I have decided to teach the class.
Two evenings a week. I can leave my regular work to go swimming before class as I have 2 hours in between.
After teaching the class for a few years (even with an interruption this past year) I feel pretty confident. I am teaching Principles of Economics and all I need is to incorporate recent examples or issues to better explain the theory. Just theory would be too dry for me and the students, making the class pretty boring. Real world examples bring a class to life and most of the time spurs the students to participate in discussion regarding issues or subjects that they have heard on the news or read in a paper (or blog, or news site). One thing is certain: there are and will be plenty of real life examples regarding both Micro and Macro Economics with what is going on today.
That was a little weight off my shoulder. Will see how this Semester goes and I will have a beeter idea with my schedule if I want to continue in the Spring and afterwards.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Finally some respite. Yesterday evening we had a few small storm cells going around in the area and we were blessed with some much needed rain. Not a drought buster by any means, but it is nice to see wet ground that doesn't dry up in 5 minutes and experience some lower temperatures.
Thanks to God, it was just at the right time before I started to think at some solutions to keep my trees and bushes alive. Seeing more water in my pond makes me smile a little. At least I gain a few more days before it dries up completely. If we get some more rain today and tomorrow (best chances) I would feel much better. I will pray for that.
New Semester at the local University. I have been asked to teach an Econ class again. I am still debating if to accept or not. It is the only evening class and for some students the only time they can take the class. How come I feel some responsibility toward these students that I have never met? I am not coaching soccer this season as my kids are not playing it (for now) so I do have some extra time. But both kids are involved in other sports (baseball, volleyball, tennis) and I know there will be plenty of afternoons and evenings when we have to chase our tail to get the kids to their game, practice or whatever.
Do not really need the revenue from teaching the class, even if the extra "play money" would be nice. But that needs to be weighted against the extra "free time" that I would have if I didn't teach the class.
From an economic perspective (just because we are on the subject) this is called "opportunity cost": what I have to forgo if I decide to teach the class, namely more free time.
Is what I am gaining from teaching the class (some extra money, interaction with students, allowing them to take an evening class that otherwise they would not be able to take...) more or less important than the extra free time?
What to do, what to do ...
Thanks to God, it was just at the right time before I started to think at some solutions to keep my trees and bushes alive. Seeing more water in my pond makes me smile a little. At least I gain a few more days before it dries up completely. If we get some more rain today and tomorrow (best chances) I would feel much better. I will pray for that.
New Semester at the local University. I have been asked to teach an Econ class again. I am still debating if to accept or not. It is the only evening class and for some students the only time they can take the class. How come I feel some responsibility toward these students that I have never met? I am not coaching soccer this season as my kids are not playing it (for now) so I do have some extra time. But both kids are involved in other sports (baseball, volleyball, tennis) and I know there will be plenty of afternoons and evenings when we have to chase our tail to get the kids to their game, practice or whatever.
Do not really need the revenue from teaching the class, even if the extra "play money" would be nice. But that needs to be weighted against the extra "free time" that I would have if I didn't teach the class.
From an economic perspective (just because we are on the subject) this is called "opportunity cost": what I have to forgo if I decide to teach the class, namely more free time.
Is what I am gaining from teaching the class (some extra money, interaction with students, allowing them to take an evening class that otherwise they would not be able to take...) more or less important than the extra free time?
What to do, what to do ...
Thursday, August 2, 2012
I am having withdrawal symptoms for the lack of some good sci-fi / zombie book.
After Mira Grant Newsflesh Trilogy, J.L. Bourne "Day by Day Armageddon" series (not finished - waiting for next book) and the two books from Max Brooks on World War Z, there is no much better out there. I got spoiled. I read the series of David Wellington starting with "Monster Island", but it was a little too far fetched and out there. I will start a couple of other series from David Moody ("Autumn") and Rhiannon Frater ("As The World Dies"). Will see if they are entertaining.
Meanwhile I started another book in the Halo saga: "Halo Glasslands". I was very surprised to like the previous books as they are really a spawn of the video game by the same name (come on, who does not know about Halo?). But I found a little hard to get interested in this last book. Maybe I need to read just a little bit more to get into the story.
Does anybody have a suggestion on some good zombie related books?
After Mira Grant Newsflesh Trilogy, J.L. Bourne "Day by Day Armageddon" series (not finished - waiting for next book) and the two books from Max Brooks on World War Z, there is no much better out there. I got spoiled. I read the series of David Wellington starting with "Monster Island", but it was a little too far fetched and out there. I will start a couple of other series from David Moody ("Autumn") and Rhiannon Frater ("As The World Dies"). Will see if they are entertaining.
Meanwhile I started another book in the Halo saga: "Halo Glasslands". I was very surprised to like the previous books as they are really a spawn of the video game by the same name (come on, who does not know about Halo?). But I found a little hard to get interested in this last book. Maybe I need to read just a little bit more to get into the story.
Does anybody have a suggestion on some good zombie related books?
Well, we are supposed to hit 114 F today (45.5 C). Drought condition obviously is worsening and I just hope to not loose any tree. Yeah, I know there are bigger problems in the world, but these are my problems and my worries. In this heat is kind of hard to go home in the afternoon after all day inside an air conditioned building and start working outside. At least during the weekends I can go outside early in the morning and then get used to the climbing temperatures. As long as you keep hydrating yourself is not all that bad.
Have you ever started a project and finding out that 10 more things need to be completed and those 10 cause a snowball effect and you loose sight of the project with which you started in the first place? It is a rhetorical question. Somehow most of my projects end up with a to-do list longer than before. Anyway, at this time we are painting the kids' rooms, which will give me an incentive to repaint (or at least retouch) the trim all over the house, including all the doors (they have been needing a new coat for a while). But first i need to finish painting the Storm closet, so I can install the wall frame to hang my rifles. Before doing that I will have to move most of the stuff out of the closet which means I need to evaluate if I want to keep some of the things I have in there (some computer equipment). And if I do that, than I better look at the other computer parts I am keeping just in case in boxes under the bed and determine what is obsolete and throw it away (I do this about once a year). See? One thing leads to several others.
I am in a Christmas mood today. You know, just like when you have to drive around town at Christmas time and all the idiots come out of the woods, driving like ... idiots. Then I get into my Christmas mood, cussing all the idiot drivers. Today during lunch was the same. Maybe is the full moon which officially happened last night at 23:28 (11:28 pm for some of you illiterates).
On that subject, according to the Farmer's Almanac this is called the "Full Sturgeon Moon":
"• Full Sturgeon Moon – August The fishing tribes are
given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish
of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily
caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon
because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze.
It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon." (http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/)
I learn something new everyday.
I was not up that late last night to enjoy the perfect full Moon. Maybe I should tonight, though, when the temperature will be below 100 F ( 37.8 C). Maybe I will make a point to go outside for a few minutes and enjoy the "one day after "Full Sturgeon Moon". Maybe I will be able to see some critters by the moonlight, even if, with a few cats leaving around my house and two large dogs in the backyard, a lot of critters are keeping their distance.
And no, I do not shoot the critters as I do like balance in the natural environment around me as much as possible. And unless I eat it I do not hunt it. So, armadillos, possums, coyotes, racoons, rabbits, jackalopes, bobcats, occasional mountain lion (they have been spotted around here), wild cats, black birds (all kinds) ... are all safe from me unless they are rabid, I am really really hungry in an emergency situation, or it's a chupacabra, then all bets are off.
Here is a jackalope picture ------------------------->>>
By the way, from the list of local critters you can make a good guess on my geographical location.
Which reminds me that considering the high temperatures we are experiencing lately, I need to freshen up the water on my bird bath thingy, dogs and cats' water and tomorrow morning I will start the sprinklers before leaving for work. Hopefully we will be able to save our trees also this year. The drought has caused quite a few problems and because of the heat we are not really enjoying the backyard with the exception of the swimming pool. It is just an above ground pool, salt water system, 18 feet diameter x 52 inches high. The kids are enjoying it quite a bit. If this "experiment" works well, I may have to break down and invest in a regular in-ground pool. The problem is that I need one large enough to be able to actually swim a little and not just splash around; larger the pool, larger the expense. But first we need to see if we are going to get out of this drought condition.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Something happens to the format and colors of the post with the Bug-Out-Bags (BOB) items list every time I try to post an update, so i am not messing with it anymore.
Here some additional items:
No, I do not have an "arsenal" and I am not a militia nut case. I have different weapons for different uses: home defense; bird, turkey, deer and wild boar hunting, and obviously the .22 rifles to teach my kids how to safely handle a gun (cheap ammo, great weapon for training and, if needed, hunting and defense with the appropriate ammo weight and speed).
In addition, weapons are a great investment as they do not seem to loose value and in an extended emergency situation, ammo can be used for barter (yeah, like I am going to give away my ammo ... good suggestion though, maybe I can give you a few doves for a whole lot of ammo).
Here some additional items:
- toothpaste (2)
- toothbrash (4)
- sanitary napkins (2 packs) ... for my wife, you dummy ... but they are supposed to be very good for covering wounds
- Camping tent (sleeps 9) and sleeping bags
- Backpack with all my hunting gear (knives, tactical flashlight, change of hunting clothes, rain gear, turkey call, hatchet ... this is just to give you an idea)
- Rain gear for rest of family
- Bow hunting stuff (bows, arrows, heads, tools, extra string, extra peep, etc...)
- Shotguns, rifles, handgun
- Ammo boxes (I have 2 + a small one with a pretty good supply for all different calibers, but I would grab all that I have if possible)
No, I do not have an "arsenal" and I am not a militia nut case. I have different weapons for different uses: home defense; bird, turkey, deer and wild boar hunting, and obviously the .22 rifles to teach my kids how to safely handle a gun (cheap ammo, great weapon for training and, if needed, hunting and defense with the appropriate ammo weight and speed).
In addition, weapons are a great investment as they do not seem to loose value and in an extended emergency situation, ammo can be used for barter (yeah, like I am going to give away my ammo ... good suggestion though, maybe I can give you a few doves for a whole lot of ammo).
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