I’m wide awake, it’s morning...

I'm pretty sure that's the name of a song. Or an album. Not sure. Either way, I actually am wide awake right now. I've been up since 8 AM. Of course, the reason I woke up so early hasn't arrived yet. We're having kitchen leaks again, right above the sink. When I woke up yesterday morning, the entire counter was soaked and water was dripping onto the floor. Last night the landlord's nephew came over to check it out and he thinks there's a cracked pipe somewhere. He said the landlord would be over today between 8 and 9 AM. It's now after 10 AM, and no sign of him. Surprise, surprise.

So let me tell you about my summer. One of my pet peeves is when people find out I'm a teacher and they say, "Oh, it must be so great to have your summers off!" Let me assure you, dear reader, it is NOT all it's cracked up to be. Once I'm off of my normal schedule, I get summer insomnia. I don't do anything all day, so I'm not tired at night. As a result, I'm up til around 2 or 3 AM and then sleep until 10 AM. I wake up, eat breakfast, watch TV, read, check email. Lather, rinse, repeat. I've never been so bored.

I tried looking for a part-time retail job, but didn't have much luck. My mother told me to try the mall... but... sigh... I'm 30. I just can't go work in the mall. The whole reason I went to college is so I wouldn't have to work in the mall anymore. (Sorry if I've offended anyone who DOES work in the mall... I did it for years, and it's just not for me.)

I've also been spending about an hour a day looking for a new teaching job. I have several application packets out there... and currently one interview scheduled... but otherwise, no luck. I do a daily search on careerbuilder, craigslist, monster and PAREAP (employment website for teachers in PA). I bookmarked websites for every school district in the area and I check those every few days to see if any new job postings are up. And once a week I check the Inquirer. It's frustrating.

Anyway... can you believe it's July already? This time last year I was in Australia. Actually, at this exact time, I was in the air, somewhere over Hawaii. I wish I had the money to travel again this year... but it is what it is. It's probably for the best, though. If I went away, I wouldn't be able to job hunt. And if I get a new job that pays more, then I can plan a decent trip. Somewhere out of the country. I miss flying. (This from the girl who used to get nightmares two months before an hour long flight to Orlando.)

(It's 10:30 AM... landlord just got here. He always has a way of making these kitchen leaks sound like they're our fault. "I don't understand why it does this. I've never had this many complaints before." Fucker. The water is coming from our ceiling, everytime the upstairs neighbors wash their dishes or run their garbage disposal. By what stretch of the imagination is that our fault?)

The holiday weekend is fast approaching. So where are all the cookouts? The BBQs? The backyard pool parties? I feel like things have been strangely quiet this summer. But I actually do have some weekend plans. I'll most likely be at my parents' house on Saturday to use the pool. And Sunday is my godson's son's christening. I'm sure that'll be quite the event. Whenever a new Silva is welcomed into the world, it's always a cause for celebration. Or is it alarm? (Joe, maybe you know the answer to this... lol...) Anyway, I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures of the precious bundle of joy next week.

Well... that's all from my end. Time to go check email, watch TV, read and look for a job. Ugh.

(PS - I just looked it up. "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning," is an album by Bright Eyes.)