Spring has been nice so far, just a little colder than usual. Everything is green and lush and I think we have actually had one day in the 80�s. Mostly it�s been in the upper 60�s to lower 70�s. I have already mowed the lawn twice and the unfortunately both my push mower and riding mowers have been giving me trouble. Always something now, isn�t it?
It�s also been a busy time for me as well. I have been working back at the Shop N� Save on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays. In addition to that I have been working with Ace doing carpentry work on Mondays, Tuesdays and sometimes on Wednesdays. You would think this means I have an excess of income, but sadly I only seem to be gaining slightly. My investments in foreign currency exchange have been non-gaining for the last month much to my disappointment and I am at a point on them that I could lose half my investment. I am hopeful however that the trend will reverse and in the meantime I have learned much from playing around with my virtual account from which I started in this endeavor. That account is now gaining steadily by the implementation of a new strategy. It is at a 33% gain from the original opening since early April. My actual account is hovering at only a 3% gain thus far and locked in a negative trend so I can�t really do much with it. It is too close to a margin call for comfort and if it hits that then half the investment is gone. It�s money which I can gamble with without hurting me too much however but I am frustrated that I made such a blunder. Hindsight shows me what I should have done, but hey, it�s all a lesson, right?
I had a speaking engagement last Sunday at the Unitarian church in Morgantown where we have our PFLAG meetings. It went fairly well. I was a bit nervous at first, but it was a pleasant and supportive group. I spoke about PFLAG, it�s mission and what our group and the national organization does there at the church and on a national level. No one from our group was able to make it, but after my initial nervousness, I loosened up and it went fine. I was very impressed at how kind and articulate the congregation was. There were some very insightful questions and comments made and I indeed felt welcomed. A much more enlightened group than what I am used to interacting with in this area. Morgantown as a whole tends to be much more accepting of diversity in my experience than the Fairchance/Uniontown area, but this congregation was exceptional. My thanks to all of them and I hope I provided a positive interaction, not making any comments which could be taken the wrong way.
In other matters, I helped my neighbor Shirley move last month and the woman who owns the house next door is planning on selling it. I doubt it will sell quickly however so I likely will not have new neighbors any time soon. She asked me to mow the grass for her and I have done so for the same price I gave Shirley, but that will only be for mowing the lawn. With Shirley I did a lot of other trimming, pruning and such. Shirley now lives about ten miles away, but we will still go out every month near the first for our monthly Chinese buffet lunch.
The kids I tutor are almost out of school, so I will be freed from that obligation during the summer, but I do plan on taking them a few places when time allows. I am hoping to take them to Presque Isle park, Gettysburg and to the beach this summer. They have not been too many places and I enjoy opening their world up a bit. I hope to be able to go with their parents too of course so that they can be family outings which may serve to bring them closer and give them some memories to share through the days ahead.
I have also made a new friend online and we speak on the phone a couple times a week. He is a young man from Connecticut who struggles with the fact that he is both homosexual and Christian. Brandon Henshcel�s (a famous dancer) mom introduced us, hoping that he and I could share Christ�s love and our other commonalities. Renea (Brandon�s mom) has also invited me to come visit in 2007 when their area will have an event about the dead sea scrolls. She lives in Southern California and I am eager to once again visit my home state. The plans are in the works. I have enjoyed very much getting to know both Renea and young James and perhaps we can all get together for the event. :-)
Well, not much else is going on. The situation with the I.U. has been resolved. I am officially no longer working for them. Everyone I have spoken to on the matter thinks the situation unfair and disappointing. I have had many kind and encouraging conversations with others in the field concerning the situation. And while many seem disappointed that I did not contest the situation, I simply have no desire to work for a company which conducts business in the fashion they have. They have lost a good employee, but sadly it is the children who will suffer the most. But my faith is well placed and I have had no shortage of blessings in my own life. Opportunities constantly present themselves and I am provided for, much more so than the sparrows of the field. Now if I would get off my butt and start working out or jogging more! LOL
