Well, I have certainly learned that not everything can go as expected. Yesterday I was at Word on the Street, and it was definitely a case of things going wrong. I went with Jonathon Shaboo from Angelwalk Theatre, and we were sharing a table in our booth. We got there and set up our table. The first thing I noticed was how cold it was. We were facing away from the main thoroughfare, and the shade was freezing. Eventually, Jonathon went back to my car and got us a collection of blankets, and my Snuggie. This helped somewhat.

As the day went on, we saw ominous looking clouds gathering overhead. I had a bad feeling. This feeling soon proved to be right. The rain started, cold and wet. Luckily, our boxes managed to stay fairly dry. The rain soon stopped, then started again, this time as a heavy windy downpour. Unfortunately, we found ourselves scrambling to preserve our books, flyers, bookmarks, and boxes. We found our tent leaking from under all four walls, and since we were facing the curb, rather than the street, the fronts of our tables, and several of our neighbour's boxes of books sat in 2-3 inches of water. We were miserable.

Needless to say, very few books were sold. It is very difficult to sell paper products in the rain. Now, looking back on it, the churros were quite tasty. Other than that, I have to laugh at the picture of me and Jonathon snuggled in our blankets trying to stave off the cold and damp. Let's chalk this up to a learning experience. Right?

This week was the Jewish holiday of Roash Hashannah. This marks the start of the Jewish new year, and is also the day the G-d opens the gates of heaven and accepts our prayers and apologies. This is a time for introspection, where we examine the kind of person we were this past year. We make amends, and promise to do better. We also gather with our families and have wonderful dinners, and time together. I have a minor confession to make: I really enjoy going to synnagogue. I like the way the cantor sings the prayers. I like eharing the rabbi's sermons. I find something comforting in the way it stays the same every year. I like being able to go and sing the same tunes every Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur. There is something soothing for me in the ritual. I know many people who find it boring, and I can understand perfectly why that is. And that's fine. But I like it.

Any way, next Tuesday evening, Yom Kippur begins, and we sing the Kol Nidre, where we ask G-d to let us out of our vows and promises we couldn't keep. The gates will close, and we will be either forgiven or not. So, I state here, that if I have done anything this past year to offend any of you, or have wronged any of you, I assure you that I didn't mean it. I am sorry. What I look forward to on this day is the fact that I do dinner for my whole family before we walk to synnagogue for the Kol Nidre. This service also marks the beginning of a fast day. My mom traditionally does the breaking of the fast meal the night after. Once again, it's a great time to see all the cousins and friends that you don't get to spend a lot of time with the rest of the year. I love it.

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In other news, this weekend I will be sharing a table at Toronto Word on the Street. Who will I be sharing it with? Why Angelwalk Theatre! So I will be there with the incomparable Jonathon Shaboo from Angelwalk, and I will be selling copies of The Strings of the Violin. So come on down to see us. Pick up a copy of my book. Find out about Angelwalk's awesome season this year. This book festival should be amazing. I hope I can find some time to walk around myself. It looks great!

Anyway, for those interested, here's a video of cantors singing the Kol Nidre.

On August 30, I had the honour of being a guest on The Tony Zee Show on Reality Radio 101. He was an excellent host, and very accomopdating to my needs as a guest. As a mother of toddlers, it was very difficult to just up and leave them to get down to the studio, especially since they were already upset with me for abandoning them for the duration of Fan Expo. Therefore, I did my interview from the comfort of my bedroom, over the phone.

The interview was set to begin around 7:30, and at 7:00, Gary the producer called me up to do a sound check, and to make sure my phone connection was clear, and we could all hear each other. This went swimmingly, and afterwards, I got to hang up and put my kids to bed. Sidenote: currently, Phillip is insistant on hearing Where the Wild Things Are each night at bedtime, while Joseph refuses to sleep without hearing Goodnight Moon. Hailey doesn't care so long as she's read to.

Around 7:40, the station called me back, and after a few initial sound glitches, the interview started. We ended up talking for over a half hour. Both Tony and Gary were involved, and I was asked about everytthing from my inspiration, to what I liked to read, to my education. It felt more like a conversation than a formal interview. I had a lot of fun doing it. We also did a give away of a couple of copies of The Strings of the Violin over the course of the show.

Next up, tomorrow evening I go into my first rehearsal for Fiddler on the Roof! My return to the stage after two years! I hope I remember how to dance...