I am still waiting for the city of Las Vegas to learn that I am not a criminal and pose no threat to their students. This wait is bothersome. I have a lot to do out there; my family needs to deal with my absence; I need to know I am working. Seriously, what is the hold up?

I am eager to move. There is much out there for me to see and experience. Further, I need to get over this hurdle. Now that everyone is on board, we cannot dally further or the eagerness will become dread. I want to work and earn money again. Rod and I have plans for driving across the country next year which will be a real fun adventure. I want to see the Grand Canyon and drive to california just because I can. I wonder if living in a dry climate will have any impact on my sinus headaches. Will the produce be better there because of Nevada's proximity to California and Mexico?

I am looking forward to learning about myself and seeing how well I handle the constant self-reflection. Will I find lots of friends? will I be overly lonely? What I'd like more than anything is to become a person who can handle "stuff" without getting overly stressed. I want to see a new place and have a fuller bag of tricks just because I'm exposed to more. C'mon clearance....

The good news is that I finally scheduled my mammogram. The sort-of bad news is that I need to bring my previous original film with me. Now, I ask myself, in this day and age of technology you'd think this would be something that I could get at the drop of a hat. At least, I think it would be a very good use of technology. Instead, I have to run up to Newburgh to get the films then bring them with me to my appointment.

It could be worse....

But, what if I'd moved west already. What would I do then? Wait for the film to arrive by mail before I could even schedule the appointment? Women don't like having the procedure done in the first place. I feel this extra is just another hurdle in the road to getting a mammogram. It's time technology stepped up and made my life easier. I need technology in this arena; I don't need another facebook game to get addicted to.

So, I wait. And get an email to perk me up and make me wonder....

Apparently, NYC has received some stimulus money and is now able to hire new teachers: that is, they can hire teachers who are not in the city system. So, I got an email from ms 224 requesting my resume and letters of reference. I've sent those in and now wait for the end of the week when the school decides who to call in for interviews. Weird that I may finally have a chance to stay home but not have the luxury to wait for them to make a decision. Then again, as one of my coffee buddies said, "I'd rather live in Las Vegas than the Bronx." Well, that may happen. Or not.

Well, step one of my journey is actually complete. I received Nevada state certification to teach. Now I just need Las Vegas to follow suit and I'll be able to make the move. I hope it's sooner than later so I can be in my classroom on the first day of school. It's important to set the stage correctly.

As we get closer to the wire, I am beginning to get apprehensive about all the other things I need to do for myself. If I go out there as school is beginning, I be scurrying to find a place, get my classroom set up and figure the lay of the land. Still, all things considered, that would only take a couple days. I have been researching places to live and car dealers. Once I'm out there, I will figure it all out.

I heard from Las Vegas that I have partial clearance. I am not sure what that means but I suspect I will soon be packing my bags for a big adventure out west.

this is going to be difficult. Financially it's not a step forward; however, it does keep us from slipping further down. More importantly, this is an opportunity for me to do what I love to do while allowing me to see who I am and to force myself to depend on no one but myself. Although I am 47, I've never truly cared for just me. I've never even earned enough money to support myself. This is a big change and challenge.

Still, the fact that I don't have it all in order is bothersome. When do I leave? How much will I earn? What will the school be like? How about the weather? One thing I know. the people in Nevada have been so much more helpful and friendly than I experience here. It'll be nice to step away from the hustle of this place even just for a while.

And Rod has a wonderful road trip planned for us when I come back after my first year. Can't wait for the adventure to begin.

There are way too many mean kids out there. I suspect it's because there are too many parents who are unwilling to accept that their child is not perfect. When people -- adults and children -- are not able to accept responsibility for their own shortcomings, we have a very insular public willing only to protect itself.

Since I am a bitch to begin with, I have a tendency to keep my mouth shut when I see mean kids. This causes me to have 20/20 hindsight then I feel like kicking myself for not saying something as was the case today. Back when I was growing up, we knew everyone was watching and everyone had the right to reprimand. That is no longer the case. So, no one takes responsibility for doing something wrong. It's time to make some change.

Perhaps, in the future, I will get myself in line and will call a spade a spade. Damn the consequences.