Mar 16, 2017

I worked what I thought could be my last day at Memorial in a computer class. It was an easy day and I thought I'd have off last block and be able to leave early for Vermont. What actually ended up happening was I had to cover the full last block with another new teacher who was pretty awkward. Ryan and I packed up my car and got on the road around 3 headed north. The drive up wasn't bad at all. It couldn't be worse than the last time we went up in January through a horrible snowstorm and the 5.5 hour drive took about 10 hours. I didn't take any photos as I was driving in the dark most of the time, but we made decent time with only a few rest stops and got to our Super 8 in Brattleboro to check in over the icy sidewalks and chunky parking lot.

Mar 15, 2017

I worked at Memorial for the music/choir class, where I didn't do much of anything once I handed out worksheets. I spent my day posting ads on Craigslist trying to sell some things before we leave. I had to deal with an idiot girl who tried to take someone else's completed paper to copy right at the end of the day. I came home and got my ski stuff together and did laundry before taking a nap. I went to Becca's later to cook a quinoa dish so I'd have food for the long weekend and then I came home and called it a night.

Mar 13, 2017

I had an easy day at Silver Run covering meetings. My first meeting was about 10 minutes and then I had off for almost 3 hours. I had another half hour meeting then an hour lunch before going back for a little over an hour to finish my day. For all the days I complain about work, these ones make up for it. I went right to PT from work and went through the motions, adding in a rice exercise that was surprisingly challenging. I went to Becca's later to watch Walking Dead before bed as we awaited the snowstorm that would never come.

Mar 6, 2017

I worked CST at Silver Run with a full schedule to make up for my recent easy days. Luckily the meeting after lunch didn't require me to be there (even though Gena said I should just go in the room anyway for extra help. I didn't.) After work I went to PT for the first time in quite a while. It was quick and easy and fine. I'm on visit 6 and need to get to 10 for a reevaluation. I went home for a while and later went to Becca's to watch Walking Dead. 

Feb 28, 2017

I worked at Memorial as a gym teacher for the day. Besides having off first block it wasn't bad. The weather was great so we took the kids to the track to run for a little while, but then I had to go inside to the weight room. It smells bad and the kids mess around a lot. Luckily I don't care. My last class I had stay outside longer just because I wanted to be out.

Becca and I went to play a round of disc golf after work to enjoy the weather. Someone had uprooted and dragged the second basket to a new location. It was placed in the ground properly, but I thought it was weird whoever did it wouldn't fill in the other hole. Scott informed me that someone had ripped it out and then the board decided to relocate. I don't care for the change. I went home with the intention of napping, but I ended up just lying in bed on the computer and decided to just go to bed early instead of napping so late.

Feb 27, 2017

I worked at Silver Run covering meetings and helping kids color in Dr. Seuss hats. One of the classes went outside to the playground so it was nice to be out for a while during work, but it made me want to be doing something else. Unfortunately after work and having some food I wasn't motivated to get out and do anything anymore. I went to Becca's when she got home and we watched the new Walking Dead and had an inside night.

Feb 14, 2017

The meetings were nice and easy at Silver Run. I sat in a first grade class while they decorated Valentine's Day bags with hearts. I had about two hours so I went home and had lunch, caught up on some shows, and called Comcast because the internet was out. I came back after lunch for two more meetings and I was done by 2.

I went to Anytime Fitness to pick up some free passes and, since I was right there, I decided to finally get that haircut I've been talking about for a while now. The lady who did it took a long time, but she was nice. I don't think I like it as much as the last time I got it done, but at least I know it will grow fast.

After spending one full hour talking to the Comcast rep trying to get the new modem working I was done and I headed to Becca's to spend the night with Lilo watching movies. I think she enjoyed them. I got into a movie binge starting with Joshy, which I really liked. Subsequently I watched Drinking Buddies and Search Party. I'm enjoying that genre right now. I got to bed pretty late, but it's okay because I napped a little on the couch.

Feb 7, 2017

I started the day with single meetings at Bacon and Wood School followed by a long break for lunch. The afternoon was longer meetings at Holly Heights that seemed even longer. It was extremely nice outside so the kids went out to play and I sat there watching them. 

Ryan and I went to the park for a round of disc golf and a walk after work. It was nice to be out and comfortable in shorts and t-shirts. I came home and had an argument with Joyce turning into a bad night. I went to Becca's later which made things much better. Ryan from Flo-Foto texted me about working this summer so her and I discussed going to SLC and decided we would do it! So it's official: moving to Utah in a couple months!

Feb 3, 2017

After not a lot of sleep and debating canceling my job I went into Memorial for an English class. It turned out to be basically the perfect day. I had good classes, got lots of editing done, and was able to come home for a long lunch to eat our leftover curry and watch an episode of Flaked with Becca. After work I gladly crawled into bed and took a nice nap before heading to Glasstown with Becca to meet Alycia and her friend Jackie. We did a flight and I got a Bourbon Brown and a Danky Kong. Jake even gave me a little taste of the Danky Jr. that they wouldn't be tapping until tomorrow. We had a good time chatting and talking about other breweries and how to properly flirt using hair flips and taking off your belt. Becca and I turned in pretty early when we got home as we were both really tired after a long day.

Feb 2, 2017

When I got to Vineland Memorial in the morning I was greeted with Alex telling me "We're not having CST meetings because a teacher is out.. maybe call someone?" So I called Insight and got them to give me another job at that school for the day for the same pay rate. I was a one-on-one with a kid named Oliver. So I went to his classes with him and more or less just sat there in case he needed me. He almost never did. The day started slow, but once I got lunch and took a break in the afternoon it wasn't so bad, just boring. I went right to PT for my thumb after work and got the same treatment from last week while I played Words with Friends and talked to another guy getting shoulder treatments.

When Becca was done work we headed up to Mount Laurel and stopped at Wegman's on the way to pick up some beer. We were greeted by a friendly guy offering us tastes of wine. Since we were within the safe confines of a grocery liquor store we accepted. They were actually really good wines, but this Chablis was my favorite overall. The chardonnay wasn't bad and there was a good pinot noir. Pretty good trip to the liquor store.

When we got to Alex's she and Chuck were watching Groundhog Day, so we dished out the Massaman curry that Alex picked up for us from Bhan Thai and started watching. It was nice since I haven't seen that movie in quite a while. After dinner we tried out the VR console for Chuck's PS4. We played an escape room game that was pretty fun. The whole thing was kind of crazy and awesome. After trying it out we got into playing Fibbage so we could all play together.

We opened the Allagash Curieux and the Dogfish Red & White that I've had since Christmas; both were very good. After some fun and hilarious games of Fibbage Becca and Alex took a break so Chuck and I got into another VR game about defusing bombs called "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes." It was amazingly fun. I didn't know what to expect from VR in general, but I am excited for it.

Feb 1, 2017

I woke up early after a good night of sleep and finished the last two episodes of Insecure before heading to work at Silver Run. The first meeting I covered a gym class for about a half hour watching the kids play volleyball. After that I had a two hour break so I went to Becca's, ate lunch, and chilled out for a while. When I went back I covered a Spanish class for 40 minutes watching Dora the Explorer. After that I was done for the day. No complaints this time.

I did some editing before heading to Parvin to meet Becca on her way home for a run. I felt slow and weak but my pace was 8:25 for 3 miles so it wasn't bad. It's funny how often I feel that way and the result is the opposite. But not running for a week and eating poorly surely had something to do with it. Since it was still a little earlier than usual we decided to go play disc golf before it got dark. We had a game of really good shots and terrible shots. We picked up takeout from Viet Bistro in the mall and watched an episode of Flaked and then finally Deadpool. The food was great-- I missed the spring roll vermicelli-- and the movie was good but not as amazing as it was made out to be. After all that we spent a little too long arguing with Comcast people on the phone about Becca's bill.

Jan 31, 2017

This single photos sums up my day more or less. I worked at Wallace middle school in Vineland for a Math class. The teacher left 5 problems for an 80-minute class. They were a bit of a challenge, but I didn't care too much since their teacher didn't put any effort in. The day went by pretty quickly and I headed back to Becca's alone for the night while she was in Delaware. I got a few little things done here and there, but mostly I just chilled and watched six episodes of Insecure. It's a good show. I got in the big bed alone pretty early too. Nice lazy night.

Jan 26, 2017

I had some easy CST meetings in the morning at Mt. Pleasant followed by a nice break to go home and eat. I had to go to Wood School in the afternoon which was a complete fucking nightmare. It started with Kindergarteners being terrible and then fourth graders being even worse. One kid slammed a chair and said he hates substitutes. Totally worth the money. Even though we didn't have much time Becca came over for a much-needed run after that day. I felt better after that.

I went to my first physical therapy appointment for my thumb where the doctor was funny and confused about what could be wrong. After the initial evaluation he had me put my hand in paraffin wax and let it sit for 15 minutes. It felt really nice. I had to do some exercises with putty and then I got the electrodes. All in all it wasn't so bad, but I don't have high hopes and the doctor didn't seem to either.

I came home and decided to stay in for the night. I watched some things and went through some stuff to throw out in preparation for moving. I got my last tax documents so I went ahead and got that out of the way on TurboTax. It felt nice to just get it done. I got to bed late with no job yet for tomorrow. 

Jan 20, 2017

I woke up feeling surprisingly good, but I hit construction and got behind a school bus on my way to work at Vineland Memorial so I got there a little late. Luckily I was still very early for the meetings and I had a very easy day where I got a lot of file organization done on my hard drive. The worst part was when I was in for the gym teacher. The classes were huge and incredibly loud.

After being home for a bit and stopping at Becca's for a short time I headed to the Fillmore again for Frank Turner. He started the set with his new song "Sand in the Gears" which is about standing up for what you believe in and fighting back even more for the next four years under the new president who was inaugurated today. It was a perfect day to see Frank and hear that. "Let's be the sand in the gears for the next four years."

The rest of the set was perfect as The Sleeping Souls joined him. As always it was energetic, hilarious, and heartfelt. I was closer to the back of the crowd for the show and halfway through Staci found me so we got to hang out and dance with the one other person in that area that was dancing around having a good time. I always feel great after leaving a Frank Turner show.

Jan 13, 2017

We woke up early, but I still got to work just about on time even though it hardly matters since the meetings start later than arrival time. Silver Run was an easy day but still seemed long. I went to Becca's to have leftover gnocchi for lunch and she got home at the same time so we got to hang a little. It was a nice day so the kids went outside to play and we wanted to do the same, so I rescheduled my dentist appointment.

We went to South Vineland Park to play disc golf for the first time in a while. We both did pretty well after some time off. It was nice being outside, though it did start getting a little more chilly and windy by the time we ended the game. Still can't complain for a winter day. I was supposed to go to Circa Survive, but Alex got sick and I couldn't get in touch with her so I decided to sell my ticket and have a relaxing night in. I was watching The Blacklist and in bed before 11.

Jan 12, 2017

It was a surprisingly quick and easy day at Memorial subbing for choir. It was also beautiful and warm outside so I didn't want to be in there at all. We had a fire drill at the end of the day just to rub it in a little bit.

Becca met me after work for a run because there was no way we couldn't get outside for a little bit. We ran two miles kind of fast along the river trail. It was really nice, but we both felt like we weren't used to the warmth. We saw the mother bald eagle again, but by the time I got back with my camera she was gone.

Once Becca was done work she surprised me with a puzzle of the arch from Canyonlands. It's a pretty picture, but the puzzling has been a pain in the ass to start with. The black border has been really difficult. What is puzzle lighting anyway? I always forget how much the glare affects it.

During all that we also made sweet potato gnocchi. It was a much more involved process than I remember and we had to keep adding flour to get it right. Much kneading and rolling and boiling and frying later we had a delicious meal. We watched a couple episodes of Love, did some more puzzling, and got to bed somewhat early.

Jan 11, 2017

Today was a nice reminder of why I used to take CST meeting jobs all the time. I had short/reasonable length meeting coverage with breaks in between a couple and my last meeting I didn't have to go to because the teacher was off that period. That meant I got to leave around noon and didn't have to come back. I went home and ate, did a few things and tried to nap a little.

I went to Becca's and we decided we should take the cats out for a walk since she just got a harness for them. Lilo was not feeling it so much, but she was okay riding on my shoulder. We took Loki out next and he was much better at walking on the leash, but he definitely had his moments where he just lay down and would move but let me pull him along the ground. It was fun and weird and a lady stopped in her car to ask us if we were taking our cat for a walk. Making friends already!

Jan 6, 2017

My mystery day at Memorial would have been as expected; I was getting locations to go to block by block as they did testing. I took a longer lunch during a second block that I got out of and then I had off all of third, so I spent that time watching House and New Girl in a quiet room. It ended up being a pretty easy day.

After I went home and got all my ski stuff together from the shed I came over to Becca's to do yoga day 6 and then play some Donkey Kong Country 2. I forgot that it's harder than the original and we didn't have great success getting too far before we called it a day on games.

We finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close which ended up being really good. I like the book better, but the movie was nice. I gave her the little alarm clock with projected stars that I got her and we lay in bed looking at them change color on the ceiling before sleep.

Jan 5, 2017

Very exciting day ahead, so buckle up. It was nice being able to sleep longer after being out late, even if it wasn't the best sleep. I had to be at Silver Run at 10am and I had to cover for one meeting and I was out by 11am. I then had to be at Holly Heights by 1:15pm for the rest. I was done there by 3:15. Not a bad day of work. In between I caught up on episodes of Chance instead of doing errands I should probably have done.

More of the same after work was over. I was tired so I tried to nap with little success. I went to Becca's before she got home from work to start cooking up eggplant parm for when she got home. I was almost done when she walked in, only the slightest bit surprised. We finished up and sat down to eat after a lengthy discourse about what movie to watch. We started Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which I didn't know featured Tom Hanks. The first half was good, but we stopped so we could do Day 5 yoga and get to bed a little early.

Jan 4, 2017

There was PARCC testing at Memorial today so the schedules were different. First block ended up last 2.5 hours and cutting into my only block off so I ended up with a half hour break to run home and grab lunch quickly. I was in an art class and they had individual work so I was bored sitting at the desk all day. I finished reading 40 Days of Dating pretty early on and then proceeded to browse Reddit and other random websites all day. This is when it would be great to have a computer I could edit on.

I came home for a while after work and Becca left work early so she convinced me to go to Parvin with her and run. I wasn't feeling totally great, but I thought a run would help. I felt sluggish, but I ended up doing an average/slightly faster pace than usual over 3 miles. I did feel better after the run and the weather was pretty nice for it. The cold breeze was coming in over the water when we finished.

We did our day 4 of yoga a little later on and then went to Target for a failed jeans-shopping mission. Undeterred, we went on to The Dolphin for Emo Night, where we felt like were the only people there for the first half hour. Eventually people started coming out onto the dance floor.

Things picked up quickly after "My Friends Over You" came on. There were groups of people dancing for the rest of the night and the set got much better after that point too. It was a lot of fun dancing and singing and watching the walls change color together. After the awkward ending of that horrible Dashboard/Brand New mashup song and Weezer we jumped in the car and I stopped for piping hot fresh pretzels on the way home. It's been way too long since I've gone to the pretzel factory. Something comforting about knowing that place is still there.