Friday, August 31, 2007
Attn: I am No Longer Homeless!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
At least I figured out one thing
And that is, the guy I'm living with reminds me of John Candy (as if he had a few mannerisms of Milton from Office Space...and if you don't know Milton, then it loses the ridiculous opposite nature of these two characters) Anyways, this guy has lived in DC a while and is pretty proud to talk about his city, and has great ideas and interesting insight to what's happening (oh did I mention he's volunteering on the local Obama campaign). Pretty funny guy to be staying with, and just an interesting guy to have met. Alright, glad I finally figured that out...
Because I have an entirely new homeroom! Yes, that's right. Day 3, and they've already flipped the script on everyone (well at least most of it). To sum up: there was an easy way and a hard way to make sure that kids were equally distributed in the right homeroom...they chose the hard way! Instead of just changing kids schedules to match where they already were and do minimal shifting, they decided to take every kid out of class and physically move them where they should be...can we say: "Day ruined"? Everybody now! I enjoy chaos as much as the next guy, and though I have done minimal complaining, it is nice to know that teachers feel crazed by this process too. And some of the kids who got plucked from my homeroom (all of them) were sad to be leaving my class after only 3 days...and I forcibly bored them! I guess the bright side is, that I will know the entire 7th grade by the end of next week!
Alright, just thought I'd give you the inside scoop. I'm hoping that someone learns math in my class in the near future, but I may have to force the issue. I am getting worn out earlier and earlier...by the time I move in with my roommates on Friday, I'll be the resident senior citizen who eats dinner at the Chuck-o-Rama Buffet at 4pm and goes to bed before first edition of Sportscenter (remember...3 hours difference). Alright, I thought this would be short...but I type fast....I'll work on that!
Because I have an entirely new homeroom! Yes, that's right. Day 3, and they've already flipped the script on everyone (well at least most of it). To sum up: there was an easy way and a hard way to make sure that kids were equally distributed in the right homeroom...they chose the hard way! Instead of just changing kids schedules to match where they already were and do minimal shifting, they decided to take every kid out of class and physically move them where they should be...can we say: "Day ruined"? Everybody now! I enjoy chaos as much as the next guy, and though I have done minimal complaining, it is nice to know that teachers feel crazed by this process too. And some of the kids who got plucked from my homeroom (all of them) were sad to be leaving my class after only 3 days...and I forcibly bored them! I guess the bright side is, that I will know the entire 7th grade by the end of next week!
Alright, just thought I'd give you the inside scoop. I'm hoping that someone learns math in my class in the near future, but I may have to force the issue. I am getting worn out earlier and earlier...by the time I move in with my roommates on Friday, I'll be the resident senior citizen who eats dinner at the Chuck-o-Rama Buffet at 4pm and goes to bed before first edition of Sportscenter (remember...3 hours difference). Alright, I thought this would be short...but I type fast....I'll work on that!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Some Things I Appreciate
First days of school: actually I think I was only ever into the FIRST first day of school, and after that saw through all the glamour and into the nothingness-waste-of-time that it was in my education.
Children: because as my brother reminded me...that's why I'm doing this...and they are our future. (Actually meaning my brother is pathetically sarcastic, and I think middle schoolers are hilarious and might just be the only sanity I have in an over-politiked world I am experiencing here...unless of course they riot on me...then I'll let security carry them out)...and on that note...
Kids who can go to the bathroom by themselves: and the adults who let them...this film has not yet been rated, because the release date will be NEVER and I'm sure there would be inappropriate poop-footage.
People who make me breakfast: even if it is just ordered from across the street bakery serving delicious fattening pastries in our teacher's lounge! (Oh, and Mom's dutch babies too...yes I eat babies!)
Rain: none of this surprise torrential downpour stuff...I like the "mopey-emo-misty crap" that everyone says we have on the west coast
Free stuff: like the second air mattress that I've slept on in as many weeks, culminating in the longest period in my life I've ever been a freeloading, drain on the economy (just get a hotel room already).
Performance enhancing drugs: that don't make me feel bad getting up 7 extra minutes early to find a fix for the first day of school!
I'm sorry it wasn't more in depth than that, but I thought after a crazy day of having my class-size flux from 19 to 37 in lesss than an hour...there might just be something better in my life. I went to school, had a meeting, met some students, gave them some rules (Mr. Milliron's Non-Negotiables....how's that for a big word...they're in 7th grade remember), and I think after I sufficiently bored them to death, then the day ended and I fell over! I'm exhausted and I feel like I did nothing. So, tomorrow's game plan: Do Math!
Children: because as my brother reminded me...that's why I'm doing this...and they are our future. (Actually meaning my brother is pathetically sarcastic, and I think middle schoolers are hilarious and might just be the only sanity I have in an over-politiked world I am experiencing here...unless of course they riot on me...then I'll let security carry them out)...and on that note...
Kids who can go to the bathroom by themselves: and the adults who let them...this film has not yet been rated, because the release date will be NEVER and I'm sure there would be inappropriate poop-footage.
People who make me breakfast: even if it is just ordered from across the street bakery serving delicious fattening pastries in our teacher's lounge! (Oh, and Mom's dutch babies too...yes I eat babies!)
Rain: none of this surprise torrential downpour stuff...I like the "mopey-emo-misty crap" that everyone says we have on the west coast
Free stuff: like the second air mattress that I've slept on in as many weeks, culminating in the longest period in my life I've ever been a freeloading, drain on the economy (just get a hotel room already).
Performance enhancing drugs: that don't make me feel bad getting up 7 extra minutes early to find a fix for the first day of school!
I'm sorry it wasn't more in depth than that, but I thought after a crazy day of having my class-size flux from 19 to 37 in lesss than an hour...there might just be something better in my life. I went to school, had a meeting, met some students, gave them some rules (Mr. Milliron's Non-Negotiables....how's that for a big word...they're in 7th grade remember), and I think after I sufficiently bored them to death, then the day ended and I fell over! I'm exhausted and I feel like I did nothing. So, tomorrow's game plan: Do Math!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
School starts when?
Oh...tomorrow...no problem. I think I'm as ready as I will ever be. I also think that this weekend has been hectic enough that I should tell y'all about it. You might enjoy it, you might not, but its all been back dated so read below if you are interested. Otherwise, wait until tomorrow night, and I'll let you know how the first day of school goes.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
So many song title jokes...but only one blog entry!
As I was sitting alone on a Saturday afternoon...all by myself (in case you didn't get the context) I decided the only way to figure out how to survive in DC was to make sure that I knew where the local Costco and REI are located (maybe I should own a gun too...but I'm talking BASIC survival!) So, I googled it (which should be a verb in the dictionary) and found out there were both quite near to each other...IN VIRGINIA!!! Holy crap I have to travel across state lines...oh yeah, DC is only ... this big on a map and it was all still within the Beltway (yeah...I know local talk). But I found it anyways, and found some essentials and a little entertainment after a long week of doing teacher stuff (needless to say...I needed this break).
Unfortunately I still got lost and eventually caught in torrential thunder and lightning (that I'm sure caused the power out at the White House...good thing he's on vacation!) After a rainy day I decided I needed a good beer. Thusly, I found my new East Coast Mecca/Watering Hole (is that sac religious to say that?) Its not within walking distance, so it can't be my watering hole, but I think you understand the importance of this discovery!
I was feeling expeditious after this discovery, and decided to walk a few blocks more to a huge mall near the Verizon Center (home of the Washington Wizards) and catch a movie...because I can't hear enough about SuperBad. So, after about an hour of laughing my pants off in that movie...there is a scene where cops are drinking and having a shooting contest with a minor until they are startled by a police siren. At that exact comedic moment...the FIRE alarm in the building goes off. A few people in the theater are laughing still until they realize its a real alarm and not the movie. So, we exit the building like a heard of cattle out into an alley and the pouring rain! Pretty excited about that, but I got a free ticket to go see it again and made it back in time to meet Howard's interesting friends!
I would've posted a bit about this morning's trip to IKEA with the new roommates, but I think there is enough material for a stand-up comedy act about how RIDICULOUS IKEA is...I hate that place. But sometimes you have to make sacrifices for roommates. We all thought it was pretty painful, but we may also have to go back to get items once we actually move it...in the meantime I'll try and teach them the beauty of the internet and home delivery!
I hope you all are doing well, I miss you, and I hope I get a chance to call some of you soon (that I have been promising myself to call) but feel free to email and call anytime. I'm a working man now, and unlike some of you...that doesn't mean I can check my Facebook at work! I'll let you know how the first day goes, talk to you soon.
Unfortunately I still got lost and eventually caught in torrential thunder and lightning (that I'm sure caused the power out at the White House...good thing he's on vacation!) After a rainy day I decided I needed a good beer. Thusly, I found my new East Coast Mecca/Watering Hole (is that sac religious to say that?) Its not within walking distance, so it can't be my watering hole, but I think you understand the importance of this discovery!
I was feeling expeditious after this discovery, and decided to walk a few blocks more to a huge mall near the Verizon Center (home of the Washington Wizards) and catch a movie...because I can't hear enough about SuperBad. So, after about an hour of laughing my pants off in that movie...there is a scene where cops are drinking and having a shooting contest with a minor until they are startled by a police siren. At that exact comedic moment...the FIRE alarm in the building goes off. A few people in the theater are laughing still until they realize its a real alarm and not the movie. So, we exit the building like a heard of cattle out into an alley and the pouring rain! Pretty excited about that, but I got a free ticket to go see it again and made it back in time to meet Howard's interesting friends!
I would've posted a bit about this morning's trip to IKEA with the new roommates, but I think there is enough material for a stand-up comedy act about how RIDICULOUS IKEA is...I hate that place. But sometimes you have to make sacrifices for roommates. We all thought it was pretty painful, but we may also have to go back to get items once we actually move it...in the meantime I'll try and teach them the beauty of the internet and home delivery!
I hope you all are doing well, I miss you, and I hope I get a chance to call some of you soon (that I have been promising myself to call) but feel free to email and call anytime. I'm a working man now, and unlike some of you...that doesn't mean I can check my Facebook at work! I'll let you know how the first day goes, talk to you soon.
I may not have told you...
...but I moved again! My nice friends Judith and Pawan, had a surprise visit from Pawan's mother. Then managed to put me up on their couch for two nights, while Judith and I attended
the "Back to School" event for all DCPS teachers at the Convention Center (I also got my bearings on the Metro system...I can't wait to stop driving my car!) So after they found out mom was coming, they had given me a heads up about a possible housing opening at a friends place.
Howard. That's his name, and he totally reminds me of a character from a movie, but I can't put my finger on it yet (I'll let you know when I figure it out!) So, I ended up calling Howard about the space. It turns out that another friend of Judith/Pawan/Howard was living there and is getting married, so has moved out his stuff and the place is VACANT until the 1st (no way...that's perfect for me!) and since Howard is the property manager (and also resident) for the landlord, he said it wasn't going to be a problem. He also mentioned that he was going to have a "Yard Sale" in the living room of this apartment, and that he and the other folks in the building would be having some friends over (a party) on Saturday night (None of that sounds like a problem for me seeing as it is this place or the street).
So, after being reassured by Judith, that Howard (though slightly odd) would be a totally nice/normal guy to live with for a week...I moved in Friday afternoon. He is probably the most unique person I've met since moving to DC, and I won't describe him until I can figure out the movie character connection (don't worry I'll be living with him all week). But the party was definitely another unique group of people (including a free-spirited, dazed-and-confused old man, who aspired to move to Eugene of all places...most likely to get into tree-hugging as a profession), and a man named John, who was very interested in how I was recruited by DC Schools and wanted to talk about recruitment and technology in schools (because he is in the tech business and wants to crossover to working for the school district). Needless to say, this was probably only an interesting conversation for the two of us...but just to prove there was a point to my story...he's going to give me an air mattress to sleep on this week! (I know...sweet story Jake!) Alright...but I'll break the other part of my day into another post!
the "Back to School" event for all DCPS teachers at the Convention Center (I also got my bearings on the Metro system...I can't wait to stop driving my car!) So after they found out mom was coming, they had given me a heads up about a possible housing opening at a friends place.
Howard. That's his name, and he totally reminds me of a character from a movie, but I can't put my finger on it yet (I'll let you know when I figure it out!) So, I ended up calling Howard about the space. It turns out that another friend of Judith/Pawan/Howard was living there and is getting married, so has moved out his stuff and the place is VACANT until the 1st (no way...that's perfect for me!) and since Howard is the property manager (and also resident) for the landlord, he said it wasn't going to be a problem. He also mentioned that he was going to have a "Yard Sale" in the living room of this apartment, and that he and the other folks in the building would be having some friends over (a party) on Saturday night (None of that sounds like a problem for me seeing as it is this place or the street).
So, after being reassured by Judith, that Howard (though slightly odd) would be a totally nice/normal guy to live with for a week...I moved in Friday afternoon. He is probably the most unique person I've met since moving to DC, and I won't describe him until I can figure out the movie character connection (don't worry I'll be living with him all week). But the party was definitely another unique group of people (including a free-spirited, dazed-and-confused old man, who aspired to move to Eugene of all places...most likely to get into tree-hugging as a profession), and a man named John, who was very interested in how I was recruited by DC Schools and wanted to talk about recruitment and technology in schools (because he is in the tech business and wants to crossover to working for the school district). Needless to say, this was probably only an interesting conversation for the two of us...but just to prove there was a point to my story...he's going to give me an air mattress to sleep on this week! (I know...sweet story Jake!) Alright...but I'll break the other part of my day into another post!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Thai Roma Experience...
So, I have been craving thai food for a while. As i was walking this afternoon, I saw this "Thai Roma" place at a distance, and thought to myslef: "What do you think Jake? Thai or Italian?" Well, it turns out that when I went back for dinner, it was just Thai...but there is more than just the food that I want to tell you about. I sat down alone (as if I was waiting for a date...but now I'm sitting alone with my computer. Dead giveaway! Loser.)
Listening in on the loud Texan conversation across the room (yeah, they were that loud) I thought...I have to pee...and it couldn't hurt to leave the room for a second. I won't give you the play by play in the bathroom, but the gnats flying in my face give you a feel of the ambiance and feelings I was having. As if a sign from somewhere above the toilet, the words read: "Spending too much time in the bathroom?" Why yes I am (at least in this disgusting excuse for one) thanks for asking! And then situated next to the sign were pamphlets for a urinary infection pill (I don't know but you should ask your doctor if you are interested)...not punchline to the joke I was looking for, but I laughed anyways.
Back out in the dining portion of the restaurant, I was chuckling too myself over some average tasting thai food (that always comes so fast...which is good because chuckling by yourself in a corner is creepy!) Then, just before I thought this experience couldn't get any better...good ole' George dubbaya walked in and offered to buy me a drink and pay for my meal...
...now at this point of the entry, you may remember that Jake is the worst story teller you've ever met, and may need to lie to get out of a terrible ending to a story! So, in reality I saw a sign that said "free wifi at Thai Roma" and I thought of telling someone else this story!
Well, so this is not a complete waste of an entry, I thought I'd let you know that I am switching housing tonight...I'm such a freeloader! I called up the other lady who initially offered to bail me out, and I'm going to crash on her couch as soon as her husband is around to let me in! I'm sure he'll be glad some random fool is freeloading even though she (Judith) is very gracious about the whole thing. I didn't get kicked out of the other place, but I can't imagine anyone wants a stranger around for too long. Alright, I should probably settle up and stiff the guy on a tip (let me know if you think it is okay to decrease the tip according the waiter's understanding of your English...I mean...come on...this IS America!) Talk to you later,
Jake
p.s. I'm totally kidding about the tip!
p.s.s. I'm still a terrible person...
Listening in on the loud Texan conversation across the room (yeah, they were that loud) I thought...I have to pee...and it couldn't hurt to leave the room for a second. I won't give you the play by play in the bathroom, but the gnats flying in my face give you a feel of the ambiance and feelings I was having. As if a sign from somewhere above the toilet, the words read: "Spending too much time in the bathroom?" Why yes I am (at least in this disgusting excuse for one) thanks for asking! And then situated next to the sign were pamphlets for a urinary infection pill (I don't know but you should ask your doctor if you are interested)...not punchline to the joke I was looking for, but I laughed anyways.
Back out in the dining portion of the restaurant, I was chuckling too myself over some average tasting thai food (that always comes so fast...which is good because chuckling by yourself in a corner is creepy!) Then, just before I thought this experience couldn't get any better...good ole' George dubbaya walked in and offered to buy me a drink and pay for my meal...
...now at this point of the entry, you may remember that Jake is the worst story teller you've ever met, and may need to lie to get out of a terrible ending to a story! So, in reality I saw a sign that said "free wifi at Thai Roma" and I thought of telling someone else this story!
Well, so this is not a complete waste of an entry, I thought I'd let you know that I am switching housing tonight...I'm such a freeloader! I called up the other lady who initially offered to bail me out, and I'm going to crash on her couch as soon as her husband is around to let me in! I'm sure he'll be glad some random fool is freeloading even though she (Judith) is very gracious about the whole thing. I didn't get kicked out of the other place, but I can't imagine anyone wants a stranger around for too long. Alright, I should probably settle up and stiff the guy on a tip (let me know if you think it is okay to decrease the tip according the waiter's understanding of your English...I mean...come on...this IS America!) Talk to you later,
Jake
p.s. I'm totally kidding about the tip!
p.s.s. I'm still a terrible person...
Monday, August 20, 2007
A little too close to home...
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Well at least my training is comlpete...sort of?
After 3 days of seminars, several hours of paperwork, a few free meals and a lively presentation (brain-washing) from the Washington Teachers Union (DC that is)....I'm officially....kind of....an employee of DC Public Schools. And by kind of...I mean all new teachers are pretty much hanging out in this unknown gray-area of life (we have quickly found out that, this level of information is DCPS's official operating zone!) But the good news is that we have been promised to be payed on time! (Wait...you mean you don't usually pay people on time?)...I think it may coincide with the day they have me sign and date a triplicate sheet for the 1000th time.
These are among the many reasons that people from DC are surprised I chose DCPS to begin my illustrious teaching career (and by illustrious, I mean: like every great band, the first album is always the greatest...think about it...no seriously!) I have talked to people all week who are here through Teach for America or a similar Teaching Fellows program, all of them have had a crash course about the school system through summer school. They caught on quick that this was going to be a tough school year administratively. At lunch today, someone said to me: "this will make me glad to spend time with students!" And though she said it as a joke, I think she was right, as long as I get to teach math and get to know students, then I'm a pretty happy guy...er...satisfied geek, however you see it! Through every thing I heard over the last 3 days, it snapped me out of a daze whenever I heard someone mention the need to focus on our students. I learned a lot about the student population and standards and practices, but I'll probably forget about it if it doesn't apply to how I can help students!
Thinking back to the "moments" I had on the highway in the middle of nowhere, doubting if I could actually make it out here, I am so glad that I forced myself to do it. Picking up everything and going, left me no option to bail out (that and Dad eventually had to fly out of Baltimore). If I would have tried to ease into the decision and test the waters, I would have wasted so much money flying out to look at a cities like DC, Chicago and Philly, just to be initially intimidated by a large city and crappy school buildings (not to mention, more black kids than I've ever seen in my life). And though there are a lot of people so far away, they don't become strangers...just friends in different area codes, and like I promised...I'll come back (as long as they have an investment account for my travel expenses!)
In closing, I would like to thank you for bearing with the side comments and over use of ellipses. I have been holding in cynical comments all week, and this is the only way I know how grammatically share those feelings (I'm pretty sure blogs don't have to be grammatically correct anyways!) This weekend will probably be a concerted effort to figure out city life, and maybe get lost on the metro. I might update you on that, but definitely an update next week (with pics) of my classroom (when I finally get to see it) Happy Weekend!
These are among the many reasons that people from DC are surprised I chose DCPS to begin my illustrious teaching career (and by illustrious, I mean: like every great band, the first album is always the greatest...think about it...no seriously!) I have talked to people all week who are here through Teach for America or a similar Teaching Fellows program, all of them have had a crash course about the school system through summer school. They caught on quick that this was going to be a tough school year administratively. At lunch today, someone said to me: "this will make me glad to spend time with students!" And though she said it as a joke, I think she was right, as long as I get to teach math and get to know students, then I'm a pretty happy guy...er...satisfied geek, however you see it! Through every thing I heard over the last 3 days, it snapped me out of a daze whenever I heard someone mention the need to focus on our students. I learned a lot about the student population and standards and practices, but I'll probably forget about it if it doesn't apply to how I can help students!
Thinking back to the "moments" I had on the highway in the middle of nowhere, doubting if I could actually make it out here, I am so glad that I forced myself to do it. Picking up everything and going, left me no option to bail out (that and Dad eventually had to fly out of Baltimore). If I would have tried to ease into the decision and test the waters, I would have wasted so much money flying out to look at a cities like DC, Chicago and Philly, just to be initially intimidated by a large city and crappy school buildings (not to mention, more black kids than I've ever seen in my life). And though there are a lot of people so far away, they don't become strangers...just friends in different area codes, and like I promised...I'll come back (as long as they have an investment account for my travel expenses!)
In closing, I would like to thank you for bearing with the side comments and over use of ellipses. I have been holding in cynical comments all week, and this is the only way I know how grammatically share those feelings (I'm pretty sure blogs don't have to be grammatically correct anyways!) This weekend will probably be a concerted effort to figure out city life, and maybe get lost on the metro. I might update you on that, but definitely an update next week (with pics) of my classroom (when I finally get to see it) Happy Weekend!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Can't sleep!
Well probably because you haven't even tried yet! But I really can't so I figured I'd give you a little insight on what it takes to be a teacher. Today was the first day of new teacher training! I learned that: the District of Columbia acts as a state and a district level governing system for its schools; I still don't know what the heck I'm supposed to be teaching kids starting in a week in a half, and the teacher lunch room works pretty much the same way as every other cafeteria you've ever experienced (don't worry I found the cool kids table!)
But, in all seriousness...today started early, went long...and at the end I was left with free gifts from the teacher's union and a copy of the Washington Post that I stole! I think much of the activities today were gesturing and loving attempts at convincing new teachers that they would hate their first year of teaching no matter what they try to do about it. I think it was said best the 50th time when someone said: "this will be the hardest year of your life!" I kinda knew that was the case, but I was trying to be optimistic...then I just became cynical. I met a few lighthearted new teachers who shared that sentiment, so we joked and then talked about what was going to keep us sane (for me it will be finally accumulating something other than student loans...now it will just be lots of interest on those loans).
So, I'm heading into two more days of this...but I'm not down-hearted (because there is still free food) and tomorrow we're having a few more intriguing seminars on school culture and kids in DC. In case you didn't know...that's why I was here, but they thought it was important to start with rules and lesson planning and district standards. I have a feeling that they are putting off talking about the student population so they don't scare the new whiteys from outta town...but thats what I have to look forward to all year!
Just in case you were wondering: I'm not nervous, I have no idea what I'm going to teach, I still haven't seen my classroom or a textbook, but at least I have a place to sleep at a strangers house! I met this guy Alex, who just bought a house with his wife (he is also a new DC teacher). They didn't have anything to put in one of their new rooms...so I offered to dump all my crap in it and sleep on the floor. They politely accepted my offer and now I'm the under-welcomed-over-stayed guest! Actually the offer went the other way, and they seem to be just fine with it. But I'm hoping I can't shift around to some other connections so they don't really grow to hate me! I'll write more later...when its not affecting the diminishing 5 and a half hours of sleep I'm about to get! Good night,
Jake <><
But, in all seriousness...today started early, went long...and at the end I was left with free gifts from the teacher's union and a copy of the Washington Post that I stole! I think much of the activities today were gesturing and loving attempts at convincing new teachers that they would hate their first year of teaching no matter what they try to do about it. I think it was said best the 50th time when someone said: "this will be the hardest year of your life!" I kinda knew that was the case, but I was trying to be optimistic...then I just became cynical. I met a few lighthearted new teachers who shared that sentiment, so we joked and then talked about what was going to keep us sane (for me it will be finally accumulating something other than student loans...now it will just be lots of interest on those loans).
So, I'm heading into two more days of this...but I'm not down-hearted (because there is still free food) and tomorrow we're having a few more intriguing seminars on school culture and kids in DC. In case you didn't know...that's why I was here, but they thought it was important to start with rules and lesson planning and district standards. I have a feeling that they are putting off talking about the student population so they don't scare the new whiteys from outta town...but thats what I have to look forward to all year!
Just in case you were wondering: I'm not nervous, I have no idea what I'm going to teach, I still haven't seen my classroom or a textbook, but at least I have a place to sleep at a strangers house! I met this guy Alex, who just bought a house with his wife (he is also a new DC teacher). They didn't have anything to put in one of their new rooms...so I offered to dump all my crap in it and sleep on the floor. They politely accepted my offer and now I'm the under-welcomed-over-stayed guest! Actually the offer went the other way, and they seem to be just fine with it. But I'm hoping I can't shift around to some other connections so they don't really grow to hate me! I'll write more later...when its not affecting the diminishing 5 and a half hours of sleep I'm about to get! Good night,
Jake <><
Monday, August 13, 2007
Manic Monday
Today is my last day in D.C. - at least for this week anyway. D.C. is such a cool city that I know I will be back soon. (Not to mention that I'm gonna hate not seeing Jake all the time, so I'll have to come back soon - and often!
My flight leaves at 9:00 PM tonight and I get back into Eugene around 2:00 AM - if I'm lucky. And, of course, I'll be reporting to work bright and early tomorrow morning!
As I write this, Jake has been at the D.C. school district offices for about 2 1/2 hours. He text messaged me a bit ago saying, "Make yourself comfortable, this is gonna be a while." He's signing his contract, getting fingerprinted and a bunch of other stuff.
After he is done, we'll finalize his housing situation. He has connected with three folks through Craigslist (or as Shawn Crawford likes to call it - Wayne's World). These three have been rooming together for a while and are looking for a fourth to move into a three story townhouse on September 1st. We met them on Saturday and Jake really hit it off with them - and vice versa. All three of them work on "The Hill." One as a lobbyist, one as a staffer for Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey and the other as a Supreme Court policeman. (it seems every branch of the government - and most of the individual agencies - all have their own police force.)
Jake's apartment will be pretty dang cool - assuming everything works out. Here's a link to the townhouse Jake will be living in. Pictures 7-9 are shots of his apartment.
The problem (although we're not too worried about it) is what to do between now and September 1st. There are several options but none have quite come together. It's not as scary as it might sound, but it would take me another few hundred paragraphs to explain it all. So, trust me on this one - it'll work out.
This is probalby my last post. I'll relenquish the reigns to Jake from this point on. It is going to be fun to see all that happens in his life over these next few years. I'm WAAAAYYYYY excited for him. And even a little jealous. And very proud as well. He's a great man, a great teacher - and a dang great son. Have fun Dude!
Dad
My flight leaves at 9:00 PM tonight and I get back into Eugene around 2:00 AM - if I'm lucky. And, of course, I'll be reporting to work bright and early tomorrow morning!
As I write this, Jake has been at the D.C. school district offices for about 2 1/2 hours. He text messaged me a bit ago saying, "Make yourself comfortable, this is gonna be a while." He's signing his contract, getting fingerprinted and a bunch of other stuff.
After he is done, we'll finalize his housing situation. He has connected with three folks through Craigslist (or as Shawn Crawford likes to call it - Wayne's World). These three have been rooming together for a while and are looking for a fourth to move into a three story townhouse on September 1st. We met them on Saturday and Jake really hit it off with them - and vice versa. All three of them work on "The Hill." One as a lobbyist, one as a staffer for Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey and the other as a Supreme Court policeman. (it seems every branch of the government - and most of the individual agencies - all have their own police force.)
Jake's apartment will be pretty dang cool - assuming everything works out. Here's a link to the townhouse Jake will be living in. Pictures 7-9 are shots of his apartment.
The problem (although we're not too worried about it) is what to do between now and September 1st. There are several options but none have quite come together. It's not as scary as it might sound, but it would take me another few hundred paragraphs to explain it all. So, trust me on this one - it'll work out.
This is probalby my last post. I'll relenquish the reigns to Jake from this point on. It is going to be fun to see all that happens in his life over these next few years. I'm WAAAAYYYYY excited for him. And even a little jealous. And very proud as well. He's a great man, a great teacher - and a dang great son. Have fun Dude!
Dad
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Questions answered
Now that I think about it...
this is very similar to the feeling I had applying to all these school districts to begin with. We spent forever in a day looking for places to live and felt exhausted with no promises by the end of the day. Except that applying for jobs was dragged out over months before I started to feel anxious; when applying for housing I was anxious before I started. I think I'm only anxious because everything I own is in a parking garage, protected by one lock and shatter-resistant glass (which is good for when rocks get kicked up off the road, but might insure protection against karate chop action!)
So, we've found quite a few awesome places and I wished I had all those options to choose from, but I'll settle for something that has air-conditioning (not coming out of a dashboard). For tomorrow it will be more calls, and more stalking up to people's windows. But I thought I'd let you know that I was nervous and anxious so that you didn't have to be! And Dad is also taking on the responsibilities of nagging and giving bad directions while I drive, so you don't have to do that either!
Good day though:
-we found Guinness and an Irish Pub.
-we took lame tourist pictures (wonder how long it will take me to hate people like that)
-we couldn't find Starbucks, until we had coffee somewhere else...then turned around and found 3 of them across the street!
-did I mention that I get to share a king-size bed with my Dad?
Goodnight!
So, we've found quite a few awesome places and I wished I had all those options to choose from, but I'll settle for something that has air-conditioning (not coming out of a dashboard). For tomorrow it will be more calls, and more stalking up to people's windows. But I thought I'd let you know that I was nervous and anxious so that you didn't have to be! And Dad is also taking on the responsibilities of nagging and giving bad directions while I drive, so you don't have to do that either!
Good day though:
-we found Guinness and an Irish Pub.
-we took lame tourist pictures (wonder how long it will take me to hate people like that)
-we couldn't find Starbucks, until we had coffee somewhere else...then turned around and found 3 of them across the street!
-did I mention that I get to share a king-size bed with my Dad?
Goodnight!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Guess who's coming for dinner...
I'm A Geek
Just a few statistics about our trip to D.C.
Total Miles: 2,801
Total Driving Time: 45:45
Total Gallons of Gas: 103.7
Average MPG: 27.01
Average MPH: 62.24
Getting to D.C.: Priceless!
Total Miles: 2,801
Total Driving Time: 45:45
Total Gallons of Gas: 103.7
Average MPG: 27.01
Average MPH: 62.24
Getting to D.C.: Priceless!
No, I'm FROM Washington... Forget it; I'm from the NW!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Day 5: Frederick, MD to Washington, D.C.
So, now the real fun begins - following all the detailed Google Maps directions to our hotel!
I-70 to I-270 to the George Washington Parkway to I-395 (via the Pentagon parking lot – or at least that’s the way we went) back across the Potomac into downtown D.C. (where you are more than a little distracted by driving by the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial (can you say “compensating”?) and the U.S. Capitol off in the distance) and then onto I-295 (for about 15 seconds) to the “S. Capitol St.” exit.
Amazingly we drove straight to our hotel (assuming the Pentagon parking lot is really part of the route) and were checked into our room by 11:15 PM. We have a very nice view of the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument right out our window. Suh-weet!
Now if we can find Jake a place to live tomorrow, I’ll be able to relax . . .
I-70 to I-270 to the George Washington Parkway to I-395 (via the Pentagon parking lot – or at least that’s the way we went) back across the Potomac into downtown D.C. (where you are more than a little distracted by driving by the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial (can you say “compensating”?) and the U.S. Capitol off in the distance) and then onto I-295 (for about 15 seconds) to the “S. Capitol St.” exit.
Amazingly we drove straight to our hotel (assuming the Pentagon parking lot is really part of the route) and were checked into our room by 11:15 PM. We have a very nice view of the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument right out our window. Suh-weet!
Now if we can find Jake a place to live tomorrow, I’ll be able to relax . . .
Day 5: Some Travel Plaza in Pennsylvania to Frederick, MD
We’re about 50 miles away from D.C. We just got off the freeway, to get Jake something to drink, in Hagerstown, Maryland, (City Motto: Our Signs Say We Have Services Right Off The Freeway But They’re Really In The Next County) but gave up after about three miles of wandering around that could have easily gotten us lost. Being the intrepid cross-country explorers we are, we managed to find our way back to the freeway, however.
Thankfully, on our way back to the freeway I was able to find a spot to, um, use “the little boys room” – by which I mean I was able to take my revenge on Hagerstown by killing a small patch of grass in a Park & Ride lot near the freeway entrance we almost couldn’t find!
Once outside Hagerstown, we climbed a hill that had a sign at the top that proudly proclaimed: “Elevation 985 feet.” Good grief. What would these people do if they had a real mountain?
A bit further south we stopped for one more Starbuck’s break in Frederick (City Motto: Our Signs Don’t Lie, Like The One’s In Hagerstown). Like a lot of people along the way, the guy at Starbucks asked about our packed-to-the-rafters CRV with Oregon plates. He was impressed with how quickly we made it here from Oregon and wished Jake good luck.
Now we’re back on the freeway with only 40 miles to go . . .
Thankfully, on our way back to the freeway I was able to find a spot to, um, use “the little boys room” – by which I mean I was able to take my revenge on Hagerstown by killing a small patch of grass in a Park & Ride lot near the freeway entrance we almost couldn’t find!
Once outside Hagerstown, we climbed a hill that had a sign at the top that proudly proclaimed: “Elevation 985 feet.” Good grief. What would these people do if they had a real mountain?
A bit further south we stopped for one more Starbuck’s break in Frederick (City Motto: Our Signs Don’t Lie, Like The One’s In Hagerstown). Like a lot of people along the way, the guy at Starbucks asked about our packed-to-the-rafters CRV with Oregon plates. He was impressed with how quickly we made it here from Oregon and wished Jake good luck.
Now we’re back on the freeway with only 40 miles to go . . .
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