Yesterday was much better than Monday! I went to a college fair with a steady stream of students at my table and then had high school visits with 20+ students.
Last night I met up with Annie McHale! She lives just south of downtown Minneapolis and showed me some of the local sights. We went to the Sculpture Gardens down by the Walker Musuem of Art and then drove around the chain of lakes in the middle of the city - standing water, crazy! Then we met up with some of her friends and had some pretty subpar mexican food, which I expected, but still wanted to experience to see how the midwest made mexican food. it was pretty bland, but the salsa was yummy.
Today started the national college fair at the convention center and after a weird first couple of days I got set up at the fair (350 colleges attending) and was ready for the first of the 3 sessions. Well I thought I was, but then an onslaught started! I went through 600 previews in the first of 3 sessions! I didn't have another 600 previews with me to get through the second and third sessions and started really worrying. Last year we went through 1200 previews total so I only planned for that many.
During the 4 hour break between sessions Annie came by to pick me up for lunch and we went back to my hotel to grab my last box of previews, and I tried to not to think about what I was going to do if I ran out of materials before my week was up!
Annie and I drove to the Northeast side of Minneapolis and walked across the Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River! I have never been to the Mississippi and had totally forgotten that it starts in MN! There are pictures but I can't upload them until I get home.
I went back to the fair this evening when parents came with their students and it wasn't nearly as busy but there were better questions and longer conversations, and I did not go through my materials, thank goodness!
Tomorrow I should be fine, and may even get through the rest of the week in one piece!
It also was warmer the last couple of days - it was a whole 60 degrees!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Mini Apple
Try mini windy city! today was very windy (they projected gusts of 50 mph!) As I drove on the highways in my rented Hyundai Sonata a felt the wind pushing me as if I was pulling a trailer or something! Definitely thought of mom and dad and Don. Oh yeah and it is only in the 50s and frost could happen tonight. weird.
Overall today was very disappointing. I had 6 - count 'em 6! - high school visits today and never saw more than 4 students at a visit. One school didn't have anyone. I was hoping to clean up today! but now it is making me wonder if my visit letters actually got to the students - we mail letters to all the students we know have shown an interest to let them know we will be visiting, and that usually increases interest.
Then tonight I had a college fair that was only ok, and by ok I mean disappointing. They used their cafeteria tables, which are round, and were definitely not compatible with the rectangular table drape I have. No one could read the entire name of the school in just one look, they had to kind of circle the table. disaster. only about 50 previews got handed out when I was expecting at least 100.
No. 1 comment (as they walk by): Mom "oh, Arizona, I would come visit you there." mom and kid look at each other and smile at the absurdity of coming to Arizona.
Also my GPS is psycho. She (yes I use the female voice) told me to exit on a clover intersection between 2 highways, then to exit again (so go through 2 of the clover petal turns) then she said to "stay right" which I thought meant exit (3rd petal) which made her mad and I had to use the 4th petal exit to get to the exact same place I was when I originally needed to exit! So yeah, it was a comedy of errors - but the reason I needed to exit in the first place is because the GPS made me turn onto an Eastbound highway when She and I both knew I needed to go West, so then she literally made me do a u-turn (when not exiting at all would have made me go the correct way) which turned into a clover 4 way u-turn.
Awesome. My 7am college fair tomorrow better be better! I also have my top feeder school tomorrow (literally expecting about 30 students). if I have low numbers I will be convinced my letters didn't go out.
Time for bed.
PS: In an actually hilarious moment, I visited the high school with the counselor that wore the same outfit as me in the spring. She wore the exact same outfit again today! hahaha, She even remembered that I was the college rep that had that outfit but didn't think about it until she was at work. Luckily I had planned ahead and didn't bring that outfit as on option. And here I thought she wouldn't even remember the incident, too funny!
Overall today was very disappointing. I had 6 - count 'em 6! - high school visits today and never saw more than 4 students at a visit. One school didn't have anyone. I was hoping to clean up today! but now it is making me wonder if my visit letters actually got to the students - we mail letters to all the students we know have shown an interest to let them know we will be visiting, and that usually increases interest.
Then tonight I had a college fair that was only ok, and by ok I mean disappointing. They used their cafeteria tables, which are round, and were definitely not compatible with the rectangular table drape I have. No one could read the entire name of the school in just one look, they had to kind of circle the table. disaster. only about 50 previews got handed out when I was expecting at least 100.
No. 1 comment (as they walk by): Mom "oh, Arizona, I would come visit you there." mom and kid look at each other and smile at the absurdity of coming to Arizona.
Also my GPS is psycho. She (yes I use the female voice) told me to exit on a clover intersection between 2 highways, then to exit again (so go through 2 of the clover petal turns) then she said to "stay right" which I thought meant exit (3rd petal) which made her mad and I had to use the 4th petal exit to get to the exact same place I was when I originally needed to exit! So yeah, it was a comedy of errors - but the reason I needed to exit in the first place is because the GPS made me turn onto an Eastbound highway when She and I both knew I needed to go West, so then she literally made me do a u-turn (when not exiting at all would have made me go the correct way) which turned into a clover 4 way u-turn.
Awesome. My 7am college fair tomorrow better be better! I also have my top feeder school tomorrow (literally expecting about 30 students). if I have low numbers I will be convinced my letters didn't go out.
Time for bed.
PS: In an actually hilarious moment, I visited the high school with the counselor that wore the same outfit as me in the spring. She wore the exact same outfit again today! hahaha, She even remembered that I was the college rep that had that outfit but didn't think about it until she was at work. Luckily I had planned ahead and didn't bring that outfit as on option. And here I thought she wouldn't even remember the incident, too funny!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Moving up!
So I just spent the entire week in Tucson visiting high school after high school. Jen and I actually had a lot of fun together and she will be a great addition to the Tucson team.
When we came back we were told it was moving day. For the last month our boss has been saying that we would be moving out of our current office space into the main admissions space down the hall. for that entire month we had been trying to see which cubicle we would each get. I had had a great idea that Jen and I should get an office in the area that had two workstations in it and be the Tucson office. Well, it worked! my new mantra is if I really want something or believe in it I need to speak it into existence - so I told my boss weeks ago about my idea for the Tucson office and what do you know, Jen and I got it! So now I have a door...and a WINDOW!
The timing could have been better, you know either let us move next week or a month ago when we were supposed to, not the day we come back from an exhausting week in Tucson.
I can't really complain because it is fun to have an office and I love the window but it does make our office area really hot, so we have fans all over the room.
I also got my new glasses this friday! I have sunglasses that I can actually see out of - crazy! Pictures to come but I don't have my camera right now. My glasses actually look pretty much exactly like my old ones, why fix what's not broken?
Today I am off to the football game, there is a tailgate for everyone involved with the Obama program - free tix too!
When we came back we were told it was moving day. For the last month our boss has been saying that we would be moving out of our current office space into the main admissions space down the hall. for that entire month we had been trying to see which cubicle we would each get. I had had a great idea that Jen and I should get an office in the area that had two workstations in it and be the Tucson office. Well, it worked! my new mantra is if I really want something or believe in it I need to speak it into existence - so I told my boss weeks ago about my idea for the Tucson office and what do you know, Jen and I got it! So now I have a door...and a WINDOW!
The timing could have been better, you know either let us move next week or a month ago when we were supposed to, not the day we come back from an exhausting week in Tucson.
I can't really complain because it is fun to have an office and I love the window but it does make our office area really hot, so we have fans all over the room.
I also got my new glasses this friday! I have sunglasses that I can actually see out of - crazy! Pictures to come but I don't have my camera right now. My glasses actually look pretty much exactly like my old ones, why fix what's not broken?
Today I am off to the football game, there is a tailgate for everyone involved with the Obama program - free tix too!
Friday, September 11, 2009
My Goal in Life is to Replace My Soul With Coffee and Become Immortal
Title courtesy of typing "my goal is" into Google search. It is like my own magic 8 ball!
So This coming week will be my first complete week in Tucson, and my first time staying in a hotel in Tucson (weeeeeird!). I don't know if it is good or bad that I am already exhausted by the thought of this entire month! Travel season is in full swing.
Also, this weekend I am headed up to Cottonwood to help Margie and Dave move Grandma into their house. I am really glad Grandma decided to move, and happy to help! But weird to think that I won't be sleeping in my own bed for 7 consecutive nights. Like I said, travel season has started.
Life with the new coworkers is great! they are all my age! finally I am not the youngest by years, heck, I am not even the youngest anymore :) I had noticed that most of my college friends had graduated and moved away, so it is nice to have a new group of friends to come around, We have pretty much had a happy hour each of the last 3 weeks. (No word on it letting up either, haha). Some of us are looking at attending some concerts and football games together too!
Ooh, also, I am getting new glasses! a Laura Ashley pair that looks pretty much just like my current glasses (but my current frames would probably break if I had just tried to switch out lenses so the new ones are necessary) and a pair of prescription sunglasses! Coach sunglasses! Mom, don't worry about cost - I factored it into my flex account. It is like an early birthday present, I can't wait! Of course, they will come in while I am in Tucson, so I have to wait an extra long time for them. boo hiss.
So This coming week will be my first complete week in Tucson, and my first time staying in a hotel in Tucson (weeeeeird!). I don't know if it is good or bad that I am already exhausted by the thought of this entire month! Travel season is in full swing.
Also, this weekend I am headed up to Cottonwood to help Margie and Dave move Grandma into their house. I am really glad Grandma decided to move, and happy to help! But weird to think that I won't be sleeping in my own bed for 7 consecutive nights. Like I said, travel season has started.
Life with the new coworkers is great! they are all my age! finally I am not the youngest by years, heck, I am not even the youngest anymore :) I had noticed that most of my college friends had graduated and moved away, so it is nice to have a new group of friends to come around, We have pretty much had a happy hour each of the last 3 weeks. (No word on it letting up either, haha). Some of us are looking at attending some concerts and football games together too!
Ooh, also, I am getting new glasses! a Laura Ashley pair that looks pretty much just like my current glasses (but my current frames would probably break if I had just tried to switch out lenses so the new ones are necessary) and a pair of prescription sunglasses! Coach sunglasses! Mom, don't worry about cost - I factored it into my flex account. It is like an early birthday present, I can't wait! Of course, they will come in while I am in Tucson, so I have to wait an extra long time for them. boo hiss.
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