|
|
|
Notifications
|
|
|
|
First, let me say how nice it was to see Mags back in the chatroom last night.
Why won’t I ever learn? I’m still going around passing myself off as French. I’ve had a lot of French tourists on the boats lately and had some great opportunity to practice the language. They’ve been great with the tips, too. The problem is I don’t know when to stop. I keep going around speaking to language to anyone, even at the Post Office (the clerk, who was feeling ill that day, said I perked her up). One of these days this is going to catch up with me.
I don’t remember if I mentioned meeting Christina Engelhardt, this beautiful European film actress. She did a couple of Fellini films, and I love Fellini! She was on my boat one Sunday and I thought I recognized her. To be brief, I had the chance to speak to her. What a sweetheart! She was so nice. She gave me a piccie that she must have torn out of a press release or something, autographed it, and even had her boyfriend (probably the best looking man on the planet) use my camera phone to take a shot of us. She was in town for the International Film Festival. She was truly a wonderful person.
Yesterday morning I put on my lipstick before heading out to the interview. As I mentioned in my last blog, I had to do a ten minute presentation. I was a coal miner named Mere Newton. Two people interviewed me, one was a young black woman named – take a guess – Meredith. I had my props all ready: Union signs and petitions, a lantern (from my own collection), styrofoam balls cut up and colored to resemble coal, and company scrip. When it was over I was asked to move into the other room and fill out paperwork. When they brought me back in a few moments later the guy said my interview hinged on the next question, which was "Would you like to work here?" I said yes. I filled out the rest of the papers and then went to do my drug test right away. After they complete the obligatory background check I’ll have my start date.
I called Lexi right away with the news. While she wasn’t home at the time, she got back in touch with me and was thrilled. I grew up at that museum! And now I’m going to work there, although part-time. It’s perfect because I can work it around my teaching and writing. I’ll still have a ton of hours, and, as Lexi said, it’s indoors where I can stay dry.
The boats are all about done for me for this year. I have about 10 hours assigned for this next week. Thank God/Buddha/Krishna the museum job came through. Yesterday was a dreary sort of day, weather-wise. Most tours were cancelled. My 3:00 still went on because a group of 18 showed up at the LAST DAMN MINUTE. I was ready to go home after having a bunch of long days. I managed to destroy the microphone. The lake was the worst it’s been since I started there. I was on the Wendella Limited, and the one thing us docents should know is to watch the damn door to the wheelhouse so it doesn’t hurt the microphone cord. While out on the deck the door, which wasn’t closed properly (my fault), slammed shut and all but cut the cord in half! Since everyone was down on the main deck, which is covered and heated, I did the tour down there in front of them, which made it very personal and private, which translated into great tips.
What a week!
