So the teaching gods have smiled once again on your humble narrator...I was called by the San Gabriel School district last
week to interview for a teaching position. I went in Friday afternoon, met with the principal and three teachers of differing
grades, had what I thought was a pretty kickass interview, was told I would hear their decision by the end of next week, but
instead was called oh, about FOUR HOURS LATER and offered the position of a Fifth Grade Teacher starting in September! I was
elated. Subbing has been okay this time around, frankly, but it doesn't bring in anything close to the do-re-mi a regular
gig does. So right now I'm stoked! I have several months to prepare, it's a lovely little school in a gorgeous part of a little
town, where the school district itself is a very human size, and they'll still be paying me a decent wage! The area of San
Gabriel is chiefly Asian and Latino, but of a slightly higher economic stratus than I've been used to, which should make for
another different but unique challenge.
If anyone wants to send me congratulatory flowers, please feel free!
Man, I hate letting whole months go by without posting! But recently I was tasked to be the maintenance
guy on the website for the volunteer organization I belong to, the
James Coday Alliance for Arts Education,
based out of my alma mater of Blair HS in Pasadena. In fact, should anyone so desire to check out my work,
here it is. Feel free to gimme your feedback---but mind you, it's a work in progress. In any case, that site has been hogging up a lot
of my online time, so please forgive.
SOOOOO, what's up?
I was sad to hear of the recent passing of a highly underrated (in this country, anyway) music great: Gene Pitney.
I fell in love with his stuff a few years ago when I bought a Greatest Hits tape and was amazed when I read of his
career, writing famous early rock songs like He's a Rebel and Hello Mary Lou. However, I
was astounded by the man's singing abilities as well---songs like I'm Gonna be Strong, 24 Hours from Tulsa,
Town Without Pity, and my personal fave Mecca were all brilliantly overproduced gems of drama and
histrionic heartache, sung with an almost operatic tenor. Absolutely brilliant shite. The man found very little
success in his home country---nearly always a true mark of high quality, in my book.
Another recent death is that of the great country-western star Buck Owens. Most folks knew
him from his stint on "Hee-Haw" alongside Roy Clark, but I remember him fondly from before that, in
a short-lived era where C&W music pervaded my childhood in the mid-1960s. I'd always loved the song "Tiger by the Tail,"
even if it did appear to be based on an Esso ad campaign. No matter, Buck was the real deal, a honky-tonker
with a great style and a great voice. Vaya con Dios, Buck and Gene.
So how's the job hunt going? Well, thanks for asking. If you mean "Have you found a job yet?," that
answer is "Nope." Things are tough all over, and it's not the best time of year to be searching anyway. However, if you mean,
"Have you succeeded in actually looking for a job?," then the answer is "Why yes! Thanks for asking." I've been plugging
in my application mostly in districts east of here (always thinking about my potential morning commute): Claremont, Monrovia,
Duarte, San Gabriel, Rosemead, Arcadia, Covina, West Covina, Baldwin Park...one of those has gotta pan out by September.
Meantime, my subbing is going smoothly.
