Crazy as an Outhouse Rat

The title comes from the fact that my supervisor dared me to utter that phrase while I was being filmed live on the Kip Tyner show. While it is a fun game to play, I had better not try to participate in any other interviews. Luckily, it's only shown in the Tuscaloosa area at noon, so few people watch it. Apparently, it's something that people actually say...

Last week was super not busy in terms of Red Cross work. Mike and I developed a Disaster Action Team folder for all volunteers in that area. If you are unaware or ignorant to Red Cross happenings like I was, you may have not been aware that Red Cross volunteers respond to fires to provide emergency assistance to anyone affected. The DATs, as they are called, have fallen apart in Tuscaloosa, so we're working to build them back up.You should all become a part of one! The training is free, and you put yourself on call only when you're available.

In the colder half of last week, we had a lot of fire cases from people using dangerous methods to heat there homes. Some examples of this include ovens, space heaters, and fires, which can all be dangerous if not used properly.These cases have been a little more heartbreaking than normal because most of these people have finished Christmas shopping that the were barely able to afford as it is.

In the realm of happier events, James is hilarious as ever. I asked him at the Christmas party if he would catch me if I fell, and he told me the floor would. He also wants me to dress up like Santa and climb down a chimney with a fire in it. I can honestly say that I've never had a friend who can wish harm on me in a way I find this amusing.

Mike, James, and I also decorated the office for Christmas. Wynease, our new front desk worker, was very skeptical of our decoration skillz. This was mostly due to the poor storage of the tree I put in the lobby. It has a lot of holes in the branches and a collection of kitschy wooden ornaments. The four of us had a great time at the holiday party. I work with some really great people, which makes it easier to get through the more difficult days.

Outside the realm of work, Sarah and I spent an enormous amount of time together this week since she was graduating on Saturday. We watched all of our shows and ate cookies as per usual. I've gotten her into a bunch of crazy shows, and she's done the same for me. I wish I had photo shop skills so that I could make a picture of her like she was a cast member on 1Girl 5 Gays. It would look like this:



Thursday night I had a class to teach at work, but quickly afterward I took Casey and Sarah to Nick's in the Sticks for their first time. It's one of those restaurants that you have to hear about because you aren't going to accidentally drive by it. I suppose they named it well. They have nice cheap steak, a beautiful ranch dressing with blue cheese, and an alcoholic beverage called a Nickademus that had me asleep by 10 o'clock.


The weekend was filled with parties and moving. All of which was enjoyable. Michael Wilson had a very cold but entertaining birthday party on his porch, a common Birmingham theatre hangout, and he had a lunch a Rojo the next day. I love that restaurant too much that it could be labeled as unhealthy. My friend Amanda suggested the Berkley's Tacos to me when I was there last week. They were amazing grilled chicken with buffalo sauce and feta. I was in food heaven.


My family saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie before the lunch, and I really enjoyed it. They did a great job not only in the writing and acting but also in the cinematography. I would definitely recommend seeing in theatres as these effect may not be as entertaining on a smaller screen. I went to a Christmas Party at Charla and Chris Cochran's house Sunday night, and it was too cool. I was just so happy to see all of the people this weekend like Amanda, JJ, Chuck(s), Hal, Chris, Lee, Michael, Jonathan, etc. This made me really excited about starting Hamlet soonish and for the auditions for Normal Heart in March.

It's been a long week already with class, jailed roommates, and taking over the responsibilities of leading the Hispanic Service Providers for the next six months. I'm looking forward to Christmas events this weekend as well as Sarah Rogers and Kevin coming down for trivia tomorrow night!