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.