I'm off...tomorrow

Hey all,
Well we finished up our staging conference today and it has been a little bit stressful. They say that you get better at dealing with stress but I tried to think back to other stressful times (leaving for the Persian Gulf or moving arcross the country) and nothing in my memory compares to this. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we integrate how we deal with stress into our character...and I do believe it is always as different as the situation that we are faced with at that time. The only thing that I know that deals with stress equally is some type of perscription drug...but it only lasts for awhile.
It's not how you deal with stress per say, but in how that stress is utilized. Deep in my mind and heart, I realize that stress is a non-discriminatory entity. It doesn't care how many stressful times you've been through, it is always the same. The only thing that changes is how you deal with it all.
My group seems really cool and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better in the coming weeks. I spent tonight checking in with old friends and just sort of reflecting on these last couple of days. We have a late checkout tomorrow, so I'm just chillin' right now and will probably hit the rack soon. I want to get up real early and enjoy a "quiet" morning in DC, go for a walk, sit for awhile, and get some java.
Don't know when I'll be posting again...kind of a crazy week coming up. Keep writing those emails though...I'll happily shell out alot of lari to read it!
All the best (can't wait to know how to say this in Georgian!)
John

Fear and Loathing in DC

Hey All,
It's been a wild couple of days. I finished work on Friday, met friends at Kennedy school for a sendoff that went a little later than expected (hic). Joel got me to the airport for my red-eye flight.
The flight was good and I managed to catch a few zzz's between the incessant screaming of a toddler who really didn't want to be on the plane. I felt the same way (about the toddler that is). My buddy Akers picked me up and after scrubbing off the travel, met up with Sue and headed out to hear EFO. After that, Sue (who put many miles on her truck) and I went down to Alexandria to meet up with Katie (up from Charlotte) and the Jamison clan. I can't tell you how much fun was had and I didn't bother taking pictures as they would never do the night justice. Lots of beer, backgammon, hot-tubbing etc.
No worse for the wear, Sue took me back to Herndon the next day and said her farewell :( I'll miss her very much. Akers and I went out to the air and space annex at Dulles Airport. It's free to get into the museum but $12 to park. Pretty good scam eh?
It's been great to see so many old friends and I am eternally grateful for their fellowship and support right now. Today will be a bit mellow...I need a break! Tonight I'm heading downtown to meet up with some other G7's (we just can't wait til tomorrow!) and play some pub trivia. Tomorrow is check-in and staging and Thursday is off to Georgia.
Far-***king out.
later,
John

Yeah, I'll miss my students.They're so sedate.

Hey all,

Thought I'd try this imbedding thing for video before I left the states. This is one of my stus speaking a mile a minute. It was only a matter of time before she was gonna say, ....and this one time, at band camp..."
Hope this works!!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wu9JFACjJ8

Off to DC tonight..last day in PDX :( Last day before new adventure :))
By the way...a special shout out to my hero, my angel, my savior...Kate O'brien Clarke..who bought my car a mere 16 hours before I depart! I think I used some serious karmic points on this one!
John

Things about Portland I'll miss...or not.

Homebrewing!! I gave all my gear to my friend Chad. I went over last Saturday to brew one more batch! (believe it or not, this was taken before any beers were consumed)
My Obi-Wan to his young Skywalker..Chad has only recently started brewing (I've been doing it for a long time)

During the boil....WE DANCE!!! (this was after a couple...heheh)

Hey,


Well, as I get ready to depart Stumptown, I've been thinking about some of the things quintessentially Portland that I will miss...here's a short list in no particular order:


1. Trees (yeah I know they have them in Georgia, but anyone who's been here knows there is something special about Pacific NW Forests)
2. Free Live Music
3. Beer(Specif. "Terminal Gravity IPA") (Portland has over 30 breweries...and I think the entire country of Georgia produces about 4 types of beer total)
4. My Students (they drive me insane but I really love them)
5. Fishing...although I haven't done it for awhile.
6. Portland AAA Baseball ( I like to go there and grade papers and watch the game)
7. Oregon Coast--one of my favorite places
8. Powell's Books on rainy afternoons.
9. Movie Madness (best video store in the world).
10. Trivia night
11. Kareoke at Chopsticks
12 Football games at Claudia's
13. The courtyard at the Kennedy School
14. The Arboretum (I guess that should go with #1)
15. The Hawthorne District


Things I WON'T miss:
1. Yet another great building being torn down for CONDOS :(
2. Self-righteous bicyclists
3. Smug Pearl district yuppies (more than likley from California)
4. Uber-Christains
5. Lars Larson (radio-host)
6. People that think PBR has cache'

Just where in the hell are you going again???

Hey all, since I'm leaving soon, people have begun asking questions...too many questions :) about where I'm going, what I'll be doing etc. So in an attempt to enlighten those inquisitive types with out repeating myself ad nauseum in individual emails, here is a very brief primer on the Republic of Georgia (a.k.a. "Sakartvelo") :

Where is Georgia? Georgia is located in the transcontinental region known as the Caucuses. (see map above). To the north lies Russia, to the West, the Black Sea, to the south Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan (south and east).It is a small country, about the size of West "by god" Virginia with a population of about 5 million people.

What's the weather like? Well, it depends on where you are. For a small country, Georgia has many different climates ranging from sub-tropical in the southwest, to alpine in the mountains, to high desert in the east. Regardless of the climate, Georgia is a beautiful country (see 1st and 3rd pics). In some ways it is alot like Oregon as far as diiversity of landscapes go.

What will you be doing there? I'll be teaching english to secondary school students.

Where will you be teaching? Unknown at this time...we don't get permanent site placements until training is almost over.

Do you speak Georgian? No, not yet but I will go through lots of language training before I arrive at my teaching site. Georgian is a "unique language that continues to fascinate linguists to this very day".....so it should be a piece of cake :)

What's Georgia known for? Well, for we history geeks, Georgia is the bitrthplace of Joe Stalin. Georgia is also the ancient land of Colchis, where Jason went to retrieve the Golden Fleece in Greek Mythology. Georgia is the 2nd country to adopt christianity (see 4th pic) as its official religion in 327 AD (bonus points for those that know the first). Georgia's climate is great for growing grapes and there are more than 500 types of wines produced there (take that France!). Some claim that Georgian were the first to start making wine.

I hope this whets your appetites for future Georgian info. I really must get back to my report cards now. All the Best

John