Not really. Now, I paint the walls.
Nobody will be surprised to hear that since I've gotten back from Toronto, I've been pretty consumed with getting the house together. This inevitably means that the other things that ordinarily consume me have withered away a bit. Particularly, I have not been reading for my second comp at all. In fact, I haven't even finished compiling my list. That world seems to "other" to me right now. My friend in Toronto was recalling a recent tutorial that he'd had where students were asking the same question over and over again in different ways. He said, "Do you miss it?" And I have to say, definitively, no, I do not. At least not yet.
I've been teaching yoga as a way to make a living and it's been pretty good. I don't think I'd want to teach a whole lot. I'd say that teaching three classes is about my cap. More recently, I've been seriously considering teaching high school. But I am still firmly on the fence about that too. Frankly, I'm sick of teaching right now - mostly, I'm sick of evaluating and the ways in which those evaluations structure the learning experience. I'm definitely grateful to take a break from it.
So where does this leave me? I'm seriously considering applying for a job at the SPCA near my house. They need an animal care technician. The one thing about that job that gives me pause is that one of the expectations is to learn to euthanize. I think I'd really have a hard time with that. Yet, who better to do it than someone who cares to be there for the animals in their last moments? It's a part-time job. All the better. I'd like to have a couple of part time jobs. In fact, I'd be a-ok with not doing the same thing all the fucking time. Nothing deadens my soul more.
The way I can envision my life is as such. Work with animals a few days a week. Teach one or two academic classes (either at the college level or as a substitute teacher) and maybe two yoga classes. Do some political work in the area, perhaps working with 2640 or the Free School or the UWA - there's no shortage of amazing political projects in Baltimore. All I need is a health care plan. Frankly, this doesn't sound like a bad life to me. The question is: why does it feel like back peddling?
Because we've all been sold a bill of goods about what the well-lived life looks like? It can't be back-pedaling if it gets you to a life you actually enjoy. For health insurance, unless you are difficult to insure, try joining Media Bistro or the National Association of the Self Employed, which negotiate plans for their members. Not "group" plans, no special dodges for preexisting conditions, just cheaper. Or you can get similar prices by finding an insurance broker, who can compare plans for you (they get a commission, so you don't pay them). Of course, all individual insurance covers is walking through the door for a biannual checkup (i.e., you'll have to pay for tests, etc.) and the higher end of a hospitalization bill. If you are hard to insure, and if you know anyone who runs a small business (like say, a yoga studio), maybe you could strategize with them about securing a group plan for "employees" but then paying for it yourself. Just some thoughts.
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