Phoenix

I'm sitting in the Phoenix airport right now waiting to board a flight back to a winter world where shoveling awaits.  Dave is attending a conference and I came along to enjoy the weather.  We went on this fantastic hike in the mountains south of the city yesterday and had lunch at this amazing farm.  I kept reminding Dave of what a lovely, peaceful day we had in an attempt to lower his blood pressure during the Vikings game.  We weren't able to get a table in the hotel bar during half time, and that was for the best, because -- I won't lie -- things were thrown during the game.  We've both recovered now.  And I've decided to cheer for the Saints in the big game.  Dave, however, hasn't made that leap.

Intro (On So Many Levels)

We figured out the school thing, but choosing groups was messy.  I guess that's true no matter where you teach, and I think that only one student was upset about a) WHO is in her group and b) WHERE her group decided to go.  I thanked her at the end of class for her flexibility which was a way of saying it would be nice if she COULD BE flexible because she seemed to be on the verge of really NOT being flexible.  This preemptive form of positive reinforcement is one that I've been using in my teaching for years.  Middle school students were usually quite receptive, but I can't say yet how it's going to fly with  your average liberal arts college student.

Can We Visit YOUR School? Really. I'm Asking.

I am happy to report that there were no major blunders the first day.  There may be a blunder in this first week, though, as I am learning that it's not so easy to get students into schools.  Let's just say that this particular small town where I teach is overrun with college students who need to get into the public schools for various projects.  And to their credit, the schools have a decent policy in place to keep from feeling overburdened by the requirements of professors (like me) who count on their open doors.

I can dig the protocol stuff sometimes.  But I'm nice.  And I think my students are too.  So shouldn't we get special treatment just this once?

I think so.

Mostly, I'm Terrified

I start teaching on Tuesday at my alma mater, Carleton College.  When I began there as a student over sixteen years ago (SIXTEEN YEARS AGO?!?), I felt rather certain that I had landed there by some mistake of destiny and that I didn't actually fit amid the crowd of super-achiever and smarty-pants students.  Naturally, I am feeling the same way about teaching there as a visiting instructor in education.

As a student, I got over the feeling of not fitting there and found Carleton to be the most perfect school for my interests and ideas and for shaping who I would become -- and continue to become -- in the world.

I am doing my best to trust that it will once again challenge me in all the right and important ways as I develop who I'll be as a professor too.

Double Helix

We're hanging at the cabin today.  Mexican Train Dominoes last night was a hit and snowshoeing today was fantastic.  I think Dave and I won the double helix snowshoe configuration contest on the lake but when we tried to judge the results from the second floor window we couldn't see anything in the late afternoon light.  Now everybody is doing their own thing.  Reading.  Knitting.  Studying.  Trying to remove a computer virus.  I should be finalizing my syllabus for the first day of class Tuesday, but I did learn recently that it's Thursday today and not Friday as I had thought.  Great news.  It made my day.

Gleek

This blogging competition hasn't gone very well for me.  But I would like to share that I've really gotten into Glee over the last week.  I was able to watch the last five episodes on Hulu today and I'll be able to watch the first 8 episodes when it's my turn to check it out of the public library.  I'm number 22 on the request list.  So that will be in about a year or so.  Looking forward to it.

Merry Christmas

It's been a great holiday so far.  Cassie unexpectedly arrived yesterday and this was a treat.  We expected her in the sense that we used some frequent flyer miles at the last minute to get her here so she wouldn't have to spend Christmas alone, but she was unexpected in the sense that I didn't know she'd be coming when I woke up.  Really, the best gift.

It was the best gift, that is, until I opened up my package from Santa.  He decided to give me a new Mac laptop which I surely did not deserve but will enjoy very much nonetheless.  He was probably tired of listening to me talk about how much I wanted a Mac computer.

Looking forward to more holiday cheer today.  We're heading over to Dave's parents house as soon as he finishes shoveling.  Again.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

And I Did The Laundry

I'm definitely in the holiday mode.  Which means I've done very little in the name of productivity today.  I did finish updating my iTunes library and read the December issue of Real Simple.  Otherwise, I'm just gearing up for this winter storm that's a comin'. We'll all have to shovel more than once, I'm sure.  In that regard, getting some rest today was probably a good idea.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to talk Dave into playing a game with me later, but he'll probably insist on working out or something active like that.  Marriage can be hard on days like this.