Boss Teacher: "Hey, Chris, is there any chance you can get enrolled in a masters program somewhere? As of October, the new accreditation requirements will go into effect, and we don't want to lose you."
Me: "Let me get this straight...you want me to work a day job, teach three four-hour class nights a week, AND take masters-level courses? ("You must be mental," I'm thinking.)
"Can you help me out with any money?"
Boss Teacher: "Well, no...you're only a part-time instructor. Can't you get some educational funds from your day job?"
(At this point, I'm thinking, "Now I KNOW you're mental. You want me to get funds from my day job so I can further run myself into the ground, just so that I can keep teaching for you?")
Me: "Sorry, I doubt they would go for that, and I wouldn't ask them to do so. I would rather go back to grad school for my own reasons, not someone else's. Thanks anyway."
And thus, at the end of October, my glorious teaching career of 3 1/2 years finally and completely came to an end. So at this point, I was suddenly down by about $1000 after-tax dollars a month, and I didn't really want to have to find a new second job (especially considering that I seriously doubted I'd find something that paid as well). I also knew that my day job at the time would not be willing to simply increase my pay...unless I had some leverage.
However, God works in mysterious ways, and the very next day, a former coworker of mine called and said the consulting company he worked for needed a new security engineer, and if wondered if I'd be interested in the position. The serendipity of this call was the clearest sign God could possibly have sent that I was about to go in a different direction. To make a long story short ("TOO LATE!!"), I got everything worked out with them, I'm working with him directly, and I was able to make up the money I lost from teaching. So life was good again.
The new job has kept me extremely busy and it has at times been difficult to keep on top of everything happening with work, Heidi, my kids, and my sundry other responsibilities (church, dance, tai ch'i, etc.). But I'm slowly getting there.
I thought I'd throw in a nice bonus, since I've been away so long. Some random thoughts:
- You'd think that, after living in Colorado for 9 years, I would know that when it snows, all bets are off and driving anywhere takes 3 times as long as normal. It does not appear to have sunk in just yet. I needed to be in Westminster by 6:00 pm to pick up Donovan (my fiancee Heidi's son, for those of you who just came in). I left Boulder at 5:05, thinking that I'd have enough time to get there. Suffice it to say that 90 minutes and $20 in late fees later, I still haven't learned that lesson (I didn't get out of Boulder city limits until 5:50). Perhaps I'm just in denial.
- I saw a news story about the new civil unions law that just went into effect in the UK. As with the Massachusetts and San Francisco stories, they showed lots of gay couples "getting married". Interestingly, nearly all couples shown were lesbian couples, and nearly all the participants were ugly as sin. Now, Heidi has known a few homosexual folks through her life, primarily during her time on the East Coast. So I asked her the following question: "Why are gay men stereotypically handsome, and why are homosexual women stereotypically hideous?" She didn't really provide a sufficient answer, but the question remains. Next time you see the media portray real-life homosexual couples, see how often the "profile" fits.
- The BCS got it right, through no effort of its own. Put the date January 4, 2006 down on your calendars...you will see history, as this will officially mark the first time (and probably the last) that I have ever cheered for Texas to win a football game. What could drive me to such an extreme? USC. It's just impossible not to hate them. Seriously, how many time do we have to see the stupid headline "Trojan Force" on ESPN.com and other media venues? I suppose that, as long as the sheep of the world continue to "baaaa" right along and swing at it, just keep throwing the same pitch.
- I had planned to completely declare war on Colorado, complete with giving up 14ers and Avalanche hockey and Mammoth lacrosse and all of that, but to be honest, that was a little too much bitterness and negativity for even me to carry around all the time. So I'll still try to climb some 14ers, if my body is willing to go along. I'll cheer for the Avs and Mammoth, and maybe even the Broncos. I'll be here indefinitely, and making myself and others miserable just isn't worth it. That doesn't necessarily mean this state gets a full reprieve, but at least I'll be actively working to not hate it at the level I have in the past.
- OU actually had a respectable season, after the awful start. I have great hope for next season; we should really be back in the driver's seat of the Big XII. Texas probably won't be able to convince Vince Young to stick around, so they'll need a new team leader. Given Mack Brown's track record with his QBs, Texas fans should be going to church every Sunday morning and night, giving half their before-tax income, and praying very, very hard that VY stays. OU, on the other hand, has a young QB who has matured tremendously, Adrian Peterson for another year, a stable of young talent at receiver, Adrian Peterson for another year, an young, up-and-coming offensive line, Adrian Peterson for another year, a high quality linebacker corps and some good young guys coming into the secondary, and oh yeah, did I mention another year with Adrian Peterson? It should be a very good year. Perhaps not a national championship reclaiming year, but a great year and most likely another BCS bowl game.
- Tai ch'i is an amazing art, and I'm beginning to get more of a feel for it than I ever have. I've been taking lessons now since mid-August, and it's been very good. To be honest, if I hadn't been taking it, I'd probably be a nervous wreck, as I wouldn't have any outlets for stress. I've had a lot of stress and frustration come up the last few months, and tai ch'i has been a big help in managing it.
- Heidi's a great gal, and I'm extremely blessed by God to have her. She's been a tremendous help to me, she really loves me, and I really love her. The upcoming transition of getting more time with my kids, blending our families, making everything work, is a whole lot more work than we had expected, but we're making some excellent progress. We have a setback every now and then, but we are still going strong. In fact, our motto as a couple is "together we're unstoppable". We talk about it often.
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