The Bostonian Abroad

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I've written about this before, but it bears repeating: The government is lying to us about inflation. Either this, or the way they calculate it needs to change drastically. Every day, I see on the news that housing prices have risen at a double or even triple digit percent, college tuition has gone up in the double digit percents, gas prices, automobile prices, health care - and the list goes on and on. All of these skyrocketing prices, and they tell us that the inflation rate is something around 3 or 4 percent. It just doesn't add up! I'm no expert on economic matters, but as a regular person with an average level of intelligence, it is plainly obvious to me that we are being misled. People have to work 2 or more jobs just to get by because they have gigantic rent or mortgage payments, huge health care bills, and or huge college loans to pay off (not to mention cell phone, home phone, and Internet charges - oh, and an ADT system, Life Alert, video games, DVDs, and all ...

In my profession, it has always been easy to find work. It seemed that there was always a place in need of my services, and there were more than enough students to go around. After I returned from Peace Corps I found a job within 3 days of sending out my first resume. In Hawaii, I didn't even have to send out a resume. My next door neighbor "knew a guy," and I had a job within a day of talking with her. On the other hand, L has never had it easy in getting a job. In Boston it was tough, and in Hawaii, it was next to impossible. It was truly depressing for her, and for me. In fact, one of the major reasons for our relocation was the job issue. In moving here, I hoped that it would get easier for her to find work, and I secretly harbored the odd wish that our situations would be reversed - in terms of job availability. Well, it looks pretty much like I'm going to get my wish. I have looked high and low for jobs in my field, and there are few (whereas L is havin...

A new year dawns sleepily for me, as I try to work out the kinks in my dinged-up resume and psyche. I'm trying to find work again - in the same field I've been in for years now, and I have had to do some work to deal with the trauma of the past 5 years. I have a miniscule form of PTSD, I think, because whenever I think of work or graduate school, I mentally and sometimes actually wince at the pain it still brings. I know I need to get past this, so I try to remind myself that this place is going to be as different from the old place as the old place was different from Boston. This has helped a bit, and I have polished up the ol' resume and even bought a fancy new laser printer to make me look spiffy, even if I feel like a failing phony. Here I am, 35 years old, with years of teaching and doctoral study under my belt, and yet I feel worthless and idiotic most of the time. Graduate school really knocked me around, especially the way I was treated by the faculty. I had t...

For the first time in years I actually have a bit of the ol' Christmas Spirit! The weather has turned cold, the leaves have fallen off the trees, and it gets dark early! How odd that I should appreciate something so much which is so mundane! And this over Hawaii no less! I got used to never-changing beauty, perfect weather every day, always leaving the windows open, day and night, 24/7. It became desperately monotonous and made the daily grind that much more difficult because it echoed the sameness of the sterile and generic office environment. So much has the spirit returned to me that I have recently put up Christmas lights, a large stocking on the front door, and smaller ones on the fireplace mantle! For the first time in my life I can imagine Santa, someone in whom I was never permitted to believe in the first place, coming down my wee chimney and through my fireplace, ready to leave presents under my tiny rosemary tree I bought at Home Depot. I'll even leave cookies...

Tessie, 'nuff said! 

Yesterday was a bad day. I got dressed up early in order to go down to the DMV and get my new driver's license. I had a long list of things I was going to accomplish that day, and, based on my achievements the day before, I was hoping to carry on the momentum. Alas, it was not to be. I arrived at the DMV and began to wait. And wait... After about 20 minutes, I began to appreciate the fact that we were given chairs instead of having to wait in a long line - like in Hawaii. I also began to fret that I might not have the requisite paperwork to get the Hawaii car registered here. I called Lorrie and asked her to get ready to fax something over in case it was needed. I was sure that this would be all that I would need and that I would be able to get what I wanted to get done. Nope. When I got called up a half hour later - not bad by DMV standards - I was told that I needed to have my wife present in order to change the registration because the car was in both our names. Damn. ...