The Final Sketch

Has it really been a month since I've written? Shame on me! Where are my priorities? I may have to set-up a Project Plan to make sure I stay with this :)

Tonight was the final night for the sketch class. I'm really gonna miss it. Of course, in the final hour, while Charlie was walking us through next steps (Sketch 201, getting a sketch selected to perform regularly at United Citizen's Brigade Theatre, managers/agents, pitching sketches, pitching pilots, trying to get on a writing team...), all those great ideas for sketches kept flooding my mind! The minute the pressure was off - wham!

So the key will be to capture these ideas now, while they're fresh. I think most of us in class will stay connected, and there's some interest in pitching a sketch to UCB and see if we can get a show scheduled. I tell ya, there are some funny folks in our class!

Sketch 201 classes are full, so I'll contemplate my next steps over the Holidays. In the meantime, keep an eye out for my teacher, Charlie Sanders, on Conan - once the writers strike ends!

Tags: comedy, sketches

This is a Favorite Day

The day before Thanksgiving is one of my most favoritist days of the year.  More than Thanksgiving itself, which is always full of disappointment that I'm not at the parade in person (I went one year, many years ago) :0(

But the day before...it's about tradition.  I am very into tradition.  That's why I love the monarchy...and the Catholic Church...and Easter service...and Nat King Cole...and great love stories...ok....maybe I'm a sentimentalist, too!  Anyway - on the day before Turkey Day, I have this ritual that I've held on to for the last 18 years, since Alberta and I first moved to Park Slope Brooklyn.

The thing to know about Park Slope is that it is very much a neighborhood. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Slope,_Brooklyn  Not at all big cityish.  (Beth M., am I getting on your nerves with my abuse of the language?) Like right now - I can hear someone raking leaves...and maybe chopping down a tree...?  The main shopping area (a block from our apartment) is Seventh Avenue, which runs 30 blocks or so (commercial).  Dad calls it the "village".  He likes to say "I popped down to the village for a coffee," which means he walked down to the diner a block a way and had a cup of coffee.  Below is a picture of my most favorite bagel store - and, hey!  Seattle may have the fish market, but you ain't seen nothing 'til you see how these guys handle 25 people ordering all at once - and never mess up the order!  Note:  the space for customers to stand is 10' x 8' and the space the bagel guys have is about 4' x 12'.  And the customer service - best in the world! 

But back to my story....The day before the big Turkey Day I love to run my errands to get ready.  First, I go to the Flower Store (which is just a bodega that sells flowers) and pick out something nice for the table (I do my own arrangements).  Then I go to the Wine Store (which is really a wine & liquor store).  Then I go to the Veggie Store (which is a fruit, vegetable and lots of great organic and ethnicfoods). 

That's it.  But do it without a car...on a day that's relatively quiet (kids are in school half a day)...stroll the ten blocks down the Avenue to the wine store...roam the veggie store and decide between snow peas and brussel sprouts (I did both, plus asparagus for Lynne and Alberta).  The flowers sticking out of my backpack, wine in one hand, veggies in the other.  Opps!  Look!  Sweet Melissa's has pies!  YIPEEEE!

Stroll into Sweet Melissa's (a true french patisserie including Afternoon Tea! ( http://www.sweetmelissapatisserie.com/ ) and have a latte and piece of CARAMEL BREAD PUDDING with fresh RASPBERRY SAUCE - let me die now!  Becca - I was thinking of you with every bite!  WAIT!  Don't leave!  What about that CHOCOLATE BOURBON PECAN PIE????!  I don't even like pecan pie - but chocolate pecan?  So I make Alberta buy a piece to taste (and to complement her hot apple cider) and YUM!  Sold!

Then it's home, strolling down the side streets and over to 8th Avenue.  Noon service of church is letting out, the Catholic School girls from the High School are hanging out, the building superintendent has finally put the trash cans away.

That, to me, my dear friends, is the best part of Thanksgiving.  That hour or so enjoying my neighborhood, loving my routine, celebrating the fact that I am blessed enough in my life to have both the opportunity and the ability to enjoy such a simple thing.

And this year, I am particularly thankful that I have such good people in my life that, above all else, make me laugh, make me think, make me want to better at what I do...and have the patience to tolerate me as I work towards all of that!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.  It's good to be back among you!

 

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High Five

A couple of reflections....

My brother Allen called Sunday night.  He was getting the family ready to go and see a community theatre production of the Nutcracker (yeah...he wasn't so sure about it either!)  Al was in the kitchen, packing the dishwasher when the doorbell rang.  Janae went to get it and quickly returned to the kitchen to tell Al that there was a man at the door asking for him.  She told Allen that she'd never seen the man before.

Al went to the front door, where a man was standing out on the door step.  He didn't immediately recognize who it was.  In fact, the last time he'd seen him was 3 years ago.  It was the weekend before Thanksgiving and I had gone to Chicago to celebrate an early Turkey Day.  I'd talked Allen into having breakfast with my brother Paul Sunday, after church.

And that's who was now on his doorstep - 3 years later.  Paul.  He just wanted to wish Al a happy thanksgiving.  Nothing else.  Then he left.  To be perfectly honest with you, I was relieved that it happened.  The last contact I had with Paul was in February of 2006.  I haven't been sure if he was even alive.

Al and I figure Paul's probably been in prison.  The other couple of times he's disappeared he was in prison.  Al did ask where he was staying, but Paul wouldn't tell him.

The good news is that he's still alive.  I didn't think he'd make it this far.  I guess it's a little thanksgiving story.  Who knows if he'll try and contact me....

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So my big question this week is:  will Mack ever stop high fiving me?  I saw him for the first time today since my very first day back.  He high fived me in the hall, and twice in the office.  Do you think if I wore a skirt and 3" pumps I could get him to stop?  I think he really doesn't know what to do with me :)  Come to think of it, the only time he didn't high five me, but actually gave me a hug was right after the banquet in Indianapolis.  I think he was suffering heat strokefrom having worn that helmet for two hours!  And i was wearing a dress!  Hmmmmmmm

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Sketch class is going well.  Last week only 7 people came (out of 12).  Since their attendance policy is very strict, at least 3 of those folks are out of the class.  The other two have only missed one class. 

This week we have to write a commercial.  We have to create a product or take a current commercial and adapt it.  So I spent the weekend watching commercials.  When you're trying to be funny, nothing is funny.  It's amazing.  I feel like I'm always saying "you know what I wish we had..." but when it comes time to create something - nada.

Over lunch today I was telling Lesley about my children's literature course, and the demand for non-fiction children's stories.  Then we talked about my sketch assignment.  And then I thought about the 60-Minutes story on the Millennium Generation (1987-1995) and how they're so hooked into all the technology.

That's when it dawned on! I could create a commercial for a Business Management Course for 8-year olds!  The course would develop and build competencies in the areas of  multi-tasking, making decisions after only five meetings, meeting email quota's, and project planning the old fashioned way:  one day at a time.

 

Emancipation of Moose & Moose

Mooseheart Foster Care

 

MooseHeart Foster Care was recently contacted by Susan Sandler, Foster Mom to Moose and Moose.  Apparently, Ms. Sandler has become bored and disenchanted with foster parenting.  She is now seeking to return Moose & Moose to their more ‘biological’ mom – Sandra M.

 

People speculate that the relationship between Ms. Sandler and Moose & Moose (M&M) began after they began to refer to Ms. Sandler as “not-the-momma”.  Her feelings hurt, Ms. Sandler quickly volunteered to work ridiculously long hours and find excuses to be out of the office.  In fact, weekly reports submitted to MooseHeart Foster Care by Ms. Sandler indicate, that of the 92 days M&M have been in her care, Ms. Sandler was out of the office “working” or on “a rather lot of vacation time” 78 days (quotes are from unnamed sources, or so says Beth-Rose).

 

Cubicle-mates of Ms. Sandler also noted that she appeared to get aggravated easily, “especially when Moose would kick little pieces of dust off the shelf on to her head….but I don’t know how you’d even notice dust in that hair of hers!”  When Ms. Sandler was asked if M&M were active, she reported that there was one day when she thought they might change places on the shelf…but they didn’t.

 

Upon interviewing M&M, this worker learned that they had actually been very active, assisting Becky Braughton with the narrative sections on the AIM on-line training, eating the dead leaves off the plants in the office, and taking Stu’s stacks and stacks and stacks of papers and re-organizing them (although not at his request).

 

In addition to Ms. Sandler not being around to provide the kind of guidance and cuddling M&M require, she did have several near-death experiences (the Moose – not hers), including Moose falling and landing head-first unto a pencil!  Ms. Sandler attributes Moose’s quiet demeanor to possible brain damage as a result of the fall.  Moose also fell and was nearly (quietly now, so he doesn’t hear) castrated, but he was all ok.  Ms. Sandler, in filing her report, expressed sadness, as she had hoped for a Castrato Moose with whom she could sing selections from Caruso’s  Rigolettto.

 

On a positive side, Moose’s exposure to Judaism has proven quite positive, and he recently requested the opportunity to convert (from paganism) and then have a big Moose-Mitzvah.  MooseHeart Foster Care feels positive about this development, although there is speculation that he may be a “Jew for Jesus” because he won’t let go of the Santa doll he carries around with him.

 

After careful assessment and minutes of ponderous thought, MooseHeart Foster Care has determined that M&M should be returned to “momma” SandraM  for a transitional period into Independent living.  SandraM spent a year doing such work in Dallas, so she is familiar with what it entails.

 

The  short-term goals would include making certain that M&M have an understanding of independent living skills, including getting internships and/or going to school.  Long-term, is that they become productive, contributing members of society, much like the Littles in the BBBS programs.

Emancipation of Moose & Moose

Mooseheart Foster Care

 

MooseHeart Foster Care was recently contacted by Susan Sandler, Foster Mom to Moose and Moose.  Apparently, Ms. Sandler has become bored and disenchanted with foster parenting.  She is now seeking to return Moose & Moose to their more ‘biological’ mom – Sandra M.

 

People speculate that the relationship between Ms. Sandler and Moose & Moose (M&M) began after they began to refer to Ms. Sandler as “not-the-momma”.  Her feelings hurt, Ms. Sandler quickly volunteered to work ridiculously long hours and find excuses to be out of the office.  In fact, weekly reports submitted to MooseHeart Foster Care by Ms. Sandler indicate, that of the 92 days M&M have been in her care, Ms. Sandler was out of the office “working” or on “a rather lot of vacation time” 78 days (quotes are from unnamed sources, or so says Beth-Rose).

 

Cubicle-mates of Ms. Sandler also noted that she appeared to get aggravated easily, “especially when Moose would kick little pieces of dust off the shelf on to her head….but I don’t know how you’d even notice dust in that hair of hers!”  When Ms. Sandler was asked if M&M were active, she reported that there was one day when she thought they might change places on the shelf…but they didn’t.

 

Upon interviewing M&M, this worker learned that they had actually been very active, assisting Becky Braughton with the narrative sections on the AIM on-line training, eating the dead leaves off the plants in the office, and taking Stu’s stacks and stacks and stacks of papers and re-organizing them (although not at his request).

 

In addition to Ms. Sandler not being around to provide the kind of guidance and cuddling M&M require, she did have several near-death experiences (the Moose – not hers), including Moose falling and landing head-first unto a pencil!  Ms. Sandler attributes Moose’s quiet demeanor to possible brain damage as a result of the fall.  Moose also fell and was nearly (quietly now, so he doesn’t hear) castrated, but he was all ok.  Ms. Sandler, in filing her report, expressed sadness, as she had hoped for a Castrato Moose with whom she could sing selections from Caruso’s  Rigolettto.

 

On a positive side, Moose’s exposure to Judaism has proven quite positive, and he recently requested the opportunity to convert (from paganism) and then have a big Moose-Mitzvah.  MooseHeart Foster Care feels positive about this development, although there is speculation that he may be a “Jew for Jesus” because he won’t let go of the Santa doll he carries around with him.

 

After careful assessment and minutes of ponderous thought, MooseHeart Foster Care has determined that M&M should be returned to “momma” SandraM  for a transitional period into Independent living.  SandraM spent a year doing such work in Dallas, so she is familiar with what it entails.

 

The  short-term goals would include making certain that M&M have an understanding of independent living skills, including getting internships and/or going to school.  Long-term, is that they become productive, contributing members of society, much like the Littles in the BBBS programs.

Laughter makes the world go 'round...

I don't know where I've been for Halloween in recent years...inside or in Philly, I guess.  All I know is that I became terribly confused when I got off the train Wednesday night.  At first I thought that there were a lot of scantily dressed women walking around Penn Station and perhaps there was some kind of odd conference going on (not necessarily a problem for me...just a distraction!).

Then I saw Superman down by the subway turnstile and it dawned on me...Halloween!  It's a shame when the women's costumes don't differ too much from what they wear everyday:  fishnet stockings, bustiers, short skirts.  On the other hand, I never felt safer at Penn Station!  All the superhero's were present, a cowboy...an Orthodox man (oh...maybe that wasn't a costume!).

The "A" train was wild!  Everyone was heading down to Greenwich Village for the big parade.  The West 4th St. stop was a mad house:  a drunken Santa Clause, a ladybug, a nun in fishnet stockings!  It's quite entertaining to ride the subways on Halloween night!

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Diane said she loves TheAlmostNearlyReady and wants to think about broadening the distribution.  I'd love to use it in some way to introduce f-u-n back into our work!  My major concern is that there is always a danger of crossing the line and offending someone.  I'm especially worried that agencies would get wind of it and not find it funny (like when I poke fun at small and/or non-compliant agencies).

I explained to Diane that I had kept the distribution list limited to people I trust to use discretion (I think!), but had started to broaden a bit by sending select issues to certain folks.

So what do y'all think?  Can we do this for everyone?  Will they get it?  Could it backfire and make us look unprofessional?  Please take the poll and let's see what you think!  Or Blog back and tell me what you think should be off-limits!

Speaking of which - I never did this weeks Newsletter!  Chalk it up to my confusion around re-integration back into the work life.  It's not true that it's like riding a bike!  On Monday I called Jason Tres in because my Internet connection wasn't working (it wasn't plugged in!), they closed the street going to the office and I couldn't figure out how to get to work, and I completely forgot how to retrieve phone messages!

---------------------------------------------------

Sketch class tonight went well.  We all had to do a reading of our sketches:  folks laughed a lot during mine - yeah!  Some of them got very funky (the hardcore scoutmaster that had kids eating puppies...funny?), but there was one really great one - where the real estate lady comes over to the house she is selling (where the sellers still live) and brings her laundry, takes a shower, orders sushi....all in the name of knowing the property intimately!

Laughter makes the world go 'round...

I don't know where I've been for Halloween in recent years...inside or in Philly, I guess.  All I know is that I became terribly confused when I got off the train Wednesday night.  At first I thought that there were a lot of scantily dressed women walking around Penn Station and perhaps there was some kind of odd conference going on (not necessarily a problem for me...just a distraction!).

Then I saw Superman down by the subway turnstile and it dawned on me...Halloween!  It's a shame when the women's costumes don't differ too much from what they wear everyday:  fishnet stockings, bustiers, short skirts.  On the other hand, I never felt safer at Penn Station!  All the superhero's were present, a cowboy...an Orthodox man (oh...maybe that wasn't a costume!).

The "A" train was wild!  Everyone was heading down to Greenwich Village for the big parade.  The West 4th St. stop was a mad house:  a drunken Santa Clause, a ladybug, a nun in fishnet stockings!  It's quite entertaining to ride the subways on Halloween night!

------------------------------------------------------

Diane said she loves TheAlmostNearlyReady and wants to think about broadening the distribution.  I'd love to use it in some way to introduce f-u-n back into our work!  My major concern is that there is always a danger of crossing the line and offending someone.  I'm especially worried that agencies would get wind of it and not find it funny (like when I poke fun at small and/or non-compliant agencies).

I explained to Diane that I had kept the distribution list limited to people I trust to use discretion (I think!), but had started to broaden a bit by sending select issues to certain folks.

So what do y'all think?  Can we do this for everyone?  Will they get it?  Could it backfire and make us look unprofessional?  Please take the poll and let's see what you think!  Or Blog back and tell me what you think should be off-limits!

Speaking of which - I never did this weeks Newsletter!  Chalk it up to my confusion around re-integration back into the work life.  It's not true that it's like riding a bike!  On Monday I called Jason Tres in because my Internet connection wasn't working (it wasn't plugged in!), they closed the street going to the office and I couldn't figure out how to get to work, and I completely forgot how to retrieve phone messages!

---------------------------------------------------

Sketch class tonight went well.  We all had to do a reading of our sketches:  folks laughed a lot during mine - yeah!  Some of them got very funky (the hardcore scoutmaster that had kids eating puppies...funny?), but there was one really great one - where the real estate lady comes over to the house she is selling (where the sellers still live) and brings her laundry, takes a shower, orders sushi....all in the name of knowing the property intimately!

What is this life...

First day back and all is well.  Folks were very friendly and welcoming...I think they may be genuinely glad to see me return ; -}  Perhaps after the summer exodus of staff, it feels slightly reassuring that someone might actually return! 

As part of my 'break' recap, I took a little photo for the album - the books I read (most of them...some have been returned or passed on).  I start a new one tomorrow - Left to Tell:  Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculee Ilibagiza.

A couple of weeks ago I went in hunt of a poem my mom used to recite all the time.  I found myself saying outloud several times a day in the days leading up to my break.

It's called Leisure, by W.H.Davies, a Welshman who traveled to America.  I guess my mom knew him from Wales:  both she and dad grew up in a border county of Wales / England (Abertillery).

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

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NOTE TO SELF:  Self, I say...self, the people at work seem to think that fun is not allowed.  Surely this is misguided.  Be sure to work on an anti-no-fun campaign.  It's time to bring playdoh and silly walks back!  Perhaps they will like my first comedy sketch:  The All-You-Must-Eat-Buffet. 

 

What is this life...

First day back and all is well.  Folks were very friendly and welcoming...I think they may be genuinely glad to see me return ; -}  Perhaps after the summer exodus of staff, it feels slightly reassuring that someone might actually return! 

As part of my 'break' recap, I took a little photo for the album - the books I read (most of them...some have been returned or passed on).  I start a new one tomorrow - Left to Tell:  Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculee Ilibagiza.

A couple of weeks ago I went in hunt of a poem my mom used to recite all the time.  I found myself saying outloud several times a day in the days leading up to my break.

It's called Leisure, by W.H.Davies, a Welshman who traveled to America.  I guess my mom knew him from Wales:  both she and dad grew up in a border county of Wales / England (Abertillery).

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

-----------------------------------------------------

NOTE TO SELF:  Self, I say...self, the people at work seem to think that fun is not allowed.  Surely this is misguided.  Be sure to work on an anti-no-fun campaign.  It's time to bring playdoh and silly walks back!  Perhaps they will like my first comedy sketch:  The All-You-Must-Eat-Buffet. 

 

Comedy Central - Here I Come!

What a night!  I had my first (7pm - 10pm) class at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (www.ucbtheatre.com).  Opened in 1999, it is the birthing spot of some of the best comedic talent NYC has to offer.  In 2006, UCB opened the first comedy training center of its kind in NYC.  Students from UCB have gone on to write and perform for SNL, Conan, Mad TV, the Daily Show, Late Night with Craig Ferguson, etc.  Charlie Sanders, who is our instructor, has his own show every Saturday night downtown and often appears in sketches with Conan O'Brien.

So...in this deal, I am the oldest (although I did see some older looking folks who were heading toward the Improv classes), but four of us are neophytes to UCB (everyone else is on their second or third Improv class).  I was a bit worried at the start of class when we went around and introduced ourselves:  these folks were mentioning comedy sketch shows on cable that I had never heard of!  Not having cable may be an issue...but I'm heading to the video store today to see what I can find on DVD.

I introduced myself as a Social Worker.  I thought it might be fun in a room full of improv artists (narcissistic) in New York (neurotic), creating some fresh anxiety!  Instead I find out how cool they all think it is that I get paid to help people (most of them are volunteering time and helping do 'charity' work). So much for identifying any anxious narcissistic neurotics...maybe I was projecting....

Anyway!  As we went around the room, we had to say what our favorite sketch show is and our favorite sketch.  When Erica (no...I bet that's EriKa, with a 'K') said that she liked "really old Saturday Night Live sketches" I worried...how much older am I than these people?

So...any guesses to what my pick was favorite sketch show...come one!  Monty Python!  And my favorite sketch (click on the archives button on the right-hand side panel if you can't recall...8/15/07 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMOmB1q8W4Y ) - The Job Interview!  Thankfully, Charlie, our instructor, loves Monty and knew the sketch.  But I got to act some of it out - which was a big hit!  'I want to be A LION TAMER!  I have a hat!  it LIGHTS UP!' 

Talk about life coming full circle, huh?  When I started my leave I had that odd experience of waking in the middle of the night and having a Monty Python review on.   And then the job interview sketch played and I thought for sure I was going to hear God's voiceover saying, "listen Sandra...listen, and learn".

Anywho!  I learned all sorts of cool Sketch terminology last night (game, heightening, beats, blows and buttons...sounds a little S&Mish) and we did a read-through.  It's interesting to observe all these young folk.  Bless their little hearts, they were trying so hard.  But they were trying so hard to be funny, they got weird and abstract...and their short life-experience surfaced.

For instance, Charlie gave us the topic "Christmas morning" and asked someone to tell a story that we could use to frame a sketch.  So we get the story of a guy who plays drinking games on Christmas Eve, gets drunk, ends up at IHop at 5am Christmas morning, trying to get sober enough to go open presents at his parent's house at 9am.

Huh?  I'm not sure I see any humor.  And the class sure struggled.  I suggested we could focus on the IHop and play with the idea of where Santa goes for breakfast after he gets off of work.  I probably pushed it when I suggested he walk into IHop with 208 midget illegal immigrants....But Stephanie, who sat across from me...she gets it.  Her mind is sharp!  She suggested we see the Anti-Claus, how Santa is just really a hard working blue-collar SOB with a big belly.  Oh wait...did Billy Bob Thorton do a movie like that about a year ago?  Oh well....

Then we did small group work (L&D team - I think you would have liked Charlie's teaching style, aside from the profanity!  Class included some lecture, big group discussion, watching a couple of DVD sketches and discussing, small group work, and a break!).  My partner was Todd.  He's been writing sketches "for something, like, uh, wow, like, twenty years or something like that".  I think he's 22. 

Anyway!  Charlie gave us some starters and one was "the office party".  So Todd has a memory of going to his first office party, about 2 weeks after he started his job, and getting "totally shit-faced" (do we see a theme here?) and leaving "this nice lady's house" and going to a bar and finding a glove.  Then he wore the glove the rest of the night.

That was it.  Funny, wasn't it?  NOT!  Maybe when you're drunk, but...I did my best to help Todd develop a sketch from that experience.  I used my psychotherapist experience (I'm not ready to share that about myself, yet!) and got him to focus on the aspect of going to a party and wanting to feel unique, and doing so by being slightly bizarre, only to find out that everyone in the party is just like you!

Me...I liked the Buffet Breakfast idea.  People do some strange things at buffets, have you ever noticed?  Anyway, thegist is that a family of four from some foreign land comes into the buffet and want very hard to fit into American Culture.  The buffet they've happened upon is a pre-big Friday night football game buffet, so there are cheerleaders in the dining room, banners, everyone's dressed in school colors and yelling...getting psyched for the game.

The father says to the waitress, "we are here for the All-You-Must-Eat dinner."  The family seems to have deduced that this is a competitive eating event (how American!).

After starting with small, "European portion" plates, the family sees how everyone around them is piling food on their plate, coming back to tables with 2 or 3 plates, etc.  They begin to worry that they are 'losing' the event. 

So they make return trips to the buffet, first taking the entire container of food, then stealing one of the carts used to pick up dirty plates, and piling food on that.  The panic increases as everyone else in the restaurant finishes and starts to leave for the game.  They don't want to be last!

The ending is that they are the last in the restaurant and realize that they have "lost the contest - we can no make good Americans".  They are surrounded by all this food and then the waitress drags in a big refrigerator box "for the leftovers".

Ok...it's that or the lady on the airplane who comes on with her husband and her hat box - and puts her husband in the overhead bin and gives the seat to the hat box!

We'll see...my biggest challenge is that I love physical comedy, so to get my characters to stand still and just be funny using words will be a push.  But this is going to be great and will help immensely in some personal development areas, such as presenting my ideas, dealing with conflict, and assertiveness (note to my 'coaches'!).

 

 

Comedy Central - Here I Come!

What a night!  I had my first (7pm - 10pm) class at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (www.ucbtheatre.com).  Opened in 1999, it is the birthing spot of some of the best comedic talent NYC has to offer.  In 2006, UCB opened the first comedy training center of its kind in NYC.  Students from UCB have gone on to write and perform for SNL, Conan, Mad TV, the Daily Show, Late Night with Craig Ferguson, etc.  Charlie Sanders, who is our instructor, has his own show every Saturday night downtown and often appears in sketches with Conan O'Brien.

So...in this deal, I am the oldest (although I did see some older looking folks who were heading toward the Improv classes), but four of us are neophytes to UCB (everyone else is on their second or third Improv class).  I was a bit worried at the start of class when we went around and introduced ourselves:  these folks were mentioning comedy sketch shows on cable that I had never heard of!  Not having cable may be an issue...but I'm heading to the video store today to see what I can find on DVD.

I introduced myself as a Social Worker.  I thought it might be fun in a room full of improv artists (narcissistic) in New York (neurotic), creating some fresh anxiety!  Instead I find out how cool they all think it is that I get paid to help people (most of them are volunteering time and helping do 'charity' work). So much for identifying any anxious narcissistic neurotics...maybe I was projecting....

Anyway!  As we went around the room, we had to say what our favorite sketch show is and our favorite sketch.  When Erica (no...I bet that's EriKa, with a 'K') said that she liked "really old Saturday Night Live sketches" I worried...how much older am I than these people?

So...any guesses to what my pick was favorite sketch show...come one!  Monty Python!  And my favorite sketch (click on the archives button on the right-hand side panel if you can't recall...8/15/07 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMOmB1q8W4Y ) - The Job Interview!  Thankfully, Charlie, our instructor, loves Monty and knew the sketch.  But I got to act some of it out - which was a big hit!  'I want to be A LION TAMER!  I have a hat!  it LIGHTS UP!' 

Talk about life coming full circle, huh?  When I started my leave I had that odd experience of waking in the middle of the night and having a Monty Python review on.   And then the job interview sketch played and I thought for sure I was going to hear God's voiceover saying, "listen Sandra...listen, and learn".

Anywho!  I learned all sorts of cool Sketch terminology last night (game, heightening, beats, blows and buttons...sounds a little S&Mish) and we did a read-through.  It's interesting to observe all these young folk.  Bless their little hearts, they were trying so hard.  But they were trying so hard to be funny, they got weird and abstract...and their short life-experience surfaced.

For instance, Charlie gave us the topic "Christmas morning" and asked someone to tell a story that we could use to frame a sketch.  So we get the story of a guy who plays drinking games on Christmas Eve, gets drunk, ends up at IHop at 5am Christmas morning, trying to get sober enough to go open presents at his parent's house at 9am.

Huh?  I'm not sure I see any humor.  And the class sure struggled.  I suggested we could focus on the IHop and play with the idea of where Santa goes for breakfast after he gets off of work.  I probably pushed it when I suggested he walk into IHop with 208 midget illegal immigrants....But Stephanie, who sat across from me...she gets it.  Her mind is sharp!  She suggested we see the Anti-Claus, how Santa is just really a hard working blue-collar SOB with a big belly.  Oh wait...did Billy Bob Thorton do a movie like that about a year ago?  Oh well....

Then we did small group work (L&D team - I think you would have liked Charlie's teaching style, aside from the profanity!  Class included some lecture, big group discussion, watching a couple of DVD sketches and discussing, small group work, and a break!).  My partner was Todd.  He's been writing sketches "for something, like, uh, wow, like, twenty years or something like that".  I think he's 22. 

Anyway!  Charlie gave us some starters and one was "the office party".  So Todd has a memory of going to his first office party, about 2 weeks after he started his job, and getting "totally shit-faced" (do we see a theme here?) and leaving "this nice lady's house" and going to a bar and finding a glove.  Then he wore the glove the rest of the night.

That was it.  Funny, wasn't it?  NOT!  Maybe when you're drunk, but...I did my best to help Todd develop a sketch from that experience.  I used my psychotherapist experience (I'm not ready to share that about myself, yet!) and got him to focus on the aspect of going to a party and wanting to feel unique, and doing so by being slightly bizarre, only to find out that everyone in the party is just like you!

Me...I liked the Buffet Breakfast idea.  People do some strange things at buffets, have you ever noticed?  Anyway, thegist is that a family of four from some foreign land comes into the buffet and want very hard to fit into American Culture.  The buffet they've happened upon is a pre-big Friday night football game buffet, so there are cheerleaders in the dining room, banners, everyone's dressed in school colors and yelling...getting psyched for the game.

The father says to the waitress, "we are here for the All-You-Must-Eat dinner."  The family seems to have deduced that this is a competitive eating event (how American!).

After starting with small, "European portion" plates, the family sees how everyone around them is piling food on their plate, coming back to tables with 2 or 3 plates, etc.  They begin to worry that they are 'losing' the event. 

So they make return trips to the buffet, first taking the entire container of food, then stealing one of the carts used to pick up dirty plates, and piling food on that.  The panic increases as everyone else in the restaurant finishes and starts to leave for the game.  They don't want to be last!

The ending is that they are the last in the restaurant and realize that they have "lost the contest - we can no make good Americans".  They are surrounded by all this food and then the waitress drags in a big refrigerator box "for the leftovers".

Ok...it's that or the lady on the airplane who comes on with her husband and her hat box - and puts her husband in the overhead bin and gives the seat to the hat box!

We'll see...my biggest challenge is that I love physical comedy, so to get my characters to stand still and just be funny using words will be a push.  But this is going to be great and will help immensely in some personal development areas, such as presenting my ideas, dealing with conflict, and assertiveness (note to my 'coaches'!).

 

 

Additional Reflections and Recommendations

I have an amazing hodge-podge of stuff for you today - ready?

Go see Across the University if you have any interest in the Beatles, '60s, evolution, Vietnam, love, peace.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ6d3m-GFyw  As you watch and listen to the clip, please note that these actors all sang their OWN songs!  The woman who is the Janis Joplin-like figure is AWESOME! 

I pride myself in being a Beatles fan, but there were 3 songs I have no recollection of. 

Funny story here - how I became familiar with the Beatles and why (as some of you know), I know the words to Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole (etc.) music.  When we came to America from Britain, our belongings came via ship and were packed into crates that were about 4'x4'.  When mom had finished unpacking all the crates (which had been in storage for a while since my parents still had to buy a house, so we rented a furnished home), she discovered that one crate had been mixed up with someone else's (whose, we never learned, since they weren't marked with names).

She discovered that all of the baby stuff (I had just turned 5, but I believe they were planning on more family!) and all of her British baking pans (jam tarts, triffle, custard tins, etc.) were gone and in their place were....record albums!  Nearly 100!

So throughout my childhood, almost every day through age ten, then on bad weather days as I got older, I would play in the basement and listen to the albums!  There were also some wonderful classical albums, including Opera, but they weren't vinyl - they were the old 78's that smashed to hundreds of tiny bits the day the shelf fell off the wall!  My mom was crushed (as those were here favorites).

Not to worry...she found a replacement or two:  Blondie and the Bee Gee's!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

My visit with Janae (8 1/2) and Aiden (5) was lots of fun.  I talked the family out of going to church Sunday and instead going pumpkin picking!  Now, you have to picture this...my brother, his wife, and both the kids are (bright orange) redheads.  I'm the least red of them.  So there we are - 5 redheads in the pumpkin patch....I told Aiden he had to be careful or someone would pick him!

We fed chickens and horses, and did a huge corn maze!  If you haven't done the corn maze thing, I highly recommend it!  I helped save a lost 12 year old (separated from his church group - who I noted wasn't in church either!), we found 5 of the 6 clues (so did not win the prize, much to my brother's frustration!), and got a little sunburn!

After 6 hours of picking, mazing, and playing, we headed home for Connie's Pizza.  It's a local 'Chicago-style' pizza place in the burbs, but I love to order from them because it's my nod to mom.  When she was dying (of stomach cancer - pause for irony), aside from her IV drip and methadone, what she loved to have when I would come for a visit was Connie's pizza and a glass of Baileys!  Before she became too sick, she and I would drive to pick the pizza up and get in some great mom 'n me time.  She'd lost so much weight, that she said the pizza felt good on her lap:  warming her up.  So we raised a couple of slices to mom and planned faces for our pumpkins!

And yes...I did bring a pumpkin home - in my checked bag!  I decided that if TSA thinks cheese is a liquid, they'd never let me on with a pumpkin!  Winona, pumpkins, niece and nephew...and dad got an all-clear on his cancer yesterday! 

That's life across my universe....

 

Additional Reflections and Recommendations

I have an amazing hodge-podge of stuff for you today - ready?

Go see Across the University if you have any interest in the Beatles, '60s, evolution, Vietnam, love, peace.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ6d3m-GFyw  As you watch and listen to the clip, please note that these actors all sang their OWN songs!  The woman who is the Janis Joplin-like figure is AWESOME! 

I pride myself in being a Beatles fan, but there were 3 songs I have no recollection of. 

Funny story here - how I became familiar with the Beatles and why (as some of you know), I know the words to Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole (etc.) music.  When we came to America from Britain, our belongings came via ship and were packed into crates that were about 4'x4'.  When mom had finished unpacking all the crates (which had been in storage for a while since my parents still had to buy a house, so we rented a furnished home), she discovered that one crate had been mixed up with someone else's (whose, we never learned, since they weren't marked with names).

She discovered that all of the baby stuff (I had just turned 5, but I believe they were planning on more family!) and all of her British baking pans (jam tarts, triffle, custard tins, etc.) were gone and in their place were....record albums!  Nearly 100!

So throughout my childhood, almost every day through age ten, then on bad weather days as I got older, I would play in the basement and listen to the albums!  There were also some wonderful classical albums, including Opera, but they weren't vinyl - they were the old 78's that smashed to hundreds of tiny bits the day the shelf fell off the wall!  My mom was crushed (as those were here favorites).

Not to worry...she found a replacement or two:  Blondie and the Bee Gee's!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

My visit with Janae (8 1/2) and Aiden (5) was lots of fun.  I talked the family out of going to church Sunday and instead going pumpkin picking!  Now, you have to picture this...my brother, his wife, and both the kids are (bright orange) redheads.  I'm the least red of them.  So there we are - 5 redheads in the pumpkin patch....I told Aiden he had to be careful or someone would pick him!

We fed chickens and horses, and did a huge corn maze!  If you haven't done the corn maze thing, I highly recommend it!  I helped save a lost 12 year old (separated from his church group - who I noted wasn't in church either!), we found 5 of the 6 clues (so did not win the prize, much to my brother's frustration!), and got a little sunburn!

After 6 hours of picking, mazing, and playing, we headed home for Connie's Pizza.  It's a local 'Chicago-style' pizza place in the burbs, but I love to order from them because it's my nod to mom.  When she was dying (of stomach cancer - pause for irony), aside from her IV drip and methadone, what she loved to have when I would come for a visit was Connie's pizza and a glass of Baileys!  Before she became too sick, she and I would drive to pick the pizza up and get in some great mom 'n me time.  She'd lost so much weight, that she said the pizza felt good on her lap:  warming her up.  So we raised a couple of slices to mom and planned faces for our pumpkins!

And yes...I did bring a pumpkin home - in my checked bag!  I decided that if TSA thinks cheese is a liquid, they'd never let me on with a pumpkin!  Winona, pumpkins, niece and nephew...and dad got an all-clear on his cancer yesterday! 

That's life across my universe....

 

Last week of my "break"

I don't think I ever shared with you that I had a "break" theme.  Yep.  I did.  I discovered it in late May, shortly after deciding to take a leave of absence.  It was perfect!  Upbeat, silly lyrics, some funkiness in the middle.  And Alice Smith is a very soulful singer (in the genre of Nina Simone and some of those marvelous vocalists).

If you have a moment, take a listen by clicking on the link below.  If you printed this and are not on-line, here are the lyrics:

http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/window/media/player/0,,3558309-7830786-RMLO,00.html

I woke up in NYC
With a bunch of anxiety
Rent's due in a couple of weeks
Yo, I had this really fucked up dream and
I just let it slip away
Thinking about all the bills I got to pay
I think I'll hock my trinity
And buy it back on a better day

Spent ten days in Woodstock taking it easy
So would you please excuse me
'Cause I'm feeling quite sad and I'm happy again
Because I spent ten days in Woodstock taking it easy
Feeling mellow like a cello
Go ahead part the seas and say hello to the fishes for me

Wow, man, what a sunny day
I can't wait to get out and play
Walk down those city streets
Laughing at all those city creeps and
I got a lot to organ-iz-ize
Got a lot of thinking to do
Another day the sun'll be out
Another day the sky will be blue

All the crazy fish say'...wa, wa, wa....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, the trip to Winona, MN was great!  It was my first meeting at the Advisory Board chair of the Saint Teresa Leadership and Service Institute (STI) at Saint Mary's University:  http://www.smumn.edu/sitepages/pid1187.php    

The program is in its' third year and the birthing process has been challenging!   My connection to the program is through the College of St. Teresa (CST), my alma mater.  CST closed in 1987, but an alumna made a significant contribution to Saint Mary's to start the program.  We have $150,000 in scholarship funds raised and have the biggest non-academic budget on campus. 

There are 33 women in the program, 17 of whom will graduate this spring.  We had hoped to be at 50 students this year; however, we've struggled to 'sell' the program.  The focus is tri-fold: co-curricular (4 women's only courses on Leadership and Franciscan/Teresan/LaSallian values), residential (members are asked to live in community with one another for the first two years), and service-focused (women have to work on several service opportunities in leadership roles).

We have the most racially diverse group on campus and our performance metrics outperform other groups:  our student retention rate is the highest.  We spent a significant amount of time at this meeting working on identified measurable outcomes and working with the institutional research group on evaluation measures.  I hope you're proud!

Winona is a very special place for me.  It's a city that sits on the Mississippi, surrounded by bluffs.  The drive down to Winona from the twin cities is amazing this time of year.  The colors are just blazing!  Watching the barges go down the river with the Wisconsin bluffs on one side and the Minnesota bluffs on the other....

Although CST is closed and most of the property has been sold to the local high school or Winona State University, the chapel and Alverna Hall (where the nuns used to live!) belong to Saint Mary's.   The chapel is special to me because it is where I was baptized, confirmed and received first communion.   I can't tell you how much CST 'raised' me.  I would not be the woman I am today had it not been for the College.  I still stay in touch with Sister Margaret who was my advisor for Pax Christi/Bread for the World.  She has been an amazing source of support for me during my 'break'.

All in all...the trip was perfect. The time spent with a marvelous group of women who sit on the Advisory Board with me is always of value.  Although I'm the youngest (most are in their mid- to late-60's), they tolerate me well and patiently teach me how to be the best leader I can be.  They love to telll me stories of the days when Teresan women couldn't leave campus without hats and gloves, share their knowledge of working with university staff and faculty (3 are retired PhD's), and I'm even learning a thing or two about single-malt scotch!

I put together a little slide show for you from the Teresan Book on Manners - enjoy!

F:\Agency Services\Agency Communications\Manners.ppt<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

 

Last week of my "break"

I don't think I ever shared with you that I had a "break" theme.  Yep.  I did.  I discovered it in late May, shortly after deciding to take a leave of absence.  It was perfect!  Upbeat, silly lyrics, some funkiness in the middle.  And Alice Smith is a very soulful singer (in the genre of Nina Simone and some of those marvelous vocalists).

If you have a moment, take a listen by clicking on the link below.  If you printed this and are not on-line, here are the lyrics:

http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/window/media/player/0,,3558309-7830786-RMLO,00.html

I woke up in NYC
With a bunch of anxiety
Rent's due in a couple of weeks
Yo, I had this really fucked up dream and
I just let it slip away
Thinking about all the bills I got to pay
I think I'll hock my trinity
And buy it back on a better day

Spent ten days in Woodstock taking it easy
So would you please excuse me
'Cause I'm feeling quite sad and I'm happy again
Because I spent ten days in Woodstock taking it easy
Feeling mellow like a cello
Go ahead part the seas and say hello to the fishes for me

Wow, man, what a sunny day
I can't wait to get out and play
Walk down those city streets
Laughing at all those city creeps and
I got a lot to organ-iz-ize
Got a lot of thinking to do
Another day the sun'll be out
Another day the sky will be blue

All the crazy fish say'...wa, wa, wa....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, the trip to Winona, MN was great!  It was my first meeting at the Advisory Board chair of the Saint Teresa Leadership and Service Institute (STI) at Saint Mary's University:  http://www.smumn.edu/sitepages/pid1187.php    

The program is in its' third year and the birthing process has been challenging!   My connection to the program is through the College of St. Teresa (CST), my alma mater.  CST closed in 1987, but an alumna made a significant contribution to Saint Mary's to start the program.  We have $150,000 in scholarship funds raised and have the biggest non-academic budget on campus. 

There are 33 women in the program, 17 of whom will graduate this spring.  We had hoped to be at 50 students this year; however, we've struggled to 'sell' the program.  The focus is tri-fold: co-curricular (4 women's only courses on Leadership and Franciscan/Teresan/LaSallian values), residential (members are asked to live in community with one another for the first two years), and service-focused (women have to work on several service opportunities in leadership roles).

We have the most racially diverse group on campus and our performance metrics outperform other groups:  our student retention rate is the highest.  We spent a significant amount of time at this meeting working on identified measurable outcomes and working with the institutional research group on evaluation measures.  I hope you're proud!

Winona is a very special place for me.  It's a city that sits on the Mississippi, surrounded by bluffs.  The drive down to Winona from the twin cities is amazing this time of year.  The colors are just blazing!  Watching the barges go down the river with the Wisconsin bluffs on one side and the Minnesota bluffs on the other....

Although CST is closed and most of the property has been sold to the local high school or Winona State University, the chapel and Alverna Hall (where the nuns used to live!) belong to Saint Mary's.   The chapel is special to me because it is where I was baptized, confirmed and received first communion.   I can't tell you how much CST 'raised' me.  I would not be the woman I am today had it not been for the College.  I still stay in touch with Sister Margaret who was my advisor for Pax Christi/Bread for the World.  She has been an amazing source of support for me during my 'break'.

All in all...the trip was perfect. The time spent with a marvelous group of women who sit on the Advisory Board with me is always of value.  Although I'm the youngest (most are in their mid- to late-60's), they tolerate me well and patiently teach me how to be the best leader I can be.  They love to telll me stories of the days when Teresan women couldn't leave campus without hats and gloves, share their knowledge of working with university staff and faculty (3 are retired PhD's), and I'm even learning a thing or two about single-malt scotch!

I put together a little slide show for you from the Teresan Book on Manners - enjoy!

F:\Agency Services\Agency Communications\Manners.ppt<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

 

Weekly Update

Have you ever woken up and seen a dragon outside of your window?  I DID!!  I don't know when he came into the neighborhood (maybe on all the wind and rain we had in NYC yesterday...), bur sure 'nuf - there he was!  Can you see him?  He's very green and leafy looking, and his wings are buried in the tree...but there he is!  See his fangs (lower left-hand corner)?

It was great seeing folks yesterday in Philly.  Let's see, in two weeks time I've been able to re-connect with a whole lot of folks - how energizing!  It felt good to be back in the office.  Things were quiet...somewhat still, I'd say.  People were very welcoming, in general.  I did observe a small group of people who were more reserved...polite, but reserved.  It seems like there's a group of staff who are feeling worried, cautious and anxious.  The recent staff turnovers are creating a lot of that.  I think the fact that a number of professional staff have left is disconcerting for some people. 

Good discussions with folks.  I felt clear, able to move at my own pace.  The debrief with my testing guy went very well.  We talked a lot about my personal leadership challenges in relation to the BBBSA culture.  The question I must really reflect on is whether BBBSA will allow me to make the changes I need.  I know that the people, individually, will support me (many of you have already begun to step into the role).  But the culture...can I make the changes in the BBBSA environment?  Much to think about....

Exciting News!  I was accepted  by the Institute of Children's Literature!  I'll need to make a decision about this by next week, but if I decide to do it, it's a remote tutoring-style learning opportunity. You spend the year working on a variety of writing assignments that are submitted to you tutor for editing and commentary.  They gave me an interesting tutor.  She's published a series of non-fiction books on historical places and one sci-fi book for young adults.  I think I was assigned to her because my writing goal is a series:  Stanley and Moose.  I have two outlined and four more identified.  I would finish the program with 6 college credits, several manuscripts, and letters to publishers ready to go.

When I told Judy about this (and my comedy sketch writing course that starts in 2 weeks), she looked worried and surprised!  She kept asking how I would manage all of that and work.  I looked her straight in the eye and said, "this was intentional on my part".  The fact that I lost all life-balance means that I have to be sure I have some commitments outside of work that I can honor in order to make sure I'm getting my needs met.  Judy said it made sense to her, but I could see she's still a bit worried. 

The Institute is an at-your-own-pace program, and allows for extensions, leaves, etc.  I feel certain I can make it work.  It would allow me to indulge in something I enjoy, yet challenge me to take a risk and stretch myself in a new way...it's a creative outlet and would help me to turn-off from work.  It also means discipline and setting boundaries around work.  I think it's this or a true 9-5 job...do those exist anymore?

I hope to have a decision about BBBSA by Monday...in the meantime, time to go check the mail then finish up my latest book, "Eats, Shoot & Leaves," by Lynne Truss: 

A panda walks into a cafe.  he orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asked the confused waiter, as the padna makes toward the exit.  the panda produces a badly puncturated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door.  "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explaination.

"Panda.  Large black-and-white bear-like animal, native to China.  Eats, shoots and leaves."

I'm reading it as part of research I'm doing for an AlmostNearlyReady article, due out next week.  In the meantime - IT'S A HOOT!  The author is a Brit, so how can this not be good!  She has my humour!

     "Now, there are no laws against imprisoning apostrophes and making them look daft.  Cruelty to punctuation is quite unlegislated:  you can get away with pulling the legs off semicolon; shriveling question marks on the garden path under  a powerful magnifying glass; you name it...Too many jobs have been heaped upon this tiny mark, and - far from complaining - the apostrophe has seemingly requested "More weight", just like that martyrish old codger in Arthur Miller's The Crucible...."

Weekly Update

Have you ever woken up and seen a dragon outside of your window?  I DID!!  I don't know when he came into the neighborhood (maybe on all the wind and rain we had in NYC yesterday...), bur sure 'nuf - there he was!  Can you see him?  He's very green and leafy looking, and his wings are buried in the tree...but there he is!  See his fangs (lower left-hand corner)?

It was great seeing folks yesterday in Philly.  Let's see, in two weeks time I've been able to re-connect with a whole lot of folks - how energizing!  It felt good to be back in the office.  Things were quiet...somewhat still, I'd say.  People were very welcoming, in general.  I did observe a small group of people who were more reserved...polite, but reserved.  It seems like there's a group of staff who are feeling worried, cautious and anxious.  The recent staff turnovers are creating a lot of that.  I think the fact that a number of professional staff have left is disconcerting for some people. 

Good discussions with folks.  I felt clear, able to move at my own pace.  The debrief with my testing guy went very well.  We talked a lot about my personal leadership challenges in relation to the BBBSA culture.  The question I must really reflect on is whether BBBSA will allow me to make the changes I need.  I know that the people, individually, will support me (many of you have already begun to step into the role).  But the culture...can I make the changes in the BBBSA environment?  Much to think about....

Exciting News!  I was accepted  by the Institute of Children's Literature!  I'll need to make a decision about this by next week, but if I decide to do it, it's a remote tutoring-style learning opportunity. You spend the year working on a variety of writing assignments that are submitted to you tutor for editing and commentary.  They gave me an interesting tutor.  She's published a series of non-fiction books on historical places and one sci-fi book for young adults.  I think I was assigned to her because my writing goal is a series:  Stanley and Moose.  I have two outlined and four more identified.  I would finish the program with 6 college credits, several manuscripts, and letters to publishers ready to go.

When I told Judy about this (and my comedy sketch writing course that starts in 2 weeks), she looked worried and surprised!  She kept asking how I would manage all of that and work.  I looked her straight in the eye and said, "this was intentional on my part".  The fact that I lost all life-balance means that I have to be sure I have some commitments outside of work that I can honor in order to make sure I'm getting my needs met.  Judy said it made sense to her, but I could see she's still a bit worried. 

The Institute is an at-your-own-pace program, and allows for extensions, leaves, etc.  I feel certain I can make it work.  It would allow me to indulge in something I enjoy, yet challenge me to take a risk and stretch myself in a new way...it's a creative outlet and would help me to turn-off from work.  It also means discipline and setting boundaries around work.  I think it's this or a true 9-5 job...do those exist anymore?

I hope to have a decision about BBBSA by Monday...in the meantime, time to go check the mail then finish up my latest book, "Eats, Shoot & Leaves," by Lynne Truss: 

A panda walks into a cafe.  he orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asked the confused waiter, as the padna makes toward the exit.  the panda produces a badly puncturated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door.  "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explaination.

"Panda.  Large black-and-white bear-like animal, native to China.  Eats, shoots and leaves."

I'm reading it as part of research I'm doing for an AlmostNearlyReady article, due out next week.  In the meantime - IT'S A HOOT!  The author is a Brit, so how can this not be good!  She has my humour!

     "Now, there are no laws against imprisoning apostrophes and making them look daft.  Cruelty to punctuation is quite unlegislated:  you can get away with pulling the legs off semicolon; shriveling question marks on the garden path under  a powerful magnifying glass; you name it...Too many jobs have been heaped upon this tiny mark, and - far from complaining - the apostrophe has seemingly requested "More weight", just like that martyrish old codger in Arthur Miller's The Crucible...."