I don't have a lot of time to write right now, but I realized, when Dad called me to get my address to give to certain of my forebears, that people would probably like to know what I want for my birthday, and it's coming soon enough that I should write this now. I have better ideas now than I did at Christmas, but not too many.
1. Tea is still good. My friends Dan and Ben here are in agreement that looseleaf tea is vastly better than the kind you get in teabags. I think it also gets you more tea for your buck.
2. A pumice stone for my feet. I sit cross-legged a lot, so I get these weird calluses on the sides of feet where they rub on the ground or the chair. Then I absentmindedly pick at the calluses and usually cause them to look alarming enough that people say, "What happened to your feet?!" A pumice stone might solve that problem or at least lighten it a little.
3. Shoes. Yeah, yeah. But I lost mine, somehow. I haven't seen them since last Saturday, and I have no idea where they might have gone. I'm guessing I'll never see them again, though I'm still on the lookout. Anyhow, I figure this is a good time to find some shoes I like better. I want to try something with a soft sole. Like leather-sole moccasins—that would be cool. Maybe something with, like, a couple thicknesses in the sole, or a sole that I can replace once it wears through. Or there are a few more modern shoes out there with soles that are supposed to let you feel the ground, like the Vivo Barefoot, but I would guess those are more expensive. Whatever looks good. To the best of my knowledge, I'm a size 12.
Once spring break starts, I'll write about what happened this month. I just never find the time to blog anymore. I think after I graduate that will change.
3 comments.
What is your shoe size? Have you ever tried an iced tea maker? Those things rock....
Dave
To the best of my knowledge (like I said in the post), I'm a size 12. I've never tried an iced tea maker, mainly because I like hot tea more. I have used water boilers. Someone at EcoHouse always has one.
Nathanael,
Aunt E writing here.
You recently mentioned thinking of going to China after graduation. I don't know if you are serious or not, but I asked my neighbor across the street in Cary if she had any advice for you. Her son Tim went to China expecting to teach English after he graduated from college, and for him it was a disaster. Here are her comments for you:
As far as your great nephew's plans to go to China....there are a few things that I think are key factors for success:
* it might be good to go with a very good friend for companionship
* there are 'marketing' companies that will try to recruit people to teach English. Your great nephew might ask if the marketing company will reimburse for airfare if they do not provide a teaching job within a certain amount of time. Tim interviewed at several schools, many of them elementary, and did not get hired. He was put up in a little hotel room that was filled with mold/mildew that collected on his personal belongings and clothes.
* one of the marketing women told me that Tim was the least independent candidate they had. They would line up job interviews for Tim and at times he would not go alone. Tim told me that it would be like getting on a train in Cary, traveling into Chicago, switching trains etc. and ending up on the south side of Chicago------without understanding the language. He wouldn't be able to ask for help. The marketing co. said they would give him a sign with the destination written on it, and he could show it to people to get help traveling to the different job interviews.
* they usually wanted a 2 year commitment from the English speaking teacher. In Tim's case, he was frustrated because he didn't have a teaching job yet, got ESL certified and decided to go. I was worried very much because he recently had been diagnosed with diabetes and had started taking insulin shots just 6 weeks before he went. We sent Tim off with a new laptop computer so that he could e-mail us. He said it was the biggest mistake of his life (after 5 weeks) and wanted to come home.
*if your grand nephew is very independent, brave and not concerned about feeling alone, it might be a good experience for him. I feel bad for the kids getting out of college now.....not a great outlook for jobs here. China is certainly the up and coming nation. Maybe he'll have a fantastic experience. It would be good if he could talk with others who have gone and just recently come back.
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