Forest for the trees

I have been a little blue lately, which is understandable. But I have come up with the best solution: turn off the phone. It has been such a great weekend that way. One more day, until I have to teach again, but then again it is only a two day week, plus I have to come to school on Thursday as well for professional development.

Met two teachers today for lunch, accidentally. They were wives of colleagues. I told them what a scandal it would cause if anyone saw us together (don't worry ladies, I know you are already taken). It was a nice conversation, until one of them started smoking. I mentioned how smoking kills capillaries and ages you quickly. Then I told them about boots and white tennis shoes (men being boots, and women being white tennis shoes). They weren't too pleased, but they thought I was kidding.

Now I am at school, putting music on my computer. It is great fun. I can put it on random play and play all day (actually over three days now).

Well that is all for me. Had a great lunch. Time for a light dinner. I am thinking my amazing chicken soup with bread. Yummy

Five Day Holiday + Year of the Golden Pig Reading 1: "The Big Show"

Boy did I need a vacation. I haven't even turned on my phone today. It was so relaxing. I got to read a little and do some me things. Went for my two hour walk and got a little sunburnt. Ran into some colleagues. To be honest, I wasn't that excited to see them, since some of the teachers I work with are drips. But then I saw some other people I liked.

Today I wrote to my travel agent. For some reason I had deleted the itenerary on the spring trip I had been planning. I was thinking about cancelling it since I have already spent so much this year travelling, but then I started thinking that maybe I do need a break from Kuwait. So it looks like I will be travelling to Lebanon for about 9 days. And to make things even better, the price of the ticket has dropped! I have even managed to find a cheap hotel in Beirut which I thought was going to be an impossibility and it is near the bus station to boot. Should be a fun trip, unless I am: 1. blown up, 2. kidnapped, 3. kidnapped and then blown up, 4. or,kidnapped, beheaded or then blown up. I think it will be fun though.

Not much to report on. I need new shoes. I have a whole in one of them and my left foot keeps getting dusty. Besides that they are okay. I guess I could get some shoe goo.

Today I watched a few videos. Been trying to finish the first season of "Sleeper Cell," which is mostly about being: 1. blown up 2. kidnapped 3. kidnapped and then blown up. 4 or kidnapped, beheaded or then blown up. Really good show, though. (Shane you should order it from that video club you are a member of; and save Ruth any more episodes of "Quantum Leap") Then I started "The Brothers Grimm," but I lost interest in about ten minutes. I guess I will go back to it, but it already seems somewhat predictable.

Oh and I finished my first book of the new year, which started on February 1st. Maybe I will just call it my Year of the Golden Pig reading. It was called "The Big Show," and was about the Oscars. Appropriate since Sunday night is the big day. I hope Marty finally gets the Oscar he deserves. It sounds like we know one another or something.

Well cheerio.

Don't say things like that; and an update

A friend of mine got into a bit of hot water a year ago for saying things against the Prophet Mohammed. Fortunately he didn't scald too badly.

However, this Egyptian man wasn't so lucky. Blogging can be so dangerous in this day and age: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6385849.stm

Lots happening here. My head is spinning. I am on a five day vacation. Decided to stay and not travel. I think that was best. I still have a ticket for Beirut at spring break, but with all of the tensions there I am not sure what I will be doing. Of course, I still need to get a new passport. I will need it this summer for whatever I am doing. Lots of ideas, but nothing quite solid yet (as opposed to earlier reports). Could end up in Thailand or elsewhere. Elsewhere is looking like the clear winner at the present. But then my brain is kind of scrambled. Been messed up for a bit of time actually.

Been trying to finish a book called "The Big Show." It is about the Oscars. Hope to finish it before the Academy Awards on Monday morning my time.

Been walking a lot lately. My friend (of hotwater fame) had a walking contest that just ended. I walked over 120 miles. I have been trying to walk about two hours a day. Today I walked three. By the way, I am still a fat ass. Today I ate two bananas though to keep away the cramps. Haven't had those in a while though.

It is getting hotter. Will sleep now.

That's all. I hope everyone is well.

The World's Greatest King; Thank you very much

I have always said that the only king worth having is the King of Thailand. I like standing up in movie theaters for him when I am visiting Thailand. As for the rest of the lot of royals, they can sod off and be beheaded for all I care. But the King of Thailand: he's okay.

He also brings rain. Don't laugh. When you watch the video for the King's Anthem at the movie theater, it shows raindrops falling. They are brought by the King. If you need further proof look no further, because the BBC has provided me with the necessary evidence. Check out this link for the complete story of how the King is helping the people of Tanzania: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6368371.stm

He also met Elvis, which is worth a thousand words. I won't bore you with that 1000 word essay though. It would be too much for me really.

Speaking of bored: I am bored.

Well have fun.

What Would Calvin Coolidge Do? Perhaps, a Nap

Oh the joys of the weekend. I have been having such a great one. I went for a long walk on Wednesday, stayed at home most of yesterday and read, and today I went to breakfast with some friends. One friend couldn't make it since I think he is try to shtup some Arab lady, which is okay. We do expect him to start spouting Quran surah pretty soon though. Anything to get some loving.

Pretty much I have a great day planned. Went shopping already. Now all I need to do is go home, read a while and then I am really thinking of napping. Calvin Coolidge used to sleep 16 hours a day. That is why he is generally considered America's greatest president. Bush needs to sleep more, decide less.

Then tomorrow we start teaching again. We only have a week to go and then it will be time for a five day break, followed by four weeks of teaching, and then spring break, followed by about seven weeks of teaching and then an 11 week summer vacation. (Not that I am counting.)

Well have a great day.

Guess who I want to win?

I know it is really early and I know that I have no idea what this man really stands for, but hey don't gut feelings count for something? So maybe it is too early to pick a candidate, but I have chosen.

Now for the hard part: the inevitable disappointment that Democrats give me after they pick someone else. Remember Gary Hart and Paul Tsongas? Well I do. They will forever disappoint me. Remember when it looked like Bill Bradley or John Edwards had a chance? Remember before I started cynically voting for the GOP? Oh, the good old days before the grand old party. Well I am picking a Democratic horse this time. So please let me enjoy these good times, before it all crashes down.

Teaching Overseas

I have been teaching overseas for 11 years now. I guess you could say I have gotten used to it. It is recruiting time, which means people I know will be looking for jobs elsewhere overseas. I guess that is okay, since I guess Kuwait isn't everyone's cup of tea.

This year people are going to The Siam International School, to QSI Schools in Azerbaijan, southern China and the Ukraine, to the American International School of Chennai, to the Hanzhou International School. Of course, the job fair season has just begun, so one can only imagine where a few peope will be going next. A few teachers are staying in Kuwait and teaching at other schools. I don't know why anyone would do that since we have some of the best kids in Kuwait. I guess a few teachers are just mad at the organization of my school. I think a few of them have forgotten that teaching is a job. One teacher is going to stay here and write a book; which means he must be crazy, since he could live so much cheaper elsewhere.

Of these schools, the only ones that really interest me are Hanzhou, Siam and Chennai. I would freeze to death in Mongolia.

Of course the biggest worry over the next few months is that these teachers will throw in the towel and just stop working. Hopefully they will finish their contracts in style.

I will update the blog as more filled positions come in.

another exciting day.

So I have gotten a new computer at school. I have actually learned how to record my cds to the hard drive. Okay, so this isn't new knowledge, but it is a big day for me. So now I am going to bring in my entire collection and record them to my hard drive. Should be interesting. I don't know if I will listen to more than the first song of each track but it is making life more interesting. I am actually thinking of buying some kind of ipod like device for travelling. My cd case is starting to weigh me down. I have gotten so 21st century all of the sudden. I am even buying a computer for my apartment. Golly. Maybe now I will be able to finally succeed in my plans to become an astronaut and blast into the future. I hear NASA might have an opening.



Not too much else to report on. Lots of walking. A friend of mine has a walking competition with some other friends; so everyone is walking. I think I walked about 18 miles yesterday! I am really tired. But it was a fun walk. Kuwait is actually very nice at the moment. Not too hot, not too cold. Pretty soon I am sure these walks will lead to chaffing and that just ain't too much fun.

It is actually a pretty exciting time at school; lots of teachers are getting new jobs for next year. I am staying, which I don't regret, but one sometimes questions the logic of it all. I have some friends and colleagues who are going to China, Ukraine and Mongolia. I don't really envy those choices so much. Another friend is going to Thailand. That would be really nice. I am sure I will see him there in the summer or if I go at Christmas. So much in the world to see.


Still pondering the future. At least I have a job to fall back on next year. I do like it here, mostly. Just not the most exciting place on earth. But it does let me do exciting things and allows me to save a bit of coin.


Been still doing a lot of reading. Trying to finish a bunch of books that I started last year. I am currently enjoying "Nathanial's Nutmeg." I will let you know more about it later, when I finish it.



I have come in to school to do some grading. Lots to do. And then there's lunch... can you guess what I am having?



Well have fun.

100th Posting: What in the heck am I doing with my life?

I talk a lot. Sometimes make big plans. Well I don't know what I am doing this summer. I was thinking of doing a film course, but the costs are really adding up. So now I am not sure what I am doing, besides making plane reservations. I am booked to Paris, via London and to Bangkok as well (to take care of another plan). Fortunately, I have about four months (actually three months, 30 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes, but who's counting) until the summer break. Those of you who don't have summer vacation will have absolutely no empathy for me I am sure.

In other news: this is my 100th blog. It has taken over a year to get here. What a long strange trip it has been. If you count them all you probably won't find 100 since I had to remove a few to be political correct and also to make sure I wasn't fired.

Cheerio.

Finally my 1st Anniversary

Well who'd a thunk it. This blog is a year old. Can you imagine such a thing. It has been a bumpy ride. I started with fake news stories, posting about three or four things at a time and then I slowed down a bit. Now this is also my 99th posting. I was hoping it could be one hundred but I guess I will just have to wait a spell. There was also a bit of a controversy this year with blogging at my school. A friend's blog got into a bit of trouble for saying somethings that weren't viewed so kindly by the students here. So I have had to be careful what I say (though I would never be offensive anyway).

I need to write more often I guess. It seems like a few people read it and they are waiting on my every word.

So what am I doing for the big day? I am going walking of course. I still am trying to keep the two hours a day going. It is a nice walk. I need to eat some bananas though or I will start cramping up. Believe it or not Kuwait has been kind of cool and cloudy. Yesterday I was caught in a bit of rain. This is the desert for goodness sakes, not the tropics. But wouldn't it be nice to be in the tropics right now.

A few friends are leaving at the end of the year, some destined for warmer, wetter climes. There are going to the land of the delicious bananas. Sorry to say that the ones here are just okay (but I do get great mango juice so I ain't complaining).

Well enough tomfoolery. I must actually go off and do a bit of work. Imagine that.

Another New Year (but a little late)

I know it is kind of late to be thinking of New Year's Resolutions. I actually came up with one in January but my mother's death kind of postponed me completely implementing it. It was the "I am going to walk two hours everyday" resolution. I actually started it in January, but have been gone for two weeks. Yesterday I picked it up again, and today I actually went for the needed time. Let me tell you something: my feet are tired.

Another idea I have been batting around for awhile is film school. I had actually planned on going last year for a summer course with the New York Film Academy (www.nyfa.com) but postponed it because of my mother's declining health. When I received word that my mother had passed over I decided then to pursue this interest. So I am signed up for this summer in Paris. I still need to pay and to get an apartment but I am already working on both of those. So if anyone is in the city of lights this summer do let me know (all three of you who might or might not be reading this). When I told my brother Danny about my decision he called me "The Woody Allen of Bradley County." I might have to have some business cards printed up.

The second resolution is about finishing more of the books I start to read. I begin a lot of books and finish a lot less. So this is the year of finishing. I am hoping to finish over twenty five books in the next year months (beginning with February 1st of course). Based on what I have been recently reading I would say this year will be dominated by three major themes: France, Existentialism and Judaism. So I guess I will keep myself entertained anyway. I will try to report back whenever I finish something. (Of course I might try to start a few books as well.)

I have resumed teaching. I really love the second semester of the year. It is all downhill from here. I am hoping my seniors just don't get too antsy and think that the year ends in April. Will have to wait and see.

It is weird to be motherless. It is also weird to increasingly becoming Knoxvilleless as well. Most of my friends there are moving away. I guess I will soon have to just visit them elsewhere. It does seem strange though since I have always considered Knoxville my home (at least for the last 22 years).

Well that is it for me. Now I get to do the thing I love the most: grade! Aaaargh!