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.