Life as a highwayman

Today marked the beginning of my 4 years (hopefully less) of driving two hours each way to go to school. I have the feeling that one day, I'll be using this to counter any complaints my kids have about walking to school on a cold day.

The morning began at 4:30 AM, which gave me a half-hour to shower and clean up before I had to get on the road to make my 8 AM class. On the plus side, all of the caffiene I used to make sure I didn't fall asleep on the road made me hyper and energetic in front of the students, which might actually be a good thing. The downside is that I'll probably sleep through my offices hours.

Things I'm going to need over the next 4 years:

1) some sort of futon/cot in my office. If I had the money, I'd love to just get an apartment in BG, so I didn't have to sleep on people's floors (I could sleep on my own floor), and I've actually called around to see if any shadeball motels would cut me a deal for renting a room 16 nights a month (If I can get them below $25 a night, that's cheaper than an apartment, plus furniture and utilities included). Several folks have suggested I buy a RV, which wouldn't be a bad idea except for the millions of dollars I would spend on gas.

2) a laptop computer. As much as I enjoy having to go to the library every time I want to check my email, life would be exponentially easier. Some guy responded to my Craigslist posting of my Toronado, offering to exchange my old car for a computer, and I probably should have taken him up on his offer. The fact that I have two non-functioning laptops sitting in my basement only makes this more frustrating.

3) a corporate sponsorship from No-Doz. I hate coffee, and Dr. Pepper in the morning makes my stomach urpy, so trucker's speed has become a regular part of my Monday mornings. I'm going to keep mentioning the effectiveness and entirely positive benefits of No-Doz brand energy medicine until I'm noticed and rewarded (or until my heart explodes).

4) several of these shirts. I found this over the weekend, and I really like the "Sweep the Leg!" design. It's about time that someone realized that Cincinnatians a) have disposable income, and b) wear shirts.