updates

I couldn't decide if I would spend half the summer at the marine biology lab - the hold-up was that I couldn't get into a class I wanted (amphibians and reptiles! With a four-day field trip! yay!). I emailed the prof and he said to show up and maybe he could add me.

But I am diligent, and I kept checking the enrollment page (or, wait, is that OCD?) and yesterday somebody had dropped! So I snatched it up immediately and I'm enrolled! Yay!

So, I'm NOT going to the coast - full-time in University Town for several reasons. But now I have the courses I want: in addition to the herptiles, I have ecology, field botany, and neurobiology. What a great summer!!

These things always thrill me. I'm easily thrilled.

Yesterday I said goodbye to Gomez which made me sad. I've seen him about once since I've been back, but our lives are so intertwined and we talk/email so regularly. He's a really good friend. Then I went for cheesecake with Chris - two very chocolatey ones that we shared. It was definitely sugar overload! Chris is such an easy-going guy and it was fun to hang out - but he was stupid enough to bring up Bush and how he had voted for him twice! I just about kicked his ass!

The university in Jordan, the department head, has been emailing me lots and lots of questions. The one that's funniest is why I would want to be in Jordan - that it's very strange because the only foreigners there are married to Jordanians. Well, I guess I'm just strange. She said it can be very difficult to get work permits for non-Jordanians, which I well understand. But I'm glad we're having this conversation NOW so if it doesn't pan out I can pursue the other options.

Yay! Pupuseria tonight. One of my students who is Salvadoran recommended this place not far from my house. My students are cool. And what's really cool is that some kids I've had for a term or two who couldn't write AT ALL before, now I say, "Here's the topic, here's what I want," and before I"m done talking they've got the planning done and they're halfway through a draft! It's not perfect, but it's writing! Woo hoo!

But the most manipulative was Home Studies Lil Thug - yesterday's test asked for a situation that had changed him. He said, "Nothing's changed me!" I didn't respond. "Well, this has." "What has?" "This, home studies." "OK, write about how."

So, he wrote about how he used to think he was a retard but I convinced him he's not so he does his work and plans on graduating and going to college for an AA, and how I convinced him not to fight in school anymore so he'll fight in the streets instead (yeah, that's not exactly what I told him). That was all very sweet, but I had to worry about the manipulation factor so I didn't make a big deal about it.

Gomez and his secretary tell me that Lil Thug is playin me but I don't really think so. I mean, sitting face-to-face with this kid five hours a week for 8 weeks, I do think we've gotten to know each other. I don't know that I've had a long-term effect on him, but he's definitely changed since when I first met him. Last time I said, "Oh yeah, that was when you were still being a jerk to me." He didn't remember being a jerk, and he was embarrassed - but that was how he naturally was. Now he actually looks forward to me coming, says time goes too fast, and no longer says, "You could just skip a day" or "You can come late and leave early; I don't care." He changes his work schedule now to accommodate me. It's cool. Gomez said Lil Thug really wanted a male teacher and said he'd refuse to work for a woman. Ha!

Oh, other update - my doctor DID get me an appointment with the endocrinologist for Friday. So, all will be taken care of before I leave. Hopefully.