Life in the Hills

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Life does have a way of rolling right along, doesn't it?

I'm beginning to think that I am settling in to this life o' Coloradoness. I'm developing a routine, getting comfortable with the people at work and learning how to get and/or stay in contact with humans other than my parents.

Work, albeit your typical high school, part-time job, is... well... working out really well for me. My boss, today, told me that she doesn't often hand out ego-candy, but that she had some to offer to me (direct quote!). They are apparently so confident in my teaching skills that they are going to pool my name into the private lesson pile. This is evidently something that people earn over years, not weeks... so, taking the esteem-boostage where I can get it, I find this rather flattering. Not to mention, private lesson instructors are paid literally double what normal instructors are paid. So, I'm all over that!

Meanwhile, I've taken on a tutoring student from Century. I'm working with her on, get this, math. Who would EVER have thought that this Jessi - actual fail-er of math in high school - would turn around and be tutoring math. Yikes! However, because of my own misgivings and my struggle to grasp the ever-torturous subject, I'm finding a lot of ease in identifying trouble spots for her. Besides, it's fractions... I made it through Trigonometry (er... eventually...), so let's hope that I can handle fractions. The kid is pretty rockin', though; tonight she had dinner with the Governor of Colorado. She has met and spoken with Barack Obama on numerous occasions. She is related to one of our State Reps. She's on a first-name basis with Polly Baka (whom she refers to, quite fluently, as the Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Latino populous) And - as I've been told many times - she missed the first day of school in order to attend the Democratic National Convention. Now, she tells me that she really wants to be an astronaut (sound familiar?) - which I wouldn't dare discourage her from - but something tells me that this child may have a politcal career ahead of her. She's extremely well-spoken with regards to politics and can actually break down the issues that these old fogies are debating. The kid's 12! When I was that age, sure... I ran for VP of Student Council ...under the promise that we would work for pop machines in the cafeteria... I mean, seriously.

As for life at home - things are smoothing out and I'm growing accustomed to my limited space and to having people around at home all the time. Again, no offense to the parental units (who are subscribers, so naturally - no offense intended)... but that has taken some serious getting used to. I'm actually shocked at the lack of conflict in general. But certainly not a bad shock at all.

I've had the opportunity to go out and catch up with the Colorado grandparents recently. It's frightening and yet refreshing to just go out and have adult-like afternoons with my grandparents. Being a grown up has apparently brought on a whole new dynamic to my connection with ALL of you - my grandparents - and that is really an interesting thing to me. You don't really know someone until you yourself have evolved, apparently. And these are people who have known me from the day I popped into this world. How they've forgiven some of my bratty childhood years is beyond me hahaha... but hey - thank you all for that!

Tonight, I went out with ol' Carissa. And her boyfriend. There's certainly still awkward (awkward, of course, being a noun... someone please alert Oxford and Webster's) in that situation - but only just a little flicker of it anymore. The three of us actually get on fine and it makes for a nice social circle instead of she and I griping at each other and, naturally, telling one another everything that the other one has ever done wrong in our entire lives hahaha.

I continue to make my appearances at my mom's school as well. Despite my now-busy schedule and the occasional exhaustion, this volunteer work is energizing and, at the risk of being corny, rewarding. I'm developing a rapport with Ms. Stratton's 7th graders and she and I, during breaks, dive into a banter of bouncing ideas and concepts off of each other. This past week following our discussion, I solved all of the problems of the education system. I mean, how hard can running a district be, really? Honestly... if people would just read my journal entries, there would be no problems on this planet. Not one. *sigh*

Anyway, the students all know who I am and some of the girls actually beg me to come sit at their table like having me around is cool. Hah... if only they knew... and if my 12-year-old self saw what tables I was sitting at during group-time, she would be appalled... she wouldn't speak to me for a week. Sitting with the popular girls? Jessi. What are you doing with your life?

Speaking of my 12-year-old self, I'm meeting up with my high school band director for lunch this week (well... supposedly... assuming that he remembers these plans - wouuuuldn't be surprised if he didn't!). If that happens, there's a good chance that I'll get the opportunity to run into my old 6th grade English teacher whom I ADORED as the two of them work at the same school. Some of you may recall Jessi's general appearance in 6th grade and may jump to comparing them days to these days. Could be interesting, now that I'm female and everything.

So, between solving all the problems of the world and sucking up to teachers and employers, I'm quite busy these days! No, no recent mention of going back to school - but in time I probably will. Yet again (as ever before) I must remind myself that I AM only 21. As such, a year or two in college will not result in me suddenly being old or something. Most people don't even graduate college until they are 22 or more. I'm still a step up... I'm just in some kind of massive hurry for no particular reason except my own impatience. Not to mention, the job market is not encouraging in the least which adds to my impatience and frustration. But I have a job. I have a job. I have a job. The rest will come with a little time.

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Comments

[Beth]

Band Director
Say hello to Mr. Wiske for me. I was thinking of him in rehearsals today. There's a bit where the character, who is a painter, is imitating conductors in general and he was instructed to pose at the end like a famous maestro. I suggested that he hold the paintbrush (baton) up to his temple or poke his throat like Wiske used to. I thought it was funny, but no one else got the joke.