Apt...

So I have a place to live...I never have rented a place sight unseen, though a friend did check out and vet the place. I trust their word and vision completely , and when I got the word that I should probably rent it, I signed on. Of course, what people say and see from a distance is always different than reality. Still, I don't think that I am disappointed.

So what can I say about it? It is pretty big, though not as huge as I thought it would be. Three bedrooms, a very large living room, a kitchen and dining area, a laundry room, one bath, and a huge deck, though to be honest the deck isn't that much of a draw right now, as it was -12 this morning. It is downtown, though about a 1/2 mile from the truly desirable side of downtown. Though let's be honest here. Downtown St. Cloud is not downtown Chicago or even MSP. It is above a thrift store, and a long 21 steps up from the street. As the last tenant was elderly, it actually has a chair lift to avoid those stairs. One of my friends pointed out that would be a "chick magnet" if nothing else, though another friend pointed out it might ease moving books up the stairs. I mentioned that I was getting older as were perhaps any potential dates-they might like that I have a chair lift!

The apartment is, to be honest, dated in its decor. That may be a bit kind, but it is bearable. The carpet, well, think of your grandma's carpet, or really, think MY grandma's carpet, just so we are talking about the right generation. The kitchen has wall paper, but it is wall paper of blonde paneling. Scary. The bathroom is black and salmon pink. I was shocked when I turned the lights on and the chrome florescent lights were pink. Really pink. I suspect that if I cut myself shaving, I might not notice until I got to work. It is funny--as "digital" as I am, there is nothing digital in the apartment. The timers on the washer, dryer and oven "tick" when you set them.

Those are the negatives. It is light, it is clean, cheap, the heat is paid, and it has some character, and it has potential. I don't have to decorate it overnight, and the landlord seems willing to help with the glaring things. My bedroom has two windows and it has a ton of closets. I think the deck, even with the summer pests, will be pretty fun. Did I mention that the heat is paid? I think that the living room will make a perfectly adequate studio, and the third bedroom an adequate place to stash my two cameras and a tripod or two. There is a ton of wall space--I think I might know someone who might add a picture or two for the walls. Lastly, did I mention the heat is paid? I will be safe and warm and I am certain I will over time make this a home.

A friend expressed concern that I will go to every auction and antique store and clutter and overfill the place. First, if nothing else the 21 steps will dissuade me from spontaneous purchases of Eastlake furniture. Time and money and hopefully taste will pace the rest of my decorating efforts.

It more than meets Maslow's first two or three levels of what one needs. I will post photos soon so all you might comment.

Home

I am home. Well, to be honest, right now it is more the place where I will live as it will take a bit to make it "home," but that will happen. Right now, I face a completely empty cavern of an apartment, and I don't even have a chair or anything. I am loafing at a local hotel until I at least get a bed, but it won't be too long. I will rattle around a bit--the apartment is nearly 3,000 square feet, so it won't be decorated immediately. But then again, no place of my own has ever really been decorated, so the bar is pretty low--I ain't no Martha Stewart!

The trip here was nearly perfect with great weather for January and while I was getting a bit tired of my own company by the end, no one had to fear that crazy guy in the Fit. I wish I would have taken more pictures along the way but I had good skies today. The sunrise was on the way to my car as I left this morning. The big tree was in far western North Dakota. The "Big Sky" photo was not in Montana, but in central North Dakota.

Sense and Sensibility

I am more than 1170 miles into my trip and I find it interesting that you can drive that far and still have a long day's drive left. There is just a whole lot of space out West, and I have seen a good size chunk of it today

To help pass the time, I bought a book on CD today in Butte. Surprisingly, I found Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility--I was almost certain that all the copies would be sold out in Montana and I would be stuck with a James Patterson book, but there were two copies left! There must be people in Butte who are waiting for the movie to make it to town. It was actually pretty good. I was shocked to learn that people in Victorian England had some of the same foibles that society has today. Certainly there were relationships were just as screwed up, if not more so. I enjoyed it, and hopefully it kept my brain from turning to mush from driving 817 miles in one day.

The picture is from somewhere in Montana--it is pretty easy to find a good photo, with snow, fog, and mountains.

My wish...

In a few hours, I will hit the road and and "head east." I wonder if there any of those old band t-shirts left? It is with mixed feelings, as I am sure you can imagine. Sadness. Excitement. Nervousness. Amazement. Nostalgia. And more, I suppose. Ultimately, I am feel and believe that I am doing the right thing at the right time. It is a challenge, that's all.

As you might imagine, I am not that much of a country music fan, but since my life seems to sometimes resemble a country song, a song or two sometimes does make a playlist. A friend once told me about this song by Rascal Flatts, and it has stuck with me. You know those songs in your life which are defining, that remind you of a time, a place, a person or whatever? This is one of them for me. It is a benediction, a statement of what I would hope for others, a modern Irish/Ohio (the band is from Columbus) blessing, and I suppose what I sometimes even hope for me. Yes, it is "My Wish."

"My Wish"

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,

And each road leads you where you want to go,

And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens to another door closed,

I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,

All the ones who love you, in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get,

Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,

And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything...

So, on to new adventures. I will try and post from the road. Contact information for me stays the same for now--I will update in a few days.

As for the flowers...I wish I knew what January flowers and adventures bring, but I have to think that they bring good things. These tiny, brave, three-inch tall flowers are sure to at least brighten your day, as they did mine when I saw them yesterday.

Missing is not always a bad thing...

I am wrapping up my stay out here so I am running some errands and seeing and revisiting some spots that might be a bit difficult to see or visit when I am in Minnesota. I wanted to visit Seattle again before I left and made the trip today. Ostensibly I "had" to go so I could visit one of my favorite camera store in the country, Glazer's Camera, but really I just wanted to go to Seattle.

I did go to the camera store but spent most of the day at the Pike Street Market. Let's be honest here: I am doubtful that there is an outdoor market in the Twin Cities that is open this time of the year that has fresh fruit and tulips. I suspect that you might have to look pretty hard in the Midwest to find a city block or two that has two kinds of chocolate pasta, four kinds of blueberry toppings, six kinds or tomatoes, eight kinds of salmon, or ten kinds of Washington apples. And all of it is presented beautifully and at 52 degrees, and that is the outside temp!

I also got eat at Jack's Fish Spot, my favorite fish and chips place, or at least my favorite outside of London. I have eaten meals there with many different people over the years, and while there are certainly fancier spots to eat and ones that have real silverware and china, I have never been disappointed with the food and it more than makes up for the lack of ambiance and having to eat with your hands.

One of the other reasons I went was to take some pictures with new camera. It works differently than the cameras that I have used for more than 30 years. It focuses backwards, zooms differently, controls that were on the right are now on the left and while Nikons are overly red sensitive, this one is a bit sensitive to yellow. Hey, but how hard can it be? It seems to work, and apparently you can teach an old dog, despite what they say.

An additional treat was a great cloud formation that dominated the sky as I drove home. And, it beat packing hands down!

Yellow boat, yellow sky, and yellow cat

Today was a yellow kind of a day, and in my wanderings I found these photos late in the afternoon. As for the cat, well, what can I say? I have actually come to the realization that I will miss the cat, no matter how much it made me wheeze and sneeze. Of course, I won't miss it enough to ever get one of my own.

More, just more...

It was a productive Sunday walk as I found a beach that I have not seen before just north of town. Those who know me know that I am seldom abstract nor am I drawn to abstract subjects, but I do like the drift wood. Honestly, this place gives driftwood a new dimension...one "piece" was a hunk of old growth log that was 25 feet long and was as tall as me. I am looking forward to returning to the land of birch trees--they are rare out here, at least ones that look like those that grow like weeds in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Best of all were the Northwest version of Pussy Willows...winter, at least out here, is fading.

Beautiful light

Great light, wonderful day. The fog was coming and going, and it helped a few photos turn out.

I think that my new task to post photos from here everyday, if for no other reason than to remind me how lucky I have been to be able to be out here and share in all of this.

New shoes, old shirts, and winter in Bellingham

Today the weather broke and it stopped raining for the first time this week. Imagine this...Seattle has received more than 3 inches more rain than normal for all of January, and it is obviously only the 15th of the month. So yes, it is rainy in the Pacific Northwest.

It is also more than 50 degrees, and with the break in rain, it was a perfect afternoon for a walk. Of course part of me is gloating and wanting to show off the green that is so evident everywhere. I hope that this cheers those in the Midwest, who might not be so green. I know it cheered me. I love the ferns and other signs that winter, well, winter is different out here. Though I appreciate the four seasons and am glad to get back to the land of those four seasons, I will always always love the Northwest and its perpetual green.

While I was enjoying the break in weather, I ostensibly took the walk to help break in a pair of hiking boots. Good timing, eh? A year and a half late for out here, and I won't be able to use them in Minnesota til what, July? Maybe I can call them snow boots, so I can use them sooner...

The goal is to make these boots "old friends" and be totally comfortable in them. For what I paid, these should be lifetime boots, so I am taking the time to do it right. When I was walking, I realized how I do like lifetime clothes. This afternoon I was, and am wearing tonight a very soft, butter-colored chamois shirt that has to be at least 15 years old. It has kept me warm, kept others warm, and been a comfort shirt for a long time. It warms me, but it warms my heart, too, and maybe it did that to others, even if they only hugged me when I was wearing it. The shirt is no longer pristine--there is paint from "this" and stains from "that." But it also can tell lots of stories for all those years of my life.

I know it is silly to assign this much or any importance at all to just an old shirt, but I do. I like that I have done that, and that this stupid old shirt is important to me after all these years. And that I treasure the stories that this shirt has shared and can tell.

Maybe this boots will sometimes be the touchstone of other stories of my life, just like this shirt. I hope so.

They got a good start today.

On the nature (and ranking) of work...

I wandered across a blog today that caught my eye. It was called PhotoEditor and it was interesting. One post was very enlightening if not a bit depressing. It was a ranking of 200 jobs and the findings were surprising. You can find it here, http://www.careercast.com/jobs/content/top-200-jobs-2010-jobs-rated

I was pleased to find out that the job of historian was ranked #5! I am assuming that was because of the no/low stress, no heavy lifting, and indoor-nature of the job. I was confused a bit by the #1 job, that of an actuary. Wow, could you handle the excitement of that job? Wouldn't that be part of the ranking? I wondered about sociologists, who were way down to about #22. Then I realized that they had to deal with people and then it made some sense.

I must have made at least some correct career moves, because a plain old photographer was at #126, just below a waitress job. But above an autobody repair person (#130) or a maid (#131) so that is something, I guess. Surprisingly, a photojournalist ranked #189, below a firefighter at #188 and oddly enough, above a butcher who sliced their way to #190. I don't know, but the list must be accurate, because after 15 years as a photojournalist, I still would put the job ahead of a butcher's job. Almost every day.

There were some other interesting rankings. Clergy clocked in at #96, below a newscaster which snagged #95, and, thank heavens, above a dentist, whose job was only the 97th ranked job. Lawyers didn't even make the list, but come to think about it, neither did deans...hmmm

St Cloud, part one...

My first two pictures from Minnesota, or Centrasota or Midesota, as they often call it there. One photo is of bustling downtown St. Cloud, the other near Becker/Monticello. I think that is where the nuclear plant is and it is about 20 minutes from St. Cloud. Scenic and, of course, cold. In the flatlands, the steam from the cooling towers is the tallest/biggest/most dominant thing to see. For miles and miles. It ain't Mt Baker, but what can you say?

There are lots of differences besides the weather. St. Cloud is about the same size as Bellingham, has a similar-sized state university and community college (go Cyclones!) and the usual assortment of chain stores/places to eat. Except St Cloud has but two Starbucks and Bellingham has 16 or so...what will I ever do??? Where will I get my half half extra pump, 1/2 extra shot, no foam 150 degree, poured by red-haired left-handed baristas, vanilla latte? I think most people here are more likely to have coffee with Juan Valdez and drink coffee that they boil or percolate.

There are coffee shops, but they are different. One is downtown in the ING financial building. It is a good place--I think the drinks are subsidized by the company, as a large latte is only $2.00. But the Baristas are actually bankers in bright orange ING mufti, and will and can sell you an IRA or a CD along with your mocha. Interesting concept, but free Wi-Fi and cheap chai's means I'll be back.

On the way to Eau Claire, I stopped along the way at a Caribou Coffee, which appears to be the dominant coffee chain in the area. They are nice shops, far larger than the typical Starbucks around here. They often have a large meeting room. I knew immediately I wasn't in Kansas or Washington anymore, as the large group in the meeting room was a church group and they were singing. Kumbaya, in fact. Now that is something that you won't come across in Bellingham.

Transitions...

Well, I made it through my first three days of work--didn't fall asleep or mumble or stumble too badly, though today I had my moments. In the 12 minutes from my hotel to the college, I managed to gain a big stain on my tie, a great way to start. It got better--I was introduced to the president of the college, and after meeting about 40 other people and having to ask what they did or taught, apparently I thought it appropriate to just ask this next person what she did. In one of those classic moments, my immediate boss answered when I asked her this question and said "ahh, she is the president of the college." Am I smooth or what? Why would I know who the president of the college was? The fact that the zipper of my suit pants failed me half way through the day was only icing on this particular cake. As one my new colleagues would have descrined it, a slight fashion faux pas.

Actually, aside from these little gaffs, I think that the long, three day introduction went pretty well. The first two days were a retreat of sorts, with the deans and the academic vice president. To really understand this, you have to understand a bit about the college. Right now, it is a technical college--transfer degrees and many of the classes which transfer that they offer are really provided by a local community college. In the next year, SCTC will undergo a dramatic change as it becomes a technical and community college and offer its own transfer degrees and courses. Since many of these courses are liberal arts courses, the area I will help guide will change as quickly and dramatically as the rest of the college if not more so. All of the deans will have their plates full, but we seemed to get along and communicate well. As importantly, we laughed well together, a fact that is just as important, at least to me. Today was the opening convocation for all faculty and staff. I thought that this went well, too, and I really enjoyed meeting all the people that I did. I really enjoyed talking to the faculty--I skipped some of the afternoon sessions just so I could talk to them, and I think it was well worth it to do so.

Two things really struck me these past three days. One is the simple fact that while this college will face many changes and challenges, they are ones that most colleges face at different times. SCTC has to deal with and face issues such as block scheduling, class size, amazing numbers of new students, retention issues and internal communication challenges and more-- SCTC is not unique in having to deal with these issues. What may be different is the speed in which the college will have to deal with some of these changes.

The second thing that struck me was how much I have learned from the people I have worked with over the years. I really have been lucky with the people who I have worked with--I probably do not know a lot, but most of what I do know can be attributed to people who I have worked with at many different schools. The fact that I might know something about block scheduling (Jim and Shelby) or enrollment management (Deb and Duffy ) or education and e-portfolios and outcomes (Bruce and Mindy) or leadership (Ron, Dick, and Renay) Dev Ed assessment (all the great ABE/ESL Dev Ed faculty) can only be credited to the many people who have helped. And I could continue this list. This knowledge that others have shared with me will help make this job bearable.

It is interesting that the weather is even the topic of the day for folks here. To be fair, it is the news. Roads, little roads like I-90 and I-94 are closed tonight because of winds and drifting snow. Wind chills are expected to be a mind blowing (and freezing) minus 40-50 below. One might think that at a certain point a few more negative degrees won't matter, but I think they do--it is a bit more than a psychological difference when bits and pieces are freezing and falling off.

But my car starts, and while Minnesota is cold, its people are warm and friendly. I have a lot to do before next month, and even more to do after that, but I do feel, rightly or wrongly, that this will all be doable.

hmmmm....

Weather for MSP for the next four to five days...

Hey, at least it is sunny out...

P/SUNNY

		Sunday 1/3/2010 Partly sunny; frigid High: 7 F Low: -9 F
		Monday 1/4/2010 Mostly sunny; cold High: 9 F Low: -9 F
		Tuesday 1/5/2010 Mostly sunny High: 9 F Low: -5 F
		Wednesday 1/6/2010 Snow or flurries High: 7 F Low: -4 F
		Thursday 1/7/2010 Windy and frigid High: -1 F Low: -8 F