The past month now, I've fallen into a very busy routine of juggling part-time jobs. During the day I do courier work for a company called Racer Courier Logistics, where I deliver Amazon books and medical supplies. Sure I'm not proud of it, however it pays the bills, and I enjoy to work out of my car. Some days are extremely smooth, enjoying music and the drive, however other days can be extremely stressful, bad weather, wrong address, gates that won't open, etc. All-in-all though it's something for now.
During the afternoons I continue to tutor with the Mind Program. I am still working with a 1st grader and a kindergardener at Abe Lincoln Elementary. And I have also begun to work with a spunky 6th grader at Maplewood, who is constantly testing my tolerance. Both jobs keep me busy and pay the bills. And the best part is that I don't dread them, as I have other jobs. However they are ultimately part-time jobs, without tax deductions, benefits, or real guarantees, thus making my financial stability constantly in question.
My recent excursion into international diplomacy, has fallen short, by 10 miserable points, so I will have to wait another year to take the Foreign Service Officer test. Nonetheless I will always continue to enjoy global affairs and politics. I have recently submitted to the Wall Street Journal and the Economist, which are both full of good insightful inside information. Reading the WSJ in the morning with some coffee, has become an enjoyable habit of mine.
My spike in international diplomacy, couldn't have come at a better time. The past few months have been full of historicly significant news. A wave of revolutions across the Middle East, beginning with Tunisia, then Egypt. Civil unrest in Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia. Civil war in Libya, where Gaddafi refuses to cease power. Potential war in the Ivory Coast, against the mad tyrant Gbagbo. And many other countries standing against tyranny and oppression.
Then there is the situation in Wisconsin, which recently
ended in the government voting to do away with worker's collective bargaining rights. This bill caused massive protests and demonstrations against governor Scott Walker who proposed the bill to hack away at the state's debt. Thousands of workers, teachers, students, and other citizens protested for nearly a month, in the streets of Madison, and all around Wisconsin. The public outcry became world-news, and spread into other nearby states, Ohio, Illinois, and even Indiana. However it seems that the worker's cries will eventually be silenced by the bought-out government. Not even President Obama can intervene on this state issue, that is eager to hammer down organized unions and other workers' rights.
Japan has recently been rocked by a massive earthquake, 8.9 on the scale, one of the largest in many years. What makes this even bigger news is the fact that Japan is extremely economically-developed, and the financial losses will be quite considerable. As one of the third largest economies in the world, the damage of Japan's economy, will absolutely effect the global economy. Then there is the extreme humanitarian concern. As of now over 3,000 have been pronounced dead, and nearly 10,000 as missing. To make matters even worse, are the damaged nuclear reactors, some of which have already exploded and led to major melt-downs. This fear of radiation could spread all throughout Japan. This earthquake, known as the Sendai quake, is said to be one of the biggest quakes to ever hit Japan, and the fourth strongest since 1900.
The Academy Awards happened several weeks ago, and were a mixed success for several films. The King's Speech won top honors; best picture, best actor, best director and best screenplay. Other notable winners were Social Network, Inception, and The Fighter. I was very happy to see Natalie Portman win the best actress for her role in Black Swan. Yet I was quite disappointed that the Social Network did not win best picture.
I am finally back to running, and have found a great course at the Monon Trail. This past Sunday I ran in a 5k downtown at the Big Ten Hoops 5k. Lauren, EJ, and Laura also joined me. I had only trained for a week, yet ran a surprisingly good time of 21.40. The mini is in about 2 months, and if I can keep physically active, perhaps a 1:40 is not out of the question.
I finally finished the Two Towers, and am now starting the final chapter in Tolkein's series, Return of the King. I have also been occasionally reading up on philosophy, about the lives and theories of greats such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Galileo, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Descartes. A full study on this to come perhaps later in the month.
During the afternoons I continue to tutor with the Mind Program. I am still working with a 1st grader and a kindergardener at Abe Lincoln Elementary. And I have also begun to work with a spunky 6th grader at Maplewood, who is constantly testing my tolerance. Both jobs keep me busy and pay the bills. And the best part is that I don't dread them, as I have other jobs. However they are ultimately part-time jobs, without tax deductions, benefits, or real guarantees, thus making my financial stability constantly in question.
My recent excursion into international diplomacy, has fallen short, by 10 miserable points, so I will have to wait another year to take the Foreign Service Officer test. Nonetheless I will always continue to enjoy global affairs and politics. I have recently submitted to the Wall Street Journal and the Economist, which are both full of good insightful inside information. Reading the WSJ in the morning with some coffee, has become an enjoyable habit of mine.
My spike in international diplomacy, couldn't have come at a better time. The past few months have been full of historicly significant news. A wave of revolutions across the Middle East, beginning with Tunisia, then Egypt. Civil unrest in Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia. Civil war in Libya, where Gaddafi refuses to cease power. Potential war in the Ivory Coast, against the mad tyrant Gbagbo. And many other countries standing against tyranny and oppression.
Then there is the situation in Wisconsin, which recently
ended in the government voting to do away with worker's collective bargaining rights. This bill caused massive protests and demonstrations against governor Scott Walker who proposed the bill to hack away at the state's debt. Thousands of workers, teachers, students, and other citizens protested for nearly a month, in the streets of Madison, and all around Wisconsin. The public outcry became world-news, and spread into other nearby states, Ohio, Illinois, and even Indiana. However it seems that the worker's cries will eventually be silenced by the bought-out government. Not even President Obama can intervene on this state issue, that is eager to hammer down organized unions and other workers' rights.Japan has recently been rocked by a massive earthquake, 8.9 on the scale, one of the largest in many years. What makes this even bigger news is the fact that Japan is extremely economically-developed, and the financial losses will be quite considerable. As one of the third largest economies in the world, the damage of Japan's economy, will absolutely effect the global economy. Then there is the extreme humanitarian concern. As of now over 3,000 have been pronounced dead, and nearly 10,000 as missing. To make matters even worse, are the damaged nuclear reactors, some of which have already exploded and led to major melt-downs. This fear of radiation could spread all throughout Japan. This earthquake, known as the Sendai quake, is said to be one of the biggest quakes to ever hit Japan, and the fourth strongest since 1900.
The Academy Awards happened several weeks ago, and were a mixed success for several films. The King's Speech won top honors; best picture, best actor, best director and best screenplay. Other notable winners were Social Network, Inception, and The Fighter. I was very happy to see Natalie Portman win the best actress for her role in Black Swan. Yet I was quite disappointed that the Social Network did not win best picture.
I am finally back to running, and have found a great course at the Monon Trail. This past Sunday I ran in a 5k downtown at the Big Ten Hoops 5k. Lauren, EJ, and Laura also joined me. I had only trained for a week, yet ran a surprisingly good time of 21.40. The mini is in about 2 months, and if I can keep physically active, perhaps a 1:40 is not out of the question.
I finally finished the Two Towers, and am now starting the final chapter in Tolkein's series, Return of the King. I have also been occasionally reading up on philosophy, about the lives and theories of greats such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Galileo, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Descartes. A full study on this to come perhaps later in the month.
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