Taxicab Walrus Fifteen

Sigh. We're on lockdown again.

But I do not doubt the rightness of my being here.

68

Things around here seem to be heating up a bit. Unfortunately, not the temperature. It would be much appreciated if you would take the time to Remember us and this country when you have the chance. We came this far, so we look to tear the curtain.

Copy pasta and salad

So, I fought with some equipment all day yesterday and finally had it thinking it was working, took it over and...

Found out later it wasn't working.

Fortunately, I have psychic debugging skills, so from across campus, I was able to diagnose the problem and fix it.

My ego inflates more and more every day.

Shake king

We had an earthquake here at midnight the other night. I was having a dream about the campus getting attacked, so when I woke up to a shaking bed and realized, in my not exactly awake state, that there was an earthquake occurring, I had the following dilemma -

'Stay in bed and hide from the bad guys and let the house come down around me, or jump out the window and get shot?'

I stayed in bed. Ah, the desensitization continues.

She goes

Another week, another book. I've been reading a bit more this year with my new Kindle than I did last year, but I don't mean I've read another book this week. More that I could put all of this in a book.

But nothing really has happened to me. It's mostly been external. This place is... moving. I'm not sure how, but it is moving.

Lots of folks are sick, but I've managed to avoid that so far. D got hit a little today, and didn't have the best day. That's life here sometimes. Oh well.

And the Chiefs finally won! Yay!

A sound occupation

We, the teachers, faced off against the high school boys today in soccer. Well, I should say, we the male staff, faced off against the teacher as our school's choawkidar (like gatekeeper and maintenance guy wrapped into one) and our European security manager played too. We beat the boys 4-1. It was pretty fun, except the one time I got mad at the student who kept trying to do a swim move to get around me and his hand kept striking low. Not one of my finer moments, but the kid needed to stop it.

Work has been going. I struggle at times with the lack of direction, and with the need to integrate the different aspects of the job (help desk, network administrator, and school technology coordinator) together. I think I mostly do OK, but it is still a struggle. I'm slowly checking off major projects, though, and that is encouraging.

We're doing a study right now led by our local association's leader that is really fascinating about the history of the prevalent system here. It's a lot of looking at history and trying to avoid polemic slander. The gent who is leading it has a deep knowledge of this stuff, and while he's making us do a lot of reading, I feel like I've learned a lot that will help me as I continue to walk in this place.

I think this is kind of angsty 14 year old to do, but I mentioned in the last post how I really liked Thrice's new album. So I'm going to put up some of the lyrics from At The Last in hope that maybe my readers will gain some appreciation for why I like it so much.


I'm a good man on the whole.
Who can blame me for the guilt of another one?
I never killed, I never stole.
A small indulgence now and then -- so what of it?
I'm a good man.
I'm a good man.
Am I a good man?
I thought I was...

The rewards of this life now count for naught.
My body soon buried and left to rot.
Good times gone -- how quickly -- an honest past.
Now I see how I've squandered each and every breath!

Attention to those in the lounge chair!

Exhalation. I am done with the teaching experience for this year! I am exceedingly glad. It ended OK, but I am not cut out to be a teacher for my fulltime occupation. I am very glad that when I was initially offered a teaching position here, I felt no compulsion to take it.

I am back to working my regular job, and trying to get caught all up and get projects finished and started. The whole bit like that. I need to buckle down and get some initial projects squared away, and I'm hoping that happens this week.

I've got basketball for the kids going now. I had 3rd and 4th grade basketball yesterday. It's a lot of fun. Those kids are great. I may be not doing high school regularly, with one of the other teachers picking that up and me doing Jr. High. That would be OK with me. The high school kids are not the most tractable, and don't exactly want to listen to my instruction and help. The Jr. High kids are better.

I really like Thrice's new Beggars album. A lot. I'm not really sure why, either. I just do.

There are a lot of trials, little and big, to being here that I would like to whine about. Instead, I want to ask that you Remember D as she starts teaching her classes this week. She's been waiting, and is excited to be finally starting again.