A Spring Break is a Lovely Thing to Waste

I'm on my spring break. Two weeks; can't send kids home to Korea for a week. I spent the first week loafing. I'm well on my way to spending my second week that way too. The kids will all be tan and relaxed from their exotic vacations, I will be slightly dissatisfied, but revived. At least I'm getting some visiting in, though.

The thought of the word 'visiting' always reminds me of my Grandma. She was always the best to visit, and the best to have visit. Anyway, on Tuesday, my Dad came out to see me. With his awful sleeping habits, he was too tired to drive all the way home. He stayed on the futon and left Wednesday morning. We visited my campus, met Jamie for pizza, and went up to the Hoosac Tunnel (an excuse for a nice drive).

On Thursday I went down to my Mom's and have been there ever since. No one else has vacation except for my brother, but he needed to go back to school to baby sit his cells. Can't mess up his senior thesis. Mom was also taking a course over the weekend, so she wasn't around much. We spent an interminable time wandeirng around Kohl's absorbing the sales, only to get kicked out at closing time (our second trip!) just like Grandmom used to.

Jon and I went down to pick up Grandpop. He stayed until today. He's 89 and has only recently been slowing down. He's still fixing clocks all the time, he really loves it. We also went to Northlandz, one man's obsessions with model trains that has grown so large that he can now charge admission. I was impressed that Grandpop walked the entire mile length of the exhibit. After being out all day and cooking dinner (artichoke risotto and chicken francese), I then drove Grandpop 80 miles back home, turned around, and came back to Mom's. whew.

After I finish my taxes and go over them with Mom, I'm fleeing back to the Valley. I don't know if this break has been taken full advantage of, but I'll find out once I start again in a week!

Unemployed Penguin's sister blog

So now the penguin is employed. I've got a job, actually teaching Latin, at a nice private school in the cozy valley. It looks like I'll be finishing this year and completing the next. I'm coping well with my four classes; I've never taught any of this material before. The work's not hard, I just need to schedule well to get things done. I'm resigned to the fact that I'll make mistakes, which I'm ok with. I just want to keep learning and improving.

Another thing I'm learning to cope with may sound a little strange. I actually feel, to a reasonable extent, happy. Not that things are perfect, large and deeply personal dissatisfaction still looms on several fronts. However, I've rarely before found my step just bouncing with contentment. It's also been difficult to confront the world in a non-cynical way and still feel and seem normal. I know I don't always succeed. However, feeling useful really lifts my spirtis. My co-workers are also, as far as I know them, sweet and generous people.

Though things are, at best, still percarious, I'm glad to be where I am. I also feel a strange feeling of anticipation. I'm not sure what it will develop into. Hopefully, I won't have to resort to use of the "Unemployed Penguin" any time soon. Though maybe, in that spirit, I'll revive it this summer. Who knows?