crochety goes to school

Day 2 continued.

2010-09-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

At the Natural Resources Building, they had a nice lunch for the new students and the faculty. Food from Smokey Bones. Very good barbecue.

Then I was supposed to attend two meetings, one for Transfer Students and one for Commuters, both were supposed to be at the Student Union. I caught the Campus Cruiser and rode it to the Union. This building is a nightmare if you have any disabilities at all. The only entrance without steps is around to the Abbott Road side, sort of hidden. I only knew it was there because of the handicapped parking area. I have a very sore knee, so I hate stairs. I couldn't find any meetings, although there was a schedule posted. I bailed out and headed home. I got back home around 2PM. Long day, not much accomplished.

Day 2

2010-09-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

Today I left home about 7AM, drove to the mall, boarded the Route 23 bus to MSU, arriving at about 8:45 in time for the 9AM Colloquium. Seems like a long time to go about 2.5 miles.

Day one

2010-09-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

I prepared for my first trip to MSU via bus extensively. I knew the times, the stop numbers, and how far I would have to walk once I got there. I am trying to avoid driving my car, despite having a very sore knee. I think I have bursitis which is aggravated by walking, alleviated by anti-inflammatories that irritate my stomach.

My first bus stop is about 50 steps from my door. This is one of the reasons I rented this apartment. Monday, I walked to my bus stop. I was there before 7AM to be at school by 9AM for the Convocation. There was supposed to be a bus every 35 minutes. After 15 minutes past the scheduled time, I called the "hotline". The lady told me there was a bus on the way. After 30 minutes I called again, the shuttle was supposedly on the way. Now, it was a shuttle. After 45 minutes, the nice lady at the CATA hotline officially recommended that I get in my car and drive to the big bus stop at the nearby mall, about 1 mile from my apartment. I recall sobbing loudly to her that "It is my first day of school, damnit!!!"

I made it to the nearest bus stop, about .2 miles from the Breslin Center at about 9:05, and got a seat just before the speakers started. 2 hours later, I walked about .2 miles to the nearest bus stop, and waited about 45 minutes to get a bus back to the mall. I got back home at about 1PM. i was exhausted, frustrated and my knee hurt.

I learned that I could have driven to the Breslin Center and parked right there for about $3 in the visitor parking. That would have been a much better choice, if I had known.

Why should I blog?

2010-09-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

So, I started at Michigan State University this week. I haven't been to school in a really long time, about 25 years. I made it through the first week, not as well as I had planned, but I survived. I decided that I should document my adventure to see how it improves, or doesn't, over the next few months.

My reasons for doing this revolve mainly around the fact that my daughter, Lily, has gone to Thailand on a Study Abroad for 6 months. She was my sounding board for a lot of things, and although we can talk via a shakey cell phone connection from Chiang Mai or via e-mail, chat, etc., I don't feel my activities are worthy of these precious moments with her. I would rather hear about her adventures, half way around the world. Lilygoestothailand.blogspot.com

The other reason I want to blog is see how my crocheting changes with the demands of school on my available time. I love crocheting. It gives me focus. It lets me create soft fuzzy things which give other people comfort and joy. I carry my crocheting with me for something to do while I am waiting or riding on buses. It is my soft, low-tech alternative to texting or gameplaying.

I am using the Capital Area Transit Authority (CATA) as my main mode of transportation while going to school in East Lansing. It has a great reputation. I am the old test bunny to see if the reputation is deserved.,

Overall, this promises to be a low key blog, followed by few, but I hope it shows me, in a year or so, that I have grown and learn.