Thursday, June 12, 2008
Trippy Times in Denver
So I call the recommended reservation number for the hotel. They say there's nothing that has a shuttle but there is a hotel for $59 (Sleep Inn). Great. I'll take that. They say the hotel is only 20 minutes away so how expensive could the cab ride be? I'll tell you: $80. And the cab ride was longer than 20 minutes too. When we show up I see that there are lots of hotels right near the one I'm staying at. There's a Radisson, Hampton, etc., all within walking distance. Maybe they have an airport shuttle? Because I am not paying another $80 to go back to the airport. Hampton - no luck. I look for the Radisson hotel and - lo and behold - it's a castle! No really. It's got the parapets and everything. All it needed was a moat and drawbridge. So I'm thinking, well I could stay in the castle, and they have an airport shuttle van conspicuously parked out front, and their rates are $92. Hmm... I call Sleep Inn just to make double extra sure they don't have a shuttle, and thereby confirm my decision to stay in the castle, and it turns out they don't have a shuttle...but you can reserve the Boulder Shuttle van for only $25. So some quick math reveals: $59 + $25 = $84, still cheaper than the $92 castle rate with the "free" airport shuttle. I abandon the castle (my room probably would have been in the dungeon anyway) and trek back to Sleep Inn. Turns out the night manager dude (a former Air Force recruiter, didn't you know?) has been processing canceled flight hotel reservations all night. And voila, I'm in my room, at the early hour of 1:19 AM. It is definitely time for bed. My flight has been rescheduled for 11:00 AM so the Boulder Shuttle is picking me up at 8:00 AM. Alarm is set for 6:55 AM. Let's hope this trip doesn't get any worse.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Bad News
Flight's been cancelled. I'm spending the night in Denver. Who knows when I'll get to Omaha.
Denver Continued
Written: 6/11/08 10:00 PM MT
So I’ve plugged into an outlet that’s actually behind a gate counter. Is this wrong? If I have to ask then the answer is probably... We’ll see if I get caught.
Did you know that Denver’s airport has free WiFi? Wow.
Oh and I saw the most disgusting thing. A rolling suitcase with flashing lights on the rear of its wheels. Almost made me want to throw up.
So I’ve plugged into an outlet that’s actually behind a gate counter. Is this wrong? If I have to ask then the answer is probably... We’ll see if I get caught.
Did you know that Denver’s airport has free WiFi? Wow.
Oh and I saw the most disgusting thing. A rolling suitcase with flashing lights on the rear of its wheels. Almost made me want to throw up.
Sleepless in Denver
Written: 6/11/08 9:00 PM MT
Guess I spoke too soon. I’m here in Denver and the flight to Omaha has been delayed, apparently due to some pesky tornadoes. I just hope I get there (tornado-free) and am able to get enough sleep to be able to function tomorrow. I don’t even know what our schedule is supposed to be like tomorrow, but all the other literature I have read from the ETS website suggests that it’s going to be a pretty rigorous, 8-to-5 type of schedule. Maybe the first day will be introductions and stuff that I can sleep through without much danger. Breaking news from the guy at the gate: flight’s delayed at least until 10:30. Blech. Time to grab some beer.
On a lighter note, it’s somewhat amusing to see the business traveler types scurry around the gate area in search of the last remaining wall outlet in which to plug in laptops/PDAs/gadgets. It has seemed strange to me, with the advent of modern technology requiring electricity, that airports are not more gadget-friendly and provide more outlets so travelers can plug in their laptops.
Guess I spoke too soon. I’m here in Denver and the flight to Omaha has been delayed, apparently due to some pesky tornadoes. I just hope I get there (tornado-free) and am able to get enough sleep to be able to function tomorrow. I don’t even know what our schedule is supposed to be like tomorrow, but all the other literature I have read from the ETS website suggests that it’s going to be a pretty rigorous, 8-to-5 type of schedule. Maybe the first day will be introductions and stuff that I can sleep through without much danger. Breaking news from the guy at the gate: flight’s delayed at least until 10:30. Blech. Time to grab some beer.
On a lighter note, it’s somewhat amusing to see the business traveler types scurry around the gate area in search of the last remaining wall outlet in which to plug in laptops/PDAs/gadgets. It has seemed strange to me, with the advent of modern technology requiring electricity, that airports are not more gadget-friendly and provide more outlets so travelers can plug in their laptops.
Going to Read AP Exams in Lincoln
Written at: 5:30 PM MT 6/11/08
So I finished my last final today. Well it really wasn’t a “final” – it was at 8 AM, I brought donuts and I asked my students to fill out an evaluation form for the class. And now I am at the Boise airport waiting to board a flight to Omaha to begin grading AP Chemistry exams. This isn’t really the start of my sabbatical, but it feels a lot like it: my school-time schedule has ended and I am going to Nebraska. I have already arranged for two appointments with property management companies in Lincoln to see two furnished apartments that I could potentially rent for my sabbatical. I’m really excited about one of them, at least according to the website it looks exactly like what I want. I’ll upload some pictures once I actually see them.
It is strange, but I am actually starting to feel a bit of homesickness, even though I have never really considered La Grande to be “home”. I’m finally at the place where I am saying goodbye to students that I will not see again, some for over a year, others never again. It really should be no different than graduation time for any other year, since then too I say goodbye to students that I will never see again either. But this somehow is different. Maybe it is because, this time, the choice to leave is mine. I will definitely miss working with my research students, especially Wade. Wade is an absolutely stellar student, I am proud to have him doing research with me and it pains me that he will be taking physical chemistry from someone else, the year that I won’t be there. Not that I think he would do poorly with someone else – he will do great, I’m sure – but that I won’t have the pleasure of teaching him the subject about which I feel the most passion. He is perhaps the one student who could persuade me not to take the sabbatical after all. The saving grace is that he will be there when I get back and I will get one more year to work with him – that is, if everything goes well. Who knows, he may have transferred away by time I get back and then the moment will be lost.
Hmm – they just called my name at the gate and I received the bonus-leg-room upgrade (e.g., exit row seating). This trip started out with an inauspicious start – I dropped papers in the mud, got lost going to the Boise mall trying to buy a book, couldn’t find a parking spot at the airport for the longest time – but maybe it won’t be so bad after all. Plus I just ran into a former student, Brian Byrne, who is finishing up medical school at UW and is traveling on this same flight. Small world indeed.
Well I am going to change seats, the guy next to me has a very loud iPod and very smelly fabric softener emanating from his clothes (I am allergic to fabric softener). I will upload this blog entry when I get a chance.
So I finished my last final today. Well it really wasn’t a “final” – it was at 8 AM, I brought donuts and I asked my students to fill out an evaluation form for the class. And now I am at the Boise airport waiting to board a flight to Omaha to begin grading AP Chemistry exams. This isn’t really the start of my sabbatical, but it feels a lot like it: my school-time schedule has ended and I am going to Nebraska. I have already arranged for two appointments with property management companies in Lincoln to see two furnished apartments that I could potentially rent for my sabbatical. I’m really excited about one of them, at least according to the website it looks exactly like what I want. I’ll upload some pictures once I actually see them.
It is strange, but I am actually starting to feel a bit of homesickness, even though I have never really considered La Grande to be “home”. I’m finally at the place where I am saying goodbye to students that I will not see again, some for over a year, others never again. It really should be no different than graduation time for any other year, since then too I say goodbye to students that I will never see again either. But this somehow is different. Maybe it is because, this time, the choice to leave is mine. I will definitely miss working with my research students, especially Wade. Wade is an absolutely stellar student, I am proud to have him doing research with me and it pains me that he will be taking physical chemistry from someone else, the year that I won’t be there. Not that I think he would do poorly with someone else – he will do great, I’m sure – but that I won’t have the pleasure of teaching him the subject about which I feel the most passion. He is perhaps the one student who could persuade me not to take the sabbatical after all. The saving grace is that he will be there when I get back and I will get one more year to work with him – that is, if everything goes well. Who knows, he may have transferred away by time I get back and then the moment will be lost.
Hmm – they just called my name at the gate and I received the bonus-leg-room upgrade (e.g., exit row seating). This trip started out with an inauspicious start – I dropped papers in the mud, got lost going to the Boise mall trying to buy a book, couldn’t find a parking spot at the airport for the longest time – but maybe it won’t be so bad after all. Plus I just ran into a former student, Brian Byrne, who is finishing up medical school at UW and is traveling on this same flight. Small world indeed.
Well I am going to change seats, the guy next to me has a very loud iPod and very smelly fabric softener emanating from his clothes (I am allergic to fabric softener). I will upload this blog entry when I get a chance.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Update: May 10
Sorry to my two readers that I haven't updated the blog lately, work has been killing me. Anyway, my longing for sabbatical has reached a new intensity. Every day I yearn to be free of EOU and La Grande. There are a mere 51 days left until June 30, the day that I have set to move out and begin my sabbatical adventure. The time has come when I'm actually starting to make plans. I'm going to get my car thoroughly examined on Monday to look for any problems, big or small. And I think I have my finances pretty much worked out for my sabbatical year. With any luck I will make it through without having to go back into debt, which would be a really good thing.
The search for my sabbatical replacement goes well. We have some good candidates. Hopefully they are better than me!
The search for my sabbatical replacement goes well. We have some good candidates. Hopefully they are better than me!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
On Karaoke
So the real truth about this sabbatical. It's a "year off", sure, but I know it's also not going to be a party. I'm going to be working on a minimum of three different projects, as well as a textbook, and maybe even writing a grant proposal or two. It's going to be a lot of work. But it's also about doing things that I can't really do in La Grande. And I'm not just talking about doing things that I am physically unable to do in La Grande, such as go to a mall. I'm talking about doing things that I feel too inhibited to do here. I realized this when I caught myself fantasizing about singing karaoke in Lincoln. Now really, should anyone fantasize about karaoke? But it's not the karaoke per se; it's the luxury to engage in such wanton acts if I so choose.
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