My Recent and Future Life

It’s time I gave everyone an update on what’s been going on in my life lately. My friends have probably noticed that I haven’t posted much on Facebook lately. At the start of the year, I intended to use this blog more often than I would use Facebook. I thought this blog would enable me to go into more detail about my life and my thoughts on various topics. I also hoped that being an active blogger would help me improve my writing skills. As you may have noticed, I haven’t posted anything in a long time because my schedule has gotten very busy. Now it’s time to elaborate on why I've been so busy and will continue to be busy for a while. First, I’m going to talk about my theatre life. Then I’ll tell the story of my excruciating job search. I will conclude by talking about projects going on for me at home.

After I finished stage-managing Into the Woods at The Empress Theatre, I got cast in their production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This production has been both fun and stressful in many different ways. The performances have been going pretty well. Recently, I've been preparing to direct my church’s upcoming production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The Empress Theatre recently recruited me to be in their cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie. I was initially reluctant to do so since it would overlap both Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. However, I  figured out a way to work it into my schedule. I agreed to join the cast of Millie because they needed more men and because I love the show so much. I have a few weeks to learn what I need to before it opens.

I've been having trouble finding a job ever since I graduated. I hadn't completed the teaching program because it would have postponed my graduation another two years. Instead, I decided to check out my other career options first. I could always get a teaching certificate later. Most employers I found were looking for more experienced candidates. Internships were also hard to find because many of them were exclusive to students that hadn't graduated yet. After three months of futile job searching, I applied for the Alternate Route to Licensure, which allows me to apply for teaching positions right now and complete the requirements for a permanent license as I teach. Unfortunately, my initial background check took seven weeks to clear, so some potential teaching positions were filled before I could apply.

During the past few weeks, I've been helping my dad re-roof our house and garage. This has taken up so much of my time that I haven’t been able to apply for other jobs, write in my blog, or even watch many movies. Luckily, the roofing project is almost over. This summer, my dad is going to pay me to take care of his garden and orchard for a few weeks. I’m also being paid to mow my neighbor’s lawn. Hopefully these little jobs will give me enough pocket money to get by until I can get a real job. Juggling all these balls has been stressful for me, but I’m still keeping a positive attitude. I think I’m handling everything a lot better than I would have a few years ago. Keep your fingers crossed that I can find a good teaching position. I also hope that you guys can make it to at least one of the plays I’m doing.