Leaving town by car is a strange thing. A flight seems formal and final and definitive. But, at eight this morning when I was sitting in Seattle traffic ten minutes from my house, it was difficult to register the fact that, although I was geographically so close, I wouldn't see my dog again for several months. With a face like he has I'm surprised I ever leave the house. See Figure Toby for an idea of what I'm talking about.
Figure Toby
Yes, that entire first paragraph was a longwinded excuse to brag about what a cute dog I have. What can I say? Doting grandmother runs in my veins.
But you didn't start this blog so I could backdoor brag about Toby, you started it so we could write profound, informative, riveting letters to one another on a public forum. Your last post, for instance, had me absolutely enthralled. Seriously, it was a masterpiece. You've ruined me for all other written correspondence because now my expectations are just too high. I'll try my best to live up to your standards.
In that ilk I'm now going to write about something profoundly vital to both of our lives: Tina Fey.
I spent the day driving all of my worldly possessions from Seattle to Butte, Montana. I chose this location for the night both because of its convenient position nine hours from my starting point, and because the name makes me giggle. During those nine hours I listened to the entirety of Tina Fey's self-narrated audiobook, Bossypants.
A few things struck me about it. The first you'll think is really funny but it involves something embarrassing about both of us so remind me and I'll tell you about it later by less public means.
The second is the fact that shortly after graduating from school she applied for several entry-level jobs including one as a box office worker at a Chicago theatre. She went to the interview and everything was going well until the interviewer said something along the lines of "we like to think ours is the most innovative theatre in Chicago" to which the hilarious Fey replied "well, I like to think I'm the most beautiful woman in the world." She did not get the job.
Anyway, this reminded me of a moment from my job interview at a day care. I was describing an obstacle I had to overcome while working at a children's theatre. I talked about parents complaining when their children were not given the leading role in the play and how it was tough to navigate those conversations because every parent thinks their kid is a star. At this my interviewer's face completely dropped and she replied, utterly aghast, "they all are stars."I promptly back-peddled, insisted what I meant was that they just can't all have the lead, and managed to get the job anyway.
The moral of the story is that this time next year I'll probably be writing for SNL.
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