Some things that are going on in my life:
1. I've been teaching at Northwest Mississippi Community College here in Oxford, MS for the past almost two years. It is utterly fantastic work for me! I teach College Algebra, Calculus I & II, Business Calculus I & II, and on occasion a developmental math course we call "College Math." The only problem with it is that it's part-time work, which means part-time pay, no benefits, and no office. Of all the cons on that list, I miss the office. I can get by being poor, plus I'm a pretty healthy guy considering I haven't smoked in over 3 years, and jog regularly now. I love having an office, though, and not having one makes me feel like I don't even have a real job.
I've also been substitute teaching at Oxford High School this past school year, for about $150 a day. Sounds like good money, but it's almost not worth it. When it comes to when you get to be a sub, it's either feast or famine. For most of the month of March, I was called to sub once or twice, but there have been times when I was called in 4 or 5 times in a two weeks time. Depending on which class I got to sub, I could be helping students learn things they didn't know they wanted to learn, or I could be like a lion-tamer with a chair and whip, keeping the students from going wild.
I have been looking for full-time job starting in the Fall. I've applied to Oxford, Lafayette, and Water Valley high schools, and I'm applying to several others in the area tomorrow by mail. I also keep an eye out for job openings for instructors at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Ole Miss, Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, and Rust College in Holly Springs. I don't mind commuting to work if it's a job I really enjoy. I really enjoy teaching at a community college or college, especially if they give me an office. Once I have a full-time job and our finances stabilize a little, Meg and I will probably have the talk, that is, the baby talk. I haven't really sat down to think about this future yet, so I won't say anything on the subject here. I'll let you know how that goes when we get there.
2. I went back to graduate school in Fall 2008 to obtain a Ph.D. in Mathematics. Unfortunately, I felt it best to not follow through with it. I could list all the complaints I have from lack of support from my professors to lack of ability to do well in a Complex Analysis class that I've already taken and received a B in, but I won't. It boiled down to three things: lack of funds, lack of time, and lack of drive. I could've taken out additional loans, and Meg would've waited on starting a family while I finished the Ph.D. but I just want to teach. Ph.D. would only help me get a college job, which would be swell, but not worth it.
3. I've been getting into music again. For starters, I've learned that I have a pretty good rock voice, and I have been lending that voice to my band, Faulkner Alley recently. Before them, it was Against the Day (the non-signed one), and The Mourning Republic. TMR was a pretty good band made up of Brian and Kevin Hindman, Tony Clark, and myself. We played a few gigs, a biker rally in Batesville, and ObamaRama (a fundraiser event at the Lyric in Oxford to help get Barack Obama elected as President.) We had about 5 original songs recorded, and while the others were great musicians and very talented, I was getting my songwriting feet wet. My lyrics and melody lines weren't that good, and the band never really made it, even in Oxford. ATD was a younger and very different band, that was grateful for my vocal talents and were patient with me as I became a better rock musician. The other members are Ray Ashmore, Daniel Russell, Matt Saye, and Kyle Sanders. When another band with the same name got signed to a label and started gaining national coverage, we decided to change our name to something that pointed towards our humble beginnings. Plus, it was a name that wasn't taken nor would be anytime soon. We've done a few shows, written about 10 original songs, and I think that this band could potentially become known, at least in this area. Our sound is very alternative rock, pop punk, and indie rock. You can check us out here:
4. Meg's parents have moved from Ocean Springs, a town on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi where they have lived for over 30 years, to Water Valley, about 3o minutes southwest of Oxford. Has it affected our relationship to my in-laws? In little ways, to be sure, but it's not a bad deal. They bought a beautiful home on Blount Street, and since they've been there (about six months), they have really made that house come alive! I'll try to get pictures when all the flora they've planted comes alive. They plan on growing fruit and vegetables and selling them to Farmer's Markets in the area under the moniker "Selladore Gardens." The name is a play on the phrase, "cellar door," which Edgar Allen Poe thought was one of the most beautiful combination of English words.
5. Meg and I have been running recently. Since I quit smoking, she's been running and I only recently start doing it again semi-seriously. When I first started, I had really bad shin splints that would only get worse as I ran, so I remained a walker for about a year. Now the pain is gone when I run which is great! During that time walking, though, Meg trained for a marathon until she hurt her foot, then went back to ballet. She did this for about a year and a half before she hurt her ankle. That injury permanently kept her out of ballet dancing for the local ballet company, so she's back to running again with the goal of the half-marathon and then marathon. I'll run with her as long as I can, but it's harder to run when you're 30 pounds overweight.
6. I've been playing trumpet in the Water Valley community band, such as it is. My old trumpets skills are coming back, so much so that a fellow trumpeter asked me to do a gig with him and one other at North Oxford Baptist Church for Easter. It was a great success, and I got paid for it! I will be continuing my trumpet playing, unless Faulkner Alley makes it in the music business. I'm not holding my breath for that one, though.
7. I've also tried out for the Shakespeare Festival here in Oxford, and despite the lack of acting I've done in the past, I got a large minor role in Merry Wives of Windsor as the Welsh pastor Hugh Evans. I also got a bit part at the beginning of The King and I as the boat captain. The only problem with this distraction is that I will be teaching a class this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays at night, so this may get in the way of rehearsal. As long as the directors don't mind, I'll do it.
8. My parents are getting divorced after 32 years of marraige. Ah, the bummer, right? Eh. It's not surprising on my end as they haven't really gotten along in all the years I've known them and noticed their relationship to each other. My mom retires this year from bookkeeping at Pascagoula School District and wants to move to St. Louis to be with her ailing parents (my grandpa especially.) My dad still works for Ingalls Shipbuilding (or Northrup Grummond or Litton Industries or whatever), and he doesn't intend to move from the coast ever. So they'll part ways this summer, and after taking care of my grandparents for a little bit, my mom may move to Oxford. This, I believe, will be a good move for my mom in terms of her happiness. This will not be good for my dad for one main reason: my brother and I won't visit very much. He already doesn't much because he lives in Seattle, WA, but without my mom living on the coast, I suspect he'll never be back. I, on the other hand, will visit him on occasion, but it won't be but once a year, maybe. We just never got along much, I suppose. He's a very private person, and we don't agree on just about anything except our taste in movies. I love him, though, so I won't ever let go of him or anything. It'll be interesting to see if either of them find someone new in the latter half of their lives.
That should catch you up for now. I still love watching movies, playing bridge, Rock Band, and Magic the Gathering, and other old past-times, but I don't get to do them as often anymore. The house on Audubon Lane is still a work-in-progress. We still have to finish a couple of rooms, ceiling to floor, and build some better bookshelves (they are overflowing because Meg and I buy used books a lot!) Mogwai is still with us, though she is getting very old and arthritic. Jack and Jill are still here with us, the crazy cats. Hope you're well!
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