Life Story
You'll probably want to save at least 30 minutes to read this...
(I wrote most of this about 6-7 months ago, but my past never changes, it only grows. By the way, because I have not asked everyone's permission to use his or her name, some names have been changed or abbreviated.)
I started my life at 8:32 or 7:58 AM on January 24, 1979. At least that's what I'm told. I lived in Philadelphia for all of a day then returned to my parent's home in a quaint little town in New Jersey named Phillipsburg. I don't remember much from there except my best friend Karen and her little sister Laura or Lauren. And of course there was Brad and Brian (or was it Keith?) and Allison and Scott and Emily - a name which I loved so much that I ended up naming about 5 of my dolls after. In the back of Allison and Scott's house there was a beehive, and this group (I don't think Allison was with us, and everyone else was about 5-7 years old) decided it would be fun to whack it a few times with some sticks. Emily hadn't been born yet, so I was the youngest there and at 3 years old, I tended to not know what was good to do and what was not so good. Obviously, the bees got mad and chased after us. It's a good thing I'm not allergic to bees, there must have been at least 5 or 6 stings up and down my back and legs. And that is why I'm afraid of bees.
I was hauled to Branchburg when I was 5. I remember my first friend was Jenny across the street. Everything was fine for about a year or 2. In every elementary school, there is at least one person that all the kids pick on to make themselves feel superior. I know that the next thing you expect me to say was "I was that kid," but I'm not. What I'm going to say is, "I dated that kid," if you could call it dating. Although there seemed to be 2 in my school. I was the other.
Seventh grade dances were basically all Timmy and I did. By that time I was so jaded that I actually kind of blew him off when he asked someone to ask me for him if I wanted to dance. I thank him for it, though. It was a kind gesture (that I may have taken way too seriously.)
I fell in love with music and singing very early; I wanted to join the choir at church and I took up clarinet for a few months and piano sporadically for an equivalent of about the same (I still have treble reading bass clef. HA HA HA HA HA... *clears throat* Excuse me...). That was my first experience with the arts. Ms Merium (I may have spelled that wrong...) was one of the best music teachers I ever had, and has A LOT of patience for dealing with kids from 6 to 10 years old. I still look up to her even today (and not only because I am 5'3")
My friendships dwindled as years went on, not because I though less of them, but because they apparently thought less of me, for no reason other than their own selfish self-esteem boost. My best friend CW stayed with me though it all, God bless her. Another good friend, MC, was there most of the time, although I did occasionally get the impression she also made fun of me whenever Jenny was around...
While in Branchburg, we had a housekeeper and baby-sitter named A VH-A. This was a necessity since both my parents worked. At the time, I was not too fond of her, and I even stole her paycheck (cash) one week because I didn't think she deserved it. I had big plans for that money, too. I was gonna buy a horse! Don't know where I would have kept it, though. (What horse under my bed?) She tore my room up and found it in my clarinet case. About a month later, while I was still brooding and still grounded, I found out that I could take the lining out of the case and put it back, and she never would have found it. Quite frankly, I am very glad that I did not think of it before. At the time, and
actually for quite a few years after, I was upset at her for going straight to me without a thought; as far as she could know it was Heather or Andy (my sister and brother). But, logically speaking, it really could only have been me. Andy was out of town and I was left in charge of the money. Needless to say, I was never left with that responsibility again. I, of course, later realized that this was probably not the best way to deal with things, but Mom and Dad always seemed to come up with an excuse for every argument I came up with to get her fired, so I had to try something else. Usually, I didn't like her because she yelled at us way too often. I used to think of her sort of like a slave driver, but really the only work she made us do was clean our own rooms, fold our own clothes, and clean up our own messes. In retrospect, she did more good than harm.
I was very happy indeed when my mother told us over dinner one night in September that she had told A VH-A that "We were no longer in need of her services." Could this be true? Could my parents finally have listened to my pleading? No. It was a few months later that I found out the REAL reason A VH-A had been laid off: we were moving to Orlando. I don't know why I was really upset. A VH-A was gone, I only had two friends, only one of which I felt I could depend on, this was before Timmy - my sort-of boyfriend - and the rest of the people I know apparently wanted absolutely nothing to associate themselves with me. For some reason, the next day at school, everything I saw was very sharp and very brightly colored, whereas, by the time I actually left a few months after that, I was accustomed to the idea and my last day felt like any other day. Some of the people that I had been friends with before the whole school turned on me actually sort of non-verbally apologized and dropped the whole "pick on Holly" thing. Others didn't care. And others I never got along with to begin with. I think Jimmy actually did apologize to my face. So, what is it about kids being nice to me all of the sudden when they believe that they won't see me again? Maybe I should have thought of it sooner. No, wait, that would've given them an actual reason to dislike me.
And on we move to the March Party. I fondly have dubbed it that. The biggest party I have every thrown and ever intend to throw. Up until the actual day, which, by the way, was on the Ides..., everything was pretty well organized, especially for me (notoriously disheveled). MC helped me with the list of things we would need and stuff we should have. I even had a guest list - for all the good it did. I usually describe the guests as "half of the people on the guest list came, but twice the number" which means somewhere around three-quarters of the people there were not invited (for those of you who are mathematically challenged.) No one who showed up was turned away, though, mainly because I didn't have the guts to tell people to go home, and I couldn't afford the bouncer (A VH-A found the money, remember?). None of the people I never got along with came, though, so I guess it was all right. Although there were about 5 or 6 people that I never knew... including one 8th grader named Brad (I was in 7th grade, by the way) who, apart from being the main suspect in the upturning of my neighbor's swing set, was a pretty cool guy. Always in trouble though (which is part of the reason why he is the main suspect.) I think all 5 Mikes came (for a small school where everyone knows all the names of the people in their graduating class, that's a lot.) One person that I remember that didn't come, mainly because half the night I was fretting about it - Timmy. I think he may have had something else to do; I called his house about 7 times and no one answered. After about 2 hours, I let it go. That was also about the time I realized that I had completely lost control (as if I had it to begin with) of my guests. I was having a pretty miserable time until then because the situation had been so incredibly opposite of what I had envisioned. I had 2 choices: get depressed and lock myself up in my room and miss out on my own bash or kick of my shoes (heels...ouch!) and chase a bunch of guys around the front yard. I took to chasing the guys, and quite frankly, I had fun. I can't remember how involved I was in cleanup, which makes me think not enough. I do remember Coke cans in the pool (back when I drank Coke) and M&M's in the pizza (back when I ate M&M's on my pizza.) The only major destruction I remember was the swing set. I don't remember how upset the neighbors were about that. I don't think I was there.
I made MC stand in my driveway as we drove away. Kim was with her - Kim is Jenny's nicer younger sister that was allergic to everything. I wanted at least one of my images to go well. This was just another road trip, though. We drove to Virginia and stayed with my Mom's oldest younger sister (she's the oldest of 5 girls) for a day or two, then took the Auto train from Richmond to Sanford, FL. Sleeper car, although I never could get to sleep while moving. I can't remember exactly how we managed; there were 5 of us and 4 bunks. For some reason, there was a song I could not get out of my head. I do not remember what that song was, but I would then start to think of the song Poison by the artist who was at that time known as Prince, which I then couldn't get out of my head.
We rented a house in Oviedo (that is about a mile from where I now live) for the first few months while our house was being built in Winter Springs. I met the next door neighbor, Amanda, and made friends, but, unfortunately, it was Jenny all over again, only in a matter of days rather than years. There was, ironically enough, a girl named Jenny down the street who is still a friend of mine (although she now doesn't like being called "Jenny"). And there was Jess and Anna in our little group. Anna's parents were divorced, her father in Puerto Rico and her mother around the corner from me. At the end or 7th grade (June) she moved back with her father, and I never saw her again - almost. While we were there, a favorite pastime was catching these tiny frogs. They weren't more than about a half inch long. When Anna went back to PR, I organized a surprise party among close friends and relatives like I wanted for myself, but was so afraid that it wouldn't happen that I ended up with March Party), and distracted her by sending her out on a frog expedition and faining needing the restroom. It almost worked. Anna's mother was supposed to start the decorations before I got there, but apparently there was miscommunication. Before we were finished, Anna came to see if I was all right, and because she had grown tired of catching frogs. She appreciated it all the same.
There was no friendly next-door or across the street neighbor to welcome me to Winter Springs, unless you count the wildlife in the retention ponds that were there instead (which Tadashi swears we have hidden bodies in). It was all right, though. While in school, I had made friends with a girl named RH who I stayed friends with, pretty good friends at that, until the parting of the ways at high school graduation. Although in 8th grade I went to a different school than 7th, it was a brand new school that half of the students from the old school, RH included, went to it, too. In 8th grade, I really wanted to take chorus, but I needed department approval, at least that's what the course book said, and I was too shy to ask the department for approval. Instead, I took "beginning" band, and since I already knew the fundamentals of clarinet, it was pretty easy.
While in 8th grade I met someone who really influenced my acting career by getting me started in a way that not even he knows. One of my lunch table friends, Veki, dated for a while a young man named Rob. I believe that's how I met him. They were on-and-off for most of 8th grade. When they officially broke it off for good, I sort of developed a crush on him and promised myself that I would kiss him before the last time I saw him. (I've already fulfilled that promise...*blush*) It was the fact that he was involved in the musical group at my church that I got involved, too, and I loved it so much that I came back the next year and the year after that and the year after that and the year after that and then I skipped a year and came back the year after that. (That's a total of 5 consecutive years and 1 more.) And not because of Rob, but because it became my calling. Although Rob was a bonus.
The director of these plays was another important person in my interest in acting; Caryl. Well, her husband, Jim, too. She had actually been a professional actor and traveled with Summer Stock for a few years, and now she dedicates her time to the camaraderie of young adults in the church and making the activities of these young adults fun. I believe it was the two of them that started off the musical group to begin with. They ran it, after all. Caryl, as I said, direct the plays, and Jim was duly credited with producing. He ran ALL of the backstage and prep stuff, kept tabs on attendance, made sure everything ran as smoothly as we would let him (which, quite frankly, usually wasn't much.) He has A LOT of patience to deal with 60-80 kids from 14 and 21 years old all at once for 3 months straight every year, and then to come back for more abuse. Caryl tended to be a little more laid back when it came to regulations, as long as we kept the show going. It was my Junior year in high school, for a report I was doing, that I had a chance to interview her. During that interview, I became inspired, and realized that I wanted to do that. And now here I am, planning on majoring in theater as soon as I get enough money to go back to school...
One other activity that I would like to mention involves catechism, or for those unfamiliar with the term, religious education. I'm not going to Bible thump. Believe in whatever you want, but please believe in something. I taught Sunday school for a few years and, after I was Confirmed (willingly accept the Catholic faith upon becoming an adult; I actually went to classes for twelve years in order to do this) I was able to chaperone the people to be confirmed starting the following year on a number of activities. Every year the Confirmation candidates went on a retreat, although we did have quite a number of luxuries for it to be considered a true retreat. My "graduating" year was the last one to actually stay at the retreat site overnight. (The chaperones got to stay in later years, though, which was great because that's kind of half the reason I went.) There were four distinct activities that I remember doing while I was a Candidate and a chaperone both. 1) Talent show. Which occasionally went about in the direction of the March Party. 2) In your group (we had groups) build the tallest, sturdiest structure you can out of dry #8 spaghetti and gumdrops. We came in 2nd place when I was a Candidate. 3) (the mushy one) Letters of encouragement and support from loved ones. This usually ended up with a number of people crying. I got a little misty-eyed, Rob ended up crying. (And I got to comfort him, duel purpose of being a friend and feeding my crush!) and 4) (the warm-fuzzy one) Warm Fuzzies. These were poufs of yarn made by winding the yarn around your hand until circulation is cut off, tying it around the middle as tightly as you can, and then cutting the loops that result. There was a story that went along with this project, but, unfortunately I do not have the space, nor can I remember it. (It was very warm and fuzzy.) The purpose of these poufs was to go around to as many people as you could and give them a hug. When you succeeded in getting or giving a hug, you would take out one strand of fuzzie and tie it somehow, usually on the string of yarn that held the warm-fuzzie - usually around the neck, to the person with whom the hug was exchanged. Repeats were allowed, but only if you didn't get all fuzzies from one
person.
In addition to musical plays with the youth group and being a Confirmation mommy, I was also in the teen choir for a time, until I convinced (begged) Betty, the music director, to let me sing with the adults. During my time in the teen choir, I met Giannina. Now, Giannina's friendship became very important to my overall attitude toward life and the people that I must share it with. She also went to my middle school and high school, and was in chorus in high school with me. Most of the time, I think she just needed someone to talk to and hang out with. One of my fondest memories with her is at the fair that the church holds every year. Father John (what Catholic church is complete without a Father John?) has rides rented for the fair, and some of these rides go around and around in very fast circles, so that anyone over 100 pounds will get completely squished by the centrifugal force, especially if there is a friend in the booth with him/her. On this ride and a few others, we took to singing Christmas and Wizard of Oz songs at the top of our lungs while on the ride. We got a lot of strange and reproachful stares, but we didn't care; it was fun anyway.
There are many things I regret in my life, but none so much as how I ended up acting to Giannina. During my Junior and Senior year in high school, and with the growth of my social life, a social life I had never dreamed of having while I was in New Jersey, I grew weary of her clinginess (not really realizing that I was kind of the same way). I occasionally would ignore her and allow people to make fun of her, and occasionally complain about her myself. I didn't have the heart to tell her off, but I think that what I did was worse. I had kind of become what I had such a hard time dealing with myself in New Jersey. It never seemed to phase her, not in public, anyway. I later heard from someone, one of her "friends", that she did have a hard time dealing with it, and that it really did hurt her.
During Spring break my Senior year, she had gone in for surgery. She had a webbed neck and she was getting it "corrected" so she could drive (that's what I heard, anyway.) I seem to vaguely remember her telling me this, but I had put it in back of my mind. I was writing a story that she was actually quite fond of (I think), and she always read this story when I had more for her to read. I had gotten the notion to type it up on the computer in my Senior year, and this is what I was doing nonchalantly for the first few days of break. On Wednesday night I came to a good stopping place just in time to go to choir practice at church (this is the adult choir.) The practice itself went all right, but about halfway through it, Betty stopped for a moment and made a grave announcement. Giannina had died due to complications. It was pretty common knowledge that she was a friend of mine, and it was very apparent that I had not previously heard of this, because I burst out crying. Somehow during rehearsal, Caryl had come to sit next to me - I have no real idea how since she had been sitting two rows back an hour before - and she was there to comfort me. I went home, broke the news to my sister (rather bitterly) and went to my room for a little while. After about a couple hours, I came back out and worked on the story, although this time I focused every attention on finishing it. I was gonna get it done by her wake on Friday. I had another image in my mind of how I was going to give it to her, but I don't think I expected it to really happen. Around 3 in the morning that same night, my brother poked his head out his door and told me to stop typing so he could get some sleep. (The computer was right next to his room.) I obliged, but at about 9 AM I was back at it. I didn't want to stop for fear of what I might start to think. I worked until about 7 that night - no breaks, no food, I think I used the restroom once. I had finished, and for some reason I felt better. That version has always been for her, and I didn't even share it with anyone until a year and a half later (Rob's little brother, Mike, also a good friend of mine.) She didn't receive it the way I had pictured (I'd like to keep that image to myself, please) but I did get the chance to hand it to her mother, tied with warm-fuzzies that I had made during my retreat years and a dried white rose - even then my favorite flower.
Because this experience made me feel so wretched, I believe in trying to be friends with everyone, and I don't even think so negatively about the people I don't like. I keep it to myself and I'm even friendly to them, and, more often than not, they end up being friendly right back and I end up not disliking them so much. I think I'd even be nice to Jenny if I ever see her again... It's just a shame that someone with so much kindness had to die before I realized this.
And now for some happier notes. F major. Oh! I mean in the story...
I didn't do much acting in high school apart from church, but I was very into the vocal music program. If Mr. F had let me, I would have been in the show choir. But he didn't let me. I didn't let that bother me, not after the new year began, anyway (I kind of cried and cursed for a few days, but got over it.) I made it all the way to the All-State festival (where some of the others that he had chosen didn't), and I took guitar with him and was in the Dividends program (teacher assistant) for him so I had him for half the day, anyway, and I learned all the songs they were singing and some of the choreography. I don't think he knew about the choreography thing. I almost had the opportunity to sing with them as a chamber choir because one of girls almost couldn't make it, and I was there all the time, and he suspected I knew the music (he could probably hear me singing from his storeroom...) But, Nat showed up. She was very nice, so I didn't hold it against her.
While in high school, my two bestest friends, MH and Tadashi, came into my life, and, ironically, both had met RH through another source, Tadashi before I did and MH after. MH I had met in Chorus my Freshman year and we hit it off almost immediately. We were playing Hangman on the blackboard in Mr. F's room because it was about 2 days before Winter break, stayed friends in school, I ended up staying two night at her house over Spring break, and we have been best friends ever since. Tadashi used to be a lunch table friend of mine. She wrote stories and poems about her dog, Meka, and was telling me about her (Meka) during the first conversation I remember having with her. I think it was my Junior year when I really became good friends with her. That summer we took Government/Economics together to get that class out of the way, and it was really her fault that I passed with an A, no less. I don't remember having any classes with her other than that, but we still had lunch. After graduation we stayed friends, hung out together, and I finally got to meet Meka.
MH, Tadashi, and RH were all in my graduating class in high school, so, naturally, we all hung out together. We waited for about a half an hour, maybe a bit more, while all the guests took their seats, and somehow we got on the subject of boyfriends and would we live with a man before we married him. MH and Tadashi had boyfriends, and RH and I did not. However, all of us except RH agreed that we would end up living with a guy before marriage. RH is very religious, as far as I can remember she always has been. She argued, rather aggressively, that sharing quarters led to pre-marital "activities", the other three agrued not necessarily. At this time none of us were "active", so it's not a matter of the activity being right or wrong, but a matter of principle. RH put up quite a fight for three on one. I don't think any animosity came out of this debate, but I only saw RH once after that, and she invited me to a gathering at her church, which, unfortunately, I could not attend. Quite frankly, I never felt comfortable in a Baptist church.
When my parents moved to Clearwater (Tampa area), it was either go with them or move out. I decided to go out on my own, and the opportunity just so happened that Tadashi's previous roommate had bailed on her (without telling her). I took the spot and we moved into the apartment with Tadashi's other two dorm mates, ML and AV. We got along surprisingly well. I, being the only white girl in the apartment, was the minority, I realized this, but I made a comment once that came out the exact opposite of what I meant. I should keep my mouth shut. But they forgave me anyway, and most of our arguments were about messes, mine mostly. A VH-A may have pounded it into us that we needed to clean up our own messes, but it didn't really stick after she was let go. Once, I had left my dishes in the sink for way too long, and Tadashi got sick of it and placed the dishes on my bed (at least she had the courtesy to put them on some newspaper). It just so happened that I had gotten a package that I had been waiting for that day, so the first time I went into my room, I didn't even see them there. Tadashi became very confused by this. About an hour later, I went back into my room for something else, and that's when I noticed it. I thought at first AV had done it, she had been the most vocal about it and was also the neatest of all of us. I'm glad I did not go with my first instinct to throw the dishes at her door. Tadashi, who was in the kitchen at the sink when I was bringing them back, told me it was her, and I threw the dishes at her (into the sink, but, as I said, she was at the sink.) Oooo, the fight that followed. Normally when I am angry I get really mad, and I yell a lot, and then, after a few minutes, especially if I realize that I was wrong, as was the case here, I start to cry uncontrollably. I guess I just don't know what to do with all that negative emotion. I still owe ML a dish and bowl.
We stayed in the apartment for a year, until the management at the complex made Tadashi so mad that she made every effort to leave. I went with her, not only because I agreed with her, but she had also given me a cat, Dragonskeeper or Deke for short, and, technically speaking, we weren't allowed to have pets. We ended up renting a house from her mother for the past 3 years, and now we are parting ways. Or at least getting out of each others way.
I didn't start working until after I graduated. I don't think Mom and Daddy could take any more of me mooching them. And for graduation, Mom had bought me half a car. (She had gotten Andy the computer, and it cost just about the same.) I needed some way to pay her back the other half. Anyone who considers working in McDonald's beneath them (Heather...) would not only be a spoiled, thickheaded idiot, but also absolutely right. It's not that I had a bad time there, it was working so much for so little. The only raise I ever got was when minimum wage increased from $4.75 to $5.15. I clung on to the front counter and drive thru window, which, by the way, I had asked not to be put on, for about 11 months, started doing some grill work the last few weeks and the moved on to the much more opportune world of Steak 'n Shake for 15 cents more. At least I got a raise after 6 months, although I didn't really know how to ask for one, so I inadvertently threatened to quit, much to the dismay of my store manager, who is a really nice guy, and I think I insulted him a bit. I apologized to him for the misunderstanding and got a nice fat raise anyway.
The people at Steak 'n Shake were a bit nicer than the people at McDonald's. I was put on the counter again for a few months, and then thrown onto drive-thru. I mentioned that I never wanted to be put on drive-thru in the first place, right? At least at McDonald's, there was front drive, who handed out the food and made sure the grill people were doing their job, and back drive who took the orders and the money. At SnS, the drive-thru person was responsible for just about everything. Occasionally, I even had to cook the meat myself because the grill guy had taken an impromptu cigarette break across the street or something and was no where to be found. Usually, this happened while the manager on duty as finishing up some paperwork, there was no one on fountain making shakes (and everyone wanted chocolate shakes) and the person who was supposed to dress the food - put lettuce, pickles, onions, etc. on - was in the back cutting up some more lettuce because it was Chet's day off and we had run out. I had asked numerous times to be taken off drive-thru or at least let me do something else once in a while, but to no avail. I got so ticked one day, I actually took off my headset and set it down on the counter and refused to take orders unless the customer was patient enough to drive up to the window, at which time I was perfectly friendly. This upset Carlos when he found out, he took up the headset to find three customers waiting to place orders. He told me to take a break after we had cleared them out somewhat. I wrote a note to Jim that I refuse to take the drive-thru post after this week, he had, of course scheduled me for the rest of the week on drive-thru. He actually seemed to realize how upset I was and took me off the very next day. So, I ended up doing two less jobs. I was still occasionally cooking, and my main jobs included dressing and fountain, but I never took drive-thru for more than 2 hours at a time if that, and while I was on, I got the help I needed from the people who were supposed to do those jobs.
The was a job fair at my school a few months after that incident, and I decided to look into it. This was while I was at the apartments, and I took some of the information home for the others to look at. ML and AV both had jobs at their school through the financial aid department, but Tadashi had been working at McDonald's (different store) and Publix at the same time, burning herself out. We saw a job in one of the papers for a group called Norrell, which turned out to be a staffing agency for my current job. We both applied and both got the job, then went through 3 weeks of training that probably could have covered more material. As it turned out, an old friend of mine was in my training class as well: Anna. I think she had spent a few years going back and forth between her parents and ended up settling here for a while when she was old enough. I turned out that she had since had a son, although she only mentioned him once. Unfortunately, I was a bit afraid of going up to her and saying "Hi, remember me?", because I didn't know if she would. I kind of wanted to remember our friendship the way it was, middle school kids running around in shorts catching as many tiny frogs as possible and putting them into a shoebox until there were too many, and then letting them all go. She didn't come up to me, perhaps for the same reasons. But there was something in the friendly smiles that she always gave me that hinted that she did remember me, although I don't know if she was aware the I remembered her.
Three years later, I think there are 3 people from my training class, not including the trainer, who are still here. Tadashi was fired for something that she didn't do. She thinks that the HR person didn't like her because Tadashi had told her that she didn't seem to like working with other people - which was true, she didn't. They actually dug up three calls from her entire two years with them, spaced at least 3-4 months apart, to get her on call avoidance, and then on a second meeting, didn't even mention the call avoidance, but went over her production numbers with her, which, quite frankly, weren't bad. She would have pursued a lawsuit if she hadn't fallen extremely ill at that time. She ended up staying with her mother for a month while she recovered. The job she had taken in the Target photo lab was not able to wait for her to come back. Instead, she worked for Publix again, in their photo lab. It has brought out a creative side to her that I had only seen when she needed to take pictures for a writing class she was taking. She has since gotten a job at another call center.
Throughout junior college, I was rather involved in the theater department. I was in a few plays, took a bunch of acting and stage courses. I took a directing course, and that was the semester before I returned to the musical group at my church after a year, and frankly the reason why I returned, so I'm actually listed as an assistant director in that. I did make a cameo appearance as a backup singer in one of the solos, but most of my work was backstage. The director at school was a woman named Julie. She was a director, not an actor like Caryl. Her mission and goal was not to tell us what to do, but to help us know what to do. She was the one who taught me how to act. She was a very kind and very tolerant woman unless you didn't show up for rehearsal. At that, she usually flew off the handle. She was also much more soft-spoken than Caryl, but that didn't effect her brilliance in directing. In some ways it made her very easy to work with.
I was also involved in the choral department in school, surprise, surprise. And this time I made it into the chamber and show choirs for a year. I enjoyed that experience immensely. If only Mr. F could have seen me! We ended up going to workshops in Daytona and we almost performed at Disney, except the stage was outdoors and it had rained so hard right before, that I was actually an hour late because I couldn't see 2 feet in front of my car. I was also in what my friend Joe calls the "community chorus", as if it was something detestable. I was fond of the people in that chorus and Mr. Jones, the director, even though he wasn't nearly as disciplined as Mr. Graham, the director of the other two choirs. The lack of discipline made us sound a bit messy. But still, this "community chorus" actually ended up doing more gigs in the semester than the other two did all year I was with them, we even recorded a Christmas CD, and the people in it are there simply because they love to sing.
Right now, I'm biding my time and my money, hopefully building up until I am able to go back to school. I have gotten my AA degree, and am planning to go to the University as soon as I can afford it. Everyone keeps telling me to apply for financial aid. Maybe I should.
(This is just about where we come in, and if I left anything out, I will enter it in a later entry. MH, by the way, is the friend that got married in June; she is now MP.)
(My John Lennon quote would have worked very well here, but I already used that one...)
To live is so startling that it leaves little time for anyting else. - Emily Dickenson