So this is what it feels like to be my grandmother

You might be wondering what the heck I mean by the title of this post. Well, if you are not aware, I am living in Davidson, NC with my friend Hun while I await the word from Peace Corps about when and to where I will be going for my 2 years & 3 months...

So that makes me an official "man of leisure" even if it is coming 40 years too early. So, I am considering this an experiment in finding out what retirement will be like (and this is how I can understand that my grandmother is able to read 2-3 books per week!)

So, what does an unemployed guy in Davidson, NC do all day?

Here you go--

8:15am - Wake-up for taiji with Hun outside (weather dependent - if not, then sleep in until 9)

9:00am - Make about 20 oz. of dark roast french press coffee

9:00-9:45am - Drink the prepared coffee while scanning the NY Times online, or listening to Morning Edition on NPR

9:45am - Yoga class just a bike ride away in Cornelius, NC
OR
9:45am - Continue drinking coffee and scanning the internet, probably leading to extraneous Facebooking

Up until 12noon - Do a little work for my online Spanish IV class, or read my book (finished A Thousand Splendid Suns and am now working on The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible)

Afternoon - Go on a bike ride (mountain or road) around Davidson and the neighboring towns.

Late Afternoon - Start wondering when Hun is going to come home from teaching at Davidson College, watch 2-3 episodes of The Wire, my favorite "new" show that I am all five seasons of from Netflix. If I still need more time to kill, then I'll watch a movie on Instant Play.

Around Dinnertime - Read some more of my book, chat with Hun, watch the evening news

7:00-8:00 - Eat a delicious dinner cooked by Hun (don't bother asking what it is, just enjoy). Then I clean up (yep, that's the deal we have set - it works great for us both!)

8:30 - Enjoy a glass of red wine to round out the evening.

8:00 - 10:00 - Keep bumming around on the internet, or if it is Tuesday night, watch HELL'S KITCHEN, and if it is Wednesday, GLEE. Those are the only shows I will follow with any regularity.

10:00 - 11:00 - Watch an episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report from by bed on the computer.

Sleep, wake up, repeat.

And when I grow insane because of this highly relaxed, highly ritualized schedule? Go to Asheville. WWC Homecoming, theater, LEAF, and any other reason I can think of.

Well. There you have it.

This is why I have lots of time to think.

Are You Reading This, Joe?

This post is particularly targeted at Mr. Joe Nabholz, who has so diligently kept up with my blog, noticing how the length of time since my last post keeps getting longer and longer.

Truth is, I didn't have enough time to put together thoughts worthwhile to blog during my busy year of teaching.

Now, I definitely have time - I am unemployed awaiting my departure for the Peace Corps in January - living in Davidson, NC with my friend.

However, I have yet to find anything worthwhile to say during my days of leisure.

Perhaps there will be something soon. If I can blog from Peace Corps - you betcha!

Till next time,
Cheers!

Back in the Dreary East... and Loving It!

I just spent a couple of days visiting my friends in Breckenridge - where I was not shredding the gnar, even though there was a lot of great pow-pow to be had out there. Instead, I did way too much driving. I went out to Carbondale, CO, and back, then off to Denver Airport, where I had just dropped off a couple of friends a few days before. 

I had an interview at a boarding school out in Carbondale - called the Colorado Rocky Mountain School. After a few days of reflecting on the visit, I don't think the "teaching fellowship" I applied for would fit for me. Bummer. Not enough teaching, and too much work in the dorms. After being an RD at Warren Wilson and then working in the dorms at Eagle Rock, I am over that. Plus, I really want to hone my skills in teaching, and could probably best accomplish that at a public school. 

So, now the doors are wide open - and after a day back on the East Coast, I am already missing it. The coziness of the fog and humidity, and the lush green vegetation. The West is quite vast - maybe a little too vast. I can't get that comfortable there. A great place to visit for adventure. But I don't need adventure all the time. 

I am out in the farmlands of Maryland, at the homestead of my friends Emily and Loran. Loran has got himself a bunch of pigs and chickens, and Emily works in the city with a non-profit, managing their affordable green housing initiative. A great mix... can't wait to see the kids they pop out. 

In a few days, I will head up to the northeast for a visit with the fam. Christmas in Connecticut! Oh goody!

Winter has come at last

Tonight's forecast (from weather.com):

"Bitterly cold. Some clouds. Low -11F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph."

Mmmm. Delightful.

Counting Down...

5...4...3...2...1...

Five days left before my first trimester at ERS is finished. I've got a lot to say about it - but as a summary, I have really loved my time here.

I have great friends within my group of teaching fellows, and just finished reading a feedback form from a student who considers me to be "a really great friend here." I have the same feeling about a number of students. Which is great, because it was only a few months ago that students were lamenting the loss of the last group of teaching fellows.

After watching a number of "POLs" (again, that is short for Presentation of Learning), I came away with a new understanding of how much personal growth our students undergo here. For some of the new students, there is only so much that I can expect from them in class, because they still have a ways to go in other aspects of their personal lives. Seeing the growth that many of the "veteran" students have gone through gives me a LOT more hope and patience for our newer students.

I am in need of a break, but at the same time, am also looking forward to getting some good planning done for next trimester's classes. I am also realizing hat there are a number of students I am going to miss - especially some of our upcoming graduates - luckily, one of them, Hutch, lives in Boulder, less than an hour away, and my friend Henry (the teaching fellow for the HPC, "Human Performance Center" aka G-Y-M, or physical edcucation) and I have already scheduled a burrito "date" with him at Illegal Petes - arguably the #1 burrito joint in Boulder.

As a parting shot, here are some pictures from the evening we hosted the Eagle Rock graduates-to-be over at our house for dinner and games (3 hours of Rock Band).

Me coaching Sarah on drums - my new favorite Rock Band instrument

The Aerial Shot of Rock Band
The Band - Edwin on Drums, Sarah on Vocals, Hutch on Guitar

Hutch taking a crack at vocals with Edwin on guitar (I think this was "White Wedding")

What a Day

The Last Day of Classes for "ER-46" (that is an abbreviation for "the 46th trimester of Eagle Rock School). Next week is when students give their Presentations of Learning (that is the long way of saying "POL"), so no more lesson planning or classes for this trimester.

Babies were born, families became naturalized citizens, and marriage proposals were made. At that was all before lunch!

My classes ended fairly successfully, in that more than half of the students will be receiving credit for the courses (we have an all-or-nothing system here). The best thing I have realized as I look back on the first 3 months here is that it has taken very little time to get assimilated into the school culture, and I love working with all the students at the school. I came in really wanting to learn how to be a teacher, to the point that I was a little disappointed at the degree to which we were expected to focus more on our role as all-around mentors. But it recent weeks, that has subsided. I value my role as a mentor, and am excited that I also get to teach a few courses each trimester.

Next trimester, I am going to focus on developing a curriculum that focuses more on depth, rather than breadth. In this way, I can focus more on how we gain an understanding of a subject, instead of just trying to make sure that I cover a number of topics within that subject. I will be co-teaching an astronomy class - Star Search, an ecology/telemark skiiing class - From Deserts to Mountains, a chemistry class - Cooking with Chemistry, and a science/societies & cultures class on Environmental Racism.

Now I am sitting on the pillows in the hearth of the Lodge (the main community gathering space and cafeteria), anxiously awaiting the original production of "Hamlet in the Hood." Can't wait!

Where I Live

So it is time to share some photos of the crazy little mountain town I call home: Estes Park, CO.
(This post goes out especially to you, Mom)

A view from one of the big rocks at Eagle Rock School:

Eagle Rock School property:

The center of town (the bighorn sheep statue - frequent place for elk to congregate):

A view of Estes from the park in town: