I have always like the smell of coffee, but until last year, I hadn't been able to stand the taste.  My first experience, that I remember, was my mother bringing my sister and I to a friend's house and having a "coffee party."  Then, as until recently, the coffee tasted like little more than warm water (which is not something that I like to drink).  Adding cream just made it taste like watered down water.  Adding sugar didn't give it the substance I wanted.

At Alex's graduation, Janelle decided to use a concoction called coffee bunch which is made out of a coffee syrup, whole milk, and even amounts of chocolate and vanilla ice cream.  Normally, I don't even like coffee ice cream, but I really liked this drink and have since made an effort to make it at least once a year.  I also have come to like some cakes and desserts that use coffee.

It was taking Alex up to college last summer that got me hooked.  Despite knowing that I had a ten-hour drive in front of me, I had stayed up entirely too late the night before.  Long drives can be difficult for me alone, but they are worse when the person riding shotgun is lightly snoring.  Unfortunately, that was the condition we were in on the drive up: I was feeling exhausted while Janelle and Alex were dozing.

When we stopped at a McDonald's, I decided to try a mocha.  Now, I know that doesn't count as coffee for you purists, but it got me hooked about the same as the chocolate punch.  My carpool ride last year was often started with a stop to pick up a couple of mochas to wake us up.  I had thought that caffeine didn't have much of an effect on me as I can fall asleep even less than half an hour after having a caffeinated soda, but I discovered that just a sip of the mocha kept my eyes from drooping while taking those long morning drives.

The sad news is that both I and my carpool compatriot are on austerity measures right now.  Stops to McDonald's (even just once a week) are now a luxury that we literally cannot afford.  Still, I'm usually able to convince my loving wife to set up the coffee maker (a machine that I have not taken the time to understand) on Fridays, and I've stirred up some lost cost mochas for us at least once each week.  It's funny how something I didn't care for just over a year ago is now something that I don't want to live without.

Yesterday, I got home later than I expected from work.  I was getting school stuff done (more than I expected, but not as much as I wanted) while my carpool partner was sitting on an interview team.  I arrived home a little before 6pm, ate dinner, and then had company over until 10pm (we played Carcassonne with two expansions).  I turned on my computer to write a post (for which I had an idea that I have since lost), saw that my brother was online and then played Starcraft and worked on logic puzzles until about midnight.

In short, it was a good day.

First, let me say that I hate shopping for cars.  I always feel like I'm getting ripped off.  Somehow, a fairly straightforward price ends up ballooning rather quickly, and that's even without taking on an extra accessories, packages, or warrantees (don't get me going on warrantees).

That said, I purchased a car today.  It was moderately painful, not more or less than I expected, but I am very happy with the car.  It's a 2014 Prius.  

In many ways, the car is out of my league.  The payments and added insurance costs are going to make our monthly budget rather tight, especially with the pay reductions of the past several years.  Still, I hope to save money in the long run due to its fuel efficiency, and I like that I am supporting the initiative to make more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Also, its a fun car.  Getting past all of the cool things like not needing to take the keys out of my pocket to open or start the car, or the way that it wirelessly connects to my phone, or even the entertaining screens that show how efficiently I am driving, I simply enjoy driving the car.  The seats are easy for me to get in and out of, the controls are generally in places that I find easy to use, the instrument panel is offset, and the wheel is the size that I prefer.

It helps that I like how it looks.  The shape of the car, its intake, and its lights evoke a sense of happiness.  It looks like a car of the future.  The light bluish-green color called Sea Glass Pearl reminds me of the changing colors of the ocean.  It's partially for that reason that I have named her after Aquaman's main love interest, Mera.

Yep, I named the car.

First of all, my wife is wonderful.  I asked her if she could create a thank you card that I could give to the drive-thru lady at the McDonald's that my carpool buddy and I frequent on our way to work.  I just finished writing the note.  I plan on asking her name when we pull up to pay and adding her name into the card--which also thanks the McDonald's staff in general.

This school year, I acquired a liking for mochas and other lattes.  I still don't like coffee itself, but with enough cream and sweetener ...

Anyway, I often find myself getting five or fewer hours of sleep (like tonight) and I discovered that coffee (or at least mochas) has a greater effect on me than I thought it would.  This has led us to stop by a McDonald's establishment on our way to work, although we do so probably more often than is healthy.  My carpool compatriot has noted that the drive-thru lady, who has a grandmotherly charm, is more pleasant when I am in the car than when he stops there without me.  Whether that's true or not, she is a ray of sunshine in the morning that helps start our long commute with a pleasant attitude.  

I realized that tomorrow would be our (or at least my) last day stopping by until the beginning of next school year, and the idea of giving her a thank you card popped into my head.  I hope that it will brighten her day as she has brightened ours.

My life is undergoing some minor changes right now, and they mostly seem to be for the better.

About a month ago, a new special education teacher was hired at Lincoln.  We hit it off from the first day he teamed in my classroom.  We quickly learned that, not only do we like many of the same things, but we live less than fifteen minutes away from each other.  The carpool that formed from this chance meeting has been a Godsend for me.  I don't think that I have been as disgusted with teaching as a profession since my last year in Colon.  I was tired of being beaten up, beaten down, and just plain beaten.  Until the carpool, I was coming into work full of venom.  And then my new carpool buddy arrived, glowing with pleasantness.  His last job had also left him bitter, and he decided that he wanted to start this job as a new man (or, at least, the man he was before he soured).  He was on a crusade of pleasantness, and I have not felt this good in a while.  My encounters with students and staff have been tremendously more enjoyable, and I truly look forward to coming to work every day.  Put all of the politics and external crap aside, I have one of the greatest jobs in the world.  Who else gets to spend all day talking about something they love and gets to inspire that love in others?

Unfortunately, I might not be at the high school next year.  I received my lay off notice (again), but was told not to worry because the middle school will probably have openings.  I am not happy with the arrangement.  I know that I can teach middle school (I have done so before), but I've spent the past two years training for and creating AP Literature and World History classes.  I already had to watch as someone else was given the Lit course; I don't think I'm ready to lose the World History one as well.  Still, I was encouraged this year by how optimistic my students were after this year's test.  I am eager to see their results in July.

This will be my last term at Baker's Writing Center.  I have been tutoring students here for the past six years, and I want my evenings back.  I still plan on teaching a course each term at Baker for the time being, but I've missed too much with my family and been stretched too thin for too long.  Today, this Thursday, and next Thursday should be the last three evenings that I spend at the Writing Center desk.

Katrina made WMU's vocal performance program.  While other people are warning her to hedge her bets, get a second major, and not count on this playing out as a career, I respectfully disagree.  She has an outstanding God-given talent, and the drive to make something out of it.  It will be a hard road, but I believe she can make it, and not just succeed, but thrive.  That said, having Alex gone this past year has been devastating to me.  I don't know how I am going to handle having both of my baby girls gone next school year.  They grew up too fast.  While seeing them as the gorgeous, independent and talented women they have become, I can't help but think of them as the baby girls who bounced into my arms, who played games as princesses with squeaky voices, and who let me be their hero.  At least I have this summer with both of them home.

Life is all about change.  I worry that some day I will not be able to handle the changes that life throws my way.  These, at least, I believe I can handle and, hopefully, will be better for them.