UNFURNISHED BUSINESS

Well, my hit-the-ground-running lifestyle here goes on, but I have moved from the mere survival stage to the hectic-but-more-settled stage – mainly because, as of September 3, I am now sleeping in my new apartment. I haven’t lived in an unfurnished apartment since I lived in Hollywood back in 2005. Even with keys in hand, without a bed to sleep in, I had to remain at my kind host Bill Graham’s house until the mattress discounters dropped off my new mattress and box springs.

NEW HOME ADDRESS (to copy and paste into your address book):

Paul Sundberg
1245 W. 1st Street #203
Tempe AZ 85281-7618


(check out on Google maps where in the world is Paul Sundberg)


It's conveniently close to campus in the older west side of Tempe on the south bank of the Rio Salado (Salt River). Yes, Virginia, there is water in the rio! But it's in a nice, quiet side of town, a quick walk to multiple bus stops to get to campus but not on any main road. (On-campus parking is running over $700 a semester!) It's a condominium complex (the owners are renting out their unit), so the resident population tends to be a bit more stable than the average student rental property - of which Tempe is chock full. Out the living room window I look down at the little communal pool and a few other units - very Albuquerque, if you've seen that city. Flat roofs, boxy, and adobe style. Out my bedroom windows I see the red-rock hills of Papago Park across the river - and a semi truck container unit in an empty lot.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN ARIZONA WHEN ...

On my way to Phoenix airport to pick up my small BA air shipment from Oman the end of August, I noticed the "Straight Talk Express" plane parked on a far side of the runway. That's John McCain's campaign plane. Repeat after me: "The reign of McCain depends mainly on his campaign plane." It was right next to the fence on the way to the cargo buildings, so I got a good close gawk at it.

THE SCHEDULE FROM HECK

The American English and Culture Program has gifted me, as the newbie, with a fun schedule this half semester (2 "sessions" in 1 "term"):

-Intermediate Listening and Speaking (great, multi-ethnic class)

-Intermediate Grammar (lots of Arab students, many from Libya - hmm. So maybe diplomatic relations betweem us are better these days?)

-Advanced English Communication (a wan, unenthusiastic little class that are their own worst enemies - they say they need more conversation help, but encourage them to actually go out and talk to an American ...)

-and - the joy of it - a three-hour 3-6pm Friday class on "English for Science and Technology" - a nice enough group of engineering-type guys, but on their last legs, metaphorically, after an entire week of ESL!

That's four classes to prep for, so I've been spending late hours at the office pretty much every day - including these minutes now writing this as a break!

signing off, your reporter in Tempe ...