I got my Vibram shoes in the mail yesterday, but I think they are the wrong size. The heel part of the shoe is rubbing against my Achilles tendon. Looking at the shoe design, I 'm not sure why the heel even has to be that high. With the rest of the foot well-secured, I don't think you need much a heel cup.
I was looking forward to running in the Vibrams, but it looks like it will have to wait. I am going to exchange them for the next size up.
It turns out that Seneca Falls, NY claims it may have been the inspiration for the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life". The movie references Western New York several times, mentioning the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, and Elmira. In particular, it is said that the bridge scene in the movie may have been inspired by actual events at a steel bridge in Seneca Falls. I drove over to have a look.
Also, here is a plaque that's on the bridge.
The town of Seneca Falls is pretty beat-down today. Half of the stores on the main street were either empty or had signs for Alcoholics Anonymous. However, the city does have a festival around Christmas where they reenact scenes from the movie. I might check it out sometime.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges is a private school in Geneva, NY.
I went on a little field trip yesterday. The show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" came to build a house in Western New York last year. It was in Geneva, which is not too far from me.
When I came down the road, the house immediately jumped out at me. It's a working-class neighborhood with lots of older homes. (In fact, a house a few doors down was condemned!) Anyways, it was a beautiful house, and from watching the episode it went to a very deserving family.
Finally, the semester is winding down, and I have more time. I felt like I never really got my feet under me this semester. Moving in the middle of it didn't help. I also tried out some new teaching ideas which created more work.
I am looking forward to this summer when I can concentrate more on health and blogging.
I have been taking a little break from blogging. The weather is nice, and I'd rather be outdoors than in front of the computer.
Until later...
(Photo courtesy of Flickr)
I have been busy with work. I hope to get to some blogging soon.
I wrote earlier about my experiment this semester with project-based learning. So far, it has exceeded my expectations. The move away from tests to realistic projects has brought many benefits. In hindsight, this is one of those things that is obvious after you make the switch. How do typical tests prepare a person for the working world? They don't. Yet the idea of testing continues on mostly out of tradition, not effectiveness.
Many projects I am seeing have actual real-world potential. In my opinion, these ties between academics and the community should be strengthened. College shouldn't be an artifical entity where students are separated from society for four years. It should be intertwined with the community and the world in a natural way.
I am moving this weekend, and so I will be offline for a few days. This is now my third move in the past year and a half. I've had enough of moving! At least this will put an end to my extreme commute.
Time for some heavy lifting this weekend!
