New blog update

The three most popular blogging sites are blocked in China: Blogger, Wordpress, and Livejournal. What do I do?

I'm tempted to just create my own website, but don't know how. Is it hard? I feel a bit dumb asking this. I mean, I have a blog, right? But I don't do anything special here. I can't even figure out how to do that cool strike-through thing 'cause it's not on my toolbar. And I still don't understand how putting an html thingy in a box creates this cool picture thing with a link on my page. Magic, I think.

What I think will end up happening is the creation of a blog once I get to China, chat up some people, and figure out my options. It will be interesting letting everyone here know since I'll have to email the info to a friend and have them post for me.

Well, you're stuck with me here for the next 6 weeks (!). This blog should be renamed "Mad.Mover" for that time. I imagine what you will see regards our upheaval, as Tate put it, from Portland and transition across the globe. We have multiple To Do lists going of all the stuff needed done when faced with two years out of the US. It's remarkably complicated.

Things to expect:

1. Pictures of all the crap I...am getting rid of. Everything in our house has a label: take; store; get rid of. Guess how most of it's labeled? Every day I look around and find something else I would pack to Florida but disappears when moving to China. I am kind of sickened by the amount of stuff we have that we really have no use for. Our apartment is filled with junk. Really beautiful junk you should come relieve us of! No really, there is good stuff, just not good enough to pay the $200/50 lbs. to ship.

2. Whining about all the stuff that needs to get done.

3. Exhuberance about the adventure we're taking. Ahhh! CHINA! No, not used to it yet.

4. Adorable pictures of the girls. Mostly because they really are adorable, and that's not just the mom in me talking. Others have told me. (hee hee)

5. Bragging about how awesome I am for getting a job in CHINA because we get to live in CHINA.

Now I really should work on finishing my master's. I am paying dearly for it.

Adorable pictures soon.

Potty update

Harper has been amazing with potty training. Until this week, she has had few accidents, and the ones she has are usually due to a refusal to stop playing to go potty. As Tate reflected, it's like when we have to pee during a good conversation: if you leave, the flow is disrupted and can't be restored. Indeed.

Any-who, in light of the awesomeness Harper has been, Tate and her went to get big-kid underwear today (none of the extra padding in the crotch area). Upon her return, a proud Harper walks in with her bag of big-kid underwear ready to show off:



Me: Are these boxer briefs?

Tate: Those are more for me.

I'm ba-ack...but not for long

Thank you for your patience. I have finished student teaching (YEA!) and just have two weeks to go to the end of my master's. It's been a crazy year that I'm glad is coming to an end. And this is good since the next year is sure to be even crazier since we're moving to China.

What?! China!?!

Yup, China. Insane, right?

I got a job teaching at an international school in Chongqing, China. I will be the math and science secondary teacher for the school for two years. The whole family will go of course, with airfare and visas covered for all but Tate; furnished housing; health insurance; free tuition for the girls; a dope nanny for Penny; and did I mention it will be in China?

Oh, almost forgot the kicker - Tate was offered a position teaching PE. So we'll both be working.

And I get a class next year!!!

Since I last posted, I have been furiously searching for a teaching position throughout Oregon, the US and the world. Of over 25 jobs applied to, I have heard from 4. It is a bad, bad year to be a teacher. School districts are facing huge cuts having spent too much this year with the hope that things would be better next year. Entire states are on hiring freezes, and The New York Times said this was the worst year for teachers since the Great Depression. I was beginning to get really down about my job prospects. As a new teacher, how could I compete with more experienced teachers who are out of work? If I don't work, how do I pay all the student loans I took out to get my career started? Where will we live? What will I do? Will it be better next year?

All over, for me. The first point of awesomeness about going to China is getting to teach. The rest of the awesomeness is just there. Unexplainable. To be determined.

Unfortunately, there are tens of thousands of other teachers out there fighting for the few positions there are. Please, if you know an out-of-work teacher, keep your ears open for them and use your connections to get them an in for interviews. It's horrible out there and we all need to do what we can to help those we know.

My final note for this post: I have to leave Blogger. I am moving to a country that has banned much of Google because of its refusal to censor the search content. Doing some research, I discovered this site that Google has going to lets its users know what is and is not accessible on mainland China daily. It seems my Gmail account is safe for now, but Blogger has to go. I want nothing more than to write of all my experiences in Chongqing. However, that means this blog is ended and another begun. Once I have made the switch, a last post will be done here to direct you.

Any suggestions on a good free blogging site to use?