Rejuvenation

I’m sorry the old Dan can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, because he’s dead.

I couldn’t resist bastardising Taylor Swift to open this new post. Things are looking up. It’s difficult to explain quite why but I’m feeling more positive about who I am. I feel a little more confident in myself which is great.

I thought I’d get back into blogging. For so long I have been embarrassed about pretty much every aspect of my life but I feel it’s about time I was true to myself. Which is why I’ve shared this post on Facebook where people I know can actually see it. 

I’ve been blogging on and off since I was a teenager and it’s just become a thing I do. I started this blog in 2014 when I failed my teaching practice and didn’t know where my life was heading. The concept was, and remains, that I am trying to become a better version of myself, a Dan 2.0 if you will. It’s also a place where I can just write about stuff which is something I like to do.

An update then. Well, at the end of the summer term I applied for a promotion to become a higher level teaching assistant. I had to put together a portfolio essentially showing how I am good at my job. I was delighted when I was accepted and so I’m now a higher level TA. 

It’s lovely to get some recognition for my hard work over the last few years. After failing to qualify as a teacher it’s great to be recognised as a good educator. As a higher level TA I regularly lead the class and small groups but I don’t have the responsibility of a teacher. Ideally I’d want to be paid more but in many ways it’s the best of both worlds. 

I’ve also made an effort to be a bit more healthy. I’ve been making salads and other things for my lunches and cutting out unhealthy snacks. I’ve lost a fair bit of weight, perhaps not so you’d notice on the outside but I really feel it on the inside. I’ve not changed my diet too dramatically but it’s enough really made a difference. 

My other piece of news is that I bought a new car. My 2004 Renault Clio had an annoying electrical fault which caused the car to limit it’s acceleration. When the warning light went on my speed was limited to 50mph and I couldn’t accelerate properly. Little old ladies were zooming past me despite the fact my foot was on the floor. There were also lots of minor issues like both the sunroof and the passenger door leaking.
My new car is a 2013 Renault Twingo which had hardly been used before I bought it. It doesn’t leak, it accelerates and as a bonus I can plug my iPod into the stereo. I hadn’t quite realised how miserable it was making me driving a rubbish car every day and my commute is now much more positive. 

That’s not to say every part of my commute is positive. One day last week a driver somehow concluded that it was my fault they were a bad driver. They pulled into the lane next to me and crawled along shouting abuse. My main thought on this was that I work with autistic children and frankly this driver was failing to live up to the abuse I’ve come to know and love.

It may have been rubbish but I think you have a certain connection to your first car.  I was sad to see it go- cue silly video (you’ll need the sound on for this):

If this was your first experience of my blog then that was the sort of nonsense you can get used to here. I’m aiming to start writing weekly here and whilst some posts will be about things I’ve been up to, others will be discussing major news stories. Please do comment below or on the social media link that took you here if you feel that way inclined and I may well respond to any comments in a future post. Next week I’ll be discussing the wave of sexual harassment cases that have swept Hollywood, Westminster and beyond.