Grand Slam Communication
I received some VERY nice kudos.
I just finished a couple of huge script reading projects.
“You were always substantive in your analyses and offered constructive criticisms.”
“You were as good when you were offering praise as you were when you were panning a script, which is a surprisingly rare ability.”
“Your work unquestionably places you among the best readers we’ve had the pleasure and good fortune of working with.”
Thank you, Production Company Guys.
I appreciate the kudos.
The kid is a genius.
He went on vacation.
He’s not old enough to rent a car.
So he rented a U-Haul.
U-Haul has a lower age standard than the car rental agencies.
He sent me some pictures.
OMG – I can’t stop laughing.
The kid is a genius.
Or a moron.
Or maybe a little of both…
I’m the teacher in the English conversation class.
I’m the one who is fluent.
But sometimes my students leave me utterly speechless…
Today’s conversation topic was “At the Gym.”
The class started talking about yoga.
Fair enough.
But then one man said that he refuses to practice yoga.
“If I practice yoga, I will turn into a woman.”
The rest of the class agreed.
They discussed men they knew who began doing yoga.
And then turned into a woman.
Oh goodness.
And this is NOT a discussion topic that I intend to moderate.
I redirected the conversation to swimming.
Note to self – NEVER discuss yoga in the conversation class again.
I learned a new expression in Spanish today in the line at the grocery store.
The old guy in front of me had on a shirt with a Spanish phrase.
Underneath, it said, “you are my friend.”
The woman behind me said, “That’s not what that means.”
“You’re right,” I said, “That doesn’t mean ‘friend’.”
“I think it means ‘jerk’.”
“Let’s Google it.”
The old guy protested his innocence.
He swore he didn’t know what it meant.
But he was cracking up.
And he spoke with a Spanish accent.
His sincerity was questionable.
By this time the clerk was interested.
So were the rest of the folks in line.
It turns out that the phrase does not mean “you are my friend.”
Not even close.
But we all had a good laugh.
And now I learned a new expression in Spanish.
We took the kayaks out to Lake Palo Pinto for their maiden voyage.
We paddled and paddled and paddled and paddled and paddled.
And then realized that we had to row back in.
It was windy and hot and uphill in every direction.
I lost my will to live somewhere around the Palo Pinto Dam.
It sank right to the bottom of the lake.
When we returned, we had a cold beer and a hot meal waiting for us.
So it was all good.
If anyone ever finds my will to live out there, just reel it in, and I’ll come and pick it up.
But maybe not with the kayaks.
Happy birthday, Brandon Morrow!
Brandon Morrow is my hero.
He’s a world-class athlete.
AND he has type 1 diabetes.
Both of my sons have type 1 diabetes.
I’ve always looked to Brandon Morrow as a role model.
It’s not easy to have T1D.
Some days are really rough.
But if Brandon Morrow can succeed, we can succeed too.
Happy birthday, Brandon Morrow.
Go Cubs Go!
We are having unseasonably cool weather here in DFW.
Meanwhile, back in my hometown in So Cal, they are suffering a sizzling heat wave.
It’s cooler here in Texas than it is on the coast.
If any of you overheated beach folk need to escape that heat, y’all can come out here and visit me.
We’re having unseasonably cool weather here in Texas.
Writing a blog is hard.
Well, the writing part isn’t hard.
It’s the blogging part that’s hard.
I am not a tech person.
There are a million things that I don’t understand.
So there I was, in the chat box with the IT guy, asking yet another question.
We were chatting for a long, long, LONG time, when I realized that he had already answered my question.
At the very beginning of the chat.
If only I had followed his instructions…
I’m probably the reason he’s going to drink heavily tonight.
And be late for work tomorrow.
Sorry, IT guy.
I’d like to promise that it won’t happen again.
But it probably will.
Because writing a blog is hard.
Today I had another awkward English class.
One student was an IT engineer.
He was the only male in attendance with several female students.
He convinced the ladies that their husbands were running around, and he could help them spy on their guys with their iPhones.
For a small fee.
One woman was very interested.
I tried to steer the conversation away from this very awkward topic.
But my students were determined.
They spoke to each other in Vietnamese.
I’m sure they were exchanging stalking information.
I do not want to know how this story ends.
I’m just here to teach English.
It’s wrong to laugh at the misfortunes of others.
I know, I know, I KNOW!
Today I was at the pharmacy.
With two diabetic kids, I am always at the pharmacy.
I was making my purchase at the counter when an angry and belligerent young man rushed up.
He was yelling and pounding his fists and making a scene.
He was furious because the pharmacy was out of pregnancy tests.
The clerk and I looked at each other and started to laugh.
So we both looked away.
I’m sure that the pharmacy staff has been trained to never laugh at the customers.
I, on the other hand, have had no such training.
And now I really want to know why there has been a run on pregnancy tests.
If I get struck by lightening any time soon, it will be because I laughed at the misfortunes of others.
Poor guy.