been home for 4 and a half days....

don't want to go back. But I will.

There are some in this country who will NEVER understand that. Never seen so much  complete stupid as I do today.

My vacation has been so so....

I needed to get out of Lake County, out of Florida....and I did.

My time here has been productive.  Got my taxes done.  Things turned out much better than I thought they would.  I owe the feds $600, much better than the last two years.  The tax preparer wants me to think it's due to the new tax law.  I remain convinced things are not so simple as all that.

I guess Trump could come out in favor of chocolate chip ice cream and I would refuse to eat it anymore.  Things have gone that far.

Finally paid the property taxes on the house too: $805.  I was only three months late.

And that is about how I feel. Too many "corporate" democrats out there trying to portray themselves as for the people.  A lot of us working class folks won't buy that anymore.  It's why Clinton lost. I know that now..  The Democratic Party hasn't yet come to that realization. They need to.

I hope it doesn't come down to a civil war, like it did in 2016.  The election was rigged. I know that too. So did a lot of progressive voters and independents, like myself.  I finally voted for HRC, but it nearly made me physically sick to do that. But watching what's happening now does make me ill....and afraid, very afraid.

Too many similarities between the Trump crowd and the Nazis of 1930s Germany.

Like I said, the amount of stupid loose in this country stagers.  I guess it has always been here....

Part of me wants to give it another go in teaching science, in another school, of course.  I hit 70 in December.  I doubt anyone would have anything to do with me, but I've been surprised before. Question remains: do I REALLY WANT OR NEED THAT?

I am thinking the problem is not CLMS, but lake county. We planned a march in support of the kids at Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the local community proclaimed that it was all a "leftist" plot; we had another shooting threat and the event had to be postponed. They claim it will be rescheduled, but I will be amazed if it actually is.  Administration at the school is completely inept. As we used to say in the military, they could not find their ass with both hands, a map and a flashlight. It wasn't this bad even at SPX with Sister Natalie and that is saying something. Chaos, absolute chaos. I would not send a student there.

I've made my intentions quite obvious, turning in my intent for with "no" on it and nothing after that. When we had union elections, I wrote, on the ballot "abstain. I'm outa here!" There can be little doubt.

No one has said anything to me.  Perhaps they understand.  If they don't, then I fear they are delusional. Why would I want to spend another year in a place where I was slandered, my reputation slimed, my cell phone stolen, where I've had to endure insults and threats from students who were protected by a 504 plan? Who in their right mind would endure that again if they didn't have to?

I made $81,000 this year. It's been nice not having to worry about finances and being able to fix things (like my Miata) when it was needed.

The house is in ruins.  Electricity is broke, I now water flow problems (new thing), two floors need replacing and so does my roof and back porch.  As I have said repeatedly, the kindest thing would be to burn the place down, but I won't do that. Arson is NOT my thing. Maybe a tornado will do the job this spring when me and the birds are in Florida.  I would be ecstatic.

Another year in the classroom might allow me to fix the house.  It might also kill me. Literally. My weight is back, ALL of it. So is my hypertension.  They've upped my meds and might have to again.

Things do not look good.  I head back south day after tomorrow.