That Monday Feeling...

It's Monday again. Although the weekend was nice, it was too short...as weekends tend to be. Luckily, this is a short work week. We also have Canada Day (you have a whole day to call your own...yeah!!) and the 4th holiday to look forward to.

Still, we have to get through Monday. As I post this, we are halfway there. Press on, dear friends.

A Musical Interlude

Well friends, it has been a L-O-N-G and busy week. In honor of the weekend, I thought I would give you the gift of music. This has been stuck in my head, inexplicably, for a couple of days now. Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend!

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Open Thank You to the Toronto Blue Jays, fans, etc.

A couple of months ago, I was incredibly vocal with regard to my disgust over losing my two favorite Cardinals to your fine organization. I knew they might not stay forever, but I just wasn't prepared to give up Eckstein and Rolen at the same time. It has been tough, but I think I am starting to move on.

Thank you, Toronto...I'm beginning to enjoy the view at third again!!

Fun With the English Language

I think the photo speaks for itself. Instances such as this further convince me that becoming an English teacher is a really practical move. Lord knows there is job security!!

Approval Neither Desired Nor Required

I am very slow to anger, and I tend to have a lot of patience with people. Still, I have been offended, and I feel like venting. Dear readership (all three or four of you!), feel free to comment.

For those who do not know, I started in college to be an English teacher. During my second year, when I was not quite twenty, I was asked to observe a class of 12th graders. I knew I wanted to work with high school kids, but I knew I wasn't ready to be an authority figure for kids who were only a couple of years my junior. I decided to delay the professional education coursework and finish with a combined major in English and Communications / Theatre. I knew that, in time, I would go back to education if the desire was still there. I ended up going to graduate school.

My plans for work after graduate school didn't work out as expected, but that just proved to me that it was time to continue on the path to becoming a teacher. I do not regret the backwards nature of achieving my goal, and I feel that this is the time. Not everyone shares my feeling.

A couple of days ago, I found out that a woman I have known for nearly twenty years works where I work. I dreaded running into her, because she always finds a way to make me feel inconsequential. Although I was a friend of her son's in school, she always finds a way to make me sound inferior to him. Long story short, our paths crossed, and the inevitable happened. Yesterday, she added insult to injury.

It isn't that I care that she has done this (I expected it)...it's the fact that I have wasted the energy being annoyed by it that unnerves me. As is the case with any situation in life, however, there is a showtune that perfectly suits the scenario. As I prepare to go back to work today and face this woman, my mantra is this: "I ain't sayin' I'm better than anybody else, but I'll be danged if I ain't jest as good!"

Well said, Aunt Eller. Well said, indeed.

"not...by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

More than forty years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of a dream -- that all Americans, regardless of race, religion, socio-economic background, etc. would be able to unite as one and make this nation great.

This summer, I have the privilege of working with the Boys and Girls Club in my community. Our community is large enough to have it's share of gangs, violence, and crime, but small enough for there to be a very noticeable dividing line between those who have and those who don't. I am working on the 'wrong side of the tracks,' and my eyes are truly being opened.

As I watch children from this community come together, from different families and, in some instances, completely different walks of life, I am struck by how open and innocent these children are. They are not caught up in race, gender, or religious differences, they merely want to enjoy the company and companionship of each other. They are a wonderful role model for many of the adults in this world who do judge on the surface stuff.

These kids want to love and be loved. They want to know that their life matters to someone. In the end, isn't that true for all of us?

If Ignoring this Sign is Wrong...

I don't want to be right.

I spent four days last week in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. I was there for the wedding of my dear friends Les and Darcie. As a bonus, I was treated to a beautiful show by Mother Nature.

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Am I Missing Something Here, Part II

Perhaps a proper subtitle for this post would be "A Humble Question from Generation X." The thing is, I am all for individuality. I think the world would be very boring if all of the people in it were carbon copies of one another. Still, I have to say that I have given saggy jeans several years to grow on me (no pun intended), and I am just not seeing it.

Seriously, folks...isn't life hard enough without having to hold up your pants as you walk down the street?!

To Be Filed Under the Heading "I Couldn't Make This Stuff Up"

Last week, I spent a few days in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One of my very best friends, who now lives in Mississippi, was married there on Saturday, and it was my honor to be asked to participate in the ceremony. I rode to TN with her father and grandfather, but had to return earlier than the others. Due to travel costs at present, the most affordable means of transport for me was Greyhound.

Now, I love to travel, and I am definitely not above riding the bus. In fact, I consider my experiences between Sunday at 1:00 pm (EST) and Monday at 5:00 am (CST) to be fodder for the memoir that a couple of friends have stated resides within me. The trip (8-9 hours by car) was tedious by bus, but I was certainly entertained.

My first leg of the journey (Knoxville to Chattanooga) was spent listening to the wit and wisdom of an older fella named "Good Time Charlie." Charlie spends his summers riding across the country, for free, to visit family and friends. His methods for obtaining these free rides are not exactly above board, but he seems to enjoy himself. This man, en route to Lake Charles, Louisiana, was definitely entertaining (albeit not altogether lucid).

The second leg (Chattanooga to Nashville) found me in line with five other people, including one sweet elderly woman. The departing bus had room for four of us, so she, a younger fellow, a truck driver, and I were let on the bus. A few miles down the road, our bus made a pit stop. Our bags were sniffed by a very spirited police dog and, come to find out, the sweet elderly woman had drugs in her luggage. She was allowed to stay on the bus, but we still don't know whose they were. I imagine she is in Dallas by now.

The Nashville to Paducah leg of my tour of the south quickly became a tutorial on truck driving. I found myself seated in the middle of several truck drivers who were headed to a company orientation outside Paducah. A couple of the guys were very feisty and very loud. Still, I couldn't bring myself to drown them out with the jazz and showtunes on my iPod -- this was entertainment!

The rest of the trip was boring, as we all pretty much slept. I have to say that, while not the most comfortable or time efficient means of travel, my first Greyhound experience was entertaining and memorable. Life is an adventure, so consider this episode one for the book!!

Shows I Love, volume 1

As a theatre lover, I have been fortunate to see quite a few shows. Some have left me flat, while some have blown me away. Since I am not prone to making favorites lists and ranking shows, movies, etc., I have decided to showcase some of my favorites...in no certain order.

Without further ado:

RAGTIME (Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO / Fall '99)




Simply put, this managed to be one of the most visually stunning shows I have ever seen, while still being personal and intimate in nature. The music was incredible, the characters and stories were moving, and the entire experience was just overwhelming!