Summer Recap and New School Update

And so, my summer has drawn to a close. It was a good summer all in all, but just didn't seem quite long enough. I spent 7 weeks working at a summer camp working with about 20 thirteen year olds. It was fun most of the time, sucked occasionally, and did help the checking account, which was really the point of it all. I went for almost 2 months without knowing when or where I would be teaching this year. I parted ways with my previous employer without having anything lined up. That made the summer a bit stressful, but the income from the summer camp kept my spirits up.

I played in a beach volleyball league with some friends and we lost every game. We were the Detroit Lions of the league. In fact, I think I will suggest that as our new team name. We had fun at first, but the toll of not winning was heavy and the last couple weeks weren't the blast we were hoping to have. We have started a new season and have improved but We are already 0-1 in the new season. But, I think we will be competitive and put some wins on the board this year. If not, I suggest we aim for the most beer consumed award. We did beat another team in a practice game last week, unfortunately it was just for practice.

I did travel some. I started the summer with a trip to Orlando. My nieces were a blast, the small fry was hilarious. Big Red was a true sweet-heart, M-Mo was a bag of craziness and ready to do everything, and #3 was the boss(of paw paw at least). Tom & Jeri were a great team to travel with, I actually didn't do ALL the driving this time. And I really enjoyed hanging out with big brother, I even enjoyed hanging out with "quite contrary".

I took several road trips as well, including, but not limited to, trips to Memphis where I found some of the best damned bbq I've ever had, made some new friends, and discovered the joys of bingo, midtown, and the beauty of Lamar ave(the 11th most dangerous neighborhood in America).

I also spent some time in the Pacific Northwest a couple weeks ago. I always enjoy travelling to Seattle to escape the oppressive summer heat and humidity of South Louisiana. This year I left 90 degree New Orleans for the pleasantness of 103 degree Seattle. And did I mention that my peeps in the northwest don't have an AC in their house. It was quite warm, but i was very comfortable sleeping on the futon in the basement. With the windows open it probably got into the low 70's or upper 60's while I slept. I also set a record as I attended the hottest Seattle Mariners game ever(103 degrees), I can add that to attending the largest crowd for an NBA game when the bulls played the Atlanta Hawks during Jordan's final year.

We escaped from Seattle and headed north to the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound. Did some Sea Kayaking, whick was awesome, and some white water rafting in the Cascade Mountains. We ate alot of food on this trip. I ate way to much, and loved it.

I made a stop in Vegas on the way home. My eldest uncle just turned 60 and some family and friends surprised him in Vegas. I was glad to be there for his birthday dinner. I really do appreciate my Uncle because he is the closest link to my grandfather, who I never got to know. I know they are not the same, but he sort of puts a voice and face to the person that I wish I could have met. It was important to me to be thereto honor both he and his father, and I hope he knew that. It didn't take me long to realize that Vegas is not one of my places. It was nice to see it, but at no point did I really feel comfortable there. I would probably return if the right situation presented itself, but don't really have a desire to do so. But, I did come up with a good slogan for Vegas to use. Vegas; a naughty Disney World for rich folks.

And now summer is over. and it's back to work. I landed a job 2 days before leaving for Seattle, Which allowed me to enjoy the trip. I am teaching American History, World Geography(though that might go away), and a constitutional law class. I will miss my old coworkers but am excited about the challenges and possibilities at my new school. The school is only 12 minutes from the house so this should help lower the gas bill. It is a very urban school with a large at risk population. I've been with these kids for a week and already love them. And no, I am not worried about my safety. I haven't had any problems with the kids but I can see that some subjects that we will cover they will find extremely pointless and boring. it will be a challenge to keep them engaged all year. But I can also see that there are gonna be a lot of fun moments and a lot of breakthrough moments. I am sure I will have stories to tell. Finally, I love the way I have been treated by the administration. I know that they are committed to building a better school and I am excited that I have chosen to be on their team. The only motive I can see that this administration has is to make this school a pillar in this community and help these students achieve success in life. I certainly do appreciate that.

That should bring you about up to speed. I know I left things out, such as the adventures of mountain mike, but my little fingers are tired and I have to go teach now.