Taking Charge

My wonderful boss has been out on medical leave for a month now. Her absence has put me in the position of being both teacher and program manager. The first job is the one I love, the latter is one I have come to resent. This experience has reinforced why I don't have any wish or desire to become a school administrator. I hate being the disciplinarian.

In that light, there have been whisperings about how my program will look next year. In some ways that's become the norm. Every year things have changed somewhat. I'm just really tired of constant change. I've made the decision to shop my resume and look for a new opportunity. I need a change.

Election Madness

I've been reading blogs (does that count as reading? The Oregonian has posed that question, but I'm getting off task) Anyway, many have touched on the subject of the current electoral process in action. And, of course the media is full of stories, speeches, appearances and election results. I think that the current slate of candidates has really fueled the imaginiations of Americans. It's historic having Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama racing each other for the Democratic nomination.

Obama has brought back some interesting memories for me. I remember being in high school, so it must have been 1988, when Jesse Jackson was campaining for the nomination. He made an appearance at Oregon State to give a speech and I remember having teachers tell us to miss school so we could hear him. That it was a historic moment. I imagine that those who are experiencing Obama's speeches have some similar feelings.

But back to the primaries and caucuses. Oregon has a closed primary system. I'm not a member of either party, so I don't have a vote in the primaries. Bottom line, my opinions don't really count until November. So, why am I "non-affiliated'? Easy, I don't see much difference between a liberal conservative or a conservative liberal. My opinions vary from issue to issue and I don't like to limit myself, or box myself in. I know that for some people this idea is frustrating. Friends have actually told me that I'm afraid of committing myself to either the Republicans or the Democrats. But, you see, I'm a student of history and believe that given enough time the parties, like the magnetic poles, will do a 180 degree shift and then I'd have to change my registration.

Bottom line. Closed primaries suck. The day I will truly celebrate is the day when open primaries are the norm in all 50 states.

Snow Day at the Hoodoo Autobahn

This weekend my sister and brother in law were in Nashville, Tennessee. The kids stayed with my parents, and since I had a long weekend I went home to Corvallis. After I got there the parents sprung the idea of a day trip to Hoodoo (at Santiam Pass) to ride the tubes at the Autobahn. Of course, my winter gear was tucked safely away at my house 250 miles away! But we scrounged together what we needed and spent Sunday as a family on the mountain. It was so much fun.

Birthday Wishes

Thanks for the Birthday wishes!

The End of January & Looking Back

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of January. It seems as if we just celebreated New Year's, and now 2008 is 1/12 over! It's been an incredibly busy month. This week is the beginning of a new semester, and that always entails a renewal process. Renewal of expectations to returning students and an extention of expectations for the new kids I see. The beginning of term hustle and bustle of scheduling and rescheduling is ongoing. Tomorrow is the deadline for all changes, so I'm hopeful that things will come together and I can concentrate on teaching.

It's funny: This week I reminded one of my seniors that it's her last semester of high school. She turned and shouted "Don't tell me that!" I tried to remember my last semester of high school and I can't. Not really. I remember significant events. The US was involved in the Desert Storm. Congress was making noises about possibly reinstating the military draft. I turned 18. There was a college visitation. Making sure the college application was mailed by the deadline (yes...I only applied to one school.) Then it was graduation and all night party. That's what I remember about my last semester of high school.

Thanks for Forgiveness

Last week I had a little problem. I should explain that I love social network sites because you never know who you'll meet or reconnect with. Last week I received a link to Tagged.com and so when I set things up I accidently forgot to click off everyone in my address book resulting in a mass invitation to everyone I've ever emailed. I just wanted to let those of you who received that invitation that I really appreciate your understanding of my major faux pas. It won't happen again.

And for those of you who are wondering, I have pages on Tagged.com, Myspace.com and Facebook.com. You never know where you'll find me. Look me up if you're so inclined.

Visit from Mom & Dad

It's MLK Jr Day and that means no school. I really like having the occasional day off. Long weekends I usually try to get away for a couple days. But this weekend my parents came to visit. We never do anything super exciting. If the weather cooperates we walk on the beach, hang out and maybe watch a movie. This time we worked on a puzzle. I really like jigsaw puzzles and buy them when the price is right and the picture is interesting. Here's the one we worked on this weekend. Since Mom and Dad had to go home, I had to finish it by myself. They left the entire head for me.