3-27-07
I am done with Saipan cannot wait until we move. As far as us staying my wife would not mind staying but she is sick of jumping form job to job. Currently we are planing on her being home next year. She will be a Highly Qualified Housewife - instead of a Highly Qualified Teacher!
I went to the funeral for the Korean students who perished while swimming this morning, lots of people were there from all parts of the college there was strong support. I had also gone on Sunday and one of my former students was their because her husband had died. This is a great person who had helped Tita in her first year at Head Start - dare I say got her th job as a favor to me. A woman full of life and spirit totally rude and inappropriate like me! I feel bad for her but her husband had cancer for a while so it might have been for the best for him to be out of pain. So to make sure we showed her support we went to mass that they held for him last night. We talked to her a bit after wards but not much to say.
Again I do not think there is much for us on island but oddly when I was talking to Tita I had mentioned I had though she wanted to settle down here for a bit. She agreed that she had wanted to settle down to the same school the same co-workers and get into a nice routine but now it does not seem possible. Consider even if she does get a job next year it will be 3 jobs in 3 years not exactly stable.
As far as her prospects for next year they look bleaker each passing day- week. One principal did come and talk to her but never called her back another principal said she would but then never did. I guess Tita said that there are 7 teachers from head start without work lined up yet for next year. Well she is done with her masters in December and we can leave then. I would liek to wait until the end of the school year for the children but the job I have kind of lined up in Taiwan might want me then. We shall see.
I would not mind going some other places as well but until the children get older I would like to limit my moves to once every 3 to 4 years. It is really not fair to move so much on them.
As far as Saipan I am done with the place I am getting antsy to move on in my life. It has been a good place for the family but it is time for me to move on.
I would love to work in as many countries as you have but I am young still and have time to move on. How about retirement aren't you worried about that? Or did you save enough to retire? Me I never planed on Social Security but it would be nice to work some where long enough to get a retirement. The trick I am going to try to pull is get hired when I am older and work the minimum year which is usually 10. Who knows I plan to retire in the Philippines anyway so money should not be a huge issue for me. I actually plan not to retire I plan to be like my dad work until I get too sick to work.
As far as life after Faculty Senate- All I can say is I have one now. No one care one bit what I say or do. It is nice. But I do hope the things I had started get finished. It would be a nice legacy.
Rumptz
Thursday, March 29, 2007
2-23-07
Well Steve Vance is on island for the next 6 weeks (well 5 now) and we ahve been hanging out during the day. He has been going out exercising with me in the mornings most days because we wanted to go do a hike on Friday. I had forgotten that Friday was on e of the "C" holidays but figured no big deal . turns out Andrew went along with us. It was a nice hike the 3 of us boys went off to Forbidden island. Well we actually did not go on Forbidden Island I was concerned - being the dad- that we would not have enough stamina after climbing Forbidden Island to hike out of the valley. It turned out to be no problem getting back up. I let Andrew lead the way out and we stopped on a regular basis. Sad news turns out that a bunch of Korean students- some from the college some from a couple local high schools- went swimming there in the late afternoon and 4 of them drowned!
It is nice having Steve back on island we are all having a great time. I am trying to convince Steve and several other people to move here even as I talk about leaving island. Why is that? Well first it is because of where I work, you see the college is not loved on island by the government which pays for most of it. Granted we are doing much better with the government but they had striped us of our budgets in the past. Second if you do not work for the college you are pretty safe on the island. I mean even if you work for the local public school you have got -pretty much- nothing to worry about. Third it is a darn nice place to live few places offer so much beauty and the weather is perfect as well. Fourth the cost of living is a low on the most part, I mean in what place could a teacher afford a membership to the local club? And with both of us working it is no problem. Sure some food items -beer- and gasoline is expensive but at the end of it all it is a cheap place to live. Saipan is a beautiful little paradise if it were not for me wanting to travel more I would stay.
Tita has her ELS methods class coming up in a week so she has been getting prepared for the class non stop this has been a good refresher for me as I have been helping her prepare for the class. She has two classes this summer and then two in the fall and she will be done. We are looking to leave island shortly after she is done. The paper is full of factory closings and we know the economy of the island will go from bad to worse.
We are ready to get off island as I had mentioned most of this is just boredom on my (and Tita's?) part. I am getting tired of living in the same place. I am sure we could weather the storm of the economy (see the next bit) if we wanted to but really it is just an excuse for us to leave island. You have to understand this is the longest I have lived in any one place (the same I changed rooms every year in college) since I was 18. I told myself I would stop moving around so much once Andrew started school and I have stuck to that promise but it is time to move. I figure if we only have a few more years we can jump around before we HAVE to settle down. I mean at some point we ahve to get into a retirement system. Sure we have been very goos about saving what we can but if you stay long enough at some place they actually GIVE you money to retire on, it is a strange thought to me as I have lived my life KNOWING the Social Security will be bankrupt when I reach 65 (62?). Anyway one of these days but not right now. I ahve stopped looking right now as the job offers started coming in and I do not want to tell people I am just looking. I had thought it would take much more time to land a job than this so I started the normal year before I wanted to move but it seems I and Tita are much more marketable than I had thought. I had figured with the 2 school aged children we would never find a job out of the US but that is not the case so i will hold off until we are closer to our moving date (Tita gets her MA in December we can leave after that)
The news of the economy keeps getting worse with more and more government budget cuts looming. The largest factory closed a few weeks ago and the next largest just announced they are closing in June. The college I work at is a public college so the government pays a good 50% of the colleges budget. It is just a matter of how long it will be before the government decides to cut our budget again. The last time they cut it I was the Faculty Senate President and had gone to all of the budget meetings, so I know we have very little fat we can trim from our budget. It is not like the other government agencies who had been protected by the cuts. So I see problems at the college not at the Public Schools.
David Rumptz for the Traveling Rumptz Family - Tita, Andrew & Ashley
It is nice having Steve back on island we are all having a great time. I am trying to convince Steve and several other people to move here even as I talk about leaving island. Why is that? Well first it is because of where I work, you see the college is not loved on island by the government which pays for most of it. Granted we are doing much better with the government but they had striped us of our budgets in the past. Second if you do not work for the college you are pretty safe on the island. I mean even if you work for the local public school you have got -pretty much- nothing to worry about. Third it is a darn nice place to live few places offer so much beauty and the weather is perfect as well. Fourth the cost of living is a low on the most part, I mean in what place could a teacher afford a membership to the local club? And with both of us working it is no problem. Sure some food items -beer- and gasoline is expensive but at the end of it all it is a cheap place to live. Saipan is a beautiful little paradise if it were not for me wanting to travel more I would stay.
Tita has her ELS methods class coming up in a week so she has been getting prepared for the class non stop this has been a good refresher for me as I have been helping her prepare for the class. She has two classes this summer and then two in the fall and she will be done. We are looking to leave island shortly after she is done. The paper is full of factory closings and we know the economy of the island will go from bad to worse.
We are ready to get off island as I had mentioned most of this is just boredom on my (and Tita's?) part. I am getting tired of living in the same place. I am sure we could weather the storm of the economy (see the next bit) if we wanted to but really it is just an excuse for us to leave island. You have to understand this is the longest I have lived in any one place (the same I changed rooms every year in college) since I was 18. I told myself I would stop moving around so much once Andrew started school and I have stuck to that promise but it is time to move. I figure if we only have a few more years we can jump around before we HAVE to settle down. I mean at some point we ahve to get into a retirement system. Sure we have been very goos about saving what we can but if you stay long enough at some place they actually GIVE you money to retire on, it is a strange thought to me as I have lived my life KNOWING the Social Security will be bankrupt when I reach 65 (62?). Anyway one of these days but not right now. I ahve stopped looking right now as the job offers started coming in and I do not want to tell people I am just looking. I had thought it would take much more time to land a job than this so I started the normal year before I wanted to move but it seems I and Tita are much more marketable than I had thought. I had figured with the 2 school aged children we would never find a job out of the US but that is not the case so i will hold off until we are closer to our moving date (Tita gets her MA in December we can leave after that)
The news of the economy keeps getting worse with more and more government budget cuts looming. The largest factory closed a few weeks ago and the next largest just announced they are closing in June. The college I work at is a public college so the government pays a good 50% of the colleges budget. It is just a matter of how long it will be before the government decides to cut our budget again. The last time they cut it I was the Faculty Senate President and had gone to all of the budget meetings, so I know we have very little fat we can trim from our budget. It is not like the other government agencies who had been protected by the cuts. So I see problems at the college not at the Public Schools.
David Rumptz for the Traveling Rumptz Family - Tita, Andrew & Ashley
Sunday, March 25, 2007
I Wanna GO!
Well Steve Vance is on island for the next 6 weeks (well 5 now) and we ahve been hanging out during the day. He has been going out exercising with me in the mornings most days because we wanted to go do a hike on Friday. I had forgotten that Friday was on e of the "C" holidays but figured no big deal . turns out Andrew went along with us. It was a nice hike the 3 of us boys went off to Forbidden island. Well we actually did not go on Forbidden Island I was concerned - being the dad- that we would not have enough stamina after climbing Forbidden Island to hike out of the valley. It turned out to be no problem getting back up. I let Andrew lead the way out and we stopped on a regular basis. Sad news turns out that a bunch of Korean students- some from the college some from a couple local high schools- went swimming there in the late afternoon and 4 of them drowned!
It is nice having Steve back on island we are all having a great time. I am trying to convince Steve and several other people to move here even as I talk about leaving island. Why is that? Well first it is because of where I work, you see the college is not loved on island by the government which pays for most of it. Granted we are doing much better with the government but they had striped us of our budgets in the past. Second if you do not work for the college you are pretty safe on the island. I mean even if you work for the local public school you have got -pretty much- nothing to worry about. Third it is a darn nice place to live few places offer so much beauty and the weather is perfect as well. Fourth the cost of living is a low on the most part, I mean in what place could a teacher afford a membership to the local club? And with both of us working it is no problem. Sure some food items -beer- and gasoline is expensive but at the end of it all it is a cheap place to live. Saipan is a beautiful little paradise if it were not for me wanting to travel more I would stay.
Tita has her ELS methods class coming up in a week so she has been getting prepared for the class non stop this has been a good refresher for me as I have been helping her prepare for the class. She has two classes this summer and then two in the fall and she will be done. We are looking to leave island shortly after she is done. The paper is full of factory closings and we know the economy of the island will go from bad to worse.
We are ready to get off island as I had mentioned most of this is just boredom on my (and Tita's?) part. I am getting tired of living in the same place. I am sure we could weather the storm of the economy (see the next bit) if we wanted to but really it is just an excuse for us to leave island. You have to understand this is the longest I ahve lived in any one place (the same I changed rooms every year in college) since I was 18. I told myself I would stop moving around so much once Andrew started school and I have stuck to that promise but it is time to move. I figure if we only have a few more years we can jump around before we HAVE to settle down. I mean at some point we ahve to get into a retirement system. Sure we have been very goos about saving what we can but if you stay long enough at some place they actually GIVE you money to retire on, it is a strange thought to me as I have lived my life KNOWING the Social Security will be bankrupt when I reach 65 (62?). Anyway one of these days but not right now. I ahve stopped looking right now as the job offers started coming in and I do not want to tell people I am just looking. I had thought it would take much more time to land a job than this so I started the normal year before I wanted to move but it seems I and Tita are much more marketable than I had thought. I had figured with the 2 school aged children we would never find a job out of the US but that is not the case so i will hold off until we are closer to our moving date (Tita gets her MA in December we can leave after that)
The news of the economy keeps getting worse with more and more government budget cuts looming. The largest factory closed a few weeks ago and the next largest just announced they are closing in June. The college I work at is a public college so the government pays a good 50% of the colleges budget. It is just a matter of how long it will be before the government decides to cut our budget again. The last time they cut it I was the Faculty Senate President and had gone to all of the budget meetings, so I know we have very little fat we can trim from our budget. It is not like the other government agencies who had been protected by the cuts. So I see problems at the college not at the Public Schools.
David Rumptz for the Traveling Rumptz Family - Tita, Andrew & Ashley
It is nice having Steve back on island we are all having a great time. I am trying to convince Steve and several other people to move here even as I talk about leaving island. Why is that? Well first it is because of where I work, you see the college is not loved on island by the government which pays for most of it. Granted we are doing much better with the government but they had striped us of our budgets in the past. Second if you do not work for the college you are pretty safe on the island. I mean even if you work for the local public school you have got -pretty much- nothing to worry about. Third it is a darn nice place to live few places offer so much beauty and the weather is perfect as well. Fourth the cost of living is a low on the most part, I mean in what place could a teacher afford a membership to the local club? And with both of us working it is no problem. Sure some food items -beer- and gasoline is expensive but at the end of it all it is a cheap place to live. Saipan is a beautiful little paradise if it were not for me wanting to travel more I would stay.
Tita has her ELS methods class coming up in a week so she has been getting prepared for the class non stop this has been a good refresher for me as I have been helping her prepare for the class. She has two classes this summer and then two in the fall and she will be done. We are looking to leave island shortly after she is done. The paper is full of factory closings and we know the economy of the island will go from bad to worse.
We are ready to get off island as I had mentioned most of this is just boredom on my (and Tita's?) part. I am getting tired of living in the same place. I am sure we could weather the storm of the economy (see the next bit) if we wanted to but really it is just an excuse for us to leave island. You have to understand this is the longest I ahve lived in any one place (the same I changed rooms every year in college) since I was 18. I told myself I would stop moving around so much once Andrew started school and I have stuck to that promise but it is time to move. I figure if we only have a few more years we can jump around before we HAVE to settle down. I mean at some point we ahve to get into a retirement system. Sure we have been very goos about saving what we can but if you stay long enough at some place they actually GIVE you money to retire on, it is a strange thought to me as I have lived my life KNOWING the Social Security will be bankrupt when I reach 65 (62?). Anyway one of these days but not right now. I ahve stopped looking right now as the job offers started coming in and I do not want to tell people I am just looking. I had thought it would take much more time to land a job than this so I started the normal year before I wanted to move but it seems I and Tita are much more marketable than I had thought. I had figured with the 2 school aged children we would never find a job out of the US but that is not the case so i will hold off until we are closer to our moving date (Tita gets her MA in December we can leave after that)
The news of the economy keeps getting worse with more and more government budget cuts looming. The largest factory closed a few weeks ago and the next largest just announced they are closing in June. The college I work at is a public college so the government pays a good 50% of the colleges budget. It is just a matter of how long it will be before the government decides to cut our budget again. The last time they cut it I was the Faculty Senate President and had gone to all of the budget meetings, so I know we have very little fat we can trim from our budget. It is not like the other government agencies who had been protected by the cuts. So I see problems at the college not at the Public Schools.
David Rumptz for the Traveling Rumptz Family - Tita, Andrew & Ashley
Friday, March 16, 2007
3-4-7 not Faculty Senate President
3-4-7
Not much to say things have been good here not much to worry about my life is a lot easier now that I am not Faculty Senate President.
Oddly enough I am thinking of applying to be the Director of the Information Technology. For some stupid reason I still think of being in administration. I know the job would totally suck and everyone would bitch at me but… Like I had said I might want to be an administrator one day and this would be an easy entry. Why you ask? Because administrator pay a lot in the USA and there is nothing like experience. I should just realize that with Tita working I do not have to kill myself to put the kids through college. I worry it is what I do!
We got back from Guam on Monday our ride was no where to be found finally had to call and remind them . Guam was nice we traveled around a bit of it and saw things we had not before. It was nice to see that Guam has a non-tourist kind of like Saipan side. Actually kind of wild. If we do get a chance to move to Guam I think Tita will be more into it now that she has seen this part of Guam.
The volcano a few islands up in the chain erupted and the Volcanic Ash/Fog (vog) was really bad for a few days. They canceled public schools one day but they really did not need to and so the college and private school remained open.
The night have been cold here at night even dipping as low as 71! That is a new low for me! And the daytime temperatures are as low as 83! Sunday is forecast to be 79 I have pull out my jeans and turtle neck for that!
The swimming is nice and fun now that I got the Finis swim MP3 player. Lets you listen to music while you swim connected to my goggles. It is a blast!
But the shoulder still acts up a bit I am trying a new swim routine seems to help but I should be better about doing my Physical Therapy - boring! I am hoping that by the change in my swimming my shoulder will get better. Gone are the days of doing 75 yard Butterflies, drag! That bothers me as I had gotten pretty strong in the Butterfly and was thinking of getting it up to 100 Butterflies! Again it is my hope that I will rebuild my shoulder by slowing down. I can always go back to pushing up the exercises once the shoulder is back in shape. I had my sciatic nerve go out while I was in grad school. It took a while but it more or less went back to normal. I am hoping the same thing happens with my shoulder granted I am not 20 anymore!
Rumptz
Not much to say things have been good here not much to worry about my life is a lot easier now that I am not Faculty Senate President.
Oddly enough I am thinking of applying to be the Director of the Information Technology. For some stupid reason I still think of being in administration. I know the job would totally suck and everyone would bitch at me but… Like I had said I might want to be an administrator one day and this would be an easy entry. Why you ask? Because administrator pay a lot in the USA and there is nothing like experience. I should just realize that with Tita working I do not have to kill myself to put the kids through college. I worry it is what I do!
We got back from Guam on Monday our ride was no where to be found finally had to call and remind them . Guam was nice we traveled around a bit of it and saw things we had not before. It was nice to see that Guam has a non-tourist kind of like Saipan side. Actually kind of wild. If we do get a chance to move to Guam I think Tita will be more into it now that she has seen this part of Guam.
The volcano a few islands up in the chain erupted and the Volcanic Ash/Fog (vog) was really bad for a few days. They canceled public schools one day but they really did not need to and so the college and private school remained open.
The night have been cold here at night even dipping as low as 71! That is a new low for me! And the daytime temperatures are as low as 83! Sunday is forecast to be 79 I have pull out my jeans and turtle neck for that!
The swimming is nice and fun now that I got the Finis swim MP3 player. Lets you listen to music while you swim connected to my goggles. It is a blast!
But the shoulder still acts up a bit I am trying a new swim routine seems to help but I should be better about doing my Physical Therapy - boring! I am hoping that by the change in my swimming my shoulder will get better. Gone are the days of doing 75 yard Butterflies, drag! That bothers me as I had gotten pretty strong in the Butterfly and was thinking of getting it up to 100 Butterflies! Again it is my hope that I will rebuild my shoulder by slowing down. I can always go back to pushing up the exercises once the shoulder is back in shape. I had my sciatic nerve go out while I was in grad school. It took a while but it more or less went back to normal. I am hoping the same thing happens with my shoulder granted I am not 20 anymore!
Rumptz
Finally
We have some AMAZINGLY great news Tita has an interview for US citizenship (including US History / Govt test) scheduled for May 17th 2007!!!! So fingers crossed she will finally be American on that day!!! We have waited so long for this day we are very excited!
The Traveling Rumptzes (Again?)
I know I have not bothered you lately and I know you are bummed because of that.. HA HA I have been busy looking for work lately I am worried about the state of this islands finances! I am getting sick of being here too. It is just too small of a place for me and I have stayed for the 4 years I had planed.
I kind of have a Great job offer back in Taiwan. Thing is the guy said he would give me his job once he lands one. I told him I would love the job but I do have to wait a year before I can move as Tita is doing her MA and US Citizenship. She is worried it will be like last time no one will give her a job even with her MA. I think if she goes to a good international school they will hire her. We shall see. The job pays great more than I make now and it comes with a free apartment. It would be a great except I kind of want to go to a new country not back to Taiwan. I want to explore more not go do that over again.
I am looking into places where Tita would get some respect. I hear that in Korea they would be cool I am not sure about that. But top of my list is Australia and New Zeeland Thing is I am having a hard time finding a good job board. So if you know where to look for jobs in those countries let me know.
Rumptz
Did I tell you Tita will be done with her MA in December and she had said she would not mind leaving shortly after that! I was stunned.
Did I tell you we got a job offer in Africa in Tanzania for next year? Well I got an e-mail back from the recruiter saying contact us before we want to move she (the recruiter) did not answer my questions about the cost of moving (who would pay) and salary which is upsetting but she had mentioned that she was busy calling and interviewing people for this upcoming year.
Still before I make any decision about any move I am going to want to know about the salary it is not the defining point but it is a point. I also found an international school in Bien a bit more in the doggy area being near Ivory Coast and all but still a though. And of course there is the Taiwan program. I told you I got an offer to take over a University ESL Program in Taiwan once the person running the program finds a job back in the states.
Tita seems open to anything as long as she is respected I figure she is willing to go there- this is kind of why she does not want to go back to Taiwan. We still have another year here and we will make our decision but she seems more eager to leave than I. I was kind of surprised by this reaction. I had figured she wanted to stop moving around the world.
I know Andrew is not going to be very happy about the move when it does come but he will get over it, I hope. I have to say he has fallen in with a crowd not that I did not at his age but his grades are very wishy washy now. One day he brings home a B+ (one point from an A) one day a F-. This is part of the reason I want to make the move so we can get him into a good school while he can still handle the demands of a good school. If we get a job at a good international school the kids go to school for free or a reduced price at least. I know I was a total goof most of my time at primary and secondary school but I want better for my son and I know he can do it. I have seen him when he pays attention to school I have seen him get good grades. I do not want him to be a total book worm just do well in school. I know he will mature and school will begin to matter to him when he does but I do not want him to have to play catch up. I have told him time and again if he can maintain his grades I do not care what he does but when he starts bringing home low grades his friends are out of the picture.
David
I kind of have a Great job offer back in Taiwan. Thing is the guy said he would give me his job once he lands one. I told him I would love the job but I do have to wait a year before I can move as Tita is doing her MA and US Citizenship. She is worried it will be like last time no one will give her a job even with her MA. I think if she goes to a good international school they will hire her. We shall see. The job pays great more than I make now and it comes with a free apartment. It would be a great except I kind of want to go to a new country not back to Taiwan. I want to explore more not go do that over again.
I am looking into places where Tita would get some respect. I hear that in Korea they would be cool I am not sure about that. But top of my list is Australia and New Zeeland Thing is I am having a hard time finding a good job board. So if you know where to look for jobs in those countries let me know.
Rumptz
Did I tell you Tita will be done with her MA in December and she had said she would not mind leaving shortly after that! I was stunned.
Did I tell you we got a job offer in Africa in Tanzania for next year? Well I got an e-mail back from the recruiter saying contact us before we want to move she (the recruiter) did not answer my questions about the cost of moving (who would pay) and salary which is upsetting but she had mentioned that she was busy calling and interviewing people for this upcoming year.
Still before I make any decision about any move I am going to want to know about the salary it is not the defining point but it is a point. I also found an international school in Bien a bit more in the doggy area being near Ivory Coast and all but still a though. And of course there is the Taiwan program. I told you I got an offer to take over a University ESL Program in Taiwan once the person running the program finds a job back in the states.
Tita seems open to anything as long as she is respected I figure she is willing to go there- this is kind of why she does not want to go back to Taiwan. We still have another year here and we will make our decision but she seems more eager to leave than I. I was kind of surprised by this reaction. I had figured she wanted to stop moving around the world.
I know Andrew is not going to be very happy about the move when it does come but he will get over it, I hope. I have to say he has fallen in with a crowd not that I did not at his age but his grades are very wishy washy now. One day he brings home a B+ (one point from an A) one day a F-. This is part of the reason I want to make the move so we can get him into a good school while he can still handle the demands of a good school. If we get a job at a good international school the kids go to school for free or a reduced price at least. I know I was a total goof most of my time at primary and secondary school but I want better for my son and I know he can do it. I have seen him when he pays attention to school I have seen him get good grades. I do not want him to be a total book worm just do well in school. I know he will mature and school will begin to matter to him when he does but I do not want him to have to play catch up. I have told him time and again if he can maintain his grades I do not care what he does but when he starts bringing home low grades his friends are out of the picture.
David
The Park
Having Mauricio die brought it all back. That small insignificant park of our childhood was located in the middle of the smallest street in the neighborhood. It was hard to call it a park at all considering that is was only 2 house lots joined with a few appurtenances of the normal park. But that park was the most significant part of my life until adulthood. The playground of our childhood was a map to our lives and the physical structure of that playground was indicative of age. Starting at the most distant childhood memory going forward to the last days we had spent at the playground would literally take you from the furthest corner of the playground to the outside.
The slide, one of the first joys I had at the park, was set in deepest part of the playground. To arrive at the slide you had to enter the park and pass the maniacal metallically menacing beast, the swing set. As a child there was not a more menacing creature in the playground than that instrument of torture. On to the safety of the slide, which ironically was a big metal beast that stood all most as tall as the swing but with no moving parts. Without fear I climb the stairs, well with some but too brave to show Mauricio any I would climb. Pushed on but loathing each steep I would climb until I reached the apex of the mountain. At the summit I would look down with horror and anticipation of the joyous ride to the bottom. I placed my Rumptz on the shinny surface and knew I was in for the ride of my life. The simplicity of the pleasure was analogous to the earnest candor of childhood joy.
The swings will always have a special place in my heart for it was here that I truly cemented the friendships that would last me a lifetime, albeit too short of a lifetime. The swings became the playthings of my prepubescent adolescence when friendships were simple and carefree as the swings themselves. The swings are located left of the entrance just inside the park they stand in front of the slide. Easy to get to like a true friendship, the swings were no longer the menacing beast they had been in my youth they became the refuge from the torrent of shocks of a turbulent youth. That we continued going to the playground in our adolescence could be summed up in two words “No Parents!” But we had to move on from the childish slides to the more manly swings. Also the slide could only accommodate one person at a time and as teens we wanted all to be first so the swings, with 6 seats, were perfect. The seats perfectly aligned in a row allowed us to talk about the woes of our world, parents, school, and boredom. The swings were adolescents themselves being long lanky and easily mixed up. Danger lurked in every thrust of the swing scared you might be the one who actually went all the way around. Then just when you were at the apex of the swings’ arc, to avoid the complete rotation, to impress your friends or to just have some fun you would jump off and land in the grass to the howls of your peers. That is until they attempted to do you one better.
Finally we reach the entrance to the park, the final resting place of the group’s activities. While we had spent our prepubescent adolescence playing in, on, under and around the park it was not until we reached pubescence that we understood the full utility of the playground. Gone were the daylight hours starting were the night hours at the playground. For you see our original intent for seeking refuge in the park was “No Parents” now it was “No Adults!’ and especially “No Police.” From now on our time at the playground became more nefarious. We sought the refuge of the playground and we needed the cover of darkness for our clandestine and illicit purposes. We needed the space of the street offered for cars, for dance contest, for the number of people that group had swelled to. Surprisingly, considering that the park was engulfed in houses no adults or police cared to bother us even when the music was quite loud. Although we became old enough to go to bars we still came back to the park for the secrecy and security that it offered, but only occasionally.
My youth was spent at a small park in Detroit, Michigan called Bleden Park. As you walk into the park you walk into my past. I befriended a young Columbian boy named Mauricio at this park. He would be a friend whom I would have all of his life. We had spent many a year at the park discussing life and what it meant to be a man. He, like the park itself, remained wonderful only to those who knew how to see past the detritus. The irony was that he would die of consumption as I was planning to visit him after a 10-year hiatus of contact. Though he has died the park will remain forever the same small and insignificant place I call my childhood.
The slide, one of the first joys I had at the park, was set in deepest part of the playground. To arrive at the slide you had to enter the park and pass the maniacal metallically menacing beast, the swing set. As a child there was not a more menacing creature in the playground than that instrument of torture. On to the safety of the slide, which ironically was a big metal beast that stood all most as tall as the swing but with no moving parts. Without fear I climb the stairs, well with some but too brave to show Mauricio any I would climb. Pushed on but loathing each steep I would climb until I reached the apex of the mountain. At the summit I would look down with horror and anticipation of the joyous ride to the bottom. I placed my Rumptz on the shinny surface and knew I was in for the ride of my life. The simplicity of the pleasure was analogous to the earnest candor of childhood joy.
The swings will always have a special place in my heart for it was here that I truly cemented the friendships that would last me a lifetime, albeit too short of a lifetime. The swings became the playthings of my prepubescent adolescence when friendships were simple and carefree as the swings themselves. The swings are located left of the entrance just inside the park they stand in front of the slide. Easy to get to like a true friendship, the swings were no longer the menacing beast they had been in my youth they became the refuge from the torrent of shocks of a turbulent youth. That we continued going to the playground in our adolescence could be summed up in two words “No Parents!” But we had to move on from the childish slides to the more manly swings. Also the slide could only accommodate one person at a time and as teens we wanted all to be first so the swings, with 6 seats, were perfect. The seats perfectly aligned in a row allowed us to talk about the woes of our world, parents, school, and boredom. The swings were adolescents themselves being long lanky and easily mixed up. Danger lurked in every thrust of the swing scared you might be the one who actually went all the way around. Then just when you were at the apex of the swings’ arc, to avoid the complete rotation, to impress your friends or to just have some fun you would jump off and land in the grass to the howls of your peers. That is until they attempted to do you one better.
Finally we reach the entrance to the park, the final resting place of the group’s activities. While we had spent our prepubescent adolescence playing in, on, under and around the park it was not until we reached pubescence that we understood the full utility of the playground. Gone were the daylight hours starting were the night hours at the playground. For you see our original intent for seeking refuge in the park was “No Parents” now it was “No Adults!’ and especially “No Police.” From now on our time at the playground became more nefarious. We sought the refuge of the playground and we needed the cover of darkness for our clandestine and illicit purposes. We needed the space of the street offered for cars, for dance contest, for the number of people that group had swelled to. Surprisingly, considering that the park was engulfed in houses no adults or police cared to bother us even when the music was quite loud. Although we became old enough to go to bars we still came back to the park for the secrecy and security that it offered, but only occasionally.
My youth was spent at a small park in Detroit, Michigan called Bleden Park. As you walk into the park you walk into my past. I befriended a young Columbian boy named Mauricio at this park. He would be a friend whom I would have all of his life. We had spent many a year at the park discussing life and what it meant to be a man. He, like the park itself, remained wonderful only to those who knew how to see past the detritus. The irony was that he would die of consumption as I was planning to visit him after a 10-year hiatus of contact. Though he has died the park will remain forever the same small and insignificant place I call my childhood.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Shoulder Hurts still
Things have been good here not much to worry about my life is a lot easier now that I am not Faculty Senate President.
Oddly enough I am thinking of applying to be the Director of the Information Technology. For some stupid reason I still think of being in administration. I know the job would totally suck and everyone would bitch at me but… Like I had said I might want to be an administrator one day and this would be an easy entry. Why you ask? Because administrator pay a lot in the USA and there is nothing like experience. I should just realize that with Tita working I do not have to kill myself to put the kids through college. I worry it is what I do!
We got back from Guam on Monday our ride was no where to be found finally had to call and remind them . Guam was nice we traveled around a bit of it and saw things we had not before. It was nice to see that Guam has a non-tourist kind of like Saipan side. Actually kind of wild. If we do get a chance to move to Guam I think Tita will be more into it now that she has seen this part of Guam.
The volcano a few islands up in the chain erupted and the Volcanic Ash/Fog (vog) was really bad for a few days. They canceled public schools one day but they really did not need to and so the college and private school remained open.
The night have been cold here at night even dipping as low as 71! That is a new low for me! And the daytime temperatures are as low as 83! Sunday is forecast to be 79 I have pull out my jeans and turtle neck for that!
The swimming is nice and fun now that I got the Finis swim MP3 player. Lets you listen to music while you swim connected to my goggles. It is a blast!
But the shoulder still acts up a bit I am trying a new swim routine seems to help but I should be better about doing my Physical Therapy - boring! I am hoping that by the change in my swimming my shoulder will get better. Gone are the days of doing 75 yard Butterflies, drag! That bothers me as I had gotten pretty strong in the Butterfly and was thinking of getting it up to 100 Butterflies! Again it is my hope that I will rebuild my shoulder by slowing down. I can always go back to pushing up the exercises once the shoulder is back in shape. I had my sciatic nerve go out while I was in grad school. It took a while but it more or less went back to normal. I am hoping the same thing happens with my shoulder granted I am not 20 anymore!
Rumptz
Oddly enough I am thinking of applying to be the Director of the Information Technology. For some stupid reason I still think of being in administration. I know the job would totally suck and everyone would bitch at me but… Like I had said I might want to be an administrator one day and this would be an easy entry. Why you ask? Because administrator pay a lot in the USA and there is nothing like experience. I should just realize that with Tita working I do not have to kill myself to put the kids through college. I worry it is what I do!
We got back from Guam on Monday our ride was no where to be found finally had to call and remind them . Guam was nice we traveled around a bit of it and saw things we had not before. It was nice to see that Guam has a non-tourist kind of like Saipan side. Actually kind of wild. If we do get a chance to move to Guam I think Tita will be more into it now that she has seen this part of Guam.
The volcano a few islands up in the chain erupted and the Volcanic Ash/Fog (vog) was really bad for a few days. They canceled public schools one day but they really did not need to and so the college and private school remained open.
The night have been cold here at night even dipping as low as 71! That is a new low for me! And the daytime temperatures are as low as 83! Sunday is forecast to be 79 I have pull out my jeans and turtle neck for that!
The swimming is nice and fun now that I got the Finis swim MP3 player. Lets you listen to music while you swim connected to my goggles. It is a blast!
But the shoulder still acts up a bit I am trying a new swim routine seems to help but I should be better about doing my Physical Therapy - boring! I am hoping that by the change in my swimming my shoulder will get better. Gone are the days of doing 75 yard Butterflies, drag! That bothers me as I had gotten pretty strong in the Butterfly and was thinking of getting it up to 100 Butterflies! Again it is my hope that I will rebuild my shoulder by slowing down. I can always go back to pushing up the exercises once the shoulder is back in shape. I had my sciatic nerve go out while I was in grad school. It took a while but it more or less went back to normal. I am hoping the same thing happens with my shoulder granted I am not 20 anymore!
Rumptz
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