Travel by train, travel to writers' conference at Colgate U.

    My experience coming here (on the train and on to the writers' conference at Colgate U.) a bit like the movie the Out of Towners. We get on the "Empire" train part of the Amtrak trip and  and discover it is a 'commuter' train, kind of like the one in that movie Unfaithful, with Richard Gere (here I am mentioning movies again-- am too media oriented, as opposed to literature oriented). Well, there is no snack "cafe" car and therefore, no drinks. And in frustration, what do I do-- chew on a salty pretzel. The spouse wanted me to hurry up, though we had like 45 minutes in Penn Station for our train to arrive to go north. So I bought a souvenir and a Daily News, with info on the  cover about crazy killings of soldiers in Iraq, and forgot my watered down soda in the store :( . 
     So I go to the bathroom and lo and behold, there is a faucet,  but an odd one. You push "up" on it. I did that to get some water to put in my water bottle for my poor famished mouth and it started getting warmer. And warmer. And then hot. It wouldn't freaking shut off. I guiltily put a little water in my small stainless steel bottle I got from Big Lots and then, well, I figured I should contact a conductor. I went up and down 2 cars in front and 2 cars in back of ours and told a lady about my predicament in one -- she said the conductor went 'that a way' and if he came back this a way she would tell him my sad story. 
     Now at the writers' conference, I find I have no phone, no computer glasses, no pool, no pets (to quote the song "King of the Road"). You lose things in travel, you know?

Will travel by train, will write

     Dear Blog,
    It's actually been a month since school (college) let out and am preparing now to to go to New York to a writers' conference/retreat at Colgate University, in Hamilton, south of Utica. Writing has been a challenge because I think I'm suffering from this "computer vision syndrome". Well, if you're  55+ and postmenopausal and have some dry eye issues to begin with, how can you  sit for hours and write (and for me) a book?
     But last night I tried some allergy medicine. I think it helped a little with pressure I am feeling above my eyes. I might have a combination sinus pressure and computer 'eye strain,' both of which are highly unhelpful. I am not a fast typist either, making typing, "creating" my book a slow, painful process. I wish I were a faster typist.
     The spouse wants to do something different. So we are traveling on Amtrak  (the train) from Lynchburg, Virginia to Albany, New York, on the way to my writers' conference. I will be at the conference while he visits his brothers and their wives. I wonder what attractions there are from Albany to Colgate U. that we can visit? I will have to find that out later. Need to get back to typing that book!

Teaching can be frustrating, weather foils campus walk

    We are in the home stretch of the college semester, when I am starting --- really, have already started in the last month --- adding up percentages and numbers. In my 202 classes, I have a "points" system where they need to add up everything, the quizzes, attendance points, major projects and extra credit. It's a lot of dang points and they don't seem to add up any, except that some of them are doing the extra credit projects (of course they are all shooting for an A and I am not making it that easy for them). My colleagues are much harsher when it comes to grading, but I, well I don't make it too easy to make an A. They all want to make an A.
   And I wanted to take a "break" and take them on a walk on campus, but tomorrow promises rain and the constant threat of thunderstorms, so I guess that is out. They are too attached to their gadgets like their cell phones, and need a break from them, I think. They are not too appreciative of nature, or the themes we have been exploring when it comes to food, although some of them seem somewhat engaged with this topic. No, it's the 201 class that is not engaged. They rarely speak and I've dropped (starting out) from 27 down to 19 in that class. It can be frustrating getting them to turn things in on time. And these are supposedly young adults! Well, the semester will be over soon and then I can do some other writing!

Big Snow, Need to Get out, Backyard Bird count coming

     Well, we have had a huge passel of snow, to the tune of 13 whole inches! We  haven't had this much in a long time. December 2009 I think we also got 12 inches (or was it just six) and they canceled my son's college graduation ceremony. Not that he minded, of course.
      It is a beautiful, sugary snow outside my window, but I have hesitated to go outside. I don't really  have waterproof boots, except these "fishing boots" of my husband's, which are too big and clumsy. My feet kind of flop around in these too big boots. But I should go out today in the sun (get some vitamin D for my health), now that it has stopped snowing and things are starting to melt. The snow is even too high to make a snowman!
     Today starts the "Great Backyard Bird Count". It is sponsored by Cornell U. and the Audubon people and anyone can get involved -- just Google it.

Winter Cold, New Year's exercise resolution, got Lisa Whelchel exercise tape

   It appears that we are again going to miss having any real snowfall. I have to admit that that is a disadvantage to living in a valley, but you also avoid driving in precarious weather conditions.
    This time of year I have to admit I don't like the severe cold and winter whipping winds. The other day was a bit windy but we were somewhat shielded as we took a short trek over a tiny part of the frisbee golf course in the woods, behind the "mid county park" in Christiansburg. It'd rained and gee, it was a bit slippery and there seemed to be dried out old grape vines everywhere, along with some downed trees. But we got a little exercise going up and down then up a different part of the frisbee course behind the picnic shelter and pool area for this park. (And they call the pool area the 'frog pond'. Well, they have a big plastic frog slide for little kids, and the pond is actually the pool itself.)
    Speaking of exercising-- I hope to lose some weight this spring. To help me, I have purchased online the "Lisa Whelchel" exercise DVD. She was on TV's "Facts of Life" and "Survivor". She lost a lot of weight on Survivor and I think maybe she came up with this tape/dvd to help keep her weight off. The exercises she showed on "The Talk" didn't look hard so I hope I can do these regularly. I know that there are other exercise DVDs, but I haven't used one on a regular basis since Richard Simmon's "Sweating to the Oldies" on VHS cassette. I need to exercise at home as well as go to Curves and I hope this will do the trick. So many of these dvds require super stomach strength (having kids shot my stomach muscles to hell) so I bet this will be a helpful tape. Are there any other tapes for those who aren't that strong in the middle?

Walks in Fall and Winter, Cutting Redwoods

  Well, walking in fall can be problematic. If you don't like cool winds blowing your hairdo around  and leaves are not your thing, then autumn is not your thing. Of course, it is "winter" now, but since we have had a real lack of snow in the southeast, then it seems we're back in the autumn mode, with bare trees and the landscape and the grass turning yellowish or brown.
   Radford University has a small, some might say "cozy" campus. It can be a good place to walk and commune with nature for a short while. But the college "plan" is to expand and tear down Lucas Hall, thereby eliminating several dawn/don redwoods and a pecan and bald cypress. Yes, and that is not right. The cutting of established and big trees is never a good thing. But they are doing it to then tear down Lucas Hall and put up a huge Dept. of Humanities building. I like the campus the size it is now, and losing green space is not a good thing, don't you think?
  

Memorial for JoAnn Asbury, health issues, cancer

     When a friend dies unexpectedly it is kind of a shock, and
when it is related to cancer, it gives you even more to think about. I felt I should go to be present for my English Club friend JoAnn Asbury and drove on roads that were getting a big sleety (is that a word?), but since it was a basically straight, level drive I thought it would be okay.
    The United Methodist Church where the service was held, (Pulaski, Virginia) was spacious-- well, it was weird. It looked like they had two santuaries/chapels, and I got there a few minutes late and couldn't seem to find anyone. But I finally found a "connecting" hall and someone directed me to the service in progress, which one of my English club alum from R. U. also came to late.
    The church chapel seemed, as I remembered it (Dec. 14) white and gold and with a poinsettias and red ribbons in a few areas. She probably wasn't expecting to miss the Christmas season. This memorial service, which I only happened to hear about through an email, surprised me as JoAnn had only been diagnosed with it in August or September, and she told me about it the beginning of October. I don't know very much at all about "multiple myeoloma" (sp?), but they are not sure what causes it. It is a cancer of the blood. She went for (I believe) a stem cell (or bone marrow) transplant, but had MRSA and pneumonia and so decided to go home to pass away.
     The immune system is implicated in this cancer (and many others, from what my research is showing). I knew she was overweight, exercised little, drank a lot of diet Coke and was under stress. Well, she had to put off retirement to put a roof on her house, then her older sister started acting senile after an operation and JoAnn mostly wound up babysitting her, and her husband has M. S. Some retirement! All this added up to a body not well protected from disease, though she did have a cheerful disposition when I saw her.
    A fellow teacher and another English professor, Parks Lanier, spoke about JoAnn, her laughter and  ideas when it came to teaching. She was an "untenured" professor (special purpose faculty), yet she won the "Dedmon" award for outstanding teaching. Yet that did not save her from cancer.
    There is really too much sugar (inflammatory to the system), especially at Christmastime, in the American diet. But I recently read you should drink cocoa and add some truvia and that will "Help" with inflammation.