Today was really more orientation than teaching. The three of us (Beth, Grace, and I) that work with the Practicum Block met with each block of students for an hour and a half. We played "2 truths and a lie" (a.k.a. "guess the fib") to get to know each other, then went over the calendar and some general expectations. So tomorrow is my first real day of teaching. I can't believe how excited I am!
After orientation, the 3 of us went to lunch in the snackbar. I worked in my office a little, then went to the computing center to check on my classroom for tomorrow. Then I went on a photo-taking spree. The sun was out and there was all that fresh snow from last night. Check my website for photos. I walked down to the Post Office but there is still no mail in my PO Box. It's been 11 days now since they stopped the mail back home. I hope it comes soon.
I went back to the Education Center and got in a groove making the class wiki for all 3 classes and a bunch of other stuff for class tomorrow. Suddenly my phone rang. It was 7:45! I had no idea it was so late. It was MRM on the phone who called because it was dark and cold and she was worried about me. I looked at the thermometer in my window sill and it said it was 7 degrees outside. How did that happen?! That really is COLD!! She and RBF were going out but would be back in an hour. She offered to come pick me up. This definitely goes beyond "nice landlady". I am so blessed to have this awesome roommate. And I have sooooo much to learn. This New England winter weather is nothing to play around with.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
First Wintery Walk: January 16, 2007
After my delicious and warm oatmeal breakfast, I left for my first day of school. I left some of the heavier stuff out of my bookbag. I borrowed (at Jody's recommendation) a pair of "yak trackers" from MRM. I have no idea if I spelled that correctly, but that's what I heard when they called them by name. They are grippers that attach to the outside of your shoe and give you traction. Jode recommended them for my first walk in the snow.
I got outside and the streets were so well plowed you could see asphalt! The street was very busy with traffic and pedestrians. I walked past the same 3 kids waiting for their bus that I had seen on Friday. It was actually a very easy walk. I wasn't sure if I was on sidewalk or not but it was flat snow and there were other footprints ahead of me, so I just kept walking. It was actually very uneventful. I was very grateful for uneventful. I tried to be extra appreciative of the fact that there was no wind and no ice. In fact, the sun was shining! It was a beautiful day!
I wish I could've taken a picture. I hope to see this device again and I will photograph it then. As I crossed the bridge and neared the Education Center, I saw what looked like a mini front loader but it had a chimney on top and snow was spewing out of it. It was headed toward me on the sidewalk and I didn't know who had right of way or what the protocol was. But then he pulled over into a driveway and signalled for me to come ahead so I did. In the front of his frontloader was some kind of spinning device. It looked like a horizontal auger but I'm not sure. Apparently, the spinning thing picks the snow up off the sidewalk and then it blows it up and out of the chimney. The driver can control the direction of the spray. The whole thing was the width of the sidewalk. It was a sidewalk snowplow!
I got outside and the streets were so well plowed you could see asphalt! The street was very busy with traffic and pedestrians. I walked past the same 3 kids waiting for their bus that I had seen on Friday. It was actually a very easy walk. I wasn't sure if I was on sidewalk or not but it was flat snow and there were other footprints ahead of me, so I just kept walking. It was actually very uneventful. I was very grateful for uneventful. I tried to be extra appreciative of the fact that there was no wind and no ice. In fact, the sun was shining! It was a beautiful day!
I wish I could've taken a picture. I hope to see this device again and I will photograph it then. As I crossed the bridge and neared the Education Center, I saw what looked like a mini front loader but it had a chimney on top and snow was spewing out of it. It was headed toward me on the sidewalk and I didn't know who had right of way or what the protocol was. But then he pulled over into a driveway and signalled for me to come ahead so I did. In the front of his frontloader was some kind of spinning device. It looked like a horizontal auger but I'm not sure. Apparently, the spinning thing picks the snow up off the sidewalk and then it blows it up and out of the chimney. The driver can control the direction of the spray. The whole thing was the width of the sidewalk. It was a sidewalk snowplow!
Soup and Good Fun: January 15, 2007
My roommate (MRM) and her boyfriend (RBF) were home from their trip but out buying groceries when I got home. Benny greeted me at the door and Cassie was in her kennel. She was barking to get out but I knew I couldn't guard all the belongings that were unpacked from the car trip, so I left her in the kennel. Shortly thereafter MRM and RBF arrived from the store. I was planning a quiet dinner of Progresso soup but MRM was making homemade soup. She fixed 2 different kinds: french onion soup and a vegetable soup/stew. She was stocking up for the week. Her friend Jody was coming back from her day of reporting on the ski patrol so there would be 4 for dinner. What fun.
We had a delicious dinner but everyone was exhausted from their various travels and work. We were going to play a game but we all crashed instead. MRM did make a cool oatmeal concoction that cooks in the crockpot overnight. She said she wanted me to have a good send-off on my first day of school. I hadn't even thought of it as my first day of school, but it would be! How cool that she commemorated it for me with an extra special breakfast. :-)
We had a delicious dinner but everyone was exhausted from their various travels and work. We were going to play a game but we all crashed instead. MRM did make a cool oatmeal concoction that cooks in the crockpot overnight. She said she wanted me to have a good send-off on my first day of school. I hadn't even thought of it as my first day of school, but it would be! How cool that she commemorated it for me with an extra special breakfast. :-)
First Drive in the Snow: January 15, 2007
I left the house a little after 9. I was going to stop at the University, then go on to church. There was about 2 inches of snow on the car that I brushed off. Then I carefully walked across the street and took the photo that's in the prior posting. The drive to UMF was short (gotta love that .3 miles!) and uneventful. Two cars passed me, so I guess I was driving pretty slow. I did figure out, looking out the back windshield, why it's important to brush off the roof of the car as well as the windows.
I did a little work, sent a few emails, then went to church. Again, pretty uneventful. But during mass, it snowed the entire time and the flakes got bigger. So when I left mass, there was another 1 - 2 inches which I brushed off (including the entire roof this time). The car was facing east on Middle Street and I needed to go west, so I slowly did a 3-point turn in the driveway of an apartment complex just a little down the road. I got to the Education Center safely and easily.
I worked all afternoon in my office. I could see the snow stacking up on the roof outside my window. I decided I would leave before sunset so my drive could be in daylight. When I got to the car, there was 4 -5 inches of snow on top of the car this time. It took longer to brush it all off and I was a little nervous because the bottom of my long coat was brushing the top of the snow. Another inch and that snow would've been over the top of my snowboots. I could open the car door safely but as I did I realized there are many factors to consider when attempting to drive in the snow. No wonder some cars and trucks are so high off the ground!
The parallel parking spaces next to the Education Center are wonderfully long. You don't have to parallel park, you can just pull in. I tried to back up a little so I could pull out more safely, but the car didn't want to back up. Fortunately, I had enough room in front to just pull out. I had to really rev it up to get over the hump of snow that had built up next to my tires. I pulled out and started heading east on Lincoln. Hmm, no 3-point turn this time, I'm going around the block.
There were groups of students unloading and moving back into the dorm after the break. Many of them were walking in the street. Oh thank you so much for the additional hazard! I didn't hit any of them. I went ever so slowly around the block, including going by the church again (that's how close it is). This car has a low gear but I sure was wishing for a stick-shift car at this point. There was a LOT of traffic. In addition to students going to the dorms, there were families and groups of young children going home from sledding and lots of trucks and other vehicles with plows on the front driving to places that needed plowing. It appeared most of them didn't plow all day and were just waiting for it to stop which means they had at least 9 inches (by my calculations and informal measurements taken during the day) to plow.
I slowly drove south on High Street, successfully avoiding all sledders, plowers, and other drivers. I turned left into the driveway and came to an abrupt stop. That little pile of snow (read "big hump") left by the plow was prohibiting me from getting into the driveway. And there were cars coming! I backed up and tried again. At least this time, I was heading straight into it (which also meant I was perpendicular to traffic). I got over the first hump but got stuck on the next one. At least I was out of traffic. But now what?!
I said a little prayer and tried to assess my situation. I was thinking that backing up and trying again with more confidence and a little more power might do it, but that was just a guess. About that time a pedestrian walked by and looked at me kind of funny so I quickly opened the car door and said, "I'm from Texas and I don't know how to get the car into the driveway." He was very nice and talked me through it and offered to help push while I drove it. I did have the right strategy, I felt good about that.
I'll never know if it was his push or my new confidence-filled driving or a combination but I got into the driveway and was able to drive all the way down the drive to what has unofficially become my parking spot. Shwew! I hopped out of the car really fast but my guardian angel pedestrian friend was no where to be seen. I hollered out really loudly to nobody in particular, "Thank you!" Well, I actually yelled it to the friendly pedestrian in particular, it was the direction in which I hollered it that was not particular. If he didn't hear it, I hope he at least felt it.
Guess who's walking in the morning?!!
I did a little work, sent a few emails, then went to church. Again, pretty uneventful. But during mass, it snowed the entire time and the flakes got bigger. So when I left mass, there was another 1 - 2 inches which I brushed off (including the entire roof this time). The car was facing east on Middle Street and I needed to go west, so I slowly did a 3-point turn in the driveway of an apartment complex just a little down the road. I got to the Education Center safely and easily.
I worked all afternoon in my office. I could see the snow stacking up on the roof outside my window. I decided I would leave before sunset so my drive could be in daylight. When I got to the car, there was 4 -5 inches of snow on top of the car this time. It took longer to brush it all off and I was a little nervous because the bottom of my long coat was brushing the top of the snow. Another inch and that snow would've been over the top of my snowboots. I could open the car door safely but as I did I realized there are many factors to consider when attempting to drive in the snow. No wonder some cars and trucks are so high off the ground!
The parallel parking spaces next to the Education Center are wonderfully long. You don't have to parallel park, you can just pull in. I tried to back up a little so I could pull out more safely, but the car didn't want to back up. Fortunately, I had enough room in front to just pull out. I had to really rev it up to get over the hump of snow that had built up next to my tires. I pulled out and started heading east on Lincoln. Hmm, no 3-point turn this time, I'm going around the block.
There were groups of students unloading and moving back into the dorm after the break. Many of them were walking in the street. Oh thank you so much for the additional hazard! I didn't hit any of them. I went ever so slowly around the block, including going by the church again (that's how close it is). This car has a low gear but I sure was wishing for a stick-shift car at this point. There was a LOT of traffic. In addition to students going to the dorms, there were families and groups of young children going home from sledding and lots of trucks and other vehicles with plows on the front driving to places that needed plowing. It appeared most of them didn't plow all day and were just waiting for it to stop which means they had at least 9 inches (by my calculations and informal measurements taken during the day) to plow.
I slowly drove south on High Street, successfully avoiding all sledders, plowers, and other drivers. I turned left into the driveway and came to an abrupt stop. That little pile of snow (read "big hump") left by the plow was prohibiting me from getting into the driveway. And there were cars coming! I backed up and tried again. At least this time, I was heading straight into it (which also meant I was perpendicular to traffic). I got over the first hump but got stuck on the next one. At least I was out of traffic. But now what?!
I said a little prayer and tried to assess my situation. I was thinking that backing up and trying again with more confidence and a little more power might do it, but that was just a guess. About that time a pedestrian walked by and looked at me kind of funny so I quickly opened the car door and said, "I'm from Texas and I don't know how to get the car into the driveway." He was very nice and talked me through it and offered to help push while I drove it. I did have the right strategy, I felt good about that.
I'll never know if it was his push or my new confidence-filled driving or a combination but I got into the driveway and was able to drive all the way down the drive to what has unofficially become my parking spot. Shwew! I hopped out of the car really fast but my guardian angel pedestrian friend was no where to be seen. I hollered out really loudly to nobody in particular, "Thank you!" Well, I actually yelled it to the friendly pedestrian in particular, it was the direction in which I hollered it that was not particular. If he didn't hear it, I hope he at least felt it.
Guess who's walking in the morning?!!
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