Sector 7

Warning. You are about to enter a Major Decision Zone. Enter at your own risk.

Top 5 Favorite Dog Breeds

I love dogs. And I mean, really love them. I drive past a dog park everyday on my way home from school, and I nearly wreck because I turn my head to watch for so long. When I come in contact with a dog, all my senses light up. I love all dogs, and naturally, I love my dog (Frank) the best.

Frank (and Joey)!
Louie!
My classroom, pictures of dogs all over the walls.

But now I present my top 5 breeds, and I have a secret desire to rescue and love at least one of each of these animals in my lifetime.

#5 - The Old English Sheepdog


I love the Old English Sheepdog because of his beautiful coat and floppy personality. And he's English.

#4 - The Saint Bernard


My dad had a St. Bernard when he was growing up named Olly. And for a short time in college my favorite fraternity had a St. Bernard named Dozer who I loved with my whole heart. Here we are!
#3 - The Newfoundland
The Newfoundland reminds me of a gentle black bear. They're big and beautiful and love the water.
#2 - Great Dane

I love the Great Dane because of their size and beauty. They're such a presence, yet so gentle and unaware of their massive size.
#1 - The German Shepherd

The most intelligent, the most loyal, the hardest working, the most beautiful.

Awesome video of a German Shepherd

This post is dedicated to the best dog there ever was, Penny. I miss you, girl.

Can you see my tampon string?

I'm eating cajun trail mix and one of my students is lying on the floor taking an economics test. He prefers to work on the floor, but I'll take it. He's working. This job has given me much insight into learning styles and learning abilities. At my high school, we competed for grades. We were all on track for college. There were no kids with special needs. As far as we knew. No special services were offered, I'll put it that way. I can think of a couple kids who really would have thrived with some individualized instruction. And I can think of a couple kids who may have not turned out to be such assholes if they went to school with a diverse group of learners, and not just all of us middle-class white kids whose parents really cared. I got an excellent education out of thirteen years at Catholic school, but I really missed out on diversity and tolerance. And I really wish I hadn't been indoctrinated.

Taking a break from writing progress reports home to parents. Most of them aren't going to be happy.

I'm also taking a break from uploading resumes and tweaking cover letters and clicking boxes online asking about my criminal background. This process is already stressing me out and it's just the beginning. There is a hesitation to start someplace new and to leave somewhere that just became not-new.

I-don't-knows and what-ifs everywhere.

There is a Career Tech - Health Science position open in Kingsport, Tennessee. That would be the ideal job for me right now. I applied online today and will try to get my resume sent to them tomorrow. It's what I would be teaching here in Canton if they had money to hire new teachers. If they didn't have to drop six teachers at the end of this year.

I'll go if there's a job. I'll go if there's a green light.

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.

To balance the last post, some things I love:

Animals - watching them, interacting with them, learning about them

My family. I realize how cliche that sounds. My family is different, though. I love to be a part of it. We have character and color. We have quirks.

Drinking coffee because it reminds me of my mom. Drinking tea because it reminds me of my dad and my culture.

Autumn. Because it's beautiful in Ohio, and it's football season, and Halloween is my favorite holiday.

I love to smell flowers and have candles burning. I love to eat pie and walk in forests and lounge. I love when I realize something is no big deal. I love my boyfriend for all the right reasons. I love to read. I love the friendships that I have, the ones that have lasted.

Some things that I really hate:

people smoking around me
people who have kids that shouldn't have kids
people who waste money on shitty tattoos and cigarettes when they can't afford to feed their kids
people who drive an SUV to compensate for their insecurities
country music, but not just country music
people who listen to country music AND think it's awesome AND go to the concerts AND think the concerts are awesome.

I should do a whole post on each of these. Elaboration is necessary.