There and Back Again

Wow, it's been a while since I've done this whole blogging thing. Shame on me. My excuse is that I've been busy. Sorry 'bout it.

I finally went back home to the Lake of the Ozarks. I had forgotten how beautiful it is there. As a teenager, I couldn't wait to leave, but I understand its appeal now. The fact that it is so isolated is simultaneously its biggest draw and its biggest drawback. I mean, it's within a reasonable distance to some bigger cities, but the nearest major airport is three hours away. In any case, it's a cool place, and I'm glad I have the excuse of visiting family to make regular trips there. Speaking of family, mine is awesome. They got a new kitty--a fluffy white boy named Gunther. We also had a fun Memorial Day Weekend get-together, although I hit a wall halfway through and had to take a nap during the beer tasting. I just can't party as hard as my parents. I did get my margarita on at Tres Hombres, a family favorite. I could bathe in their queso dip. I think I left a leftover cup full of it at my parents' house, and now I'm really regretting not taking it with me. It probably would have stunk up my car anyway. My mom and dad also took me shopping for teaching clothes. Shopping for clothes with my mother is usually a frustrating task for both of us, but we had a lot of fun and found some great things. We bought no fewer than six bow ties, so I'll be looking super fly on the first day of classes. I really like all the things we picked out, and I'm super appreciative that I have such amazing parents who help me out with that stuff.

Alas, all good things come to an end, so I packed up and headed back to St. Louis that Monday in my PT Cruiser with a fresh pair of new tires. I had three more days of teacher training left, and I couldn't wait to get it over with. I did that training from 8:00-5:30 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and used the rest of the evenings to nest. Taking after my mother, I compulsively rearranged the furniture. The gay in me has had a burning desire to give this whole house an interior decorating makeover, but I'm making due with what's available to me. I'm finally starting to know my way around this part of St. Louis; I'm certainly glad I have my Cruiser back so I can zoom in and out of the traffic. That was not so feasible in the Suburban.

In work news, I finally have my class schedule for the next five weeks! On Saturday nights, I'll be driving to Cape Girardeau where IRD will pay for a hotel and my gas until I leave on Tuesday. I've never been to Cape Girardeau, and I only have a couple of acquaintances who I know will be there this summer, so it might not be that exciting. However, I'll probably be exhausted from teaching and traveling, so I will probably just relax in my hotel (hopefully it'll have a pool, or at least a gym). Once I get back to St. Louis, I'll have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off, so that will be a nice break. On Saturdays, I'll be teaching two classes at St. Louis University starting after noon, so I should have plenty of time to rest. Work will be crazy, but very rewarding, so I'm excited to get started!

I suppose that's enough of an update for now. I'll try to get some new pictures posted. Right now, my kitchen is a sad, empty place, so I'm gonna go fix that.

-Anthony