I ain't got time to bleed!

Man oh man, Jesse Ventura had it right. Whether you are fighting crazy cloaking aliens in a Columbian style jungle or you are woking your first teaching job, you just don't have time to think or do anything else. I have kept my head above water for the last week and a half as I try to teach, plan, adjust, make appointments, and maintain some kind of social life (the latter is important to overall sanity).

School is going well and I really can't say that I am not enjoying myself, but I am busy and I am tired. My class is small, but prepping for four completly different subjects, two of which I have never taught and have no training in, takes it's toll on my mental capabilities. My customary schedule has resumed from last year; I wake up at 6:30, leave for school at 7:30, teaching by 8:30, back home at around 5, nap from 6-8 (doctors say that these are the ony naps that actually hav any effect as they allow for a full rem cycle), eat at 8:30 and work from 9 until 2 a.m., and repeat. I know that this sounds kind of absurd but it is the only schedule that allows me to work productivly and maintain some kind of conscious state. Once a week, towards the middle, I try to get a normal nights sleep and then it is friday before I know it.

Friday nights and Saturdays are mine; I have made them so. The last couple of Friday nights I have taken to hanging out with Helena. She is the girl on the left in the last pictures of Thessaloniki from last spring. It has been super cool hanging out with someone other than teachers as then I don't feel like I have to talk shop (it helps that she is super cool, shares some of my interest, is cute, and is patient as I attempt to butcher her language). Last Friday we met a couple of our friends at a cafe and relaxed in the center for the evening. Yesterday we went and saw a movie, that most recent Adam Sandler movie, not my pick, and not great but good for a few laughs, then we went to a very nice restaurant. I usually get home late on fridays as the normal Greek night has ended early if you are home by 3. Saturdays I sleep in late, usually go into the center to have coffee with Roxanne, Demitri, or Helena and to do some window shopping and then it is home in the evening to get a good nights sleep and relax. I wake up around 9 on Sunday go for a walk and then get right to work and work until I finish, usually around 11 p.m. or 12; The next week starts again and I have just caught my breath to go back under.

This is life as I know it.
Updates to come: I am buying a new bike, my bathtub leaks, I have to get a tax number, and I have to go to the hospital this week. Stay tuned for the next installment.

peace love and happiness
ian