I hadn't realized it's been 3 years since I updated this blog.
If you didn't know, I moved back home to Alaska in 2013. I was at my parents' place in Anchorage for about a month before I shipped out to a little place called Chevak. About a 30-minute plane ride from the Bering Sea, I taught at a one-building school housing grades pre-K to 12th. My responsibility was science, grades 8-12.
I enjoyed myself for the most part, but the job there was stressful and a 7-day a week position,
On Monday, July 22nd, my cat died. Gareth was 9 years old. We don't really know what happened and probably never will. What we do know is that for some reason he was out on my parents' deck and either fell or jumped. He broke his back. I pray he died quickly but if it was otherwise, I don't want to know.
That little cat was my everything and it's fucking breaking my heart. Gareth came into my life when he was six months old. When I broke up with the man I thought I'd be with for the re
So, the cat is totally freaked out.
As of today, I've got another load for goodwill, some items for electronic recycling, and 8 boxes to mail. I'm not looking forward to the bill for those.
Tuesday (the day before yesterday), I received notice from Alaska's department of teacher credentialing that I can now work, pending approval through the FBI (to make sure I'm not a child molester or anything ). What they're going to grant me for NCLB highly qualified status I don't yet know.
So, moving day is in just over a week and I'm a little freaked by how much I still have left to do. And then I tell myself that the chaos is normal and I've still got time and I calm down a little again.
Today was the last day of school. I gave my last final and recorded my last grade. I turned in my keys and emptied my desk. Also updated the stuff on the walls. We had our annual end of the year BBQ on Tuesday and my coworkers gave me a nice card with all sorts of good wishes inside.
So, my sister came up to help me on Friday with my storage unit. We stuffed her minivan full of my boxes and hauled it all back to where I'm currently living. We pulled out the few units that will be going to my new home (the rest will go to storage in Alaska) and then we got to work on the remainder of my bedroom. The miscellaneous boxes I've been living out of the last 2 years are now gone. Funny how the room seems so much bigger.
But it hit me as I set the last box on the stack that
So here I am trying to keep myself on track. This shall be my things I still need to do in order to get up to Alaska and my new job.
1. Transfer Credential -- ready to be mailed
-- Application form -- status: filled out, notarized
-- Fingerprints -- status: completed and in packet
-- Transcripts -- status: located and in packet
-- CSULB Recommendation Form -- status: received and in packet
-- Test Scores (CBST, CSET) -- status: received and in packet
-- Teaching Certificate -- status:
Wow, what a whirlwind the past few days!
First, I ran out of school Wednesday afternoon and over to the Long Beach airport where I found out that our plane was delayed in Portland due to a mechanical failure. Time: 3:45ish pm. Flight departure time: supposed to be 5 pm. Since the plane would not be able to make it to us by 5, they sent a number of us to different airports for different flights. My group went up to LAX where the nice lady at check-in said, "Say, we've room on a non-stop stra
So, one day left until Spring Break begins!
I'm excited about it and yet not at the same time, because it's not going to be much of a vacation. First, there's all the grading I have to do, then there's my beginning teacher portfolio to put together, plus all the moving stuff, and then getting ready for my trip to the job fair in 2 weeks.
So, updates! I got my resume updated, but still waiting on the majority of my letters of rec -- and oh shit! Just at this moment, I realized I neve
Back in 2003, the Air Force said, "Hey, guess what? We're sending you to Los Angeles Air Force Base to be a space-geek and engineer." I said, "Awesome."
Now it's time to go home.
In addition to the 10 hours a day I spend at school, I'm trying to get ready for the big move. The tentative date is early July and there's still so much to do!
As of today, I have sorted through my storage unit and gotten rid of quite a few boxes, with some more to go out soon. Today, I sorted throug
