visitors, seafood, board games, grading papers...

This last weekend, Sarah Ann came to Des Moines. She stayed with us on Thursday night and then we hung out with her and her boyfriend Alan on Saturday. We went to a local seafood restaurant that I had been wanting to try for a while (Waterfront Seafood Market). It's close by, and for seafood, the prices are good. We went on a Saturday at lunchtime and had to wait for a table and the service was slow in general. There is a warning on their menu that the food takes a while to prepare as everything is made from scratch....but if we weren't there with two visitors that we hardly ever see...the wait would have gotten very long. The food was good though, and I'll probably go back during an "off time" to see if the service is better.

We also did a little shopping and went out for ice cream. I found a copy of Rumis at Tuesday Morning (which I had been tipped off to by a forum that I read on Board Game Geek). I was excited because I had been wanting to play that game. Sarah and Alan helped Rob and I test it out. It's an interesting game. I think I like Blokus better, but it was a nice change of pace.

This week I'm grading papers like crazy and trying to get their progress reports done (which are due during week 6 instead of week 8 because they figure it gives the students more time to get their grades up before the drop date--but it turns out to just be a more inaccurate grade).

I'm still enjoying my new car....yesterday I figured out that I have at least 18 30 radio presets. I don't like that many radio stations ;)--it's just nutty.

Car!

Afte 12+ years of driving extremely USED vehicles, Rob and I purchased a brand new 2010 Chevy Malibu. It's a sweet ride I tell ya.




I was long over due for a car that didn't need a quart of oil every other week...and with the economy and the clunker program driving up the price on good used cars...and the tax deduction that's currently available on new cars, we decided to go with a new car. It's such a treat to have remote entry and a cd player and power windows. These are no small treats to someone who has been driving a car that was older than most of her college students.

ARRRR! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

http://www.savagechickens.com/2005/09/talk-like-pirate.html

School days...School days...

We started school a week and a half ago. I am teaching 4 classes this semester, which is twice as many as usual and the most classes I've ever taught at once. Enrollment is way up at DMACC. I guess I can thank the economy for that, but it sure is making parking a pain.

http://www.kcci.com/money/20570436/detail.html

4 days into the new school year, I got a nasty cold. I've been coughing ever since. I am feeling better. I have a distinct feeling that the next 3 months are going to go by either very quickly or painfully slow.