Wax on, wax off

No, the title is not a reference to "The Karate Kid", although I still get a little excited whenever I think of Elizabeth Shoe in a sweater.

I got my legs waxed today. Kinda cool. The cosmetology program at my school did it. And it didn't cost me a dime! I've been shaving me legs for 20 years, and I'm getting a little tired of it. So I decided to try something different. It really didn't hurt that much - I've pulled off Bandaids that have hurt worse. Supposedly it lasts about 3-4 weeks, and the more you do it, the longer it lasts. As long as it doesn't cost me anything, I'll keep doing it.

Friday will be a very emotional day for me - graduation. I have alot of kids in this senior class that I am very close to, and it will be hard for me to see them go. I'm proud of all of them. Most of the ones I know have had to really struggle to get to this point, and it's kinda cool to know that I helped them get there. A couple of years ago, a very special student graduated, and I was a blubbering idiot. I'm sure there will be a repeat of that this year...

Now playing - "Forest", System of a Down

endings & beginnings

School is almost done! And there was much rejoicing. End of the year exams start tomorrow, and the last day for students is June 4th (teachers get out on the 6th). It's been an interesting year. I really struggled with whether or not I wanted to stay in teaching. Reasons not too - Freshmen, lack of pay, getting up at the butt-crack of dawn, lack of competent decision making by administrators, general stupidity and apathy of teenagers. Reasons to stay - summer break, spring break, Christmas break. All in all, it's not that bad. I've been allowed to be myself at my school and am accepted. I can have my long hair and wear Vans. I have a fan club. Yes, the pay sucks and is only going to get worse. But I have to ask myself if I would be truly happy doing anything else, and I can honestly say, "no". I really do like working with teenagers, and enough of them show me appreciation to make it worth staying.

As I said before, I cut off about 10 inches of my hair. Sometimes I look at myself and regret it, but I know it'll grow back. Speaking of hair, I am going to try something new next Monday - getting my legs waxed! I've been shaving for 20 years - it caused quite a stir in the Freshman dorm at MVNC - and I'm kinda getting tired of it. Yet I can't stand any hair on my legs at all. Visions of "40-year Old Virgin" dance in my head when I think about it...

Well, I tried something I thought I would never do over Memorial Day weekend. I went to the Dallas Bull, which is a country bar/dancing club in Tampa. Stephanie really wanted to go dancing, and that's where she wanted to go. In all honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was very surprised by the diversity of the crowd - young college kids all the way up to some good ol' cowboys. And they were happy. Most people I have seen at other clubs are usually massively depressed or angry. These people weren't. It was kinda refreshing. I'm honestly thinking about taking line-dancing and couples dancing lessons. Egads!

hair today, gone tomorrow

After four years of letting my hair grow, I cut a large chunk of it off yesterday. It had gotten to the point where it was getting caught in my car door, between my back and the chair I was sitting in, getting in my mouth while I ate, and generally being a nuisance. Although it was beautiful with long, flowing locks and curls, it was time for us to part our ways. But I didn't just want to have it cut just to be swept up and deposited in some type of crude refuse receptacle. So I donated 10 inches of my hair to Locks of Love, an organization that creates wigs for kids with cancer. I am still able to pull it into a small ponytail, not unlike Steven Seagal during the glory days.

let's go to the show

I got roped into doing another show this weekend. I don't mind, really. Anything that involves local music, I like to be a part of.

The son-in-law of one of our teachers got killed in Iraq last week. It was fairly traumatic for our little community and the neighboring one. He's a local grad and knew alot of people around here, so his death touched alot of lives. His sister-in-law is a former student of mine, and she thought it would be a great idea to have a benefit concert in his honor to benefit the NJROTC program at my school. So that's how I got involved. I'll be running sound along with playing in one of the bands. It's not my band, but I'm filling in for the bass player who has to go to prom. The band's name is "Lamenting Lavinia", and the drummer and guitarist/vocalist are twin brothers who I have known since they were Freshmen. Should be interesting...

back to the grind

Well, I'm back. Had to take a break for a while as my computer went on the fritz. It has been returned, so I can write again.

Another sign that you're getting old - mysterious injuries. About 9 years ago, I began to have problems with my lower back. To start with, I lean. One leg is shorter than the other and I have mild scoliosis, so I lean to one side. If I'm ever lost in a desert, I'm screwed. Anyway, one night about 9 years ago, I bent over to lift the toilet seat and it felt like someone wrung out my lower back like a wet wash cloth. Being the stubborn man that I am, a few days later I played a game of tackle football with some rather large boys from my youth group. The next day, I could not get out of bed. After many weeks of chiropractic treatment, things were better. However, the chiropractor told me that I would have problems with this for the rest of my life.

Well, the rest of my life popped up in November. I hit a patch of sand on my bike and although I did not fall, I twisted rather awkwardly to not fall. The next day, my back was rather sore and painful. The pain and stiffness did not go away, so back to the chiropractor I went. The treatments went well but I have to have a monthly adjustment.

How does this all lead to "mysterious injuries" you may ask. Well, here goes. Last Wednesday, I went to bed with no problems. When I went to get out of bed Thursday morning, I couldn't move. I ended up in bed for two days. I'm better now (I'm not dead yet), but to twist your back in your sleep is not a good thing.

promenade

My school had it's prom Saturday night. It was a really nice event. After seeing kids dress up like thugs and emo-rockers all day, it's nice to see them dress up for once. Some of them clean up rather nicely. Of course, the teachers who chaperone have a grand ol' time. There seems to be a core group of us that always go to the dances. The kids seem quite amused when we join them on the dance floor. It's become a tradition of late for the teachers to all get on the floor when "Time Warp" from Rocky Horror is played. For some reason, I've become synonymous with that piece of music.

I'm not in the best of minds or moods this morning. I have a toothache, and our filly did a little dance number on my left foot this morning while trying to give her her medication.

I'm tired of school and ready for it to be over with. I love kids, but sometimes I wish I was working with machinery where if it doesn't do what it's supposed to, I could just whack it with a hammer. I don't think administration would take too kindly to me whacking kids with a hammer...

This whole gas pricing thing is taking a toll. $41 to fill a tank of a Nissan Sentra. It's a good thing I get good gas mileage and commute to work on my bike. But it definitely affects other areas of my life. I don't go out hardly at all and am trying to eat at home every night if possible. It's also affected my visitations with my son. He lives in Gainesville and I can't afford to drive up there twice a month. Sometimes I really hate civilization...

food journal

Well, I've started an on-line food journal to keep track of what I eat and calories consumed, along with my exercising every day. I'm just doing it to see what I'm doing wrong with my weight. About three years ago, I was able to lose over 30 pounds. Unfortunately, I've gained most of it back. I got out of my good healthy habits. By doing this journal, I'm hoping to see what I need to change consumption-wise. As far as exercise, I just need to increase my mileage on my bike. If I do that and watch what I eat, hopefully the weight will come off.

april cold

This is wrong on so many levels. It's April 16th in Florida, and I had to build a fire last night to warm up the house! Just last week I was riding my bike in 80+ degree weather, and now I'm having to layer up to go outside. I really despise Al Gore for inventing "global warming". Oh well, at least it's sunny...

now playing - Rock Lobster, the B-52's

a good break

Last week was my Spring Break. It was time well spent. I rode 250 miles on my bike, working on my fabulous tan lines. I also cleaned up the pasture for the filly. That was my main project and it felt good to have it done. I always enjoy a sense of accomplishment. We also took a day to go to the Florida International Museum and saw the Vatican Splendors, an exhibit of artifacts from the Vatican Museum in Rome. It was very cool to see paintings and sculptures that no one has seen for 400 years. Seeing artifacts from the tomb of Peter was awe-inspiring. The history of the Vatican is very interesting. And I get to go there in 201o!

the struggling talent

Today is my school's Talent Show. I've been helping another teacher organize it for the last six years and MC it every year. It's something I truly enjoy. In a school where sports are king, it's nice to display talent that doesn't require a jock-strap. Education is in a very frustrating downward spiral where the arts take a back seat to testing and sports. They fail to realize that artistic students more often than not happen to be the most academically astute students. Yes, I know that there are bright athletic students who work hard to maintain their academic success and I am not belittling them at all. And yes, I am biased in favor of any art form, so my comments have a little prejudice to them, but I am not ashamed of that - it's who I am.

Now playing - Dig My Heels, the 77s.

feeling old

Two of my former students got married over the weekend. Talk about something making you feel old. Granted, I knew them as teenagers so the years haven't gone by too far, but it still made me feel a little older.

It also made me appreciate living and teaching in a small community. The mom owns the salon where I get my hair cut, and the dad owns the company that did the air conditioning in the house I live in. I also happen to be a teacher/case manager of the youngest sibling. It feels good to be a part of the community in where I work. When I go to the grocery, I know half of the cashiers and stock boys. I am frequently served by former and current students when I decide to clog my arteries at the McDonald's drive thru. Trips to restaurants and any local businesses often turn into impromptu parent conferences. I know many teachers who don't like that and want nothing to do with their students outside of the classroom. Not me. They're an important part of my life and for many of them, I might be the only adult that treats them with any respect. That in itself makes it worth it.

The Daily Commute

Well, I'm finally back to commuting to work on my bike. I had started doing that in 2004 to get in shape and save on gas money. But I had stopped doing that in the Fall for a variety of reasons. Now those reasons are no longer valid, so I'm back on the bike. Yeah, it means getting up 30 minutes earlier, but it's worth it. It's about a 25 minute ride to my school. I try to beat the buses - otherwise I engage in "school-bus sprinting" which can be rather exciting. School bus drivers seem to be really annoyed by a lycra-clad cyclist flying by them in a school zone. I really can't imagine why.

I feel better during the day when I ride to school in the morning. It gets my metabolism moving and actually gives me energy for the day - plenty of energy to deal with high-schoolers.

It's amazing how fast I can get out of habits that are good for me. I always use the excuse that "life gets in the way", blah, blah, blah. But the real reason is that I just get lazy. Hopefully I can reverse that disturbing trend and get back to doing what I need to to be healthy again.

Not me

For those wondering, that's not me on the bike, although I have had experiences like that. I guess I have a sick interest in the burning flesh and clanging steel of a bike crash. They're something to behold. When you crash on a bike, there is not really much to protect you, other than a helmet. The lycra is thin, so it shreds like paper as you slide across the road, thereby exposing your wonderful, pale epidermis to the harshness of the pavement. You can actually smell the burning of the flesh.

We have a filly on the farm. Her name is Asheera. She kicked me in the thigh last night while I was trying to corral her into the stall. A few inches higher and the essence of manhood would have taken the shot. Steph said I was christened. I don't know. I always thought christenings were a pleasant experience...

A Brand New Thing

OK. I'm new to all of this. I recently was able to contact a long lost friend of mine. Reading his thoughts and writings inspired me to give it a whirl myself. I used to write quite a bit in my earlier years and found that I was able to gather my thoughts easily that way. Unfortunately, I got away from that practice. Maybe that explains why my thoughts are often jumbled and my mutterings are unintelligible.