Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
Today is the day! Ah, the day has arrived. The day I start a new life. Today was my last day of being a teacher.

Personally, I always liked teaching, but recently I've begun to feel uneasy, as if I were meant to be doing something different with my life. Something...more. It started to become the case where I couldn't focus on my lessons. Students would catch me staring out the window at odd times. Peers would often see me in the corner, scribbling furiously on a piece of grid paper.

Recently (about 3 weeks ago), I sat down with my principal and told her flat out: I wasn't sure that this is what I wanted to do, and not only would I not be back next year, I didn't think I could make it to the end of the school year. I decided to give three weeks notice, and tomorrow a long-term sub takes my place. I feel a bit bad for leaving my students high and dry, but I have to travel down my own path for a while. The teachers threw a nice going away party for me, but I could tell that some of them were a bit miffed that I was leaving.

I may have you wondering what I have chosen to do instead. It's almost embarrassing to say. I've decided to become a professional crossword constructor.

Lordy lord. Phew. I said it.

First of all, I have to admit I'm a bit nervous. Economic times are tough, and Jess is not yet out of medical school. We're going to be funding a wedding in just a couple of months, and with marriage I'm sure will come new financial responsibilities. Crosswords are a difficult business. They take hours to completely write just one, and assuming it gets published, the monetary reward is tiny. With a little bit of luck, I should receive my first 50 dollar check 6 months from now. And it will be the sweetest $50 I ever earned.

Of course, assuming I'll get published is a BIG if. But I have hopes that it will all work out for me.

Oh, did I mention the school is trying to get me for breach of contract? I called someone, and they said I should get it all worked out, but it's going to take some time.

Let's hope.

So there you have it. It's a new day for me. Let's hope it works out. Oh, by the way, it won't be JUST crosswords. Give me *some* credit, I'm not an *idiot*. I've also been working on a few acrostics as well. Heck, this blog is one!