AUSTIN vs. NASHVILLE You're talking about 2 of my favorite cities. I grew up in Nashville (moved there from ATL at age 5 in '55) Lived there 3 times in my youth for total of 17 years. Left in '75 for Austin, and lived there twice with 3 years in L.A. sandwiched in for a total of 11 years in Austin. The two cities are VERY different but that's coming from someone who knows both intimately. There are many superficial similarities though, enough so that the cities are constantly being compared. An...

Bigun's laid out on his side on my workroom floor -- exasperated with me. After all, I didn't stay out in the back yard chucking the ball nearly long enough (never mind that forever would not be long enough). Is it his fault that I got bored waiting for him to bring back the ball, while he got caught up in some new smell that wasn't there before? Apparently. Probably I should've just stood there, admiring the new growth on the lilac bush, the fresh blossoms of bergenia coming up from their bed,...

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]6. Substitute. IF they take your application (they are very choosy these days) you get to network and make friends, which may help if you are a new teacher. CALL EVERY DISTRICT's HR DEPT. and ask how to apply to be a sub. You need 60 credits, so this is a good way to see if you REALLY want to teach in a particular district. You will also need to be fingerprinted, and have a background check. Some counties have hired temp agencies to do this for them.[/FONT][/COLOR]...

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]MY RECOMMENDATIONS TO ANYONE SEEKING WORK AS A TEACHER IN NJ:[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]1. If you are over 50, like me, FORGET IT. Districts want to pay starting salaries. Can you get into consulting, or a private school?Industries need trainers. Check into County Colleges if you have MA+. NO MA, don't even waste your time; county colleges don't want you.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]2. IF YOU ARE OVER 50--I worked with two Workers...

A word to the wise about leaving chopped up fruits and veggies too long in the pulp container of a juice machine: You'll be inviting gnats to a party at your home. And this writer ended up experiencing those uninvited guests the other day at the expense of abode peace.

I've tried a lot of things besides the obvious, which is throwing any spilled or leftover food or like debris (including said pulp) away, but I had some Raid in the cabinet under the sink. Now, I...