A recap of Rebecca's weekend...
This was a fun but very tiring weekend. There were a bunch of potential parents at the animal shelter today, and while I usually love showing dogs to potential parents, it was a little stressful this afternoon. Two separate sets of parents, both with young kids, set their hearts on dogs who were clearly labeled as having aggression issues (i.e., who would not be good for young kids). I was able to redirect one really nice family to Bran, and they seemed very taken with him. But it's so frustrating when people don't read the information on the kennels. I've also had one woman wanted to adopt a dog who was clearly labeled Not available for adoption (he was one of many dogs who are currently evidence in a court case against a puppy-mill), and I've seen people stick their hands in kennels, despite all the Don't stick your hand in the kennel signs. Oy. But I can also understand why they sometimes gravitate to the wrong dogs, because the dogs usually don't display their true personality in their kennels. Their behavior outside in the dog-park will be completely different.
On Saturday afternoon, I got a headache and took two aspirins to relieve it. Or at least, I thought I did. I realized too late that I'd accidentally picked up the allergy pills instead. I'd never taken two allergy pills at a time before, and it gave me the most awful sick-and-tired feeling. I felt like I'd run a marathon, then smashed into a brick wall. Fortunately, I felt better after a nap, and on Saturday evening, I was able to attend a Shakespeare performance at the local homeless shelter. Several residents of the shelter performed different monologues and scenes from various Shakespeare plays, and afterwards, there was a Q&A session.
It was really so eye-opening and inspiring. One of the organizers said it's probably the only program of its kind in the country, which made me feel very proud to live in this city. (There are a few Shakespeare in prison programs, but apparently no others at homeless shelters.) There was a playbill for the performance, just like at a real theater, and I loved that they closed it with Puck's "All is mended" speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream. (That and the "Quality of mercy" speech from The Merchant of Venice are two of my very favorite Shakespeare pieces.) A few of the performers did stumble with their lines a bit, but most of them were very good, including the three little kids who played fairies. I went by myself, but by pure coincidence, I ended up sitting with a guy from Star Trek Club.
But the Q&A was what really made me think. The residents all talked about being homeless and living at the shelter. A few things I heard that really struck me: "When I was in the army, I served three tours in Iraq, and now that I'm working at Wal-Mart, sometimes I really miss Iraq." - "I've lived in homeless shelters for half my life, and this one is the Taj Mahal of homeless shelters. It gives you a way out." - "I've fallen down a lot in my life, and that one was one of the easiest falls." [From the guy who played Julius Caesar, about collapsing onstage after he was assassinated.] One older woman got teary when she talked about how much being in the play had boosted her self-confidence. Two of the performers had college degrees in history and theater, and I was really impressed by how they discussed Shakespeare in a historical/theatrical context. I felt very lucky to be there.
On Saturday afternoon, I got a headache and took two aspirins to relieve it. Or at least, I thought I did. I realized too late that I'd accidentally picked up the allergy pills instead. I'd never taken two allergy pills at a time before, and it gave me the most awful sick-and-tired feeling. I felt like I'd run a marathon, then smashed into a brick wall. Fortunately, I felt better after a nap, and on Saturday evening, I was able to attend a Shakespeare performance at the local homeless shelter. Several residents of the shelter performed different monologues and scenes from various Shakespeare plays, and afterwards, there was a Q&A session.
It was really so eye-opening and inspiring. One of the organizers said it's probably the only program of its kind in the country, which made me feel very proud to live in this city. (There are a few Shakespeare in prison programs, but apparently no others at homeless shelters.) There was a playbill for the performance, just like at a real theater, and I loved that they closed it with Puck's "All is mended" speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream. (That and the "Quality of mercy" speech from The Merchant of Venice are two of my very favorite Shakespeare pieces.) A few of the performers did stumble with their lines a bit, but most of them were very good, including the three little kids who played fairies. I went by myself, but by pure coincidence, I ended up sitting with a guy from Star Trek Club.
But the Q&A was what really made me think. The residents all talked about being homeless and living at the shelter. A few things I heard that really struck me: "When I was in the army, I served three tours in Iraq, and now that I'm working at Wal-Mart, sometimes I really miss Iraq." - "I've lived in homeless shelters for half my life, and this one is the Taj Mahal of homeless shelters. It gives you a way out." - "I've fallen down a lot in my life, and that one was one of the easiest falls." [From the guy who played Julius Caesar, about collapsing onstage after he was assassinated.] One older woman got teary when she talked about how much being in the play had boosted her self-confidence. Two of the performers had college degrees in history and theater, and I was really impressed by how they discussed Shakespeare in a historical/theatrical context. I felt very lucky to be there.