The Norovirus Made Me Do It

So, this morning, I was driving from Eau Claire to Bloomer, about a 35 minute drive. On my way, I'm listening to I-94, the all holiday radio station. The DJ began the news with the following story:

"The town of Bloomer continues to battle its epidemic of the norovirus. Bloomer Hospital is currently admitting new patients, but the assisted living facility will only be admitting patients with the norovirus symptoms which include vomiting, diareah, and high fever...."

Sweet. Bloomer...where I'm going. A terrible virus in epidemic proportions which is keeping kids out of school and knocking out the old person population quicker than usual....and I'm headed into the hot zone: the K-12 school building.

So far, I feel darn good...I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.

Another Slow Day

It has taken some getting used to, but the Northwoods of Wisconsin are treating me pretty well. I enjoy the scenery as well as the nice folks I meet, but there's one thing that I haven't gotten used to just yet: the very few students I see. Now, some of my slow day ended up being circumstantial and very much out of my control (i.e. one school had a teacher pass away last week). I'm sure, too, that distance plays a big part. Platteville is at least three hours from the Wausau area...but that logic seems silly as ALL my schools are at least three hours from Platteville....hmm.

Today I tried to keep myself incredibly busy. I visited five schools between the hours of 8:00 and 2:00, but guess how many students I saw...Four. Four students in five schools. Icing on the cake - I saw three students at one school. You do the math there.

So now with just enough postcards to put off until tomorrow, no good magazine in my handbag, and no book to enjoy on this trip, I sit in a Green Mill eating my bread and herb butter, telling you all about my slow day. However, the great part about tonight is the Green Mill serves an incredible smoked chicken and spinach ravioli in a garlic cream sauce. This makes my belly happy....and my keyboard slightly greasy...but shhh...don't tell the boss. :)

I Think My Foot is Broken

This week has been one of the slowest weeks so far in my road travels. Yesterday was extremely difficult to deal with. I met with three students...total. Out of four schools? Yeah, that's pretty bad. But, one for the books: I did talk with a student on the phone for about 20 minutes in a guidance office because the kid was home sick from school. Neat.

And the most unfortunate accident of the week occurred today at my last school. I somehow dropped my wheelie briefcase, stuffed full of intro. books, info. cards, all the heavy stuff (not emptied so much due to my extremely slow week) onto my left foot...directly on that bone that sticks up a little higher than all the rest. I actually had to sit back in the car for a few minutes while I dried the tears from my eyes and regained composure to be able to meet with students. And for the record, it really hurt.

On a happier note, I have so far successfully gone through two and a half days without eating at a McDonald's once. This is a record for me on the road this semester. I made four lovely meals on Saturday and froze them solid so as not to die from salmonella or ecoli. And that has made a lot of difference. And I've even worked out once! I know, exciting. But due to the recent foot injury, there will be no treadmill or elliptical for me tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

The Gassy, the Witch, and the Pickup Lines

(A.K.A. Adventures in the Big Apple)

I would like to chalk this week up to being the strangest most random week of travels yet. A few schools really surprised me with a huge number of students, and some were pretty typical with one or two students...or none.

First of all, there is nothing like meeting with that weird kid...you know the type...one on one. It wouldn't have been so bad, I mean, I've dealt with the weird kids before, but this kid topped the cake. We had just introduced ourselves when the stinkin' kid broke wind. I didn't hear it at all; it was very sneaky but very stinky! Now normally I would make a big deal about it if it was a friend, but I had to hold my breath and bite my tongue until the moment passed. I was embarrassed for him, and I may have even blushed, but we survived the moment.

Another great moment of the week. I was at a very small school that reminded me of where I went to high school, and I was sitting in the guidance counselor's outer office (no guidance secretary for this school) when a young lady walks in to talk to me. She starts out the conversation with, "You guys have some engineering stuff and your school, right?" Never a good sign. She went on to say that she had some family that attended Platteville, and she's like to start there. After all, "Michigan Tech is just a little bit better than Platteville...you know." Um...right. The guidance counselor walked through the office and mentioned that we probably had scholarship opportunities. To which she replied, "Oh yeah, I'm real poor, and you need to give me a scholarship." Nice. That's all I've got to say about that. Nice.

Chillin' in line at McDonald's at around 9:00 in the morning, waiting to order breakfast, can be an interesting start to a day I came to find out this week. I was staring at the menu blankly, already knowing what I was going to order, when I construction worker came up to me and said, "Why hello. How are you doing today?" I said politely, "Fine, thank you." To which he came back with, "No, you're supposed to say flawless...Let's try again. How are you doing today?" Wow. I didn't know stuff like that really happened. I kind of figured that that was just the sort of thing that you saw on movies and stuff.

And to complete my random week, in a moment of desperation, needing an early morning jolt, I tried a cup of coffee. Turns out, I don't mind coffee at all. Weird. Didn't see that one coming.

Round-Abouts and Other Confusions in Green Bay

Can someone explain the purpose of a round-about? I mean really. You know what I'm talking about right? Those ridiculous substitutes for corners or four-way stops that require you to circle your way precariously around to the right on a very tight curve while simultaneously trying to avoid all the other cars coming in from three other entrances, exiting at random all at incredibly high speeds.

Now, what exactly is the point to all this? Is it faster than a four-way stop? I think not. Everyone still has to yield to that person on their left entering the circle while keeping a mindful eye on that car to your right that may slip in before you do. Is it safer than a four-way stop? Absolutely not! Everyone at least comes to a stop at a four-way stop! Round-abouts? No stopping required, occasionally it's a good idea, but definitely not required. Are they more cost effective than the stop? I don't see how. They require so much more pavement (the big circle is probably the equivalent of an extra city block).

In my opinion these crazy round-abouts are just ridiculous. Just ridiculous.

You know what else is ridiculous? Today, Green Bay got its fair share of snow sprinkles throughout the day, but the sun refused to give up. Every time that it snowed today, it was also sunny. I thought it quite strange.

Oh, and for the record, Green Bay-not so scary. I thought that it would be a little more big-city-ish. But so far, I've found it to be very nice.

Pot-a-wat-o-what?

(A.K.A. Happenings and Mishappenings in Door County)

Yesterday I took a trip to Potawatomi State Park here in Door County. Lucky for me, the rain held off, and it wasn't too cold for a good hike in the woods. I found a good spot to park on the farthest end of the park near a trail head where I was sure I would find no other human soul. I took a moment to bundle up in my favorite sweatshirt, a vest, and a stocking hat, ready to find an adventure. With park map in hand, I took off down the trail, not knowing exactly what to expect. I gave a quick call to Mom just to let her know I was ok, and I took off, confident that this would be a great hike.

I walked only about twenty minutes through some very thick timber when the path opened up right to the lake. Before I could even see it, I could hear the waves lapping up on the rocky shore. I broke a few park rules and left the well-worn trail to experience the shoreline a little closer. White-washed rocks, all square and flat were scattered for as far as the eye could see in both directions down the water's edge. I could have sat there all day...if I would have had all day that is. It was already nearly 5:00, and I wanted to get some more hiking in before it got dark. Fearing that I would get lost (which seems pretty difficult on a shoreline...you really only have two directions to go), I jumped back on the trail and walked a little longer. When the trail veered away from the shore, I decided to turn around and follow that beautiful rocky shore right back to where I had come from. The sound of the water was just too relaxing to walk away from.

Back into the thick timber, I walked slowly, satisfied with my adventure. I was deep in a daydream when I heard a twig snap. Jolted back to reality, I glanced around, worried suddenly that I could possibly be in some sort of danger. Instead I found a small and very pretty deer about ten feet from me in the path. There she stood, checking me out as much as I was checking her out. Then a second and a third poked their heads from around their trees to check me out, too. They all munched away, with one mindful eye on me and my every move. Finally, not wanting to disturb them, I hunched down to a squat and just watched. I watched until finally the deer got bored with me and walked on to better munching grounds.

And how better to end my day at Potawatomi than to climb a 75-year-old 100-foot wooden tower to view the lake and the treetops from above. God must love looking down at his creation all the time. Something so beautiful is hard to take your eyes off of.

Today was fantastic as well. Already feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, I decided to take off again for a new and exciting destination. This time however, the actual destination was unknown. It was the journey I was after. The cloudy skies had held back all day, not allowing a single drop to fall, but at about 2:30, just as I was leaving my last school, I saw one, then another, then a downpour of all the days saved-up drops...just trying to ruin my adventure. And they could have. All those little rain drops could have chased me right back to my hotel room where I would have hermitted until dawn. But I decided that there was adventure to be had, rain or not, I was off.

I took off north of Sturgeon Bay wanting to peek at as many nooks and crannies of Door County as were physically possible before dark. Heading up the east side of the peninsula, I followed a scenic route or two before I hit a double whammy of parks. Whitefish Dunes State Park and Cave Point County Park. These parks shared an entrance road except for one crucial difference: state parks cost money to enter and county parks are free. Carefully navigating by the road signs, I made sure to only enter this unknown territory of the county park. It turned out to be one main parking lot with a few picnic tables and an information kiosk. The rain was still coming down pretty good, but I couldn't really see beyond the picnic area, and I was curious to find out what the attraction of the park could be.

I debated with myself in the nice warm dry car for a bit before the curiosity was just too much to stand. Bundled up with that lovable hooded sweatshirt, hood up, I headed for the kiosk. I read for a bit, but for the life of me, I just couldn't figure out what the heck it was trying to tell me. There were diagrams and glacier talk that I just didn't get. Finally, before reading the whole thing, I took off to just over the small ridge when the most wonderful sound hit my ears. Water...not just water...but pounding waves, crashing up against...well, something.

Over the ridge there was, well, a cliff. But when I looked down, all I saw was water flowing under where I was. I walked around on the rocky ledge until the crashing was much louder when I could finally see what was beneath me. It was a beautiful cave...a whole shoreline of cave-like structures, all crashing and roaring. Oh, how I would have loved to climb down to the base of a few of the caves, put my feet in the cool water, and be engulfed in the majesty of the whole thing-the sounds, the smells, the feel of the waves. I could have chosen a smooth rock and perched there for hours just listening, maybe singing along with the waves' heavenly song. But after just a few minutes of taking in the grandeur, I had also taken on much water. My beloved sweatshirt was several pounds heavier than it had started, my hands a little colder than I would have liked.

Throughout the drive, I took many detours so I could remain as close to the lake as I could. I spent more time driving 15 miles an hour than any other speed, which couldn't have made me happier. Around every bend I found waterfront homes with their own personal beaches. Some of the homes were small and nearly worn out with pure love. Others were massive and regal, like mansions. But my favorites were the ones you couldn't even see. The timber was so thick in some spots that all you could see was a well-worn opening in the trees that wound around into the shadows. No pavement, no gravel, just a worn dirt path. Now, if the driveway takes your breath away, can you imagine what wonders the home at the end must contain?

After several hours of awe and admiration of many neighborhoods and timberlines, I decided I still had time to head north, but the farther north, the heavier the rains and the darker the skies. So, after making it as far as the shining little town of Ephraim, I headed straight back to Sturgeon Bay with no pit stops, detours, or park hopping.

This week has done more for my soul than I ever could have imagined. I began this week with feelings of loneliness and sheer exhaustion, and I will end it with a renewed sense of accomplishment and energy, knowing I'm in the right place, the place God that has put me for reasons that I don't have to understand. Who knew that all of that could have come out of little ol' Door County?

Kohler?

I went to the town of Kohler, Wisconsin this week. Have you ever been to this town? I have to say that I was thoroughly creeped out. I mean seriously.

This town is like a movie set. I drove around with the extra time that I had before my school visit, and it quickly became a game to try to find an ugly house...an ugly car...an ugly person. But I lost at my own game. There were none. The town was so beautiful that it was almost disgusting. All of the shops and markets and the downtown were all of these beautiful brick building, new-looking with old-style charm. Many of the buildings had leafy vines crawling gracefully up the sides, and they were just starting to show the colors of fall. What a town.

My first thought was that if I ever made a whole lot of money, I would move there and boast of this most beautiful town. But I found myself, as I was playing my little ugly search game, saying out loud over and over, "What is this place?" And then I realized that the feeling I had was not an awe of its amazingness, but rather an overwhelming weirded out feeling, as if in the presence of some sort of strange cult.

So, in short, I do not feel like I will ever move to Kohler, Wisconsin, but I may go there again to gawk.

Oh Monday

Man, I love driving all the way across the state on a Sunday night to visit a high school at 8:00 am with no students (not to mention three schools with only one or two students). Man, what a productive day.

On happier notes, I get to see my most recently married friend Bridget Thomas (still takes me a second to get her name right) tonight. I get to see her apartment and get a meal. What a deal! :)

And possibly the scariest then funniest moment so far on this trip: My GPS unit was stolen out of my car...OK, well that's what I thought anyway. Actually, the suction cup fell off the front window because it got so darn cold last night. But when I walked up to my car and opened the door, it sure did seem like it was stolen. I first peed a little in my pants, then I shed a quick tear. But then I recovered and stuck the darn thing back on the window.

PS. My hotel this week is very nice. It's got a water park (of sorts), free breakfast, and a Citgo in the parking lot. Who doesn't need one of those?

She-man and the Nipple

For those of you who have small children in the room that can read, this post may not be completely appropriate. (As if the title wasn't enough of a giveaway for that...)

The best story I've got about my week of WEF's had to have been toward the end of the week. The WEF setting was pretty normal as far as WEF's go. I was at a table with some cosmetology school across the aisle from me. With only about five minutes to go before the close of the WEF, three students cruised their way over to the cosmetology school.

I clearly had a stunned look on my face as I caught a glimpse of the sight in front of me. The person next to me, out of the blue, said, "Yeah, I can't figure it out either." I blushed about ten shades of red when I realized that I had been caught staring. But truly, neither of us had a clue what we were looking at. Was it a man dressed convincingly as a woman? Or was it possibly a very masculine looking woman?

The representative at the cosmetology school table did a very good job holding herself together. I will give her props on that. She gave her usual talk, handed them their information, and sent them on their way. The students only got a few steps away when the rep quickly covered her mouth with both hands and turned away from her table. Curious as I was, I went up to her to inquire about the situation that had just unfolded. Before I even had a chance to ask about the she-man, she blurted out, "Definitely a man, but that's not all!" She went on to share that as she was talking to the students, one of them repeatedly pulled down her shirt to cover her midrif, but instead, she revealed much more disgusting and taboo body parts...her nipples. Um...nipples? You don't even see them on a beach or on TV...but at a college fair? Wow.

And so goes the tale of She-man and the Nipple.

Wrapping Up Week One

Week One is almost over. And I must say, it's been thankfully pretty uneventful. I went to schools, did my thing, and talked to some pretty cool kids and a few nice guidance counselors, too. I laid around a lot in the hotel, took really long hot showers, sat down at the bar, and did some things that I didn't even think I would do. For instance, I went out to a nice restaurant by myself, and although it wasn't my favorite thing to do in the world, having my mom on the phone with me the whole time helped. :) I drove through treacherous Milwaukee several times...once to go to a mall.

I am, admittedly, a little behind on my postcards to students, but I have a feeling once the novelty of being in hotels and out to eat wears off, I'll be a workaholic. But this week, I decided to just be a pamperaholic. Ok, not really, but I did get myself a set of acrylic nails tonight...and at the price they come, I treated that hour of nail filing and shaping like a full body massage. I took all the pampering out of it I could. The moment was only slightly disturbed by the nail lady talking to me...mainly asking what I did, if I was single...if I was single...why did she have to keep bringing that up? Oh well. I shrugged it off, and closed my eyes, and dreamed of being on my honeymoon in the Bahamas.

The week started off with air conditioning and sun glasses but it's wrapping up with the hotel room's heat on and me wrapped up in my covers. This weekend will leave no rest for the weary as I have Bridget's wedding in Muscoda all weekend, then it's back on the road on Monday morning with a marathon of WEF's until next Friday. Meh. I'll sleep when I'm dead. :)

More to do...

The lesson I have learned today was for sure to bring more along to do on these trips. There are a couple of schools that have like an hour or so between visits, and I found myself driving around or chilling at a local park.

And I tried starting some postcards for students...but all of them sounded stupid and fake...so I stopped.

And now it's almost 4:00, and I'm done for the day, back in my hotel room, thinking about what to do next. Any suggestions for how to fill my time? Feel free to add comments...I need all the help I can get.

Otherwise, I survived the day with no major mishaps. I answered most of the questions that were thrown at me with no major hesitation. And, if I do say so myself...I looked pretty darn good doing it.

Initial Jitters in Port Washington

This is not exactly how I thought I would feel on my first trip out. I honestly thought I would be very excited and ready...fully prepared and knowledgeable about UWP. But it's just not at all true. Now, it's not that I'm not excited because I am. What a great job to have. All I need to do is go out there and express my love for my alma mater to all those cute little high school kids. But there's just an eerie feeling about the whole thing.

I just drove three hours in the pouring rain to a city I've never seen before, checked into a hotel...alone, went to the hotel restaurant...alone. Granted, I'm sure any new job is kind of like this, you feel like you've been thrown into something that you know nothing about, no matter how much training you received. But this is a little extreme, don't you think? I'm out in the middle of the proverbial nowhere with no one's cubical to run to if I get stuck. I'm just wingin' it for now, I guess.

It's a little bit weird for me to feel this squeamish. Usually I'm ready for everything, willing to try almost anything once. But I feel like so far, this is a little out of my league. There are so many things that I am forced very quickly to do for the first time: stay at a hotel alone, eat out alone, travel under my own navigation...

I'm sure by the end of tomorrow, I'll be singing a completely different tune, but for tonight, I just had to get some of my initial jitters out. So wish me luck for tomorrow! And, don't worry, I'll let you know how it goes.

P.S. Tonight I ate at a bar called The Rusty Anchor...doesn't get any better than that, does it?

A Evening in La Crosse

Welcome to the first addition of Tales From the Road! I'm sure this is the first of many more to come. I hope you enjoy my rendition of events from my travels...which may or may not be 100% factual.

Getting to Aquinas High School was definitely a journey to remember. It was my first night on the road as an admission advisor for UWP, and I'd have to say honestly that it was the actual act of being on the road that was the most exciting part of the night.

Stacie and I went together as sort of a practice run for me...well, both of us, as she had only done one other fair before. It was nice to have a travel buddy, but it would have been even more nice to have a camera and a travel buddy.

The night started out passing three strange and slightly creepy animal statues on the path. The first was a giant mouse holding cheese in Fennimore that Stacie lovingly referred to as a giant rat. Then we noted shortly after a very large bird statue, and in the town that came shortly after, there was a happily roaring lion. Stacie promptly encouraged me to stick my head in its mouth. I thought about it but decided that it would only be worth it in conjunction with a photo op. with all three creepy animals.

A friendly detour met us as we neared La Crosse. At this point we were both starving, a little cranky, and only slightly stir-crazy from being in the car on an exceptionally curvy road for two hours. A detour was not on either of our top-ten list of want-to-do's. And as we passed through what ended up being quite possibly the strangest detour (that went in a complete circle in a small town) I made a split-second decision to take a different road...off the detour. County K. Now, I would highly doubt that this road was worse that the actual detour, but it was pretty darn curvy...the kind of curvy road that has big boulders jutting out of the massive hills on either side...the kind of curvy road that max's out the speedometer at about 40. We were less than thrilled.

But, alas, finally we arrived at our destination. Ok, so we were on the wrong side of the building, asking small children for directions to the main door, and just barely in time for dinner, but we were there. And we got pasta. So all was well...until..."the mom."

A very seemingly nice mom came up to our table to ask us a few questions. She had a son that was a senior that had just sent in his application. She had so many questions that she wasn't even letting us answer her questions before moving on the next, obviously life-or-death question. Forty minutes later, the guy from one table over walked up to me and commented, "She sure gave you an ear-full," to which I just nodded as I was very sick of talking by then.

All in all, four pseudo-interested students filled out information cards for us and asked us a few general questions, but that was all the actual fair action that the two of us got. Way to go us.

The ride home proved to be a little more exciting than the ride up...well, until Stacie fell asleep on me. Then I was pretty much on my own. We, again, decided to veer off the well-trod path of the marked detour to pass through such exciting towns such as Romance and Bud. We actually missed Bud, but that's neither here nor there. Passing through Romance, Stacie took the time to convince me that we were for sure going to die by the hand of a masked murderer that was about to jump over the guard rail and into our car. A dense fog and lack of cell phone service, as well as an unidentified lurching of the car during acceleration, solidified the senario and guaranteed our impending doom. I'm happy to report that we missed the murderer by just seconds and escaped unharmed....and the rest is history.

The Tall Single Telemarketer?

This week has been full of unexpected...well, let's just say unexpected-ness.

At work, I've been reduced to a telemarketer calling 30 or more schools a day trying to schedule all my visits (that would be 169 of them this semester alone). I decided this week that I wanted to make sure that I got all my schools scheduled before I left for full-time travel. I'm over half way there, but there are only a few days left in the week. And I have a presentation to watch, a meeting to go to, and a fair to leave early for...which puts time at a premium. I've even gone so far as to give up my lunch hours to keep calling schools. Perhaps I'm a freak. But the truth of the matter is that I actually like getting my schools scheduled and talking with guidance counselors. It's a lot of fun!

In other news... Brandon and I had a candid conversation about us. We were both feeling something similar, and that was that it just wasn't working. We came to the realization that we are very different people. Ok, so we probably knew that when we started, but there was an initial attraction. It was a good and fun three months together. But now it's movin' on time. No worries though. We ended on good terms, still friends and all that. This, I guess wasn't all that unexpected. The past week or so it's kind of been lingering in the air....known to both of us, not really wanting to be touched by either of us...you know.

But that's about it. Life will be getting more exciting coming up very soon though. Be looking here for stories from the road as I start traveling! I bet there'll be some great tales to regale from those sweet and innocent high school kids. So stay tuned!

And What Day is It?

With training complete and the real work under way, I've found myself buried in schools and phone messages, and guidance counselors. And it's really only day one of calling schools. I feel like it's been weeks! I'm not sure how my lovely co-workers do it every day. I feel like I'm going crazy. Today, all day, I called schools to schedule my visits, and guess how many I got complete... 18. Not very many at all considering I have over 175 stops to make this semester.

But regardless of how many schools I have to call, re-call, leave messages with, or whatever...I still have to say that so far my job is going well, and I really like it. And I'm quite sure that I will enjoy being out on the road...at least for the first couple of weeks.

It's awfully strange seeing students back on campus every day. I only worked a week or so before they all returned, but it's weird. I see people I know, and most of them are confused why I'm on campus at all. I feel strangely removed from the campus life even though I'm pretty darn involved for a staff member. Things like move-in and orientation have passed me by, and fighting through the crowds for that 12:00 PSC lunch seems not quite as natural as it once did. Transitioning from student to staff in one giant sweep has been a little bit strange, but overall not too out of reach. Convocation yesterday (possibly the most boring experience of my life) reminded me that I was for sure an adult living in an adult world.

Megan, my roommate, moved back in this weekend. And at first I wasn't all that excited about it. (Sorry Meg if you're reading this.) But it had been three nice months of coming home from work and doing whatever I wanted, eating what and when I wanted, and most importantly, being naked when and where I wanted. And now, that's all gone. But I did discover last night that it isn't so bad. I mean, it's pretty nice to have someone to talk to at night and watch TV with and whatnot.

So, life in my own little world is pretty happy and healthy lately. Here's to a continuing streak of this!

Training and Being the Big Kid

If I had to sum up the past few weeks at work, there would only be a few words that would come to mind: a lot of fun, a lot of sitting around. It's a strange combination of expressions, but so far, pretty accurate. (Note the time of this post is 8:36 am...)

Sure, I have been through a great deal of training that has shared a lot of information that is actually useful to my position. And as it turns out, there is a lot to know before I go out on the road. Today and tomorrow I will be in an especially weird spot. It's too early to call schools, as most either have just started classes, or will not start classes until next week. But, in all honesty, that's about all I have to do for now. Once I begin calling schools, life will get crazy, and I'll be lucky if my phone will ever stop ringing, but for now....silence.

Now, about being the big kid... I still have to say that my transition from student to professional is not near complete, but each day brings me a little closer. Last night, I went with the rest of the women of the office to Provost, Carol Sue's house for a women's social with desserts, junk food, and like 50 bottles of wine. The whole point: to mingle with other women of the university...my accomplishment for the night: mingling with the other admission advisors and just saying hello to all my old professors. But I have to say that I did feel like a big kid...and that's a good feeling.

New Job!

Yesterday I began a very new adventure in the story of my life. I started my new job at UWP Prospective Student Services. You are now reading the blog of an Associate Admission Advisor and Territorial Manager...(longest title ever?) I wasn't sure how the adventure would begin, but it quickly turned into a typical university day.

I began by sitting at my desk for a half an hour staring at a black computer screen. Everyone was busy starting their own day, so I just patiently waited for someone to tell me what I should do. But I did take the initiative to turn on my computer and attempt to log in. And I failed. Someone had locked my computer with an administrator password, so I couldn't log in...thus the black screen. Then I sat in a group meeting with our office and met everyone officially. And the group is a very enjoyable one that I think I will hang out with a lot.

After the meeting going over what we would need to train on, I then sat around for a while until the Student Affairs Division meeting. This meeting was one that I had heard of as an RA. It was one of those meetings that the Resident Directors always were forced to dress up a little more and attend. So, naturally, when I saw all the Housing Staff at the meeting, I suddenly felt like I was breaking some rule by being there. It was just a strange way to transition from student to professional.

After the awkward meeting and lunch, I decided to accomplish something, so I went around to what seemed like 50 some offices around campus to get paperwork taken care of. This took quite the effort and the run around all over campus. But I got my new ID, driving authorization, and credit card papers all almost taken care of. I hope to finish that stuff by the end of tomorrow.

While I was taking care of that stuff, I got side tracked by Stacie, the Marketing Manager, in our office, to help with the whole tv spot. I showed them the cool park and bridge behind campus, and I got some disk golfers to be in a shot, too. I felt powerful. :)

Today was super boring having to go through campus new staff orientation. I kind of wanted to poke my eyes out several times. Most of the information was for teaching staff and faculty...not non-teaching staff like myself. But lunch was a crazy experience. The chancellor decided to plop down at my table and chat for the lunch hour. I told him that I used to be a student there (bad chancellor for forgetting me), and that I lived across the street from him. It was cool.

So that was the first two days. Both had their ups and downs, but I think I'm really going to like this job, and if I do say so myself, I think I'll be pretty good at it. :)

So, how was your day?