here I go again!

I'm getting a feeling of deja vu again. Must be the fact that the merry go round of life has reached yet another complete turn.

As many of you know, your intrepid candlepin bowler/webmaster/blogger is unemployed. This is due to a complex situation of events set in motion by a relatively simple set of people. Essentially, I got hoodwinked by a very shady superintendent, his loyal sidekick principal and several students who set about to successfully create a scandalous lie. And while the general public believes not one word of the lies spread about me, the superintendent and his minions did...so I got fired.

Yet through all of this, I've spoken to a few different districts regarding employment...each of them telling me the same thing: thanks, but no thanks. Apparently, I'm too expensive, too qualified, or too whatever to teach their children. I've been put through countless numbers of questions and gang interviews, made to teach sample lessons (devised by holders of mathematics doctorates), criticized by techers who haven't even taught mathematics before, and put through the general ringer in the name of finding the right person for the job. And each time, after fully explaining my qualifications and providing a large number of glowing references, I get told I'm not good enough. Oh really?

So, today I was contacted by the Hartford Public Schools. Apparently, they have an opening for 7th grade mathematics at a school near the border between Hartford and Wethersfield. Said opening would require me to have a certification I do not yet have, and have had trouble obtaining (read that as calculus is the bane of my existence). Oh, and they'd like me to pull a sample lesson out of my ass...tomorrow...on "whatever." Therefore, count me firmly in the corner of, "who are they kidding?" I'm sure I'll go in there with some lesson, talk with them for a bit and they'll hire someone else...as usual. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess.

I'm feeling so frustrated lately. Hell, it's the Christmas season...I should be full of joy and happiness, etc. Yeah, right. I'm not. I don't have a job nor do I have any solid prospects for a job, so I'm pretty down. While I'm fortunate enough to have a future wife who takes care of both of us as the sole breadwinner right now, my career has just plain stopped. And I keep going back to all those professors in college telling me that there's going to be "tons of jobs for elementary teachers when [I] get out of school." Well then, where the hell are they? There was one in my hometown this year, and over 500 applied. So, I had a snowball's chance. Needless to say, they didn't call me. Therefore, I keep plugging against hope that I'll find something. I really need to pass that PRAXIS exam...but I've failed it twice already. Guess January will be the third time's a charm failure.

Bowling sucked last night...93/90/81. I've got several hitches in my delivery, preventing me from hitting the headpin. Thankfully, Ron (the owner) took a look at me and had me work on a few things before I left. I know what I'm doing wrong, I just need to overcome it. Ron is such a nice man...reminds me of my father with the way he has with me. He's been great. I'm looking to put his tips and instruction into play on Wednesday AM.