My Triumphant Return

I really hadn't intended to take a two-week blogging hiatus. I've really been trying to make a conscious effort to blog more lately, but I just got caught up in work stuff. Forgive me!

Today is the first day of classes here at SJC, which means that students returned to campus over the weekend. Hooray. When I was a student, I used to get offended when my employee friends expressed displeasure at the idea of the students moving back in the fall... but now that I'm an employee myself, I understand. It's just a different mindset: the summertime is so quiet and calm. We can even dress down during the summer. Today marks the first day in several months that I haven't worn sandals to work.

On a happier note, I'm a Freshman Advisor this year! For my one non-SJC reader, that essentially means that I "teach" a group of twelve freshmen every week for ten weeks. I use the word "teach" loosely because there's no curriculum or books or anything like that - it's a seminar course intended to get first-year students familiar with Saint Joe, the campus, the people, and the available services.

In blogging news, while walking across campus the other day, I heard some students complaining that there's nothing to do around here, that Rensselaer is the most boring city in the world. I shook my head and chuckled as I walked past them, remembering that only a year ago, I had the same sentiment. Once I moved off campus, though, and officially became a "townie," I had to stop complaining and wallowing in the fact that Rensselaer is just a tad podunk: if I ever wanted to be happy living here, I would have to find a way to make the best of it.

And I have. I've been here a little over a year, and I've found many places that make me happy. They're simple and unobtrusive, but so am I. I guess it's just one of those times where the saying "happiness is where you find it" totally proves itself.

I thought that I might start writing a post every so often featuring one of my favorite places in town. I don't think I'll rank them, simply because I don't think I could, but I do know that one stands out above all the others, and so I'll call that one My Favorite. And I'll post about it tomorrow.