Recent Mistakes Made by Me, My Family, and Those Around Me

Ahh, autumn. As the leaves change and the air becomes cooler and crisper, I find myself making more and more mistakes in my every day life. I do not know the meaning of the correlation, or if there is any causation. But it is fall! The equinox has passed! And so much is happening!

This past weekend, I learned all about taking taxi cabs IN THE CITY! My previous taxi cab experience has been limited to:
- sitting quietly in the backseat of a Spanish taxi, by myself, and silently praying that the cabbie wouldn't rip me off because no hablo espanol
- cursing in broken French at an Italian cabbie after he ripped me off because I no speak ITALIAN
- drunkenly tossing 2-3 dollars at cabbies in South Bend after another night at Fever

Thus, the opportunity to take a taxi cab IN THE CITY was quite exciting, albeit unexpected. Apparently, sometimes your own mother just can't make it to pick you up and drive you to your cousin's wedding. But then again, if she will foot the bill for the cab ride to the suburbs, I'll take it.

My cabbie was named Luis R., and I know his full name, but I think it's best to protect his identity. He was great. Even though he had no idea where La Grange, my destination, was. Whatever, we figured it out. We also started talking about marriage a lot... Luis was from Guatemala, and his wife is from Bulgaria and speaks 6 languages. They've been married three years, and he says their secret is "gentle tolerance and humility." After hearing that I didn't have a job, Luis encouraged me to become his French tutor or just a general teacher at his community college. He also told me that armed security guards are in the back of every class to protect "people like you" aka people like me. So maybe that will work out.

Other important city life information that I have recently learned FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
- Brie that comes in a can and is sold from a refrigerator in the back of your local liquor store should not be trusted.
- Baking cinnamin rolls for two hours will ruin them and increase the threat of house fire.
- Everyone wears shoes to jazz class in the city.
- EQUAL NUMBERS OF BOYS AND GIRLS PARTICIPATE IN JAZZ CLASSES IN THE CITY.


On Sunday, my theater had their gala opening for The Hundred Dresses, the play they're putting on right now. Afterward, I was put in charge of the coloring activity (after I was originally put in charge of hand games and tearfully begged to be switched because all I know is Stella-Ella-Ohla). The task? The children were supposed to create a crazy costume for a male character, Willie Bounce, or a dress for the poor immigrant girl, Wanda. Because kids are more clever than me, here is a sampling of what we got:
- A Captain Underpants Willie Bounce with a Star of David across his chest
- A Cowboy Vampire Movie Director Willie Bounce with bloody fangs
- A Massacre Dress: complete with dripping blood, bullet holes, and a girl holding a butcher knife
- The Man Dress: where a kid made a giant smiley face on the front of it -- oh WAIT, that's not a smiling mouth, that is a GIANT PENIS in the anatomically correct area

Children. On the other hand, the show has been getting excellent reviews, both from the Tribune and the Sun-Times. My boss was so happy yesterday that she busted out the champagne. Woo woo!

In job-related news, I am currently the manager of a weekend gift shop, a once-a-week babysitter, and I have strong prospects to work at an espresso bar-crepe palace run by some Eastern European men. I am looking forward to taking dance classes, writing more, and maybe getting a job or marketing/publicity internship in the future. Does that make me sound like I have goals in life? Does it sound convincing? I HOPE SO!

Sorry if I have been distant and isolating during this transitionary time in my life. This always happens during transitionary times in my life, and soon it will pass, and I will return to my normal jovial self.

LOVE, LISA!

P.S. More pictures to come soon