Well, what can I say? Now that I've officially let this site slide for nearly half a year now, is there anything truly worth saying?

Well---yes, there is. Plenty. Such as: I've FINALLY finished my first full year of teaching! Whoo Hoo! Not only that, but I've been re-hired to teach at the same school. Huzzah, indeed! Next year, I will have the honor of returning to teach third grade (which I was teaching in 05-06 in Pasadena, until the student population dropped so much that I was soon dropped myself. Such an ignominious beginning.). And yet...insert platitude here about closing doors and opening others.  I honestly couldn't be happier!

Daughter Bridgette has decided to bail on her senior year in high school and get her GED. I'm not really happy about this decision, and have let her know, but she is about to turn 18 in September, and so all I can do, pretty much, is watch her go make her own mistakes. Maybe it isn't a mistake--she is planning on heading on to community college, after all--and yet, something in me really wanted to see her walk across that stage. I'm not a huge stickler for tradition, but still...anyway, I hope she does the right thing.

I'm planning my summer trip, which will be apart from Deb this year. She's heading up to the Northwest to see friends and family, and I'm taking a one-man driving trip up into Northern and Central California to visit some relatives, fill out some information on my genealogy project, and to visit some cemeteries and commune with my ancestors. It might be the last opportunity I have to do this, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm leaving this Sunday and have no set return date. I'm also planning to write about it and take lots of photos.

I haven't seen the news in, oh, five days or so. I have no idea what the idiots at Fox News or rightwing talk radio are blathering about (let alone the man we've been forced to refer to as "president") and man, I feel like I've taken a nice long hot shower of the psyche. Maybe I'll keep it this way!

Neighbor Johnny and I have lately been a-sittin' on our porch and knockin' out old country & blues tunes. I've gotten a lot more comfortable playing harmonica & guitar at the same time (and singing as well), and he's already taught me a lot with his encyclopedic knowledge of the music. Fun! Finally lookin' like the old guys we actually is.

Some movies seen recently...well, just go check out the Movie page.