graphjam fun

Have you checked out GraphJam? If not, it's another great way to waste an hour or four.

Hooray wasted productivity!

Here's my feeble attempt at musical dissection.

believing for a change

All of the political rhetoric about change this voting season has really had an effect on me. I actually started to buy into it. So much, in fact, that I actually created some change of my own. I quit my job.

Well, actually it was more of a resignation. I had the decency to notify them back in March and then finished up my commitment to complete the school year per my contract.

The way it works with public education is that they give you a contract for the next school year sometime around February. I think that they do this so that you really never have time to consider doing anything else. It's difficult to schedule interviews during the school year for obvious reasons (at least for those of us that actually have a work ethic and try hard not to take unnecessary days off from class) and the contract goes into effect on June 1, less than a week after the last day for teachers. Where are you supposed to find a new job in there? That's kind of a rhetorical question for most public school teachers because a "new job" to most of them only means moving to another school which is most commonly arranged by agreeing to coach some sport for them. For those of us with a "real degree," we might be looking for other alternatives.

It feels like they used to issue contracts in April and each year pushed it back a week or so until it was almost February when we got them this year. I had grand visions of bringing the unsigned contract into the principal's office, placing it on his desk, urinating on it, then lighting it on fire. I abandoned this fantasy due to the obvious complications created by making one's urine flammable. Instead, I simply drafted a standard resignation letter, notified the people it actually matters to, and then submitted the paperwork to the principal.

It's not like I am totally without a plan, although I am kind of a private person and didn't quite share with everyone what my plans are. Instead, I told them either a spontaneous lie along the lines of PGA-tour caddy or that I have something part-time but no full-time plans. The latter is more accurate although the first one would be fun if anyone needs a quirky-but-lovable caddy.

My real plan involves something along the lines of being a science education consultant. Through a convoluted series of events and an oddly-connected network I ended up with an offer to train teachers how to use lab equipment for a science textbook/equipment company. It looks like I might be playing Vanna White on a few sales calls as well. And somehow, on my "first day" I ended up with some distribution responsibilities. And the task of moving a small warehouse to a more convenient location. The best part was the opportunity to discover where McDuffie County, Georgia is and train a few teachers there. And somehow this all started the day after my last day at Wheeler High School. No gap, no vacation, so I'm not a full deadbeat. Oh, and I have to suffer Charleston, SC next week for training purposes.

So I think that I am going to be finding a new purpose for this loosely formatted blog. If the new job is going to be sending me all over the rural Southeast, I am going to concurrently pursue my other hobby of seeking out good local restaurants. I found one in Thomson, GA. Look for more info in the near future.

In the meantime, here's to believing in a change for a change. Wait change that.