What I've Been Up To - Part II

The summer semester started this past Tuesday. I checked out the syllabus for the class I'll be taking and feel pretty confident about the class (English 358 - 20th Century British Women Authors). I should do well in the class though there promises to be lots of reading (aargh!). The writing assignments aren't that bad and knock on wood, I'll get them in on time. We'll see.

I also had a great chat with my friend Harvey. Sadly, it looks like he won't be going on the trip to Russia he was planning on. He feels he fell too far behind on the repertory for his barbershop organization and it would take to much time to catch up. Also, he's been stressing about catching up which has taken away from the fun of it. If he drops the Russia trip, he can take his time and enjoy it. I thought it sounded like a good idea though I'm sorry he won't get to go to Russia. It sounded like it was going to be a nice trip.

I talked with Harvey about some other potential trips. I haven't seen him in a while and I have an Amtrak voucher for $53 which I have to use by mid-August. Originally, I planned to use the voucher on a trip to Pittsburgh but I found out it would take me over 7 hours to get to Pittsburgh via Amtrak. I can drive there in less than 5 hours. I thought that really stunk and hung up the idea of using Amtrak for the trip. So what was I going to use the voucher for? Why not use it to travel down to Richmond and see Harvey. That would be lots of fun (he's a really nice person to go places with). So I told him my idea and he said he'd see what we could do if I came down for a visit.

I also asked if he'd be interested in a short adventure to Pittsburgh. I know Pittsburgh doesn't sound like the most exciting place but, I have a lot of childhood memories of the place. I remember riding a paddle-wheeler boat that did boat rides there. I remember riding one of the incline rails to the top of Mount Washington. I remember my mom taking me and my sister to what remains of Fort Pitt. There are so many memories. It would be neat to spend a few days there and I don't think it would be super expensive. I asked Harvey if he'd be interested in going. I could drive and he could navigate (we went to Colonial Williamsburg that way and it worked out fine). He said he was game so hopefully sometime this summer, we'll drive up to Pittsburgh. It should be a fun trip.

In regards to the Globus Scandanavia tour, I hope to do that next year with Harvey but it all depends on the job situation. If I can get the Post Office job, I should make enough to go. The only problem I see is that I might have to quit my job with Medieval Times. There is no way, they are going to let me not work for 2 and a half weeks. We'll see what happens.

That's all to tell for now. Life is still very uncertain for me. I wonder if my life in the Air Force was a fluke in that way. It was so much more stable then. Now, I have to deal with the common worries of keeping my job and trying to find a better one. I have to prioritize things money wise and make choices of what I buy and what I don't. I can't have everything I want (within reason) anymore. I've had to place a lot more trust and hope in God. I wonder if that is why I'm going through this. I wonder if it is to teach me to more grateful for the things I have. I get down about my situation but God then shows me of others who have it worse. I count my blessings then. We'll see what ends up happening. God willing, I'll pass the college class I'm taking, I'll get the Post Office job, I'll get to see Harvey in Richmond, and I'll get to visit Pittsburgh. It could end up being a fun summer. We'll see.