Sitting in Charlotte: February 1, 2007

Well, the Charlotte airport has free Internet service! How nice is that? Unfortunately, I have over 2 hours to experience this because my flight is over 2 hours late. The 2 previous postings I wrote while on the airplane. You can send an email to a special address and it automatically gets posted. how cool is that? I had the same feature on my dissertation blog and loved it. I found it in the settings of this blog service and knew exactly what it was. I thought I had lost the email address, but I found it and was able to successfully post via email. Ain't technology grand? :-)

L.L. Bean: February 1, 2007

My flight to Dallas isn't until nearly 2:00, but I left Farmington early so I could have some shopping time in Portland. I wanted to go to LL Bean. Of course, with their store in Freeport being open 24 hours a day/ 365 days a year (they say that there are no locks on the doors, but I forgot to look), I could've gone late Sunday night when I get back. But I decided to go during the day when I could see it. I drove through Freeport on my way to Farmington back on January 8, but didn't see the store. I had no trouble finding it though, today.

Jodi lives near Portland, and she left her ski pants at the house when she was in town for the ski patrol article, so Melanie gave them to me to give to her if it was convenient. So I got to town and I called Jodi from the LL Bean parking lot. She couldn't believe that she hadn't missed her ski pants and she was thrilled with the timing because she was going somewhere this weekend and probably would've needed 'em. She was lying in bed reading a good book when I called so she got up and was going to meet me in town. Good timing! I went on in to LL Bean (she has worked there off an on for a long time, so she didn't need to go in the store). I got some "mocs" and a shirt on sale (and a new pair of smartwool socks not on sale) and had a chance to look around the store. My original plan was to get the snow mocs and leave them in the trunk, but the weather is so bad in Dallas (Brenda wrote that it snowed twice yesterday) that I shoved them in my suitcase and will break them in in Texas. I was in my car getting ready to call Jodi when she called to say that she was on Main Street. We talked on the phone until she pulled into the parking lot and could see me. We actually had time to grab a bite to eat. We ended up at a local place that's famous for its chowder....Morrison's I think was the name. I got corn chowder which was delicious. We yacked a lot and then I had to scoot. I got to the airport without any problems and was checking my bags in 40 minutes before the flight. They have the 30 minute rule, so I had 10 minutes to spare. It was very stress free. I kind of like flying out of Portland. It's a nice size airport and never very crowded. Plus I REALLY like the airport gift shop after I found the perfect thank you gifts for my committee in less than 20 minutes when I was there in December. ;-)

getting out 10 minutes early: January 31, 2007

Well I did it again. I got to the end of what I needed to cover and either the content or the presentation of the content was such that it just didn't go as well as I had hoped. There were 10 minutes left and I just said, "Y'all can go." But then one of the students said, "But you never let your classes out early." How did he know that? Well, it turns out, he read my blog! I was taken aback while simultaneously being flattered. But there was a good informal discussion afterwards and I figured out that one thing was, now that the class is 2 hours and 10 minutes, I should've given them a 10-minute break in the middle. But I'm so used to teaching for 5 straight hours, I didn't think about it. Last week, I had two one-hour-long classes with a natural 10 minute break but this week, one group is out in the classrooms and I have the other group for the full time period. Wait! That means, I didn't let them out early, I just gave them their 10 minute break at the end of class! . Too bad I didn't think of that quick comeback in class. ;-) So I gave the illusion of letting them out 10 minutes early. That's the ultimate classroom management trick! I wonder if it's still considered a magic trick if the "magician" isn't aware that s/he is doing it at the time.

But they're a good group of students and a lot of fun. They just keep me on my toes for making sure my class is really engaging. Fortunately, I have fabulously engaging content: technology (fun stuff) and classroom management (they know how critical this is).

But it will be warmer next week . . . January 27, 2007

That was the conversation at Curves this morning. They were talking about how cold it was yesterday (5 degrees was the high yesterday) and one woman said, "But it will be warmer next week. It's supposed to be in the 20's all week." And the wild part is, I found myself thinking, "Oh good. That will be pleasant." I guess I won't have to wear tights under my long underwear it will be so balmy. ;-)

Yesterday in class, my students were talking about how cold it was. They asked if I was just freezing here. I said as long as I have on my long johns, I'm fine. And then the question was, "Long johns or long underwear?" There's a difference? I later asked MRM and we determined that a Union Suit is the one piecer with a flap in the back, Long Johns is the one piecer that buttons all the way down the front, and long underwear are the 2 pieces: a long underwear top and a long underwear bottom. I'm not sure there's really a standard term and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who interchanges the terms, but I definitely have the 2 pieces. I have one pair that is rated 1 snowflake and two pairs with a 2 snowflake rating. I need the 3 snowflake rating version, but oh well. The tights underneath works well.

All that stuff about "dress in layers" is true. It really works. Of course, in Texas, we dress in layers so we can be warm when it's cold and we can shed layers as the day warms up. Here, you just dress in layers so you can be warm. I have yet to shed a layer.

Bitterly Cold Wind Chill Values On Tap: January 25, 2007

This advisory was issued just a while ago by the US National Weather Service. We'll see what this is like. :-) Tonight I walked to the post office and as I headed north on Main Street I could hear the clips on the flag poles banging against the pole. It was "breezy" but it felt a lot colder than it has before. The bank sign said it was 7 degrees but "breeze chill" is just a milder wind chill and it was chilly! I only had one letter and it was a membership renewal. Definitely NOT worth the trip to the post office. ;-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from weather.gov:

Wind Chill Advisory
Northern Franklin (Maine)

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
302 PM EST THU JAN 25 2007
...BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILL VALUES ON TAP FOR LATER TONIGHT AND
FRIDAY IN THE MOUNTAINS...
.ANOTHER ARCTIC BLAST IS SET TO MOVE INTO THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT
INTO FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES DROPPING BELOW ZERO OVERNIGHT AND ONLY
RECOVERING TO AROUND ZERO FRIDAY...COMBINED WITH A GUSTY NORTHWEST
WIND...WILL PRODUCE BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILL VALUES LATE TONIGHT
AND FRIDAY.

Central Maine Ice Fishing Report

Yes, that's an official category in the sports section of the Morning Sentinel newspaper. And it's a serious article about the shorter ice-fishing season for this year.

I hope it's still linked:
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/sports/stories/3541415.html

I guess I'll have to start reading the sports section daily to get the latest ice-fishing report. :-)

Directly above the article was a picture from the 2004 "$150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza." It looks like dotted Swiss fabric, but each dot is a person fishing on this lake. It's wild! I wish you could see the photo but I can't find it online. However, I did find the announcement for this year's Ice Fishing Extravaganza. It's in Minnesota, not Maine, but their "Tips for people coming to fish in the extravaganza" is an informative list that gives you a feel for the "sport".

http://www.brainerd.com/ice/index.html

Later that night . . .

NOTE: Don't read this posting unless you've read the prior one titled, "Coca Cola, Mentos, and Buckfield Maine."

When I got home on Monday the 22nd (the day I posted the last posting about Mentos and Diet Coke), MRM said, "Check out the cartoon for today." And there was Zits . . . about Mentos and Diet Coke! King Features doesn't post their cartoons on the web anymore, you have to subscribe to their service. So try to go find your newspaper from January 22, 2007. In frame 1, two boys are outside the faculty lounge. One is crouched down holding the door open, the other is flicking something into the dark abyss of the lounge and shouts, "Mento in the Hole!" In frame 2, both boys have their fingers in their ears and their eyes shut tight. The faculty lounge door is off the hinges, a very large "ka-foosh!" is overhead, and something is spraying out of the lounge. In frame 3, as both boys are running away, one says, "It's surprising how many teachers are Diet Coke drinkers." The other replies, "I'd call it 'fortunate.'"

Coca Cola, Mentos, and Buckfield Maine

I think I have to find this place.

Check out these two videos.
http://eepybird.com/dcm1.html
http://eepybird.com/exp214.html

Oh wait, they tell you how to post the video on your own website. Check out this:



And to think it all took place in Buckfield, Maine. According to googlemaps.com, that's only 38.7 miles south of Farmington! (An hour's drive.)

Thanks to MRM who showed it to me first and to RBF who thought of telling me about it but MRM insisted I see it for myself.

I should enter the contest and win the grand prize of a free trip to Buckfield.

Parking

At University of North Texas, a faculty member pays for their parking permit. Most of us have it deducted from our paycheck or it can be paid in one lump sum. My last parking permit there was $140 for a "D" permit. Or I could've paid $100 for a "G" (general) parking permit or $300 for a "reserved" parking permit which would allow me to park in spots designated as "A" spots. Reserved A spaces are located very close to buildings and are few and far between but only available to people with an A parking permit. Students can have a "C" pass for commuters or an "R" pass for residents (students who live in dorms). There are other possibilities. Each one has a fee and it's a lot of money and except for the A pass, there's little guarantee that you'll find a parking space, close or otherwise.

Here at UMF, I signed up for a parking permit, but it costs nothing. I just received it today in campus mail. I'm seriously psyched! There are similar issues of not enough close parking spaces, but I doubt it's as serious as UNT where I spent 20 minutes or more looking for a parking spot at the beginning of a semester.

First Mail: January 18, 2007

I checked my mailbox today. It's tricky to check you mailbox because the mailbox lobby is only open an hour or two more than the main lobby, then the building is locked. So you have to go during business hours, basically.

I remember when we had a PO Box in Dallas. If we went out of town, the first thing we did when we got back was go check the PO Box. At one point, we had two . . . one for home and one for business. It was often Sunday night and after dark when the post office was closed but we could still get in to check our boxes. At Hollins, we had post office boxes, but we could check them any time of day or night. I guess it's a sign of the times.

So, Today is Day 10. It's been 2 weeks since I had mail stopped in Richardson to have it forwarded to here in Maine. I've stopped at the Post Office 10 times (once a day for 10 days) and no mail. But today I got my first mail. It was 2 bills, but I was actually excited to see them with their little yellow labels. I hope more are to come.

Community Education . . . for a different community

When I went to check my post office box for the first time, there were only two pieces of mail in there, both addressed to "Postal Customer". One was the catalog of Community Education from the local School Administration District. I flipped through it just for fun and found the following class.



I don't believe I've ever seen this class in all the continuing ed catalogs I've looked through in my life in Dallas. ;-) There's also an "Advanced" version of this class taught by the same guy.

I told the story to MRM and RBF and RBF said, "Oh, is that taught by Pete Tracy? I know him." I told the story to Beth and Dr. Grace and Beth said, "I bet that's being taught by Pete Tracy. I know him."

I am enjoying the change from Texas to Maine, but also the adjustment from Big City to Big Town.

What happens when it's always below freezing

When you walk in the snow to your car, you naturally get snow on your snowboots. You try to shake most of it off before you get in the car, but some stays on your shoes and then falls on the floor while you're in the car. You also get snow inside your car when you open the door and some falls off the roof or blows in. In Dallas, that snow will melt either when you turn on the heater for a long time or the sun shine in your window for a while or the temperature gets warm again. But here, that snow is still in your car, exactly where you left it, two days later when you get back in your car again. I don't drive far enough for the heater to kick in and make a difference, so I have little snow piles in my car that unless I brush them out or scoop them out, will still be there in two or three more days because it hasn't been over freezing in quite a while.

First Day of Teaching: January 17, 2007

My teaching schedule is basically 12:20 - 4:30 on Wednesday and Friday, and 12:20 - 2:40 on Monday. It definitely sounds easier than the old 8:15 - 3:30, 5 days a week when I taught elementary school. In some respects it's just as much work. But it sure is nice to have one whole day (or weekend) before each teaching day to get ready! Of course, there's a ton of work up front to get ready for the semester. In elementary school teaching you can make up your lesson plans a week at a time and sometimes a day at a time. In college, everyone expects you to lay out all 16 weeks up front. I've been stalling on that part. I don't want to commit to a plan that I figure out after the first week isn't going to work. But I do hope to finish up the syllabi this weekend.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, I taught Block 1 for 1 hour 10 minutes, then had Block 2 for 1 hour 10 minutes, then had 10 minutes to pack up (which takes longer when you have to put on your big coat and gloves et.al) and get to the next building. Then I taught my EDU 101 class for 1 hour 40 minutes. It was a whirlwind to remember what time each class began and end and where I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to be covering. Three preps is pretty wild.

So how did it go? Well, if I had remembered earlier in the day to take off my snow boots and put on my regular shoes, I think my feet wouldn't have hurt so much at the end of it. Did the students do a good job and stay engaged? Yes. In all 3 classes. I came out just about right time-wise in the first 2 classes. In EDU 101, I was done with what I had planned to cover in an hour and I had 40 minutes to go. Well, I'm not one to let anyone out early, so I vamped on an activity that I was planning to do later in the semester. It wasn't totally thought out but I knew the basics of what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it, and what the end product should look like. Praise God for 21 years classroom experience plus 18 sections of CECS 4100 over the years . . . I pulled it off. It went really well and the students (except those who read this blog posting) will never know.

I think I like this college professor life. :-)

Pedestrians

Now that I am such a frequent pedestrian, I gotta tell you how impressed with drivers in Farmington. They stop for you. They stop even before you step out into the street. Somehow, they see you on the sidewalk and anticipate that you're going to cross the street and they stop. It's very impressive. In the half mile stretch of High Street that goes through UMF campus there must be at least 5 pedestrian walks. But in the snow, you can't see the painted stripes on the road and often pedestrians cross where they want to and not where the pedestrian walk is painted. The same is true on the half mile stretch of Main Street that goes through campus and downtown Farmington. It's very impressive.

Now I only hope that when I'm a driver I can a) remember to keep a lookout for pedestrians, b) anticipate their crossing, and c) stop in time.

Brown and blue eggs

It was like being back at Lamplighter! Dr. Maggy, who teaches elementary math methods, walked in my office last Thursday (Jan. 11) with a dozen eggs and said, "The first one's free. If you'd like more, they're $1.50 a dozen on Tuesdays and Thursdays." Inside the carton were brown and blue eggs. She told me they have Barred Rock chickens and Anaconda chickens. It was so fun to get to tell her about The Lamplighter Layers and our chickens and all that the kids did with them. As a chicken farmer herself AND as an elementary math teacher, she of course loved the story.

She said the grocery stores here only sell brown eggs. At easter time you can get white eggs. At Hannaford's, I checked. Yep. All brown eggs. There was a little stack of cartons of white eggs down in the corner of the refrigerator case.

I fixed scrambled eggs for dinner last night (Wed. Jan. 17). I couldn't find salt and pepper in the kitchen so I just fixed them without any salt and pepper. Good thing! They were delicious without any seasoning! I had scrambled eggs again for breakfast this morning!