It's good to be bad, and yet...

So, in this play I'm involved in I happen to be the bad guy.  And the play is set in the 80's so that means I'm creepy.  When we did the Utah reception line at the end of the play I had all of three people say anything to me.  Most people didn't even look at me.  September 20 is seeming farther and farther away.

Busy? Me? Never!

I'm am sorry readers to have been remiss in my musings.  There are several reasons for this, not that any of them are good reasons, but they are reasons nonetheless.

Reason number 1:  My cousin moved out of the house and I've been busy reorganizing things, getting ready to paint, buy new furniture, move my bedroom, and make a picture frame.

Reason number 2: I'm starting a new job this fall, and despite being ecstatic about the possibilities, it's a bit daunting, and I'm admittedly nervous about the whole prospect. 

Reason number 3:  For the last two weeks I've been in Ecuador on a humanitarian trip with Charity Anywhere, some peeps from my hometown of Richfield, and a pretty cool gang from Reno.  It was an AMAZING experience.  Along with being a translator, dental assistant, pharmacist, professional adhesive bandage applicator, office manager, donation supervisor, child restraint engineer, and crowd control specialist, I found time to rock the karaoke bar, go horseback riding, hike a waterfall, mountain bike down an active volcano, barter with local sellers at the market, eat amazing food, have a conversation with a nun, receive a friendly pat on the butt from a toothless mute woman in the plaza of San Antonio de Ibarra, and get in a little bit of booty shakin' with the dental hygiene students and the nurses.  It really was awesome to go help the people in Otavalo.  I will definitely be looking into other service opportunities for the future.  Here are a few pictures from the trip if you're interested.  Some of them are a bit gruesome, so be forewarned.

Reason number 4:  Sometimes relationships between people are more complicated than one would like them to be and I've been a bit distracted with such issues lately, but I think I'm figuring things out on all fronts, so no worries.

Reason number 5: I'm in Big: The Musical at Hale Centre Theatre (MWF cast for those interested in coming to see it) and as many of you know, being in a play can be quite time consuming - especially when on misses the last two weeks of rehearsal to galavant around another continent.

Now that many of these things are coming to an end, or are calming down, I should have more time to share the mirth and levity that permeate the very fibers of my existence.  Also, in two weeks I hope to have my house done i.e. everything painted, new furniture bought and placed, decor up, and things in ship-shape condition, so I'll be posting pictures.

Now, does anyone know where I can find a good massage therapist?

Say What?

For one of my ESL classes we had to do a group presentation.  Our group did a presentation on idioms and slang and their importance/use in language, and some ideas about how to teach idioms.  Here's a little scenario that Michelle - a first grade teacher - put together as our opener.  I thought it was rather clever.

An Idiomatic Tale of Two Bachelors

1: What's shakin'?

2: Oh man, I've got a doozy.  I asked Melissa to tie the know.

1: Are you pulling my leg?

2: I'm not joshing you, and she's the spitting image of Audrey Hepburn.

1: Hot dog, that's over the top!

2: Yeah, I had to eighty-six Brittany.  She was always chewing me out, said I wasn't playing with a full deck.

1: C'mon, you were head over heels for her!

2: Naw - she's used to living high on the hog, and you know that since I've hit the books my nest egg has gone to hell in a handbasket.

1: Well, break a leg buddy.

2: What?  You got a chip on your shoulder?

1: It's just that...

2: Stop beating around the bush and spit it out.  Cat got your tongue?

1: It's just that I smell something fishy.  i know you're chomping at the bit, but I think you should hold your horses.

2: Com again?

1: Keep your shirt on, man.  I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but she's a loose cannon.  She'll pull a fast one on you, and you're turning a blind eye.

2: But I"m on cloud nine.  You think maybe I shouldn't wear my heart on my sleeve?

1: Yeah, because with her, still waters run deep, and you can't always judge  book by its cover.

2: I guess we're on the same page.  it's not like I'm in a race against the clock.

1: Yeah, time is on your side.  You know, girls like her are a dime a dozen, and you, man, are the cat's pajamas.

2: Wow, I really dodged a bullet this time.  Thanks for keeping an eye on me.

1: We could talk about your girlfriends 'til the cows come home, but it's like beating a dead horse.  Let's pig out instead.

2: Then I've gotta hit the sack.  Gonna put my nose to the grindstone tomorrow.

1: You crack me up - the way you lose your head over a pretty face.

Forbidden

Conversation with a friend:

Friend - "So I was dating this guy...and then I found out he was married..."

Me and other friend (insert surprised/amazed/bemused laughter)

Friend - "I know!  This is what I'm saying!"

Stick it to the man.

Bumper Sticker:

"Gas was $1.46 when Bush got in, but go ahead - vote for McSame."

While I understand that the President actually has very little to do with the state of gas prices, I thought it was funny.

Nobody's got no class

To get a jump-start on my certification I'm taking some classes this summer.  To be perfectly honest, they're mostly pointless.  They're ESL endorsement classes (I have to be endorsed or they can't put ESL kids in my class.  Forget that I'm fluent in 2 languages.  Chalk one more up for the government.) so I'm not getting much out of them - though I am learning a little, so they're not completely useless.

My basic schedule involves getting to class at 7:30 in the blessed a.m., sitting in class for an hour or two during a lecture, then we have time to work on homework etc.  Following that is computer time to have a "language learning experience" i.e. learn what it's like to learn a second language.  The computer program we're using only teaches Spanish, so it's kind of pointless for me.  Following that we have lunch, more wasted time, a lecture involving the finer points of basic English grammar, and then we go home.  Today I felt like stabbing my eye out.

On a brighter note, my lunch break today was kind of awesome.  There's a quaint little Italian deli just down the street and around the corner from the school (roughly 39th and State for those interested in checking it out, which I recommend) that I wanted to try, so I did.  On my way - I was riding my bike - I noticed another man riding his bike in the middle of the street - as cyclers are sometimes wont to do.  He was in the left-hand turn lane and waving quite a bit.  I thought maybe he just wanted to get the other drivers' attention so as to avoid death.  I was wrong.  He turn left, but went up onto the sidewalk and continued to wave like he was the reigning member of some small-town parade royalty.  Weird.