Today was the first day of classes and all in all, things went reasonably well. There was some angst and frustration and some crisis, real and imagined, but it was pretty much a normal first day of classes. All classes are staffed, and I only have to teach one math class for one period to make it happen. That is pretty good--there were some semesters where I had less success and taught more that first week. It is fun to see the campus with students, though there are fewer, I think, than anyone hoped. Many schools are reporting lower numbers this year.
It is an interesting thing that the better the country/economy is doing, the lower the community college enrollment becomes. It is job related. If people can get jobs they do so and skip classes and college. If the economy is doing poorly, people come and take classes so that they will be better trained so they can get better jobs. When you read that carefully, you can see the challenge--so if they can get a job they don't need training? Well, maybe not right now…
I did notice about 2:00 this afternoon that it was very dark outside. It was beautiful this morning but that didn't last the day. It was very dark looking out my window. Did I mention that my office has a huge window? Probably not since I would not want to gloat to those who look out over a parking lot. I can see grass and sometimes even turkeys. Really. But whatever. We had a real live thunderstorm this afternoon and it was so dark the automatic lights came on. Brief heavy rain, but no damage. It really just provided me an excuse not to mow my lawn tonight, though it didn't take much. It was fun to see people in the rain. I could have made better pictures but hey, I'm not going out in it!! I might melt or something.
It is just amazing how if you buy one press, they multiply. I earned another press today, an Adana 4x6 press from England. This was made in London in about 1935, I think, so it is a bit different. How it got to Michigan is anyone's guess, but I am glad that it did. It weighs a ton (tonne) as it has a massive cast iron base and it is pretty solid. I wonder if will make me spell things differently, like "defence" and "colour" and fittingly, "analogue." It is, after all, partially made of aluminium and it is grey. I wonder who will get that reference.
Some people have asked for a mouse update, and I hope I can say I am making progress. Actually I feel like I am running a trapline. This morning I (un) ceremoniously dumped the three mice I caught/killed/slaughtered/etc into the trash. I feel more like Danny and Red in a Jim Kjelgaard novel, trapping for fur in the Wapati beech forests. Despite the obscure literary reference (but I do love those books) I hope you understand. That makes five mice in as many days. Seriously. I could make a mouse-skin rug for the fireplace, though it might not cover much. Hmm…now there is an idea. I am not a fan of this, and I wish there was an alternative, but coexistence doesn't seem very likely. Hopefully that is all the news I will have from this front, though I think I did see one more rebel soldier earlier tonight. Drat! The battle continues.
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