On Thursday I emailed one of my old teachers, who my friends and I got on really well with at school and have kind of stayed in touch with. When she replied she told me that another one of my old teachers, the head of the English department, had retired at the end of last year, and she had taken over her job.

A couple of years ago our high school principal retired, and this same group of friends and I went to visit her and take her some flowers. After we did that we bumped into the teacher who has now retired, and she said “I hope you bring me flowers when I retire!” I joking replied that we’d give her a cactus! I wasn’t really serious, and forgot about it right after I’d said it.

Until last week. When I got the email back from the first teacher, I forwarded it to Brooke and Jenny, who’d also been in my class. When Brooke read the email, she remembered my cactus comment, and immediately suggested Friday afternoon was the appropriate time for us to uphold our promise and go and give her a cactus! Yes. We are weird.

One problem, however. Retired Teacher had already left the school. We had no idea how to get hold of her. This might have put some people off. But not us. We are far too awesome. We hatched a plan. We decided to go and visit the first teacher – the one I emailed, and see if she would help us with Operation Cactus. She knows we’re silly so we liked our chances.

She was rather surprised to see us, and when we explained our idea to her and showed her the cactus (which was tiny, cute, non-spiky and about to flower) and the card (which said “Have a nice middle age” on it.) she thought it was hilarious, checked that the address we had found (on the online White Pages) was correct, and told us to go and visit her! Excellent. Part One of our mission accomplished.

So we drove to Retired Teacher’s house. She was mowing her lawn and was rather astounded to see us suddenly standing in the middle of her garden! We’ve not sure whether she remembered the original conversation about the cactus or not, but she still thought it was funny!

As for the title of this saga, we named the cactus “Mr. Rochester the Retirement Cactus”, because Jane Eyre was one of the books we studied in her class in 2003! HAH!

Sadly I don’t have any photos of this! I wish I did! :(

I saw this article this morning and thought it was entertaining. Generally inaccurate, yes, but entertaining anyway. :)

THE ESPRESSO DRINKER

James and Moore describe the espresso as “the unfiltered cigarette of the coffee drinking world”. Espresso drinkers tend to be moody, hard-bitten and hard working. They are into leadership and fast goals. They don’t suffer fools but are hard living and prone to “night-time shenanigans, followed by a rather louche attempt at day time repair”. The espresso drinker can be an experienced, exciting and consummate lover but is not known for reliability or unswerving loyalty.

THE BLACK COFFEE DRINKER

This type is all about minimalism and takes a no-frills, direct approach to life. The black coffee drinker can be quiet and moody but prone to brief bursts of extroversion. “A difficult but potentially rewarding friend, colleague or partner,” James and Moore conclude.

THE LATTE DRINKER

Typically metrosexuals or cuddly-toy collectors, latte drinkers are pleasers with an overwhelming compulsion to be liked. A latte drinking boss will use a baby voice to tell you off.
By taking a dark and dangerous drink and turning it into a comforting milky bedtime beverage, James and Moore say, latte drinkers reveal that while they may want to come across as hot shot contenders, they have an immature side.

THE CAPPUCCINO DRINKER

What’s not to like about the extroverted, optimistic cappuccino drinker? Like their drink, cappuccino drinkers are all froth and bubble, bored by detail and liking – but not obsessed with – material objects. “Freud would have a field day here,” write James and Moore. “Cappuccino froth gives the tongue the mother of all workouts and is all to do with the physicality of the experience rather than the basic consumption of the beverage.” The cappuccino drinker enjoys sex but is easily bored by an unimaginative partner.

THE INSTANT COFFEE DRINKER

These are cheerful, straight forward types, who like a laugh and live by the maxim “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. But instant coffee drinkers can be unadventurous in their careers and need to let others see the hidden depths in their personality. The no-nonsense instant coffee drinker is allergic to pretentious behaviour, say James and Moore, and they are likely to keep their socks on during sex.

THE DECAF SOY MILK DRINKER

A self-righteous eco-worrier and attention seeker with a tendency to be picky, fussy – and squeamish in the bedroom. What’s more, this faux choice implies a pretentious, high-maintenance type who wants what they can’t have and is disguising their true personality. “If caffeine gives palpitations and cow’s milk brings you out in spots there’s little hope for you in the cockroach society that is city dwelling”, James and Moore conclude.

THE FRAPPUCINO DRINKER

Flighty and shallow, the frappucino drinker will try anything once – especially if a celebrity has done it first. They fancy themselves trend setters but send out the message that they are someone who favours style over substance. The frappucino drinker’s relationships often last as long as their drink choice, according to James and Moore.

THE NON-COFFEE DRINKER

Unfortunately, the verdict isn’t good. Frightened of coffee equals frightened of life, say James and Moore. If the taste of coffee puts you off you really are a child, they say, and it’s time to join the world of grown ups. But there’s hope. “Twenty one days is all it will take to break your cycle of disgust and then you’ll be back in the real world.”

Source

Which one are you? Do you think it’s an accurate description?

Today was the first session of drama school for this term. Something I’d been looking forward to for ages, since I’m one of those people who gets crazy “drama withdrawal” if I go too long without being involved in something!

Since we moved our studio miles away from where we used to be, our group dynamic has changed a bit. Some of the 2009 kids are back, but quite a few have also stopped coming, because they’re now involved in other stuff, or we’re just too far away for it to be practical. On the other hand, being in a new area of town means that we’re now exposing ourselves to TONS of new kids, some of whom are quite young and have never done anything like this before, but who are really keen!

This is awesome. It’s exactly what we’re after. I for one am TOTALLY all about giving the “theatre bug” to as many kids (and their parents) as I can!

Today was really just an introductory session, where everybody who was interested turned up at 1:30 and filled out forms, read through our booklet, and had the opportunity to ask questions about what we’re going to be doing.

We did play a few theatre-sports games with the kids, and one of the other tutors did some basic dancing, but that was pretty much it.

I’m definitely happy with what we’ve started off! Yay!

P.S: By all means, if you happen to be in Christchurch, New Zealand, and have a child interested in theatre, send me an email and I’ll give you our info! :D

EDIT: This was my 600th post! Whoa! Was my 500th Giveaway really THAT long ago!?