Gotta Love It (when life feels like 'Buffy')

WHOA! I can't believe how much time has flown by since my last post!

But mostly, I'm just really feeling quite pleased about why it's been so long since my last post...

My aunt Colleen in Vancouver often sends me little email notes in response to my bloggings, and when I've been absent from posting on my blog for an extended period of time she often writes to me saying something along the lines of "I hope the reason you haven't been writing on your blog much lately is that your life is so busy and full of wonderful things." But alas, often the case is the exact opposite. Usually, my absence from blogging is an indication that I'm feeling not-so-up-to-snuff... It usually means that I'm feeling so bogged down by the reality of my life (whether it be so insanely full it's overwhelming, or so uneventful it's depressing) that I can't even handle the self-reflection involved in writing and publishing the truth of it.

Well kids, that is NOT the case this month!

Considering I was unexpectedly unemployed as of the middle of February (I believe I mentioned the bookstore fiasco in a previous post), I have been surprisingly BUSY over the last few weeks! Conveniently, I have scored some drama teaching gigs with a few companies that I worked for years ago (and karmic-ly enough, THEY actually contacted me to ask me to come back and teach some classes and workshops for them, at pretty much the exact time that I needed to find work!) But I am definitely still on the hunt for more work (*and am currently accepting job offers by the way, both near and far, should any of you wish to propose an opportunity for me*), which keeps me busy... internet job searching, cover-letter writing, resume-updating, emailing, facebooking - oh wait, that last one has nothing to do with my job search, it's just an addiction!

Okay, so anyhow, that's pretty much my life in a nutshell these days: facebook, email, job search, teaching and hang-out time with my roomates... In a word: AWESOMENESS.

There have also been more than a few occurances of note over the last few weeks that I have meant to blog about, but just never got around to doing in a timely fashion. Thankfully, I've always been a big fan of that "better late than never" expression. So thus, I present to you,

A Few of My Favorite Thoughts (Inspired by the events of the last two weeks):

"I love it when my life feels like Buffy"
At the beginning of this month I got called in at the very last minute to lead a workshop for a children's theatre company that I used to work for, to replace one of their facilitators who got offered a supply teaching gig that she couldn't turn down. I have to admit, it felt pretty good walking back into that scene, because I was basically one of the original developers of the workshop we were to deliver. This, along with my genuinely enthusiastic personality, seems to make me quite popular amongst my co-facilitators. There were ten of us facilitators assembled that day - a blustery cold and snowy friday - each one of us would independently deliver a full-day workshop to either a grade 7 or 8 class (the older ones naturally being the more challenging). When we arrived at the school, buzzing with the excitement of the day ahead of us, the vice principal led the group of through the hallways of the school, pointing out the various classrooms. With each passing classroom, our supervisor Jason directed one of us to depart from the group and head to our respective "stations"; I giddily remarked that it felt like the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when the gang assembles in the Sunnydale High School and prepares to seperate and take their respective places throughout the school for THE final battle. (Only true Buffy fans will appreciate this but,) I felt soooo much like we were living that moment! And, being the last facilitator to be stationed (and with one of the more challenging, grade 8 classes), I naturally felt like the Buffy of the group. Of course. What can I say? I really love it when my life feels like an episode of Buffy!

"Another Tuesday, Another Snowstorm"
Did you know that there have been minor to major snowstorms here in Toronto on 4 out of the last 5 Tuesday evenings? I do, because I have spent the last 5 Tuesday nights trudging through a park in the east end of the city to the Children's Peace Theatre where my friend Mark and I have been given space to facilitate a program with some teenagers we used to work with. We're basically just volunteerig to spend each Tuesday evening with them, to provide a space for all of us to take time away from our everyday lives, reflect on our personal goals and achievements and work towards our own personal successes. Sound vague to you? Yeah me too. We're still figuring it out, but no matter what it is that we are "officially" doing, we are definitely working together and having some laughs and good times along the way! I sure do love the time that I get to spend with them, but I am definitely ready to not have to trudge through the snow anymore!

"There is no good reason for me not to get my nails painted HOT PINK. In fact, there are many reasons to support such an act."
Somehow, at some point over the last month or so, I miraculously (and somewhat randomly) managed to stop biting my nails! I have been chewing my fingernails ever since I had teeth and fingernails to chew! I have tried multiple times to stop, but to no avail. I used to chew them so much, my hands would be bloody and raw. But somehow (maybe something major in my life, or just inside of me, shifted and changed and...) I just stopped. I noticed this a few weeks ago and then decided to make the stoppage more conscious. And then yesterday afternoon, I rewarded myself with my very first manicure. And since I'd never, ever, had a professional manicure before in my life, I chose a color that I have always wanted... ever since I was a little girl: A bubble-gum bright, irridescent, hot pink! Love it, love it, LOVE IT! (And the fact that my friend Jason actually NOTICED AND COMMENTED on the fact that my nails matched the hot pink ribbon I had in my hair yesterday is simply the icing on the cupcake)

"Don't be afraid of the egg"
It's so funny, just before I began to type this section "the egg" came and crawled into my lap (you'll understand in a sec...)

So, this past Monday night I gave my roomate Laura her (belated) birthday present of one night of free babysitting. I wasn't sure when she was going to redeem this gift from me, because Henry (my shortest and youngest -at 16 months old - roomate) has never had a babysitter before. Well, his grandparents have watched him for a few hours at a time, but I was to be his first non-familial babysitter. And I had bedtime to negotiate, since neither mama nor dada would be home before 11:3o/midnite. Right before he left the house, Louis shared with me a "tip" (that came in the form of a story) about "the transfer" - which is when I have to transfer the baby (Henry) into bed, once he falls asleep. Louis' story was about his mother, when she was a cook in the diner his parents used to own. Apparently she was really bad at making fried eggs, because she always broke the yolk. One day a man came in and ordered eggs. Louis' mother warned the man about her 'egg handicap' and the man simply told her: "don't be afraid of the egg." And well, she never broke another yolk. Louis told me that that's what he thinks about every time he has to transfer the precious sleeping Henry into the bed - don't be afraid, just do it - smoothly, quickly and confidently.

Well, the tip worked. I never broke another baby again. Er, I mean, I never woke another yolk... I mean...

Well, I think you know what I mean...

I mean...

SUCCESS!