GrAtItUde & FamiLy

Gretel and I have been extremely busy ever since we set foot on the soil where so much of this great Nation was founded. From the untouched country of Fairmount Park, free Bruce Springsteen concerts, Obama rallies, the world series, to the Capital building where chumps like Benjamin Franklin once hung their hat and drafted irrelevant documents, Philadelphia has a little something for everyone . . . yes, even Joe six-pack and Joe the plumber (I love you McCain).
Things here have been chaotic and stressful lately, but we feel it is important to take a moment and express our love and gratitude to all our family who we dearly miss and love. Thank you for your support and simple conversations that carry us through each week.
Work seems to be going great for Gretel. Her management skills are second to none. Her influence and success is apparent in every store she touches. Accumulating friends who love her that literally stretch across the country and continue to seek her guidance and friendship in so many aspects that truly transcend the business of retail. I am so proud of her and to be with her. I love you momma.
School here is stressful, yet brilliant. Everyday seems to be an adventure. My adjunct professor work is painstaking some days and others it is incredibly rewarding. Most of the time I feel like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day. One of these damn days I will know that I got it all right because Atticus will be chasing a big, fat, fury groundhog in the yard rather than a rat-tailed possum who cleverly plays dead all the time (a defense mechanism that may very well defy “intelligent design”). The professor/teaching assistant thing is still an uncomfortable mask to wear or role to take on, but I am confident that I am learning more than my students; still not sure if that is a good thing . . . The learning curve here at Temple is steep, but I am honored to be a part of such a prestigious and progressive program. GO OWLS!!!!!!!!