Lady of Leisure*

*Okay, that might be slightly misleading. What I mean to convey is that, in between all the boring-but-crucial errands and household management tasks and, you know, "searching for meaningful employment", I've been fortunate to squeeze in some of the more entertaining stuff lately. Here's a rundown:

I enjoyed spending time with two wonderful ladies--both of whom I've counted among my friends since waaaay back in the O.G. playgroup days (the gang that was formed by the Olney Mom's Club when Derek was just a wee babe of 5 months!). One had traveled to the area from her home in Atlanta for her son to take a specialized foreign language exam being offered in Raleigh. We made the most of their brief stay at Casa WestEnders by catching up on each others' lives, taking in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro scenery, and dining at one of my fave establishments (The Spotted Dog...any excuse to patronize this gluten-free and vegan-friendly joint, because...yummm!).

The other had come down from our old hometown in Maryland, to see a dance showcase at UNC, in which her Freshman daughter would be performing with the company. She picked up extra tickets and invited me, along with another family we both know, to come along...but first we took advantage of the glorious April weather to stroll along Franklin Street, people-watching, window-shopping, and soaking in the bubbly college-town atmosphere. Oh, and also lunching at another go-to, "Med Deli", where I know from (tasty) experience that the variety, freshness, and healthy options pretty much satisfy everyone.

Finally, after the dazzling array of pirouettes, jetes, arabesques, and....other graceful, lovely feats...we accompanied the hungry dancer to a restaurant of her choosing. (Hops--a new one for me, but the young lady, a fellow member of the Vegetarian Club, assured me they made a good non-meat burger...and she was right!)

Whew! That was a whole lotta...socializing...and eating out...for me! Switching gears: I've had the opportunity to get involved with a couple of awesome volunteer organizations lately. For example, there's TABLE, a non-profit that provides meals to neighborhood kids. I try to remember as often as possible to donate items that they request when they're running low. But this time I noticed a call for help on Twitter, for dropping off bags of food at nearby schools, to distribute to the students who need it. Yep, sounds like a worthwhile Thursday morning endeavor to me--put me in, coach!

Moving right along: I mentioned First Pages in a previous post, when I described their recent read-aloud fundraiser held in downtown Durham. Well, it turns out that the founder (who's also our bootcamp leader, incidentally) also could use help delivering boxes of books to the businesses that pass them along to needy children. Done! And--more amusingly--she also solicited participants to help sort, weed out, and organize the mountains of books currently residing...and taking up more than their fair share of valuable real estate...in her garage.

Thus a small but determined contingent of ladies found ourselves picking through, evaluating, and re-boxing cardboard, paperback, and hard-cover stories, keeping the best, ditching the outdated or damaged...laughing at the absurd (far too many potty tales, and one VERY disturbingly graphic narrative describing "God's plan for mommies and daddies"! Cringe...)...and reminiscing over some sentimental reminders (Awww...Click Clack Moo! We used to looooove that one!). To sum up: doing good + feeling good = Win/Win!

Next, in our Department of Culture (Sure we have one of those...it's just....um...down the hall. What? No one's there? Eh, maybe they're busy, I don't know...WRITING or something...check back later...), I'll be attending the latest installment of Pop-Up Broadway, to sing several of my absolute best-loved girl-power-car-karaoke numbers, Defying Gravity from Wicked and Let It Go from Frozen. (Memo to Me: time spent transporting snacks to schools in one's mobile Subaru studio can double as rehearsal before tonight's gig. Two birds, one stone, boom!)

And finally, since I relished the Civil War lectures so much (taught by a highly respected and locally renowned CHHS teacher), I registered for the second series, focusing on World War II. (Because, you know, "never stop learning", keep the old brain stimulated, and whatnot. Nah...who am I trying to kid? Going to class is just super-fun, y'all! Or is that just me? Eh, "nerd for life", what can I say?)

There you have it: the continuing adventures of Queen WestEnders during her precious goof-off/self-improvement time. But now, sadly, duty does call once more--in the form of a Costco list that begs to be addressed. Ooh, wait a second...more choral practice on the 30-minute commute! La la la la la la laaaaaa!