Janus Visits The Island.....

It is January 2014. Janus makes his annual appearance to look both backward and forward on the Island. It is always appropriate to look backward first to the predictions of a year ago and analyze a bit as to how all played out. Historically I haven't been too far off the mark, but.... I suspect this analysis will show that I was farther off the mark than usual......

First for the revisit.

1. I will go out on a limb and say that I will figure out exactly how much time I have left to teach and begin to prepare for the end. 

Well.... this one is about 60% true. I made a trip to Columbus in July to get details. I got some details and a box full of unknowns. I left there thinking that I would have enough information to make an informed decision. I distinctly remember leaving the STRS headquarters thinking that I could go as long as I want to go and not take a huge hit. As I am now away from hit for five months.... I know that I am still uncertain. I have not prepared much for the actual departing from 325, but I think that is part of my New Year's resolution. The personal things need to be removed. I dread it. It certainly signals the end.

2. My father will motor along with no major changes. 

Wrong. 100% wrong. Maybe I should qualify it a bit. 100% wrong as of November 5, 2013. For the most part he had a fairly good first 10 months of 2013. He celebrated his 83rd.... He planted one of the biggest gardens in years.... His flower beds were immaculate as ever.... He was pretty much cruising along.... until.... November 5. On the way to Fort Wayne Veterans Administration Hospital for a regular check up, he ran into a semi from behind. Five hours or so later... he was gone. A major change not only for him, but for all of us. He is gone... And I miss him more than ever.....

3. #2 will have a great 2013..... 

Hmmmm.... I will score this one about 85%. The grade would have certainly been 100% had he not have to endure the November disaster. His job seems to love him. He has been rewarded with both compensation and with responsibility. He has a new wife. He was part of a very successful wedding ceremony. He smiles a lot. And as I alluded to was on the road to a very very very good 2013, until the passing of one his strongest supporters on planet earth. They were tight...

4. #1..... Well.... .what to say here what to say here..... I predict that he will make it home for the wedding in October... and I will venture out there to say that he will become engaged before the big ball falls on New Year's Eve 2013..... 

After thinking this prediction through... I guess would give a 100% true. He clearly made it home for the wedding. He participated as a groomsman. He seemed upbeat, and for the most part the visit was pretty easy. He also became engaged, but it was close on the timeline. He proposed on at Disneyland on Christmas eve in front of the Magic Castle. I am not 100% certain that I have come to terms with it all and the implications of what it truly means.... but... my predictions regarding him was spot on.

5. On the health front..... I predict more decline in physical mobility.... 

I know that this prediction was pretty general in nature, therefore, it is true. I know that I do not have the mobility that I had three or four years ago. I am not certain that it is a ton different than it was a year ago, but common sense tells me that I am not overly mobile. The knees seem better, but the ankle and both shoulders now ache continually. It is especially bad when I get cold.

Now.... on to Janus looking forward.

1. Indecision will rule the day on the employment front. 

I will waffle around and make a decision sometime around October or November as to whether or not I will go beyond 2014-15. This 13-14 run is #31. Rules change after 14/15.... so we shall see. I did manage to get my three years certified while I taught in the parochial system. I have managed to give myself a few options.... but.... without a single doubt, I fear that should I pull the trigger and end my employment status, that I will no longer have value.... nor purpose..... nor future.... there-in lies the trap.

2. #2 will have another top notch year, but with some sort of pitfall along the way to keep it from being a perfect year. 

I also predict that he and his bride will conceive a child. I hope for god's sake that the pitfall isn't as deep and vast as the one he experienced this year. His work seems solid.... his approach to life and living have never seemed better. And even though I am pretty certain that he and his bride would consider a child a true blessing, I can't help but be a little uneasy at the thought of the new role it will cast upon me. I am not ready in my mind to take on that title.

3. #1 will keep on keeping on with no major changes with one small exception. He might actually get married in 2014, but I suspect it will fall in 2015. 

It is getting more and more difficult to actually make specific predictions regarding him, as the distance between us causes great gaps in my knowledge of his day to day life. I just hope he is making great decisions that will lead to a good life for him and the ones he loves.

4. My health will level off and there will be a long slow decline on the mobility front. 

I am back to taking the blood pressure medication and... my weight is still up there. My right shoulder has now begun to bother me, but the shoulder thing is mostly during the night. The right ankle is stiff and painful, but the knees are remarkably ok. I have been doing a little bit more, but... still nowhere near enough. That is enough predictions.....

Now I want to take a brief look at some things where progress was made and a few things where progress needs to be made...

1. House repairs and improvements..... 
Wow.... pretty proud that we have a new toilet, new carpet in the formal living room and on the stairs, new furniture and lighting in the formal living room, new paint in there as well. A new front door, new front screen door, a new back door, and a new back screen door.... Good looking.... nice .... new stuff that has been long overdue.
New...not hand me down stuff...NEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! and I like it.
The new toilet is first class... high and far more powerful. There is also new leather furniture in the television room. A full sized sofa and two particularly fine lounge chairs. Incredibly comfortable and very popular with #2 and his bride. I would say with little reservation....

The improvement of the house is the accomplishment that I am most pleased with during 2013. And... now for the improvements to be made side of the equation. There is still work to be done in the bathroom in regard to the flooring and the use of the bathtub. There is a ton of work to be done in the kitchen on the cabinets and the counter tops. While the floor is still going top notch... much work has to be done.

2. I have successfully taught three new classes over the course of the past year. 
Economics, World War II, and Civil War. I did ok with World War II and better than I would have expected with Economics..... I was not pleased with my performance in Civil War...... I am about to start a new teaching assignment on Monday with a class called Sports in U.S. History. I am not as prepared as I would like to be.... and there is only one way to fix that issue..... "get busy and work".

3. This one is about what will have to be done in regard to handling things back in Bryan... 
First of all.... accomplished.... virtually nothing... beyond a respectable funeral.... and the beginnings of the estate work.... But the cleaning and removal of things and ultimately the future of the property is looming large. I have been avoiding it so far.... and that is not good. Time to man up... face the issue and move forward. Anything else would be disrespectful.

4. Photography.... 
Accomplishments.... some mediocre skill building... and some very good pictures taken and enjoyed. I have managed to see that five of the six of "us" has a DSLR camera and a couple of choices of lenses to work with. Now... to become more disciplined making the most of opportunities to improve. I like it... but I have to remember that elephant philosophy.... you eat/learn the elephant/photography one bite at a time..... Little steps... one at a time.

Finally.... During 2013.... one of the events I have dreaded for the past ten or so years came to be.....

5. Officially I became an orphan... I am officially the oldest living member of my immediate family... Not an accomplishment that I had really wanted to attain, but... it is real and it is now. In that role, I have a lot of learning to do.. .When to push... and when to pull back... I will have to learn now from experience since all of my role models in that job description are now gone.

Well... this blog post has most likely set the record for length. It is time to roll up the sleeves and go to work on 2014.