Playing catch-up

Aloha!

I've a lot to tell, about 5 days' worth. Best to being at the beginning, I think.

Thursday night: I taught my final Level 5 and Level 7 classes in Buffalo. The Level 5 was a little better than the previous week, but they still needed a bit of coaxing and management. One of my students actually gave me a "thank you" card at the end (I agree with Jackie that it was probably his mom's idea) which contained a $20 gift card to Starbucks. Then, my Level 7 only had 5 students, and was mostly fun with My Name is Aram. One of the women had some questions afterwards, and I felt kind of bad because I didn't want to stay and talk but I didn't want to be rude either. Eventually she left and I did as well. I had actually called the Northwest customer service number between classes, and they said that it hadn't come in earlier, and to call back around 9:30. Great, I thought. I called them back when I was leaving the teaching site, and the lady found out for me that my luggage was at the airport, so I went to pick it up. Had I waited for them to deliver it, who knows how long it would have taken? So I drove to Buffalo-Niagara, picked it up, and drove home. I ate my leftover wings, and Jackie and I got ready to go see the Simpsons Movie. It was good, and it satisfied Jackie, the toughest Simpsons critic of them all. The only downside was not getting to bed until after 2 am.

Friday: The final 3 classes in Buffalo. Level 3: not bad. Level 4: OK. Level 6: alright. It was nice to wrap up Buffalo's classes, though it didn't necessarily feel spectacular or anything. I figured that I would really appreciate being done with them once I had a Thursday and Friday off to myself. At any rate, Jackie picked me up (she had dropped me off) and we went to Barnes and Noble in Amherst; I wanted to buy the new Harry Potter book. I did, and we made a stop at Target as well. We decided to eat out at Olive Garden, so we headed over there. We ended up waiting a while for a table, as it was Friday night dinner time. While we waited we went to the bar and had a seat. Eventually, we were shown our table and we asked for coffee and water, and some alfredo sauce for the breadsticks. I ordered a Zuppa Toscana, a light Tuscan soup with sausage and Kale (delicious!). We eventually ordered dinner, Lasagna for Jackie and a Chicken and Gnocchi dish for myself. We were both not very hungry for our entrees, but mine was quite good so I ate a fair bit of it. The gnocchi were alright, but the chicken was just wonderfully seasoned and prepared with roasted red peppers and zucchini. For dessert, we shared a berry zabaione parfait with raspberry sorbet that was wonderful. We were at dinner for about 2 hours, and then finally headed home. I took a bath and read a bit after Jackie helped me pack up my bags (she really is an amazing help). Finally I got to bed.

Saturday: Another day of flying. One thing's for sure: I was not nearly as tired Saturday morning as I was last week. I got a decent amount of sleep, and got up at 5 to dress, load up the car, and get to the airport. Since my big duffel bag had ripped in transit (it weighed 68 lbs), I was using Jackie's which, while weighing less this time around, didn't have rollers. So I was even more glad to use the curbside baggage drop-off/check-in service (it was especially hard with the cup of coffee also - I had stopped at Mobil for coffee and a nutrigrain bar for breakfast while Jackie fueled up).

My first flight left on time if not a little early and was uneventful; I just read some of the 6th Harry Potter book (in preparation for the new book of course). Of course, then I got in to O'Hare. I was really hoping that my flight wouldn't be delayed, because I wanted to get into Cali early, and head off to my Aunt's. Upon arrival, I checked the departure screen and wouldn't you know it, it said "AT 10:30 A". So that was at least 40 minutes later than my expected 9:50 am departure. I sat and waited, and read. I called Jackie and Dad and talked to them, and got some pizza and a water in the airport (like $10). 40 minutes turned into an hour and a half, and eventually I was delayed back till about 12:00 pm, central time. This was really frustrating. So I ended up finished HP6 on the plane, and then napped for most of the rest of the flight. Finally we got to San Jose, and I headed to baggage claim.

Segue to my rental car, which was hassle-free this time. I was given the option of a Kia Spectra, Ford Focus or Chevy Cobalt, so I chose the Cobalt since I had it last week and didn't want to add any more stress to my life by getting an unfamiliar car. This time I had a 2-door. I drove to the hotel, which was much easier this time since I was used to the car and I knew where I was going. That feeling is very empowering, arriving in an unfamiliar city and navigating like you're a local. Checked in at the hotel, and I had a different room this time; they actually asked me if I preferred upstairs or downstairs, whereas last time I was just given my room assignment, no questions asked. I think I would have preferred to just have been given my room without being given all these choices, which is a terrible disposition to have, I think. I mean, in this day and age where we can have just about anything we want relatively quickly (though for a price), what does it mean to seek out situations in which one doesn't need to make a choice? Could we be backlashing against our parents' generation, where everyone wants to make sure all their choices are given to them up front, or simply becoming complacent and getting used to a deterministic way society is being run? Hard to say.

Anyway, I brought in my laptop and logged on to get directions to Aunt Gloria's. I called her when I left and she gave me some alternate but more specific directions. It didn't take long to get there, and when I arrived she met me outside and showed me where to park. It's an interesting little neighborhood (it's actually a gated community) full of seemingly identical (town?)houses. I came in and said hi, Uncle John soon came in from outside; he had gone to a neighbor's party. Rhea and her boyfriend Hao had gone to the store to get dessert for our dinner. We decided to eat first, and I had some cheese and crackers while I waited. We chatted and soon Rhea and Hao showed up. Rhea is more like an adult, of course, but there's still very much that little kid like aspect of her that I remember from when we were cousins growing up. Her boyfriend is very nice and intelligent, they have been together for a long time now. We sat outside, while Uncle John grilled some salmon steaks and had some of the Kenwood merlot I had brought over. Aunt Gloria had made ravioli with her own sauce and some ratatouille and there was also salad.

Dinner was quite good; we decided that they would take me to see a part of Oakland called Jack London Square before dessert. The drive was short, and we took Aunt Gloria's dog Maggie along with. We walked around a bit before stopping at a Starbucks in Barnes and Nobles where I got a green tea with coconut, ginger and lemongrass. The place was right on the water, and was really well-developed. You could tell that there was usually a lot going on there, with happening restaurants/clubs, the open waters, boating, open outdoor vendors, etc. It made me long for a developed waterfront at home, seeing how wonderful that kind of area could be. The closest thing we have in Buffalo to getting that feeling is Pearl St.'s sunset Sundays, where sitting on a 2nd or 3rd floor patio bar can make you feel like you're not even in Buffalo. I thought of that, and missed home.

We headed back soon after sunset, since the temperature and wind soon dropped below comfortable. Back at Aunt Gloria's, we had a bit of cheesecake, and I talked to Jackie a bit. Then Rhea and I went to the Pack and Save store (Safeway meets Aldi's) where I stocked up on high energy snacks for teaching: smoked almonds, cheese sticks, odwalla energy bars, and craisins. She and Hao left soon after we returned and shortly thereafter I got ready for bed. I was sleeping in the guest room, which I guess was Rhea's old room. It was a comfortable bed, and once I put a floor fan in there it was perfect. I got online via their wireless network and mapped my route to SFSU for Sunday morning. Aunt Gloria warned me of the $4 toll on the bridge, and provided me with the necessary cash which I gratefully accepted. I then read for a bit (starting book 7 for the first time) before bed.

Sunday: I got plenty of sleep, and woke up at 7:30, planning to leave by 8:45 for San Francisco. I had a breakfast of a bagel, coffee and orange juice after my shower and then bid farewell to Aunt Gloria and Uncle John, thanking them for having me. Of course they provided me leftovers to take with. My drive was uneventful, and the San Mateo bridge was nice to go over. The city was quite overcast and chilly, and I arrived to the State University with plenty of time to spare. I got in and set up, and read a bit before my first class started. My Level R went well, if somewhat not as great as last week (I really think Little Bear doesn't excite the kindergarteners as much as Caps For Sale). But I can't complain about a 1:15 long class that pays the same as 2:30 long classes. Next was my Level 5, which went quite well though, again, not as well as last week. We start working on nonfiction in lesson 2, so that might have had something to do with it. Then the Level 4. Not awful, but a little hectic. Overall the day was of course less hectic because between classes I didn't have to run out to Katie's car to get materials kits et cetera. Bonus: I didn't get lost in San Francisco on the way back, so I made it back here probably by around 7:30. Of course, that still didn't leave a lot of time. I stopped at the Little Caesar's for some pizza and crazy bread. Back at the hotel, I watched the Food Network, listened to the new The CON songs on their myspace page, and then read some in my book before bed. I might have taken a bath, but this hotel room's shower is a stand-up one only.

Monday: My alarm clock went off at 6:30, to which I awoke rather groggily. I think my sleep was rather interrupted by the cycling on-and-off air conditioning unit, which provided me with an irregular pattern of noise. I showered and dressed and ate and drank and took an Aleve preemptively. Out of here by about 7:10 or so, and arrived at Almaden about 7:30. Big surprise: the doors were locked. I called the scheduling department this time and talked to Anita, who actually was in charge of that site. She listened to me describe the problem and also asked me about the lack of air conditioning. I still have to explain the lack of tables problem to her. She apparently called someone about it and got back to me, but the room still was unopened until about 7:50 (I read some of Deathly Hallows to pass the time). Finally I got in and set up, and then my Level R's started coming in. There were more of them this week, and I think the class went overall better because of it, though due to my running behind, I didn't get to do a dramatization of the second Little Bear story ("Little Bear Goes to the Moon"). Now, at this site I only have a half an hour between one class's end time and the other's start time. This is really not enough time. So quite soon after my Level R ended, my Level 6 began. This is a very surly group of students. It was especially prevalent this morning, no doubt aided by my own sense of weariness. I was just extremely tired all day, and I'm not sure why (though I'd guess it had to do with the air conditioner unit last night). My Level 5 was after that, and that did go better, though not as well as last week, since I had to do a bit of stern-talking to some of the students. Finally it was over, and after waiting for some of my students' parents to come and pick them up, I headed back myself.

I stopped at a place near the Little Caesar's for dinner, simply called "Hawaiian BBQ." What a place! Outside you could pull up in some of the parking spaces for Drive Inn (sic) service, and inside was like a fast food counter, but the food was all an interesting melange of Hawaiian BBQ meats, and Japanese influences. Check out their website: www.hawaiiandriveinn.com. A friendly counter attendant welcomed me and asked if I had been here before. I said no, and he recommended the BBQ mix plate, "their number 1 seller," he said. I obliged and ordered one of their many different kinds of smoothies as well (opting in this case for passion fruit). He took my order and chatted with me about the holographic wave in my NYS license (the second Californian now to have commented on it -- they seem positively awe stricken by it). I waited for about 3-5 minutes before my order was ready, and I took it and a menu and left. The smoothie was delicious and I couldn't wait to eat. Back at the hotel, I opened up the container and was greeted by a wonderful smell of mixed bbq spareribs, teriyaki steak and bbq chicken atop shredded lettuce, two scoops of rice, and a side of macaroni salad. It was like a Hawaiian garbage plate! I took a few bites and was seriously pleased. What a great find!

Anyway, that pretty much brings us up to speed. After tomorrow is over, I have a couple of days off, and I am sure that I will be simply ecstatic about that once I'm done with the three classes tomorrow. Hopefully I can relax at home and get together with some friends, maybe even catch a The CON concert, I think they're playing at Diablo this weekend. One thing's for sure: I'm going to get a lot of sleep tonight if I can help it.

Hope everyone reading is well.
Love,
Alex