Month: May 2013

Falling back into the smooth routine of daily work comes easier than I thought. Jamaica Kincaid once waxed philosophical about the detrimental effects of vacations (specifically in regards to the mindset the vacationer has towards the vacation spot). I feel now that vacations are meant to be limited things, especially in cases where what you do defines a significant portion of who you are. Who I am is a person that dances lightly between creating curriculum and fiction. Being away from both too long is known to trigger headaches and clammy skin–much like alcohol withdrawal. Now that I’m back to work the only real difficulty is deciding what to do first.

Some Thoughts:

1. I was recently informed that upwards of 200 Maricopa school children are underfed. In fact, these are the children who only eat when free meals are provided at school. So, from the time they leave school on friday until monday morning’s school breakfast these children are unfed. That doesn’t sit right with me at all. I cannot watch my own three boys poke at a meal knowing that someone they probably know is unable to eat dinner every night and unable to eat at all on the weekends. I decided the moment I heard this that I would need to do something. Maricopa is not necessarily a poor town, but as more people move here, it does feel like the median income is shrinking. I moved here because the demographics worked for me and it felt like a town just starting to come together and I wanted to be a part of that. I still want to be a part of that. Now I want to be the part that helps people in need.
2. My heart goes out to the people of OK who are dealing with a horrific tornado disaster. 51 declared dead in Moore, OK as a result of an EF-4 Tornado said to be two miles wide with speeds up to 200 MPH and perhaps more. This is one of the few times that I find purpose in the 24 hr news cycle as it gives us a chance to stay abreast of an evolving situation.
3. Speaking of 24, the hit series about a day in the life of Jack Bauer is set to return in 2013 for a 12 episode mini-series. I’m stoked about the return, but I am also a little hesitant given Fox’s recent track record with action-adventure series.

I was able to update the blog for the first time in days today. Whatever small glitch my system has seems to repeat itself once in a while, leaving me unable to post to the blog itself. I am instead left to write in my Evernote with hopes of updating to the blog proper as soon as possible. The return of function is the perfect coda to my short, sweet vacation. I spent a week hanging out alone and playing minecraft, all in an attempt to clear my head and ready myself for what lies ahead in the next few weeks. I need to do a great deal of planning for classes and more than a little paperwork to see myself ready for the summer. The kids will be here with me some of that time, so I must learn how to make do with the few short hours I have without them.

I still have my summer goals. I still have my desires for vacation. The refund situation remains unresolved. I hope to use that small bit of currency along with the book money to fund summer trips. The first such outing is the 20 yr reunion in NYC. I’m excited about that one. I hope to be able to connect with old friends.

The lion’s share of my workload is comprised of three online classes that are each stumbling towards capacity. It is no great secret that my online classes stank. I use the past tense, because I expect things to be different this summer. I am dedicating myself to making the experience extremely interactive and worthwhile.

Sociology will tell you that a man lives longer when in the company of a good wife. What science hasn’t said but should is that people live longer in the company of good friends. As my life goes on, I learn more of the value of good friends. Since moving to Maricopa I have developed a handful of very good family friends–folks I can spend time with family to family. Ten years ago I would never have thought of this as very important but now it seems that these are the primary type of friends I am looking for. I find myself seeking out folks I can spend time with and that my family can spend time with and we can both understand what we’re going through in our lives.

I want to preface this story by saying I’m talking about a team of 8-9 yr old players. The conflict started when my team faced off against a rival team whose coaches are not the happiest bunch in the bushel. In that first match the rival assistant coach accused one of my players of jumping on to the field to kick a ball. That did not happen. We won the game and the animosity built. A week later was pulled aside by league officials and warned about my players punching other boys. That low blow really upped my anger. Talk about me all day, but go after my players and I get upset. I contacted the officials who reffed the game and they confirmed there was no hitting.

More Minecraft talk.

My friend Ryan introduced me to the term Honey-do list. It is a collection of tasks a spouse assigns their significant other when that other is supposed to be on vacation. My Honey-do list stretches off into the distance like the yellow brick road. Some of those do’s are self-directed like the garage. On the other hand, the complaints about that space are so visceral that something needs to be done regardless of who initiates the request. I find having these tasks to be a really calming thing. There is a simplicity in work that requires your hands more than your mind, and when it comes to summer I prefer to be a highly physical individual.

I stopped writing for three weeks and called it recovery. Maybe it is. After all, you need to recover from a physical workout, so why not take the time to let the mind heal? There were other factors involved, namely the end of semester grading, that kept me away from the page. I’m headed back over the next few days but being away really made some stuff clear. One thing I now know is that writing is my main drug. In the absence of that drug I’ve been finding other indulgences. I’ve cheated on my new eating habits so prolifically that I’m all the way back to 207lbs. I was near 200 before the food rush hit.

Some Thoughts:

1. The posts are indeed getting shorter. This is less the sign of an empty mind than a cluttered one. More to come in the near future.
2. Last night of binging…

The name Olivia Sprauer might not fly to the front of your memory. She’s been seen on a newscast or two recently, because she was just fired from her H.S. teaching job. She was fired for being beautiful and sharing that beauty. According to the school, she was fired for modeling semi-nude. Basically, she does bikini shots–the stuff we drool over on cnnsi.com. Supposedly that sort of work makes her unfit to be a teacher. It is the same story over and again. We have become a nation with a very strange relationship with sex and sexuality. We want to see it but we don’t quite want to admit sex is a part of what drives us.

Some Thoughts:

1. The Knicks have done everything I could hope them to do this season. The last hurdle is to get past the Pacers to play the Heat. I almost don’t want to see it happen, because the Heat will destroy them. Let the Pacers catch that beatdown instead.
2. I’m starting to get a handle on this coaching thing–not so much how to do it, but what needs to be done.

I’m struggling with parenting now at the moment I have a sliver of freedom (however brief). I get a week–4 days really. Tuesday through friday I am going to get some quality me time that will consist of a movie or two, lots of mine crafting, cleaning, and quite likely the construction of a novel outline. I also intend to schedule out the rest of my summer. There is a lot I need to get done in terms of summer opportunities and tying up loose ends. The biggest thing is paperwork. I’m terrible at that stuff, and I recognize it is the biggest part of the administrative role I seek to have in the distant future.

Beyond the professional stuff, I am struggling with the parenting stuff. My kids are crazy whiny right now. All three are looking to override parental rulings with the power of screams and tears. No such luck, but the behaviors are taking years off my life.

I need a vacation.

Long day-ong weak that has left me miserably draned and unable to focus concentratin. I think there is a lesson in that somewhere….
Just not tonight