living on the hubble

Earth day calling, Lord have mercy.  Rahma, mercy in Arabic.  May God have mercy on you tomorrow and the sweet innocent dopey girls filed out of the classroom.  I know which ones will handle the midterm fine, which ones will struggle but pass barely and which will just not do well, it’s an unfortunate dilemma for them.  One student came to the office and told me she is paying for this semester and has to pass. Help me teacher. I let her know she’s doing ok and she had to come to me and I would help her, if she was looking for unscrupulous help, she came to the wrong teacher and yet bending figures a little bit, that is the norm here.  We’re not building a rocket to Pluto, we don't live on a Hubble craft, effort is important and I will reward it.

Earth day six years ago in Abu Dhabi, you’ve read my account on this bizarre day, and what is there to show for it today.  The universe synchronized with Coldplay, simple, call it a sign, I called it a lot more than that. 

The St. Charbel novena has been a struggle.  How can I go to someone I don’t know and ask for something I am unsure of, I don’t know.  Can a novena be used for someone who is alive?  I have this idea about writing my own but I won’t speak about it anymore here.  So many times I get an idea, cool or crazy and it drifts away into the dusts of indifference.  Damn.  If I do somehow find a way to write one, I’ll post it right here.  Hey, look at that, you did post one, you’re something else.

4.24.15

I found a university in Lithuania that was hiring and I was writing the cover letter and while I was thinking what to say, never an easy thing it is to promote myself, I went to google and took a look at the city and yawwwnnn, I closed the website, stopped the cover letter and turned up Rosalita.  What?

The peace corp happily obliged and removed me from their post in Panama after I expressed reservations about getting my Spanish up to snuff by June 24 (didn’t the peace corp used to make their volunteers live in a host’s home and learn the language there?) and said they’d like me to be in Albania.  That is good.  In March 2015.  If it works out that means come departure in July I’ll be looking at the moon for eight months.  What am I going to do?  I need to keep working.  Where where, I know anywhere I go and apply I’ll get hired, I mean baby, you got the credentials, just pick a damn place and go there. 

I’m always looking at Hong Kong, I’m always looking at Japan, if only the US didn’t feel like a huge vacuum cleaner, and then there is Europe, but not all of it I understand.  Wouldn’t it be nice to live in Ireland for six months with a job? 

And there’s always Nepal but I can’t give my money away for building projects I won’t be around to see.  I have to covet my little biddy nest egg until I am working again.  Such coveting is bad I know.

The organization I went to China with 400 years ago is looking for teachers for a six month gig.  China.  Again.  It’s so bad now compared to when I’d blow coal smoke from my nose after walking across the campus in 1991.  I don’t wanna.  And then there’s Thailand.  Even a thousand bucks a month is ok if it is in a nice city.  I can’t handle Bangkok for more than a day.  Please.

It’s almost time for bed.  Last night I got six hours and tried unsuccessfully to nap throughout the day but to no avail.  I woke up at six and wiped down the car before the sun rose and a few hours later crossed the border for my last McD’s breakfast.  I then stocked up on a variety of ramen noodles from Japan to Arkansas and returned to begin grading mid terms.  Sleep is coming sweet Jesus thank you for the gift of sleep  and that is the last thing to be grateful for today.