So Friday night at the TC usually involves doing something fun as a group.  Tonight it involves me doing whatever I can find to do by myself because almost everyone went to a wedding and of the six people in the building four of them are married and will enjoy the quiet that the rest of the staff left behind for us.  I could watch a movie, but I'd rather not by myself, so I'll read Phantom until I'm too scared to keep reading then listen to music.  Wicked!

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Spero meliora.

This afternoon I have the phones.  That is, if anyone calls the training center, I answer the phone tell them the person they want to talk to is not here and may I transfer them to their voicemail.  It's kind of fun, even though I don't always know what I'm doing and have to stay in one place all afternoon and have only a moth for company.  I found him yesterday and decided to keep him as a pet and let him sit on my keyboard.  I don't have to worry about feeding him or flying him or cleaning up after him because he is already dead.  He does not yet have a name.  I am accepting very good suggestions.

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Spero meliora.

Spotlight on Rynelle, Bethany, and Rachel

Rynelle Emhof runs Pre-EXCEL and is training Bethany to take over next year.  She is always saying things that she wishes she hadn't but we're glad she did.  It makes life so much funnier.  She could probably get away with anything as long as Mr. Bell gets to tease her about it.

Bethany Dodge has been here every time I've come to work on staff.  She used to get into scrapes, and maybe still does, but never loses her sense of humor.  And she always makes time to help out when someone has too much on their plate...figuratively speaking.

Rachel Maurais is the staff coordinator, is from Quebec, and does the best impressions of people.  They are nothing like the originals, but are hilarious just the same.  She has a knack for making trouble but not getting into it.

The three of them work in the same office, live in the same building, and eat at the same table.  Yes, they are inseparable.  And hilarity ensues.

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Spero meliora.

This is what happens when you put Rynelle and Bethany and Rachel in an enclosed space with something messy. We spent the afternoon priming a room that had some water damage from a leak. After ganging up on each other (with me watching from the sidelines), they decided I needed to join the club. Bethany said I was too clean, and didn't I know ATI colors are navy and white? We faced off for about twenty seconds with our rollers ready until she summoned enough daring to actually try to paint me, at which point I grabbed her roller and she grabbed the handle of my roller. For a couple of minutes we just stood there trying to get as much paint on each other possible while keeping it from ourselves and Bethany asking Rynelle for help and Rynelle saying she thought Bethany asked for it. Finally, I let got of her roller and planted my hand, dripping with paint, right on her face. And then, deciding it would be better to get myself than have her get me, slapped it on my own face. We finished painting with half an hour to clean up before dinner. I changed and got my hands all clean before I ran out of time and had to go down to supper with war paint still on my face. Mr. Bell said it was cute. Anyway, my face hurt after I got it all scrubbed off so that's not something I would purposely do again...in the near future.


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Nemo me impune lacessit.

When I was here in the spring, the Bells found out that Mrs. Bell's mother, Mrs. Phares, had cancer.  She made the decision not to treat it in any way since she was more than eighty years old and 22 years a widow.  It was hard for me to hear when Mr. and Mrs. Bell shared with us.  She died just a week after I came back and the memorial service was today.  The staff all went and sat with the Bells as family.  I started to get teary towards the middle and couldn't hold them back when the minister shared that her two little great-granddaughters had just finished reading Pilgrim's Progress and said she had crossed the dark river and was in the Celestial city when they heard about her being gone.  This evening we had a nice family dinner with the Bells' kids and grandkids.  Lydia, Chloe, Christian, and Ava are so much fun.  I wished you all were with me today.  I love you all.

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Spero meliora.

Today was a good day because it was beautiful outside.  Today was a good day because we had chicken fried steak for lunch.  Today was a good day because I got to work in the kitchen most of the day.  Today was a good day because two more short-term staff were recruited.  Today was a good day because we played round robin and I had fun even though I've never played ping pong before in my life.  The Lord liveth and blessed be my Rock and may the God of my salvation be exalted.

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Spero meliora.

Last couple days in a nutshell:  Saturday night we had a storm, complete with power outage, for all of five minutes.  I must have rained all the humidity out of the air though, because, on the way to Chipotle from church, the thermometer in the car said 103º and I didn't believe it because it felt so nice.  So the weather's been really nice the last three days which almost makes up for the bad dream from this morning.  Not a nightmare, just a disturbing, unsettling dream.  And on the sidelines of this odd dream, I ate a child's food and weird Europeans drove little cars on the sidewalk.  And there's a cricket in my office.  No, that wasn't part of the dream.

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Spero meliora.

We went shopping yesterday afternoon and I totally wore myself out (I can't take a lot of shopping), but I had fun.  Jess had one particular thing she was looking for so I went commando strike shopping with her.  We covered all three levels of the Galleria in one hour.  Success!  Then we came back and had pizza for dinner and I took a nap before we went to see...Les Miserables!  It was, of course, grand and amazing but, I do confess, I bookended it with Wicked.  Yeah, so I had Dancing Through Life stuck in my head all morning.  Mostly the part with Boq and Nessa.  Last night it was I'm Not That Girl.  And the whole first week it was For Good.  Not that I'm complaining...

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Spero meliora.

Last night was girls' movie night.  We watched the new Pride & Prejudice, which was very good.  It was true to the book and Kiera was not too irksome at all.  We also had popcorn and cookies and got to wear alternative, or as Rachel likes to say, comfy clothes ( i.e. tank tops, jeans, and no shoes).  I just have to say again, I really liked that movie.  Maybe not as much as North & South, but close.  Then this morning for brunch we had real waffles with real maple syrup and real whipped cream and real sausage.  So pretty much it's a good weekend.

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Spero meliora.

Spotlight on Jen

Jennifer Jennings is the kitchen manager.  She's maybe 5'2", but she is definitely in charge.  She's probably the person I can best relate to here in Dallas.  We have a lot of the same thought processes.  The other day I asked her what her favorite kitchen tool was and she answered, with no hesitation, "A knife and a cutting board.  I can do anything with a good knife."  Good knives are one of my top kitchen priorities.  And then she asserted, "If someone gave me a bad knife, I'd shoot their head off."  That's Jen.

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Numquam non paratus.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend and hoping that I won't have as much of a Jonah day today as I had a Jonah night last night.  I was waukrife all night, had weird dreams when I was asleep, and just had a lot of time to think about how everything in the world is bad.  And I locked myself out of my room again this morning.  And I still don't like my toothbrush.  No I'm serious, it's huge, it's like brushing with a gorilla toothbrush.  Anyway, I came down this morning a little early and was trying to think what I could do before breakfast and figured the best thing I could do was read my Bible some more.  I'm a little behind in my reading through in a year so I've been trying to catch up a little at a time.  Looking up what was next on the schedule, I landed smack on Jonah.  So I read.  Jonah said, "Why won't you just let me die?"  Not very encouraging, eh?  By tonight I'll be fine, but right now I'm just missing my brothers and being around people who know me.  And I need a hug.

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Sola virtus nobilitat.

I heard the best turn of phrase from Rachel Maurais last night: you couldn't hit an elephant in a corridor.  I'm not sure if it's more her being from Canada or more from her first language being French, but I thought it was a much funnier mental picture than not being able to hit the broad side of a barn.

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Sola virtus nobilitat.

Spotlight on Josh

Josh Christopherson is the financial manager for the DTC.  He reminds me a lot of Ryan...if Ryan talked as much as Jayson Heaton.  But, all in all, he's not a bad guy.  I maybe should learn to get along with him since I will be working with him all next year.  I maybe should learn to tolerate, ignore, or tune out.  Or maybe not.  Where would the fun be in that?

Last night, around the dinner table, everyone pretty much stalling before we had to go clean the kitchen, I just cut loose.  "Josh, you have this many words in a day. *hands indicating about twelve inches* You've used this many. *top hand moves down about two inches* You should maybe save the rest for something important."  The whole table (there were 7 or 8 of us) was silent for about a minute.  But Josh just can't be kept down for long.  "Interesting.  And who gets to decide how many words we get?"

"Those who have to listen to you."

And then we have a whole discussion on the rest of the talking rules while we clean the kitchen, ending with: "You know, they actually say there are a certain number of words people generally use in a day."

"Oh I know.  I know you weren't just trying to be rude."

To which I say nothing.

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Gang warily.

If the salt and pepper are married, which is the guy and which is the girl?

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Sola virtus nobilitat.

Today is the first day since the break-in that I haven't locked myself out of my room.  SOP is everyone leaves their key in their door so they don't have to carry it around.  But since we had the prowler, Mr. Bell said everyone should probably take their key into their room, at least at night.  So I pull my key in at night...and forget that I did three mornings in a row and let the door shut behind me.  Oh well, we'll see if that keeps up.

p.s. Over the Hedge, according to Adam Bell, is "absolutely hysterical".

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You don't have to be crazy to work here.  We'll train you.

In Dallas less than 48 hours and I have already clocked someone playing frisbee, had a training center break-in, and heard Wicked...brutally murdered.  I've also folded napkins for a father/daughter banquet for 72 people and been to Marble Slab.

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Sola virtus nobilitat.

Highlights of the beach trip:

 

The best bikes ever.  Simple by Giant.

Watching Germany vs. Poland at the Pelican Pub & Brewery.

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Sola virtus nobilitat.

Blogger is having problems.  The pages won't load so I can't log on so I can't change my blog, edit my profile, add links, or delete links.  And that means no tagboard...yet.  At least I can still post.

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Serva jugam.

Check it out.  I figured out how to add links to my sidebar.  Don't tell me there's an easy way to do this because I did it the hard way and if there was an easy way that would be kind of dumb.  So click on the links and find out what I do with my time on the internet.  S'pretty sweet, eh.

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In ardua petit.