Got that itch
Rachel and I went to the ballet Saturday night with the free tickets I earned for modeling in the fundraising fashion show. We got to sit in the Orchestra section, front and center, $42 tickets I could never afford. The show was beautiful and would have been perfect but there was this woman... across the aisle... who was flicking her pen light... on and off... while she scribbled on a pad of paper. It looked like she was writing a bloody novel instead of watching the show, and as she was seated directly in our peripheral vision, it was damn obnoxious. After sitting through it during the two dances before Intermission, I decided to confront her. As soon as Intermission started, I walked over and said I was sorry to bother her but would she please not use her pen light during the next act.

She looked at me, shocked like I was asking, and told me that she was writing a review. Well, I admit I felt sheepish for not having considered that, but I didn't think I was any more in the wrong. In fact, it only made me angrier that she would consider it her right as a journalist to disturb the experience of other patrons. Not to mention that she seemed to be spending more time looking at what she was writing than the show itself. My take on reviews has always been to gather minimal notes when necessary but overall to treat the experience like a normal "customer" and base my opinion on THAT. So I had a little rant at Rachel, but as it turns out the woman decided she didn't need her little light after all and stopped flashing us the second act.

Afterwards, when we were cooled down, I thanked her for her consideration and she apologized for forgetting that she doesn't need to use it so much. A learning experience, I guess.

Yesterday I spent all day bushwhacking on Mount Pisgah for the Wilderness Survival orienteering outing... waist deep in poison oak. YUM. I'm hoping that I'm immune, but I have a bad feeling about some of my rough skin. I did manage to hose off my boots, strip down my laundry and pack and get everything in the wash before I showered. I even scrubbed with TechNu, a soap that dissolves the oils. My carpool buddy and I picked it up at REI on the way home after hearing several recommendations. EUGH. Just thinking about that shit makes me itch.

Today it's back to the grind, all work and no play. I've been meeting my quote of 8 pages layout a week, but I still feel totally unprepared. I guess that's pretty normal.