Five Years

Chingu seems to really like diet soda.

This is as good a time as any to recap the last five years of my life, no?

In 2021 I returned to America from my job teaching English in South Korea.  I moved in with my Dad in Bellingham, Washington.  He was 88 at the time and dealing with, well, age, as well as a very bad romantic relationship that had just ended.  Basically, he needed full-time care, and he couldn't drive any more, and he lived in the middle of the woods.  Neither of us were thrilled by all of this, but it was necessary short of putting him in a home.

I worked a weekend / part-time job with the Whatcom County Humane Society which changed my life, in no small part because I adopted the tuxedo terror (pictured above) and his sister -- Chingu and Mandu (Korean names for "friend" and "dumpling.")

In 2022 my Dad was finally diagnosed with vascular dementia.  It was a secret to nobody, especially his doctor, who seemed strangely reluctant to actually give him the test that would allow for the dementia diagnosis.  These were, understandably, very difficult times for everyone.  I cried when the doctor asked my Dad some simple questions -- Date? Location? Where are you, basically.  It wasn't just that he was "wrong" in his answers, but that he couldn't fathom the concepts of test, date, location, and, well, reality.

A Proper Update

I don't think I've ever mentioned on this here blog that from January to December of 2025 I was working at the local board of elections, making it both a county (Frederick) and a state (Maryland) job.  Things started off well -- I really admired the overall mission, and I liked my coworkers.  However, it quickly became apparent that everyone in management was a) toxic b) very stupid or c) both.

Don't take my word for it!  I went to state level HR multiple times and all of my complaints were considered valid.  Right before last Christmas the director let me know I was being asked to leave.  I got a letter saying it was purely for budgetary reasons and not for cause.  Thing is, that's bullshit because with the 2026 primary and general elections approaching this is actually the busiest time of the year.

Still don't take my word for it?  This past January I was contacted by Maryland HR.  They wanted me to come in for a meeting with two members of the Board of Directors.  A number of other employees were complaining about the a) toxic and b) very stupid atmosphere of the place.  I went in for a 90 minute meeting and said my piece.  The place is run by lazy dummies who are holding on until they qualify for full pensions.

So getting shit-canned (ahem, "let go") sucks, especially right before Christmas.  But I had been applying for other jobs, and got one with the Department of Juvenile Services.  I'll make this even shorter -- I was hired as a juvenile detention warden ("Resident Advisor").  On my second day, with no proper training other than "don't defend yourself if you are assaulted," I was, uh -- assaulted.  The properly trained R.A. who observed the incident started laughing his ass off about it.  I quit that moment.  (This all took place as the beginning of April.)

So anyhow, goodbye Maryland.  I understand that nice things cost taxes, but to pay Maryland-level taxes and actually observe, in two different locations, incredibly shitty levels of competence was a bit of a wake-up call.  Not to mention the fact that while Frederick, Maryland made sense for my dad's needs regarding seeing his family, he's unfortunately gone now.  And honestly, Frederick is a lot more bad than it is good.  With its MAGA criminal sheriff and high schools with unresolved gang-rapes, it's time for a change.  By my back-of-the-envelope calculations, I'll start saving about 30 to 40 thousand a year just in state and property taxes.  (For what it's worth, North Carolina does have state income tax but it's much more reasonable.)

I'm having some work done on my house in preparation for a sale.  I might need to replace the roof, which would be expensive, but that's just the way it is.  This summer I'm going to start looking for a new house somewhere in or west of Wilmington, North Carolina.  It's not retirement, yet -- at the very least I'm qualified to substitute teach down there until I find something else.  But I am in a good position financially, and at 51 I'm planning on retiring long before I hit 60.

I'm excited.  I think my cats are too.  I want to walk on the beach at least three of four times a week and take the same damn picture of the ocean over and over again.  Also, barbecue.

Always more to say, but I think this is a good enough explanation for now.  Wish me luck!

Something New

I'm starting a new job this Wednesday.  It's been nice to have a little time off, and a relief to have gotten out of a very toxic previous work situation.  It's going to be tough, but I'm excited to be doing something new.  It's -- education adjacent, I guess you could say.  It also pays well and offers full benefits.

We'll see how it goes!

Back From The Beach

Corolla Beach was fantastic.  I walked and swam every day.

Meanwhile, work has been a bit disappointing.  It turns out I was not being paid my full share since I started at the new place back in January.  That, and a toxic supervisor mean I'm looking for something else but planning on staying on in the meantime.

I guess there's no perfect job but finding something where I'm treated with a modicum of dignity would be nice.  Although I did get a small pay raise.

Job Stuff

I started a new job last week and it's going really well.  After 12 years teaching ESL in South Korea, and various other things along the way (substituting, tutoring, composition teaching in graduate school) I think part of me will always think of myself as a teacher, or an ex-teacher.

I'm also certain that thousands of years ago, sitting around the in-cave fire, the cave-people elders were complaining about the young folks.  But something really does seem to have changed -- so much unnecessary drama, the occasional death threat from a second grader, the addiction to cell phones -- in terms of what a teacher's job is supposed to be now.

I'll say more soon but it's nice to go into work and not have to hear any screaming, or any n- or f-bombs.

Delight and Instruct

Substitute teaching is going pretty well.  Half of the game is signing up for gigs at schools that are run well or, of course, avoiding the bad ones.  It gets easier over time, and I've dipped my toes into things like P.E. and Special Education and enjoyed them greatly.

This last week before Christmas break a young elementary student threatened to kill me though.  Per training, I called the Behavior department four times and they didn't even answer.

Again, avoiding the poorly run schools is part of the game.

Frederick!

One thing I really like about substitute teaching so far is how it gets me travelling all around the county.  This week I'm off to some pretty remote places, as the majority of my teaching has been close to or inside Frederick city proper.  (I live on the west side of town.)

I need to take more pictures.

Sub!

Substitute teaching is going really well, much better than I expected.  Basically, you're teaching but not having to prep or assess, i.e., grade, which are the two biggest time-sucks in education.

Am I a great big target for student harassment?  Yes!  But as long as the teacher has left behind a reasonably coherent lesson plan I feel confident and have thick enough skin to make it through.

I've worked with a severely autistic kid for entire days.  One day I was basically a glorified study hall monitor.  At the end of last week I taught biology.  In one week I got two different offers to go "long term" with the schools -- this would mean a slight pay-bump, and honestly I think it's a trap.  If you really like the position, that's great.  But that's not nearly enough pay to get back into lesson planning and grading.

The variety is great.  Not forming relationships with students is a downside but honestly not something I'm too worried about.  Right now, it's a paycheck among other things and not a bad one.  I finish the day somewhere between two and four p.m. and take nothing home.

Teacher James

First day of teaching went well!  Granted, it was a pretty low-intensity job for the day but I'll take it.

Delight and Instruct

This Wednesday I've got orientation for being a substitute teacher for the county.  Honestly, I was trying to get away from teaching but job-wise it pays well, it opens paths towards full-time teaching, and I applied for every damn job I was qualified for since my Dad died last November.  As mentioned, I was tutoring for a really terrible company for a while but it did pay a few bills.

There is a really wide range of schools around here.  I've heard actual subs tell me everything from you're basically a warden to much more positive experiences actually teaching and building relationships with students.

We'll see!  But it's nice to finally have something full-time lined up.

Varsity Tutors Is A Horrible Company And You Should Not Work For Them

I've lined up full time employment for the first time since my Dad passed away last November.  Good for me!  It was tougher than I thought it would be, but Frederick, Maryland is a very competitive place in no small part because there aren't many big employers here beyond the county and city itself.  (My understanding is that the largest employer in Frederick County is -- wait for it -- Frederick County.)

At one point I took a part time tutor job with Varsity Tutors.  It was decent, but also very scammy.  I remember asking if I should contact the parents of one student who wasn't showing up for Zoom sessions and was basically laughed at.

Long story short, I applied for a position which required a Sexual Abuse background check for any jobs in my past ten years involving minors.  A good policy and not a problem!

Well, Varsity simply refused to sign off on this form.  I understand that I was a contractor, but they still wouldn't lift a finger to help me out.  Not to mention, if you have a situation like this there is no HR department.  They will simply give you a dummy email address, and they won't respond to your issue(s) unless you are very, very lucky and/or raise enough of a stink.

I understand people want to boost their kids' chances, but you're better off finding a local company that will provide you with at the very least a phone number and email to talk to a real person.

But it's over, and soon enough I'll update you folks on my new job.

Never Alone

Frederick has some charms that I'm discovering as they come.  The downtown area is swell, and the west side of town where I live, while not much to look at, has some good restaurants and shopping (H-Mart!).

I'm still looking for a full-time job.  It's tough.  Being a bedroom community for both DC and Baltimore, there are a lot of smart, well-educated cookies out here.  As far as I can tell, Frederick County is the largest employer in Frederick County.  Now, as a Biden-loving liberal, I'm all for taxation and quality government services.  But it sure would be nice if some more private companies moved into here.  (It's highly reminiscent of Bellingham, actually.)  I've interviewed for some good things though, but just haven't managed to seal the deal yet.

So I've been doing online tutoring, which could be worse.  Next week I'll be a poll judge for the Maryland primary, which should be fun as well (and it pays!).  And we're making good progress on my Dad's estate -- almost done, actually.  He took the time to set his finances up meticulously and safely, so that's another thing to be grateful for.

And here I was trying to write an upbeat post.

So things are fine as we enter summer.  The Orioles are playing brilliantly.  I'm killing lots of dandelions.  I have incredibly vivid, mostly good dreams about both my mom and dad.  I talk to them sometimes, if I'm being honest.

My cats remain the goofiest sentient beings on the East Coast.

I'll take Kendrick over Drake any day.

Moving Right Along

I started a new job last week and it's going pretty well.

For those keeping score, I had part-time job this past summer working as a jobs counselor for younger folks.  Now I'm full-time in an education-related field here in lovely Frederick.  Not to be coy, as I'll probably give more details later.

As mentioned, I'm also living with my Dad who is a hale and hearty 94.  We made this move for a number of reasons, but basically the nursing home wasn't working out.  Nothing terrible was going on, he just wasn't getting enough social stimulation for the very hard-working but over-tasked staff.

We have some wonderful nurses coming in during the day, allowing me to go to work.  It's tough somedays.  He's becoming less and less mobile, and it's more difficult to communicate with him and understand (fully) what his needs are.

I woke up this morning to a great big windstorm, as it seems fall has finally arrived in Maryland.  My back is sore from lifting my Dad improperly a few times (just once is really all it takes!  use those legs!).  I'm taking life and work one day at time, as much as it's possible not to worry about the future (mortality for starters, and also the fact that I'm on a one-year contract and will yet again be applying for jobs come next summer).

The Orioles lost last night in their first playoff appearance since who knows when.  Nothing will make you a realist quicker than caring for somebody approaching 95.  But part of me is looking forward to the second game this afternoon, come what may.

Losing is fine.  But not believing better days lie ahead?  That's for suckers.

Throwing Myself Out There

Job searching is never very fun, but I've got an interview for something next week.

Meanwhile, at the risk of jinxing, the Orioles seem to be for real with 30 games left in the season.

I've started and am planning to finish Yukio Mishima's Sea of Fertility series, maybe because I'm a masochist, maybe because late Meiji Era Japan is my jam, who knows.

Go Home Mandu, You're Drunk

Lots of stuff going on.  The summer job is great -- I'm counseling young folks on their own summer jobs and enjoying it a lot.  Some announcements and such coming soon too.

Wow, Maryland summer is hot.

Summertime Rolls

I finally got to start my summer job and it's going well.  I really like my boss and hell, they even gave me an iPhone (for the rest of said summer).

Blogging might be light until September and the beginning of the "real" dispatching job.  We're weighing some new options for taking care of my Dad, hale and hearty at 94.

It's getting hot.  Boo.

Princess Mandu

 

I have an online psych exam for the real job this coming Thursday.  I think I'll just let Mandu take it for me.

Update on the Updates

I have a pretty good job lined up for September, when I'll begin paid training.

Thing is, that's a long time to go without a paycheck.

So I've been applying for summer jobs as well, which is kind of annoying considering I did the work to get "a real job" for the fall.

Anyhow, I've had some good interviews for the part-time stuff.  Meanwhile, I'm going through some incredibly thorough background and medical checks for my first government job ever.

It's a process.  My Dad keeps asking me why I'm not working yet, and he kind of has a point.  I keep visiting him before or after these interviews, after telling him I got the job I really wanted, and he's understandably confused.

Anyhow, I should have something short-term lined up next week.

The best part of having a job is not having to look for a new one.

My cats are my personality, basically.

Job

Jimmy McGriff, "Blue Juice"

I played this a ton driving across the country.  Close-to-perfect track.

I got offered a job yesterday, and a pretty good one at that.  I'm pursuing both education opportunities but also dispatching.  I tested, interviewed, and was offered one of the latter in the span of about four hours.

So it's good news, and I have enough time to wait and hear back from some of my admittedly longer-shot applications.

S'good.

Work

I'm looking for a job.  It might seem strange from the outside, but I'm applying to a mix of education related positions (I mean, I did teach English in South Korea for over a decade) and dispatching, which is what I was doing in Bellingham part-time with the Humane Society.  I see a clear link between the two with regards to communication skills and problem solving buy hey, that's how I'm wired.

It's never easy to be told you aren't good enough for any position.  But then again, it's only been a little over a week and I've got at least one interview lined up.

We shall see.