Summer Update

Since I have not posted anything of substance in a long time, becoming one of those silent and infrequent bloggers, I thought that now might be as good a time as any to write something. I always tell myself that I am going to keep this updated but, the sad reality is...we all know that will likely not happen.

So, summer school is drawing to a close. It was far less painful than it was last year. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I am more experienced than I was last summer. I've got a full year under my belt now, and the difference is noticeable.

Earlier this year, I had to attend some all day classroom management class and the guy running the seminar commented that he often hears second and third year teachers say, "Wow...my students are so much better this year than they were last year." His response to that is, "That's because they've got a better teacher." Just comparing this summer to last summer, I can see the changes.

I am currently in the middle of planning a journey to Costa Rica, where I will be vacationing from August 9 until August 28. I have to say that I am looking forward to it, as it has been more than a year since I have even left Southern California. As filled with wanderlust as I am, that is huge. What's more...I have not left the United States since June, 2004. For me, that is just not acceptable.

In anticipation of my trip I have begun a sort of training regimen, since almost all the fun things to do there require me to be in a little better shape than I am. I have been going hiking every other day the past few weeks at some of the wildlife areas near my house. There is one called Cherry Canyon which has quite a few trails and there is the George Deukmejian Wilderness Park in La Crescenta.

(Yeah...I had no idea there was such a thing named after him either. I wonder if there will continue to be things ironically named after former Governors...like the Pete Wilson Immigration Center or the Gray Davis Institute for Fiscal Responsibility?)

As an introvert, I must say that hiking is right up my alley. I have tried various forms of exercise in the past that never really fit me...such as jogging. But hiking allows me to just get way from everybody else and unwind from all the annoying people there are in this world.

In other news, this past weekend, I attended a party to bid farewell to two very good friends of mine, Shane and Jessica Ross, who are moving to Blacksburg, Virginia. Shane is a smart guy with a PhD from Caltech and he has accepted a faculty position at Virginia Tech. So, godspeed, Shane and Jessica. Life in Pasadena won't be the same without you.