Right now it is the middle of the night, and I don't know whether the stars are aligned badly or there is some sort of natural disaster coming this way, but the animals won't let me sleep. Purl, the big dog, who usually sleeps soundly has pestered me twice (2am and 2:30am) with paws and a wet nose and tongue - which usually means she has a bathroom emergency. But both times she basically stood in the yard, but ran back when I called after 5-10 minutes. Now our stable personality cat, and oldest, has come into the living room during the second emergency, followed by loud yowling and scratching outside the bedroom door. Again, unusual behavior for her. She is in my lap now.
I don't expect to get back to sleep for several reasons, one that descends from the others in a way. First, and probably least, I don't enjoy this time of year. While others prance around full of the holiday spirit, I am consumed with dread and premonitions of disappointment. Some of this might have to do with growing up "lower middle class" - which is a nice euphemism for "not exactly poor, but close enough." With emphasis on material goods, which has only gotten worse in the decades since, I felt like the season was all about how much you could spend and what you got. The other night I had to endure a tirade on this subject from my eldest. She hated getting "cheap" presents like $10 gift cards from relatives, and everybody got better things than she did. She wants this or that (very much out of the budget) but would settle for that, except she doesn't really want that - she just wants to complain. Her attitude improved a bit the following day, but it just highlighted my general disgust with the "Christmas" spirit.
A bigger, but related issue, is my job. This one is a little complicated, so stick with me. Recently, Memphis City Schools was awarded a mulit-year grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. $90million over six years, if memory serves. The district proposed revamping the entire structure of teacher compensation, creating three levels of teachers - apprentice, professional and master. Pay would be different at each level, with incentives to reward and retain beginning teachers, most of whom leave teaching within the first three years, and substantial compensation for "master" teachers, who would be involved in evaluating and mentoring teachers at lower levels. Put this way, it sounds great, doesn't it?
The subtext is a little bit more ominous. The state legislature has to approve a waiver for Memphis to treat its teachers differently than the rest of the state. The union has to sign off on this, since the current system bases compensation on how long you can stay in the system, regardless of your knowledge, skill or anything. Many teachers with seniority cannot use a computer competently enough to enter attendance, let alone the various other daily duties required in this day and age. So the proposal includes having teachers evaluate each other - the "best" doing the evaluating. But how do we define best? Test scores. A flawed measure to be sure, and also one that again doesn't recognize teachers who teach, only teachers who teach to the test. When your administration begins pressuring you in January to start prepping students for a test in April; when the district commissions periodic assessments to measure how students will perform on this test, beginning the second month of school, and requires teachers to focus instruction on the areas in which students scored poorly; when the district contracts with a computer based math tutoring program and assigns students to use it (a mandatory 90 minutes per week - in context, this is two full daily instructional periods) based on these predicative test scores - again choosing test preparation over teachers teaching - well, it doesn't show a lot of emphasis on classroom instruction and practice. For example, last year, 98% of my students passed their TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program), and yet my TVASS (a measure of how much my instruction changed student performance) was a negative, and lower than the state, overall. In the past, this TVASS data was informational. Now it will be part of judging and grading teachers.
Now here comes the best part. Not only will teachers in the system evaluate teachers, but there will be a component from the "stakeholders." Who are these people? Parents and students will be surveyed about teacher performance. What an interesting idea - let's hold teachers and their salaries hostage to a popularity measure, regardless of qualifications. We already have serious problems with parent and student ethics (lying about addresses so get into a school they want, parents telling students to do the opposite of school rules - e.g. If somebody messes with you, defend yourself physically, as opposed to the non-violent solutions teachers are charged to promote), so let them be the judges and jury of performance, when their main concern is not whether the teacher teaches, but whether the teacher treats their child the way they want.
Which brings us to the this week's trigger. My administration requires teachers to support school rules. Most are simple, and routinely ignored by students and frequently neglected to be enforced by teachers. Other teachers, like me, do their best to do as they are asked, which means constantly, hour after hour, day after day, reminding students about walking on the right side of the hall, not talking in line, staying in line, not wearing jackets that are not approved colors, to remove jewelry that is not allowed (boys can wear a watch, girls can wear a watch and earrings that are gold or silver, with hoops that do not exceed the size of a half dollar). Sounds simple, but half a year later we are still repeating this dozens of times, writing students up for violations that won't amount to any sort of disciplinary action or consequences.
On Thursday, I asked a girl in one of my classes to remove her earrings, as the hoops were visibly too large. I could see from across the room, it wasn't the first time I had told her about these earrings, and early in the year I had often used a coin to check diameters. On this very special day this young lady informed me that if I had any issues with her uniform, I had to call her mother, and that the size of her earrings didn't have anything to do with her classroom performance. If it sounds scripted to you, it does to me as well. These were not the words of a pre-teen, but an adult coaching a child, possibly even encouraging this child to break the rules to provoke an incident. On the phone, mother informs me of the same thing, then implies I am a racist because I only pick on her child, and I don't say anything to the white and hispanic kids in the class who wear big earrings. This opinion is naturally based on what her daughter has told her - and comes out of the blue instead of being conducted in a parent/teacher conference where it can be addressed properly. Mom states repeatedly that I am a racist and she won't have her daughter in my class.
Fun times ensue. I put another teacher in charge of my class and head to the office, to inform my principal of the coming storm, but she is in a meeting. 20 minutes later, the office rings me to say this girl's dad is in the office and wants to meet with me. Again, I ask for an administrator to be present, but they are both in a meeting. The receptionist assures me that she will keep the dad in the office, and witness things for my protection. Dad is not in the office, though. Dad is waiting outside the office in the lobby (and naturally hasn't checked in with the school - not wearing a Visitor's badge) while his daughter strolls around the lobby on her cell phone (something the district does not allow in schools - noticing a trend here at all?). Dad proceeds to tell me how the earring issue is petty, that it doesn't affect his honor roll student's performance, and that I am picking on her. Calmly I show him the coin I use to remain fair, and tell him the rules are established by the administration, and I just enforce them, along with many others, regardless of gender, color, etc. He doesn't want to hear this, nor does he want to hear a simple solution - if you feel your daughter is being picked on because her earrings violate school policy, maybe she shouldn't wear them. He goes on to inform me he works two jobs "which you don't" and how his son, who also attended Ridgeway Middle, is bigger than I am (this father stands about 6' 6"), and best of all, how my racism has been going on since the first day of school and he has organized many other parents who feel the same way to go to the Board (of Education) about me. And the icing on the cake is the thinly veiled threat of violence, as if the threat of taking my job wasn't sufficient. I lived in New York City for 20 years, and I can recognize a threat, and this one wasn't terribly subtle.
Finally, I extricate myself from this, letting the dad know I don't care for threats. His parting words are "Your word against mine." And to emphasize this, he asks for confirmation from a nearby teacher he knows. As I am walking away, suddenly the Assistant Principal is there - what timing. Dad rants at him a bit and leaves. I ask the Asst. about his threats to take things to the Board, etc. and am told it won't get that far, and I reply "I hope so."
Cut to the end of my planning period. I had just spoken to the records secretary to ask if this girl had been transferred from my class yet. Nothing so far. Ten minutes later, though, she confirms it, and tells me the office is looking for me. I get to sit with the Principal and Assistant Principal behind closed doors and defend my statement of "I hope so" - which has been seen as a lack of faith in the administration. There is no show of support for me at all. Nobody says "We know you aren't racist" or "Don't let this worry you, that parent was out of line, but in order to keep them placated we will be moving this girl to another class." Just "what did you mean by that comment" and at the end a suggestion/command to "watch how you do things."
The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, made worse by the fact this is at least the second time this has happened to me - a month or so ago a different parent (who volunteered in the office to be nearby when her unruly and disrespectful child would get into trouble) accused me and another teacher of singling him out. It is true, he was singled out, in the same way police single out frequent lawbreakers - he kept doing the same things over and over again despite being gently reminded and reprimanded. The common factors here are parents who allow their children to disobey school rules (that we are bound to enforce) rather than support us, then claim the problem is with the teacher. In that incident, the student was removed from both of our classes, but still sneers at us when we ask him to follow school rules.
Faced with lack of support from my immediate supervisors, soon to be at the financial mercy of parents and students like these (the crazy ones are usually the ones who attract others who can be swayed into a mob to make demands), I am feeling quite a bit stressed. Which brings us to the final item of my new and less than improved mood.
Last June (yes, about 18 months ago) I had a crick in my neck that just wouldn't go away. My neck hurt, mainly on the right side, and sometimes I had some arm pain. In the past few months this has come back, in spades. My shoulder and neck are constantly aching, sometimes much more painful, and I have numbness from my thumb to the inside of my elbow. A year ago I went through all the tests and such, and the specialist told me I had a disk pressing on a nerve. The solution, according to him, was surgery. Six weeks recovery. I told him no thanks and he told me to come back when it started to affect my quality of life. I don't relish the thought of six weeks recovery, nor six weeks out of work (I have sick days that could/would cover it, but at the same time it is hard to come back after that long).
Now, though, as stress has increased, causing muscular tension, that shoulder and arm sing Ave Maria pretty much all the time. Sleeping is tough, since there isn't really a position that eases the pain - only positions that make it worse. I am seriously thinking about going back to get a second opinion - there is a great surgeon who did my mother-in-law's back reconstruction, and who sees my youngest for her potential scoliosis. But, there is a catch. Isn't there always? Earlier this year, to save money, the district decided, with no input from anybody, to change our insurance plan - from a choice between Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Aetna, to only Cigna. Effective in January. People were up in arms, as the biggest hospital group in the area is not covered by Cigna. Chaos in possibly changing doctors or paying through the nose to go out of plan. But the district saved $8million (earlier a spokesman was questioned about ongoing contracts for pagers (!) and cell phones that continue to be rolled over to the tune of $600,000 per year - he referred to that amount as "chump change"). Bottom line for me - no sense in starting a process now when insurance carries will change in the middle of the process. I get to endure this for at least another month, then get to discover whether this doctor is advocating surgery, or if the first guy is just knife-happy. Fun times for me, and no end in sight of the stress.
So, if anybody hears of a teaching job (in Memphis, as I don't see a move in our future) that doesn't suck (as if), pays decently (which eliminates most private schools, where good teaching is more likely to be recognized and appreciated) - let me know.
Now, at 4am, I guess I wll try to snag an hour or two of sleep before I go back to school to teach a monthly advanced math class. At least these kids are excited by the prospect of intellectual discovery.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Parental Responsibilities
I am the 'unofficial' assistant coach of my youngest's volleyball team. The real coach is a young pre-med, high school and college volleyball player, and is also a new first-time coach. I come to some practices and all the games, and have learned to fill in the scorebook. Mainly I am just supportive (and I can't help but reflect on how little involvement my students' parents have in their extracurricular life). Tonight was grueling, though. 8pm game, which started late. The girls won both games, and finished about 9:10.
Of course, this is past my youngest's normal schoolnight bedtime. Again, I reflect on the hours I hear some of my sleepy students keep. Going to bed at 1am, watching Adult Swim (my students are 12 years old), having little or no rules or guidelines at home for behavior. Also, I am knackered, having been up at 5:20am, on the road on the bicycle at 6:15. Then on my feet for the day, including lunch, and a humid ride home.
To me, this is normal parenting. It is tough, it is sometimes less than convenient, but it is necessary and it is rewarding.
Of course, this is past my youngest's normal schoolnight bedtime. Again, I reflect on the hours I hear some of my sleepy students keep. Going to bed at 1am, watching Adult Swim (my students are 12 years old), having little or no rules or guidelines at home for behavior. Also, I am knackered, having been up at 5:20am, on the road on the bicycle at 6:15. Then on my feet for the day, including lunch, and a humid ride home.
To me, this is normal parenting. It is tough, it is sometimes less than convenient, but it is necessary and it is rewarding.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Almost a month later
Yep, been letting this blog slide a little bit. Nothing major going on, but generally things are looking up. Not in the economic sense, as Memphis City Schools seems to feel teachers shouldn't get a negotiated raise, nor our "step-increase" (basically a cost of living increase of approximately $1000 per year, each year), mainly because the budget has become a political football. And let's not start in on Memphis politics.
School is well under way, and for a change I am enjoying it. I have sufficient time to get things done, create (both prior to classes and on the fly) lessons that help the kids, including the ones on our team who are in the most need. Some of these "inclusion" students are super-willing to work hard, and they do. Others have psychological issues (that is code for kids who have ADHD or more serious issues, and are ignored or have their wild behavior condoned by parents) that prevent them from engaging in meaningful learning. Still, I see it as a challenge, and I am rising to meet it. A big bulletin board where students who get 100% on a test or quiz have their name posted on a shark. If they get another, the shark moves up the food chain. EVERYBODY wants to be on that board, and they really pay attention when we review after a quiz, especially those kids who only miss one question. This is a new thing.
Also, I am taking my lunch, such as it is (basically a protein bar), in the cafeteria to help with the staffing issue (basically, there is no staff to monitor the cafeteria). This shows me to be a team player, plus the kids get to see more of me, and I can joke with them, or help them out by getting them a napkin or a spork, or some honey mustard. Such a little thing, but it is making a larger impact on feeling accepted by the students. And thanks to some recent self-reflection, I am not bothered if they don't accept me - I just keep doing what I know works, and they will catch on.
With the oldest a senior (!!!) in high school, she is driving the family car daily now. Which means I am back on the bicycle just about full time now. I think the odometer just rolled over 1100 miles...it is just part of the routine now and most teachers and students don't even comment after seeing me coming or going daily for a month. A subtle message of health, conservation, and even thrift.
New habits include watching some random NetFlix movies on the computer as the mood strikes me, plus the usual assortment of series we have rolling in via USPS (finishing Season 2 of Torchwood, then into Season 4 of Supernatural). I don't think we have ordered ANY movies from NetFlix, just series, but that is fine. Also doing a bunch of reading, mostly from the public library, something I have always done, being frugal before it was fashionable/necessary.
School is well under way, and for a change I am enjoying it. I have sufficient time to get things done, create (both prior to classes and on the fly) lessons that help the kids, including the ones on our team who are in the most need. Some of these "inclusion" students are super-willing to work hard, and they do. Others have psychological issues (that is code for kids who have ADHD or more serious issues, and are ignored or have their wild behavior condoned by parents) that prevent them from engaging in meaningful learning. Still, I see it as a challenge, and I am rising to meet it. A big bulletin board where students who get 100% on a test or quiz have their name posted on a shark. If they get another, the shark moves up the food chain. EVERYBODY wants to be on that board, and they really pay attention when we review after a quiz, especially those kids who only miss one question. This is a new thing.
Also, I am taking my lunch, such as it is (basically a protein bar), in the cafeteria to help with the staffing issue (basically, there is no staff to monitor the cafeteria). This shows me to be a team player, plus the kids get to see more of me, and I can joke with them, or help them out by getting them a napkin or a spork, or some honey mustard. Such a little thing, but it is making a larger impact on feeling accepted by the students. And thanks to some recent self-reflection, I am not bothered if they don't accept me - I just keep doing what I know works, and they will catch on.
With the oldest a senior (!!!) in high school, she is driving the family car daily now. Which means I am back on the bicycle just about full time now. I think the odometer just rolled over 1100 miles...it is just part of the routine now and most teachers and students don't even comment after seeing me coming or going daily for a month. A subtle message of health, conservation, and even thrift.
New habits include watching some random NetFlix movies on the computer as the mood strikes me, plus the usual assortment of series we have rolling in via USPS (finishing Season 2 of Torchwood, then into Season 4 of Supernatural). I don't think we have ordered ANY movies from NetFlix, just series, but that is fine. Also doing a bunch of reading, mostly from the public library, something I have always done, being frugal before it was fashionable/necessary.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Remember Me?
Yeah, it has been two weeks now since school started, and it is not as bad as I usually expect it to be. That first week was lots of chaos, overcrowding (as yet again they used my homeroom as a temporary placement before "leveling") which has subsided a little bit.
My classes are still pretty crowded. 29 in my homeroom, about 25 in each inclusion class (meaning we have learning disabled or special needs kids embedded in the class), and 34 in my honors class. That last one is the problem, as it includes too many smart-alecks. Already been on the phone with a mother of one of them (who culminated his ass-hat-ness by holding up the quiz on Friday and asking me why I said there were three pages when he only sees two - meaning two sheets. Hell, the pages were even numbered!!!), and she seemed indifferent until I told her we would boot him out of Honors if his behavior didn't improve. That got her attention!
This year I am seeing things more as a challenge that I can meet, instead of a burden to bear and endure. Some of it is last year's success rate, which lets me know I am doing the right things, and this year I have vowed to do more of them. On the discipline side, I am going by the book - strict, following the discipline ladder established by the administration. I don't argue with kids, just tell them the problem and give them a chance to fix it. If they don't, they get consequences - again without getting into a debate or discussion over "why" - something I could get drawn into in the past.
On the social side, I take my lunch in the cafeteria to help out with the understaffing situation which leaves little supervision. This lets me chat up students, or have them call to me to show off - but in a non-classroom situation. It makes me a little more approachable, and helps show others around that I am putting in my time in a less than desirable situation.
I know I won't make an immediate difference, but this year I know I will make a difference somewhere, at some time, with some student. That is enough for me, even if I don't know it this year.
My classes are still pretty crowded. 29 in my homeroom, about 25 in each inclusion class (meaning we have learning disabled or special needs kids embedded in the class), and 34 in my honors class. That last one is the problem, as it includes too many smart-alecks. Already been on the phone with a mother of one of them (who culminated his ass-hat-ness by holding up the quiz on Friday and asking me why I said there were three pages when he only sees two - meaning two sheets. Hell, the pages were even numbered!!!), and she seemed indifferent until I told her we would boot him out of Honors if his behavior didn't improve. That got her attention!
This year I am seeing things more as a challenge that I can meet, instead of a burden to bear and endure. Some of it is last year's success rate, which lets me know I am doing the right things, and this year I have vowed to do more of them. On the discipline side, I am going by the book - strict, following the discipline ladder established by the administration. I don't argue with kids, just tell them the problem and give them a chance to fix it. If they don't, they get consequences - again without getting into a debate or discussion over "why" - something I could get drawn into in the past.
On the social side, I take my lunch in the cafeteria to help out with the understaffing situation which leaves little supervision. This lets me chat up students, or have them call to me to show off - but in a non-classroom situation. It makes me a little more approachable, and helps show others around that I am putting in my time in a less than desirable situation.
I know I won't make an immediate difference, but this year I know I will make a difference somewhere, at some time, with some student. That is enough for me, even if I don't know it this year.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Back to School
Teachers reported yesterday. The day was mainly a review of our TCAP (state tests) scores and discussion of upcoming challenges. The nice upshot was, my team from last year (split up this year) was named team of the year for having high test scores, low office referrals and doing the job everybody is supposed to be doing. The 7th grade math teachers were recognized for having overall high scores, and my students had a 98% passing rate.
Today was registration. Bleh. 8am - 3pm, then back for 6pm - 8pm. I had three families show up, all at noon. Then one lady at 8:10pm (yes, after it was supposed to be finished). Some of my students pre-registered, so I have 11 of 24 with completed paperwork. Mind you, some of these people don't actually register or bring their kids to school until Labor Day, a month after school starts.
Just tired, but trying to stay optimistic.
Today was registration. Bleh. 8am - 3pm, then back for 6pm - 8pm. I had three families show up, all at noon. Then one lady at 8:10pm (yes, after it was supposed to be finished). Some of my students pre-registered, so I have 11 of 24 with completed paperwork. Mind you, some of these people don't actually register or bring their kids to school until Labor Day, a month after school starts.
Just tired, but trying to stay optimistic.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Australia - Air Travel
Needless to say, it is a long way there, and a long way back. Going, you lose a day, thanks to the International Dateline - but even so it is easier to adjust.
I left Memphis on a Tuesday morning. Checked my bag, which is an accomplishment since I can't remember the last time I checked a bag. Since it had a bunch of snorkeling gear (fins, wetsuit, mask, gloves, boots, etc.) I wouldn't need it, but it bulked a good bit, leaving lots of extra space for outerwear and little things. I didn't know if the bag would go all the way to Perth, and I eventually found out it wouldn't.
Memphis to Dallas/Ft. Worth was uneventful. One of those nice little jumps that is barely longer than takeoff and landing. Dallas to Los Angeles was in the same concourse, which for Dallas is saying a lot. There are at least four, some that can be walked, others that require a shuttle rail. This flight was the warmup for the big jump. About 4 hours, with the first of several time changes. Again, uneventful, but a pretty full flight. Kept myself occupied with a big puzzle book - you know, sudoku, word search, crosswords, acrostics...all that stuff. Once we arrived at Los Angeles the fun started.
For some reason the jetway didn't reach the plane, or maybe it lost power. In any case it took an hour for them to exhaust all options and wheel those old-fashioned metal steps to the plane. Then the nearly full plane took what seemed like forever to disembark. Once inside the terminal I had a decision to make. I needed food, but I also had to change terminals, to the International terminal. My long walk through the domestic gates showed me all the typical, and overpriced, options you expect in an airport. Still, I had six hours to kill, so I decided to walk to the international terminal, which was about 50 yards beyond the exit from where I was.
The International Terminal at LAX has a food court, upstairs, overlooking not much to speak of. McDonalds (which I didn't know, but I wouldn't see again until I returned to the states), Starbucks, and a few no-name food court type places. Got a tray of food, and realized there were not enough tables, so sat across from an Asian girl who probably didn't speak English, which was no problem since we ignored each other. I figured there would be plenty of things, like shops, etc. in the terminal itself, so I went through security (second time of the day) and found that most of the terminal was under renovation. My gate was at the extreme far end of the terminal as well, and the only thing nearby was a little snack/coffee shop. No gift shops, no bookstores, nothing but a very long bare corridor. I got to watch it become night outside, two other international flights departed. Finally hours and hours later more people started arriving for the Sydney flight. Turns out the darn thing was packed full. And even better (sarcasm), I had been booked into a middle seat from checking in at Memphis.
Middle seat, bare bottom economy. Guy on my right, in the window seat, was kind of talkative, but also informed the two of us between him and the aisle that he had two Benadryl and would sleep the whole way. My biological clock was telling me it was past midnight, but I have this odd rhythm that keeps me from sleeping when I travel or arrive in a new city. I stayed awake, watching Paul Blart, Mall Cop until the meal service. One nice feature was the on-demand video, which includes current movies, some older movies, art house stuff, international, TV shows, etc. Even an in-flight map and status of the flight. I stayed awake until about 3am body clock time, then dozed. We got a little snack sack in case we got hungry during the "night", plus a travel kit of socks, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste. Sleeping sucked. I couldn't move either direction, and even with a pillow and a blanket couldn't make myself comfortable. Woke up at my "normal" Memphis body-time of 6am, and then proceeded to watch Taken, Quantum of Solace, Juno, and during breakfast Benjamin Button.
14 hours of flying, everybody is itching to get off the plane. But wait, we are being diverted to Brisbane, since the Sydney airport is fogged in, and we don't have enough fuel to circle. So we fly an hour north, land and fuel up (pity the people who were supposed to go to Brisbane via Sydney) then go back an hour. Saw very little of the Syndey airport. Had to walk through a department store called Duty Free (a little joke, but it was like the first floor of any department store, with all the perfume, except it had liquor too). Cleared customs, then had to claim my luggage. My first time with the bag, and I watched it go past 3 times before I recognized it. Then I drag it to quarantine, where I gave up the fruit/nut mix the airline gave me, as you can't bring in any produce, even if the airline gave it to you. Then drag my bag through multiple corridors to reach the domestic check in for my bag, where the lady was very nice and directed me to the shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. See the symmetry?
Short bus ride, then another security checkpoint. Full flight again, since the airport had been closed for fog. Instead of leaving at 8 something, it was a 10 something departure, but the first plane out. So I arrived in Perth around 2:30pm, instead of a few hours earlier, which plays a role in the next portion of the saga: Ground Transportation!
Or maybe I will cover the return flights first, not really sure.
I left Memphis on a Tuesday morning. Checked my bag, which is an accomplishment since I can't remember the last time I checked a bag. Since it had a bunch of snorkeling gear (fins, wetsuit, mask, gloves, boots, etc.) I wouldn't need it, but it bulked a good bit, leaving lots of extra space for outerwear and little things. I didn't know if the bag would go all the way to Perth, and I eventually found out it wouldn't.
Memphis to Dallas/Ft. Worth was uneventful. One of those nice little jumps that is barely longer than takeoff and landing. Dallas to Los Angeles was in the same concourse, which for Dallas is saying a lot. There are at least four, some that can be walked, others that require a shuttle rail. This flight was the warmup for the big jump. About 4 hours, with the first of several time changes. Again, uneventful, but a pretty full flight. Kept myself occupied with a big puzzle book - you know, sudoku, word search, crosswords, acrostics...all that stuff. Once we arrived at Los Angeles the fun started.
For some reason the jetway didn't reach the plane, or maybe it lost power. In any case it took an hour for them to exhaust all options and wheel those old-fashioned metal steps to the plane. Then the nearly full plane took what seemed like forever to disembark. Once inside the terminal I had a decision to make. I needed food, but I also had to change terminals, to the International terminal. My long walk through the domestic gates showed me all the typical, and overpriced, options you expect in an airport. Still, I had six hours to kill, so I decided to walk to the international terminal, which was about 50 yards beyond the exit from where I was.
The International Terminal at LAX has a food court, upstairs, overlooking not much to speak of. McDonalds (which I didn't know, but I wouldn't see again until I returned to the states), Starbucks, and a few no-name food court type places. Got a tray of food, and realized there were not enough tables, so sat across from an Asian girl who probably didn't speak English, which was no problem since we ignored each other. I figured there would be plenty of things, like shops, etc. in the terminal itself, so I went through security (second time of the day) and found that most of the terminal was under renovation. My gate was at the extreme far end of the terminal as well, and the only thing nearby was a little snack/coffee shop. No gift shops, no bookstores, nothing but a very long bare corridor. I got to watch it become night outside, two other international flights departed. Finally hours and hours later more people started arriving for the Sydney flight. Turns out the darn thing was packed full. And even better (sarcasm), I had been booked into a middle seat from checking in at Memphis.
Middle seat, bare bottom economy. Guy on my right, in the window seat, was kind of talkative, but also informed the two of us between him and the aisle that he had two Benadryl and would sleep the whole way. My biological clock was telling me it was past midnight, but I have this odd rhythm that keeps me from sleeping when I travel or arrive in a new city. I stayed awake, watching Paul Blart, Mall Cop until the meal service. One nice feature was the on-demand video, which includes current movies, some older movies, art house stuff, international, TV shows, etc. Even an in-flight map and status of the flight. I stayed awake until about 3am body clock time, then dozed. We got a little snack sack in case we got hungry during the "night", plus a travel kit of socks, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste. Sleeping sucked. I couldn't move either direction, and even with a pillow and a blanket couldn't make myself comfortable. Woke up at my "normal" Memphis body-time of 6am, and then proceeded to watch Taken, Quantum of Solace, Juno, and during breakfast Benjamin Button.
14 hours of flying, everybody is itching to get off the plane. But wait, we are being diverted to Brisbane, since the Sydney airport is fogged in, and we don't have enough fuel to circle. So we fly an hour north, land and fuel up (pity the people who were supposed to go to Brisbane via Sydney) then go back an hour. Saw very little of the Syndey airport. Had to walk through a department store called Duty Free (a little joke, but it was like the first floor of any department store, with all the perfume, except it had liquor too). Cleared customs, then had to claim my luggage. My first time with the bag, and I watched it go past 3 times before I recognized it. Then I drag it to quarantine, where I gave up the fruit/nut mix the airline gave me, as you can't bring in any produce, even if the airline gave it to you. Then drag my bag through multiple corridors to reach the domestic check in for my bag, where the lady was very nice and directed me to the shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. See the symmetry?
Short bus ride, then another security checkpoint. Full flight again, since the airport had been closed for fog. Instead of leaving at 8 something, it was a 10 something departure, but the first plane out. So I arrived in Perth around 2:30pm, instead of a few hours earlier, which plays a role in the next portion of the saga: Ground Transportation!
Or maybe I will cover the return flights first, not really sure.
I live in "Crazy City"
I wish I could make some of this stuff up. Really. To an outsider it probably seems 10x more ridiculous than it does to those of us who are suffering to live here. Which truly begs the question of why anybody stays here.
The mayor. Well, he isn't smoking crack and stalking women like Marion Barry of Washington DC. He isn't perjuring himself about using city supplied phones and computers to conduct an affair with a staffer, like whats-his-name from Detroit.
However, he is under constant FBI investigation for shady real estate deals, appoints unqualified staffers (former bodyguards, usually) to positions created for them to justify $100,000 salaries, many of whom become embroiled in scandal. The latest fun takes the cake. Within weeks of his unprecedented 5th term election, he announced he was resigning to take the then-vacant job of School Superintendent, a job he held until he resigned following a sex-for-promotion scandal. Problem was, he didn't want to interview, just have the job given to him. So, he withdrew his resignation. While I was in Australia, he resigned AGAIN, this time to run for a congressional seat. The person who was to replace him began assembling a team to run the city during the time between the resignation and the special election. Meanwhile, mayor's cronies lined up to resign and collect fat pensions. Then mayor decides he doesn't like the guy who will be interim mayor, and he doesn't like the number, or caliber, of people lining up to run in the special election. So he withdraws his resignation again - this time, informally, saying he will "retire" at the end of the month.
The man has an overblown ego, and a need to be in the spotlight. He also doesn't want to work for the betterment of the city, but would rather have a city that is predominately poor and black, those being the key demographics who will vote for him. He has told people who don't like how he runs the city to "leave," and many have.
Don't get me started on all the alleged changes to the City Schools format and curriculum for the new year, or the continued drama of who will be funding the schools and to what degree. It is all a big mystery.
Over the next few days/weeks, expect to see some new posts here with the prefix "Australia." I will expound on my experiences, differences in the US and Australia, and just cool stuff that I want to share.
The mayor. Well, he isn't smoking crack and stalking women like Marion Barry of Washington DC. He isn't perjuring himself about using city supplied phones and computers to conduct an affair with a staffer, like whats-his-name from Detroit.
However, he is under constant FBI investigation for shady real estate deals, appoints unqualified staffers (former bodyguards, usually) to positions created for them to justify $100,000 salaries, many of whom become embroiled in scandal. The latest fun takes the cake. Within weeks of his unprecedented 5th term election, he announced he was resigning to take the then-vacant job of School Superintendent, a job he held until he resigned following a sex-for-promotion scandal. Problem was, he didn't want to interview, just have the job given to him. So, he withdrew his resignation. While I was in Australia, he resigned AGAIN, this time to run for a congressional seat. The person who was to replace him began assembling a team to run the city during the time between the resignation and the special election. Meanwhile, mayor's cronies lined up to resign and collect fat pensions. Then mayor decides he doesn't like the guy who will be interim mayor, and he doesn't like the number, or caliber, of people lining up to run in the special election. So he withdraws his resignation again - this time, informally, saying he will "retire" at the end of the month.
The man has an overblown ego, and a need to be in the spotlight. He also doesn't want to work for the betterment of the city, but would rather have a city that is predominately poor and black, those being the key demographics who will vote for him. He has told people who don't like how he runs the city to "leave," and many have.
Don't get me started on all the alleged changes to the City Schools format and curriculum for the new year, or the continued drama of who will be funding the schools and to what degree. It is all a big mystery.
Over the next few days/weeks, expect to see some new posts here with the prefix "Australia." I will expound on my experiences, differences in the US and Australia, and just cool stuff that I want to share.
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