Wednesday August 9, 2000
After being prompted by people everywhere, I have decided for now, to begin writing again. I keep on thinking that the bitching is over and that it is paradise ahead, but I'm not so sure it will be all roses.

The summer has been great and has afforded me a long time to reflect on my time in the Shits. I was called recently by a colleague, who told me that he was over at Shitsville and the word was out that I was leaving for Sunnyland. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky and for now, might be returning there in a few weeks.

This morning I got another call about a job and was told the principal that I had accepted an offer at Sunnyland, where she used to be the AP. She wished me luck and told me that Sunnyland would be a good place to be. I told her about my colleague and said he might be interested in the job. She called him and he has an interview there tomorrow. I hope that another victim is able to escape the clutches of the Tidy Bowl Man.

So far, I am feeling pretty good about the upcoming school year. A friend of mine looked in the school computer a week or two ago to check on my transfer and said, 'Yes, its right here, you have been hired as the Department Chair at Sunnyland Middle School.' I can't really believe that it is true, but if I was hired as the Department Chair, I will be loving life. Hopefully, I can get an additional class and work a full load and increase my salary substantially.

On the other hand, I am a bit nervous about starting over at another school. Either way, I will be out of the Shits and into the land of the Sun.

Saturday August 12, 2000
A strange day to be writing but a thought came up and I feel as though I should try to write it down. I was thinking this week and for the last several weeks about people, mostly friends and family, and total strangers to boot. The thought that keeps on coming up is that I need to be more accepting and less judgmental. Friends, family, and even that nasty old man in the road (or a fellow school employee) is probably not going to change their way of being as they become older and more rooted in their ways. I guess the reason this is relevant is that if I run into a problem in the new work environment, rather than trying to change the person or their beliefs, I guess I should just accept someone's limitations, imperfections, and sometimes nastiness. As my wife has told me many times over - 'just avoid them.' The problem is that I'm not very good at avoidance and generally have a hard time just thinking that I'm going to let something go, because surely with a bit of rationality, I'm thinking that I could make that person see my point of view. Perhaps a better view is to simply let people think and believe what they want to believe, even if it is hurtful, harmful behavior or perpetuates suffering, without being so judgmental or confrontational. The real crux of the problem is when to lie low and when its worthwhile speaking up. Is it ever worthwhile speaking up?

Speaking my mind is a mixed bag. Sometimes, especially in the work environment, it may be necessary to do because you feel either that your emotions or self will be bottled up if you don't say what you are feeling. On the other hand, the decision to employ judgment about something is a tricky one because you have to pick your spots. At the new job, I will have to be very careful to pick the right spots, or just avoid the right situations.