So, here’s another one of my new ideas for this blog.  I’ve changed jobs but not careers.  I’m now a full-time instructor (officially, an “assistant professor” ahem) with Ivy Tech Community College in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

I’ve taught junior high- and high school English for 17 years and have also been an adjunct (part-time) instructor for Ivy Tech in Terre Haute, IN, for five years.

Now I’ve moved up—permanently.

So, today (August 11) was my first official day of employment.  I’ve been to campus a handful of times since my final job-winning interview, but today was not at my home campus at all.  All (?) of the full-time faculty members attended the second annual “Discipline Dialogues” meeting today in Indianapolis.  Our college’s new president gave two separate welcoming addresses (since there was not an available hall that housed all of said faculty at once, I’m presuming) and we then met with department members from around the state.

My day consisted of the following:

Falling asleep (finally) at about 2:30 am.

Waking up around 4ish thinking I’d overslept.

Falling back asleep just long enough to be shocked that my 5:30 alarm was going off.

Packing up my car on a stifling, muggy morning and leaving the house around 7.  I made it to the Indy campus without an issue and had a good time connecting with my new colleagues.

I then went to my in-law’s house in Noblesville, which was about an hour away due to late afternoon traffic.  I nodded off for about 20 minutes before my wife’s mother came home.  Her parents, brother, his daughter, and I went to eat at a local Mexican restaurant before I finally got back on the road and headed here.

Where is here, you ask?  (While I ask “Why are you still reading this?”)

I’m with the XXXXXs, of course.  C— and V— XXXXX.  People I’ve just met.  I’m staying with them.  In their home.  I’m typing this in their second bedroom.  We met in person two hours ago.  While Michael Phelps earned his 4000th gold medal tonight in the background, I was getting to know my temporary landlords.  These people, upon learning of my situation, graciously opened up their home to me, a stranger.  During our introductory talk tonight, V said that it just felt like the right thing to do.  Obviously, I pose no threat to anyone–but why would they know that?

Kindness is Magic.  (Please watch Ricky Gervais’ series DEREK)

Ya see, my wife and children are two hundred miles away (give or take) because our house hasn’t sold yet.  I got this job in late May and we listed it about four weeks later.  We’ve had over a dozen showings, but the house hasn’t sold.  Thus, they have to stay there while I’m at my new job on the other side of the Hoosier State.

It’s a little crazy, but we know it’s temporary and we’ll get back to being an average suburban white family before too long.

So, I’m cataloging this experience with this series of blog posts.  I mean, I brought stuff to read, but this experience is kind of surreal.  I’m forty, for god’s sake, and I seriously packed my fifteen-year-old sedan with a mini fridge which I plan to use primarily for extremely cheap dining purposes until I’m reunited with my family.

Thus…here we go.  Off to bed for now.  I’ll try to post something each night I’m here in “The Fort” (sidebar:  I like “The Wayne” better, but I hear the locals use the former) and maybe something will materialize.