I know it's not only me, but it sure seems like sometimes I'm just destined to be one step behind financially. I'm trying very hard to pay off debt, to get some kind of savings started, save up enough money to take Cole to South Dakota for his high school graduation gift, and yet it's still an uphill battle.
So the latest isn't completely bad, but I recently had to get my truck brakes fixed which is part of owning vehicles that are required in order to get to work to make money. Plus, Amber and I ordered a quarter of beef that will go into our freezer and supply us with home grown quality meat for awhile, so I can live with that cost. And that dang pool, of course, seems to require constant maintenance - even though the recent hot weather has made it seem somewhat worthwhile recently. But...this last one....ugh.
This past Friday, I had a day off from umpiring and officiating, and Amber and Karrigan and I were going to spend some time at the Rhubarb Fest in Aledo. We planned on getting a few pies and some of that wonderful strawberry rhubarb beer we found there last summer. We loaded up the Equinox, backed out of the garage, rolled down the driveway, hit the button to shut the garage door...BAM.
Well, it was more like a slow motion viewing of one side of the garage door lowering with the other staying in place - not good! So Amber smartly hits the button again and stops the door, and I get out to inspect the damage. It's ugly...the tracks are off, part of the door is hanging, metal is bent. AAAAHHHH!
So...child support payments now stop (even though a recent little lawsuit from my wonderful ex-wife put a damper on that), it looks like I can attempt to start saving a little money, and now we have to call Dan's Overhead Door to repair the dang garage door! Did I mention AAAAHHHH!?
Fortunately, I was able to get my truck out later in the day with Jack and Chandler and Landon helping out. And now we wait for the service technician to come repair the dang door sometime mid-week. It's not going to be cheap. I just hope it's not as bad as I fear. Seriously, if the bill comes in under $1,000 I'll be happy.
So one step forward and two steps back. It's going to be a busy week of umpiring and officiating this week, so maybe I can try to gain a little back! It would certainly be nice to at least start going two step forward and one step back.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Saturday, May 26, 2018
It's Over....It's All Over (almost)
As I scored the last Advanced English III exams and judged the quality of exams about The Ox-Bow Incident and Dead Poets Society about 3:45 p.m. yesterday, it was quiet in the building. I finished up the exams, printed out my grade verification reports, put a few more things away and then quietly went home. The evening got a little longer with a rain out in Clinton, so instead of umpiring my first Iowa high school softball game, it was home to clean the pool.
And no, there were no balloons dropping from the ceiling, no streamers blasting across the sky, no fireworks booming to announce the official last day of school. Amber and I did celebrate...if going to the Pizza Ranch in Muscatine counts as celebration, but the interesting thing about the end of a school year anymore is the realization that the end only means a new beginning.
My book bag was packed with crap I needed to take back home with me, including my summer umpiring schedule, some CD's, and my copy of The Greatest Showman that I watched during 5th period today. Also int the bag, though, was a copy of a public speaking course from Blackhawk College that I will be analyzing to create my own curriculum for next school year. You see, teaching doesn't really end. There are breaks and downtimes, but it doesn't end.
I suppose maybe when I retire, which won't be anytime soon, there will be some type of real end, but for now, yesterday was just the last day before the first day of a new beginning.
June will be full of umpiring softball and officiating basketball. July will feature a trip to South Dakota with Cole for his high school graduation gift and a trip to Mississippi with Amber to see Greg's place near the gulf. And the 4th of July usually means a swimming party and cookout at our house and maybe some local fireworks viewing.
Amber claims that after July 4th, it feels like the summer break is winding down, and I suppose that the holiday at least feels like the half-way point. As quickly as this school year went, it will be time to get to know a new group of students. In fact, I'm already working on it - checking into their PSAT 10 scores. I even sent out a little email encouraging them to read over the summer.
But now it's Saturday morning. True, I have a busy weekend starting with a Class 4A Regional Championship game. Then there is graduation tomorrow and an attempt to get to some graduation parties. Monday just might be a complete day off, maybe. And then it's back to school on Tuesday for an "institute day". Then the 17-18 school year is officially over.
And did I mention no yearbook! I'm figuratively dancing a jig for that component of this summer break!
And no, there were no balloons dropping from the ceiling, no streamers blasting across the sky, no fireworks booming to announce the official last day of school. Amber and I did celebrate...if going to the Pizza Ranch in Muscatine counts as celebration, but the interesting thing about the end of a school year anymore is the realization that the end only means a new beginning.
My book bag was packed with crap I needed to take back home with me, including my summer umpiring schedule, some CD's, and my copy of The Greatest Showman that I watched during 5th period today. Also int the bag, though, was a copy of a public speaking course from Blackhawk College that I will be analyzing to create my own curriculum for next school year. You see, teaching doesn't really end. There are breaks and downtimes, but it doesn't end.
I suppose maybe when I retire, which won't be anytime soon, there will be some type of real end, but for now, yesterday was just the last day before the first day of a new beginning.
June will be full of umpiring softball and officiating basketball. July will feature a trip to South Dakota with Cole for his high school graduation gift and a trip to Mississippi with Amber to see Greg's place near the gulf. And the 4th of July usually means a swimming party and cookout at our house and maybe some local fireworks viewing.
Amber claims that after July 4th, it feels like the summer break is winding down, and I suppose that the holiday at least feels like the half-way point. As quickly as this school year went, it will be time to get to know a new group of students. In fact, I'm already working on it - checking into their PSAT 10 scores. I even sent out a little email encouraging them to read over the summer.
But now it's Saturday morning. True, I have a busy weekend starting with a Class 4A Regional Championship game. Then there is graduation tomorrow and an attempt to get to some graduation parties. Monday just might be a complete day off, maybe. And then it's back to school on Tuesday for an "institute day". Then the 17-18 school year is officially over.
And did I mention no yearbook! I'm figuratively dancing a jig for that component of this summer break!
Sunday, May 20, 2018
It's the Light....I See It!
The last day for seniors was Friday. All week, they were a bit squirrely, but Friday was what appeared to be Hawaiian Day. They started with some type of "beach party" in the parking lot before school, whooped and hollered a little bit between classes in the hallway, and apparently exited a half hour before the end of the day - a day that was a 1:30 dismissal day.
I'm old enough now to have witnessed many "last days" for seniors. Some of the days are full of mischief, while others are pretty tame. This particular senior class was fairly tame, and it fit them pretty well. They were a classy group of kids for the most part. They excelled academically and with extra-curriculars, and they were personable and fun.
So now this coming week is the last week for everyone else. Second semester exams are Thursday and Friday, which leaves Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to wrap up loose ends and call it a school year. I have an essay exam for my semester exams. The English III sections have one set of prompts to select from, mostly regarding the novel we recently reviewed and analyzed - Fahrenheit 451. The advanced sections have two sets of prompts, as they will complete two essays for their exam, and those prompts cover the novel those students read - The Ox-Bow Incident.
Having written essays for semester exams isn't the easiest way to end the year. Scoring the essays is a bit time-consuming, but I think this format best resembles what many students will encounter in college. Unfortunately, some teachers don't give much of an exam at all, which is a bit frustrating. What is not frustrating is being free from end of they school year yearbook issues. My past three years at Rockridge, the end of the school year was no where near the end. In fact, the end was actually 2-3 weeks later, full of frustration as I battled staffers to come back and finish work. NOT THIS YEAR, THOUGH. When I wrap everything up, complete my checkout list, and finalize grades, I will be done for 17-18. That's going to feel great!
So the proverbial light is just down the tunnel. We will finish up Dead Poets Society tomorrow or maybe Tuesday, and then my DVD copy of Fahrenheit 451 arrived, so I can show the English III sections the remainder of that film. In there somewhere I need to have the exit survey completed, and I need to clear my walls and desk and bulletin boards of everything that needs to be packed away.
Summer is close!
I'm old enough now to have witnessed many "last days" for seniors. Some of the days are full of mischief, while others are pretty tame. This particular senior class was fairly tame, and it fit them pretty well. They were a classy group of kids for the most part. They excelled academically and with extra-curriculars, and they were personable and fun.
So now this coming week is the last week for everyone else. Second semester exams are Thursday and Friday, which leaves Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to wrap up loose ends and call it a school year. I have an essay exam for my semester exams. The English III sections have one set of prompts to select from, mostly regarding the novel we recently reviewed and analyzed - Fahrenheit 451. The advanced sections have two sets of prompts, as they will complete two essays for their exam, and those prompts cover the novel those students read - The Ox-Bow Incident.
Having written essays for semester exams isn't the easiest way to end the year. Scoring the essays is a bit time-consuming, but I think this format best resembles what many students will encounter in college. Unfortunately, some teachers don't give much of an exam at all, which is a bit frustrating. What is not frustrating is being free from end of they school year yearbook issues. My past three years at Rockridge, the end of the school year was no where near the end. In fact, the end was actually 2-3 weeks later, full of frustration as I battled staffers to come back and finish work. NOT THIS YEAR, THOUGH. When I wrap everything up, complete my checkout list, and finalize grades, I will be done for 17-18. That's going to feel great!
So the proverbial light is just down the tunnel. We will finish up Dead Poets Society tomorrow or maybe Tuesday, and then my DVD copy of Fahrenheit 451 arrived, so I can show the English III sections the remainder of that film. In there somewhere I need to have the exit survey completed, and I need to clear my walls and desk and bulletin boards of everything that needs to be packed away.
Summer is close!
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