impressions

Can I just say that high school kids are better than I thought? I figured that some of the activities we have planned would be seen as cheesy or boring...but I keep hearing how excited they are, how much they enjoy even the worst speaker (c'mon, who wants to hear about podiatry?), and looking forward to even the worst sites (I pity those going to a nursing home...how will that help them make their decision to go into medicine?).

So far, no major snafus! It's been a quiet day - my boss is working from her hotel room and the students are off at a medical school until after dinner. And people are less annoying today! Is it them or me? I don't know...but I did get enough sleep last night, so that might have something to do with it.

I had hoped to have funny stories to share, but everything that's going on is only funny to me - a speaker frantically calling to say he's on his way, when he was speaking the NEXT night; a kid going to MD Anderson ER instead of Memorial Hermann (nothing big, just a kid with medical issues throwing up); ALL of the flights from Dallas being delayed; duct-taping the NYLF banner to the podium because someone forgot to put it up earlier; one of the faculty advisors making a student cry; people yelling at each other at 1 a.m. meetings; the copier breaking down because someone put in a whole pack of paper...liner and all; staff letting the students in the outside pool when there was lightning; a "Nebraska taco" eating contest...it goes on.

Funny stories from other forum cities? They were talking about evacuating New Orleans due to the hurricane! They already had a tropical storm (or depression?) with lots of water, and a hurricane was supposed to come through! (I haven't listened to the news today...where did it end up?) From Philly, the circle drive at the college campus they're at was backed up with parents double-parking everywhere, and then someone came in an old Mercedes that was smoking...they used 2 fire extuinguishers trying to keep the fire under control and it closed down that circle drive for a couple hours during the rush of registration. You just have to laugh it off later.

By the by, Nebraska tacos are regular tacos, just not seasoned. How in the world can a hotel kitchen in Houston, Texas, not season their meat! It reminded me of the time I had fajitas in Kansas, and my friend's mom pulled out a McCormick sauce mix to make them! Since when do fajitas have sauce??? And I chose Nebraska as my state of choice for naming them because half of our staff is from there.

The first few days were crazy, but I think I have the hang of things now...I better knock on wood when I say that!