I am actually alive!

You'd think that not posting for over a month would mean that I've been super busy with a well-paying job or something. I WISH! To be honest, I think I've just been too lazy to sit down and write a blog post. I started one right at the end of September about finally getting my masters degree diploma, but never finished it. I still may finish it, but for now I just want to update for those of you who do keep tabs on me through this.

I wish I could report that things are just fantastic, but that would be less than accurate. Don't get me wrong though, things aren't really that bad either, but I'm really starting to feel the pinch of not having a full-time job. On the good side, I did get A job, but it doesn't have enough hours to even come close to sustaining me. I also am set up to sub here in Kent and will hopefully be hearing back from Maplewood Career Center in Ravenna about subbing there as well. I've been available two weeks now for Kent and so far 0-for-10 (no school today). The frustrating thing about subbing is just not knowing if you'll be needed day-to-day, not to mention not having any benefits or steady pay. The other job I mentioned is an after school program I'm doing in Akron. It's an hour 4 days a week (Mon-Thurs with 2 hours on Tuesday) and I basically follow an established curriculum teaching elementary students basic theater to help them improve their literacy skills. I'm excited to meet the kids on Monday, but am a little apprehensive given my unfamiliarity with the school and this program. At the very least it will be a good resume builder and a good experience.

The program is though the Weathervane Playhouse in Akron, a theater I am already working with for my first non-This is Kirtland! show in a looooong time. The last time I was in a show outside This is Kirtland or school plays was when I was in King and I at Akron Civic Theater in 1993. I am currently working on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Weathervane. It's actually part of the theater's Children's Theater program, but I am one of the "grown-ups" in the show, appearing as Pharaoh. I also make a brief appearance as the Ishmaelite leader in Act I since Pharaoh doesn't appear until Act II. And yes, I was introduced as "one of our grown-ups" at the first cast meeting. Funny, I don't feel very grown up! It hit me how much older I was than a lot of the cast when I had to make my way through the mob of cast members waiting for their parents to pick them up after that first rehearsal :). Most of the cast is in middle school and high school with a few college students. So far I have enjoyed working with them. Both the show and the after school job came as a result of just meeting new people in the area who referred me to both the job and the audition. I wasn't even looking for either of them, but couldn't resist when I saw them. Oh, and in case any of you are interested in the show, tickets are now on sale now at the Weathervane Playhouse website. We open November 24 and have 16 shows until December 20.

In the meantime, I've used this opportunity to continue my job search (and not just teaching jobs) and also to explore my hobbies more than I have been able to for awhile. We had a run of a few weeks here where every day it was sunny and about 72 degrees, so I took advantage by getting a lot pf photos, many of which I uploaded to be used in Wikipedia. Of course, I've been doing my share of editing there as well :). On top of that I have been reading more about the history of Kent and the surrounding area. I will probably blog about some of the things I have found one of these days. Here are some of the photos I've gotten in the last month or two. You can see more of them and others I have uploaded to Wikipedia by clicking here. I do my best with my simple point-and-shoot Kodak EasyShare. It's served me well, but can't wait till I can upgrade to a DSLR.

On September 19 I attended the Ohio State vs. Toledo game at Cleveland Browns Stadium with one of my best friends Michelle. The weather was AMAZING (sunny and 70 degrees) and OSU won 38-0. It was technically a Toledo "home" game, but as you can see by the large amount of red in the stands (Toledo's colors are blue and gold) it was anything but that for Toledo. On the left is the OSU Marching Band ("The Best Damn Band in the Land") doing a double Script Ohio at halftime

Of course I took TONS of pictures in Kent (gee I wonder why?!?). These two are of downtown Kent along East Main Street.

I also got several of the Kent Free Library including the fronts of the new section (2006) and the original 1902 Carnegie section.


I took a few of the Roosevelt High School campus including this one of the front (even got the "Home of the Rough Riders" on the marquee!) and one of Roosevelt Stadium (used for football and track)


World headquarters of Davey Tree, adjacent to the Roosevelt High School campus on the left with the 1837 Franklin Township Hall on the right. James A. Garfield was nominated for his first public office here in 1859.

I also went around Portage County to get pictures of some of the National Register of Historic Places listings here. On the left is the Riddle Block No. 1 in downtown Ravenna and on the right is the James A. Garfield house in Hiram.

Atwater Congregational Church in Atwater Township on the left with the 1832 Palmyra Center Hotel (aka the "Old Stagecoach Inn") in Palmyra Township.


I got these back in August when I went with the Cub Scouts to Towners Woods Park just northeast of Kent. On the left is a pavilion in the park and Lake Pippen is on the right. The lake is adjacent to, but not part of, the park.