I’ve named the spider Brad. Since he clearly has no intentions of relocating anytime soon, I thought that giving him a name that was harmless-sounding , Ivy League-ish (dare I say “WASP”-y, since he is clearly an arachnid??) — it  would make the enormous spider near my bed a lot less frightening.

So far, it’s working. I plug in my iPhone to re-charge it, catch a glimpse of Brad hanging out in the corner with his super-creepy long, brown legs and I say, “Hey, Brad. How’s it going?” And he does seem less frightening. In fact, he seems to belong to me now that I’ve named him.

I will even go so far as to quote Antoine de Saint-Exupery in The Little Prince:

“I am looking for friends. What does that mean — tame?”

“It is an act too often neglected,” said [Brad]. “It means to establish ties.”

“To establish ties?”

“Just that,” said [Brad]. “To me, you are still nothing more than a [crazy lady] who is just like a hundred thousand other [crazy ladies]. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a [spider] like a hundred thousand other [spiders]. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world….”

And so goes the story of me and Brad.

On other fronts.

I sent the re-writes of Act One of the TV pilot to one of the producers to see if I am anywhere near on the right track. We shall see. If we are, then I will write like a demon to get Acts Two through Four re-written by next Friday and then move on to the play I need to edit. The fabulous play that will cause me to travel to New York City and back many times this fall! And — yes! — see that guy I used to love! (Well, I probably still love him because every time I speak to him on the phone, my heart zings off somewhere far beyond the moon, but we shall see…)

However, if Act One still needs work, everything mentioned above will remain the same, except that I will write like a super-demon instead.

In case you’re curious (and keeping track) the new course I’m taking in school, Church Administration, is just about as indescribably unexciting as I had anticipated it would be. Arrrrgggh. However, only 2 more classes after this, and I am home free, as they say. A divinity graduate, Magna Cum Laude. Yippee ki yi yay.

The other course I’m taking, Pastoral Care and Hospital Visitation Training, is already intense, and it only started this past Monday night.  The course includes such effervescent topics as: People in Crisis & Illness; Care for those with Mental Illness; Grief & End of Life; Ministry to the Elderly; Care for those with Disabilities, and the ever-popular Ministry in the Midst of Addictions. (And by that, I think they mean that Addicts will be in our Midst, not that we, as ministers, will be in the midst of our own addictions. But you know, you never really know, until you really know.)

So that’s life around here. I must get back to the dry-as-dust world of Church Administration. (The textbook makes me feel like I speak English as a second language. Honestly, the sentence structures are so convoluted, I have to keep re-reading the same sentences over & over & over until they finally start to make sense. By then, I’m dead asleep and have to snap out of it and start over.)

All right. I will leave you with a shot of Weenie in the planter shaped like a small wheelbarrow. Weenie is the twin brother of Skipperdee, who got adopted. They are both named after characters in the Eloise books. (You can see the original Skipperdee and Weenie pictured with Eloise at that link.)

Okay. Bye! See ya! Thanks for visiting, gang!