Observations

In the many, many days since I last posted both much has happened and little has happened. I've been very busy, but little is particularly post-worthy.

I have, however, encountered some interesting individuals in my travels.

Encounter #1: Chatty O'Chatterson

Whist in a fine dining establishment known by the initials A and W, I found myself in line beside a fine fellow whom I have dubbed Chatty O'Chatterson. He found it necessary to expound upon the trials that the young woman behind the counter must be enduring having two trainees working under her tutelage. Of course, this sympathetic observation of his was truly a segue to mentioning that he'd been training individuals at work and that he was "looking forward to getting back to regular work at the computer". In truth, given how often and how intensely he persisted in discussing how "it's hard being the boss and in charge sometimes", methinks he was really quite taken with being asked to train others. My response: courteous levels of mild interest and periodic pleasant but non-committal responses.

Encounter #2: Divulging Donna

Shortly thereafter I found myself -- following yet another incident involving a non-dinging door, headlights, and the CAA -- I was patronizing a patriotic tire (and more) store, and found myself in line after a couple of young people (yes, I'm old enough to talk about being in line behind young peopl), shortly to be served by a young woman who clearly knew those before me. When I did work my way up to the aforementioned cashier with my booster cables, she proceeded -- without prompting, might I add -- to tell me about the awkward experience she had just had serving those youngsters since she used to date one of their member's brothers. My response: pay for the booster cables and supply courteous levels of mild interest and periodic pleasant but non-committal responses.

[Maybe I just have one of those faces that says, "Go ahead. Tell me all about it."]

Encounter #3: Dashing Donald and Smitten Sue

While awaiting service at yet another posh restaurant where they serve food -- though not burgers, mind you; they're very clear that they don't sell burgers -- in paper bags, I observed a funny little exchange between a fellow I've dubbed "Dashing Donald" and the server, "Smitten Sue" (though, to be fair, at the beginning of the exchange, she was merely "Soon-to-be-Smitten Sue"). It started when Donald kicked off the conversation with, "This is my first time here." WHAT? Who says that? "This is my first time here?" Maybe if you're visiting another country, a groovy and fashionable new nightclub, perhaps, but when visiting a fast-food restaurant? Well, have no fear, dear reader, for Sue quickly responded with a flashing smile and, "Then welcome to ****'s!" Then, just to show everyone else in the place up, Donald, whose Dashing qualities were quickly to reveal themselves, proceeded to order and inquire about the healthier options for his meal, right down to the low-fat dressings on the salad and milk to drink. Sue, who was approaching Smitten at the speed of light, was thrilled to engage in the conversation a little longer with the tall, wavy-haired stranger, listing options and *oops!* suggesting balsamic vinaigrette dressing which they don't actually have. "I guess I said it because it's my favourite! Teehee!" Subtext: "Wouldn't you like to get together sometime and enjoy a salad with balsamic vinaigrette with me? Maybe Friday night?" Much cuteness ensued until his meal was served ("Oh, I should have told you you could have also had your sandwich on a whole-wheat wrap!"). My response: I went and ordered my 5000 calorie, fat-filled lunch maybe just to spite them.

Oh, I also went and visited John and Ted, and it was lovely. They make me laugh, because they seem to be on "best bahaviour" when I'm visiting. I was very mellow and really quite dull, so I think they felt a lot of pressure to keep me entertained, but they surely should know that just hanging out and chatting with them is swell indeed.

IN OTHER NEWS, Keltie has inspired me... Watch for new developments starting January 1.

Justifiable Paranoia

I returned to the scene of the crime (See "Near Death Experiences and Bad Spelling", perhaps against my better judgement.

I'll give you the short version.

They're out to get me.

After choosing to try a further pared down version of the ill-fated sandwich I tried to enjoy last time. This time I was excruciatingly clear, requesting no tabulae, tabbouleh, and specifically no onions or tomato. (It sounds like a dull sandwich at this point, I'm sure, but I'm fine with it.)

I ordered it with a salad. Healthy, healthy me.

So I started eating.

Mmmmm. Tasty salad goodness.

Mmmmm. Nice sandwich without onions or tomatoes. Or wood, for that matter.

Then I kept eating.

And paused, mid-chew.

I paused mid-chew with a forkful of salad in my mouth.

A forkful of salad and hair.

That's right, I said "hair".

Of course I did that, "STOP CHEWING! DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT MIGHT CAUSE YOU TO SWALLOW THE HAIR!" thing that a person does, trying to get it out of one's mouth with the tip of the tongue, all the while MORTIFIED that the tip of one's tongue is on a stranger's hair!

Those around me were dutifully mortified as I drew it from betwixt my lips.

But wait.

It ain't over yet.

Feeling the need to leave my salad behind, I went back to my sandwich which was, up to this point, quite promising.

A few bites later, all of that came to an end.

I bit down and crunched through something.

Crunched.

Would the pita crunch? No.

Would the chicken crunch? No.

Would the feta crunch? I certianly hope not.

Would the tzatziki crunch. No.

Then what had crunched, you wonder?

Oh, I'll tell you what crunched.

An onion.

That's right. Upon unravelling my wrap, I discovered that there, in the bottom half of the wrap ... LITERALLY in only the bottom half of the wrap ... there were onions. Lots and lots of onions.

Go back up there and see what I'd requested. Remember how I was very specific about what should not be found in my food? That's right. Onions were clearly on that list of banned produce.

I've decided it's time for me to take a long hiatus from visiting that restaurant, even if they DO have the most delicious herbed goat's cheese ever. Sorry, but I just can't do it any more.

They're clearly out to get me.

Near Death Experinces and Bad Spelling

After last night's show, a bunch of us, as we are often wont to do, went out for a bit to eat or tasty beverage.

I decided to try the Chicken Pita wrap, which sounded generally good. There was a reference to "tabulae" in the description, but everything else sounded delicious: chicken, tzatziki, feta cheese... Yum. I must admit that I felt like a bit of a loser for not knowing exactly what "tabulae" was. Then I realized that those around me didn't seem to know either.

So I asked the waitress about it and she assured me that everyone likes it or, in her own words, "doesn't even notice that it's there". So I went ahead and decided to take a risk on it. Again, she didn't seem to be able to give me a clear description of it, just that everyone seems to like it or doesn't realize it's there.

So my wrap arrived, and it was filled with chicken, tzatziki, feta cheese ... and onions and tomatoes. I wasn't thrilled, truth be told, but figured that's what I get for trusting in the ambiguous nature of this mysterious "tabulae".

Then I took one more bite.

Or tried to.

I chomped down on something in my sandwich. Something hard. Something wooden.

So I pulled it out.

What had I had almost inadvertantly consumed was a four-inch length of bamboo skewer. FOUR-INCHES of skewer which was apparently overlooked. How does one not notice a four-inch piece of wood in a sandwich?

When the lovely waitress returned (and she was lovely, to be sure), I asked, "What exactly is in tabulae?" which she responded, "It's chopped parsley and stuff."

"Are you sure it doesn't mean onions, tomato, and WOOD?"

Now there are a few things which must be addressed regarding this whole adventure.

1. Waitresses are funny.

Since that what they call "tabulae" (see below) is pretty much onions, tomato, and a pinch of parsley, calling it "chopped parsley and stuff" and completely glossing over the tomato and onion content, is sort of like saying, "I had a lovely rosemary dish last night" when you really mean the chicken.

2. Wood in a sandwich gets less reaction than you'd think.

The waitress returned from the kitchen following my near-fatal bite of the wrap, and reported back that the bamboo skewer is just from the way they cook it. At least it wasn't random. REALLY? The chicken skewer was in my food because the chicken was on it? Thank you for that amazing revelation! I had no idea! Again, she was quite lovely, I just found it a curious report to be given. Also to her credit, she did not charge me for the salad and 1/3 of a wrap I'd eaten following the traumatic experience of unexpected tomato, onion, and tree product.

3. "Tabulae" does not exist.

Well, it does, in that it's Latin for "tablet" but that's about it. Having gone online to investigate further, I've discovered that they really mean "tabbouleh", "tabouleh", or maybe even "tabouli". Yes, there are three variant spellings, none of which are "tabulae". I had been intrigued by the word in the first place, since I desperately wanted to pronounce it in the Latin way, but knew that "tabouli" existed (despite not knowing exactly what it was) and figured that's what they'd meant, which they did. Furthermore, having now looked at what it really is, it's a bit of a misnomer for them to be calling what they put in that sandwich "tabouli", no matter the spelling.

On the upside, chick peas made no appearance in my meal, for a change. Whew!

H is for Housework

Since I've been a trifle busy (read: running around madly trying to stay afloat) lately, it was high time I got down to some good old domestic duties. To that end, I spent much of the day engaged in housework types of activities.

I mowed the lawn, albeit half-heartedly and therefore none too well.

I did a few loads of laundry.

I cleaned the bathroom top to bottom, though I really started with the bottom.

I tidied, dusted, and vacuumed the bedroom, putting away a whole-lotta laundry that was just waiting there to be dealt with.

I started working downstairs in the living room, too.

If all goes well, this weekend will see a continuation of home improvements, including the repair of a small hole in the living room ceiling and even painting of the living room! Yahoo!

Of course, after all of that menial housework, I was due for a reward, so I was off to my friend Monica's for a lovely dinner gathering. Among the guests was a professor of mine from back in the day. Amusingly enough, it was well into dinner and into a lengthy conversation about the school, the professors there, and my behavioural ... well ... behaviour when suddenly it clicked that INDEED she HAD been one of my professors. Of course, that came after a number of amusing stories about the ways I'd viewed several professors, so she was likely feeling rather frightened to know what I had thought of her! Luckily, I had only positive memories of being in her class, and was able to honestly confess that I HAD done the readings for her course.

A good time was had by all (as far as I could discern).

Nothing of Note, Really

I admit it. I'm posting out of obligation, not because I have much to say. Not that life's been uneventful. I've been run off my feet (surprise) but nothing necessarily to write about.

I went to see The Rocky Horror Show at Canstage last week with some of our own Rocky cast members. It was great fun. There were things I didn't care for about the production (most notably, the decision to have Rocky speak in a baby voice, making me want to choke him along with the director) and some really great things about it (most notably the Phantoms who were amazingly funcreepy). Sadly, I found Riff and Magenta a little dull. Still, don't get the wrong idea. We all had a smashingly good time there, and the performances were good.

I've worked at the restaurant quite a bit lately ... some shows have been remarkably dull while others have been a blast. I guess that's the nature of the beast these days.

Today I had the pleasure of having lunch with one friend and dinner with another. Yes, I played hooky from responsibilities! Yahoo! (Fear not, though; I have done some paperwork tonight.)
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Edited to add:

Okay, I do have to comment very briefly on The Amazing Race.

Question: "How do you say 'airport'?"
Response: "Airport."

"Ma'am, I told you not to touch the screen." Hahahahaha!

Critical Thinking, Random

Okay, so I've been the most prodigal of writers as of late. Deal. I have.

I don't have much to say, other than the holiday rush is clearly upon me and I'll just scramble between now and the weekend and whatever's done by then is done and what isn't will just have to wait.

In the meantime, have you ever noticed that the same people who will drink nothing but bottled water at a restaurant (disdaining the tap water) don't seem to carry through their water-elitism in other areas? They may drink the soft-drinks the syrups of which are undoubtedly being mixed with that self-same tap water. They order the pasta which has been boiled in the tap water. They'll drink juices which have been packaged after being reconstituted from concentrate. (Who knows what water that is? I certainly don't know.) I'm not anti-bottled water, but I don't delude myself into thinking that it goes beyond that bottle.

Then there's the whole "straws wrapped in paper" thing. We know nothing of the environment in which they're wrapped. For all we know, they were dropped on the floor on the way to the wrapping machine by a sniffling, sneezing worker with open sores, but it makes us feel better knowing that at least that kid behind the counter didn't touch the thing! (Of course, the cups and the lids don't say "sterile" anyway, so what does it matter, anyway?)

My point? Beats the heck out of me.

Getting With the Program

With deadlines looming, I spent ... well ... pretty much all day working on the program for Chicago. I managed to wade through the most time-consuming part: finalizing the layout and editing the bios for cast, director, and the like. Yeesh. There's still a fair amount to do, of course, but the most demanding parts are behind me. Now it's just nit-picky formatting of a few other things. It's all due the middle of the week, so it will get done. It must get done.

In much more exciting news, I took a break from the aforementioned work to meet up with my friend, Stacey, whom I haven't seen since we took a course together two summers ago. We met at the Sahla Thai restaurant downtown and had a smashingly good meal (I enjoyed Soup #2, whose real name I cannot remember, and the amazing Paradise Beef) and a wonderfully enjoyable catch-up chat. We apparently lingered a bit too long, though, because the waitress eventually came up and said, "I'm really sorry to rush you, but we have reservations..." Still, a good time was had by all.