05.14.2010

I'm feeling pretty good this week.  I actually started up a fairly normal schedule at work!  I will be working (with a few exceptions, I'm sure) on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, from 6am to noon at the bakery, and then from 6-8pm teaching English on those same days.  It should be really nice in some ways, because I'll have a four-day-weekend most weekends (!).  The main downside will be having to go to bed pretty early (like 10pm or earlier if I can) on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, but also that my off-time from work is in the middle of the day.  So instead of getting all my working hours out of the way all together in the morning or in the evening, I have to get up at like 5:30am, work for six hours, and then when I get off I have some time, but my English class in the evenings is weighing on me because I have to plan my lesson.  So... there are pros and cons to any way I do it.  I'm thinking I might try to get all my lessons planned over the weekend and do any other prep that I need to do so I don't have to worry about pulling something together a few hours before class.

In other news, Wills got back from Israel on Tuesday (his flight got cancelled, and he ended up spending the night in the airport in Tel Aviv), and he brought all of us awesome souvenirs!  He got each of his roommates at the Dollhouse a Keffiyeh (they're going to have a dollhouse picture with all of them wearing them - Sweet!), and he got me a gorgeous red bag which was made by some Druze people.  It is red, and looks kind of like these, in messenger bag form.  So cool!  I wore it out for the first time this morning.  It is very well made, and the weaving is gorgeous. 

Also, my roommate Brooke introduced me to this book the other day and I can't wait to read it!  It's called Radical Homemakers.  Here is a review of the book I found on the above linked website:

“Imagine women with masters degrees and PhDs who choose home over career advancement. Imagine wives (and husbands) who reject the false promise of endless paid labor to tend gardens and children and friendships. In a time when Wall Street MBAs-producing nothing of value but rewarded with million-dollar bonuses and blinded by greed-have driven our country to bankruptcy and despair, Shannon Hayes’ stories of women and men who choose simplicity, authenticity and community inspire hope. Outside the boxes of both conservatives and liberals, this book is radical thinking at its best. Read it and think.”-John de Graaf, coauthor of Affluenza and director of Take Back Your Time

I'm in the middle of several books right now, but once I finish a few, I want to start on this one.  I love the idea of being really educated, but also focusing so much on family and community because building solid families and communities is what is going to make cities and states and countries stronger.  

Hopefully the weekend will be great.  I will love not having to worry about work.  Later today Wills and I are going to hike the Y, then go see Avatar in the dollar theater.  There are good times to be had.