Last Day Adventures

I went to bed really tired on Monday evening after the office party here. It was held downstairs in the party room, but still turned out to be a good bit of work for me beyond writing the check to use the room. Do you have --- four serving spoons, after that trip up to my apartment and back -- Do you have a creamer and sugar bowl -- after that trip -- do you have a serving bowl we can use? And of course, that wasn't the end of the list -- and took care of the trash runs and taking boxes down to recycling, etc.

I woke up with sunshine on Tuesday morning thinking it was about 7 AM., but in this season of the year, sunrise is more like 8 AM. The buildings across on the bluff were a gorgeous color.

I started in on writing more questions for a quiz for courses next semester. When one does online courses, everything has to be done the first day of the classes, or for the last time this coming semester, one week before the start of classes.

I happened to look out the window and saw the snow geyser.

Snow was being cleared and it was being dumped over the bluff down on the railroad tracks. Rather dramatic. By the way the buildings across the way are a convent and hospice for persons without insurance coverage operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor. Later in the day I saw the snow plow on the railroad tracks. Don't think I've ever seen that before.

In the afternoon I went to campus for a a bit of a surprise farewell party for a colleague who is taking early retirement. Then I wandered back to my neighborhood to meet a student at a nearby coffee shop. This appointment I had obviously made before knowing I was going to a surprise farewell party. I met the student and then tried to start back to campus to get a bus to the graduation ceremony.  It took me nearly 30 minutes to go four blocks. Finally figured out the slow down was due to a car illegally parked which meant that 2 lanes of traffic had to squeeze into one lane made even more narrow than usual by the huge piles of snow along the street.

I knew I'd never make the bus so turned off as soon as I could and decided to drive to the Minneapolis Convention Center. I knew better than to try the freeway. I was doing well on side streets. Then all of a sudden on River Road while heading north I found myself two seconds later heading south. I couldn't believe in that skid that I'd not hit anything. There was not another car around, no mailbox, nothing. I was really lucky.

It took me about 70 minutes to drive 10 miles. I had the job of carrying the college banner in the graduate procession so it would be real obvious if I wasn't there. Ended up being seated way off to the right so far I couldn't really even see the stage. But one good thing-- the time the parking ramp attendants were collecting money when people arrive, so we didn't have the one hour post-graduation slow down while everyone paid to get out. The trip home was quick and uneventful. (I've only done the 180 skid one other time and hope it never happens again. It is a long two seconds while it's happening.)

Today I bestirred my body to go do some shopping. A store that I like had a good sale going and I really wanted a new winter coat. Found one for $30.00 -- well actually $29.97 --  marked down from $120! While I was trying on coats, a woman stopped and told me the color was wonderful for me. That gift from the universe rather evened out some of the stress from yesterday.

Plenty of work still left on my lists to do during the break. People think faculty/teachers don't work, but we do -- it really feels like it never ends. I relate to about 70 students next semester, and in today's world, that means relate 24/7.