Realizations and Resolutions

I can't believe it! I've been blogging since 2004? Granted, some of those times have been on life support and others on adrenaline as far as posting frequency goes. But the blog still evolves and serves as a record of my travels, thoughts, fears, and dreams.

For the record, this is what I resolve to do in 2009:

-Learn to play the guitar well enough to lead songs and teach others
-Maintain appointments that I make
-Collect, then read, all Newbery Award books from 1922-2009

Those seem like smart enough goals to me. Let's see by December how I've done with them!

Double Yikes!!

Another month has gone by, and no posts from me. I've had some New Year's resolutions to get underway, so perhaps implementing them has put off my weekly reflections on the blog. Also, I've been keeping up a blog for a teacher research project, so that has taken priority whenever I have the time to blog.

I returned to Salinas from Chicago on Dec 27. I went to a friend's wedding in Stockton on Dec 29. It was good to see people I hadn't seen since college, nine years ago. I welcomed the new year with my girlfriend with quiet night at home. For the rest of that week, I slowly prepared for the resumption of school.

We had 2.5 weeks of classes until the end of the semester, which just occurred this Thursday. I was glad to see that several of the writing skills had "sunken in" over the break. However, some of the students resumed their old antics to disrupt the class. So I've made classroom management a priority for the new semester starting this Monday.

As for my New Year's resolutions, I'm off to a good start. I've visited two gyms to potentially join. I've joined the local Kendo club as a way to stay in shape and keep in touch with my Japan experience. I've also enrolled in a Spanish for Professionals course at the local adult school. The biggest impasse for communicating with parents is my limited vocabulary while talking on the phone. So I've set a goal of improving my skills in this area. Three New Year's resolutions seems like enough for me.

So far this year we've had some pretty dubious weather in Salinas. Rainstorms from the North Pacific have left snow on Mount Toro, leaving the impression that we're in more of a winter wonderland instead of a mild mediterranean garden.

We also took a nice little 5 mile, 5 hour jaunt to Garrapata State Park. The strenuous climb made the wonderful vista at the top all the more lovely. Photos are forthcoming, and won't take another month to post!

Yikes!

I haven't posted in over a month! This hasn't happened to me since I first started my blog seriously in 2005. My humble apologies to my devoted readers, where ever you are! My postings have become fewer and father between because my workload at school has increased. The effort it seems to take to post a visually appealing blog entry with pictures uploaded and an interesting story has seemed daunting with all of my other responsibilities at school.

Ok, enough excuses. Here's what I've been up to since I last posted. My brother and sister-in-law came up to Salinas to celebrate Thanksgiving with me. We had a very active four days while they were here. We returned to Pinnacles National Monument for a day-long 8 mile loop hike. We learned that it doesn't matter which side of the park you enter, it is still the same loop. We didn't see any Condors this time, although we had a nice chat with a Condor-tracking Park Ranger who knew our cousin Jessica from the Ventana Wilderness Society.

We played 9 holes of golf in Pacific Grove. It was painfully frustrating for me because I couldn't drive the ball in the air for more than 30 yards. I had a nice walk out on the greens however. This was my opportunity to try out the golf clubs that my brother was giving to me. With all the other sports that I'm good at, why should I bother picking up one that many people spend their entire lives being frustrated with?

As for our Thanksgiving meal, we spent it with some family friends in Santa Cruz. They cooked the bird and stuffing, we made the mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. Pumpkin pie for dessert was followed by a walk on the sea cliffs as the sunset. It was a nice way to wrap up the day.

From Thanksgiving to December 14th, we had three weeks of school. I was behind in the curriculum, so I decided to use that time to finish it up. I could tell that my students and I were a bit tired and looking forward to our break. Yet, I had a job to finish. At times it wasn't pretty, but we came to a point of closure where we could enjoy three weeks of holiday without loose strings dangling over our heads that we would have to tie up when we return on January 7th.

Gilda and I went to San Francisco for the day so she could take the CBEST test. She's thinking of other options for work, and substitute teaching is one of them. While she took her test, I went for a run in Golden Gate Park and went shopping at an art supply store for my Christmas presents' material. After the test, we went to the Presidio for a nice view of the Golden Gate bridge. The drive home on 280 was congestion-free and scenic.

I'm starting to think of New Year's resolutions. The end of 2007 has snuck up on me. I couldn't wait for 2006 to be over. 2007 has been filled with plenty of transitions, it has seemed like a long year. Perhaps 2008 will afford some routine and stability to accomplish my goals. Stay tuned. I'll be back before a month has passed this time!