This week I spent a few days in Scotland tagging along with Andrew, had my first job interview (fingers crossed!), and now we're about to cross the pond for a nice long holiday in Florida with a couple days' bonus in New York City.
This past weekend Andrew and I saw something a bit different, something I'd never heard of before. We went to see a performance by the Playback Theatre Manchester, a kind of improvisational theatre group where audience members tell true-life stories which are then acted out on stage. Interestingly enough, Playback Theatre was developed about 30 years ago in Dutchess County, New York and now has companies worldwide. Turns out, I needed to come all the way to England to discover and experience this fascinating performance medium! Using talented actors, musical accompaniment, minimal props, and of course the audience's stories, Playback provides suspense, drama, comedy and can evoke even more from the audience. Is there a Playback Theatre near you?
Last week on one of my favorite TV shows, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Agyness Deyn, the new model-of-the-moment (who happens to be from North Manchester and is a real cutie) was interviewed. At one point she said something like "don't save your best for best", meaning don't keep your best clothes for only special occasions. At first this didn't really resonate with me, but over the last week or so, I've begun to take it to heart. Since coming to the UK, and because I'm not yet working, my wardrobe of work and dress clothes has remained pretty much untouched. I hadn't realized that not putting effort into dressing has had an insidious, deleterious effect on my outlook. But by taking some care, it's a bit like that expression "today is the first day of the rest of your life", and I've been experiencing an opposite, upbeat and expansive effect. Thank you Agyness, I am now happily dressing myself up every day, even if it's only to go food shopping or to the gym!
Ever since I was a kid, I loved all things English (P.G. Wodehouse, T. Rex, my 'Hylas and the Nymphs' poster), and now I live in England so it's kind of like a dream come true. But even while living here, I enjoy being transported to other times if no longer places... I just finished reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, based on the life of Mary Boleyn, sister to Anne Boleyn, second wife to King Henry VIII. 
Soon after I arrived here in Wigan, I joined a local speakers' club, the Standish with Wigan Speakers Club, a part of the Association of Speakers Clubs. Back in New York, I was a member of a local Toastmasters International club. Both organizations provide a place for colleagues to meet, in a comfortable and nurturing setting, to practice and improve their public speaking skills. 
