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Game Over...

As some of you know, I'm currently working with children. I teach radio broadcasting to kids between the ages of ten and 17 at a Boys & Girls Club in Los Angeles. Even though my job can get nerve-racking at times, I enjoy the moments of clarity in their eyes.

Lately, however, work hasn't been a joy. About two months ago, a pipe burst in the bathroom next to my second-floor studio. Since it happened on the weekend, it went on long enough to flood out the basement. Even though the water didn't make it into my room, the fumes generated from the flood have rendered the building uninhabitable for the next three months. That means that I have to work in other areas of the club.

Please understand, working with children is an entirely new experience for me. I'm learning to like it, but it has to be on my terms. I never have over three kids at time when we're on the air. During auditions, the maximum number of kids I've had is nine. Now that my room is off-limits, I've been placed in the most uncontrolled part of the club -- the game room.

The game room is a catch-all type place for our kids. They have board games, video games, and some rooms have pool tables and Foosball. As you can imagine, the noise is almost unbearable, and those children don't have a lot of respect for those of us who are trying to figure out the best way to handle them.

Since I haven't been able to find anything in my field of expertise, my plan was to stick it out until something else came along. However, I just found out that thanks to the recession, my part-time gig is about to become a quarter-time gig. Basically, the kids aren't coming, and they can't afford to pay so many staffers.

While I'm not completely ready to deal with this turn of events, I'm kinda glad about it. I'm getting the push I need to make the moves I've probably needed to make for a while. I'll keep you posted.

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