Monday, May 26, 2008

Plug a Friend--Inkpets.com




A few days ago, I had the pleasure of reading a plug about me on my novelist friend Esri's blog. What a gal! I love that about her. Plug for Esri: buy her book. It's awesome!

In the interest of following a good example, or paying it forward, or what have you, I will now Plug a Friend.

Laura Hansen is a talented artist, currently residing in Boulder, Colorado. How talented? Well, she created that lovely picture featured on this post. Yes, that is an example of what she can do for you. Her website is: http://www.inkpets.com, where you can see examples of her work, and commission her to make some art of your beloved pet. Her work is truly stellar, as you can see. Give her some business, won't you?

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Just Depression, I think.

I don't think a mid-life crisis is a real thing. Aren't we all just wandering around, in some level of depression, wondering if we're wasting our lives?

I know I am. I have been, ever since I had to go back to work after maternity leave, 5 years ago. Here we are, with my daughter about to enter kindergarten in the fall, and we are no better off than we were before.

Are we happy as a family? Sure. Do we love each other? Yes. Do we get along relatively well with each other? Again, yes.

But are we happy with our lives? Am I happy with my life? Do I really enjoy what I do, day in and day out?

I'm not alone in saying, "No." As Drew Carey once opined, they have a support group for those of us who hate our jobs. It's called, "...Everybody, and they meet at The Bar."

There is a couple I know of that are getting divorced. This has happened to several of my friends, within the last few years. Mid-life crisis for one of them, it has been posited.

I disagree. I think it's just simple depression. Chemical imbalance requiring meds? Maybe. But a good week of working out at the gym and going swimming with the kids would probably do a world of good.

But I digress. That's not my life.

I've said in the past, and I'll say again, more than anything I want to be self-employed. I'm throwing some money at that issue, and making something happen toward that end. I've sold some writing, and I'm going to do more independent writing (my books are selling well), and my new venture will be less work, with some automaticity as far as money is concerned. All good things.

I haven't been able to shake a depressed feeling, however. Of course, I've got two more weeks until vacation, and I'll be on my own for 11 blissful weeks.

On my own, in my mind. I'll still be here with my family. We're happy, and doing fine. I just don't understand how some people can fuck up their families lives because they aren't feeling jovial.

It's called Life, not Tea Party.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

I can relax now.

Wanna have a little fun? Click the graphic and go see how rich you will be in 10 years. The best part is, they don't tell you anything about how they figure this. It's all based on their very scientific questions!


20,370,710

How much money will you be worth?



Lard, I love the interwebs.

First Saturday

This is the first Saturday in a long line of Saturdays that I actually have no obligations to anyone else but my family. And even then, my obligation there is to hang out with them. I think I can handle it.

The past 16 Saturdays, I got out of bed close to my normal time (6:00am--woo hoo! I slept in!), made coffee, waited for it to kick in, and then I wrote. And read. And did my homework. I did this for a graduate-level class that I was forced to take.

The school district had been avoiding their legal obligations to certain students, and waited until the courts said, "DO IT NOW OR ELSE," and they scrambled and came up with a plan. It involved partnering with a local university, and not letting any of us teacher know about it until it happened.

In fact, I got my registration packet in the mail before I knew I was taking a class. "Welcome!" it said. "We are so excited you are enrolled in this program!"

Um....I didn't enroll in jack.

The next day, I got the email from the school district, explaining that I had to take these classes, or I would have to switch to a school that didn't serve this special population of students. Since our school district has the majority of its schools in that category, it was clear that I would have to take the class.

I was not alone. More than a handful of the teachers in my building were taking the classes. They started last September, and just ended for me last week. Trying to be positive about it, I thought, "I can use these classes as recertification credit when I need to renew my teaching license. And I didn't have to pay for them, either." Since I just recertified in July, I thought that was a good thing.

Well, as luck/fate/plain ol' circumstances would have it, I transferred schools for next year. To a school where I won't have to take those classes. And I won't have to be the head of the department. And I won't have to do everything myself (my department was understaffed this year for the first semester--I was doing the job of 2.5 people by myself).

I'll miss seeing my friends' faces every day, but being healthy and a bit more underwhelmed with work is going to be a good thing. I'm really not that sad about leaving. I am sad that this year was so terrible. It almost broke me. But I've got some energy again.

Change can be good.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Similar

When I read this, I immediately knew how that guy felt. Imagine that the original guy is a teacher, and the company that wouldn't pay up is the school district.

Discuss.