On the Road Again!

I thought I was done with my traveling for a while, regrettably because I like the traveling part of my job, but this morning I got a call and I will be going to Modesto tomorrow morning, then Santa Cruz in the afternoon. Next week I will be in Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose. I enjoy driving around California, it gives me a chance to see the sights and get away from the office. I also like the part about my job that I don't know for sure what I will be doing in the next few days. When I have "down time" it is short lived and often I have something new to do at the drop of the hat. I also get a chance to make a difference in the world and try to help people when I can!

Family Dinners

When I was growing up we always ate dinner together as a family. That was the time when we really got up to date on what everyone was up to. It was also a time when we would learn about the family values and future plans. When I was married we used to have family dinners. It was nice to see the kids growing up. When we moved to Korea I was gone almost 7 days a week teaching. I didn't get a chance to really talk to the kids and their mom made a decision not to teach them English so they couldn't speak to their Dad. When we moved back to the USA the kids started speaking English, but I worked even more.

 If you have read very much of what I have written you will know I love my kids very much. After my divorce I was happy to have my kids over, but we didn't usually eat dinner around a table. Usually ate out or we ate pizza while watching tv. I wish that was different, but that is what we did. I think more and more families are not eating family dinners. I hope that tradition comes back because it is really important.

End of the School Year

Today I went to my last scheduled school of this year. Last year I kept going to schools until the second week of June, but this year it looks like it is over. Last year I went to some schools that had extended their school year because of "snow days". I worked at about 110 schools this year. The other people in my area combined worked in 40 schools. So, what do I do now for work? I prepare for next year. I try to streamline the system so everyone gets notified and I don't go to schools alone.

I will train the recruiters to teach them how to do what I do and then my work is multiplied. I went to 110 schools , but 100 schools had no one visit them. Next year I will try to make sure that every school is visited. I have over 900 schools in my area which covers over 100,000 miles. I have to find ways to get more efficient so every high school student in California gets the opportunity to get my help.

Memorial Day

I was in the Army for 10 years. During that time there was no real military conflict. We had some soldiers go to Granada, an island that we had to go rescue some students during a civil conflict. I got out and was in the Army Reserves during the first Gulf War and I helped train some soldiers that went to the conflict. I never was involved in any armed conflict. I don't feel like I should say anything when they look for a veteran because there are many people these days that were in an armed conflict. I don't think I will ever march in a parade or raise my hand when they ask for a veteran. I am proud of my service, but I don't think it was anything special. I did what I thought needed to be done. My prayers go up for the families that lost members while in the service to the country.

Tonight I am in Fresno again. I really like the hotel I am staying in tonight. I stayed in the same place last week. The rooms are really large and the location is central so I can get to all the schools I need to quickly. This is not the newest motel, or has the best ammenities, or in a good neighborhood. But it is confortable and quiet and nice big bed. Today I noticed a way to tell how old it was. A few weeks ago Sarah asked me what a rotary phone was. She had never seen one. I now have a picture of one because they have them in this motel, sort of shows how old the motel is. I went to a fast food place tonight called Pollo Loco (Spanish for Crazy Chicken). I really like the food and it seems healthy. The had a poster that I originally thought was in Spanish, because many of the posters in this place were in Spanish. I am not sure if they purposely put the Spanish on the poster, or if they have Spanish on the poster and no one noticed.

Back to back races

Today I did another race, I ran down the road I take to work every morning. I have been anticipating this for a few weeks, and it was fun to do, but I didn't run very good. It seemed like everyone passed me to begin with, and then I slowly caught up. It is interesting that I am doing this running. I have to start to anticipate the next month. Next Saturday I will run on Saturday in the forest, then on the following Wednesday I will run in the San Francisco Golden Gate Park. Next I have to worry about July, I will be half way done next week.

Movie Projectors

I went to the movies tonight at a theater where the admission is only $5. Of course the seating is the same as it was 40 years ago, and the popcorn comes in small bags, rather than the tubs they have in most theaters now. I think the biggest "attraction" was hearing the projector humming in the back of the theater like I did when I was a kid. I could see the streaks of light like the theaters when I was a kid and kept waiting for the lights to come on in the middle of the movie because the projector or film was broken. I saw a very nice movie, that has only been out for about a month, and I enjoyed the experience. I am not a fan of 3D, and I don't care if the chair can rock or recline. I like going to movies that are affordable and have an "ambiance". I look forward to going back to that theater again! (Oh, that was also the theater that my wife and I were at on October 31, 1988 when she went into labor with our first child!)

I ran another 5K race today. I ran the same course I did on January 1, 2012. This was my fastest time so far, I am not sure how accurate it was, but I was happy with the time. Tomorrow I will run a race with an accurate timer so I hope I do as well also. I think I have found my race for next week, I will run on the trails through a redwood forest!

Memorials

I went to a few schools in the Fresno are today and at Buchanan High School there was a memorial display for the soldiers and marines that had died in the war that had gone to school there. I took a picture of it and displayed it on Facebook. My nephew noticed it and one of the people in the picture had gone to elementary school with him! It is truly a small world.

We all need to be appreciated

I think everyone needs to hear, "You're doing a great job" sometimes. If you have ever taken a management class you hear that you should tell others the good things they are doing. Some people do that, and always follow it with a "but"! I think teachers should do the same things with their students, parents should do the same thing with their children, and spouses should tell each other that they really appreciate the other. If you have read very much of my blog I often say how much I love my kids, my problem is I don't know how often I tell them. I just did it, as I am thinking of it. I know it will help them in their lives when they feel things are going bad for them. I smile when I think about what my Masters degree is in, I have a Masters in Person Centered Education. What that really means is I have a Masters degree in Self Esteem Building in the Classroom! I really find that is a good way to get the best out of my students! When I teach classes now I make sure my students see a growth in themselves. I am very truthful in how they teach, I make sure they know their mistakes, and I help them find ways to improve. By the end of the class they have confidence in themselves and I can truthfully tell them they are doing much better than when they started! I also have them give me suggestions on how to improve my class. I let them know that I really do listen to them and tell them how I have changed my class in the past according to my students' suggestions. Sometimes I change back to the old way, but I will try to incorporate their suggestions.

 I think managers should do the same thing. People that work under you need to know you sincerely appreciate them. It isn't good to always tell people they are doing something good, and then follow it with a suggestion on how to improve. I get so upset sometimes because I feel my boss doesn't trust my judgement. Rather than ask me why I do something he asks others why I do things, and then judges me on their responses. If you are reading this then right now call or text or email the people close to you and just tell them you love them and you are proud of them! Now, next time you go to work tell the people that work for you, with you, or even your boss, that you appreciate them and value their judgement. And then smile inside because you are making them smile inside!

Going the Extra Mile

I have been teaching a TESL certification class for the past 5 years and have only met two of the students after the class. My class is a 60 hour attendance based portion and then the students have the opportunity to take an additional 40 hour module to get a 100 hour certificate. They have about 100 days to complete the final portion, and most students wait for 90 days to start that. With the class this month I decided to do something different and I met with them today, Tuesday, to do the final 40 hours (really it is a test like traffic school) together and give them an extra boost. The test they have to do is not too difficult and it is a 100 question test and they have to get 65%. I didn't really help the students that came today (5 of the 7 students came), but primarily we all got together to encourage each other. I didn't have to meet with them today. I didn't get paid anything extra to do this and they have already completed the class and the evaluations so I didn't get any direct benefit.

I think everyone needs to do something just to do it, just because it is the right thing to do! I was happy to help my friends today, I can't say I helped my students because they are no longer my students. I like doing things that are not expected and always look for more ways to help people reach their potential. When I was young I was always told I didn't live up to my potential, I never understood that. I think my potential can't be reached until it is all over and then look at what was accomplished!

One marathon over another begins

Do you ever wish things would slow down and you can just rest? I don't like them slowing down, when they slow down I think about the things I should have done, or could have done. I like them moving so I am always looking forward at the next big thing in my life. Keep reading this week for a HUGE thing in my life, but for now it is lots of little hurdles I need to jump over. I have just completed six straight weekends of teaching on Saturday and Sunday. I really enjoy teaching and even though after the long days I come home and take a two hour nap on my recliner while I am catching up on the tv from the week that I have missed because I am often on the road. I have the next two weekends off of teaching and then I will teach for another three weekends. Next weekend will be a "race weekend" with me running 5Ks in Palo Alto on Saturday and then on Sunday I am doing a race sponsored by the San Jose Earthquake soccer team. Monday is a holiday so I will try to go visit my mom if she is there. Those two races will be my two in May.

For June I have the following weekend two days and then I plan on running on June 5 in San Francisco Golden Gate Park for an evening race to help the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. My brother has MS so I think that is appropriate. Looks like July I will try to run on July 4 and then I may do an international run. I will tell you more when I know more for sure. I am still waiting on some word about the job I applied for, but I'm not really anxious about it, it is kind of a dream job that I know is out there sometime. It may motivate me to go for a PhD and maybe I need that kind of motivation!

I applied for a new job

In March I was talking to an internet friend of mine and she got me starting to look into Malaysia. I have been reading about it and watching YouTube videos about it for the past few months. It would be a great place to visit sometime. I had never thought about it before, but now I am excited about seeing more about it. I often look around for ESL jobs to be able to advise my students on places to teach and what is out there. Today I found a job in Malaysia that was very inviting to me. I have often said I will live near my children until they all graduate from high school. June 2014 is when Sarah graduates from high school and that is when I will start to look for jobs outside this area. I have always thought I will return to Korea or go to Taiwan. I have friends in both those countries and look forward to living in either of those places. I had never thought about Malaysia or Thailand or Indonesia before. I am not motivated by money. You could offer me $100,000 a year to live in another country and I would turn you down if it takes me away from my kids while they are still in high school. I never realized that if they offered me the right job I might think about it. This is the job I saw today:

English Language Training Fellow - Malaysia

I have just received the following position for one of Malaysia’s brightest and fastest growing Education organisations.
Role: English Language Training Fellow
Location: 2 Major cities in Malaysia Available
Rate: 45,000 basic including superb bonuses
Duration: Permanent
Start Date: ASAP but will wait for the right candidate
Chase Resourcing has been asked to recruit an experienced English Language Training Fellow for our client in Malaysia. Our client is one of largest Education corporations in Malaysia. It is an ever evolving, rapidly growing, Education company. This position we feel will suit a candidate with a PhD or a Masters Degree and an in-depth knowledge of education with an ability to manage a team of Educators at the highest level.

Responsibilities of the role
• Training Fellows has the responsibility to manage the
improvement of English language and literacy teaching in
Malaysian
Teacher Education Institutes
• Develop and implement a jointly agreed training program for the
professional development (PD) of the ELT staff
• TF to plan and deliver 4 five day courses in the area of
his/her specialism and/or TESL methodology in general for ELT
staff in participating ITEs and those not participating in the
program
• Collaborating with the ELT staff, the Training Fellow will
plan, observe, evaluate and guide the staff in enhancing their
knowledge, skills and competencies etc
• Collaborating with the ELT staff, the TF should plan, observe,
evaluate and guide the staff in enhancing their knowledge,
skills and competencies
• Provide consultancy on training or education in general, to the
Moe
• Effectively enhance the effectiveness of PD short courses for
school teachers by monitoring and evaluating their
implementation.
• These Training Fellows are also expected to act as a resource
and adviser to the institutes’ management on further enhancing
on the use of English


Skills
• PhD in Education is desired but a Masters degree in
ESL/ESOL/EFL would suffice
• Experience of education and academic research and reform in one
of the following specialist areas of:
a. Early Childhood Literacy
b. Literacy & Language Arts
c. Literature/Contemporary Children’s Literature
d. Grammar
e. Reading
f. Writing
g. Listening & Speaking Skills
• Exceptional organisational skills, e.g. experience of managing
a team of educators, high levels for initiative and problem
solving skills
• Superb people skills with patience, enthusiasm drive, energy,
and a positive attitude
• Exceptional communication skills with a willingness to develop
basic Malay Language skills
• An in-depth knowledge and experience of the challenges
surrounding teachers, teacher training, and quality of
education
Remuneration
• €45,000 (180,000 Ringgits) base salary (15,000 Ringgits per
month)
• Bonus up to 25% of basic salary.
• Accommodation allowance of 12,000-18,000 Ringitts- per annum.
• Allowance of 200 Ringitts - per month for printing and
stationary with receipt
• Annual cost of living increment
• Company vehicle provided
• Travelling allowance of 5400 Ringitts per annum
• Medical/health insurance
• Company hand phone and dongle
• Advance given to purchase lap top
• Repatriation "an economy class inbound ticket and outbound
ticket at the end of employment
• Annual leave of 34 days per year
• Paid official holidays and sick days
• Opportunities to present papers and attend
conferences/seminars/workshops
When I saw this job I realized it is something I really want to do! I wouldn't leave the area for money, but this is an opportunity to affect the way English is taught in an entire country. I am uniquely qualified for this job. I don't think I stand a chance to get this job, but just the fact that I applied for it tells me something about myself I didn't know. I really am motivated by the type of job even if it is not the money. The most important thing is still family!!

3D Movies

Tonight I went to see Avengers! It was a great movie and I recommend it to everyone. I got to the theater and the next showing of the movie was in 3D, and that costs $5 more. I don't know why it costs more, we have to give back the glasses. Personally I would rather see the movie not in 3D, it seems more real that way. I think 3D makes it worse rather than bad, and I'm paying more money for that! I think this is just a fad, like it was back in the 50s, at least I hope it is.

Another Blog

I like to find a different way to do things. One of the responsibilities I have accepted at work is tutoring people in how to pass the ASVAB, the test people must pass to join the military. I am very successful at doing this and about 80% of the people I help pass the test. Without my help probably less than 20% would pass the test. I guess I have been directly responsible for over 100 people joining the California National Guard! The people I work with have always asked me to put something on YouTube or something so they can have their applicants watch me without making me drive all the time. So, this week I have been working on making videos then putting them on the web. The easiest way I found to put them on the web is to do it as a blog, so I have been doing another blog with videos. It isn't that good yet, and the videos are really not good, but it is the first attempt and then I will work at improving it. You can see my new blog at www.cang-asvab.blogspot.com. I will continue to work on it.

Newspapers

Today I was killing time in a school in Pacifica and picked up a newspaper. I don't often read a newspaper these days, I usually read the news from the internet. I haven't subscribed to a newspaper since I lived in Alabama 25 years ago. I was really happy to skim through the paper. I forgot how nice it was to read the ads and just read the headlines and see what is interesting. I read parts of the paper today I haven't read for a long time. I read the comics, I read the sports section (even the local sports part), I saw the local stores that are having sales. I have heard people make comments about liking to read newspapers because they like the feeling. Some people say they like to support local businesses. I miss the ads, and just the fact of seeing parts of the newspaper I am not looking for specifically. Today reading the newspaper I was thinking of the time I was in the Army in Germany, 1979 - 1982. At that time they had television shows that had been recorded in the USA then shipped over to Germany to show on Army television. The only thing live was the Superbowl, Monday mornings at 6am.

The only commercials were public service announcements. I found out that much of American culture comes from television commercials. People were coming from the States with phrases they got from commercials. I realized that I missed commercials, when I came back to the States I was so happy to see commercials! I think we all miss a lot by not reading newspapers any more. We miss the things we don't look for, then see and read about it. How many other things do we start to loose because of advancing technology?

Gifts

What is your favorite gift of all time? I can remember one Christmas I got a helmet with a walkie talkie and goggles. That was a cool gift, for about 2 months. I can remember when I was married and I got a $900 watch for my birthday one year. It was always hard for me to get my wife a gift when I was married. I could never get the right thing. I would buy a sweater and she would yell at me for getting the wrong color. I would get a bag and she would yell at me for getting the wrong brand. I would ... well, you get the idea. One Christmas I got a gift I thought would be great, I got a gold necklace medallion for her, she opened the gift and yelled at me to take it back because it was too small. When I left the house I took that with me, and often wear it now, to remind me of that. I like to give gifts that I would want to receive. Sometimes that works and sometimes that doesn't. I don't give gifts often any more because it is so stressful for me. These days I like to give gifts that people don't expect and something they really need. Today I gave my mom a Mother's Day gift that was a little unusual. When I visited her house last week I remembered that the sewer drain was slow so I called Mr. Rooter and had them come fix it today. Now when she comes home she won't have to worry about this problem she has had since January. I hope I found a way to do away with her stress when she is home! I hope when I have to give the next gift, I can find something that will be needed and helpful to their life.

Next gift I will give is my daughter's birthday on June 1. Since none of my kids read my blog I will tell you what I am going to do! Jayne goes to college down in San Diego. She will be turning 21. I hope I can do something she really doesn't expect! I will send her a dozen roses to be delivered at her dorm room! Now the question is should I put a card on them that says who it is from, or just send it anonymously!

Trust

What a strong word. I have gained people's trust and lost it. I think we need to be trusted and we need to trust people. How do you gain trust and once you lose it can you get it back. To get someones trust I think it depends on the person. Some people are like me and naturally trust everyone, to get my trust is easy and to lose it is hard. I trust everyone, I think that makes me a compassionate person, but also makes me not such a strong leader. It makes me very vulnerable, but resilient. Maybe that is why I am chosen to do the things I do, to keep trying and not lose my positive view of people. I have been tested many times and I get "down", but I always come back. Sometimes I like my way and sometimes I don't. I often feel I am too trusting and I often get yelled at by people that don't trust as much as I do. Some people are like my daughter and other people in my family that never trust anyone. I have a lot of respect for that style, I know that they have a good heart and want to do the right thing, and chances are they will be successful at what they do. They have a different way to do things than I do. It isn't right or wrong, it is just a different way to do things.

How do you gain the trust of someone that isn't trusting? I think you need to have a connection with them or with someone that has a connection with them. And once you get that trust you have to do a lot to lose it. Sometimes we don't understand the other type of trusting, but I think you don't need to understand it, just need to realize it isn't good or bad ... just different. I like trusting people and will continue trusting people. Sometimes good comes from it, and sometimes bad.

Weekend Class May 2012

This month I have been teaching on the weekends at UC Berkeley. I teach a class to certify people to teach English in other countries. I have been doing this for about 5 years and over 35 classes. This month I have another great class! I have two women from Korea that came to the USA to improve their English then they want to go back to their country and help others with their English. One of them wants to teach preschoolers and the other teaches clarinet and wants to teach English in conjunction with that. They are both exciting and surprise me with their wit and humor. Two other of the students want to also teach in Korea. They are native English speakers that have heard about the great opportunities teaching in Korea and they want to go there also. I really believe if you teach in Korea the best place to teach, the only place I would suggest, is Seoul. There is a reason 25% of the entire country live in one city. I do have an old student teaching in Pusan and she loves it, so I know I'm not always right! One of my students is from Columbia and she will return their and teach while she is finishing her degree. Another of my students is going to Mexico with her husband, who is being transferred there by his company for a couple of years and will teach English while he is working. The other student is an IT professional that has spent some time in Japan and wants to find a way to go back. This is a great class and everyone is putting a lot of effort into becoming the best teacher they can.

Broken Heart

A friend of mine had her heart broken today. Why did she call me and tell me all the details? Why does she think I would have an answer to the question of why the guy doesn't call her any more? This girl is 43, she is dating a guy that is 41. The guy says he wants to have a life together and wants to have kids, yet he is 41 and has never been married. Why would a guy want a family and never gotten married until he is 41? RED FLAG. Why does he say he would love her children like they were his own, yet he has never met her children? RED FLAG. Why would this guy say he wants to go on a trip with her for a month to Europe and he has a full time job that he just changed companies? RED FLAG. She came over to my house to hang out and she didn't want to be alone. She hasn't talked to the guy in 2 days and she is freaking out. She called me yesterday because he tried to call him twice and text him 3 times and he didn't respond at all. I told her that he may have an emergency in his family and she should quit bothering him. I was driving a lot yesterday so I talked to her on bluetooth and it was better than just listening to the radio. She came over to my house and it was hot and she suggested we go to someplace with air conditioning and get a drink. I just finished an 860 mile trip in 2 days and I didn't really want to go out. Why should I go out with someone to talk about her broken heart? She left. I really think we don't listen to ourselves enough. We never take out own advice. When I have people ask me for advice, like she wanted to know if she should write him an email telling him how important he was to her ... yadda yadda yeadda ...

 I really don't know what she should do. When people ask my advice I like to ask them if the same thing happened to someone else what advice would they have for their friend. Then, why don't they follow their own advice! I know when we all have problems we don't trust our own guy feelings. We want people to tell us what we already think and then we can agree with them. I'm tired, glad she didn't stay too long. Just finished an 800 mile trip in 2 days and this weekend I will teach 10 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Shopping with Sarah

Yesterday I had to take Sarah to the hospital to see a doctor and she needed to pick up something for her mom so we went shopping before hand. I hate shopping and usually won't go with my daughters, not after shopping for a graduation dress with Lindsey many years ago. I took Sarah to the store and told her to text me when she was ready then I went looking for shoes. I usually shop by knowing exactly what I want, go into the store buy it and leave. I don't usually hang around a store and look for different ways to spend my money. I think that is a big difference between women and men shopping. A few days ago I went shoe shopping, but I couldn't find what I was looking for at the price I wanted to pay. So, I went over to the shoe department at the store Sarah wanted to go. WOW! I couldn't believe the way the shoes were, I felt like it was a "pick-n-pay" for car parts. The selection was huge, in my size there must have been a thousand different styles. A "pick-n-pay" is a place that has old used cars and you go the kind of car you need and take off the part you need then go pay for that part. It is a junk yard that you can go shopping in. That is what I was thinking. It felt like I was in a junk yard for shoes. But, they only had one shoe of each kind so I called Sarah over and asked her how this worked. I didn't know if I had to look through the thousands of shoes to find the matching shoe to the one I liked. She told me to find the one I wanted and then take it to the "find a match window" and they would give me the other one. I did, in the picture which shoe do you think I chose, and I bought a pair of shoes. She ended up buying her mom some shoes too! I did my shopping for the year!

I will give you a hint, I didn't choose the size 16 brown ones.

You're Fired!

I was NOT fired, but a friend of mine had a problem at work. I work with recruiters and they have a saying, "Make mission, go fishin'". The recruiters I work with are required to put three new people into the service every month. So, after they get those three they can do anything they want, even if they want to go fishing and do nothing else. It sounds kind of easy, at at times it is. The problem is to get someone into the service they have to be found, then convinced, then they have to meet weight requirements, then they have to pass an aptitude test, then they have to be convinced again, then they have to actually get on the airplane that takes them to training. All this is done while juggling the requirements of being in the service themselves, they have to pass Physical Training tests, rifle qualification tests, attend meetings, give meetings, maintain their training. It can become burdensome and isn't always a success story. I have had my job for 4 years. When I first started I was trained by a sergeant that has been doing recruiting in the same are for 13 years. I really appreciated him helping me learn the job and being there when I needed to ask questions or just complain to someone. Last week I found out that the sergeant that had helped me when I started has been moved to another area. He hasn't been able to "go fishing" for more than a year. He hasn't met his quota and therefore they made him move to another area if he wanted to keep his job. Sometimes I think that if you have the same job for 13 years you must lose your "edge" and passion for your job. This sergeant has been successful in the past, that is how he was able to stay where he was for so long. Now he has moved to an area that he is unfamiliar with. (in fact it is the area I am this week) I called him tonight and made sure that he knew I would be available to help him the way he helped me when I started. I know the schools in his new area so when he gets settled and ready to start work I will visit him a few times to make sure he becomes comfortable with his new surroundings. It isn't often we get a chance in our lives to help the people that helped us, is almost the exact way! I look forward to paying back my debt!

Tonight I am in Tulare. The school I visit in the morning is a school I haven't been to for three years. It was one of my first schools and I look forward to being to help them much more that I could when I cam here a few years ago. If you look at the map on the previous posting I am at B, and tomorrow I will drive to C and then D.

Long trip!

I really do love my job. Lots of reasons not to like it, but those same reasons are why I also like it. I have an office, but am never in it. I am usually on the road. Last night I stayed in Monterey so I could work at Monterey High at 8am this morning. Tonight I will stay home, my cats are happy to have me around the house, and tomorrow I will take my daughter to the doctor in the morning and then tutor in the afternoon and then watch my daughter's softball game in the afternoon. It is her last game of the season so I don't want to miss it! Sarah has done very good job in sports this year. She was on the JV team in volleyball and softball and captain of both teams. She often gets the award for the top player on the team and she is very helpful to all the other players. I don't know what the future has for her in sports, but I really enjoy watching her play and the way she interacts with the other players. She really is a nice person and I'm glad to have her as a daughter. After the game I will start driving. I will drive three and a half hours south to Tulare and spend the night there, I guess I will get there around 10. 9 the next morning I will have a class for about 10 students talking to them about careers and what they are going to do after high school then I will drive four hours north to Sacramento, getting there around 3pm, and work with four people that want to join the military and I will help them study math. When I am there I will drive south again for three and a half hours and stay the night on the freeway where I did a few weeks ago. The next morning I will teach in Avenal High at 10 in the morning and then drive three and a half hours north to go home. The next day is Saturday and I will work ten hours on Saturday and then on Sunday teaching people how to teach English. Then Monday I will work in my office doing the reports to tell people what I did the previous week. Then it starts again! Sometimes I feel guilty when I have time off and take my daughter to the doctor or go to her sports games, then I realize how much extra time I spend on the road and the guilt is GONE!

$3.01

I am kind of between diets right now, but I still watch my weight. I am on the road a lot so I often eat fast food. I pay close attention to the calories listed on the menus and try to order what is low calorie and not expensive. At McDonald's I found that from the dollar menu has regular hamburgers and they are only 350 calories and less that $1. I can order 2 regular hamburgers and a large diet coke for $3.01 and it is a total of 700 calories. I know it isn't the healthiest meal so I try to carry apples with me while I drive around California.

I had a heart attack today!

I DIDN'T have a heart attack today, let me explain. For all my life, well at least since I was 15, I have had severe pain in my chest once or twice a year. It often happens out of the blue, not when I am in any physical activity. Sometimes when I am lying down, sometimes when I driving, sometimes when I am just watching tv, today it happened when I was shopping for a laptop. This pain is a tightening of my chest, feels like a hand is squeezing my heart/lungs. I feel it go down my left arm sometimes, but then I realize that could be psycho symptomatic. I have never told anyone about these pains. Well, I told one person once, a few years ago, and she screamed at me to call an ambulance. She told me if I didn't she would call the ambulance and give them my address. She asked me how long it had lasted, and that time it had lasted for about five minutes. I told her I would call and hung up. I never called because I knew it would go away and it did.
A few weeks ago there was a baseball player from the San Francisco Giants that went on the injured reserve list because of anxiety attacks. There was a lot of talk about it on talk radio and people described what they went through when this happened to them. I used to think anxiety attacks were when your heart raced and you worried about things, stuff like that. On the radio they talked about it feeling like you have a heart attack, when your chest tightens and feels hard to breathe. People talk about "fight or flight", that our natural instinct is to either run away, or face our problems and overcome them. I started thinking about what I was doing before I had my chest pain. Before I went shopping I was worried that my laptop was broken, in fact that is why I was shopping for a new one. Before I went into the store I found my laptop worked so the worry was over. As I think back about my other episodes when they happened I was not stressed, but before it happened I had a crisis in my life. I was ok during the crisis, but when it was over and I could rest my body reacted. I am happy I figured this out today because now I will be prepared for it.

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Proverbs 16:33: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. Today I was working in Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove, California and during my presentation I had mentioned that my daughter attended Santa Clara High School. One of the girls in the class said her cousin went to the same school. We talked a little more and found out that her cousin was my daughter's best friend. They were on the softball and volleyball teams together. Yesterday was a softball game and I sat next to her uncle and we are fairly good friends. It really felt like a small world! After my class this same girl came and talked to me about the military. She wants to go into the military, but isn't sure which service. I told her to follow what I taught them today about researching jobs and then go to each of the services and find out what they offer. Listen to them and see if any of them offer a job that she had liked during her research and then seriously think about that service. She had an outstanding score on her aptitude test that all the services will want her. I don't often talk about my religious beliefs, but with her I thought it was important to say what I really believe. I told her to trust the way God guides her. 

Follow your "feelings". I really believe that we can do what we THINK is right, but God will do what HE thinks is right and that is what will eventually happen. Even if we don't agree with what God wants HE will do what needs to happen for the balance of HIS plan. Many things have happened to me during my life and I have regretted many things. I don't like things, but in the long run I see that if that hadn't happened then the next experience I have wouldn't have happened. I don't always love the things God does, but I realize they are probably the right things according to His plan. I wish this girl the best of luck and I hope what happens is what she was hoping!