Beginning Again

It is always exciting to enter into a new phase in life. It is even more exciting, I believe, when change occurs due to one's intent and hard work, rather than chance, fate or some other mysterious force. I am on the cusp of one such change. Yes, folks, my indentured servitude will soon be over. As of January 7th, 2005, my name will be shortened from Everybody's Bitch to simply...Bitch.

It's official! I'm the new music director at a local (Methodist! Wrap your mind around that one) church, and I will be doing the job part time until my current job fizzles at the aforementioned date. I gave notice on Friday, and have felt like a million bucks ever since. I gave these jokers 2 months notice, and if that ain't enough to find my replacement (as if!) and train him/her, then that's tooooo damn bad. I think I'm being way too nice, but that's my way.

In other news, I'm going to be published poet. Remember Christmas Morning? Well I submitted it in a poetry.com contest (on a whim, in an attempt to get a free IPod) and found out yesterday it made the semi-finals and will be included in their Winter 2005 anthology. For the low, low pice of $49.95 (pre-order), I can even get a copy of the book myself. Whatcha wanna bet that's how they get their prize money? Anyway, there's a $1,000 1st prize that I wouldn't be averse to getting. The grand prize is $10,000, but I'm not that greedy

So, soon, Lydia O. will be spending a great deal of time in her new studio, and will finally get a chance to tackle that art quilt project that's been burning on her mind for about a year now. Oh, and the Arphod Cult Collage, and the silk marbling project, and the dancing gypsy painting, and...the possibilities are endless. I may have to get a part time job at Hobby Lobby just to afford my addictions.

I'm having my eldest niece and 3 nephews over on the 20th of this month to make bread-dough Christmas ornaments. We'll be painting, and the ages range from 4 to 10, so I'm going to stock up on Resolve carpet cleaner and LOTS of paper towels. And earplugs. The 4-year old has the most piercing voice I have ever heard in my life. He's cute as a cricket, but unfortunately, he sounds like one too.

Missing the guys, wish they would call or something, but I'll see John on his birthday/Thanksgiving on the 25th. Hang in there, Luke! They'll come around eventually.

My Ghetto Name

My goddamn rock solid ghetto shiznit name is Slimmy Dawg Lobos.
What's yours?
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This Nearly Made Me Vomit

From the Highland High School Band Alumni Page:

Date: 10 Sep 99 16:51:05 EDT
From: MICHAEL PIERCE mupi@usa.net

What a surprise--and nostalgic experience--to find you on the Web! What a greater surprise to find Mr. Fromholz's picture! (You're still there?! Do you remember the drosophila melanogaster eye-color experiment I did for Mr. Ruby's Bio I class?)

I'm currently teaching TSL 4324, ESOL Strategies for Content Area Teachers while working on the PhD here at Florida State. This is my first year. I have been an ESL adjunct instructor at Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, an ESOL teacher trainer for Hillsborough County (Tampa) Public Schools and the Florida DoE, while teaching elementary ESOL for the same district for the past eight years. Two years prior I taught junior high math in West Palm Beach. For six years before that I ran my own private academy in Muncie based on my master's thesis in alternative education: home schooling. Four years as a fourth and fifth grade teacher in Pendleton began my 20-year teaching career.

My wife, Karen, is a Pediatric RN. Our son, Kristopher, 22, lives in Tampa and works for Merchants Financial Services. Daughters, Kelle, 21, and Kara, 19, both attend the University of South Florida in Tampa. Kelle's a music major (voice) and Kara's an English/Writing major.

I'll be glad to hear from any of the HHS alumni from my era. Michael J. Pierce, MAEd,TESL,TA
Multilingual/Multicultural Education
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
209 Milton Carothers Hall
The Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4490
---
Office: MCH 416 (Wed 10:30-12, or by appt)
Phone: 850-644-7957, 644-6960
Email: mjp0777@garnet.acns.fsu.edu, mupi@usa.net
http://mailer.fsu.edu/~rflowers/mmed.htm

[oh ew]