Good afternoon from the Pawn (a little food place on UW-Stout’s campus)

What constitutes predictable? That is my thing over which I must spend sometime musing today. I began the semester more prepared that I had ever been. However, as you know, within 72 hours I managed to have pretty serious motorcycle accident. Life since then has been anything but predictable. While the Harley did not sustain any serious damage, the same cannot be said for me. The bills are over $30,000.00 and counting. I managed to spend more in medical treatment in three seconds than the amount of take-home pay I will bring in this year. Is that reasonable?? Are you kidding?? But I am fotunate enough to have a job that has amazing benefits, and because of that, I will be okay. Three seconds could jeopardize my entire financial future. That is absurd, particularly in a society that has so many resources. I am pretty sure neither the nurses, the radiologists, the doctors, or the physcial therapists are making that kind of money that demands such a price tag. Where the heck does it all go??

I am catching up, but that has meant that I missed a conference I had planned to attend; in addition I am  having some minor issues with the skull fractures and sinuses right now, so, at the suggestion of my medical team, I do not want to fly. So the trip to Pennsylvania is shelved until a later time.

This afternoon I am being inducted into a National Honor Society for quality teaching. I have not felt like a quality teacher this semester has I have been struggling to keep up. I am dropping assignments for my students today and most of the night. I could use a week of predictability, a week that would be no additional duties, no meetings, no classes and just let me do my work. However, I can predict with great certainy that will not happen! I was surprised to be nominated for this society because I had such a difficult first couple years here. Indeed, that seems like a long time ago, but the consequences of that experience have had long term consequences, like no promotion and a choice to not even attempt such a thing this year. However, I am also much more comfortable where I am in all of that and how things are going over all. I have a colleague this year who is new and she and I have been friends long before we ended up at Stout together. She is having a long semester and we have had many chats.

As far as predictability in my personal life; I do not even attempt to figure out how I might accomplish such a thing. The trip to California had both predictability and some surprises. Likewise responses since or lack of responses on more than one front have been both predictable and surprising. In the terms of people, no big surprises, but that does not make it any more enjoyable. Not getting something shipped for two weeks has been a surprise, but I do not know what to do with that. As far as the rest of life, even things here are always surprising, but through it all, I can only say: I am FINE.

Thanks for reading,

Michael