“You got gaffa tape?”
Nope.
“Newspaper?”
Err…. no.
“Go get some. You can then make a stick by rolling the newspaper and….”
Why? Can’t I just borrow a riding crop?

Capricorn:  The Mountain Goat.  Functionalities: Ambitious; success, achievement and results oriented; authority, organisation, time, status, reputation, rewards, awards, responsible and mature. 
“No wonder you’re scaring the rest of the committee,” a friend observed on my recent birthday.
“You'll be happy to know,” I assured her, “that I've spent the past decade toning down some of my more extreme Capricorn traits.”

“What! Only three hours?” my Japanese students hollered in protest.
“Surely that’s enough time,” I replied. “Why on earth would you want to spend more time at the plaza?” 
I hate shopping. The only thing I hate more is waiting around while others do their shopping.

“If my son has the opportunity to interact with young people from other cultures, he’ll learn they’re just the same as him,” said the mother.
As a result, that young boy is growing up with an open mind and acceptance of other people, so by the time he’s an adult he won’t see the sense of warfare against people he considers friends, despite their colour, race or religion.
“It’s one way of helping to end wars in future,” she said.

There’s nothing quite like the look and feel of a freshly cleaned floor.
Infinitely more satisfying, however, is the clarity that comes with having clean windows, which really do make the outside world look brighter.
Now, I’m not a big fan of housework and I can tolerate medium levels of untidiness, but deep down I really like having a clean home.

Since childhood, I’ve often wondered how I ended up in my family. 
I noticed early on that I didn’t fit in and was astonished to realise I had nothing in common with them, apart from the birth thing.
Now, I’m pretty certain I wasn’t adopted. First of all, Greeks aren’t the adopting type; and second, my relatives constantly remind me that I look like and carry not only my paternal grandmother’s name, but also her personality traits. 

“He’s a bit of a tough cookie.”
I ignored the comment and maintained the required silence.
“So what are you writing?”
I shook my head and slid along the wooden bench. I didn’t want the judge castigating me for contempt of court.

“Find out one thing about your partner that no one else knows and share it with the group.”
There were lots of ooh-aahs as people shed light on their little-known achievements and talents at our recent choir retreat, even though some of us have been singing together for three or more years.
“I didn’t know that about you!”
If we asked that question more often, we’d learn so much more about each other beyond just our jobs or interest groups.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our Big Fat Greek Easter Show,” Nick announced with a flourish. “We've got an exciting performance for you this afternoon and we hope you enjoy it.”
Aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins cheered in rowdy applause as the curtains parted, while Jen and I were discreetly positioned behind the handcrafted stage.
We’d spent weeks rehearsing for our live puppet show which featured an elaborate and colourful array of props and musical performances.

I was a shy, introverted child and throughout my teens I drifted on the edge of social circles.
Surprisingly, for someone who’s more comfortable as a wallflower at parties and networking events, I’ve always ended up in jobs that required public speaking.
Perhaps I’m just a closet performer at heart.