Thursday, August 27, 2015

Waxing Poetic and the Rub

Today sitting at school, getting some planning done for the upcoming semester, I realized it was dark and was surprised because I didn't think I had been in the office that long. Dark meant it was after 7pm, but I looked at the clock and it was only 630. I thought perhaps it was due to the cloud cover, it is our second rainy season, and with Typhoon Goni's landfall in the southeast it was plausible it would have caused an early dusk. However, this was not the case, fall is in the air. On my way home I noticed several things; the cicadas have fallen silent and have been replaced by crickets, the temperature has fallen 10 degrees in the last week (and I thought due to the typhoon) and it was dark earlier. Since we don't have daylight savings in the fall it's naturally dark in the early evening and light very early. In the summer very early is 430am, but in the fall it's closer to 530am.

I love fall and if you believe Iliza Schlesinger all girls are required to love fall. I can almost agree with that I don't know a single girl who doesn't love fall (and pumpkin everything!!!). It's getting closer to cozy clothes, pumpkin spice lattes, boots and football! I wouldn't say I'm a huge football fan, but I do love my Ducks (Go Ducks!) so I follow them, but I guess there is some kind of subconscious association with football from growing up with football on in the background during the holidays. The sound makes me feel warm and cozy and more often than not fall asleep, except of course when the Ducks are playing. The Duck games remind me of college and game day. Three years in the marching band and football was more than just tailgating.

OK, now that I've reveled in the cozy thoughts of fall approaching I have to share my current woes of living in this country. I've had an epiphany. Drivers all drive defensively. No one looks out for anyone. There is this terrible cliche that I used to hear students complain about in Eugene. They would always complain about the students from the Asian countries and how terrible they were at driving. I think I understand it now. It's a cultural thing and has more to do with how they are taught to drive and not about anything else.  As I ride my bike around town and walk to and from school I've been observing drivers, partly because if I don't I will absolutely get run over, but the other part is to see if I can figure out some kind of rhyme or reason to how they drive. The only thing I can discern is that everyone is only watching out for themselves. I've come across three car accidents in the few miles around my house in the last couple months, all of them not just little fender benders. These cars are CRUNCHED. One of them was a taxi that must have been going 50 when he hit the back-end of a bus. I don't get it....I'm speculating and complaining. I hate that cars feel comfortable passing by me mere inches from my arm. It's not something I can become comfortable with and I can't fathom how anyone can.

The other issue I'm having lately is my slob neighbors. Currently there are three bags of trash, at least 100 cigarette butts, 2 empty cigarette packages, 3 cans of spray something or other for their motorcycles and 2 empty coffee cans outside their front door. It's disgusting and the owners of this apartment complex don't seem to give a flying leap what they do. These are the same 4 college age student who supposedly don't live there. According to the landlord their is a mom and her daughter there. No, their absolutely isn't an actual adult living next door. There is an annoying girl, who is a squealer, and three guys that come and go at all hours, like to have pro-wrestling tournaments, chase afore mentioned squealer around and sing karaoke in a real loud, really off key voice.

Both of these things I'm struggling with are just a contradiction to what I expect and the reality of living. I suppose there would be similar issues just slightly different if I was back home in Oregon.




Thursday, August 13, 2015

Long time no....post

I recently started writing some short pieces to get paid and as I submitted my article and (oh my goodness) got published, I realized I hadn't posted here in a while. I really didn't realize how long it had been! More than a year! I've been remiss!

There is entirely too much to catch up on, but the Cliffs Notes version is another year of teaching (picture me in a tornado being carried with the papers I grade and the students I see and the desk I sit at), not too many adventures...actually really no adventures. I've stayed pretty close to home. I was in Oregon for a month at the beginning of the year and then we hit the ground running with more classes and more new teachers and all of the sudden it was the summer again.

We have 6 more weeks until the beginning of the new semester. I'll take time to catch ya'll up. For now, ciao!