben, Jackie, Jeff, Kevin, Sonya, Chris, Kathie, Paul, Stacey and Stacey, Mel, Jeff, Laurel, Sarah, and Jesse. (Did I miss anyone? I'm writing this after some elapsed time and am a bit of an idiot at the best of times...)

Random Act of Gratitude #135: One Week Gone

The first week with kids has finished and overall things have gone well. To me, that's something for which one should be thankful.

Random Act of Gratitude #134: Arby's Girl

I was going to write today's entry in honour of Glynnis's birthday today, but between yesterday and today, I started worrying that if I did that, people whose birthdays weren't acknowledged here might get their noses out of joint, perceiving that as a slight which wasn't intended at all. Suffice it to say that Glynnis is a friend and colleage worthy of gratitude and we'll move on. Plus, giraffes are funny.

Yet another fast food experience brought amusement and a miniature smile to me today. I need to eat more fast food, because clearly it brings a lot of joy into my life.

I hadn't intended to pick anything up tonight, but having had a little after-work snack and then going to Betsy's to look at some music, and then running to Business Depot to exchange labeller tape, I was a bit hungry and driving past Arby's so there I ended up.

The girl behind the counter took my order, looked up and said, "Is that natural?" It took me a moment to register what she meant, and the pause was long enough for her to recognize it.

"Is that your natural colour? I really like it."

(For those not in my immediate vicinity these days, my hair currently has a red sheen to it thanks to my random acts of dying which I do from time to time on a whim.)

"No," I replied. "It's just my back to school hair."

Off she went to do other things, and then, upon returning, she asked, "So where do you go?"

"Pardon me?"

"Where do you go to school?"

At this point, she was my favourite person in the world for preferring to think that I was attending school rather than teaching it ... for well over a decade. So that's why I replied:

"You're my favourite person ever. I teach."

She looked a little surprised, and then recovered. "Oh. So, where do you teach, then?"

Thank you, Arby's Girl.

Random Act of Gratitude # 133: A Lunch in Exchange

I was going to make this entry about my good friend and director John, whose birthday it is, but since I just wrote about him (albeit briefly) a few days ago, I won't dwell too much upon the gratitude I feel for having had the chance to know and work with him over the past several years. He's truly a smashing individual and I'm always thankful that our initial working relationship segued into a great and valued friendship. It's also good that he'll always tell me what he thinks about me when it comes to performance and won't bother buttering me up. Ha!

But that's NOT what this entry is about! Instead it's about the lunch that Sarah provided today as a thank-you for the soup I shared with her yesterday.

On the menu:
* a delicious tuna and pickle sandwich
* some fresh sliced peppers, including the elusive orange pepper
* Big Turk.

Thanks, Sarah. You could have had that bowl of soup gratis, but since your lunch was WAY better than the one I gave, I guess I owe you an Oreo McFlurry or something.

(Oh my! It 09/09/09 today! What makes that even better is that each 9 is made of three 3s! So it's 3x3/3x3/3x3 or if you prefer 3,3,3/3,3,3/3,3,3! Woohoo!)

Random Act of Gratitude #132: A Fine First Day

I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be back into a daily routine here. Sorry!

Today was the first day of school with kids, and a fine day it was. My class was filled with enjoyable stories, amusing anecdotes, and general good will. A pleasant time was had by all.

Random Act of Gratitude #131: Labour Day

Well, today was the last day of relative freedom for another summer. I did have work to do, and I did do some work, but overall the day had a feeling of relaxation. I spent some time reading, some time watching Veronica Mars (don't judge me), and grilling things on the barbecue before eating them.

Tomorrow, it's back into the fray, complete with early mornings. Ah well. If we didn't have the valleys, we wouldn't appreciate the hills.

Random Act of Gratitude #130: Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed

Today I had a lovely encounter with a squirrel.

I was sitting on my porch reading and drinking tea, when a little rustle in the grass drew my attention. There was a little squirrel, darting about with a peanut in its jaws and seemingly scoping out some prime burial locations. Funnily enough, despite its frequent pausing and scratching, it never seemed quite satisfied with any given place.

Several times, it paused in its journey and looked up at me as if to say, "Seriously. Is there nowhere to put this thing?"

Shortly, its travels brought it into the porch where it faced me and tried to stare me down. It even did that little sit-on-its-haunches-and-be-cute thing for a while before finally meandering on its way, peanut still in hand ... er ... mouth.

It was the least nervous squirrel I think I've ever encountered, and I'm quite confident that the two of us now qualify as friends.

Go, little squirrel! I hope you found a good place to stash your peanut!

Random Act of Gratitude #129: More than 24 Years

Today is Keltie's birthday.

Keltie is among my oldest and dearest friends, given that I've known her now for almost 25 years. She moved to Kingston back when I lived there, also, and it took about thirty-five seconds for us to become good friends.

Part of what makes our story interesting is that a few months later, I moved away. We only lived in the same city for a short time, but all of these years later, our friendship remains. We don't see one another in person nearly as much as we should, but any time we get together, I am reminded of why she's so darned great.

Apart from Keltie's many smashing traits and qualities (including but not limited to wit, intelligence, humour, beauty, charm, and excellent vocabulary), she's also immensely talented. She is a smashing writer (and once wrote a personal essay about vomit that made me laugh uncontrollably and out loud in a dorm room) and a skilled artist (working in several media, including mask-making). She has also very successfully produced another human being, with the assistance of Andrew.

Just a few highlights of Keltie memories from the years? Swimming in John's backyard pool. Her ill-fated grade five romance with Bobby. Cassette letters (both solo and with the aforementioned John) involving such subject matter as "Making Hotdogs" and "Stop Hitting Me". Making me the envy of the university mail room by frequent letter-writing. The Three-Letter Word Game. Displaying feminine products in a restaurant. And, of course, general and frequent hilarity.

Happy Birthday, and thanks for all of the ways you've contributed to my life! I miss you. Let's get together soon.

Random Act of Gratitude # 128: Humor Ripped From Real Life

Really, I'm quite thankful for sites like this, which remind us that there are family photo skeletons in everyone's closets, and many worse than our own.

Random Act of Gratitude #127: Exuberant McFolk

Alright, too often, perhaps, I have expressed gratitude for workers in the fast-food industry, it seems. Ha! But it's so easy for someone who is funny, fun, or just plain pleasant to make one's experience more enjoyable.

Today it was a quick trip around the Drive-Thru and the workers at both windows were very personable and smiley (but not the plastered-on-smiley you get from car sales people). The guy at the second window, in particular, clearly spends a lot of his day laughing. I'd shut off my car while I waited (having been told that it would just be a moment for my special order), and after he handed it out with a, "Well, here you go. At least you know it's going to be hot and fresh from the old grill," he then said, "Wow! Your car is so quiet!" I'm quite sure he knew it had been turned off, but was basically amusing himself, which always works for me.

Really, as a message to everyone who works in service, a little personality and pleasantness goes a long way.

Random Act of Gratitude #126: Regrouping

As we prepare for another school year, I have been reminded that I am very lucky to work with great people. Both at the school and at my "other job", I am able to look forward to seeing my colleagues.

Given that one spends hours and hours with co-workers, I really do feel blessed to spend that time with such a group.

Random Act of Gratitude #125: The Hospitality of Friends

There's been a huge break in Random Acts of Gratitude.

"What?" quoth you. "There has?"

"Indeed," quoth I. "A break of several months?"

"Truly?" quoth you. "Hardly have I noticed."

But yes, dear reader, a close examination of the posting dates will confirm what I say.

The break has not been for want of things to motivate gratitude, but merely that things in life became hectic and then ... well ... inertia.

But here I am, back again, and to set things off, I will express gratitude for a summer blessing.

This summer found me visiting British Columbia, where I was the very thankful guest of some marvellous friends. Thanks to John's excellent hosting, I was able to enjoy a brilliant area of Vancouver as well as many spectacular events and sights. Thanks to Kim, Linda, and the other John, I was able to spend time in the beauty of Bowen. My first trip to the coast was a smashing experience and for their hospitality, I am exceedingly thankful.

Random Act of Gratitude #124: Cookies

Aren't YOU thankful for cookies?

According to wikipedia,cookies "have their origins in 7th century AD Persia, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region. They spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. By the 14th century, they were common in all levels of society, throughout Europe, from royal cuisine to street vendors."

Thankfully, they made it down to us common folk!

Random Act of Gratitude #123: Sesame Street

Wow. I am waaaaaaaaaay behind here. Apologies all around.

The number to this entry inspires my random gratitude.

Sesame Street.

This show is brilliant.

Brill. I. Ant.

Strangely enough, it seems I'm one of the few out there who didn't really watch the show as a kid. I saw it once in a while, at friends' houses, but never when I was really the target audience and not regularly. I was familiar with the show and its characters (and enjoyed that little typewriter guy, for some reason), but that was that.

Much later, I started watching it now and then on a whim, mostly because of the Henson conntent. That's when I discovered how crazy good it was.

Ha!

The original team and its intentions were quite revolutionary, and they hit on something magical. The combination of Muppets, live actors, letters, numbers, and words were perfectly blended with it social context and plenty of humour. Those parodies of popular songs and television shows? Crazy good.

(Read Sesame Street Unpaved for details about the history of the show.)

A few years ago, I picked up and watched The World According to Sesame Street, a documentary which chronicles the development of co-productions in Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa. After watching the documentary, I was renewed in my admiration for those people who seem sincerely to want to make a difference in the lives of children.

Sesame Street succeeds on so many levels and fronts: as preschool education, as entertainment, and as pop culture. And it's pretty darned fun for grown-ups, too.

Random Act if Gratitude #122: Personal Lawn Care

Sonya came down today (we were booked to to and see Grease with friends in the evening anyway) and helped work on the yard a bit. While we didn't change the world, exactly, we did make progress.

Sonya was the queen of the weed popper. I think she secretly wants one of her own. Wait. I think secretly she wants to come down and pop weeds all the time!

Thanks, Sonya!

Random Act of Gratitude #121: A Day at Shaw

Today was Shaw Teacher's Day, at which I attended workshops and enjoyed myself immsensely at the same time.

This year was particularly enjoyable as several friends were in attendance and a few of us were in the same workshops. It's always great to go and get refreshed in the Arts. The workshops I attended were about makeup, wigs, and working with masks. The mask workshop was rather intimidating and a step out of my comfort zone (not because of the mask work, exactly, but because the facilitator was a bit demanding). Ha! Still, it was worth it in the end.

The only drawback to the day was the evening performance, usually a highlight of the day, which this year was a real let-down. It's not a good sign when half of the balcony leaves during intermission. It's also not a good sign when both Sarah and I wish we'd gone with them. Ha!

Still, a great day was had overall.

Random Act of Gratitude #120: Literacy

You know that saying, "If you want something done, give it to a busy person?" Well, that often seems to pan out in my life.

In the midst of an insanely busy period, I've managed to finish three books in the past week. Don't misunderstand: they were all books I'd started a while back but just wasn't getting around to as much as I'd like. In the past few days, I've sat down quite reliably at the end of the day to take a breather and to read for half an hour or so.

But all of that is merely the prologue to the main point of this entry, which is that I'm so glad I'm a reader.

I'm not even going to get into the blessings of an education when people all around the world are deprived of basic education for many reasons.

Instead, I am simply going to focus on the fact that I'm incredibly grateful to be a reader. I love reading to the point of being a little bit OCD about it. (My reading of choice is books, but I read a variety of other odd things, too, including the backs of every single bottle of soap and shampoo I purchase.) Although I'm a lover of television and movies, there's still nothing quite like reading a good book.

During the summer I usually take a week and go off to a place with no cable and read for eight hours a day. And strangely enough, I don't miss the television at all when I'm there. Perhaps I should take a year off TV at some point, just to get through some of the dozens of books waiting on my shelves to be read.

Well, maybe a few months.

Maybe when nothing much is on anyway.

(At this point, Sonya will stop shaking her head and make a snide comment, I'm sure.)

Random Act of Gratitude #119: Toothpaste

Thank goodness for toothpaste.

Not only does it help keep our teeth clean, strong, and all shiny, but I'm also grateful every morning for its ability to obliterate morning mouth. Whew! Life isn't quite right until the old pearlies have been brushed with minty fresh goodness. Those crazy folk in the mad, mad world of dental hygeine have developed so many delicious flavours from which to choose. Currently I'm enjoying "Herbal Mint" from Colgate.

Random Act of Gratitude #118: Not Such a Long Way Gone

I finished reading Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone, memoirs of a boy soldier.

Like Beasts of No Nation, it rather unflinchingly illuminates the realities of the child soldier's experience, at least as much as those of us from the outside can process. In reading of his experiences, first as a civilian on the run from violence, then as a child soldier, and finally in his rescue and rehabilitation, it's difficult to ignore the blessings in one's own life.

There are a thousand tiny things every day which we can easily take for granted. Family, food, shelter, safety, silence, music, peace, education, literature, sanitation, medical care, friendships, toothpaste -- the list goes on and on and on if one just takes a moment to notice them.

It's a bit funny that sometimes I think, "What could I write about today?" here when really there's no lack of things about which to be grateful.

Of course, an entry about being thankful for toothpaste might not be that exciting to read.

Random Act of Gratitude #117: Survival

Today was one of those days in which the terms "run off my feet" and "chicken with its head cut off" could readily be applied alongside "ready to drop".

But it was a great day, when all is said and done. I won't get into the numerous things which kept me from having a break for ten hours straight, but the day was capped off by viewing a fine performance of The Diary of Anne Frank with friends and featuring friends.

An exhausting day? Yes.

An excellent day? Yes.

Random Act of Gratitude #116: Miraculous Turnaround?

Today was a big rehearsal with Betsy's kids and BOOM! a switch has been flicked. What a difference a week can make. They've been working their butts off and it's paying off. I'm looking forward to seeing the whole thing come together in another week.

Random Act of Gratitude #115: Betsy

Today I spent a little time with Betsy preparing a song I'll be singing tomorrow.

Therefore, it's time for an entry expressing gratitude for her.

Betsy and I first met when I was a student teacher and served my time at a placement at the school where she worked. Though I wasn't working in her class, it was a small school, so I got to know her -- a little bit. When the university had trouble placing all of their students during the second semester, she offered her classroom, but the university refused saying we had to spread my experience around.

(Don't worry, though. I won in the end, in a manner. I now teach in her old classroom!)

Where we really got to know each other was on the picket line during my first year out of school. She was several months pregnant and had a lovely lawn chair to sit on by the roadside when necessary. The small group of us spent plenty of quality time chatting while picketing, eating treats brought to us by supportive parents.

Later on, it was Betsy who somehow coerced me into working at the interactive dinner show where she'd worked for years. Later still, she essentially forced me to audition for my first community theatre show, and thus my secondary occupation on and around the stage began.

Throughout the years, we've been excellent friends and she's an endless source of amusement, encouragement, and general helpfulness. She helps me prepare for auditions, accompanies me when I sing in church, has helped to write and arrange music for shows I've written, and generally encouraged me to get off my duff and exercise some creativity. As mentioned earlier, she's had me helping with her school musical, giving me a chance to work with older kids for a change.

On top of all this, she's a massively talented and compassionate person. I'm honoured to be among those who are blessed to know her.

Random Act of Gratitude #114: Showcase

Today my kids were performing and viewing performances at a board event celebrating the Arts. The kids did really well and it was a very enjoyable day when all was said and done.

Much like Tuesday, it was great to sit back and see a wide variety of performances, to see kids so actively engaged and having worked so hard. Choirs, drama, dance, Orff ensembles -- it was a pleasure.

Random Act of Gratitude #113: Tax Relief

I had my taxes done (yes, ahead of the deadline, even) and I don't owe. That's all that matters to me. I'm getting a tiny sliver of a return, but as long as I don't have to pay anything extra, I'm happy.

Whew.

Random Act of Gratitude #112: Chip Update

I'm playing catch up again. I apologize; life's been insane.

Remember those delicious chips I talk about frequently? They returned to my main grocery store and are starting to appear everywhere. I'm hoping this means that the time for concern over their marketable future is over. Woohoo! Bring on the Rosemary and Basil!

Random Act of Gratitude #111: Arts and Social Justice

Tonight I attended a great event at a nearby school in which the arts met social justice through a "Me to We" event.

"Me to We" promotes actions and attitudes which focus on the interconnectedness of people, moving from Me-centred thinking to We-centred thinking. Simple, right? It's connected with Free the Children, a charity started by Craig Kielburger when he was twelve, heard the story if Iqbal Masih, and decided he had to take action against child labour. Free the Children now is a major player in the fight for children's rights around the world, and engages the energies of young people and their adult supporters in making a change in the world.

The school event brought kids together with the arts to raise money and awareness for Me to We goals and charities. It was a pleasure to see kids actively engaged in the arts and many seemed quite passionate about the cause. It was a great event and a very enjoyable evening.

Random Act of Gratitude #110: Hope for the Future

I've been working with a group of high school kids, helping Betsy out with her musical production in a sort of unofficial Jack-of-All-Trades role and the opening date is quickly approaching.

I must say that, despite all one hears about the miserable state of adolescents, it's really a great group of young people with whom we're working. Sure we're pulling teeth sometimes to get performances going, but that's beside the point. They're a decent group of folk and I'm really enjoying them as a group and as individuals. It'll be strange when it's over; I've grown quite used to checking in on them every few days.

Thank goodness all is not lost among the teenagers!

Random Act of Gratitude #109: Jean

I attend a small church with an older congregation. I could find somewhere with hipper music, a younger crowd, and a more contemporary style, but I don't. Though we don't necessarily see eye to eye on every nitty-gritty philosophy, they're still lovely, compassionate people who are wonderful.

One of my dearest friends at church is a retired teacher named Jean. Despite the difference in our age and generation, Jean and I have become friends and I'm often reminded to be thankful for the privilege of knowing her.

Jean wears her heart on her sleeve; there is no pretense with her, no facade. She is also a wellspring of encouragement. We've often chatted at some length about teaching and its rewards and challenges, as well as other bits and pieces of "regular life". At these times, I'm always struck by her honesty, her candor, and her disinterest in putting on the appearance of "having it all together and knowing it all". That's something very admirable.

Jean just had a little non-fiction book published locally and I'm looking forward to reading it both as a historical account of a local figure and as a window into the writing mind of a wonderful woman.

Random Act of Gratitude #108: Hospitality

Tonight I attended a birthday get-together for my friend Jeff at his parents' house. I knew a few of those in attendance (his girlfriend Jackie and her parents, his kids), but it was my first time meeting the others in his family.

What a lovely, hospitable, friendly family! They were exceedingly welcoming and great hosts in every way.

Perhaps the funniest thing was realizing that every male I've now met in Jeff's family looks and sounds just like variations on a theme. There can be no doubt regarding the genetic relationship there. Haha!

Random Act of Gratitude #107: A Simple Pleasure

Thank goodness for cheese.

Seriously. I can't imagine life without it.

Tonight, my pasta, which would otherwise have been mediocre, was made delicious thanks to goat's cheese.

Whoever invented cheese deserves to be adored for all eternity.

Random Act of Gratitude #106: The Start of the Best Part of the School Year

Today marked the beginning of my favourite part of the school year: the days when we can sit under the big tree for Snack & Story!

I'm sure it looks suspisciously like Maria and a very large group of Von Trapp children out there when I'm reading under the tree, but it's one of my favourite times of the school year. Love it.

Random Act of Gratitude #105: A Dream

I'm not usually one to hop on the feel-good bandwagon of warm-fuzzy videos online, but this woman -- now pervading every news cast and web news site -- and her performance on yesterday's Britain's Got Talent brings me a little joy.

Even more than the "don't judge a book by its coverishness" of it all, it's the thought of this woman standing in front of that crowd and being enthusiastically applauded and adored for what she can do is what I love. I think everyone should have at least one moment when the world adores them. I hope she has more such moments.

Random Act of Gratitude #104: Official Progress

The office in my house is far from organized, but I can officially declare that sufficient progress has been made for me to actually sit at the desk with the computer and work there. That's right.

Now the neat-freaks out there won't understand at all, I'm sure, but in getting some things organized over the winter, it became necessary to just put things that would end up in the office in the office. That led to a space quite cluttered with "waiting to be organized" stuff.

The neat-freaks still wouldn't understand, if they looked in the room right now, why I would be at all happy. Like I said, it's still got a lot waiting for attention. It's just good that I can now work there and don't have to work at the coffee table or dining room table any more (unless I want to).

Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Random Act of Gratitude #103: The Culmination of a Long Weekend

Did I avoid some work this weekend? Yes.

Will I have to deal with it in the next few days? Sure.

Was it worth it to have a real holiday weekend? Absolutely.

It was the first weekend in quite a while in which I really did leave work at work and just deal with non-work life and a great weekend it was. I did some visiting (as I'm sure you're aware) and some relaxing, and life's better for it.

Aaahhhh!

(Now back to work.)

Random Act of Gratitude #102: Audio From the Archives

Upon opening one of the boxes brought home from my parents' place, I immediately found six cassettes. Featured below are the covers from three of them.

That's right, John and Keltie, they've started coming out of the woodworks.

Way back in the days when I moved away from Kingston, these two friends of mine kept a link through letter writing and eventually their correspondence went high-tech and letters started arriving as cassette tapes. As you can see, there were both solo and partnered efforts involved. Some, like these three, were very carefully and lovingly prepared, with credits and playlists on the inside. Often times, John would carefully white out the printing on an actual commercial tape and replace it with his own text after recording over some musician's work. (Yeesh. How expensive were blank cassettes back then?)

The entertainment value was immeasurable and I remember sitting down with headphones and listening and laughing. When the two of them were together, interspersed among songs (generally selected by DJ John) were segments of general mayhem, often involving toilet humour and fighting. (I'll be interested to listen again and find out whether these elements were as pervasive as I remember.)

Keltie can rest assured that there's no mention of hotdogs or Kraft Dinner on these tapes, as far as I can recall, since those topics came up on a solo outing of hers, but I'm determined to get the three of us together to listen to them together.

I'm completely amused to have found the tapes after many years of burial, but even more, I'm grateful for the fact that after my big move away from Kingston there were people who spent years (YEARS) frequently reminding me that I had not been dismissed. Today they're both in regular contact with me and stand as a pair of my longest standing friends.

Random Act of Gratitude #101: Parentally Bound

I was off to visit the parents this weekend and, in addition to excellent driving conditions and easy traffic, it was great to get up to see them. They make me laugh. They're currently in that place of having to plan what's going to be going on in their lives in the next year or two since retirement is coming up quickly and having no money certainly will have its effect on their plans.

Of course, that has meant that my very practical mother has already started purging the house of everything extraneous while my packrat father is left scrambling, trying to do his part but not really having the cut-throat approach to disposal that my mother expects. Very entertaining in its own right.

As for me, I've been doing my part by taking a few boxes from my stash there with me every time I return home after a visit.

I really have wonderful parents and it was grand to get up to visit over the Easter weekend.

Random Act of Gratitude #100: A Renewing

Today was spent hanging out, watching movies, and eating fondue with Sonya. That's enough for which to be thankful, but it makes for a short entry; therefore, I'll instead write about The Renewing and Improving of a Friendship.

I've known Sonya for many years ... over twenty, I suppose. We lived for a period in the same town, went to the same church and high school, and were generally pleasant with one another. We weren't necessarily bosom chums, but we got along, liked one another, and were both slightly scoffed at by our parents for our enjoyment of a certain story (though Sonya no doubt was an aficionado of the film alone while I was a lover of both film and books). Regardless, that's basically how it was.

Off Sonya went into the world (with a slight disdain for the small town in which we lived, I'm sure -- Ha!) and we didn't talk much for some time. There were the occasional Hey-how-are-you-doings, but not much more.

Then a few years ago, we somehow reconnected. I know I received an e-mail inviting me to go and see Wicked (I couldn't go, but fear not, for I have seen it regardless), but I'm not sure exactly the sequence of things. Did that come as our first contact in a while? I do know there was another stretch in there of minimal contact, and then at some point we started chatting regularly.

We got together to go to an event in Toronto at which Keltie was exhibiting some masks she'd made and that was the first time we had actually gotten together in ages. And suddenly we were reconnected and our friendship was officially renewed.

Since then we've done a show together (and despite her fears to the contrary, it was just fine having her "invade my life" to do so) and generally built upon that vague friendship from years ago. I'm glad that we've reconnected, find her terribly enjoyable, and feel quite honoured that she's one of several friends from "way back" who continue to be part of my life.

Thanks for popping back into my weird little sphere, Sonya!

(And I bet you're ridiculously impressed that you landed on #100, too. Ego. Ha!)

Random Act of Gratitude #99: Melissa, Queen of Holiday Treats

Melissa, with whom I work, is the Queen of Holiday Treats. That's right. She is.

Every holiday, we arrive at work to find on our desks little packets of chocolates and assorted treats made and wrapped up by Melissa. As someone who is terrible at even remembering the holiday is coming, let alone remembering to do anything about it, it's astounding that someone can consistently be so well-prepared. I'm convinced it's a gene I have missing.

Thanks, once again, Melissa for your thoughtful wee reminders and gifts. It always makes me smile!

Random Act of Gratitude #98: Solomon Grundy

Sometimes I come across something that just amuses me.

Today, I came across this cartoon.

I find it quite enjoyable.

Random Act of Gratitude #97: A Little Heat

The blower motor on my car (yes, they seriously call the motor for the interior fan the "blower motor") has been acting up again lately, and recently it stopped working altogether, but at the moment there are bigger fish to fry when it comes to expenses.

So when the usual April snowfall came today, complete with ice formed from yesterday's rain, I was not so sure how things were going to go with my windshield.

How thankful I was, therefore, when I gave it a shot and when turned on high, it started blasting air up onto my windshield. Whew! A few minutes later, the ice had melted adn I was able to go on my merry way, driving in warm, melty (and safe) peace.

Random Act of Gratitude #96: PhotoSue

For one project on which I have been working, I needed some photos of kids.

I had the project.

I had the kids.

All I needed was a photographer.

Enter Sue, who arrived camera in hand this afternoon. She worked smashingly with my gaggle of models (that's right, models come in gaggles), and took my vague ideas of what we could do for each photo and made them better and made them work. I'm quite confident that we ended up with some great shots for the project.

Thanks for taking the time to come out and shoot some kids, Sue!

Random Act of Gratitude #95: The Season Opens for Porch Reading

One of my favourite things about the summer is sitting on the porch with a cup of tea and a book or three.

Today the weather was fine. It was sunny. It was quite warm.

It was reading-on-the-porch weather.

Aaaaaah!

I'm aware that the weather's not going to last at this point in the game, but having the first outdoors sunny read of the season was a welcome reminder of things to come.

Random Act of Gratitude #94: Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

I've been sick for several weeks now and am on a new round of antibiotics that will hopefully blast it out of me.

For that reason, in addition to the usual it's the weekend impulse, it was a very welcome treat to sleep in today and to roll over, look at the clock, and think to myself, "Nope. I'm not getting up yet."

I know I've expressed my thanks for the chance to indulge in a little sleep-in before, but today it was particularly welcome.

Random Act of Gratitude #93: A String of Positives

Today was a good day filled with small gifts.

My class has been on a really positive run this week, and today I again found them really quite enjoyable, productive, and generally fun to be with. It was a rainy day (which I love as a person, but not so much as a teacher), but it didn't seem to result in the usual stir-craziness.

We worked on a short drama/dance performance we'll be performing at a couple of events in a few weeks and accomplished a good amount. If the what the kids did today is any indication, it's going to be good.

In the evening, I met up with a few friends and had a good dinner (goat cheese salad) and friendly chat, then we went to a show and saw more friends on stage and afterwards, not to mention a few friends in the audience. Afterwards, it was out for a bite to eat and chatter.

And so a bunch of small but positive things piled up to make a very satisfying day.

Random Act of Gratitude #92: Words From the Past

I went to work today and found the strangest thing on my desk.

It was an envelope. It was addressed to me, and dated 2007.

Odd.

Apparently one of the kids found it after it fell out of a book.

I opened it.

I read it.

I laughed.

My dear friend Linda, who spent some time as a student teacher in my class two years ago, had left it like a time capsule in my box of Human Body materials waiting for me to crack it open again when the time came to teach the unit. Haha!

It was a smashingly kind and amusing note about her time in my class and hoping that the letter would find me well and happy. I can tell you that finding it made today that much more happy. Completely enjoyable.

Thanks, Linda! Your random act of kindness has directly led to my random act of gratitude today!

Random Act of Gratitude #91: The Genius of Bruno Coulais

I finally got the soundtrack for Coraline. About thirty seconds into the film, I thought, "I will have to get this soundtrack." It's worth it for the opening credits music alone. Naturally, it went into my car stereo immediately. I'm should crank that first track, with its odd, haunting melody sung by a children's choir, at stoplights with the windows down. Haha!

Of course, if you haven't seen the movie, you really should. Don't worry about bringing kids as props. You don't need 'em. See it in 3D if you can; it's stunning.

*Edited to add:

Ha! While driving to work today, it suddenly occurred that the "opening credits" music I referred to above was actually the closing credits music. It's the first track on the CD, but not from the start of the movie. I was trying to figure out where Track Two fit into the movie and suddenly went, "OH! That's the start!" Ha!

Random Act of Gratitude #90: An Advantageous Deformity

I'm currently studying the human body with my class and today's topic was skin.

You know, having set myself on fire and subsequently having had two types of skin grafting surgeries has its advantages! We had one of the most engaging and entertaining discussions during Science today as a result. Even the one kid who was adamant that I was grossing him out rather enthusiastically took part in the discussion! Haha! It was a great lesson and I'm pretty sure most of those kids are going to remember the layers and parts of skin!

Random Act of Gratitude #89: Sonya's Internet Vigilance

Thanks to Sonya's excellent work this morning, we have tickets for U2 in the fall. Woot!

Random Act of Gratitude #88: Lumber Mill Days

The summer between teachers' college and working was a rather big one. I had surgery. I had recovery. I moved. I had no idea whether I'd be working in my field at all come fall.

One of my post-recovery jobs that year was at a lumber mill. That's right, a lumber mill. Those of you who know me well know how funny that thought is. The job dropped into my lap through someone that knew my parents. Someone was needed to operate a radial arm saw; I needed a job. Hence I ended up doing the job.

It was not exactly my dream job. Thankfully I had to wear this immense sci-fi filter mask so I could sing to myself all day long and not have anyone hear me. (And I'm not sure that it would have gone over well with some of the folk with which I worked if it had been heard.)

Regardless of whether it was my dream job, though, it was yet another appreciated opportunity provided by someone who wanted to help me out. Thanks, Jim, wherever you may be!

Random Act of Gratitude #87: Epistles by Candlelight

In honour of Earth Hour, I lit a few candles and wrote a few postcards and letters that have been on the backburner for a few days. It was pleasantly calm and quiet and went by remarkably quickly. I followed up by taking a walk in the smashing spring weather to post them. It was a great, simple Earth Hour.

Random Act of Gratitude #86: A Chaotic Evening with Good People

It started with Sonya letting me know that traffic from Toronto was bad. She was taking an alternate route, Charlotte was on her way.

I made it to the restaurant second, meeting Becky who was already there. We chatted and consumed soft drinks whilst awaiting Sonya's arrival.

By the time she arrived, we were starting to be pressed for time, but figured we'd be alright.

Sonya arrived. We ordered. Charlotte arrived shortly afterwards and ordered.

We sat. We chatted. We waited. Time passed.

By the time our food arrived, we were in scarfing time. And scarf we did, throwing back our meals in minutes.

Off we were to the theatre to meet Cliff, Kyle, and Becky's friend. Kyle called. He'd missed a bus.

We got seated and, at the last minute, Kyle arrived and our group was complete.

We saw the show, met Claire afterward and then it was the crazy dash down the hill some bar/restaurant thing. You have no idea how old I felt in a van packed with university students. Haha! They knew the words to Britney Spears' song "Circus". All of the words. Seriously.

Despite the very loud and not-very-good band, we managed to visit and chat and generally make one another laugh. Jon joined us for a bit, Sonya was late getting there (having had to drop off some of our group en route), but a good time was had.

Random Act of Gratitude #85: Awakening with Sarah

Now doesn't that sound shifty!

Tonight Sarah and I were off to see Spring Awakening in Toronto. This was Sarah's birthday gift to me.

We had dinner at The Pickle Barrel, Sarah having the rather amusing-to-watch-her-eating-it Thai Lettuce Wraps while I had the delicious Luau Chicken Salad. For dessert we shared the dessert sampler, which was a bit of a let-down. Avoid the carrot cake at all costs, as it seems to have been made in the summer of 1987.

The show was great, if not always "pleasant". The staging, in particular, was amazing -- a very contemporary style of storytelling that is both challenging and character-driven. Of course, this seemed to be missed by the girl beside Sarah (who spent the show sending text messages) and the three behind me (who just didn't get it). Haha!

Thanks, Sarah!

Random Act of Gratitude #84: Incredibly Speedy

After a smashing morning, I was "sprung" from the usual Wednesday duties to join my class at a performance by Carousel Players. The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh was quite well done. Though centrally about a kid with ADHD, it ends up being more about the general idea of getting past what a person's dealing with to the person underneath. It generated a great response from my kids and good discussion, to boot.

As an added bonus, the actors could pull off playing kids without making us want to tear our eyes out. Adults playing kids can be downright painful; but these actors, particularly the woman playing the title character, managed to just play the character and let the text carry the character. She added enough physical mannerism to get the age and personality of the character across, but didn't dwell on "pretending to be a kid" too much. Thank goodness for that.

Random Act of Gratitude #83: Progress is Made

Playing catch-up yet again. Sorry everyone. Er. Both of you.(/span)

I've been working with a group of teachers working on integrating literacy and the arts. I've got a group who are working with The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. The work up to this point has been a bit slow-going, but after today's meeting, things are looking up. The ball really seemed to start to get itself rolling and the folks in my wee group seem to be enthused about giving some things a shot. I'm hoping their enthusiasm carries through and they give some of the ideas we generated today a try. Drama, in particular, seems to be a bit of a scary thing for a lot of teachers, and most seem willing to give it a try as part of the project. (Of course, some of them have experience in drama, anyway.)

I am eager to see how things go.

Random Act of Gratitude #82: One More Day to Recover

Today I was thankfully to take as a sick day, thanks to a very supportive administrator. I had sincerely hoped to be sufficiently recovered to go to work but as became evident last night, it was pushing it.

Today, instead, I spent a good twelve hours or so sleeping. That's right. Sleeping.

I went to bed last night, woke up for one of those "Um ... everything alright?" calls from Sarah (because those who knew I was off sick weren't available at the time) and then went back to bed, expecting to sleep for another couple of hours. Or, as it turns out, to sleep until the early afternoon.

Am I back to "normal"? Not really. Am I better? Good enough to go to work tomorrow? Yep. WAAAAAAY better. I still have a cough and some sinus-related issues, but I shouldn't be useless.

I'm generally a pretty quick heal when it comes to sickness, but this one is really dragging out in a big day. This extra day certainly helped a lot, though. Thanks, kind administrator who made it happen!

Random Act of Gratitude #81: Phone a Friend

How embarassing! I spent that time catching up and then forgot to post today! It's being corrected right now.

Sometimes one needs a friend who is just a phonecall away. Occasionally -- not often, but occasionally -- one needs a friend who is just a phonecall away ... several times in one day.

Mostly, though, one needs that friend to be tolerant and just laugh at the multiple calls.

Maybe it was the cooped-up stir-crazy world in which I've been living for several days, but when little amusing / entertaining / head-shaking things kept coming up in tiny pockets over the course of the day, things that only my friend McJohn could fully appreciate and laugh / smile / shake his head at, I had to pick up the phone. It's just logical, right?

Needless to say, after being cooped up and feeling like poop for so long, entertaining contact with the outside world was ... well ... entertaining and a welcome diversion. And he was polite enough to not tell me to shut up and stop calling with stupid news.

Random Act of Gratitude #80: Noted Improvement

Yesterday I dragged myself off to see the doctor who very tidily wrote me a couple of prescriptions.

Today I started seeing a hint of improvement. I'm not saying I feel like I'm on a mountaintop with the crisp cool alpine air rushing into my lungs and with my eyes bright and shining, but compared with yesterday, there's definitely movement in the right direction.

Here's hoping I'm back to my usual level of mediocre health and exhaustion by the start of work on Monday.

Random Act of Gratitude #79: Real Mail for Its Own Sake

I think I've done quite well in not dwelling too much on the less-than-favourable aspects of this week. Suffice it to say that I've had better.

But today, in the midst of feeling pretty much awful, I recieved a wee bit of real mail (and not from someone wanting money) that was sent expressly because I like to receive real mail.

It gave me cause to smile. Thanks, Sam!

Random Act of Gratitude #78: Billing Relief

You know, when I paid my bills after my last paycheque and looked at the remaining balance in my account, it was a bit of a downer.

But occasionally a silver lining surfaces unexpectedly.

Today I got my natural gas bill and apparently the overlapping of bills/payments has reconciled itself, and lo and behold, I overpaid last month! Know what that means? Next month, I don't need to make a payment. Thank goodness. That tiny bit of relief makes me happy, even if I know full well that I've still had to pay it.

Aahhh.

Random Act of Gratitude #77: Sonya's Daytrip

A few weeks ago, Sonya and I agreed to take a daytrip during the March Break. Good idea, right?

Well, sadly sickness, financial woes, and looming paperwork forced our plans to be modified. Still, Sonya made sure that I got out of the house, into the fresh air, and off we went to Crook's Hollow for an exploratory walkaround.

We wandered around the river there hunting for remains (most of which were un-/poorly-labeled) and making a rather amusing discovery of a large plywood structure painted to look like stones.

We also went on a rather extended hike to discover a Frisbee golf course (excuse me, a Flying Disc course) and took some loverly pictures of the remains of the grist mill.

Sonya was very tolerant of my sniffling and occasional moaning about my sickness, a good sport about meandering around the countryside (sometimes far out of our way), and about dining in a slightly shifty establishment whose spic-n-span tables made the squalor of the bathrooms all the more unexpected. Ha!

Thanks for the needed break, Sonya!

Random Act of Gratitude #76: Wee Weight Loss

Alright, I am clearly not exactly overweight, so let's get that out of the way right now. I don't have an eating disorder or body dysmorphic disorder.

But the truth of the matter is that I don't eat particularly well (meaning healthfully) and over the course of the past few months I've gained a bit of needless weight. I like to refer to this as "Meat Pie Weight" in reference to the numerous meat pies (and hefty meat pies, might I add) which I ate onstage during Sweeney. In reality, of course, it's really Meat-Pie-and-Christmas-and-Some-Months-of-Eating-Too-Much-Drive-Through-Before-That weight.

Well, a few weeks ago I decided that I needed to do something about it. To that end, I visited the grocery store more than usual (and by usual I mean 'once a month') and deliberately ate less drive-through food.

Let me be clear about one more thing: I did not -- nor do I expect to -- stop eating drive-through food. It's too darned delicious and I don't want to lose my will to live. I also refuse to blame fast food for the choices I make. (Little editorial there.) What I did do was make sure I had lunch to take to school (rather than popping out for fast food), eating more salads (thank you, pre-washed salad in a box!), and exercising restraing with snacking, no small feat when I'm in the midst of enough paperwork to kill a horse.

As a result, I'm happy to report that I'm now back to my pre-Meat Pie weight! Now if I can stick with it and lose a few more pounds, I will be back to my pre-burn weight and maybe -- just maybe -- be able to wear those pants that are in my closet gathering dust.

Random Act of Gratitude #75: Watching Watchmen instead of Working

I spent much of the day working away at paperwork and was thrilled for the chance to walk away from it at the end of the day for a visit in Toronto.

I wasn't feeling fantastic, having a bit of a bout of sinus congestion which was giving me quite the headache, but still, I managed to squeeze out a dinner with Sonya (in a bit of an odd little restaurant) and a movie (Watchmen in IMAX).

I know there have been those who have criticized the movie, but I really liked it. I had read the graphic novel, so perhaps I knew more than some what I was in for. I wonder how many are disappointed because they go looking for an action movie and, while there is action, that's not really where the focus is. There were changes to the material, of course, and maybe some purists are up-in-arms over that. Some changes are made out of necessity (taking out the subplot -- not quite the right word -- about the young guy reading the Black Freighter) and a fairly significant change was made to the ending, but none of these particularly bothered me. I don't think they changed the intent of the material enough to concern me.

Top that off by having Sonya not mind when I posed on the escalator (even if a guy a few steps back did have a problem with it), and it was all a much-appreciated break from the grind of paperwork. Thanks, Sonya!

Random Act of Gratitude #74: Another Author

I finally made it back to church after having missed it for several weeks thanks to a variety of things (including illness and meetings) kept me away.

The timing was great, because folks I know from up where my parents live were there and I got to chat with them a bit.

I also got to talk with the lovely Jean who told me her book is shortly to be published. Jean is a wonderful woman who has been working on a book about local history which a regional historical society has decided to publish. It's small in the world of book releases, but it's been so great seeing it come together over the time, hearing Jean talk with a great sparkle in her eyes about the researching and writing she's been doing. Her love for the project will definitely make me excited to read it when it's out.

I'm so thankful to have people around me who are are writing and getting their stuff out there (even if I'm not -- ha!). Their joy is my joy, and though that sounds rather Pollyanna-esque, it's still the case.

Random Act of Gratitude #73: A Sense of Humour, and Friends Who Will Laugh Along

A group of us were off to see Rocky Horror tonight and among us there were various states of dress (or undress, as the case may be).

Let's be honest. A scantily clad me is never going to be pretty; me scantily clad in wear normally meant for women is going to be even less so. (Thanks, by the way, to those to helped to supply me with my costume for the night.)

The group of us who went together (and those we met there) had a fun evening. The highlight of the evening was probably afterwards when we went to a restaurant (yes, Cliff and I got a few looks in the process, even though I had thrown workout pants on over my bottom half) and we sat and laughed and talked until they started turning off lights to encourage us to beat it. Even our server was a good-natured gal who took everything in stride and added to the humour of the night.

It's not everyone who has friends willing to be seen in public with someone wearing a bustier and fishnets. Haha!

Thanks for playing along everyone!

Random Act of Gratitude #72: Four Hours of Fun

Traditionally, Glynnis and I get together for a birthday dinner since our birthdays (in September) fall close to one another. Ever since then, we've been trying to get our butts in gear to do so. Finally, it happened.

We met up at ye olde Boston Pizza and had a fantastic visit hanging out, acting like goofballs, and generally giving the waitress cause to shake her head. Seriously, I am sure the poor waitress thought she had the biggest geeks in the known universe sitting at her table as Glynnis kept pulling her into our ridiculously amusing-only-to-us game of alternate name spellings.

By the time we left -- when I actually looked at a clock and realized what time it was -- we had spent four hours generally killing time and being mutually amused.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have great friends.

(Hey, Glynnis! What's that guy's name again?)

Random Act of Gratitude #71: Cross it off the 'To Do' List

I finally finished the program for the spring show. Why I agreed to do it given the timing (overlapping with report writing) is beyond me.

Is it my finest work ever? No. Is it going to 'wow' anyone with its brilliance? No. Is it decent? Sure. Is it done? Yep.

Cross it off the list. Sigh in relief.

(I also returned to "regular work" today to find another bag of delicious potato chips waiting for me, complete with kidnapper-styled cut-out letters spelling my name on the bag. To the mysterious giver of the gift, I offer my thanks! Consider that #71b.)

Random Act of Gratitude #70: Productivity

My "Wednesday Job" was surprisingly enjoyable today, but not for any earth-shattering reason. Put simply, it was so nice to sit down at the computer and work for long stretches and feel a sense of progress being made.

I was talking with Glynnis about how different from "regular days" it is when I'm working on Wednesdays, to get going on things and not be glancing at the clock every five minutes to see how much time's left before I have to pack up and get back to other things. That's pretty much they way things work the rest of the time. Short packages of time to get things done makes it hard, sometimes, to really feel like you've made headway on the piles of work waiting.

Today was largely made up of un-interrupted periods of time to just work away at a couple of the projects I've got underway. I didn't necessarily have to do anything particularly challenging or mind-bending over the day; simply getting through a big chunk of work was pretty darned nice.

Random Act of Gratitude #69: A (Very) Wee One Makes Her Entrance

Alright, this was an entry that kept getting bumped around, but it's going here just because it's time to get it out!

Back on March 3, Keltie gave birth to a wee baby girl, Shaughnessy! It was quite a surprise for Keltie and Andrew, as the due date wasn't until May. Obviously it was difficult, given the preemieness of it all, but I'm happy to report that Mom and the Nibblet are doing well and getting great care.

Keltie is one of my oldest (by our association one with another, not by age) and dearest friends, so seeing her become a mother is both exciting and more than a little bit fascinating. I'm sort of intrigued to see how these early years play out. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no doubt that she and Andrew will be great and loving parents. I've already promised Keltie I'll let her know if I see her at risk of raising a brat.

Congratulations, Keltie and Andrew, and welcome Shaughnessy! I can't wait to get up and see you all.

Random Act of Gratitude #68: No Line on the Horizon

I'm on a mission now. By the end of this weekend, I willbe caught up here. I've got piles of paperwork still to be done, but I'm going to work entries here into the official schedule for getting everything done. Bear with me.

I know that, in some circles anyway, it has somehow become out of vogue to admit that one is still a U2 fan. I assume it's just that case of "they're huge and successful and so you're supposed to be cynical about them" that happens quite often.

In any case, I picked up their new CD No Line on the Horizon and am thrilled with it. There are songs that harken back quite distinctly to the Achtung Baby days, others that are quite reminiscent of Boy and War, and a few that would fit quite nicely in with All That You Can't Leave Behind.

On the first listen-through, I took note of a beautiful song called "White as Snow" and on the second listen I realized at least part of why it appeals to me so much. Whether intentional or not, its melody is distinctly influenced by "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", my all-time favourite Christmas song (and one of the oldest songs still sung today).

What I like about the album, as well, is that U2 has continued to say something for those who bother listening to lyrics. I'm not talking about anything preachy or pious (despite those that condemn Bono for speaking out politically, a condemnation I don't understand -- shouldn't people speak out if they're in a position to do so?) but the lyrics of several songs have avoided the triteness that often permeates the pop/rock market.

It's a great CD and I'm happy not to be disappoined.

(I also picked up War Child: Heroes, a benefit CD that's pretty darned good, too. You'd think Bob Dylan's "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat" was written for Beck!)

Random Act of Gratitude #67: A Surprising Burst of Purple

Out of the blue, Sonya asked whether I wanted to go and see The Color Purple in Toronto. Um .... let me think for a mome-- YEAH!

It seems her original companion to the show canceled on her so I got to benefit! Woohoo!

The show wasn't without its flaws, but the music was incredible, there were some really great performances, particularly from Felicia P. Fields as Sofia. It reminded me how much I love the story (I've both read the book and seen the movie) and that I really need to read / view it again. Naturally, hanging out with Sonya for lunch and a show isn't bad, either.

Thanks, Sonya, yet again!

Random Act of Gratitude #66: Reconnecting

Today I had the opportunity to reconnect with a couple of friends, one that I see quite frequently but haven't had a good sit-down with in a while and one that I haven't seen in years.

Alison and I were off to Williamsville for the release party for our friend Jeff Schober's new book, Bike Path Rapist. (It's not a "feel good" book, I know.) We had a great meal at the restaurant where it was all to happen (another great salad with goat's cheese, coincidentally) and finally had the chance to chat and catch up.

Afterwards, it was into the fray for the book signing. Though we clearly couldn't monopolize Jeff's time, we did into a friend we hadn't seen in years while there and, while waiting in the tightly packed line up, took the opportunity to get the update on the goings on in his life.

All in all, it was a smashing evening and the chance to leave responsibilities behind and just hang out with great people was a real treat.

Random Act of Gratitude #65: Old Folks at the Piano

It seems like I'm spending as much time apologizing for being behind as I am actually writing here. So, once again, I apologize and I'll be sure to catch up soon.

Following a delicious dinner (some sort of salad with goat's cheese ... yum) with Dennis and Jackie and a very amusing waitress, we headed off to the piano bar to join some other friends (Betsy and Maryanne with others dropping by later) for an evening with the old folks.

If you've never done the piano bar thing, you are missing out. It's largely a senior set and they're so much fun, singing oldies as a group and then heading up to sing their "signature" songs as solos. Norm's Fiddler on the Roof medley is worth the trip alone. Haha!

This time I got off easy, singing just one number (I no longer have a choice if they realize that I've arrived) and hearing Betsy do two numbers which were amazing, even with laryngitis!

A good time was had, indeed.

Random Act of Gratitude #64: The Prospects of an Easy Morning

Tomorrow my kids are on a field trip for most of the morning and the rest of things are already (mostly) prepared. Know what that means? I don't have to rush out quite so early.

An extra half hour or so is enough to make me happy. See? It doesn't take much.

Goodnight.

Random Act of Gratitude #63: New Laptop for Work

Today I received the new laptop to go with my Wednesday job at the board office. What this means is that my work can travel with me more easily, that I will be able to print from the laptop more easily, and that I won't have to keep going to get that darned key on a mini-hockey stick to swipe one of the loaners every time I'm at the office. Ha!

The particularly nice thing is that some of the projects I'm working on will be requiring a lot of fonts and photographs which I will be able to put on that computer and work with them until I'm done, plus I'll be able to work on things at home, too, away from the network. (On a loaner like I've been using, the fonts I've been compiling would be lost every time I have to trade it in to get a new one.) I know it sounds pretty lame, but it's just going to make things easier all around for working on getting things done, at work or at home. Gerda (my big boss) even got me a swanky backpack laptop case to travel with me. (She seemed concerned that it's not a Superman backpack, but I assured her that I understand and it's fine.)

I won't even get into the joy I feel at the fact that it actually holds a charge for more than five minutes. Haha!

I feel so officially office-y now!

Random Act of Gratitude #62: An Easy-Going Day

Every now and then, a day comes along at work when things are just surprisingly smooth and relatively breezy.

Today was one such day. It just so happened that things fell in such a way that it wasn't a big day of teacher-directed lessons. Kids were presenting plans from an extended project in Mathematics. They performed short monologues in English. We had games in phys. ed. and everyone behaved like good sports and had fun. Music was entertaining and fruitful. It was just a good day.

Aaaaah. Bring on the Spring so we can sit under the tree and read together, and all will be right in the world. Ha!

Random Act of Gratitude #61: An Evening With Laura

Tonight I had the immense pleasure of hanging out with my dear friend Laura. She was once the secretary (or administrative assistant, or whatever) at work but moved to another school a few years ago (much to my dismay). Tonight we finally got it together to get together and catch up. Yes, with the blessing of her family, we had a lovely evening of dinner and a movie.

Now, if Laura can forgive the unseemly display of me trying to eat a wrap at dinner while also fishing chopped tomatoes out of it with my fork -- we're talking a serious lack of dignity here -- then there's hope for the human race yet. She forewarned me that she might be a bit enthusiastic about eating popcorn at the movies, but let's be honest: it held no candle to the spectacle of my eating habits this evening. Mortifying. Haha!

In any case, it was great to catch up and hang out again. Thanks, Laura!

Random Act of Gratitude #60: Eggs by the Dozen

I know it's frivolous and perhaps even downright wrong, but I'm very happy to have picked up the Cadbury's Eggs 12-pack today. That's right. A 12-pack.

It comes with 8 Cadbury's Creme Eggs and 4 Caramilk Eggs.

I know that's about an even pound of sugar, but man alive they're tasty. I'll be sure to ration my consumption so that I don't overdose on sugary goodness.

Mmmm.

Random Act of Gratitude #59: Environmental Savings

Seriously. I'll be caught up before the weekend's through.

My class is doing a wee experiment to expand the composting program at the school, so I figured I'd better hurry up and get the new green bins, so off it was to the Habitat for Humanity store where the region distributes such things.

I'd hoped to get a new grey bin for my house, too, having lost mine to a ridiculous wind storm a year ago, but sadly, they were out.

BUT the news remains good! Apparently I had arrived on the final day of a deal wherein the green bins were only $6 (that's right, six bucks!). As of Monday, they're up to $16 (which still is a good deal; they're really nice bins).

Woot! $30 savings!

Random Act of Gratitude #58: Dennis Makes a Decision

Almost there...

This evening, it was time to hop into the car and drive up north of Toronto to meet up with Sonya so we could see our friend, Charlotte, in a show.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I'm not the most decisive person on the planet. And anyone who knows Sonya can probably predict that she's not impressed with that.

So, of course, once we'd met up the question of dinner came up. To Sonya's credit, she had scoped out some options for dining, but quickly became frustrated with my lack of concern over where we eat. I'm quite sure she might have had a homicide on her hands had my phone not rung in my pocket.

It was Dennis calling to update me on the ridiculousness of his afternoon. While I had him on the phone, I asked him where we should eat and it took him all of 15 seconds to tell us where to eat (Mediterranean).

See? That's someone who is used to just deciding instead of trying to force the issue!

Thanks, Dennis. My meal was delicious.

Random Act of Gratitude #57: A Surprise in the Mailbox

Seriously. I will catch up.

I came home from work today (which had its distinct ups and downs) to find that a bag of those oft-referenced Rosemary and Basil chips had magically appeared in my mailbox! Unless my letter carrier (who is great, might I add) reads this page, I doubt it came from him.

I have NO IDEA who dropped off this unexpected surprise, but how great and toughtful is that? Who knows how many people are scouring the shelves of the region for delicious chips because I've voiced my love of them? Who knew that speaking about delicious things would bring such acts of generosity?

For the record, I also love hybrid vehicles and cash.

Thanks, mystery giver!

Random Act of Gratitude #56: Lunchtime Companions

Working on it...

My Wednesday job is going well. I quite enjoy what I'm doing and, as you know, I immensely like the consultant with whom I'm working. The added bonus is that other friends and colleagues work out of the same building, though they're not always there when I am there.

Today was one of those days when several of us were there at the same time and a small crew of us headed across to the old Subway for lunch. Even the woman I didn't know at all was entertaining and enjoyable!

Is there anything better at work than chatting and laughing over food at lunch?

(As an aside, Glynnis met with Gerda and I in the morning and in true Glynnis-and-Jerome form, we were horribly divergent. I hope Gerda didn't mind.)

Random Act of Gratitude #55: A Home When Needed (Part II)

I'm determined to be caught back up by Monday. Wish me luck.

The summer after I finished teachers' college was an interesting one. Within three days of finishing, I had packed my belongings into the car, gone to see a friend get married, seen my cousin admitted into the hospital, and had surgery myself. What followed were a few months of recovery, part-time jobs, and uncertainty in my career.

Things weren't in a great place for new teaching jobs at the time, and I eventually resigned myself to the dauting reality that I might well end up having to live with my parents for a year in the small town where they had moved and where I knew nobody.

I was splitting my time between a daycare and a lumber mill (yes, re-read that and laugh) and proceeded to set up an after-school program through the daycare.

Then I got the call offering me a slot as an occasional (supply) teacher. Despite the risk that comes with unguaranteed employment, I accepted and called up the woman who had been my landlady for the last two years of school, knowing my chances were slim-t0-none. The wee apartment was cheap and centrally located in the city.

"I can't believe you called," she said. "The man living there just told me yesterday that he'll have to move out in a few weeks."

And so I was back (for about a decade, as it turned out).

But in the meantime, I had no place to stay.

Enter Cheryl and Chris. Cheryl had been my associate teacher for my first major teaching block at the school where I now teach.

Upon hearing about my situation, she might have blinked before offering to put me up until the apartment became available.

And so I became the guy in the basement at their home for a month or so. Cheryl, Chris, and their oldest (and only, at the time) daughter invited me into their home and family. Toss in that their house was right on the lake, and it was particularly lovely.

We still laugh about a few odd misconceptions that came from that time.

#1. Despite what Cheryl somehow came to believe, I do not love fish sticks. Who loves fish sticks? Still trying to figure out how on earth she got that idea.

#2: I did not hate everything she cooked. I hated the eggplant lasagna. That's it. The rest was quite delicious. Well, except for the fish sticks.

To top it off, Cheryl gave me a list of principals with whom I was to make face-to-face contact during the "get my name out there" stage of supply teaching.

And so, today, my thanks goes out to Cheryl and her family (now my pickle family) for giving me a hand and a home when I was just starting out.

Random Act of Gratitude #54: The Weather Breaks (before my body does)

See Jerome type. Type, Jerome. Type. He will catch up soon. He is getting closer with each day. Way to go, Jerome. You can do it.

Sunday was the low, low, low of my sick weekend. I took Monday off of work and somewhere around noon, I started realizing that a change was in the works. By two or so in the afternoon, I was noticeably improved and knew I would be able to return to work on Tuesday.

That's all it took. Gratitude was seeping from my pores, because I did NOT want to be Sunday-style sick for any longer than I had to be.

I wasn't 100% (and I'm still not), but I was certainly greatly improved. Thank goodness.

Random Act of Gratitude #53: The Snack Lady Gives a Gift

Still catching up. Thanks for your patience. If you're not really that patient, then thanks for keeping your snide remarks to yourself.

At the board building where I work once a week, they used to have this delicious fruit tea from the London Fruit and Herb Company. I asked the woman in charge of food, drinks, snacks, and whatnot for the building's meetings and whatnot where she got it and was told (unsurprisingly) that she got it at Costco.

And thus began a year or more of disappointment in the tea aisle at Costco. As always happens when I like something (you hear me, delicious Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Pitas from Pita Break?), they stop stocking it.

In any case, I happened to comment a few weeks back when I saw Snack Lady (whose name is Patti, by the way) that I guess I would just have to move on.

She smiled and said, "You know, I still have almost a full box. I'll bring it for you."

AND SHE DID!

For the record, the Blackcurrent Bracer makes the room smell like wine gums when you brew it. Mmmmmm.

Thanks, Patti! You're the best Snack Lady EVER!

Random Act of Gratitude #52: Concerned Callers

Still making up for lost time.

By today, I was in full-fledged sick mode, and it was becoming clear that this was no run-of-the-mill sick for me. I was not enjoying things at all, and was in no way fit for public consumption. I spent the day sleeping in fits and starts, jumping between feeling freezing and roasting, with every muscle from the shoulder blades up jacked up on tension, and the list goes on and on and on.

Suddenly my long-established Saturday evening plans went out the window. (Sorry everyone!)

Now, you're thinking, where in the midst of this diatribe on self-pity does the gratitude come in? Let me tell you!

Upon hearing of the cancellation of my evening plans, a few friends called up to check up on me, to see if I needed anything from the drug store, and even to offer to bring me dinner made by kind-hearted husbands! As is a recurring theme in this project, I really have wonderful, caring friends.

Random Act of Gratitude #51: Employment Opportunities (Part II)

I was ridiculously sick all weekend and wasn't able to post here. Seriously. You know under the weather? Go under the weather, look down, find a soft spot in the dirt, and start digging. When you get far enough for it to be sludgy and gross and dark and cold, climb in. Stay there all weekend. I'm now trying to make up for lost time here.

When a position opened up at the school where I presently teach, I definitely wanted it.

I'd done my student teaching there and loved the school's philosophy, families, and style. I'm not one of those people who think every other school's bad; I just really think that great things happen at the wee school where I am.

In any case, there's always a lengthy series of steps that a job posting has to go through. As a teacher who now had a contract, but not a full-time contract, I had to wait several postings before I was even eligible to apply.

Here's where the appreciation comes in.

The principal at the time was a very strong-willed (in a very good way) woman who kept me up to date on how the process was going and assured me frequently that she was doing what she could to get things to the point where I could finally apply.

Ironically, I don't believe this principal was originally one of my biggest fans. I'm not convinced that I had exactly won her over during my days as a long-haired student teacher and probably not even in the brief interim of supply teaching, either. The staff at the school was behind me, though, and she trusted them and so she supported me.

At long last, the time came when I could apply and sit the interview and lo and behold, I got the job. And whether or not she was originally a fan of mine, she gave me a fair shake and ended up being very supportive of me both then and through the years afterwards, when she went on to be Superintendent of Special Education, even encouraging me to apply for jobs that were coming up under her department. (Obviously I chose to stay where I was. The time didn't seem ripe for leaving.)

So, for your support back in the early years of my career, thanks, Marlene!

Random Act of Gratitude #50: All We Eat is Radio Ga-Ga

A family from the school entered a contest with a local radio station and won lunch for the class. Today was the day that the folk arrived from the station to serve up lunch (a rousing meal of caesar salad, chicken fingers, and potato wedges) for the class.

What was amusing was that they arrived, served my class, and said, "We still have tonnes of food left," so in the end, they fed the entire school. Haha!

What was really nice, though, was that the morning show host who came didn't just serve up the food, take a few pictures, and head on her way. She sat down with the kids and chatted with them, joking and laughing and generally taking a real interest in them. It was really great how she interacted with them.

Thanks for lunch, EZ Rock!

Random Act of Gratitude #49: A Date With Someone Else's Fiance

Tonight it was off to dinner and a movie with my dear friend (and sometimes onstage love-interest) Melanie. Don't worry: although he didn't join us, her fiance didn't mind! Ha!

We had a lovely and junky dinner and had the chance to chat and catch up a bit. It was quite surprising when we realized how long it had been since we'd been able to just sit and yak.

Then it was off to see Coraline in 3D. What crazy fun! It's quite a bit different from the book, but maintains the spirit and intentions of the book quite well. The music is great, too, so I will definitely splurge on getting the soundtrack when it's released next week.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening of film, friendship, and food. Thanks, Mel!

Random Act of Gratitude #48: Rosemary & Basil (Redux)

That Melissa with whom I work really is the Queen of Thoughtful Wee Gifts. She was in a store and saw a single, solitary, lonely bag of those delicious (but increasingly rare) Rosemary and Basil chips with which I have a mild love affair and picked them up (presumably paying for them on the way out) and left them for me on my desk at work.

Seriously. Those other coworkers of mine had better step up to the plate or Melissa's going to pull pretty majorly into the lead here. Haha!

Random Act of Gratitude #47: Family Day

Today was "Family Day" or, as I like to call it "Finally a Day Off between Christmas and March Break". This stretch is always a bit deadly in schools and having one day in the midst of it is greatly appreciated.

I admit it: I was a complete lazy bum today. I didn't do much work and I am aware that I'll pay for that later, but the opportunity to do nothing much was such a refreshing change. I slept in, read for a while, had lunch and then spent some quality time vegging out. I will have some catching up to do with paperwork, but in the end, I think I'll be a bit more up for it.

Random Act of Gratitude #46: Employment Opportunities (Part I)

When I finished teachers' college, it was a difficult time for jobs. I spent a year doing supply work and getting a fair bit of it, thanks to several schools who put me at the top of their short lists. Ironically, it wasn't one of those schools who gave me my first contract, nor was it the principal of one of those "regular" schools.

In the summer before my second year out, I received a call from a principal who invited me to interview for a long term placement covering for a maternity leave.

Seriously, she called me and invited me to apply.

How did this come to be?

Well, firstly, she was apparently one of those who interviewed me at the board level just to be put on the "eligible to hire" list. Clearly I was just too stressed out with being interviewed to really clue in to who it was that interviewed me, but also I certainly didn't figure that I would stand out in any was from the other million people that are interviewed at the board level. I was just glad to be put on that list.

After I was hired, the principal also told me that I'd supplied at the school where she had been working as vice-principal the year before. As far as I know, I was there twice and only twice. Unbeknownst to me, she had come to stand in the doorway for a while and watched while I was doing the supply teacher thing. "I thought they might eat you alive," she told me, "but I came and watched from the hallway for a while and was surprised by how smoothly things were going." I clearly didn't know she was watching and, to be honest, I have no recollection of what I might have been doing with the class. I only vaguely remember going to the school. To this day I always tell supply teachers that every time they walk into a school, it's an audition. Having been on the hiring panel at my current school several times, I know that's definitely true.

Finally, she also told me she remembered me from a few meetings we apparently attended together. I don't really recall meeting her there, but there you have it.

The point of this whole spiel is that I appreciate that someone wanted to support me getting a start in my career enough that she actually contacted me (when I should have been doing the leg-work, but hadn't heard about the job at all) and made it happen for me. She was hugely supportive of me teaching according to my own style and philosophy and encouraged my arts program in a school which was wonderful but in which my class was certainly not the norm.

To further sweeten the deal, what was supposed to be a six-month maternity leave assignment was changed at the end of the first week of school to a contract position. My foot was officially in the door.

Thank you Linda (even though you moved out to BC somewhere years ago and don't read this at all). I am grateful to this day for the opportunity you gave me to have my first class of my own.

Random Act of Gratitude #45: Traveling Mercies

A small crew of us hopped in the car to drive up and see Sonya in Urinetown tonight. Almost two hours each way in a slightly tightly packed car could have been mildly contentious, but it was actually quite enjoyable.

The traffic was clear and easy (and we were amused when Sonya herself passed us on the highway, she to make it for her call time and we to get there in time for a bite to eat).

The younger folk were chatty and amusing and Dennis provided enough groan-worthy jokes and random stories to sustain us all the way. Even as we drove back (somewhere around 2 in the morning), the passengers didn't fall asleep and abandon me to my wee-hours driving tasks.

The inbetween time, also, was very enjoyable, seeing a fun show and getting together afterwards with Sonya, Laurie (with whom I've worked before), and other members of the cast and crew.

It was certainly worth the four hours of driving.

Random Act of Gratitude #44: A Day of Fun with Kids

Today was the day before Valentine's Day meaning, of course, that it was Valentine's Day at school.

What that provided was a pleasant chance to have a little bit more of a relaxed day with the kids whom I adore but who have been a bit off-the-wagon for the past few weeks. (It's February. Surprise, surprise.) They were good fun today, and now there's a nice long weekend ahead.

Ahhhh!

Random Act of Gratitude #43: The Forgiveness of Friends

I'm going to be presumptuous here.

I somehow fell slightly behind in posting here. How is that possible? It only takes a few minutes to post and yet somehow I neglected to do it!

Thank goodness I can depend on the forgiveness of my dear friends who read this. Right? Right? I'm so GRATEFUL for their willingness to let it pass.

Random Act of Gratitude #42: The Best Policy

This evening, I had to cancel out on Sonya to see Happy Days: The Musical due to my need to visit the clinic to have someone look at my crazy right eye. Since yesterday it had gotten progressively more painful and red which is why I figured I should have it looked out sooner rather than later.

After a lengthy wait (which was the reason for having to cancel out), I was told it was a minor infection, given a prescription for eyedrops (another wait to get them), and sent on my way. After using the eyedrops for the first time along with some fake Advil, the pain was significantly reduced (I could blink without hurt) and the swelling was down.

Dennis dropped by, so I agreed to go to the old Costco with him (bought crackers -- woohoo) and then he offered to accompany me and have a coffee while I ate a wee dinner at Kelsey's.

A moment after arriving, Dennis went to pop into the washroom, but returned seconds later.

He'd found a hundred dollar bill on the floor and wanted to see if they knew whose it was. That's right, a hundred dollar bill.

At first the waitress was sort of saying, "It's your lucky day, then," but Dennis basically said, "Yeah, but seriously. Could it belong to one of the servers from a bill that was paid?"

Long story short, they found the waitress who had dropped it and to say thanks for his honesty (because clearly he could have pocketed it and let the girl deal with it when she cashed out) they offered us our meals on the house. Since Dennis had already had his supper, the result was that I got my meal free because of Dennis's good deed.

So thanks, Kelsey's, and thanks, Dennis!

Random Act of Gratitude #41: A Charming (and timely) Letter

Today I received a delightful (and well-timed, considering a recent run of mild frustrations at work) letter from a former student. Seriously. It completely made my day.

Random Act of Gratitude #40: Video Sale

Is it just wrong that popping into Blockbuster and finding the Previously Viewed Video sale is way better than expected makes me happy?

It did.

It's probably wrong.

It's still true.

Random Act of Gratitude #39: A Piano

In "the old country", my father was a piano tuner / technician and since arriving in Canada, he's kept his hand in it from time to time.

Several years ago, he was offered an old beater of a piano from some place or other and it spent the next couple of years in my parents' basement, often in pieces, as he gradually repaired, rebuilt, and refinished it. When it was finally fixed up -- and my mother was becoming more vocal in insisting that it leave their home -- they gave it to me. At the time, I was living in a small upstairs apartment in a duplex, so it lived in the front entranceway at the bottom of the stairs (yes, in the worst place possible for a piano). Although my landlady and landlord said time and again that they didn't mind if I played it, I seldom did, unless I was quite certain that they were not home. (And occasionally I was wrong about that, and I'd find myself with an audience ... leading me to suddenly blush and close it up.)

When I moved into my current house, I was thrilled to have proper space for the piano and to feel like I could play it at will.

Now, I'm no great piano player by ANY stretch of the imagination, but I do enjoy playing and it's come in very handy when writing music (usually for a school production) alone or with Betsy. There's something very therapeutic, also, about playing something familiar or with just improvising something or other that will never be played again.

Thanks, dad o' mine!

Random Act of Gratitude #38: Rosemary and Basil

Alright, this is completely pathetic, but it goes to show how little it can take to make my day.

I recently discovered Miss Vickie's Rosemary and Basil potato chips, also known as the most delicious potato chips I've ever tasted.

Shortly thereafter, they suddenly became scarce.

Cue the sad music.

About a week ago, Melissa arrived at work with a wee package of them since she knew I was pining for them. (Thanks, Melissa!)

Since then, I've been unable to find them again.

But today I found a bag -- that's right, ONE bag -- in my touring around while I ran errands. It's like a tiny little treasure trove just waiting to be eaten.

I truly hope the folks at Miss Vickie's haven't discontinued this product, as it makes me very happy whilst eating it.

Random Act of Gratitude #37: Timely Socialization

By the time I got in from work, I was tired, a bit frustrated, and slightly grumpy. Without going into any details, suffice it to say that it was "one of those days".

Thankfully, though, I have smashing friends. Though the original plans for the night ended up being vetoed, I went out to the old Costco and for a bite to eat with Dennis, then later was called by Kathie, June, and Alison to join them for a quick tea at Hortons and, having spent the evening chatting, venting, and laughing, my spirits were lifted.

Sure, I still have to deal with the frustrations of life, but at least they can't take over completely. Thank goodness for great friends. (I really worry that entries such as this might become terribly redundant-seeming. Hmmm. That's what I get for being surrounded by great people.)

Random Act of Gratitude #36: Glynnis Drops By

I had actually made it into the parking lot and was putting my work into the car when Glynnis pulled into the space beside me. Glynnis had dropped by for a visit.

Glynnis visits are always great, and just a little therapeutic, too. Ha!

The Background in Brief:

Glynnis used to work with me, first half-time, then full time, and oh! what times they were! Haha! She still jokes about those days when, after the kids had gone home, I'd wander up into her room, lay down on the piano bench, and we'd chat for a bit before getting back to work.

Then she left me! That's right, she left me! Off she went to work with the Math Curriculum department sharing her vast knowledge and experience with others. Blah, blah, blah.

Still, we've worked together on many projects over they years, and so she hasn't completely abandoned me, I suppose. And now that I'm working one day a week out in the building at which she's based, I will likely see her with at least some regularity.

So, back to today, she magically appeared just as I was leaving. Needless to say, I delayed my departure to head back inside, to chat and catch up, and to generally enjoy the unexpected dropping in of my charming friend and colleague.

Random Act of Gratitude #35: A Slight Sleep-In

I'm not exactly a morning person at the best of times, but in the winter it's even worse. Getting up when it's cold and dark, getting into the car (when it's cold and dark), and driving to work (cold and dark) makes it even worse.

But today, I had the chance to sleep in a little bit. I know, I know: it's not like I was in bed until noon, but the difference between being at work at 7:00am and leaving for work at 8:00am is enormous.

Ahhhh! Thank you, sweet morning!

Random Act of Gratitude #34: Cheap Tickets

Tonight Sarah and I took advantage of $25 tickets to Jersey Boys. We had several understudies in lead roles but the show was very enjoyable. It was also great to chat while eating delicious Indian food. Thanks for friends and friends who can arrange cheap tickets now and then!

Random Act of Gratitude #33: A Beautiful, Sunny, Warm(ish) Day in February

The occasional day like this, when the sun comes out and is noticeably warm, the ice starting to melt, that help me get through winter. (In case you haven't gathered, I'm not "winter people".)

Aaaaah! I know it won't last, but I'm happy to enjoy it in the meantime nonetheless.

Random Act of Gratitude #32: Signs of Improvement (Pet Edition)

Lately, my pet tarantula's behaviour has been unusual and I was getting a bit worried. I didn't think much of it when she dug out a little space in the substrate beneath a piece of bark and spent some quality time there -- she often digs little ditches in which to sit -- but after a few days of her not emerging, even when I gave her new water, I was starting to get concerned.

My first thought was that the bark had fallen onto her and hurt her, so I moved it gently out of the way (probably to her chagrin) but although she appeared physically unharmed, she stayed in her little ditch through the next day.

I went to buy her some crickets, to see if food would perk her up. She eats very seldom, about every six weeks, and she wasn't 'due' for another feeding, but I still thought that food was worth a shot. I dropped a few in and she grabbed them quickly. Over the next day or so, I gave her a good meal of crickets and since then she has emerged, spending time in various little corners and nooks of her aquarium. I hope she'll be back to normal soon, because the thought of her being on her last legs wasn't appealing. I'm quite attached to the little creature!

Random Act of Gratitude #31: Unexpected Dinner Plans

I unexpectedly found myself out to dinner with not one, but three terribly enjoyable dinner companions. Sonya, Kathie, and Paul and I arranged to grab something to eat on the spur of the moment. (I think it took all of three minutes of planning.)

Needless to say, with a group like that, eating took a second place to conversation and, in particular, laughter. Paul is quite the storyteller, as anyone who knows him will tell you. Although most of his stories cannot be printed here (ha!), suffice it to say that a good time was certainly had in the presence of friends.

Random Act of Gratitude #30: Bank Machine Manners

Something that can drive me nuts are those people who linger too long at the automated bank machine. You know who I mean ... the ones, for example, who finish their transaction, but stand there sorting through their purses, tucking money away, looking for car keys, writing a novel while four people stand there waiting.

Today I stopped by the bank machine (payday!) and saw that a man was at the machine. No sooner had I stepped into the machine area than he stepped back and said, "Go ahead. I'm not quite ready, anyway."

I thanked him, did my business, and was sure to thank him again on the way out. A small, logical courtesty goes far with me.

Random Act of Gratitude #29: Grocery Cashier

When stopping at the grocery store on the way home from work, I encountered an incredibly jovial and delightful cashier.

A woman in her fifties, I would guess, and with a distinct accent (my guess would be Ukranian) was keeping a running friendly banter with each of her customers without slowing her job. She was such a bundle of positive energy and humour.

My favourite was when she asked me, "Would you like cash back?" and, when I told her no thanks, her response was, "Good. I'm not giving you any."

She was bringing a smile to everyone's face in the line with her amusing chatter and with her laughter. (She had a good laugh when discussing a customer's sick husband and the possible consequences of his craving for bread.) I just love people who make a mundane task, like grocery shopping, and bring a little light to it.

Random Act of Gratitude #28: Snow Jobs

Today was another day of continuously falling snow, and as it piled up, so, apparently, did the opportunities for some kindess from others.

At the end of the work day, a parent came into the office to ask somewhat concernedly whether the damage to my headlight was new or if I already knew about it. (I already knew about it. It's been damaged -- but functioning -- for quite some time, but the money to fix it hasn't been handy.) I asked how she noticed it, and at first I thought her answer was, "I dinged your car," but what she actually said was, "I cleaned your car." Seriously!

Upon arriving at home, where the neighbourhood was out in full swing shovelling, I discovered that at some point during the day a neighbour had snowplowed the walk in front of my house and up to the front porch. All I had to do was a quick shovel of the new snow. What a relief!

A snowy day and two -- count 'em two -- snow-related acts of kindness for which I'm thankful!

Random Act of Gratitude #27: A Courier Delivery

The courier at work can be a wonderful thing. I love "real mail" whether it arrives at my house or at my workplace. Much as I enjoy hearing from people through electronic means (and I do, so keep it up), there's something particularly enjoyable about a physical piece of mail which has been created, mailed, and received.

It was my known love for "real mail" which prompted my wonderful (and wonderfully talented) friend, Tina, to drop me a wee card and some tea in the courier so I could be given a reason to start the day feeling groovy.

What's curiously coincidental is that I put a postcard in the mail for her two days ago on one of my nighttime neighbourhood walks. She may well have received it today (or will likely get it tomorrow, otherwise). Get off my brainwave, Tina!