Well, this was a week. Last Saturday, I read in the News-Herald that President Bush would be visiting Lakeland the following week. When we got to work on Monday, there were loads of rumors flying around about the visit but nothing confirmed. I sort of got the feeling that our Prez, Morris Beverage (Yes, Chastity's dad) first heard about it when he read the same article that I did on Saturday.
The whole college (well, not the whole college, as we in the Women's Center just went on with our daily business. . . ) was getting ready for the visit. We had to empty our lockers in the gym (probably not a bad idea for most anyway -- a good excuse to wash the gym clothes), as Daddy mentioned they removed the soda machines and the microwave. (I know that very noxious things can happen if you put certain things, like polymer clay, into a microwave oven -- the hard way!)
Then there were the efforts to beautify the campus. Our budgets have been fearfully cut. In an effort to keep people and services, some of the frills have been eliminated. One of those is the rather meticulous care the gardens received. Also the careful shovelling of the snow. The snow still gets shoveled, just not as carefully. So there are some patches of dirt where the wheels of the truck have ruined the grass. We all laughed at the trucks spray painting the brown dirt green. I realize that really wasn't what was happening. It was that mixture of seed and nutrients that is dyed green and they would have done it anyway to reseed those areas, but it was kinda funny.
The event was billed as a 'town meeting', except the town wasn't invited to come. I realize that these events have to be highly coordinated for several reasons, but this felt more like tighly scripted than coordinated. First of all, it was by invitation only. And you got the invitations through LaTourette's office, so it really helped to be a good Republican, though they did let some Democrats in. Then, those who were let in were pretty heavily vetted. Or so I heard. One of my across-the-hall neighbors was asked to be on the panel because she is on the board for the State Employees Retirement System, which was being held up as a sort of a model (which I really don't understand because we have no control over where it is invested) and before she even agreed to be on the panel (she declined) they were asking her bunches of background questions.
Thursday, we still really didn't know the details. We heard all kinds of rumors about all classrooms with windows facing the gym (AFC) would be emptied (true), that roads would be closed (true), that parking lots would be closed (true), that the kids in Childminders would be moved to another part of the campus (true), that Garfield and 615 would be closed to traffic (true), that business would be maintained 'as usual' (not true, though many of us tried). Okay, so they weren't just rumors.
Come the acutal day -- Friday. the audience was supposed to be in place at 10:45, but they were told to expect to sit for a while, a long while. At 11:45 the helicopters landed. There were two hueyies (I have no idea how to spell that!) with the Marines, plus two of the predidential choppers, plus a cute little red one flying around in the air. Gloria and Tanya, stepped outside our door (probably 150 yards away, at least!) to see what they could see. My, my, you would have thought they were charging with fangs bared! They were told to go inside. When they didn't move fast enough, they were barked at again.
We went in (I had gone outside after they did, as they were on their way back in) and stood on chairs and the desk to see what we could see. All I could see was a few men (9? 12?) decend from the second helicopter. I have no idea who was who. Anyway, remember the audience waiting? Well, they were just going to have to wait somemore. The president and all his men, climbed into limos and drove off to a restaurant on 615 for lunch. (Yours Truly, Nae, where I took you for Wifi.) It was a loooonnng motorcade, at least a dozen cars plus motorcycles. I don't think that many people got off the 'copter, so I don't know if some were empty.
Another hour went by. (I hope those people waiting had had the good sense to lay off the coffee and tea before entering the gym. They had been warned that once in the gym that they would not be able to leave.) At 12:45 (really not much time to drive to a resaurant, feed a whole bunch of people and drive back) the motorcade returned. We could have watched the whole thing on cable in one of the auditoriums, but instead Merry, Gloria and I went out to a 'working lunch' (no martinis) at a new restaurant in town. Bravo! (the grilled portabella was really good!) By the time we got back, the prez was gone and the campus eerily quiet.
There really are other things going on in my life right now, but none are as interesting as this. I got the taxes done and sent Mensch the info he needs for the FAFSA (subtle reminder, there, Mensch), so business is being taken care of. I read another interesting book. The Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Or close to it anyway. (Curious Incident?) Interesting and a quick read. It's what I was reading when you called the other night, Rae.
I should note that the weather has been beautiful and very springy. I complain about the bad weather, so it is only fair that I mention it when it is beautiful. The daffidils are in full bloom and lovely. The yellow (golden) raspberries have some green shoots on them, so I think they will make it this time. I also planted them in a different location to give them a better chance.
More next week, or whenever the spirit moves me and I have time, etc.