perspicacious.org

same job, same city, new home. alaska, traveled and worked. greyhound: many places, short time. inspired to move, change. happy.

the mayfly project
[sum up the year in 20 words]

2002 was a weird year. I'm still walking that tenuous line between childhood and adulthood, though time has lead me to to believe it's a line you never really cross. Some days are an affirmation that I'm where I'm supposed to be. Other days leave me feeling like I'm 6 years old and I've lost my mom at the supermarket. I'd like to say that I learned a lot this year, but I think I spent most of it being pulled along toward destinations unknown.

What happened:
January– Marveled at the beginning of a new year. Struggled with the most challenging kid I've ever worked with.

February– Struggled some more. Had a great time teaching geometry and the solar system.

March– Completed the Marsville project. Wrote excellent poetry with my kids. Bought a domain. Saw my grandfather's passing.

April– Went on an epic, frozen, solitary backpacking adventure. Bought another domain. Started a weblog.

May– Learned a lot about teaching. Finished my 2nd year as a bona fide (OK, pseudo) adult with a bona fide adult job.

June– Moved. Left for Alaska. Saw Anchorage, Seward, Ninilchik, Homer, Denali National Park.

July– Made my way up to Fairbanks. Worked at a Girl Scout Camp. Generally got used to the complete lack of darkness.

August– Bought a one way ticket to Seattle on a whim. Bussed around the country for a week. Made amazing friends and saw amazing places. Finally came home, went to a bunch of meetings, worked my tail off in my classroom, started school.

September– Worked. Thought about how long the year would be.

October– Worked some more. Went to some meetings. Went backpacking. Watched the leaves change.

November– Ate some turkey.

December– Trudged through an insanely busy month at school. Celebrated Christmas.

Quiz follows.

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I dreamed last night that I was teaching this group of absolutely awful, incorrigible, delinquent children. (Can you tell I'm not excited about going back to school next week?) They weren't violent, just really smart-assed. Someone told me not too long ago that I would be a good middle school teacher. Ugh. You have to have a really good sense of humor to do that. I think between age 9 and 11 is best. I love my 5th graders. They do get a little hormonal in the spring, but they still won't be like the kids I dreamed about. I hope.

Tomorrow is the last day of the year. I've got nothing planned. That pretty much sums up my year, anyway. It was a weird year. Good, though. And, yes, getting better all the time.

Excellent mail day. I got two really neat magnets with very Liz-like quotes from Meegan, all the better because I wasn't expecting anything. Thanks, Meegs! I also got a card from my best Crazy Russian Friend (no, not Yakov Smirnoff). She's now living in Marquette, MI. I'd feel badly for her, but she is Russian, and hopefully used to snow and cold weather.

It's gorgeous here today. For once I didn't sleep my Sunday away, but had coffee at Flying Star and shopped for calendars (1/2 off) at Borders. How is it almost 2003? How am I only 24 years old and amazed at the arrival of each new year? I can't imagine what I'll do in the year 2025 (I'll be 46) or 2050 (I'll be 71). Die of shock, I guess.

It took an eternity to get there, and an eternity to get home. If only the vacation could have gone as slowly… I don't know if you were planning on flying Frontier Airlines, but I would recommend that you choose any other airline. Or go Greyhound. Or walk, possibly.

I love flying out of Albuquerque because the airport is 10 minutes from my house, it's easy to park, and I can get there an hour before my flight (maybe an hour and a half these days) and still have plenty of time. Flying out of San Francisco is different. I got up at 7:00 in order to make a flight at 11:30 (though it actually didn't leave until 12:45). We waited in line for half an hour or so to get to the Frontier Airlines ticket counter, were rerouted through Phoenix on America West, waited for another half hour in the America West line in order to check our bags. Our checked baggage was searched, and our carryon luggage (and that of all of the other poor sods rerouted on America West) was searched at the gate, which made the already late flight even later. (Fortunately, our flight out of Phoenix was late as well, so we didn't miss our new connection.) The lady next to me cried when the plane took off and became progressively more talkative as she knocked back several screwdrivers, presumably to cope with her fear of flying.

But I made it home.

I still have a whole week of vacation, and no idea how I'm going to spend it. A teacher I work with invited me to dinner tonight. She wants me to make friends with her daughter, which I guess makes this a playdate. And makes me 4 years old. I'm kidding; I think it will be fun. As for New Years — no plans. A week of chilling out isn't sounding too bad. But first, lots and lots of laundry. Whee-ha.