I had today all planned. I was going to blog, watch the Met game, then go shopping. Then I got a message from Dan, no not that Dan, the other Dan, asking if I wanted to go to the Met game with him. DeGrom was pitching which made the answer yes. Jake in person is high on my hierarchy of needs, above even chocolate. So that’s where I was today. The Mets won 7-3 even though deGrom got a no-decision. He did strike out 13 men in five innings before giving up three runs in the sixth. The Met relievers struck out another seven men, so as a team the Mets tied the record of striking out 20 batters in a nine inning game. That was exciting. That’s all I’m going to write about the game. I have so much else to cover.
Despite the fact that I get up at 5:45 every morning I’ve been going out almost every night. Yesterday I didn’t leave the house and I didn’t go out Monday. Three Met games in six days makes that easy. I also had dinner, with Barry, I wrote about that yesterday, and went to John Platt’s On Your Radar Tuesday night. I made a great new discovery there, the ungrammatical The Lied To’s. You know a band has to have a lot going for them even though they use an apostrophe in a plural, where no plural was even necessary. A more puritanical grammarian might have canceled them for that sin, but I believe in judging a person or band in their totality. Their totality is wonderful. Think Johnny and June. I’ll be playing them Thursday night on Gord’s Gold
I am behind my usual schedule with Gord’s Gold; usually by Sunday night all that’s left is recording the show. All I’ve done this week is program it. I still have to script and record it. I know how the script will go before I write it. I just have to figure out how to squeeze everything I have to say into five minutes.
Now on to school. Let’s start with the first question, should I refer to it as school or work. As long as things go well its school. Yes, that means things are going well. I had a full week of teaching and love it. I’m right back into the groove. The main difference between in high school and college is that I now have a co-teacher. That’s great. She can walk around and help the students as they need it. She also pulls out the better students and goes ahead with them. My school gives customized education for each student. Some of the students are great, eager to learn. Others not so much. That’s no different from college. The most important thing is that I look forward to class.
The worst part of teaching is getting up at 5:45 AM. There shouldn’t even be a 5:45 AM. I have been good and springing out of bed most days. On only one day was I a bit sluggish. I made breakfast every morning before I go. A hot breakfast is the best way to start the day. I have no confidence that it’s the most important meal or any of those things they tell you as a kid. I just know that I feel better when I eat my own cooking before I go out. This is about my mental not physical health.
I like the other faculty members. I’m on good terms with most of them and with the other staff. I schmooze with everyone. I schmooze with some of my students. The entire school is friendly. Students I don’t know will say hello to me in the hall. I greet all the other teachers and they greet me. Every day I stop in to talk to the office manager; she has become one of my best friends in the school. She’s going to help me find an apartment.
The commute is long but not brutal. The worst part is that I have to check every morning which train I should take. The one day I didn’t check I had a 12 minute wait for the D train. I should have gone to the 4. I have become a professional at both routes, that means I know exactly where to stand on the platform to minimize my walking time.
It’s 9:59 PM and I’m tired. That’s good. Maybe I can get over seven hours of sleep. That would be wonderful. If not there’s coffee. I have been drinking quite a bit of it. School provides KCups. Those are not environmentally friendly and not the best coffee, but they are convenient. I drink it the way people from Chicago vote, early and often.
Now to post this then get to bed.
Wise Madness 