Blog Archives - The Land of the Weird

The Land of the Weird

End of May 2017

5/31/2017

Another month has quickly passed, and I cannot help but be amazed with the speed that time is moving. This month had its ups and downs, but was generally positive. Some of the highlights were:

I became truly unemployed. While I've known for about two months that this day was coming, and I believe that things will work out for the best in the end, this unemployment has been a burden on my spirit. Especially considering the lengths that my loved ones and I went to in making the move up here, I feel particularly upset with my situation.

I finished another semester towards my doctorate in educational technology. That's 22 credits down with a bit over 50 still to go. I've even learned some things too.

I finished two Anne McCaffrey books that we've had for a while but I had never read before. Considering my enjoyment of that series, I was surprised to realize that I had not read them before. They weren't great books, but they were entertaining and let me spend more time with characters that I love.

I finally got to spend time in Homer (well, on the Spit). Despite having moved up here nearly two years ago, my only experience in Homer (which is only about an hour and a half away) had been for a track meet. That changed when Robert and Shawna Jack invited my family to join theirs to camp out on the Spit. While Janelle wasn't able to make it due to her work schedule, Alex, the boys, and I had a great time. I need to make it a point to do these sorts of things more often.

The craziness of June starts all too soon as I fly out tomorrow night for Salt Lake City and the AP World History test reading. Time does pass too quickly.

The Ascension of the Lord

5/28/2017

Jesus ascended into heaven, and His disciples felt abandoned by this. Rather than continue to spread the Word as He had asked of them, they hid again out of fear of persecution. It won't be until the descent of the Holy Spirit that their discipleship will begin in earnest.

There are times when I feel that Jesus is not here for me, times when it seems like I am not a priority for Him. However, He has always been true to me. Even times that seemed dark and unforgiving, He led me to a better situation than I had hoped for.

Like the disciples, I need to learn to not hide during times of adversity. It's so easy to get locked in my own head with my worries and anxieties for company. Instead, I should feel the Holy Spirit within me, step out of my comfort zone, and open myself to the possibilities that God presents before me.

Getting to Sleep

5/27/2017

Once again, my body is having some issues recognizing that I need to go to bed before the sun goes down, especially since it doesn't go down until after 10pm these days. I'm looking out my window at an 11:30pm twilight, thinking that I should probably get to bed as I usually get up on Sundays at 7:30 to be ready for church on time. However, it wasn't until I looked at the clock that I realized just how late it was.

Unlike Janelle, I don't have trouble falling to sleep when it's light (although direct sunlight is an issue). We still need to get blackout curtains for our bedroom considering her issue sleeping with light (including night lights, which has led to many a stubbed toe on my part). Oddly, I tend to sleep comfortably if there is some amount of light in the room. Our compromise is that I get to have a fan running in the room (as I need airflow and the white noise a fan provides, while Janelle hates air movement) and we keep the room as dark as we can get it.

All things considered, I should probably go to bed now.

Schedule Changes

5/26/2017

Janelle's summer shift requires that she goes to bed around 8pm to get enough sleep. Meanwhile, I now have the privilege of sleeping in later as I do not need to be anywhere nearly as early. The boys get a slightly extended bedtime, but it's still not as late as they want to stay up.

I'm making an effort to do my workouts in the morning, which is easier now that I don't have to get up so soon. I'm also making a concentrated effort to get things done before I spend time glued to electronics for one reason or another. We also need change out the cabin more often as rental season starts to kick in, so that is often part of our day. Next week, I will also have coursework to do.

Sure, all of this gets disrupted again when I head out to Salt Lake City for a week and a half (a trip which is now less than a week away). Still, I hope to institute some good habits this summer that make me accomplish more than I tend to. As is, it looks like it will be a full summer.

Unemployed

5/25/2017

For the first time since I earned my teaching certificate, I find myself without a job. I have received layoff notices before, but I have always been retained before the current school year ended. While I have moved jobs in the past, I always had the next job lined up before I did so. Although I believe that everything will work out, I really don't like this feeling of not have a net to catch me should things really go wrong.

Currently, my employment (or lack thereof) is dependent on either the borough or the state finalizing their budgets for next year without cutting education (it seems that the best we can hope for is the same funding as last year, which is a cut when inflation is taken into account). The borough doesn't hold its next vote until June 6th; meanwhile the state is adding yet another emergency session (which costs the state even more money). Sound familiar? It should. It's the same script that politicians have been reading from in state after state across the nation. Despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe education is a priority, it has been under a concentrated attack since my third year of teaching (it was just under normal attack before then).

I don't think my district fully realizes what a deal I am. I bring 19 years of experience, but can only count less than half of them for payroll purposes (since they were out of state). I also have three children in the school system. Should I leave to another school district, this one will lose out on the funding that they bring. That's just from a cost standpoint. It's not even taking into account how awesome and adorable I am.

Until this gets resolved, I'm trying to walk that fine line between not worrying (as that shows a lack of faith ... and it doesn't help anything anyway) and being overly nonchalant. Thus, I am daily looking at employment sites for educational institutions within an hour drive of my house. In the meantime, I wait and pray.

School's Out for Summer

5/24/2017

It still amazes me how soon we get out of school here in Alaska. I'm so used to not getting out of school until the first couple weeks of June. That said, we were already starting to lose kids as more and more rivers were open for fishing, and these usually are the best months to really enjoy this area.

Our field day was rained out; otherwise, today went quite smoothly. I was master of ceremonies for this morning's talent show and, despite a few hiccups, it seemed to be quite the success. It is always interesting to see students performing, whether it be in a talent show, a concert, a sport event, or some other extra curricular activity. You definitely see a side to them that you do not usually see in the classroom.

Although today was the students' last day, teachers still go in tomorrow. I'm a bit farther ahead this year than last year. Some of it is because I streamlined the process from last year. Some of it is because we had an extra week to this quarter compared to 4th quarter last year. One way or the other, I don't have that much to do tomorrow.

Although school is out for my students and my sons, my next semester starts soon. Already, I can feel my summer break start to slip away with schoolwork and other obligations. I need to make certain to spend some of this time recharging.

Another Semester

5/23/2017

I just received word that I officially received A's in both of my doctoral classes this past semester. This puts me at a total of 22 credits completed, with a little over 50 more to go. I'm taking another 10 credits worth of classes, plus going to my residency this summer. I will hopefully pass the halfway point of my degree by next spring (it would have been by this Christmas, but I might need to slow down a bit in the fall if I need to get used to a new job).

These credits are all towards an Ed.D. or Doctor of Education in Educational Technology. I'm taking the classes online through Walden University. Although I would prefer to take classes in person, this seems to be the most practical way for me to continue my education.

It's been a challenge to get back into student mode for these classes. I certainly have had to give up a great deal of my spare time (upwards of 20 hours a week) to the cause. That said, I've also learned a lot in these past nine months. I hope that this pays off financially for me as well.

Exercise Plan

5/22/2017

I have come up with a plan for keeping in shape this summer. While I certainly would like to do so by taking more outdoor excursions, I know that my best chance of staying in shape is to follow a similar course to the one that I am currently on ... which is a sort of modified crossfit. I also know that it has to be something that I can do in my own home or yard as I have not been able to sustain other programs in the past.

I have an extremely limited set of exercise equipment available to me, but I can make due until I can pick up a few tools that I've come to rely on the most often in my workouts at the school (such as a kettlebell and a medicine ball). I also want to measure out my driveway and a ways up my road (although that does mean tackling that hill) to figure out some distances for running purposes. I figure that I can use the Brand X Method workouts for at least a portion of what I'm doing on any given day (although I would have to modify or replace those elements that require equipment I don't have). The goal isn't to follow those at 100%, but to come up with a half-hour or so workout everyday that can vary based on the weather. If worse, comes to worse, I can always do the aerobic workout from one of the Just Dance games.

If I can get into a good habit and start off my mornings with this sort of program, I should be able to keep up the recent progress that I've made (although I'm still behind from last year at this same time).

23rd Anniversary

5/21/2017

On the whole, it's been a good 23 years. We've had our downs, but we've mostly moved up. I would say that our love and respect for one another has grown despite us both better recognizing each other's flaws. All told, we work well together, complementing (and sometimes complimenting) each other.

It does worry me a bit that Janelle wanted to spend much of today with another man: Link from The Breath of the Wild. I suppose that I have only myself to blame. After all, I'm the one who brought him into the house and encouraged her to get to know him. At least I can take comfort in knowing that she will come back to me once he has served his purpose.

For dinner, we took the hour drive to Cooper Landing and ate at the Eagle Crest Dining of the Princess Wilderness Lodge. Our original intent was to go to the Kenai Flats, but isn't open for dinner on Sundays. Still, it was probably more fitting for us to be at a Princess Lodge for our anniversary as we went to a Princess Lodge (in Denali) for our honeymoon. It would have been poetic to stay the night there ... if we both didn't have to be at work tomorrow.

The food was a bit pricey, but was excellent. The service was a little slow, but only because they were amazingly friendly. The weather might have been a bit rainy, but the view was still breathtaking. We had a good time. They even provided a complimentary dessert (which was delicious).

Living room

5/20/2017

I love our living room, but I don't spend that much time in it. Most of my time home is spent in my office or my bedroom. Third place would really go to the dining room/kitchen area. Even when friends are over, most of our entertaining is done down there (since it has a table big enough to play Carcassonne and Catan). But the living room is my favorite. It was the room that made me want to get the house in the first place.

It has a massive vaulted ceiling, a ledge about ten feet up (where we have our undecorated Christmas tree on display), large windows on three sides, and lots of space. Our large TV is up here (although we watch the one downstairs more regularly), as are our new couches, Connor's desk and computer (Janelle's old one), and four of our bookshelves (two of them even have books on them). It's a comfortable place to spend some time, and I try to make sure I do that for at least a little bit every day.

One of its downsides comes from one of its perks: the windows. Especially in the warmer days of the summer, but even in particularly sunny days in the spring and fall (sometimes even winter), the room gets quite hot. Sunny days can also make it very difficult to see the TV at times. Eventually, on one of our trips to Anchorage, Janelle is going to pick out material for curtains (I will probably be present, but my opinion will likely be limited). We will also need to figure out how to install rods on some of the taller windows (that not only reach up about eight feet, but are positioned over the stairs that lead down). Thankfully, a few windows open in such a way that produces an effective crossbreeze.

In the meantime, we planned on putting up a window coating that is supposed to reduce the heat that enters while still providing a nice view. My time with it today did not go well. It was like trying to apply a massive sheet of saran wrap that was determined to stick to itself. Despite a great deal of effort and entirely too much swearing, the end result was terrible. We are going to try again later with a new roll, at a time when the window isn't quite so warm, and when Janelle is there to help.

Even with its quarks, it's still my favorite room.

Deck of Death/Life

5/19/2017

After discovering that I had Type II Diabetes, I immediately made several lifestyle changes. One of them was taking advantage of the gym facilities and equipment available at Skyview. A group was already meeting every day after school at around three. On the first day that I finally worked up the courage to join, largely due to the encouragement of Sue Todd, they were doing a workout called the Deck of Death (alternately called the Deck of Life).

The premise is simple: each card in a regular deck of cards is worth its face value except aces, which are worth 15, face cards which are worth 10, and jokers which are ... well, their value seems to depend on the mood of the person setting the workout (anywhere from 15 to 50). Each suit is a different type of exercise, often including push ups, sit ups, squats, and box jumps, but also sometimes swapping in pull ups, kettlebell swings, wall balls, and others. Jokers are always burpees.

You partner up. One partner runs (usually 200 meters, but sometimes 100 or 400 depending on various moods and circumstances) while the other partner starts flipping cards and performing the type and number of the exercise indicated. Once the first partner returns, they swap roles and continue to do so until the deck runs out or they hit a predetermined time limit (originally 30 minutes, but I had to cut that down if I had to pick up the boys from the bus stop).

For my first time, I was partnered with a high school student who was in better shape than all of us. The rationale was two-fold. As I didn't know what I was doing, the other partners present could explain it to me without me needing a student to explain it to a teacher (ego-saving). The second was that she was the fastest runner, and thus could make up for my gross ineptitude.

I was in pain for weeks afterwards and that is even taking into account that I modified nearly all the exercises and ended up walking for much of my running time.

As our group dwindled, the Deck of Death/Life started to become a more regular part of our regimen, until it was our Friday workout for most of this school year. As it was usually just Sue and me (and I often had to rush to the bus stop), the burpees slowly disappeared (sorry, Matt), which easily kept our time under 25 minutes. Our fastest time was a little over 22 minutes.

Today may have been the final Friday workout for Sue and I because of my layoff. With that in mind, we decided to make it under our 22 minute time. Sit ups were swapped with kettlebell swings, and the jokers were still absent. We made it in 19 minutes 40 seconds.

I've come a long way these past two school years.

Rain

5/18/2017

While I do not want to rain on anyone's picnic (such as the one that I'm planning to attend tomorrow), we need more rain. While we had nice snow piles throughout the winter, we are way under for overall precipitation. Our wooded acreage looks entirely too ready to burn; although some recent showers have greened it up a bit.

Even though I certainly enjoy sunny days, I also recognize the importance of rainy days as well. Without the rain, we would be living in a cinder. Granted, as I tend to work and play indoors more often than not, I'm not as affected by the rain either. Still, we need balance: enough sun to keep us happy and enough rain to keep us from frying.

As I'm writing this, I realize that there's a metaphor to be made here as well. However, as I've been reading a lot of stretched metaphors lately, I think I'll let everyone come to their own conclusions.

Missing D&D

5/17/2017

Even before moving to Alaska, my time playing Dungeons and Dragons had been slowly diminishing. With all of the time constraints on mine and my friends' lives, spending almost an entire evening just getting through one encounter seemed to be providing diminishing returns. As video games, such as Skyrim and now Breath of the Wild, have become so much more immersive, I was starting to find my source of role-played fantasy adventures in other areas.

Up here, our gaming has been nearly non-existent. I had a couple of online GNOME (Guy's Night[s] Of Monster Evisceration) over the Internet, but that has been over a year ago since we last scheduled out time. We have also had a couple of gaming sessions in our living room with some local friends before life became much more complicated for everyone involved.

Even with the visually stimulating worlds created by video games, I still find myself missing the imagination-driven scenarios of Dungeons and Dragons. The interwoven stories, the fellowship, even the character sheets and dice rolling all bring another element to role-playing that has not yet been replicated by electronics. Maybe it was the food ...

Hopefully, we will find the time in the future. I know that Trevor is quite interested. I can't remember the last day that I didn't see him with one of the rule books in hand. I don't think I'm ready for him to be my DM just yet, though.

Seeing Red

5/16/2017

Today, we were encouraged to wear red as a way to show union solidarity. The Kenai Borough was hearing public testimony about providing funding to the school district. At their last meeting, an amendment had been added to the mayor's proposed budget that reduced the floor from his original proposal to last year's levels (which is effectively a cut considering rising costs). This unexpected move reduced the amount the district had planned for their budget, requiring them to freeze all hires until they have a better idea of costs. To me, that meant that not only was my position not available, but the position that I did apply for cannot move forward in the hiring process (not that they will necessarily hire me).

We met in front of the Borough building an hour before the meeting, most of us wearing red and holding signs that support fully funding education. Before the meeting started, we filled in the council chambers. Although my familiarity with Star Trek made me a little concerned by the symbolism of all the red shirts that I saw present, we made a pretty good showing.

For whatever reason, I felt the need to speak. In the open public comments, I warned about how stagnated school funding in Michigan led to higher and higher class sizes and more sacrifices by teachers until I felt that I had to leave. I then mentioned that Alaska's current funding conversation led directly to my lay off and that their reduction from the funding floor affected my chances of getting another job. I said that I wanted to put a face to their decision (unfortunately, it was mine ... but what can you do?).

I left after the public comments as it was already after eight and I had planned on being home by seven. They weren't going to make any decisions today anyway, but I kind of regret not staying just to see it through. Hopefully, we will see a change of heart in those who had voted for the lower funding floor.