A day that was only mildly sucky ended up full of all kinds of comedy. I went straight from work to meet Ashlée, Roger and Rae-Anne at the Heidout for dinner before a comedy show at Key City Theatre. We were first at a small table and then moved to a booth which made Rae especially happy as her fave waiter, Zach worked that section. He is a lovely young man who now lives up the block from them, As always I let them know I have a pepper allergy and the chef came out to clarify some items in what I ordered which was lovely. We had appetizers and beverages and I mentioned I liked my wine glass and needed to add it to my collection. Zach said he would hook me up. Surf and turf was the special and it was good, not fabulous, but good. We had lots of time and were enjoying ourselves so we decided to have dessert as well. After being told the cheese cake Flavour was Banana Cream, that was ordered as well as Toffee Brownie and another Apple something. I have forgotten the other because the cheese cake will always live in infamy. It arrived at our table via someone not our server and we all just looked at it at first, wondering what it was. Finally we all took a bite and I said, oh no that is not good, it’s peppers! Ash said the piece of fruit she ate tasted familiar but wrong and Roger just had a quizzically horrified face. We saw another server walking by and asked what it was and it turns out it was Mango Sweet Pepper! Yes, I now have to mention I am allergic to peppers when dessert is ordered! Poor Zach was horrified and embarrassed, gave us a discount and me a wine glass. We know it wasn’t his fault and we were laughing at the irony of it all.
Next in store was a raunch filled night of comedy courtesy of Cranbrook’s own, Mark McCue and Newfoundland’s own, Lisa Baker. A good night all around. It was nice to make memories with the kids.
This odd machine is in my Physiotherapists office. Looks like something right out of the 1950s.
I am caught in a nightmare… this is my release, my therapy that costs around a dollar a day rather than $200 an hour. Everything I go to write, every thought processed tonight earns a backspace key on repeat. My ability to be me is fueled by my ability to leave things in the moment. I rarely carry a grudge, seldom give up on anyone and am straight forward. Perhaps my biggest problem is that I try not to say anything about you to anyone else that I wouldn’t say to your face and sometimes that creates a tornado of honesty that isn’t always welcomed. I want to talk about at least 3 major issues in the last 12 hours but nothing good will come of it because some readers will have the need to share my thoughts. I cannot purge lest I open myself up to more… see can’t even touch the subject…
No need to read between the lines, no need to guess where fault lies… no blame, only solutions. Yeah, that mantra is wearing thin. I find myself, all day, questioning whether I am fit for the public. I think that I may be becoming a fearful combination of Howard Hughes and Greta Garbo… ‘I vant to be alone”. This month is full of much public volunteer time but then I can slink into the shadows and finish producing, balance the books and fulfill my time until my commitments are done.
What an ironic day to pick up the 25 buttons I ordered from a local to give out to people who need them most. It’s a shame I didn’t have them with me yesterday at the hospital. I need one staring me in the face at the moment… Or maybe that is what I am doing, being kind and quiet. Holy Chic Art + Design makes lovely things and she stuck an awesome sticker in that she has no idea how much it means today especially. I put it on the wall by my door so I see it on the way out.
I was up at 6 and completing my prep for the procedure. Finished with a cup of black coffee at 7:30 and then cleaned and tidied, showered etc until Keri picked me up at 9:30 for a ride to the hospital. Once there I was given a bed and a gown, told to keep on my socks and that I would be after a coffee break and one other person, so about 40 minutes. The nurse was cheery and chatty but… oddly not conscious of hygiene. She spent the most time I have ever seen warming my arm and checking for the best place to put the IV, went away to get the stuff to do it and as she sat down beside me said, “sorry, I just have to tie my shoe first”. I laughed and said ‘well, as long as you hand sanitize after, no problem’ to which she replied, “I wasn’t going to, but I will now”. There followed a conversation about my Covid consciousness as she called it and I said that I just didn’t want to be sick from anything and that I wasn’t turning into Howard Hughes yet but suspected that would lighten up once I started travelling again. I was saying I always wanted to cruise the Panama but wasn’t wanting to cruise anytime soon due to Covid and Legionnaires and other things and she told me I was nearly Howard Hughes. Such strange talk from a nurse! And really I only mentioned she clean her hands before putting a needle in me!! Up side was I have good blood pressure in spite of that 124/68. The Dr and the OR staff were lovely and in no time at all I was waking up to coffee and cookies and being told there was nothing serious nor cancerous. I will have follow up in a few weeks. Keri was sweet enough to drive me home and even bring my Hello Fresh order that had arrived at the office. I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, dosing off and on until it was time to make some dinner and get picked up for the Hockey Game. I was feeling good, just had to wake up from the sedation. I also made a dinner that would be easy to digest.
At the game I sat with Ashlée in our usual seats as Bill and Deanne, Roger and Rae were all up as guests in a box. It let Ash and I have a good visit as there was no one around us to disturb and the game was a huge blow out for us against Merritt. I hate when scores are so one sided, you start to feel bad for the other team.
It was a long satisfying day at work. I was able to sneak some moments to place a small order for my friends Epicure and Pampered Chef parties. There was one thing I wanted from each. Of the two things I ordered from Pampered Chef I have heard one is back ordered and out of the order from Epicure I didn’t get the one thing I wanted as it was not currently available, Oh Canada Dry rub. It was nice to support a friend. I know what it is like to hold parties.
I stayed later to get my top priority items cleared off the desk as I will not be available tomorrow. I have a colonoscopy finally which was referred after my stint in hospital last New Years. I think it is the final piece of that whole puzzle and maybe they will finally determine why i had a portion of paralyzed bowel. I forgot I was supposed to be on clear fluids all day and had brought a lunch of my delicious left overs. Fortunately I remembered before I ate but I had not brought any fluids. Aside from coffee and water I bought a Gatorade out of the machine. Once i left the office i popped into Safeway for jello and broth, managing to get jello in me before meeting Rae and Roger at the cinema. We watched Venom from the comfy chairs. I liked it but there were moments when it was too much for me as the ‘amoeba’ was a monster from my nightmares. I think there were only 8 people in the audience. I don’t know how they are staying open, but am glad they are.
I got home quickly after the movie to take my picosalax which will start to clear out my system in anticipation of tomorrow. I remember the whole thing from 5 or 6 years ago when I had my first one. I seem to remember the prep was worse than the procedure. I am grateful that Keri has agreed to pick me up and bring me to the hospital and if I am done before her kids need her, she will bring me back home as well. I am just going to concentrate on it all going smoothly and that they find some answers. I am a bit hungry right now but my chicken broth was tasty. I should go to bed as I have to get up at 6 to take the rest of the solution. We did announce the cast of the play today and that is exciting. It’s getting real!
I feel like compared to last year, this year is ripping by. It is Nov already and so little time left in the great 2021. It does feel good to be at the start of a new month. Each month starts with hope and a plan. I didn’t have time to plan but it was nice when a client stopped by with his paperwork on the first day instead of the last week. He gave me a cheque to pay the last invoice and after he left I noticed he hadn’t signed it so I ran out to the parking lot. He saw me and got out of his car where he was not wearing a mask. I was so surprised to see he had a mustache and goatee! He actually looked better than ever. It’s funny how in this case the masks of the last long time hid the changes. After work I went to the Fire and Oak to see if they had found my missing earring. It is one of my favourite pair that an artist friend made. I still have hope it will show up. While I was there I experienced privileged people thinking they could come in without being vaccinated. I chose to get out of the shots being fired. Unfortunately they had not found my earring. I got home too late to make dinner as I needed to be at the theatre for 6:30 to address and photograph the director and cast. Once I got to the theatre I gave them a quick tour, explained all the building items, fire exits, etc and then took pictures for the press release. Once I got home I put them into a pic collage so Ashlée could approve posting it for tomorrow. I had already sent the text to go with it. She posted Peter’s blog today instead of mine which still annoys me a bit. I wrote a beautiful piece…
Quite possibly the best moment of my day was when a box arrived and I had no idea where it came from because I forgot that I had ordered through my air miles a bundle of two games with the nightmare before Christmas theme. I am so excited as they look amazing
I was super grateful to Rae-Anne who came and helped me get the tent trailer folded up for the winter. I left it up the last two and it was a lot of work to keep the snow off and the water out. We put all the furnishings in the shelter, bagged the mattress and put it in the metal shed and the folded and wrapped it. If it weren’t for the fact it takes two to deal with the mattress I could have done it myself it folds up so easily. Once we wrapped it up I put the big Googly eyes on it for Halloween and as a snow man for the winter. Got to have a little fun. When we were done we went and had a lovely brunch at Fire and Oak. We each ordered different types of Eggs Benedict and swapped half. It was a lovely visit and a delicious meal. The mountains were stunning on a beautiful clear Fall day.
After she dropped me back home I took opportunity to install three of four new outdoor lights. One on the front porch and two on the front of the trailer. It got fairly warm working in the sun. I noticed at 3:30 that younger kids were beginning to come around trick or treating. They were soooo adorable. I hung out at my neighbors on her deck running over to hand out candy as they came round. Emmy showed up and with glee sprayed me with silly string as she was Spider Gwen. Danika does such a good job making her costumes and Emmy plays the parts well. Just over 20 kids came before dark. It started to get cold fast as the sun went over the hill. My new lights looked good with their masks on. I lit a fire and sat as close as possible. Tracey came over to sit for the last hour or so but it was getting too cold and no one else seemed to be coming. At 9 we called it a night and when I went inside I saw on my indoor/outdoor thermometer that it was -6 Celsius, no wonder I was numb! I had a tootsie roll and it was hard to chew from being frozen outside. Over all there were around 30 kids, not as many as I expected and I have a lot of treats left which I will have to hide. It was so good to have Will and Sawyer stop by as the two older grandsons had their own plans with friends. I miss when we would all go out together walking the neighbourhood. Diane brought Zoë by and I gave their dog Layla a treat as well. I like the drive by drop ins a lot. It was a pretty great day and I got a lot done!
I am home finally after a very full and fabulous day. It began with an alarm to get me up and organized for our ABC Halloween Zoom. I had 8 masks ready to switch out on a regular basis as we talked. It was a lot of fun and so great to see everyone’s costumes. Several couldn’t make it but it was a good visit and laughs were had as always. There were also sad and touching moments as several shared the tough times they are going through. Several of us stayed on longer sharing and caring. It struck me at one point that I was grateful to be able to picture each of their homes in Santa Barbara, California, Biggin Hill, UK and West Linn, Oregon as I had spent time visiting each of them. I find comfort in being able to visualize where my friends are, to picture in my head the renovations and gardening they are doing, to have pet their dogs and cats and laughed with their kids. I truly am blessed by those moments.
When we were done I made my lunch and rested on the couch for a bit. Then it was time to get outside and get things done! When I had gone out this morning to grab my bin of masks out of the shed I had to bang on the locks to open it as they were frozen! I was worried that I had waited too long to get my Shelterlogic built as I needed to dig it to level and now the ground may be too solid. I had fortunately waited until it softened up. I spent the rest of the afternoon putting the walls and roof on the shed and raking leaves, organizing my metal locking shed and putting away lawn furniture. It would have been much easier with two people and at one point I got frustrated but persevered. It was very satisfying in the end.
I invited my neighbour to dinner and the hockey game. She couldn’t make it to the game but I made a nice meal to share and we had a good catch up visit. By the time we were done I made it to the game between the first and second period. There was no score yet at least. It seemed a fairly even game against the Nanaimo Clippers but it wasn’t very interesting until the third period when we started scoring. The game ended 4-1 with an empty netter in the last 21 seconds. It was fun to hear some of my Vancouver Island friends had been following the game on the radio.
Once I finally got out of the parking lot, I headed to the Firehall where the wrap party for The Shape of a Girl was being held. As i entered I was told it was last call in 5 minutes and would I like a drink. I said a red wine, not a Merlot would be lovely, 9 ounce. After a short but nice visit with everyone, I was given my tab to pay and found out my one glass of wine cost 20.70! It turns out I was drinking $360 Pinot Noir! I do wish I had known that in advance to avoid the sticker shock. I would also have paid more attention to it as I chatted…
I was reminded today to stay on target by dear friends from far away. I awoke to their messages of encouragement and put on my Wonder Woman stance to take on the day. I managed to complete what I had to but not all I wish I could have. But you know, I got it done and didn’t let the ball drop. But enough about me… here are some pics of things that made me smile today.
I worked so crazy hard today to get three companies filed for GST quarters, speak to a recent widow about her partners personal taxes and reconcile a few other people in between. From the office I went straight to pick up a friend and go see The Shape of a Girl. This time Jelena Jensen was the actor in the one woman show. It really was interesting seeing the same show within a week of seeing Cheyenne do it. I picked up different things this time and was left feeling similar to last time. Shattered was accurate the first time, cracked was a better descriptor this time. Both triggered me. This time my friend and I sat in the car and talked. I shared my story of being bullied, the things the show dredged up. There are lines in the show that rip the memories right out of the past… FP, writing FP on our hands to signify Flea Proof. We would regularly signify who had fleas that day and be sure everyone knew we were safe…. Talk of the boy who jumped off the Patullo Bridge which is just up river of the one I wanted to jump off when I was 16… cultivating the ‘HaHa’ rather than become even more of a target by not pretending being the butt of the jokes was fine… being one of the group of girls and then skipping a grade and floundering… being chased through the park every day to the chant of ‘Knee socks, Knee socks’ because I was only 12 and my mom wouldn’t let me wear nylons like the older girls I was in class with… having a male teacher make comments loaded with sexual innuendo… opening my clarinet case in the concert band rehearsal in spite of the fact things had gotten quieter and people were staring, only to find a bag of Gains burger… yep, dog food, HaHa. And all of this, and so much more, happened to a gifted, sensitive child who’d lost her birth mom and sister, who struggled to find her missing piece and longed just to know she was loved. I was loved, am loved, have always been loved but until I was 10, life felt pretty great and from 11 on not so much. I carry those scars, no matter how much therapy, positive self talk and work I do. The memories rise up less often but sometimes I have to check myself to see what age is responding in a situation. I acknowledge that 58 year old me sometimes gets all defensive of my teen self. I over react or don’t give two shakes at all… The beautiful thing as I sat in the car with my friend listening to the rain coming down, each of us wiping away tears, was when she said don’t worry, you’ve always got me… and I may have been a mean girl.
I watch an episode of a show every day on the treadmill before work. I just started season 3 of YOU. It is one disturbed show but I am somehow trapped in it. Part of me thinks I should just binge and move on as it is not very uplifting to start my day. I did get a lot done in my day and am managing to control my stress reaction. Two days left, two files to complete and file, 3 to enter and file as I received their info only today. I wish, without threats of not doing them, I could let people know how hard that is on me to leave it all to the last moment. One of the things I had to do was supply a picture to Ashlée to go with a blog for the theatre. I went into the bathroom where there was decent lighting and took a bunch of pics until I got one that was usable. I was laughing by the end of it.
The only picture I found more disturbing today was online while I was searching for fake cigarettes for the play…. WHO thought this was a good idea???
dinner was tasty but I have a colonoscopy next week and am supposed to avoid small grains, seeds, nuts, etc. This dish has all of them.. it was tasty though so I am bringing the second serving to Keri for lunch tomorrow.
I am feeling the pressure to get the yard winterized. I just hope it doesn’t deep freeze or snow before Sunday. So far so lucky…
No, really… a day can be defined by the meal that fuels you, or restores you. I again, worked through meal breaks to get things done. I am running out of month and three, yes 3, clients have not supplied me with their paperwork yet. Rather than stress out, I once again sent them reminders and worked on what I had. This left me with plenty to do and good focus time. I did start late as I had a Physiotherapy appointment at 9. It was my first visit in a while as I had to wait until I had all my results and then couldn’t get an appointment for 3 weeks. Mark Johnson is a very big blessing in my life and he gave me all kinds of exercises to do and recommended that I do accept that referral to Ortho to deal with my knee, especially after finding out my Dr is leaving town. That time is approaching fast and I am saddened. I will make an appointment with her to follow up and get that referral. I also hope it is in person so I can bring her my parting gift. Straight from the office I headed to the Board meeting and we discussed all things theatre and Society related. It was an intense meeting and much was accomplished but there is lots of homework. From there, three, yes 3! Of us went for a bevie and i ordered the special which was a fabulous Shepherd’s Pie. It was so much comfort food that I was able to think again and have good discussions with the production manager about the upcoming show I am producing. So, good things came in 3s and now I am home to catch some sleep before tackling the last days of a crazy month.
It was so windy in the night that I can see my neighbour now !
Today was so crazy on the job and then I went straight to the first read through for the play I am Producing. It is called The Aliens! By Annie Baker and it goes onstage in February. The director is Duncan Chalmers and this is a first stab at a full on show for him. I see how well he gets a handle on things. The three actors are Woody Maguire, Matt Van Boeyen, and William Nicholson. I admitted to them tonight that I did not like the play and was looking forward to them bringing life into the characters in a way that would make me feel a connection, would make me care. The first read went very well and I am glad I took on the project. All 4 of these young men are special in their own way and I am good to be the den Mom. It could be seen as one more stress in my life but I prefer to see it as a way to express my art and passion as well.
Lazy morning and then off to the office. Got started on finishing a file and then Duncan came to discuss play stuff before our first meeting with the cast tomorrow night. I have to be cautious to Produce, and let him direct. The problem is that he is not used to thinking about site lines, etc. The solution is that I am big picture so I am thinking about those things. We agree to meet in some way once a week to touch base, brain storm and cover all the bases. I got back to work when he left and then received a text that there was a problem with the stage mic. It was matinee day and 230. I booted over there to find it was half way through the show and not much I could do. Odd Pepijn didn’t let me know in time but I am happy he was comfortable to work the show anyway. I stayed working on files until nearly 7 and then came home to make one of my favourite soups ever. It wasn’t my recipe but was delicious. I left out the jalapeño and used half the paprika. Still bumpy but it was so good I wanted to eat both servings! Lunch is something to look forward to.
Missy is really starting to annoy me. We are back to the in and out, meowing insanity of the change of seasons. I am going to have to lock down the tent trailer soon as well. I saw her sneaking out of there and I don’t want it covered in hair, nor do I want other cats in there.
Not much to say today, but that’s a good thing, right?!
Today would have been my Dad’s 82nd birthday. The problem is he was only 64 when he crashed his float plane and died. I wonder some times what life would be like if he were still around. Other times I am grateful that I didn’t have to watch you age and ache. I get it now, the T3s and Scotch each evening, waking up early when they wear off. The slowing pace getting in and out of vehicles, the fear of getting hurt as the healing takes longer. Now that I am only 6 years younger than you ever were, I understand how truly young you were when you got your permanent wings. I wish you could have known your grandchildren. I know you would love them and would have been incredibly charmed by the boys, losing your heart to Emmy. Gene is doing your name proud. He is tall and strong and a hard worker.
I miss you and know you would be proud of us all.
Today I turned my thoughts inward as I worked to finish off my bathroom renovation. I am happy with the result even if it isn’t perfect. Papering over paneling can only look so good. I do love it though.
I worked on my volunteer duties all day today to get them out of the way as the board meeting approaches at the same rapid speed as year end and I needed to get it off my list. I then ripped over to my gal at the salon for the waxing upkeep before heading home to make some dinner
Tonight is the night. Opening night for The Shape of a Girl by Joan Macleod at Cranbrook Community Theatre directed by Amy Penney. This evenings performance was presented by Cheyenne Kneller, a 15 year old actor from our local high school. She shares the role with Jelena Jenson on alternating nights. I look forward to seeing Jelena next week. I purposely did not read the script as I did know it would trigger me. It is inspired by the events of the swarming and murder of 14 year old Reena Virk in 1997 under the Craigflower bridge in Victoria. I remember clearly when this occurred and found myself only two years later at the age of 39 in the place where she died. It was overwhelming as I was in rehab working through my own PTSD from bullying and being a suicidal 16 year old. I will say that I was not sure I should see this show, that it may trigger me. I wasn’t wrong. One of the producers sat down beside me just as the show was about to start and when the Director came out to give the land entitlement recognition she also gave a beautiful tribute to Peter and I for the work that we have done on the renovation to make this show possible. I turned to Elizabeth and said ‘damn, I didn’t bring Kleenex’. she promptly handed me one and i wiped away the first of my tears for the evening. Young Cheyenne did a wonderful job, given her youth and inexperience. I could see the great work Amy had done with her. I was not entirely lost in the show but found myself noting markers that were true and touching to me. It wasn’t until after the curtain call that I found myself ‘leaking’. I had to stay in my seat and go through all the feels. I made a point to connect with Amy to go for a drink after and talk. I am glad I did for many reasons, not the least of which that she should not have just gone home on opening night without some celebration of what she made happen. We had good talks, Director to Director and then Producer to Producer as we are to the next two shows. The show left me feeling deeply my connection with bullying, from both sides. The references to the lower mainland, to jumping off bridges, which I had wanted to do when I was 16, to being treated as less than, the butt of jokes, to lashing out at others in response, left me raw. The discussion of where we go with the next shows and the acknowledgment that things are different in community theatre compared to professional and how to adjust, filled my tank back up. I am grateful we made the time. There were things that could have been better but over all the show was a success. The writing is prose, the timing is critical and I look forward to seeing how Jelena interprets it. It is not light entertainment but it is a mirror that many should look into.
I was gifted with a journal and a beautiful card signed by the cast and crew that made me laugh and cry in the same breath. I feel blessed by the experience and am grateful I spent myself to help make it happen.
Should you be interested in seeing it please go to cranbrookcommunity theatre.com for streaming and on demand options. It is a powerful experience running through to next weekend.
Today was as satisfying as yesterday, mostly filled with working on the same file. I was interrupted only by heartstring moments.
First, as I was eating lunch at my desk and scrolling Facebook, I learned that our local cobbler, a lovely man named Fred had passed away. He was also a client of mine and I am very sad to have learned that. I reached out to see if anyone could connect me to his family so I could pass on his paperwork. A man responded with a private message who turned out to be his best friend and we had good long messages this evening, making a plan. I also asked him how our one mutual friend on Facebook is my Mom’s cousin only to find they were roommates back in the day. Another lovely small world connection. I really appreciated that his first question was to ask if Fred owed me for any work and I of course said no. It was my pleasure knowing him and he fixed my motorcycle saddle bag, two pairs of Fluevogs, and numerous other shoes for nominal fees. He actually fixed the one pair of Fluevogs that Vancouver cobblers declined being able to. I only wish he had been able to follow through on his dream to train someone else to take over. He will be missed for his kindness, gift of gab and service in the community.
Second, I was in the middle of things when my phone buzzed an incoming FaceTime and it was Jackie!!! I have tried several times to reach out to her and not gotten an answer. I had pretty much gotten sad and withdrawn, begun to consider her lost to me… and there she was. I know she understood everything I said by her varied responses. I always felt like she was my big sister and that is the kind of communication that is special. I know the way to just rattle off things and read her responses. I was able to let her know of a few mutual friends who have died on Salt Spring and ask her if she is reading any good books to which she definitely said no but showed me 4 different adult coloring books which she opened to the beautiful work she is doing. They really are like the Doodle Art of the 70s now. She let me know to take a deep breath and get through October. I wish I could have spoken longer but I had so much to accomplish. So grateful to be reconnected!!
Third, at 5 pm I met my sweet friend Stacey at Grapes and Suds to bottle our two kinds of fruit wines that her sweet husband Lance paid for. We made Blackberry Blast and Pomegranate Wild-berry. A fun time was had and she was sassy as usual which always puts me in a very good mood. I am grateful that a client that some people found standoffish at the firm I used to work for, turned out to be a dear friend. I think this relationship will last a lifetime.
Fourth, I rushed from the bottling to grab my gear and head to Shield Maidens. There I got to spar with my friend Christie, who I am grateful for getting me into this and also with 10 or so other girls and women who blow me away with their acceptance and skills. Everyone is just so respectful and fun and into being our best selves. That sounds so cliché but it’s true. There are all ages (I am sure I am the oldest ranging down to 11)(She towers over me!), all skill levels and all manner of personalities. I am just grateful that they accept me at the level that I am at. Joel is a great Guro and is fabulous at building us up at the level we are at. I am slowly learning the moves while being careful to protect my hip and my brain. I see my Physiotherapist next week to confirm what is good or bad with my Iliac Crest issue. I already know to protect my brain so it may not be the best choice to take up a sport that involves boxing gloves but I can not stress enough how much it relates me!!
The moon was glorious this morning. A full moon in Aries. No wonder I tossed so much last night.
Aside from a few bills to pay, email to respond to and Facebook groups to monitor, I was able to spend a glorious 8 billable hours on just one file. I was able to work through it with flow and concentration, laughing with my workspace mates and enjoying lunch and coffees.
That leaves me enjoying my evening after enjoying a good dinner and watching a few shows.
At 6:50 am I received my first email of requests for the day. At 11:15 I finally had my first coffee of the day. In between I was told if I play the victim I will attract people who make me a victim. I refuse to accept that as I have been thrown under the bus without seeing it coming in the past and I will not allow that again. And so I stress and push aside all the things that make me a successful business woman to get the volunteer duties cleared off my path. I was taught by my father that I am only as good as my word. I quit on the theatre once before. Whether everyone sees it as justified or not I feel the need to stick to my current commitment no matter the cost. Once I had my mini meltdown I returned to my mantra of the week, “ No blame, only solutions” Following in the flow of random things going wrong I had to return to the theatre 4 times in all today. I found myself struggling and needing to reach out for help but ultimately I pulled all correct information and got it done. Matt came to my rescue in person, running back and forth between his guitar instruction and the booth. I couldn’t have done it without him. All in all I was so happy to be able to be there right up to current call for the dress rehearsals and know it was going to be ok.
Once I left the theatre I had a half hour at home before heading to see Alex Cuba at the Royal Alexandra Hall. I bought tickets for Rae and Roger and Ashlée for Christmas. It was so lovely and fun. When I was making a post and tagging Alex I saw that we had 4 friends in common. I thought it must be from MusicFest as he was there in 2018 which is where I became impressed with him and his brother, Adonis Fuentes. The odd thing was that our common friends are from Salt Spring Island…. I will have to follow up on that and find out why. He really is breathtaking and lives in Smithers, BC! I now have something positive to think about that place as it is where my mother and sister died, in a small lake just outside town in 1963, I had such a nice time with my kids and was able to relax and get lost in the music.
It was a little cold this morning…
My car can apparently go several levels more than the speed limit. Why are those numbers even available???
Jumped out of bed and headed to the theatre to meet with the electrician to fine tune the to-do list. They are so kind to work with. I am very grateful for their respect. I worked back and forth between the theatre and my paying work. It was ok, I felt in control of things and managed to get a lot done in both venues. More and more is being finalized in the Stage Door and the vision is coming true. I will be happy to leave this legacy, supported by the Board. I stayed longer at work to get more done and then came home to make dinner seconds before my Zoom board meeting. I scarfed it down and participated in our planning the final concert of our Fisher Peak Season. I am feeling better about the way things are coming along. As it the theatre, I look forward to The Schalk’s and I having a glass of wine and a visit when this is all done… maybe a whole bottle.
triumphgal 