Showing posts with label JP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JP. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Next Chapter

Right now, I currently feel intoxicated. I can honestly promise that I have consumed no alcohol in over a week, at the least. I guess it's a combination of my equilibrium being slightly off and my sinuses still being clogged. I've been slightly deathly ill lately, by the way. On and off fever, hacking cough, draining sinuses, fatigue, body aches, and general exhaustion. I've been sleeping for hours on end every day, and I'm finally getting better. I'm actually sitting in class today! Yay! This has been a rather sickly semester for me thus far. First a little cold, then a nasty stomach bug that made me want to die, and then this really horrible, yucky "crud" that's been plaguing me for the past week. Hopefully it'll all go away and I can go another few years without getting severely sick again.

My scene went up yesterday. I got hit pretty hard, and I cried, but I'll tough it out and move on. I guess you live and learn. I could make excuses about my main character dropping out less than a week before the performance, my severe illness, the lack of time and rehearsal, and the lack of available rehearsal space, but I refuse to make unnecessary excuses for my lack of proper scene choice. Maybe it's a pride thing.

I have a project due on Friday that should be relatively simple to make and complete, but I have to sit down and do it. I have a show to see tonight. Angels In America opens tonight, and I'm looking forward to seeing it. Since my directing scene's finished, I have to begin research on my musical scene as soon as possible. Things are slowing down a little, so I think I'll make it.

Still giving myself the B-12 shots, and still doing just fine with them, though no major changes yet. I need to put together a to-do list and a grocery list for Wal-Mart. I need shampoo. I need to do laundry, too. Always something to do. But that's life. Not in my normal peppy mood today, sorry. Just dealing as I can.

JP's birthday was Sunday. I gave him a card and a little fuzzy yellow duck that went with the theme of the card. It was kind of funny because I borrowed his keys to put his card and duck in his car in order to avoid embarassment and gossip, and he asked me to take his balloon and gifts to the car. His mother and sisters had been by earlier that day and brought gifts and the balloon. It was such a comfortable, normal thing to do. It felt like Jarrod and me all over again, with the familiarity and the comfort and the predictability. Another interesting discovery was one I think I've made before, and that is that he doesn't ever ask me to do anything as far as work goes. I was working with Heather on Sunday and he asked her to spot sweep when we were both standing there, and then told her to go light the lanterns on the tables, rather than me. I didn't mind, but I found it a little odd. To top it off, I was sweeping under a big table so we could seat people there again and he touched me on the elbow and told me the busser could do it. I don't know why he does that, but it may be because he knows that I'm willing to do anything he needs done, both for work and on a slightly personal level. (Think shopping for his mom's Mother's Day gift when given a spending limit within the store, or taking his birthday presents to his car, or getting him medicine for his migraines.)

Ok, class is over, so I'm off. Love and hugs, as always.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Stop Spreading the Rumors Around...

I taught my first lesson today at the Woodlands High School! I talked about vocal health and breathing techniques, plus a few stress-relief techniques to relax the vocal muscles. It was a ton of fun, and the kids were great and really interested in the lesson. I teach again on Friday, and finally on Monday. I'll give a test to the students on Wednesday and finish the lessons. I'll actually be able to use these lessons as my unit for my teacher work sample, so that will be fantastic.

I despise those who begin rumors, but I have decided to rise above them and look objectively until they can no longer affect me. I really hope things don't change so drastically that I'm unhappy, but I think I'll be able to handle it. I knew this might happen, so I guess I was more prepared than I thought. To fill you all in, I've been hanging out and talking to JP at work. Some morning shift employees questioned another manager if anything was going on between us, and, when the manager questioned him about it, JP replied that there wasn't anything between us, which is absolutely true. We're friends. However, he called me over to talk to him at work and mentioned that things had been brought up (again, actually), so basically he can't talk to me or be around me excessively at work.

I've been thinking about the whole situation, and I can't figure out if he knows that he's been hanging around me more than anyone else, and I don't know if he thinks there is or was anything between us before, simply because of the wording he used. I'm still up in the air about this whole situation, but I'll just have to wait and see, as usual. Love, darlings.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

The Latest

So it's been a month or so since my last post, and I thought it might be time for an update.

I LOVE my Cracker Barrel job. It's a ton of fun, and I have a lot of friends who like me and how I work, so I have fun there.

I have recently begun listening to talk radio, thanks to my manager, who gave me his account information so I could listen online to the same stuff he listens to. We're always looking for interesting conversation topics for our coffee time chats, so I'm enjoying the interesting look into conservative talk radio. We're on the same page politically, so we don't argue, but have different perspectives, since I interact with a very liberal group of college peers, and he doesn't have any major outside influence on his opinions. It's made for some interesting conversation, and I relish the intelligent political discussion with someone who actually listens to my opinions as something credible and interesting, rather than uninformed and naive. We talk about other things, too. Everything from religion to military service, and from technological advances to funny stories of childhood adventures. So, Mart, JP, and I sit around between my clock-out time and Mart's clock-in time (he's night maintenance) with JP and talk about the world. I think I've learned as much from those two as I do in some of my classes.

The Special Olympics was an amazing experience, and I feel like the "something" I was missing by not being able to interact with intellectually disabled people is finally found again. I can't really explain why it was such a great experience, though the stories people pass through their emails about all of the athletes turning around to get someone who falls behind are true. There was a girl sitting on the track crying, and her opponents went back, got her up, and finished the race with her. There are so many incredible people who fall into the category of "intellectually disabled" and I was fortunate to meet a few. There was one particularly polite young man who impressed me with his consistent manners and friendly demeanor. He was very excited about being on the football team at his high school and was telling me as we were waiting for pasta in the cafeteria that he was changing from receiver to running back because he's not the best at catching the ball, but can run like the wind. He's the only "special ed" (his words) kid on the team, but he goes to half regular classes, half special ed classes. I didn't even get his name, but I enjoyed our conversation. Jeff basically asked me to be his girlfriend right before he threw in the shot put. With Steve sitting right beside me. It was really funny in a way, and very flattering. Katie gave me a huge hug as we were walking over to the awards tent just because. She was my first place winner for that round, too. Mary Claire and Whitney almost got into a fight because Whitney said "Wolves stink" and Mary Claire's team mascot was a wolf. They eventually got settled down again, but these two little tiny girls getting angry was almost laughable when I stood up next to them to calm them down. Thankfully the round was almost over, so nobody's throw was off because of their words. And then there was Colby, who has been a guest star on "Walker, Texas Ranger" and is a fantastic public speaker. He has Downs Syndrome, and his parents are two huge supporters of the Texas Special Olympics. There was a super cute kid named Juan whose teammates and coaches called him Buddha-Buddha. He had a Buddha face, though, really.

There was one athlete who was the only member of his team at the Games, and he was very sweet, but my encounter with him made me cry, and made me very thankful I am as outgoing and friendly as I am. I don't know his name, but I know his smile. I was handing out stickers from the TDCJ group to all of the athletes, and even had my picture taken by one of the guys. I had been through two stacks, and had just started my third, when I looked over beside our group--we were all interspersed throughout the athletes and police groups--and saw an athlete with his parents who had on a lovely wolf shirt, but no stickers. I walked up to him, having gotten comfortable with approaching athletes with stickers. I said, "You don't have any stickers! Would you like one?" He nodded, so I peeled a sticker off and asked him where he wanted me to put it. He pointed to his chest, where a badge would be, and I obliged. As I was walking away to look for more sticker-less athletes, his dad reached over with an indescribable look on his face and said, "Thanks." I was touched beyond belief, and honored that I could make his son's day by so simple an act. That's something I won't forget soon.

After my wonderful experience with the Special Olympics, Steve and I came back to Huntsville. I left Monday afternoon for San Antonio to see a friend who graduated last December. I enjoyed my drive, and the four hours there felt like three. The four hours back only felt like two, so I discovered a new love. An expensive one, but something I'll utilize when I can. I went to Sea World on Tuesday, too. I fed the dolphins, saw killer whales, dolphins, beluga whales, and huge Clydesdale horses, and rode several roller coasters. I had a ton of fun, and plan to make it an annual thing as long as my friend works there. I was delighted to learn that military personnel and their families get into the parks nation-wide for free on Saturdays. That warms my heart.

Now, it's back to work! The dorms open on Monday, and classes start on Tuesday. Here we go again! I have a pretty good break after the summer sessions end, so I'm hoping to save some money and have some fun, but we'll see how the cards unfold.

Hope everyone is doing well, and hope to hear from y'all soon!

P.S. I have a new wonderful friend in Rosemary, an older lady I work with who told me she prayed for me on my week off. I love her a lot, and really enjoy working with her. She's like a grandmother or aunt. My Cracker Barrel family is a great one, though, that's for sure. Love and hugs, everyone!