Back in the day...

Just going though old pics -- decluttering -- and found this gem. Me, somewhen in the early 1980s, I think.

Classes Start Tomorrow

But first, an update! I DID go with the OCC college kids to Guatemala for the last week in May... it's only money, right? Very different from my last time in this country: stayed in HOTELS with hot water and swimming pools, ate mostly at restaurants, and (BIGGEST DIFFERENCE) traveled with a large group -- we were 19 people at most meals. It was crazy at times, but good, and I'm glad I got to spend the time with the young folks and Josh, one of our ministers. Most of the time was spend working on a dormitory that will make it easier for the mountain kids to attend high school -- right now the ministry there is paying for them to stay with families in the "flatlands" and the project will make a big financial difference. So our team worked on tiling four large bedrooms... except me, who got to do electrical wiring -- guess I was there for a reason. We also spent one day in Antigua to do the requisite visit to el mercado... I exercised some restraint: I only bought a machete (all the boys were buying them, mom) and a hammock (much more my speed). Maybe I'll get around to posting some photos... later.

Summer quarter '08 I've been invited to teach again at International Academy of Design Technology -- four classes, a "full" load for an adjunct: English Composition II, College Success, Speech, and tutoring students on writing and English. Thankfully I've taught EngCompII and College Success before, and the tutoring doesn't require lesson plans or grading, so I will hopefully not be as swamped as my first term here back in January.

When I last spoke with Molly of Powersystems Coaching I decided to switch to a monthly "meeting" -- she's very helpful and I'm making headway, but it's just fiscally foolish of me to keep spending like I'm earning a full-time salary. So that's it for now.

I've also joined a couple of meetups at www.meetup.com: Central Florida Messies, about dealing with clutter and organization in our lives, and Orlando Spanish Cultural Language Group, where we get together to practice our Spanish-language skills and experience some of the local arts, music, &ctera. AND I just remembered to join the Florida Kayak/Canoe Meet Up, started by my friend and neighbor, Greg, of Adventures in Florida... and, of course, while browsing I had to join the Florida FairTax Group, something I feel strongly about.

What else? My son Charles is on his way home from Dublin, Georgia right now -- took the long Fourth of July weekend to go visit his new girlfriend at her parents home. And he even called me about 1:30 this afternoon to tell me he was on the road; what a great kid!

I really should be doing more prep for the classes starting tomorrow.

Stuck in O-Town Again

Like a bug in amber, or a mastodon in a tar pit, I've been staying close to home for far too long. I'm tempted to join the OCC youth group on their upcoming trip to Guatemala, but it would be a foolish financial decision.

Much has happened since I last posted, but I'm not going to play catch-up for the whole time -- jeez, it's been almost a year!


The biggest pieces of the puzzle are that my construction project hit some bumps in the road, is still months away from finished, and may get started again soon. Stevie gave me a friend's phone number; Rich is a remodeling contractor and seems to be very professional -- and so far his numbers seem reasonable.

But I just quit the job I'd been doing for 4-1/2 weeks, teaching at Orlando Marine Institute, an alternative school of about 50 teenagers assigned there by Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice. It was touch and go as to my staying there, but it ended up with "go" when I found myself getting too angry at a few students' behavior. So now I'm unemployed again, kicking myself for leaving so soon instead of finding something else first, and scared that my money's running out. Crap.

After I met with Rich today and talked about prices for finishing the mother-in-law suite project (even though I'm divorced and have no prospective m-in-l's waiting in the wings), I spent most of the day searching job listings on the web... bummer...and feeling depressed. Talked with Janice today -- messed up yesterday: I had offered to cook at the coalition on Mothers' Day but forgot in the turmoil of fresh joblessness, M-day lunch with Chas and Yaya at Red Lobster's, and my usual bring-Andrew-lunch afternoon. Anyhow, she was very forgiving, kind and pleasant.

Enough for now. Maybe more tomorrow. Hopefully I'm back on track with this blog. For the select few, there's also www.stinkincats.wordpress.com, but it's a secure, invitation-only blog, mostly about my thoughts on clutter and organization and my adventures in being coached by Molly of Powersystemscoach.com.