27 November – Giving Thanks

It seems I often open blog entries with “I haven’t written in a while because…” It’s true, once again. This time, because of a combination of busyness and a bit of dismay at election results, among other things. What does one say? Does my day-to-day matter, in the face of the divisions tearing through this country? It would be easy enough to say no. But this story is, after all, about life. And I think where we might find healing is in learning to understand each other at the individual level. So here’s my story; make of it what you will.

I’m not going to bother to try to capture everything at the daily level between my last entry and this, just touch on some highlights so I can move on from here.

I was hired by UPS as a driver-helper. Orientation was back on the 8th, where they showed us PowerPoints about UPS policies and procedures, gave us some hands-on safety training for getting in and out of the truck, loading a hand truck and maneuvering with it. We also got assigned our uniforms, although we wouldn’t get them until our first assignment, when our drivers would bring them out in their trucks.

My first day wasn’t until the following Wednesday, when I was assigned to the Carillion Point route with Mike. I got to learn a bit about how to use the diad, and helped deliver packages to both businesses and residences. They try to use the helpers primarily for the residences, though: the helper runs the package while the driver finds the next package in the truck. I was pleased with the route I was put on, along the lake. There was some nice scenery to look at, and I got a fair amount of exercise, besides. We even saw a pair of bald eagles at the top of a tree (it’s hard to see the second one, but it’s there).

On another day, I covered for a couple helpers on two other routes, in Medina and Clyde Hill. There were some ridiculously elaborate homes on those routes, and remarkably ostentatious displays of wealth. On the one hand, I can’t imaging living like that. On the other, some of those places would make great house concert venues…  And there was some really nice natural scenery along those routes, too.

I’ve still been doing a bit of substitute teaching, when I get the chance. Middle school Humanities at St. Thomas, 1st grade at Bellevue Children’s Academy, Spanish at the Overlake School, 5th grade at St. Thomas, Study Skills at Seattle Academy, then back at St. Thomas for preschool and 3rd grade. All over the map, in other words.

Artwork near the garden at St. Thomas

Artwork in the 5th grade classroom at St. Thomas

The view out the 5th grade window

Walking the trail at Farrel-McWhirter park during break from Overlake

Sculpture detail, Overlake

Sculpture in the hall at Overlake

For YMCA, I’ve mostly been at Horace Mann and Ben Rush, along with Einstein. I haven’t been able to go on days I’ve worked for UPS, except this past Wednesday, because I haven’t gotten off early enough. Wednesday, I was slated for Audubon, but when I showed up, they had 13 kids and 2 staff, so they didn’t need me. I checked in at Ben Rush and found a similar story: most of the kids were out early, for Thanksgiving.

Sunset streak at Ben Rush

Fading sun through trees at Ben Rush

On Wednesday, that was a good thing, because I had an interview at Mathnasium in Redmond. It was originally scheduled for 6:30, after YMCA, but they were able to get me in early. I learned about their setup (up to 4 students with one mentor, drop-in, working through a set curriculum), and took a math test for them. I did well, and received a tentative offer (pending background check) from them on Friday. There’ll be some training hours in December, and then they’ll have me start for real in January, which works well with the UPS schedule.

Mathnasium actually sought me out (they saw my resume on one of the recruiting sites I get job alerts from), but I’ve been applying to lots of places, as well. I was averaging at least one a day for a while there, though I’ve dropped off a bit since then. I was interviewed for a math instructor position at PIMA Institute in Seattle, but haven’t heard back, so I’m guessing I didn’t get the job (though they said they’d let me know, either way, so it’s still possible). Basically, I’m still juggling and finding my way.

Crows winging overhead at PIMA, heading to their nightly roost

On the 19th, there was an all-day YMCA training in Edmonds, for Kids University. I attended sessions on group management, praise and encouragement, fun with foods, and incorporating youth choice. It was interesting, but I have to admit the best part was probably the food, which was catered by Panera.

I also liked the mosaics that decorated the school

 

On the 15th, Denero had a doctor appointment, to get his flu shot and a chicken pox booster. While we were at it, I had them look at the fungal infection again. The doctor didn’t want to do a scraping, so she gave us a referral to a dermatologist. I’m also working on a referral for an eye exam, but that hasn’t come through yet.

Denero’s been working on helping out around here, especially with keeping the kitchen clean. I’m also working on teaching him to cook. He’s home earlier than I am, and often has had a shorter day, so it would be a huge help if he were able to prepare dinner, at least part of the time. Besides, it’s a good skill to have. So he’s been learning.

The recipe said omelet. We’ll call it a scramble.

Fancy tuna salad.

Bagel burgers and two-potato gratin

Pear & cranberry crumble

Pasta with red pepper butter sauce

Preping the banana bread

Healthy banana bread

My dad decided to help out with that a bit. There was a big Styrofoam cooler on my table when I got home Wednesday, filled with crock pot meals from Omaha Steaks. I wasn’t able to fit the chicken & dumplings in the freezer, so that became our Thanksgiving meal. It was pretty good (if not entirely traditional)!

Friday, we had dinner at the Wilde Rover, because my friend Dan Connolly was playing there, with Geoffrey Castle. It was (as far as I know) the first time Dan has played there since his going-away party a little over three years ago. There were a lot of people there who were very happy to see him, myself included. It was a fun night, hanging with friends, listening to live music (even if I couldn’t get a very good picture).

Last week, I posted to the Be Neighborly Kirkland Facebook group, saying Denero would love odd jobs, so he could earn a little spending money. I got a response from someone who turned out to live just down the street from us. Denero raked leaves for them while the weather was nice on Friday. They were happy with his work, and said they’d be happy to have him back. He main focus still needs to be school, so he can’t go for a regular job yet, but it’s great for him to be able to put a little money in his pocket from time to time.

I think that brings me more-or-less up to date. Things may be a bit crazy, but they’re mostly good. There’s much to be thankful for. Including beautiful sunrises.

6 November – Curves and Fastballs

No, I’m not talking about the World Series. I know some folks got really excited about it, but I don’t even watch baseball. I’m talking about the things life throws at us.

I haven’t written in a while because of a specific curve: sub assignments at Kelly disappeared. I went from being regularly employed to not at all, in a heartbeat. Turns out they’d hired 10 new subs, so of course competition for positions skyrocketed.

We spent Sunday the 23rd walking and driving around Redmond, putting up posters for SecondStory Repertory. As we walked past a sculpture hanging on the wall at Redmond Town Center, I pointed it out to Denero. He was amazed to learn it had been made by the high school sculpture class at Lake Washington High School.

Monday, I had a short assignment for Drama at Bellevue Children’s Academy. It turned out to be 4th and 5th graders. At any given time, I had two classes of the same grade, so about 25-30 students (classes at BCA are small). They came in expecting a fun, active class, and I had: a worksheet. On which they were supposed to work independently. It was drama-related, as it was a character sheet. But it was a really hard sell. I did some improv games with kids that finished early, and that went okay. But I have to admit to being glad it was a short day, and even happier when it was over. That was one of my tougher days as a sub. But there was a dragon in the classroom, so it wasn’t all bad.

I didn’t have YMCA that day, because I was meeting up with a new student, for tutoring chemistry. We met at the Bothell library, and got oriented. He’s currently working on the patterns within the periodic table. We met through an online tutoring matching service, which takes a substantial portion of the fee. It’s about a wash with YMCA earnings for the evening, but perhaps at some point I’ll be able to pick up a second student. I enjoy the opportunity to teach, anyway.

On Tuesday, I was at Seattle Academy, doing mostly math support. I was all over campus (started at the Temple, went to the Art Center, then Vanderbilt, finally ending at the Temple for a journalism class). It was a good day, and I even was able to do a bit of teaching and helping students out. But then the journalism teacher got back from his field trip, and I left in a hurry, accidentally leaving the charger for my Surface behind, and went to Horace Mann for the YMCA.

Both Monday and Tuesday’s jobs had been picked up last minute, first thing in the morning. Wednesday, I woke up early, checked regularly, and picked up nothing. The up side was that I was able to go get my charger back. Also, it being an early-dismissal day for the public schools, I was able to cover a full shift for YMCA. I started out at Horace Mann, but then Audubon was short on staff, so I was sent over there. Plus side: I got to claim extra time, for being willing to switch sites.

Since I’d made a collection of school mascot-related artwork, I looked around Audubon for an owl. There’s one plaque on the wall that features one, but otherwise, I didn’t see any. They do have a rather impressive dragon on the cafeteria wall, made of recycled CDs.

It must have been my week for leaving things behind, because I forgot my water bottle when I left. I wasn’t too worried about that, though, because I figured I’d be back at Audubon, sooner or later.

Thursday, I spent checking for jobs from the moment my alarm went off at 5 throughout the day. I’d refresh the job page about every 15 minutes, reminded by a timer on my watch. Each and every time, I came up empty. That can be a very demoralizing experience, and I have to admit I got pretty depressed about it. I could have been getting some work done around the house, but I was discouraged. So I spent most of the time playing X-Box, until it was time to go to the YMCA program, back at Horace Mann.

Friday was much the same, though this time I was sent to a new school for YMCA: Wilder Elementary, in Woodinville. It was a bit challenging, because the kids didn’t really know either of us that were working there that day. But it was a small program, and a nice day, so we figured it out.

By the time Friday was over, I’d managed to pull myself out of my depression, and decided to do something about my situation. For one, Western Governor’s University was offering a no-fee application to their online Masters in Education program, so I decided to apply. I don’t know if I’ll do it yet, because I’ve got a lot of balls in the air right now, but it’s an option. I also started applying for jobs.

I think I spent most of Saturday on job applications. We had been going to go to Thrill the World at Redmond Town Center, but it was raining, so we stayed home (though it did clear up later in the day). As the day was drawing toward a close, I was in the mood for a dessert. I decided to try my hand at making cinnamon sugar crepes. They turned out okay, and were pretty tasty.

Sunday, we were up early to head into Seattle. My friend Mark had invited us to help him with a sensory-friendly Shakespeare at the Center Theater. Denero got to see the Space Needle up close (though we didn’t go up in it), and a production of Romeo and Juliet. Afterward, Mark took us to lunch in the food court, and we enjoyed some of the special event going on for Dia de los Muertos.

On the way home, we stopped at the Alderwood Mall to see the LEGO exhibit. My phone was dead by then, though, so I didn’t get any pictures.

Monday, it was back to applying for jobs. No sub work again. No YMCA, either, because of my tutoring student. We made some good progress on patterns within the periodic table, though so that was pretty good.

Tuesday, still no sub work, yet more job applications. YMCA saw me back at Audubon, so at least I was able to retrieve my water bottle.

Wednesday, I specifically had marked as a non-work day, because I got my first two interviews. First at the Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich company in Mercer Island. I wouldn’t typically consider food service, but this looks like an awesome company making really good food. I haven’t heard back since the interview, though, so I don’t think I got the job. I would much rather have gotten work at the Redmond location, anyway.

My second interview was at UPS, for a seasonal driver helper position. I figured I’d be getting paid to get outside and get some exercise, which would be a good thing. It’s only temporary, through sometime in January. I think they hired just about everyone who interviewed. We’re supposed to have orientation on Tuesday, but I haven’t gotten details on that yet.

After my interviews, I was at Einstein for YMCA. I specifically asked for a location where I could sneak out early, because the College Fair was happening at the high school, and I wanted to take Denero. That meant he had to have dinner ready when I got home, so I had the entertaining task of teaching him how to make chili nachos via text. It worked out (though I wound up eating leftover rice, because he’d only found one can of chili).

Denero’s only a sophomore, so he’s not needing to worry too much about where he wants to go to college yet. But I figured it was a good idea to start opening his mind to possibilities. We didn’t need to be there very long, but I’m glad we got there early, because navigating a crowd on his scooter would have been challenging!

Thursday, I finally got some sub work again, as a 3rd grade teacher at Bellevue Children’s Academy. The day went very smoothly. It was a beautiful day, too, so I enjoyed spending some time outdoors during recess.

Afterward, I was back at Horace Mann for the YMCA. The weather was still nice, so we got to spend most of the time with the kids playing on the playground. The storm pond next door was nicely lit in the evening sun.

Turns out there’s some training that I should have, to be able to work at a licensed care site like Horace Mann. Connie, the site supervisor, is checking into getting it for me. Additional training rarely hurts, and might open up new job opportunities.

Friday, I had another sub assignment, that I’d actually picked up on Sunday, while showing Mark how the sub assignment bit worked (and I have to say that having a position to look forward to helped my outlook for the week considerably). This time I was a middle school humanities teacher at St. Thomas. The students were definitely energetic (especially the seventh graders), but the day went well. I particularly enjoyed the lunch. The view from the classroom was nice, too.

Afterwards, I was at Einstein for the YMCA. Word had come in from Geli that she was playing in Woodinville, so I picked up Denero after work, and we went to listen. Unfortunately, although listed as a brew pub, the location was a bar that didn’t serve food and didn’t allow minors. Geli was playing outside, and there was a long fire pit we could sit next to, so we stayed for a few songs, until they took a break. Then we went home to eat some dinner and play some Borderlands.

Yesterday, I spent some more time on job applications, and then did some shopping at Costco. Denero and I ate a bit of lunch, and played some Borderlands. Later, we helped Stephanie with a few things she was working on around the house. Afterwards, we picked up Sebastian and all went to the Woodinville theater to catch Dr. Strange in 3-D. I hadn’t been to the movies in quite a while, and I don’t remember seeing a feature film in 3-D. It was pretty fun, though. Even Stephanie enjoyed it, which she hadn’t expected (the title had been Denero’s pick).

Today, we need to get some stuff done around the house. Abby’s moving her stuff out, and Sebastian may be moving downstairs. The place could use some general cleaning, and it’s laundry day. Denero’s getting used to using the cast boot (he’s off crutches as of Friday evening), but he’s able to get around reasonably well. I suspect we’ll manage to stay busy.