I Will Not Die

It’s been over a week now since my last post, so I felt compelled to come out of the shadows for a moment and say a few things.

For starters, I wanted to make sure everyone knew I was still here.

Though I haven’t been posting often this last week, I’ve been busy.

I’ve got my game face on, and I’m plowing away on several high priority projects.

1. I’ve been very focused on finding a job. I’ve enjoyed my little break, but I still need an income, preferably full time until the end of the year. Ideally, I’m looking for one on my campus (because they are obviously lenient about working around class schedules and it will help with the scheduling of my life in general–children, etc.), but I will take any I can find in the meantime. I had a really promising interview on Wednesday: the pay isn’t great but I liked the CFO and attorney I would be working for (even though the job is still accounting-related), but it could also be slightly part-time (which would mean I might be able to keep it while attending classes and so, I wouldn’t have to worry about finding another job later).

2. I’ve been pumping out a scholarship almost every 3-4 days. This has been fun, and I hope I win some of them. I’ve never applied for scholarships before, so it’s been good practice, even if I don’t win any (at least I’ll know that I’m not being competitive enough). This has occupied most of my time. I’ve produced some great essays so far, and am starting to run out of good ones I can apply for. I’ve got a budget set so we can make it without needing them, but it will be tight, so if I win some, it will be bonus.

3. I’ve resurrected my ambition to learn ancient Greek. This has been very fun because my wife is doing it with me. It’s been great to have someone to say the words to, if for no other reason, for the validation–not to mention (for the guys) that if you’re someone who loves Homer and Plato, as I do, there’s nothing quite as sexy as having your wife speak to you in Greek. Believe it or not, learning Greek isn’t as hard as it might sound. The hard part is the unique alphabet. Most of it, as with any language, is the vocabulary. At some point, you just have to memorize several thousand words to get good. I’ve found so many resources on learning Greek that I may even write a post just about it.

4. I’ve been imagining some ways I can reinvent this entire blog. As I find myself shifting gears, I find that my perspective toward most of what I’ve written about is changing too. I’ll have a lot more to say about this soon, and I’d like as much feedback from you as possible when I post about it later. The basic premise on the possible change is this:

I’ve always been writing from the view of an unaccomplished person with a great passion to do what for me, has been impossible. It has been the view of someone unwilling to give up on his dream.

Now that some doors have opened up, and I’m moving again (now that I don’t have to give up on my long-term dream of teaching), I suddenly feel detached from that view.

I was the trooper fighting his way like a die-hard up a hill, and now I’m standing at the top of that hill.

5. Still lots of articles in the chute. I’ve got several articles begun (and several very nearly finished) that I’ve been sitting on so I can make sure they’re just right. I’ve got a hefty post about a friend, a short story, and a growing multi-part series about my horrid experiences with my last company. The greater distance I am gaining from it is offering me a clearer view as to just how damned bad it really was.

A teaser: for over a year of my life I sat, daily, just like some unfortunate lab rat, under a wall board that beeped hundreds of times a day.

Dereck :: Nov.29.2008 :: Uncategorized :: 1 Comment »