Here's the good news: It's going to be a good school year. I just know it. For the first time, I'm not teaching self-contained students. I have resource and collaboration kiddos, who seem to require less intense direction. I've waited years for this opportunity, and I'm loving it so far. I'm actually teaching writing, too. So far, there hasn't been a single day that I've dreaded going to work. So, it's all good from 7:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

After 2:30 is a different story. That's when my phone starts blowing up. My soon-to-be-ex leaves messages ranging from "Baby, i love you" to "Bitch, I hope you're happy" with a few "You better get the rest of your stuff out of the yard before it rains" mixed in. I let those messages accumulate until I am in the frame of mind to listen to all of them in one sitting. Alcoholism, drug addiction, and self-detox just bring out the worst in people, and I try to keep that in mind.

I've moved from a 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath home into a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with my oldest daughter and my little dog. There's nobody bitching at us as soon as we wake up, and nobody bitching at us before we go to bed. We have a Zero Tolerance for Bullshit Policy--leave it at the door. There's no name-calling, cursing at each other, substance abuse, or covering up for those who participate in those activities. We're all happy to see each other at the end of the day. It's actually quite peaceful.

I haven't been this broke since I was in college, but I know that things will get better soon, and after Christmas, I might even be able to start saving a little money for a small vacation this summer. The financial part will always work out--it always does.

My two youngest daughters hate me. I don't know how that's going to work out yet. They are 18 and 20, and they don't understand how I could have rocked the boat with such force. I sucked it up and stuck it out as long as I could to avoid upsetting their worlds, and they've been too sheltered to fully understand what's happening here. I accept the blame for giving them the illusion that the world revolves around them, but I hope they grow to understand that I needed a life beyond covering for their dad. I hope they realize that I love them unconditionally, regardless of their feelings for me.