I'm watching a documentary on snakes in Tom's apartment in Glade Spring, Virginia. It's the tail-end of my Spring Break and he's at football practice. I've had a lovely time here, much more social interaction from peers than I usually get. Only seeing Tom at night when he gets back late from work is realistic. Me waiting all day for him with nothing to do is not. I've been sleeping in and reading Jane Goodall's In the Shadow of Man. She's awesome.

I was very sick two days ago with a 24 hour stomach bug. I love when bodily fluid tries to exit two orifices at once. It reminded me of when I was 5 or 6 and had to use one of my baby brother's diapers so I wouldn't make a mess while I was barfing. Luckily, none of Tom's roommates were home to witness the massacre.

I am applying to several school districts in this area in Virginia and two in nearby Tennessee. I have been unsatisfied with the teaching part of my job in Ohio, and when our levy failed again, I lost hope for getting a job in that school district teaching what I studied to teach. Our education system in Ohio must be fixed soon, it's so utterly frustrating. Children are losing and good teachers are moving elsewhere.

The whole process is overwhelming and there are many "I don't knows." What I do know is that I'm not happy with my job or my social situation and I'm ready to move on and up and be an adult. I wanted to go to Boston for grad school. That was my plan. It's amusing to imagine myself teaching on the Virginia-Tennessee border. Love can make you do crazy things. Tom has been extremely supportive, and careful to ensure that this is what I really want to do. Of course this isn't my ideal, and I'm sure this location isn't Tom's ideal, either. However, what I'm doing now isn't working. I owe it to myself to try something new.