Friday was fantastic…it marked my last day in the paint shop at school, ever, and although I feel tied to that place and will miss it, I’m ready to move on.  Friday night, Anchors, Matty and I went to try and see Get Smart.  Steve Carrell is funny and I can tolerate Anne Hathaway, mostly.  Get Smart was sold out, and the next closest movie time was for Kung Fu Panda.  Now, I love Jack Black.  However, I never would have spent the movie and seen that movie if I weren’t already at the theater.  I am glad for this happy accident.  Kung Fu Panda kinda rocked.  The three of us were the only group without children in the theater, that was interesting, but we all laughed our faces off (spurred on by a three year old in the row in front of us, who would laugh whenever we did, which just made me laugh harder).  I approve of Kung Fu Panda.  I might even go so far as to say I recommend it.  

Saturday, I woke up, had lunch with Anchors and my roommate, and then started the tedious process of packing the studio.  I officially want to Poke My Eyes Out.  I hate moving, the physical act.  It fucking sucks.  It’s hot and sweaty and dusty and nostalgic and I’m tired of it already when I’ve hardly begun.  Soooo, to make things better, a group of us went down the hill to the bar at about 7:30, and by 11:00, we were at the titty bar up the road from school.  I, myself, had never been to a strip club before.  How did I make it to almost-30 without going to a strip club?  Friends, you may have failed me.  Better late than never, though…better late than never.  I was pleasantly surprised that there was nary a fake boob in sight, and the woman who was the headliner for the evening was the plumpest of the bunch.  There were only a handful of skinny girls, and the rest were just…normal.  A few would have even been considered overweight from a medical stand point, but mostly, they were all hot.  Except for the headliner.  She liked Anchors, though.  Didn’t even want her money after she rubbed her head in her crotch… Giggety giggety.  

Today, I woke up with a bit of a hangover, and promptly engaged in the best cure known to man: lazy river tubing!!  It was pretty perfect.  We were running late, as usual, and the people running the shuttles were not happy with us, and then it looked like it would storm, but we had perfect timing, in the end.  The rain didn’t start until ten minutes after we’d gotten out of the river, and we arrived just in time to catch the shuttle back to our cars.  Idyllic, really.  I love tubing more than most things in this world.  Really, I do.  

Tonight, I’m having dinner with a few friends, and then I’m finishing up work on all the puppets for the Pied Piper.  These past few weeks, ever since graduation really, I can’t shake the feeling that my life is charmed, that I am so lucky to get to do what I do, with the people I do it with, and that I ought to give thanks each and every day that somehow, this life is working out in a most spectacular, unconventional, magicalmystical way.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  

Is this what happiness feels like?  Boundless gratitude for simply existing?  

Oh, and Amanda…that old post, your memories through someone else’s words, I didn’t ever imagine you’d read those words.  I hope you know I meant you no ill will.  Quite the opposite, in fact…