Our first week in New York has been very educational, exciting, and exhausting.
We (that's Ella and I) arrived Easter Sunday around 6:30 in the morning, having driven all night from Harrisburg, PA. After a quick nap, we went for a walk around the neighborhood.
There is this stuff called snow that I thought I understood. I used to think that those Yankees thought we didn't understand but by golly, we get a good snow about once a decade so heck yes, I knew about snow.
Turns out, I was wrong.
That very first hour in New York, I learned a lot about snow. Albany is one of the least snowy areas of the state. I actually live in the Adirondacks, and we get more snow than they do. Not a ton more, but more. They get two to three big dumps each winter, each one consisting of one to two feet. People snow blow their driveways and the city plows. This snow is dumped into their yards and on the edge of the street. It doesn't get below 25, so it just stays there, not melting. (At least, not much.) Then they get another dump and more snow is added. That means there are these mountains of snow in each person's yard and all along the street.
We (that's Ella and I) arrived Easter Sunday around 6:30 in the morning, having driven all night from Harrisburg, PA. After a quick nap, we went for a walk around the neighborhood.
There is this stuff called snow that I thought I understood. I used to think that those Yankees thought we didn't understand but by golly, we get a good snow about once a decade so heck yes, I knew about snow.
Turns out, I was wrong.
That very first hour in New York, I learned a lot about snow. Albany is one of the least snowy areas of the state. I actually live in the Adirondacks, and we get more snow than they do. Not a ton more, but more. They get two to three big dumps each winter, each one consisting of one to two feet. People snow blow their driveways and the city plows. This snow is dumped into their yards and on the edge of the street. It doesn't get below 25, so it just stays there, not melting. (At least, not much.) Then they get another dump and more snow is added. That means there are these mountains of snow in each person's yard and all along the street.
The parking lots are full of these snowy mounds. As we walked around, I saw Christmas decorations that could not be removed. They were either too deep in snow or frozen to the ground. This is a new concept for me. The weather warmed into the 40s a couple of times this week. When that happened, some of the snow melted. Then it would refreeze at night. At one point, there was a strip across my back yard where I actually saw grass. Then Friday morning, we got around 5 inches of snow. The temp is currently around 20 degrees, so the snow is still there.
Driving in snow was a new experience. Everyone at the office laughed when I made that comment. They said that driving in 5 inches of snow is not driving in snow. Well, if you are a teacher and you live in Arkansas, you don't drive in snow. Period. Friday morning, I was heading to the office at about 30 miles an hour on the Northway (that's what they call I-87). I was following another car and staying in his tracks. After the first ten miles, I got brave and decided I could go faster, so I should pass. By this time, the snow was really coming down. The plows hadn't gotten out yet (it was earlier than I usually leave because we had guests at the office; more on that later) and the snow between lanes was a couple of inches deep. The speed lane was completely covered. Ever go water skiing and jump the wake? That is what this felt like. I slid back over to the slow lane and stayed there until I got to Saratoga Springs where the traffic picked up and the lanes were in good shape.
Ella loves the snow. Every time we go outside, she acts as though she's never seen it before and she goes nuts. She eats it, rolls in it, throws it in the air, just basically has a ball.
Work was interesting this week. I am currently writing the new CIM curriculum (Computer Integrated Manufacturing, for you non-PLTW folks.) We host the Master Teachers next month and I am bound and determined to have it finished by then. Our publish deadline is May 15, but I want it done for the MTs. Anyway, writing came to a screeching halt when our visitors arrived. They were the GTT (Gateway to Technology, our middle school program) Master Teachers. We are going to re-write their curriculum next year and are starting the process early. Middle school teachers are a very different group of people. You have to be, if you teach middle school. I have seen near fistfights break out at MT meetings, but the Gateway folks are all about fun and chatting. They were in the office all day Friday and half the day Saturday. Life returns to normal on Monday and I can return to the unit on which I am currently working, that of Robotics. What a fun unit it has been. I started with a history lesson, worked into a lesson on Human vs. Robotic Labor and am about to start on a project where the kids build their own robot. It reminds me a lot of the project in the movie "21." (If you haven't seen it, go see it. If you read the book, just tell yourself the two aren't related.) Now that I brought that up, I have to give my one and only complaint about the movie (aside from the fact that it is NOT the book). The mathematics in it is pathetically weak for a supposed senior class at MIT. Teaching such a class the Game Show problem should have been an embarrassment to Kevin Spacey, but maybe the man isn't a math geek. At least two of the problems he covers I did in my sophomore year at UCA. And this is a senior class at MIT?!?
Anyway, I also learned about wealth. People who have wealth are very different from the rest of us. I was invited to a party at the Veep's house (not RG; the other one) and got to see some wealth. This man owns a house in heaven. At least, it looked like heaven to me. It sits on top of a very tall hill. He has huge windows that show off the view. Out one set of windows, you can see Vermont. Another window, and there is Lake Placid. Another shows off the Catskills. During dinner, I saw the largest herd of deer I have ever seen (30+) feeding on a neighboring hill. The binoculars showed that the deer were joined by several wild turkeys. I'm telling you, the man lives in heaven. Too bad he's married to Martha Stewart. Or at least that is who she reminds me of, in every way. She got onto me at supper because I wanted to sit at one table that didn't have a place setting. I just grabbed a place setting from a different table but that was a HUGE no-no because then it didn't match. Ok. Her husband has an enormous closet that not only is bigger than my first apartment, but it also has a washer/dryer set separate from the house's. Wealth.
We went to Wal-Mart several times this week (I was joined by my daughter Virginia and niece Rebecca). On one visit, we were really laying the accent on, just to see how they would react. People in neighboring isles turned and stared. Our cashier and bag boy were suddenly all smiles and started spelling words out. Then the cashier asked, "Do they have Wal-Marts in Arkansas?" I do not know how, but none of us fell to the floor laughing. We just kept the accent going and said, "Yup. It's even where it started." Then we got to talking about bugs and asked if they had chiggers. The bag boy looked at us as if to say, "What did you just call me?"
Other fun New York facts:
- Speed limit signs are just a suggestion. Keep it at 80 and you will be ok.
- If you are going to talk on your cell phone while driving, put it on speaker and lay it on the seat.
- Everyone says they are Catholic but no one goes to church.
- Everyone claims that THEIR city has the best Italian restaurant around.
- If the restaurant you choose does not serve alcohol (and if not, it isn't Italian) then it is OK to BYOB.
- If they say they are picking you up at 7:30, be early, because they mean it.
- Coke is called Soda.
- No, you cannot borrow a snow blower. Buy your own. But anyone will loan you their skis.
- You can keep your thermostat set at 60 when you are home. If it is 15 degrees outside, 60 feels like a heat wave.
- Every four-year-old can ice skate better than me and most play hockey as well. Many play lacrosse as well, which I just saw for the first time yesterday.
Driving in snow was a new experience. Everyone at the office laughed when I made that comment. They said that driving in 5 inches of snow is not driving in snow. Well, if you are a teacher and you live in Arkansas, you don't drive in snow. Period. Friday morning, I was heading to the office at about 30 miles an hour on the Northway (that's what they call I-87). I was following another car and staying in his tracks. After the first ten miles, I got brave and decided I could go faster, so I should pass. By this time, the snow was really coming down. The plows hadn't gotten out yet (it was earlier than I usually leave because we had guests at the office; more on that later) and the snow between lanes was a couple of inches deep. The speed lane was completely covered. Ever go water skiing and jump the wake? That is what this felt like. I slid back over to the slow lane and stayed there until I got to Saratoga Springs where the traffic picked up and the lanes were in good shape.
Ella loves the snow. Every time we go outside, she acts as though she's never seen it before and she goes nuts. She eats it, rolls in it, throws it in the air, just basically has a ball.
Work was interesting this week. I am currently writing the new CIM curriculum (Computer Integrated Manufacturing, for you non-PLTW folks.) We host the Master Teachers next month and I am bound and determined to have it finished by then. Our publish deadline is May 15, but I want it done for the MTs. Anyway, writing came to a screeching halt when our visitors arrived. They were the GTT (Gateway to Technology, our middle school program) Master Teachers. We are going to re-write their curriculum next year and are starting the process early. Middle school teachers are a very different group of people. You have to be, if you teach middle school. I have seen near fistfights break out at MT meetings, but the Gateway folks are all about fun and chatting. They were in the office all day Friday and half the day Saturday. Life returns to normal on Monday and I can return to the unit on which I am currently working, that of Robotics. What a fun unit it has been. I started with a history lesson, worked into a lesson on Human vs. Robotic Labor and am about to start on a project where the kids build their own robot. It reminds me a lot of the project in the movie "21." (If you haven't seen it, go see it. If you read the book, just tell yourself the two aren't related.) Now that I brought that up, I have to give my one and only complaint about the movie (aside from the fact that it is NOT the book). The mathematics in it is pathetically weak for a supposed senior class at MIT. Teaching such a class the Game Show problem should have been an embarrassment to Kevin Spacey, but maybe the man isn't a math geek. At least two of the problems he covers I did in my sophomore year at UCA. And this is a senior class at MIT?!?
Anyway, I also learned about wealth. People who have wealth are very different from the rest of us. I was invited to a party at the Veep's house (not RG; the other one) and got to see some wealth. This man owns a house in heaven. At least, it looked like heaven to me. It sits on top of a very tall hill. He has huge windows that show off the view. Out one set of windows, you can see Vermont. Another window, and there is Lake Placid. Another shows off the Catskills. During dinner, I saw the largest herd of deer I have ever seen (30+) feeding on a neighboring hill. The binoculars showed that the deer were joined by several wild turkeys. I'm telling you, the man lives in heaven. Too bad he's married to Martha Stewart. Or at least that is who she reminds me of, in every way. She got onto me at supper because I wanted to sit at one table that didn't have a place setting. I just grabbed a place setting from a different table but that was a HUGE no-no because then it didn't match. Ok. Her husband has an enormous closet that not only is bigger than my first apartment, but it also has a washer/dryer set separate from the house's. Wealth.
We went to Wal-Mart several times this week (I was joined by my daughter Virginia and niece Rebecca). On one visit, we were really laying the accent on, just to see how they would react. People in neighboring isles turned and stared. Our cashier and bag boy were suddenly all smiles and started spelling words out. Then the cashier asked, "Do they have Wal-Marts in Arkansas?" I do not know how, but none of us fell to the floor laughing. We just kept the accent going and said, "Yup. It's even where it started." Then we got to talking about bugs and asked if they had chiggers. The bag boy looked at us as if to say, "What did you just call me?"
Other fun New York facts:
- Speed limit signs are just a suggestion. Keep it at 80 and you will be ok.
- If you are going to talk on your cell phone while driving, put it on speaker and lay it on the seat.
- Everyone says they are Catholic but no one goes to church.
- Everyone claims that THEIR city has the best Italian restaurant around.
- If the restaurant you choose does not serve alcohol (and if not, it isn't Italian) then it is OK to BYOB.
- If they say they are picking you up at 7:30, be early, because they mean it.
- Coke is called Soda.
- No, you cannot borrow a snow blower. Buy your own. But anyone will loan you their skis.
- You can keep your thermostat set at 60 when you are home. If it is 15 degrees outside, 60 feels like a heat wave.
- Every four-year-old can ice skate better than me and most play hockey as well. Many play lacrosse as well, which I just saw for the first time yesterday.
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