, 5 min, 885 words
Tags: adventuring ems national-ability-center teaching
Well, it's the shoulder season again. That means transitions and an opportunity for reflection. Like last season, I thought a statistical view of the experience would be interesting, so here it is!
First off, I skied a total of 108 days this season. Not all of those were full days, and the total includes days I spent teaching on the magic carpet just as much as days I skied hard all day with friends.
Coldest weather I remember: around -17 Fahrenheit in the mornings one week in January. Solid toe-warmer weather, in my opinion.
Hottest weather I remember: somewhere in the forties and sunny our last couple weeks (so late March and the first week of April). Sheesh was this hot.
More info to be calculated if I get motivated to parse a file full of historical weather data.
In addition to ski instructing, I also did a bit of tutoring to keep myself busy, and helping people understand difficult material is every bit as fun as getting someone out on the snow for the first time.
Finally, this winter I pursued something I've wanted to do for a long time: I took an EMT-basic course. I finished up the course at the end of March, and now I'm waiting to take my national registry written test. The whole process was a real joy. I learned a ton about the human body and ways it can malfunction under pressure. I also learned about teamwork and the everyday courage of thousands of first responders across the country. I've been accumulating some notes here, which I hope to add to as I have time.
Alright, fair warning: I’m about to talk about money. If you’re uncomfortable with that in any way, skip to the rest of the post and stop reading now. I’ll write a little filler and then stick in some blank lines so nothing hits you in the face. Have a nice day!
First, income!
Total income: $8,221
And expenses!
Total expenses: $7,238
To be honest, I'm not thrilled with my finances this season. I guess working for a nonprofit as an instructor isn't particularly...well, profitable. And with substantial educational expenses, my take-home savings were a little less than $1000.
From here, I'm heading up to Washington State as a sea kayak guide for Anacortes Kayak Tours. I'm thrilled to explore the San Juan Islands and get to know an incredible area. Stay tuned for training vignettes and fun adventures.
To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with my finances this winter. If I choose to go back next winter, I'd likely seek out more tutoring opportunities to pay for my adaptive ski instructing habit, and cut back on expenses like eating out, plus hopefully reducing my educational expenses.