Our family just went out for dinner with our friend Kelly, and we tried a new restaurant that was great! The Days Hotel Grand Dakota Lodge and Conference Center recently completed a construction project that added suites and conference rooms to the east side of the building but that also included some interior remodeling and redecorating. In the process, its restaurant The Red Pheasant became The Spaghetti Western, and its menu changed from offering standard hotel restaurant fare to featuring fine Italian cuisine.
Hillary had an Italian meatloaf sandwich on ciabatta bread. Suzanna and Susan shared two items: a tossed salad with pepperoni and fresh mozzarella cheese and a dish of gnocchi with shrimp and mushrooms in a wine sauce. Abigail and I shared two items: deep-fried artichoke hearts with a cheesy tomato sauce for dipping, and a Monte Cristo-style sandwich that had mozzarella, pancetta, and basil leaves on bread with the whole thing dunked in batter and deep-fried and served with a marinara sauce for dipping. Kelly had the gnocchi, too, and the six of us shared three desserts: a chocolate lava cake, a turtle cheesecake (with chocolate, walnuts, and caramel sauce), and a frosted brownie served à la mode.
Sound delicious? Well, it was! Next time you're in Dickinson, we'd be happy to take you there for a meal. If we go on a weekend night, we could have their risotto or a slab of their slow-roasted prime rib and then walk across the hall to the Dakota Lounge for a pitcher of their famous Long Island tea. Just sayin'.
Showing posts with label Mattis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mattis. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Eating Sticks and Twigs
My friend Kelly and I went out for dinner today and tried a new downtown restaurant called Stix n' Twigs Café (yes, they know enough to include the accent aigu over the "e" in "café" but don't know that an apostrophe should go wherever one has left off a letter in a contraction so that "and"--missing both the "a" and "d"--would be written apostrophe "n" apostrophe). The subtitle on the menu says "Innovative Organic Cuisine," and I didn't know quite what to expect from that.
We met there at 11:30 A.M., and it was already full--although it's not a terribly large space. The door is flanked by two windows looking out on the street, and in each window is a built-in table with two stools pushed up to it (Kelly and I sat at one of those). There is a sitting area with couches and bookshelves, and on either side of that are a few tables--maybe half a dozen total? There is a counter at which to pay or to order from the "service case," and the employees prepare beverages and desserts behind the counter and get into the kitchen from a door at one end of the counter. The restrooms are at the back of the room.
The owners did a terrific job renovating their portion of the old building and creating a tastefully decorated, inviting, relaxing space. Outside, they chose tumbled bricks set in a random pattern more appealing than the even, predictable, pink/tan bricks of most of downtown. Inside, the paint colors are muted, the wood is stained dark, the light fixtures are modern pendant lights, the walls feature artwork created by local artists, the floor is a marble-y green tile, and the men's bathroom has candles on the toilet tank and a fun stone sink (that slants down from the front toward the wall where the water disappears in a long slit against the wall) with a pump bottle of "stress-reducing" soap. They even replaced some of the sidewalk outside with what looks to be black slate. I was impressed.
And the food was fantastic, too. Kelly ordered their burger: "organic vegan burger with wheat, nuts, and beans and spices sautéed and served on a bun with tomato, lettuce, pickle, and lime vegenaise." I had the Cobb salad pita: "avocado, chicken, vine-ripened tomatoes, bacon, bleu cheese, and romaine mingled with vinaigrette, garnished with egg, and served in a pita." I really liked them both (Kelly let me try some of her burger) and was tempted to try the peach "krisp" that was one of today's dessert offerings, but I was just the right amount of "full" from the reasonable portions that they served us.
Based on the fun atmosphere and the tasty items that I tried today, I would happily make a return visit to Stix n' Twigs Café (and would do so even more quickly if they would write it "Sticks and Twigs Café"). The menu itself is enough to bring me back; I found plenty of unusual items that I'd like to return to try sometime (including toasted quinoa vegan soup, coconut curry chicken salad, beet and chevre salad, and rustic Moroccan goat cheese tart). They were even kind enough to give me a copy of the menu to take home!
There's also the healthy, earth-friendly appeal of the place. This is what the owners write about themselves on the front of the menu: "Endeavoring to bring you whole foods without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Organic foods grown without chemical herbicides, pesticides, or GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Striving to use green products using renewable sustainable sources that are compostable." (That is followed immediately by this: "Hebrews 1:3--"The Son . . . sustaining all things by His powerful word." It might be the first menu I have seen with a Bible verse featured on it!)
I like having a variety of options from which to choose when we feel like dining out, so I'm delighted to add this to the list of restaurants in the area. You wanna try it out? Let me know, and we'll schedule a dinner date! (Forewarning: Stix n' Twigs is open from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, so do try to be hungry during those time spans, please.)
We met there at 11:30 A.M., and it was already full--although it's not a terribly large space. The door is flanked by two windows looking out on the street, and in each window is a built-in table with two stools pushed up to it (Kelly and I sat at one of those). There is a sitting area with couches and bookshelves, and on either side of that are a few tables--maybe half a dozen total? There is a counter at which to pay or to order from the "service case," and the employees prepare beverages and desserts behind the counter and get into the kitchen from a door at one end of the counter. The restrooms are at the back of the room.
The owners did a terrific job renovating their portion of the old building and creating a tastefully decorated, inviting, relaxing space. Outside, they chose tumbled bricks set in a random pattern more appealing than the even, predictable, pink/tan bricks of most of downtown. Inside, the paint colors are muted, the wood is stained dark, the light fixtures are modern pendant lights, the walls feature artwork created by local artists, the floor is a marble-y green tile, and the men's bathroom has candles on the toilet tank and a fun stone sink (that slants down from the front toward the wall where the water disappears in a long slit against the wall) with a pump bottle of "stress-reducing" soap. They even replaced some of the sidewalk outside with what looks to be black slate. I was impressed.
And the food was fantastic, too. Kelly ordered their burger: "organic vegan burger with wheat, nuts, and beans and spices sautéed and served on a bun with tomato, lettuce, pickle, and lime vegenaise." I had the Cobb salad pita: "avocado, chicken, vine-ripened tomatoes, bacon, bleu cheese, and romaine mingled with vinaigrette, garnished with egg, and served in a pita." I really liked them both (Kelly let me try some of her burger) and was tempted to try the peach "krisp" that was one of today's dessert offerings, but I was just the right amount of "full" from the reasonable portions that they served us.
Based on the fun atmosphere and the tasty items that I tried today, I would happily make a return visit to Stix n' Twigs Café (and would do so even more quickly if they would write it "Sticks and Twigs Café"). The menu itself is enough to bring me back; I found plenty of unusual items that I'd like to return to try sometime (including toasted quinoa vegan soup, coconut curry chicken salad, beet and chevre salad, and rustic Moroccan goat cheese tart). They were even kind enough to give me a copy of the menu to take home!
There's also the healthy, earth-friendly appeal of the place. This is what the owners write about themselves on the front of the menu: "Endeavoring to bring you whole foods without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Organic foods grown without chemical herbicides, pesticides, or GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Striving to use green products using renewable sustainable sources that are compostable." (That is followed immediately by this: "Hebrews 1:3--"The Son . . . sustaining all things by His powerful word." It might be the first menu I have seen with a Bible verse featured on it!)
I like having a variety of options from which to choose when we feel like dining out, so I'm delighted to add this to the list of restaurants in the area. You wanna try it out? Let me know, and we'll schedule a dinner date! (Forewarning: Stix n' Twigs is open from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, so do try to be hungry during those time spans, please.)
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Friends and Family
Monday, July 6
- My sisters and I left Eagan (remember?) early in the morning to get Cathy to the airport for her flight back to Portland. Then Sandy gave me a ride back to Dickinson! She's en route to our dad's to spend the rest of the week with him and Beverly, so I hitched a ride so that I can get some work done at home this week while Susan and the girls head to East Grand Forks to spend some time with our friends there.
- Sandy and I had a tasty dinner at Extreme Pita in Fargo. For supper I grilled Omaha steaks and served them with French fries, buttered corn, pickles, celery sticks, and cold beer. After a late-night walk around the neighborhood to burn off some of those calories, we watched some TV while enjoying dessert: vanilla wafers dipped in a "chocolate bliss" cheese ball and some chilled Riesling.
Tuesday, July 7
- For breakfast I served Sandy scrambled eggs (with onions, ham, and cheese), blueberry muffins, grapefruit halves, and coffee. Then she was off to Dad's farm via Williston, where she hoped to visit our aunts who live there.
- It was my friend Chris' birthday, so I took him out for supper at Applebee's. Afterward we met other friends for drinks at Maverick's Saloon, a place I had never been before. It's a very small bar--the length and width of a double-wide mobile home, perhaps. Not even kidding!
Wednesday, July 8
- Once a month I have dinner with my friend Kelly, formerly my colleage at the university and currently an independent business owner (counseling, life coaching, and holistic therapy). Today we ate at Badlands Brew, a quaint coffee shop that serves delicious panini and soups in a funky setting (a building that used to be a church--in fact, most of the seating consists of two-person pews at the tables, and the windows are stained glass). Kelly shared several items of good news regarding her personal life and her business, so it was an especially pleasant meal!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Neighborly
A friend and former colleague of mine has opened her own business: Internal Solutions of the Midwest. She offers counseling, life coaching, and family mediation as well as reiki, an holistic therapy. It's an interesting mix of services that call upon her training in counseling, seminary, and spiritual healing. She and another business held an open house today, and I dropped by to register for a door prize, enjoy the catered treats, and visit and be neighborly. She has made a lot of improvements to the space that she is renting for her business (and that she took over from a tattoo parlor--quite a shift in the type of services provided!), and she is building her clientele and becoming "known," so I'm hoping for a successful 2009 for her and her new business.
Our neighbors Chuck and Reba had an office Christmas party (his) to attend this evening, so we had their kids over to play and eat supper at our house. When it was time to pick up the kids, Chuck and Reba agreed to come in for a while, have some drinks and snacks, and visit. They left the car running on the driveway (Chuck: "Gas is cheap now") and ended up staying for several hours! Fortunately there was still some fuel in the gas tank; otherwise, they would have had to walk home (they live just across the street from our next-door neighbors). I lit a fire in the fireplace, and the kids stayed out of sight, out of mind downstairs, so we enjoyed our conversation and beverages in the living room.
Our neighbors Chuck and Reba had an office Christmas party (his) to attend this evening, so we had their kids over to play and eat supper at our house. When it was time to pick up the kids, Chuck and Reba agreed to come in for a while, have some drinks and snacks, and visit. They left the car running on the driveway (Chuck: "Gas is cheap now") and ended up staying for several hours! Fortunately there was still some fuel in the gas tank; otherwise, they would have had to walk home (they live just across the street from our next-door neighbors). I lit a fire in the fireplace, and the kids stayed out of sight, out of mind downstairs, so we enjoyed our conversation and beverages in the living room.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Several Days of "Goodbye"
Today was my boss's last day of work at Dickinson State University. She was offered a great job at Iowa State University, a position that represents a promotion in salary, responsibility, and reputation. It's a good move for her, but the "goodbye" process has been sad nevertheless.
Last Friday at our house, we hosted in her honor a farewell party to which we invited the employees in our unit and their families (little kids included). Susan made manicotti and garlic bread and created a beautiful and tasty chocolate dessert whose ingredients included brownies, cookies, candy bars, and imitation whipped cream-like product. We also supplied beverages. Everybody who came brought food items to share, so we had quite the smorgasbord. The kids had a blast playing, and the adults enjoyed eating, talking, joking, and reminiscing.
We had previously taken advantage of a day that our boss was out of the office to pose for photos that another coworker then manipulated on the computer and had an on-line company turn into a full-sized poster for us to present to her. It features each of us posing as an office-related superhero (each one an in-joke to those of us who work together) under the caption "ASC Heroes" (ASC is our unit on campus, and Heroes is an NBC television program that our boss likes). She was genuinely surprised when we presented it to her at the party. It is definitely a unique present, and she won't be able to forget us so long as she keeps the poster!
Yesterday we hosted in the ASC an all-campus lunch that served as an opportunity for people to stop by and wish her well. Susan made an electric roasterful of dee-licious baked beans for me to contribute to the lunch, and my coworkers completed the spread with barbecued meat, buns, soup, chips and crackers, fruit, vegetables, punch, coffee, and cake. It was sad to watch people bid her farewell and to be reminded that we were one day closer to her departure.
And today was D-day. Every time she popped into my office to talk today, it occurred to me that it was the last day that would happen. She has been an excellent supervisor and mentor over the past year, and I'm very grateful to her for all that she has done for me. At the end of the day, we all gathered in our work room, stood around awkwardly for a while, and then exchanged tearful hugs. Even though she won't be back in the office again, I expect to see her again at least once this week before she leaves town. Nevertheless, it seemed quite "final" to walk to her office window and see her cleared-off desk and empty shelves.
"Goodbye" sucks.
Last Friday at our house, we hosted in her honor a farewell party to which we invited the employees in our unit and their families (little kids included). Susan made manicotti and garlic bread and created a beautiful and tasty chocolate dessert whose ingredients included brownies, cookies, candy bars, and imitation whipped cream-like product. We also supplied beverages. Everybody who came brought food items to share, so we had quite the smorgasbord. The kids had a blast playing, and the adults enjoyed eating, talking, joking, and reminiscing.
We had previously taken advantage of a day that our boss was out of the office to pose for photos that another coworker then manipulated on the computer and had an on-line company turn into a full-sized poster for us to present to her. It features each of us posing as an office-related superhero (each one an in-joke to those of us who work together) under the caption "ASC Heroes" (ASC is our unit on campus, and Heroes is an NBC television program that our boss likes). She was genuinely surprised when we presented it to her at the party. It is definitely a unique present, and she won't be able to forget us so long as she keeps the poster!
Yesterday we hosted in the ASC an all-campus lunch that served as an opportunity for people to stop by and wish her well. Susan made an electric roasterful of dee-licious baked beans for me to contribute to the lunch, and my coworkers completed the spread with barbecued meat, buns, soup, chips and crackers, fruit, vegetables, punch, coffee, and cake. It was sad to watch people bid her farewell and to be reminded that we were one day closer to her departure.
And today was D-day. Every time she popped into my office to talk today, it occurred to me that it was the last day that would happen. She has been an excellent supervisor and mentor over the past year, and I'm very grateful to her for all that she has done for me. At the end of the day, we all gathered in our work room, stood around awkwardly for a while, and then exchanged tearful hugs. Even though she won't be back in the office again, I expect to see her again at least once this week before she leaves town. Nevertheless, it seemed quite "final" to walk to her office window and see her cleared-off desk and empty shelves.
"Goodbye" sucks.
There's my sister Sandy on the left (visiting from Omaha, NE for the weekend), observing the mania of the crowd of kids and coworkers in our kitchen.
All the kids in the house Friday night were girls, and the entertainment of the night was playing "dress up." Here Hillary models the outfit and makeup that the older girls put her in and sent her upstairs to show us adults.
Doesn't she make a good clown? (Why, yes, those are Halloween socks on her arms.)
There's a little Moberg beneath that clown makeup.
Here, my boss (in the white) has just opened our "remember us" gift: the poster below.
Even if you can't make out the text or all the details of the pictures, can you at least tell that it looks very professional?
Monday, October 08, 2007
Li'l' Sis in Da House
My little (but older) sister Sandy stopped by Dickinson on Friday to spend the weekend with us before departing for her own home in Omaha, NE. (She had just spent the week with my Dad on his farm outside McGregor, ND in honor of his 70th birthday, as faithful readers will recall.) When she had called earlier to ask about coming to see us, we didn't tell her that we had already planned to host an office party at our house the night that she intended to arrive in Dickinson. Instead, we told her to come in time to join us for supper. She was a wee bit surprised to pull into our driveway only to find it full of vehicles. When she came in the house and discovered it full of strangers (to her, at least), she started to note details about her own personal hygiene: whether she had taken a shower that morning, whether she had food in her teeth from her on-the-road snacking, etc. The gang all welcomed her, however, and she ate well from the potluck spread that everyone had contributed, visited easily with these people whom she didn't even know, and enjoyed, I think, hearing from my coworkers stories about my work life--stories to which she normally wouldn't be privy!
We enjoyed a relaxing weekend, and I think Sandy had a good time playing with the girls and visiting with us. On Saturday Sandy and I giggled as we played piano duets and looked through photos. She joined us for "family Sunday school" Sunday morning, sitting in the church basement at a table with us and the girls and joining in the Bible lesson and the craft projects that Sunday school leaders had planned for all the families in attendance. (Family Sunday school is the first Sunday of each month; other Sundays, the kids alone attend Sunday school classes while the parents drink coffee or read the newspaper or sleep in, depending on the household, I suppose.) We went to church after Sunday school and then out to lunch at Sanford's, where our delicious meal included an appetizer of fried green tomatoes. (Good recommendation, Sandy.)
Yesterday afternoon Sandy helped Susan make baked beans for me to take to a work function tomorrow. In the evening she joined Susan, the girls, and me in a game of Apples to Apples, which proved to be an entertaining way to wrap up the day. This morning we said our goodbyes and went to work and school, leaving Sandy behind to shower, pack, and head off at her own pace. It was great to have her around for a few days and to catch up on what's been going on in her life recently. We look forward to visiting her in Omaha sometime soon to see her new house and to play with her kitties.
P.S. Here is Sandy's version!
We enjoyed a relaxing weekend, and I think Sandy had a good time playing with the girls and visiting with us. On Saturday Sandy and I giggled as we played piano duets and looked through photos. She joined us for "family Sunday school" Sunday morning, sitting in the church basement at a table with us and the girls and joining in the Bible lesson and the craft projects that Sunday school leaders had planned for all the families in attendance. (Family Sunday school is the first Sunday of each month; other Sundays, the kids alone attend Sunday school classes while the parents drink coffee or read the newspaper or sleep in, depending on the household, I suppose.) We went to church after Sunday school and then out to lunch at Sanford's, where our delicious meal included an appetizer of fried green tomatoes. (Good recommendation, Sandy.)
Yesterday afternoon Sandy helped Susan make baked beans for me to take to a work function tomorrow. In the evening she joined Susan, the girls, and me in a game of Apples to Apples, which proved to be an entertaining way to wrap up the day. This morning we said our goodbyes and went to work and school, leaving Sandy behind to shower, pack, and head off at her own pace. It was great to have her around for a few days and to catch up on what's been going on in her life recently. We look forward to visiting her in Omaha sometime soon to see her new house and to play with her kitties.
P.S. Here is Sandy's version!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Georgia on My Mind, Day IV
Today was dedicated to a leisurely return to Dickinson from Atlanta. I slept in, did some work in my hotel room, checked out, took the hotel shuttle back to the airport, made it through security, walked the entire length of the airport to my concourse (as when I arrived in Atlanta, I had plenty of time and no need to ride the airport's inter-concourse railway), and then scoped out the eating places located on the concourse housing the gate for my flight. My pick: Phillips Seafood, where I enjoyed scrumptious seafood salad and delectable hush puppies.
I had finished one book on the flight to Atlanta and knew that I'd finish another partway into the flight out of Atlanta (read about both books--Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and The Neddiad--here), so I made a stop at a shop to buy a couple magazines to occupy myself on the plane. My DSU colleague Kelly was on the same return flights, so when she arrived at the airport, we visited at the gate until it was time to board. We ate together at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport at Axel's Bonfire, where I had a great sandwich and a cold beer. We sat next to a middle-aged couple from Boston, and that gentleman peppered us with sports trivia questions that anyone who knows me could guess that I was completely unable to answer. They were friendly folks, though.
Kelly was a friendly folk, too, waiting patiently with me for my luggage in the Bismarck airport when she, luggage in hand, could have hit the road and gotten to her mom's house (where she planned to stay overnight) in short order. It was a long, sleepy drive back to Dickinson for me, but I'm home now . . . and so happy to be here, no matter how enjoyable and worthwhile the conference!
I had finished one book on the flight to Atlanta and knew that I'd finish another partway into the flight out of Atlanta (read about both books--Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and The Neddiad--here), so I made a stop at a shop to buy a couple magazines to occupy myself on the plane. My DSU colleague Kelly was on the same return flights, so when she arrived at the airport, we visited at the gate until it was time to board. We ate together at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport at Axel's Bonfire, where I had a great sandwich and a cold beer. We sat next to a middle-aged couple from Boston, and that gentleman peppered us with sports trivia questions that anyone who knows me could guess that I was completely unable to answer. They were friendly folks, though.
Kelly was a friendly folk, too, waiting patiently with me for my luggage in the Bismarck airport when she, luggage in hand, could have hit the road and gotten to her mom's house (where she planned to stay overnight) in short order. It was a long, sleepy drive back to Dickinson for me, but I'm home now . . . and so happy to be here, no matter how enjoyable and worthwhile the conference!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Georgia on My Mind, Day II
Although my hotel is very nice, it is not the hotel where the conference is being held. That is the Renaissance Concourse Hotel on the other side of the airport from my hotel. Fortunately, my hotel is running a shuttle to the other hotel each day of the conference, so the first order of business this morning was to catch the inter-hotel shuttle. Once at the Renaissance, I had to orient myself to the locale; conference events were happening on three different floors, and I had to find the correct one for registering/checking in! When I found the right room, I was greeted by folks whom I had met at last year's conference, which was a nice feeling and a good way to start off the conference.
This is the National College Learning Center Association's 22nd annual conference (faithful readers will recall my blogging about last year's conference in Harrisburg, PA). I had agreed in advance to moderate several sessions (moderate = help that session's presenter with setup, introduce him/her, and collect evaluations from participants afterwards and deliver them to the hotel room serving as conference headquarters), so I did that for two today (and will do two tomorrow) and was simply an attendee/participant for the rest of the day's events, which included
It took me a while to find her hotel amidst the skyscrapers of the area around which I was wandering. (Along the way I got a shoe shine against my wishes from a dude who more or less poured the polish on my shoes and started wiping before I had agreed to the polishing.) Once I found her, Kelly and I walked a short distance to Fire of Brazil, a churrascaria with a delicious and unusual hot- and cold-food salad bar to accompany the many, many different cuts of grilled, roasted, and barbecued meats that servers spent all night bringing to our table, offering us chicken wrapped in bacon, roasted lamb, spicy sausages, ribs, etc. I had crème brûlée for dessert, and they served Kelly a complimentary slice of cheesecake. Over the great food, we enjoyed friendly conversation and a chance to get to know one another better (she's been at DSU only six weeks or so).
I took the MARTA back to the airport and then waited for my hotel's shuttle to get me back "home" for the night. I felt like such a pioneer, having navigated my way through Atlanta for an evening on the town. But my own presentation for the conference is tomorrow . . . time to practice it a bit!
This is the National College Learning Center Association's 22nd annual conference (faithful readers will recall my blogging about last year's conference in Harrisburg, PA). I had agreed in advance to moderate several sessions (moderate = help that session's presenter with setup, introduce him/her, and collect evaluations from participants afterwards and deliver them to the hotel room serving as conference headquarters), so I did that for two today (and will do two tomorrow) and was simply an attendee/participant for the rest of the day's events, which included
- a session on conducting reading tutorials
- a plenary session featuring Jim Jorstad as the speaker on the topic of designing learning centers with technology integrated (very interesting)
- a session on turning tutor training workshops into for-credit courses
- a lunch session at which participants sat at themed tables (ours: "program evaluation") to discuss topics of common interest
- a session on diagnostic interview protocols
- a session on Supplemental Instruction as it is implemented at a particular institution
It took me a while to find her hotel amidst the skyscrapers of the area around which I was wandering. (Along the way I got a shoe shine against my wishes from a dude who more or less poured the polish on my shoes and started wiping before I had agreed to the polishing.) Once I found her, Kelly and I walked a short distance to Fire of Brazil, a churrascaria with a delicious and unusual hot- and cold-food salad bar to accompany the many, many different cuts of grilled, roasted, and barbecued meats that servers spent all night bringing to our table, offering us chicken wrapped in bacon, roasted lamb, spicy sausages, ribs, etc. I had crème brûlée for dessert, and they served Kelly a complimentary slice of cheesecake. Over the great food, we enjoyed friendly conversation and a chance to get to know one another better (she's been at DSU only six weeks or so).
I took the MARTA back to the airport and then waited for my hotel's shuttle to get me back "home" for the night. I felt like such a pioneer, having navigated my way through Atlanta for an evening on the town. But my own presentation for the conference is tomorrow . . . time to practice it a bit!
Friday, August 24, 2007
A New (Academic) Year Dawns, Part II
The new semester at Dickinson State University began on Monday (August 20) at 3:00 P.M. The unit in which I work, the Academic Success Center, is responsible for orientation and registration of incoming students, something we did all day and all night both Sunday (for freshmen) and Monday (for transfer students). We spent all day and night Saturday and all day every day last week and most days the rest of the summer preparing for these students' arrival (in addition to hosting three other such sessions in June for the remainder of this fall's incoming students). Will you take my word for it when I say that it was a lot of work, both in preparation and execution, and that I was tired out, both physically and mentally, by the end of the day Monday?
Will you trust me also when I say that nothing slowed down for us Tuesday, Wednesday, yesterday, or today? A number of international students and late-deciding domestic students came to campus each day needing help signing up for classes and were sent to us for assistance. I also had meetings to attend, classes to prepare and teach, and faculty and staff across campus requesting my help and advice each day, too. One evening at home, Hillary got into her pajamas and wanted to cuddle on Susan and my bed before getting tucked into her own bed for the night. Hillary and I leaned against the pillows propped against the headboard to talk and snuggle . . . and I promptly fell asleep. Another night I lay on the living room floor to finish reading a magazine . . . and fell asleep underneath the lit floor lamp.
My point (and I do have one): it's been an exhausting week or so! Please comment with your expressions of sincere sympathy.
P.S. It has been a fun week, too, in that (1) I've met literally hundreds of new people, both students and their family members alike; (2) I've enjoyed collaborating with colleagues across campus on the various projects required to make orientation a success; and (3) I've liked getting to know better the new staff who just recently (i.e., last week) joined our unit and who showed great stamina, initiative, and personable instincts as they navigated the orientation program for new students without themselves knowing much yet about the university.
P.P.S. Read this.
Will you trust me also when I say that nothing slowed down for us Tuesday, Wednesday, yesterday, or today? A number of international students and late-deciding domestic students came to campus each day needing help signing up for classes and were sent to us for assistance. I also had meetings to attend, classes to prepare and teach, and faculty and staff across campus requesting my help and advice each day, too. One evening at home, Hillary got into her pajamas and wanted to cuddle on Susan and my bed before getting tucked into her own bed for the night. Hillary and I leaned against the pillows propped against the headboard to talk and snuggle . . . and I promptly fell asleep. Another night I lay on the living room floor to finish reading a magazine . . . and fell asleep underneath the lit floor lamp.
My point (and I do have one): it's been an exhausting week or so! Please comment with your expressions of sincere sympathy.
P.S. It has been a fun week, too, in that (1) I've met literally hundreds of new people, both students and their family members alike; (2) I've enjoyed collaborating with colleagues across campus on the various projects required to make orientation a success; and (3) I've liked getting to know better the new staff who just recently (i.e., last week) joined our unit and who showed great stamina, initiative, and personable instincts as they navigated the orientation program for new students without themselves knowing much yet about the university.
P.P.S. Read this.
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