Last week was CASC week. I don’t remember what CASC stands for, but basically we got into groups based on content area and looked back over the standards and curriculum, making any necessary changes and updates. I was in the Writing CASC, and I had a great group. We had lots of fun. I learned a lot, and I feel like I contributed at least a little. It was kind of cool having that kind of influence. Decisions that I made actually affect the entire district… I like it. Well, I like it if they were good decisions. (It's weird to think that just last week I was at work in Unalakleet, and now I'm sitting in an international hostel in Venice, CA. Quite a change!)
There was one major event last week that has absolutely nothing to do with school. On Tuesday night my dog was howling, which rarely happens, so I went out and gave her some hay. The next morning as I left for school I found my dog not running out excited to see me, like she usually does. I looked in her box, as I had been doing for the whole week previous (just in case), and there she was, puppy and all.
Proud Mama Star taking care of her baby. She's a good mom. :)
She had a little girl, and so far it’s just the one. I checked every day after, but no change. This is good – the one puppy came right on time. The last litter came 2 weeks early because there were too many, which is why they didn’t make it. This time it was just the one, and she seems to be very healthy. She’s very vocal, and very cute. I haven’t picked a name for her yet, and I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep her or not. We’ll just see how things go. I am tempted, and I am currently on the hunt for a good name, preferably Yupiq. One of my students, Yosty, is watching over my dogs while I’m away.
Puppy hasn't quite opened her eyes yet, at least when I had left. But she looks a lot like her mother - black with white tips on her paws and a white stripe down her belly. I'm anxious to see how she changes.
Speaking of being away, I’m sitting in a hostel in Venice, CA, just outside of Los Angeles. School is over, and I probably couldn’t do much with it even if I wanted to, which I don’t. On Monday, Adrianna and I, and Jake and Janelle, flew out to Anchorage for the beginning of our journeys. It was all very exciting. We rented a car together and made our way to town. Town!! We tried to go to Pete’s Sushi, but alas, it was closed for Memorial Day. Ah well. We got a nice bagel sandwich, then headed over to REI where we picked up a few essentials. After a few more errands, the four of us met back at Humpey’s for dinner. I took Adrianna to the airport, then met up with Alec, a friend in Anchorage. We hung out, had some laughs, took a walk, etc. It was good. :)
My flight to Los Angeles left at 12:40AM that night, and I arrived at around 7:00AM. It was fantastic… psych. My plan was to store my luggage at the airport so I would only have to carry my backpack. Not so – LAX no longer stores luggage. Big bummer. I took a taxi to my hostel, which was a deadly ride. I thought I was going to die. And looking around, everything is made of cement, everything is commercialized, and whatever is or once was naturally beautiful has been overrun by the city. Oh well, I got to my hostel alive, where I guess I really didn’t have a reservation. But the lady was very, very nice, and she let me sleep in an empty bed for the morning and prepared a bed for me to have for the night. Anyway, my hostel overlooks the beach - not a bad little spot.
This is the window in the lounge of my hostel. It looks right out to the beach. Pretty sweet.
I rented a bike yesterday and rode up the trail along the beach. I found a nice spot where there weren’t very many people and just hung out, walked along the beach in the water, enjoyed the warmth, enjoyed the solitude. It’s one thing to go from the bush to Anchorage. It’s another to come straight into L.A. It’s not so big a deal, I mean, I’ve lived in the city before, I can handle it, I’m not worried about it. But it’s definitely a lot different. And I definitely appreciate where I live. I’m also extremely anxious to get to New Zealand, so that also contributes to my poor attitude towards L.A. Oh well. I don’t care. I just want to get to where I’m supposed to be. This is not it. It's not terrible, and I know I'm just being grumpy about it. There are a few redeeming qualities, like all the gardens and flowers everywhere, which makes it smell good in some neighborhoods. I still don't want to live here.
I biked up a ways out of town where there was a little solitude, less people, more open beach. This is the view from where I was. It's so big, so busy. I was glad to be out of that for a few minutes.
Today I packed my things up and checked out, but the hostel is letting me store my things and hang out here for the day since my flight leaves so late tonight. I rented a bike and rode around town for a couple of hours. I went over to Marina del Rey, saw some of the boats, biked on the bike trail up that way, etc.
Boats, boats, and more boats. Quite a different look from village fishing boats. :)
I went back over to Venice around where my hostel is and hung out in the grass by the beach, just reading. There's so little to do when you're on your own here, without spending a lot of money. There's just too many people for my taste, I don't really know what to do with myself. I'm almost forgetting how to interact with people normally because I am completely out of my element. This is good for me, of course. I am definitely ready to be in New Zealand with Bec, though! I'll be glad when I don't have to worry as much about getting around on my own, not really knowing where I'm going, etc. Plus, New Zealand is just a cooler place to be. I'll be glad to be in a less crowded place with one of the coolest people in the world!!
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