A good ole fashion blog update

Hey ya'lls, it's me, yer old slack jawed yokel (see above). As I sat down here on the couch after riding my bike down Blaine to get air in the tire and to get some exercise (and after watering the plants out front and digging through both big trash bins with a flashlight looking for our TV remote which we believed Claire might have thrown away since she often throws cell phones, jewelry, etc. in the kitchen trash can) I thought to myself, "Hey, I should actually try writing something about my day-to-day life and thoughts on the blog." What a concept!

This week has been quite busy for me at work and in terms of church service. Since I'm the Chair of the English Department at the school, as well as the technology coach, the beginning of the school year is always quite busy as I help teachers, old and new, set up their hardware (notebooks, desktops, LCD projectors, document cameras, etc.) as well as get their software up and running. Our attendance is done completely online now so that changes in student attendance-- as well as behavioral reports, grades, etc.--can be tracked in real time. Believe it or not, I still have to help a lot of folks figure out how to use the district's email program (Outlook) so I get calls throughout the day and am scheduling many after school trainings which few people show up to and then, according to the natural laws the govern organizations, everyone ends up calling me and asking for one-on-one help. Despite this minor complaint, it's challenging yet fulfilling, especially working with the new teachers since they have that spring in their step that only a new teacher has. I get it every once in a while myself, mostly on Fridays. I had some meetings, however, after work that had me getting home toward five o'clock which I know it probably early for a lot of people, but to me it feels like abuse, especially now that I'm growing used to not being at the university until 9PM during the week. Hey, don't snicker, I don't make that much money, so I like to be home earlier than the average schmo! Actually, I think teachers make great money, we just don't work very much so I deserve the extra time with the family which is the primary reason I love my job. Although I'm excited to make the jump to admin, one thing I will miss is getting home around 3:30PM, and even earlier some days. It gives me time to mow the lawn, go shopping with Sarah and do all those things that are often reserved for the weekends.

I also made some visits with Mike Taylor, the first counselor, on Tuesday evening. I always find visiting people in the ward who haven't made it out to church in some time quite fun and fulfilling. There are so many good people out there who have just lost touch for one reason or another and regardless of how you're treated, and most of the time I find myself being treated quite nicely, I always come away with a good feeling.

Today Sarah and the kids had a good time. Sarah went with a few other women and their children to the local California Pizza Kitchen and the kids had a tour of the restaurant and even cooked their own little pizzas. When I got home from work I found a couple little pieces waiting for me which I appreciated on many levels, mostly on the gut level though. Sarah also had a visit from her nursing school friend Christina who brought her kids down from the high desert.

Final thought, next week I turn thirty years old (Friday). Since when am I thirty years old? That just seems wrong, literally. Last thing I remember I was twenty-four or something...and deep within I'm ageless, but aren't we all?

-Daniel