Computing

There was an outlet under my seat on my cross-country flight this weekend. Since when did those get installed? A real grounded outlet!

Unfortunately it was the also first time that I has absolutely no need or desire to charge anything inflight.

I don't know why,

But for some reason, the following phrase really bothers me. (in reference to having introduced myself via email but not met in person yet...)

Nice to "meet" you. 


I don' t know WHY. But it makes me feel weird. Why is this something everyone thinks they have to say?

Strange.

Easting on the job

I'd like to start an open discussion on campus catering. Usually I am partial to Bon Appetit but today they really let me down. At Penn I really enjoyed Insomnia Cookies - I mean who doesn't love a warm cookie at anytime?

Other favorites I should look out for?

Northwest winning

Won $5 in Oregon but lost in Washington. Can't say I'm surprised.

seriously?

$33.45 in tolls to drive to New Jersey and back. Are you kidding me? And when did the GW bridge start costing 12 DOLLARS?!


Somebody's gotta stop New Jersey before it gets any more out of hand.

Adventures in FacultyLand

I feel enlightened... I think I just had my own study abroad experience. Two days of immersion in the world of faculty at a small public college may have forever altered my view of this job.

Highlights:

-Constant talk of faculty politics and union negotiating
-The Wednesday morning "breakfast club" with four faculty ladies, at which they chatted about everything from pumpkin pancakes to transgender coppermining in the Levant
-More talk of unions and senates and contracts
-A lengthy discussion of college sports and who has what athletes in what classes
-A post-breakfast-club birdwatching walk ("see that through the mist? That's Atlantic City!" and "oh, it's just a yellowrump.")
-pet ducks.

The Admission Counselor's Infero: 9 Circles of Hell

1. Unanswered e-mails
2. Students who won't respond
3. Accepted students who won't call you back so you can tell them they are accepted
4. Meetings in which the person you went out of your way to talk to basically says, "Thank you for your time but it's not going to work out. You should go now."
5. Questionable fair food
6. Delayed flights (also, any airport in New York)
7. Bedbugs
8. The Chevy Aveo
9. Portal

I'm staying in a hotel 3 hours away from my house

Just realizing the sad fact that I am now so old I don't have any friends who are still in college at the most popular school for students at my high school.

On the brighter side, at least I knew my way around campus!

facts of life

I suspected my travel was going far too smoothly. Turns out, I was right. The Travel Gods have been saving up all their wrath for my return home. THE FACTS OF THE CASE ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Fact: Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you got 'till it's gone.

Fact: A big yellow taxi did not carry off my old man.

Fact: A big yellow towtruck DID carry off my NOT AT ALL OLD car.

Fact: It's a good thing I chose to drive my own car to Connecticut last week. It might have been the first and only road trip we will get to share together.



Alright, Travel Gods. YOU WIN. If you are going to insist on taking a car away from me EVERY TIME I COME HOME FROM TRAVELING, I will just have to stay on the road. FOREVER.

Adios, amigos. See you ... never. If you want to reach me, better call my cellphone. Or Enterprise. They'll probably know where I am.

Love,
RWP.

I am a time traveler

Things I did on my 6 hour flight across the country:
Read a book, read 3 magazines (4 if you count skymall, and 5 in you county the safety information brochure).
Was served 3 different cups of ginger ale.
Drained the battery of my 6-year-old iPod.
Made friends with the best flight attendant ever. Seriously. I have never been on a plane with anyone so friendly and happy to be doing their job. He was one seat-belt-sign away from doing cartwheels in the aisle.

Things I did not do:
Get a "digi-player" to watch movies. Seriously, whoever decided the international vs. domestic thing really messed up. I get free TV on a 1 hour flight from Portland to Vancouver but nothing on my long-half from Boston?
Eat free snacks. When will the other airlines follow JetBlue and offer snacks that don't involve some sort of nut. I could have killed for some Doritos. 

I was not pleased. Luckily my dad took me out for bagels this morning. 

What do you think his job title is?

I'm guessing "University overlord."

(on the balcony above me is a man in a suit, staring ominously down at myself and all the students. He is literally doing Mr-Burns-hands. He has been there at least 10 minutes. I am unsettled.

Eeeexcellent.

Scary baby dolls

Be on the lookout for one of these and your next creepy B & B....http://thehairpin.com/2011/11/looking-for-something-to-lighten-up-a-dark-corner