Road Warriors-Fall 2008-Life of an Admission Counselor

back at it!

neilfortin — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:33:03 +0000

I suppose I should work backward since it has been a long while since I posted last. I am now in Alexandria VA, awaiting a night fair. This trip has been nothing but disastrous. I left yesterday morning at 10am….to get on my flight at noon…unfortunately the plane was delayed…not an hour, or two hours, but FOUR hours….I finished a book, ate both breakfast and lunch, and took a very nice and warm catnap in the fading afternoon light of Logan Airport. By the time I got on the plane, I was cranky, tired, missing dinner with some friends in DC before my fair, and thirsty. We took off (the only consolation was a nice viewing of Men in Black on the JetBlue mini-TVs) I landed in Dulles, grabbed my stuff of the conveyor belt…careful not to get my fingers stuck in the revolving plates, and dashed off to the Enterprise rental car center. When I arrived at the rental car center…I realized that my reservation had been for much earlier in the day….all they had left was a Saturn Odyssey. Now folks, this car is not just HUGE…it is Monstrous…I’m used to my little blue Civic. I feel like a soccer mom on steroids. Imagine trying to park an elephant on the streets of Boston…that’s what it’s like trying to park in DuPont Circle…DC. Aside from that, I missed dinner at the Cheesecake factory in the Mall where the fair was being held. So, there I was …dinnerless in an mammoth hulk of a car, towing all my belongings, trying to park in a busy Cheesecake laden parking lot. Needless to say I was less than thrilled. The fair went by fairly quickly last night because I got to watch a soap opera of mannequin proportions unfold in front of me. We were all set up in the Fairfax County Mall in Fair Oaks VA…the mall is closed to regular Mall going…but families can roam around taking a look at the hundreds of colleges that are exhibiting. My booth was set up directly across from the Ann Taylor boutique (Shout out to Jackie) …they were changing their window displays to reflect the changing weather…The new display was wrought with nautical themes, large spools of boat roping…a dock, some grass and large hanging signs showing the same clothes that the models were wearing. The woman who was switching over the display was having a horrible time of it…She was TINY…her little arms were barely able to move the mannequins around the display window. It was a HOOT to watch her struggle…trying to load each mannequin onto its base…neatly dressed in its new outfit. More than once the models looked like they were about to careen into the window…smashing their white plastic heads through it and on top of the poor rep from Old Dominion in front of them. It was so funny…this poor little creature on a 10 foot ladder trying to slide a poster into its sleeve…each attempt being foiled by the other end of the poster escaping from the sleeve. Anyway…it allowed the fair to pass quickly…along with constant Google txt messaging to find out the red sox score.

I was finally able to make it back to Erin’s apartment to find a hot Panini and the red sox game waiting for me…a treat for sure.

The trip before this one was interesting as well…I was back in Philadelphia for a week, doing some private high school fairs, and many visits in the Montgomery county area…as well as in Wilkes Barre. Although most of the time I have my head screwed on fairly tight to my shoulders…the begging of this trip was an exception. Previously, I had been down in Virginia, staying in DC. There, I had managed to allow my drivers license to slip out of my wallet and onto the carpeted floor of Erin’s studio apartment. This in itself presented a problem when I arrived at the Dulles Airport to fly home from DC. (I had to convince the guard that I was in fact, Neil Fortin…I dumped out my wallet…showing him my bank card, old PC idea, Wentworth Id, check with my name on it, AAA card, and my Boston Public Library Card…he eventually let me on the plane. At the time I was relieved…but as I think back on it…isn’t that a little scary…I used a piece of plastic that I used to take books out on loan to get onto an Airplane…yikes)

Anyway..I got back into Boston before my 2^nd week in Philly without my license. Now, this was only a slight bother at the time, since I have a passport and thought I would just be able to use that at the airport…I would be able to get my license back when I was back in DC the week later. I flew out without a care in the world to Philadelphia…using my passport as an ID without an eyelash bat from the security at Logan. I arrived on time, had received a free snack…wasn’t charged an extra baggage fee…things were going swimmingly!!! UNTIL…I got into Enterprise…walked up the desk…and pushed my credit card and passport across the counter with an air of confidence and realized…SHIT I need a license. Now to any normal brain this would have crossed the mind back in Boston. Who would let me rent a car without a license????? The clerk apologetically shook his head at my mistake…and sent me on my way. I had to take a train…(Neil doesn’t take trains) into downtown Philly, with my bags, and my travel case ,in my suit…and WALK to my hotel. UGH. I was stupid…and this was my comeuppance.

At least my visits the next day were all in the Center City area…easily walkable…or at the most a cheap taxi ride away. I had Erin fed ex my ID up to me overnight, and was able to go get a rental the next day. Stoopid Stoopid Neil.

This Philly trip was well worth my time, some great private school visits, and a few solid night fairs including one in Wilkes-Barre PA…at their local community college. I stayed in a bed and breakfast out there…a place I have been before. The 2+ hour drive back to the Philly airport was necessary but unwelcomed at 5:30 in the morning, but it had to be done. I was caught behind a HUGE tractor trailer…but didn’t mind I had plenty of time to get to the airport. While I was driving behind this rig, all of a sudden something began to splatter the grill and windshield of my Chrysler 300. (A Dodge Charger…amped up) This “something” was sticky, left long trails of slime, and red. It kept slapping into my windshield with such force I was compelled to use my windshield wipers….All of a sudden I saw shiny hair start to fly up from the tires of the truck. I knew what I was in for!!!! The truck sped up a bit, and I saw IT. A deer had been split in half on the highway…moments before. Without time to do anything but grit my teeth, all four of my tires ran the poor creature over again…further tearing him into pieces.

My car was now covered in deer bits and hair…terribly gross for the poor Enterprise worker who I had to turn it over to later that day.

I will be more faithful to writing everyday from here on out…I still have just under a month of travel left…so keep reading!

Peace out!

I need to shave…

neilfortin — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:08:42 +0000

I need to go buy a can of shaving cream…its been a while since I have put a razor to my face. Anyway! Yesterday was exactly the kind of day you HATE when you are an admissions counselor. I had to drive up to the north side of Philly again (It takes about 45 minutes) Spend a few hours there, then drive all the way back down to the city to hit up a few private schools around the center of the town….and then head out back to the SAME EXACT town as the morning for a 2 hour fair at another private school. Lets chat about an issue here…
The drive out to the Northern Part of Philly. Gina tells me that it takes about 45 minutes. Map quest tells me it takes about 50 minutes. But in actual reality…with the number of stop lights, stop signs, exits, and construction it is about an hour and 10 minutes. So..everyday when I get out there…I have to add at least 20 minutes to my commute…terrible.

The visits were positive however, especially one to St. Joe’s Prep on Broad Street in Philly. Not the best of neighborhoods, but an amazing school with a great College Counselor. He really enjoyed hearing about WIT and hopes that some of his students will take a look at it. I even got a nifty coffee mug from him! Awesome.

I had to drive back out to Norristown PA, for a fair, but since my car was valeted at the hotel I didn’t want to make them take it in and out of the garage that afternoon. So after my last visit I ended up driving 45 back to the Northern part of the county. I had to find something to do with my time, So I grabbed a coffee and walked around Starbucks for a while. Back outside, where I had left my car, was a single man waiving a sign. On one side of his sign he had emblazoned a picture of Barak Obama with a swirling American flag behind him. On the other side he had pasted a picture of John McCain and crossed it out with a large red X. He was holding this piece of mat board above his head…saying things to softly so passing motorists were not able to hear. The best part about this guy was that his shirt was a little to small, so each time he raised his arms above his head you saw his stomach…delicious. He gave me a good chuckle as I walked into the mall.

I am deep into Amy’s book she gave me to read…it honestly has really made me think about the world we live in today, and the fact that I work in education. I walk into some of these schools today and realize what it must have been like back in the late ’60′s in high schools. Crazy.

I had dinner at P.F. Changs…which was just not that great of an idea. I feel like you always crave Chinese food..and then about 10 minutes after you have finished you realize that you just should NEVER eat it. Its a vicious cycle.

The night fair was….fair. I spoke to a few families who seemed vaguely interested…but nothing too compelling. I left and headed back to the hotel where I met up with some friends from the road, and from Philly for a quick drink at a new place downtown called El Vez. Steven Starr is a Philly restaurateur who has opened a virtual empire of restaurants in the area. Although sometimes slated as being more decor and atmosphere oriented..as opposed to a high quality of food, they are always fun to visit!

Today I’m looking at one lunch time visit to a prive at noon, and then onto a fair at the Masterman school…another small private…should be good!

Hope all is well with everyone…miss you guys!

Peace

A Day in Doylestown PA

neilfortin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:39:35 +0000

Mercer Museum

I have so many visits this travel season, its very different than last! Today was fun…had some productive visits up in the North East part of PA…around the Doylestown Area. I had a couple scheduled early this morning, and had some time off between the last two. I decided it would be a good idea to explore Doylestown…and made some amazing discoveries. My journeys brought me to a bagel shop, antiques row, and along the historical Main street in this quiet little town. As I was walking, watching where I was placing my feet since the ground was incredibly uneven brick, I looked up and straight ahead of me was a castle. Not a fake castle, or a small castle, or a mansion I am calling a castle…this edifice was a legitimate castle.

Of course I got very excited, walked a little faster down an Oak lined straight path and marched right up to the front door. I had stumbled upon Henry C Mercer’s homestead. Henry C. Mercer was the man who at the turn of the century began the Moravian Tile Company, which still produces tiles today. He also became a collector of American Folk Art, Farm Tools, and old pieces of castles. He build his own house out of hand mixed concrete and named it Fonthill…this is one of the castles on his property. This building has 40 rooms and is AMAZINGLY saturated with Moravian Tiles. Up the hill he also built another Castle now called the Mercer Museum…it holds 7 floors of American Folk art, plus awe inspiring pieces of Americana. The third fantastic building on the property is the actual Moravian Tile company which still produces tiles today…they range from 30-3000 dollars apiece…and are hand painted, fired, and glazed.

Moravian Tiles in the castleFonthill...his homeMercer himself...

Unfortunately, today I didn’t have enough time to tour the actual castles…but I am definitely going to make a point to come back and explore further! It was just great to walk around the property…do some Christmas shopping for the family, and allow myself to relax on the beautiful grounds! Definitely a treat. Check out their website… http://www.mercermuseum.org/mission_history.htm

After walking back to my car in awe I had one last visit of the day. Doylestown West. This school is situated right in the historic downtown of this little village. A Beautiful school on a shady tree lined street. I parked in Lot marked “Faculty and Visitors” and walked inside. I was greeted with a treat bag with a little water, granola bar, and a few pieces of candy…such a nice touch. Honestly, its the little things that mean the most. I had to sit for a few minutes in the Guidance Office to wait for the College counselors to get out of a meeting with a student. While I waited there the following occurred.

A woman carrying a HUGE vase of flowers…walked into the Guidance Office. They vase was so large that the delivery girl could not see over the top. It was full of a vibrant display of fall flowers and foliage. Since the girl could not see she walked DIRECTLY into the chair I was sitting in…All I could see was her hands and legs… She goes…”fuck” (Classy girl..) and proceeds to wobble over to the counter to put the vase down. I promptly asked her if the flowers were for me. To which she replied (as she rubbed her shin) “Uh…no honey” Hmmmmm…I don’t think I have been called honey for quite some time. The secretary laughed and asked who the bouquet was really for. The girl pulled out the card, and read the name of the OTHER secretary off of it. The other secretary (lets call her Janet) looked shocked…and slightly embarrassed. She came over…picked up the HUGE vase and brought it to her desk. (Exit sassy delivery girl) Secretary 1. (Lets call her Susan) walked over and helped Janet pull the paper wrapping and box off the bush that was on her desk. Susan asked “Who are they from” and Janet blushed the deepest shade of red I have ever seen any woman blush and replied “My husband” Now Janet was a normal looking lady…in her 40′s…quite pleasant…but she was SOOOOO uncomfortable this entire time. She kept looking at the flowers, fiddling with her chair…and trying DESPERATELY to avoid answering questions about them. In the course of the next ten minutes…at least 8 or 9 other adults and students walked into the office…ALL of them asked about the arrangement. (It was damn hard to miss…Janet looked like she was prowling in jungle around her desk) Most of the people got the same answer, a nervous laugh and then the words “my husband” A few of the older ladies made comments that he must have been “a naughty boy” because it wasn’t Janet’s birthday…it wasn’t their anniversary….and she hadn’t been promoted (all suggested by the new office guests)

I have NO IDEA what this man did wrong…but honestly…it has to be a GREAT story. Janet was finally so thoroughly embarrassed that she moved the entire vase to the backroom. Hilarious!!!!

So…lets do what Perez does…

Janet got these flowers from her husband because he ____________________________!
I know y’all can think up some good…clean answers!

literally...they were just about this big

When I left the school, I walked out the door…and was ready to jump into my car when Batman called to me from the front steps and asked if “That was my car?”

Okay, Okay it wasn’t batman…but a woman in a very very long black flowing skirt and a long black poncho…flapping in the breeze. Ergo…Batman. She was PISSSED. I had parked in …wait for it…wait for it….NUMBERED SPACES. OH MY GOD…a travesty. The only reason I am writing about this is because she was SO RUDE. She had this pout on her face as if she was biting her own tongue the whole time she was talking to me. In a very prissy and angry voice she told me that I should have looked harder for the visitors spots. (There were two) And that I should have had more respect…RESPECT I tell you for the teachers. I calmly told her who I was and what I was doing. She wanted none of she. She did her best 360 degree turn…letting her cape flap out around her and was ready to storm back into the school. I politely called to her “Ma’am just a suggestion…maybe you should write a letter to the visiting Admissions Counselors…telling us where to park” I honest-to-God thought she was going to come and kick me in the shins. She spun back around as fast as she could…gave me a look of intense disgust…and stalked back inside. I was merely making a suggestion…I know I can be an ass sometimes…but that’s ridiculous! I wasn’t even being rude.

Okay…tirade over.

It was a sweet day…I can’t complain. (even tho Batman needs anger management classes)

PEACE out

Philly visits…West Philadelphia

neilfortin — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:57:24 +0000

I totally forgot to write about the fact that my great B&B is considered to be in West Philadelphia. (Cue Fresh Prince music) I feel that this neighborhood has been majorly gentrified since that classic TV show came out. I digress…
Last night after I posted I was able to meet my friend Janine for dinner at this great West Philly place…its a micro brewery that has just started as its own Co-Op (Very WITish) They have fantastic all natural food, a friendly waitstaff, and some fun things to order off their endless menu. (All printed on recycled paper of course. On our way to this establishment, we were walking on the sidewalk behind a woman. This woman was non descript and uninteresting…UNTIL she turned around, dug deep into her lungs, cleared her throat, and ALMOST spit on Janine. I think she was just as surprised as us when she reazlied that if she let that loogie out of her mouth…it would have landed DIRECTLY on Janine’s nose. I really beleived that she was going to do it. She must not have heard my extremely loud flip flops, flap flopping down the street. Janine grabbed my arm as if we were on the Superman Rollercoaster at 6 Flags…and we contintued walking. I burst into laughter about a block away when I could no longer hold it. Imagine someone spitting in your face on the way to dinner…what a great device to ruin someone’s evening.

Today I had three visits in the morning to local Philly Area high schools…Now when I think of the word “local” I beleive it to mean close. Maybe this is just my positive, glass-half-full attitude towards life…but an hour and a half to a LOCAL SCHOOL???? Its becuase people in the Philly area 1. Can’t drive. 2. LOVE construction 3. Refuse to build direct highways 4. Love farms and “sheep crossing” signs 5. Can’t make up their mind if they want to turn right or left 6. Have “dead zones” for GPS devices and 7. love regional high schools that cover 7 or 8 townships.

It was a long terrible drive to the schools this morning…I have learned I HATE traffic lights…but when I got there I was met with really warm guidance counselors, beautiful surrondings…and some great brand new schools. Bucks County is known for its tourism and its farm land. The worst part of one of my meetings was the counselors facial tic…I just couldn’t take my eyes off her left cheek. Embarrasing to say the least when you try not to look at something…only to notice it more and more.

I was afforded the opportunity to drive home through New Hope, PA which is a beautiful little riverside down on the Northeast side of Philly! Definitely something to check out at a later date. I’m going to go walk around West Philly now…take in some of the architecture, and see if I can find any characters to blog about! Later folks!

Road to Philly…

neilfortin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:37:47 +0000

Afternoon readers! Yesterday and today were exhausting! I got on the road yesterday afternoon prepared for an epic trip up to Philly with a four hour pit stop at the huge Lounden County Fair in Ashburn VA. This fair is always very good to us, and this year was no exception. Held in a huge sweltering gym, its not the most comfortable place to be…but ya know, you can’t have everything. This area of VA is very very preppy, a lot of Mercedes SUV’s, fountains in the front yard, and Dolce sunglasses. There is even the possibility that some of these families might own a helicopter…but if they don’t the incessant moms and dads are helicopters enough!!! DJ had sent me a huge box of materials to hit this fair and literally, they were ALL gone by the end of the night. Its tough to try to sell a school to a family when all you can give them is a interior design brochure when the football-playing son wants to go for construction management.

So true!!

One mother, bedecked in pearls, came up to me with a yellow legal pad and a fountain pen. (She apparently was channeling John Hancock) She proceeded to drill me with 64 questions about the validity of our programs, the safety of our campus, the strength of curriculum her son takes in HS. (The father, collar popped, was silent this whole time) I gave her my speech, fed right into their desires for a wonderful social life, and strong programs, and was prepared for a final comment, and thus our interaction would be over. ALL OF A SUDDEN the mom pulls out of her Louis Vuitton tote bag, the WHOLE Princeton review college book…it weighs at least 10 pounds. She had dragged this thing all the way from home and was going to check my facts. Her husband finally stepped into the picture, and was like “Uh honey, we need to move on” I breathed a deep sigh of relief and started to straighted up my table. I looked back up and Momzilla was still standing there, hands crossed, foot taping. I politely asked her if she had any further questions…and she came up with this DOOZEY of a comment. Momzilla: So, how much is tuition. Me: Well tuition next year ma’am is $22,000 with a $10,000 charge for room and board. I thought I had bitten a piece of her earlobe off…the woman looked LIVID. She goes….”That is so expensive…were looking to pay around $8,000.” UMMMMM excuse me…but I’m pretty sure that the caps on your teeth cost more than 8,000…Totally the most ridiculous comment of the night.

At the fair we got dinner…a great lasagna dinner, salad, rolls, and packets of soy sauce…weird. Its nice to get to see everyone that you travel with and dinner is a great time to catch up. One of my VA colleagues told us a story about being at a fair down in South Carolina where a woman and her son came up and asked if their school had anything in the ways of pornographic arts. Completely serious. I swear to God people are crazy.

We finished up the fair with a mother who was chewing her hair leading her daughter around by the wrist. I needed to get out of there…And I had SO much to look forward to!!! The FOUR HOUR drive to Philadelphia.
The drive actually wasn’t that bad, and was helped by some awesome classical tunes on the radio, a smoothie, and the last Cinnabon at a roadside rest stop. I pulled into downtown Philly at 11:30…checked into the hotel, and was asleep by Midnight!

Onto Philly!

Now, for those of you who travel the beds in hotels seem to always be the same level of hardness. Not comfy enough to be great…but not uncomfortable enough to warrant calling the front desk The bed I slept in last night was the most luxurious, beautiful, soft, and comfortable bed I HAVE EVER SLEPT IN. I woke up in the middle of the night and remember thinking to myself that this was honestly the best sleep I have gotten in a while. Now that says something about the hotel! Good job Courtyard Marriott of Juniper Street in Philly! Kudos to you!

I was as comfortable as this animal in HIS bed.

Today was an easy day. Since no one really entertains the thought of mini-fairs down here its nice when you do run into a couple. Today’s fair hit three high schools in the north western Philly area. Now mini-fairs can be treacherous territory sometimes…due to the fact that there aren’t many parents that attend. They either are social-fests where the kids care more about who’s dating who than what college suits them best. Today’s however, was not. The kids were great, very interested in Boston, and quite receptive to my lame jokes.

Unfortunately…a huge drawback of this mini-fair in particular is the food. For breakfast they have ALWAYS served half frozen packaged muffins…and the small plastic cups of processed orange juice. (Also known as orange water) It reminds me of taking standardized testing in High School…that’s what they served us then. Odd. Gross. Unsatisfactory.

I got the normal range of stupid questions today…like “Whats this (pointing to the table) all about.” or “Hows your technology” or…”What classes do you have” But for the most part, the kids were great. Lunch was arguably better than breakfast…aside from the fact that they didn’t have water..just soda.

Tonight I am staying at a great bed and breakfast in Philly..close to my visits tomorrow and Wednesday. check out their website…the place is amazing! Its such a treat…its 200 dollars cheaper than a hotel downtown, and I get a home cooked meal! SWEET!!! Till later on guys…peace!

http://www.gablesbb.com/

A beauty!

DC evening

neilfortin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:35:42 +0000

So last night we got together with some other friends from PC. After a quick trip to Trader Joes to pick some groceries up for Erin (It’s her gift that she receives for dealing with me on her futon for a month) we made some snacks…prosciotto wrapped melon…some nice wine etc. We sat out on Erin’s patio in the back of her building telling stories from college and talking about the upcoming election. (If people reading this have NOT seen Amy Poehler and Tina Fay as Palin and Clinton…please log onto YouTube right now and watch it…it could possibly be the funniest thing I have seen i a VERY long time…)

hyserical

We had dinner at this little Greek place close to Dupont Circle in the City. You walk down into the cellar of a row house, place your order, and it magically apears within a 2 minute span of time. I got an amazing Chicken Soulvlaki Sandwitch, raisin rolls and baklava. The clientel in the establishment ranged from the most beautiful old couple I have ever seen, quietly enjoying a dinner, talking and just relaxing in each others company, to loud GW students waiting to go out for the evening. We sat out on the patio out front, people watching, enjoying our food, and forgetting what time it was. By the time we were finshed…2.5 hours had passed, and we were getting the Evil Eye from the waiter cleaning up the seats in the “al fresco” eating area. We decided it was time to move on…so we began to walk down the street, only to realize that we were the laziest group of people in DC and ended up going NEXT DOOR to a great little underground place.

This restaurant was cool, their computers were down and there weren’t many people in there. We grabbed a few drinks and sat down at a table. Now, I’m not sure if the owner was desperate, or dillusional, but he took a liking to us and seemed to beleive that we were much more important than we really are. He chatted with us for about a half hour before he insisted on taking us on a tour of his whole building. The rowhouse he was situated in was stunning. Amazing panelled walls, picture frame moulding, beautiful crystal chandeliers…it was so cool to see it from the owners perspective. A few of our friends asked about renting out the whole space for a bridal shower, or a company gathering and we talked about price. I thought that this great interchange was going to get us a few free drinks, or an invitation to come for a free dinner…but nope…he really was just THAT proud of his new building. Overall though it was a neat way to finish out the night.

We were close enough to walk back to Erin’s apparment and on the way we ran into a couple cops that I beleive had broken up a street fight. There were two shirtless men with black eyes and bloody lips that looked pretty sullen. The cops were letting them go home and we had to walk right by in order to get back to the apparment. We overheard on of the cops say to the fighters friends “Hey do you have a shirt or something you could cover him up with” Erin’s friend thought that the cops were talking to her…and proceeded to say loudly…”WAIT…DO I HAVE A SHIRT????” (Realize this girl is the size of a strand of spaghetti…her shirts would cover MAYBE 1/3 of the man in question) I think the cop probably thought she was kidding. I was hysterical…needless to say…we walked her the rest of the way home.

I am onto the Louden County Fair Day two right now, then I have a beautiful drive (3 hour drive) up to Philly so I can get to a fair tomorrow morning at 9am. Shoot me.

DC Day 1

neilfortin — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:24:51 +0000

DC Day 1

Excellent! Back down to DC to stay with one of my best friends from college…Erin Kelly. I was pumped! I got up early, had already packed my suitcase the night before, and was rearing and ready to go. I pulled my suitcase onto the very small landing I have at my front door and turned my back on my suitcase to lock the door. All of a sudden I felt my suitcase tip over, and begin to tumble down the set of 19 stairs heading towards the 4^th floor. Talk about onomatopoeia…smash, bang, crash, thump thump thump the suitcase careened into the carved wooden paneling until it came to a rest butt up against our neighbors door way. That must have been a fantastic way to wake up on a sleepy Saturday morning.

Needless to say, the ride to the airport was much more relaxed; I even found a parking spot adjacent to the doorway to Terminal C! Bags checked, through security…and onto breakfast! I will usually let my stomach take one for the team during breakfast time on travel. A muffin and a smoothie usually hit the spot…but in Terminal C they have this little grille where you can order any type of breakfast food imaginable. I have eaten their blueberry pancakes before and they are perfect…what a great opportunity to have them again. I stepped up to the counter, only to notice that the woman at the grill was being SMOTHERED by thick, inky black smoke. She had left someone’s sunny side up eggs on the fryer for a little to long and both of the huevos were on fire…literally…in flames. I decided against getting pancakes as I watched two arms flailing a spatula in a vain attempt to put the grease fire out. (I am only imagining that someone handed her a fire extinguisher after I walked away…)

After downing a smoothie and a muffin (things never change) I was able to wait for my flight while reading my book. I felt a tap on the shoulder and suddenly I was face to face with two friends I had been at college with. They were both headed off to China to teach English for the next year! More power to them. I’ll stick with a vacation there in January. I finally was able to get on the plane, settle into my plush velveteen seat, and await takeoff. Now, this plane was on its way to Beijing after it stopped in DC at Dulles Airport so I was surrounded by native Chinese who were headed back to their homes. I am all for deciphering languages, but the cacophony of sound that enclosed my head was deafening…people were chatting, laughing, and singing…more than I have ever heard on any airplane. The seat beside mine was broken, so the woman was complaining that she had to sit in the reclined position the whole time. She was very small, so every time she shifted the seat would flip her backwards and both her feet would be lifted off the ground. She looked like a fish desperately trying to keep itself off a hook. Wriggling back and forth, trying to get comfortable. Every once and a while I would hear a gasp as the poor woman’s feet left the ground and she was catapulted into the lap of the person sitting behind her.

On top of the noise factor…a very unhappy child wailed throughout the flight not allowing ANYONE in its surrounding area to get any sleep. I had all the mind to take my extra socks from my carry-on bag and put them to good use…but I though I might get in trouble. We finally landed and people got up and got out as fast as they could. I suppose DC is a very different area than Pittsburgh, but I was disappointed with the lack of interesting people in the airport. I feel like most travelers were there on business, were dressed very conservatively and tried not to attract much attention to themselves. One gentleman however exceeded expectations! This man was standing by baggage claim number 3, waiting for his bags…or his saddle. He was dressed in FULL riding gear, including khaki knickers, tucked into rep-striped socks, with riding shoes, a cropped jacket, velvet riding helmet ANNNNND as the piece de resistance… a short bull whip. Now folks, I have no idea what he was doing, where he was going, or why he didn’t change when he got there…but MORE power to him!

A sight for sore eyes I must say! After seeing Mr. Ed, I got on the road and was able to get to downtown DC, drop my bags and grab a bite to eat for lunch. I had a fantastic Chicken Salad BLT at a quaint little neighborhood eatery near where Erin lives. A perfect meal to begin my travels in our Nation’s capitol…the only drawback was our waiter. A nice enough dude…he hadn’t learned much tableside manner yet judging from the face that he told us… “I don’t really follow politics…I don’t pay attention to the election, I think its stupid” That’s the same as telling someone in Boston that Sam Adams Ale makes them nauseas, or that the Boston Red Sox are the worst team in baseball. A blasphemy!

As we were walking back from the restaurant we walked under a young flowering tree. (Julie this story is for you…) Mr. Squirrel was trying to leap from this young tree to a sturdier tree across the sidewalk. He had inched out onto one of the saplings few branches and was preparing to make the leap. Unfortunately the branch gave way under the squirrels heft and he tumbled down toward the ground. He was lucky enough to reach one of his little paws out to grab the nearest, more sturdy branch…saving himself from a date with the concrete sidewalk. The best part of this tableau nevertheless was the fact that the squirrel ALMOST hit Erin’s friend from the city in the head. We of course had a great laugh at the animal’s expense and continued walking.

Army Squirrel...just for fun

I finished my early afternoon culinary tour at a PinkBerry ice cream rip off…which in my opinion is much better. It’s called TangySweet and is just that…both tangy and sweet with amazing fruit toppings. Tomorrow I head to a four hour fair in Loudon County VA, and then have a wonderful (note the sarcasm) drive to Philadelphia for a fair on Monday morning. Sweet!!!

Only MA travel this season!

neilfortin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:27:13 +0000

Whats up guys…headed out at 7:00 this morning to a series of mini fairs out in the middle of the state. I thought that it might be okay to leave at 6:45 for a 8:00am fair that was (according to Gina) only 40 minutesaway….apparently not. It took me a good hour and ten minutes to get to the school due to the 56 long, unnecessaryand frustrating traffic lights on Huntington Ave. Althought I am now used to not seeing many people during fairs ( I get excited when I speak with 5 students), these fairs were GREAT! The first one I went to had conveniently forgotten to give me a table…and allowed its students to do more socializing than speaking to college reps, but I still got some interest form a core group of students. The fairs were close in proximity and were set along the most idyllic American street…driving from one to another was a pleasure.

The kids were remarkably normal, no crazy questions, no awkward interchange…does not make for much interesting blog fodder…ASIDE from one girl, who approached my table and with a little bit of excitement read off my banner “Oh Wentworth….” as she continued to read (Institute of Technology) her faced turned out the sourest expression I think a 16 year old female could make. It was as if someone had placed a large pile of dog crap at her feet and FORCED her to step in it….”Ugh” she said with disgust to her mousy friend as they proceeded to walk off…we had a good laugh at that one!

A bunch of us at lunch at the ever-so-classy establishment…Friendly’s where I washed down a turkey supermelt with a absolutly fantastic root beer float… The waitress was even nice enough to split the checks up between five of us without complaining! She gets it!

The last fair we were at yielded a few good characters including a young man wearing acid washed/rock tumbled grey denim skinny jeans with a grey blazer he clearly stole out of Bill Cosby’s closet. Oh yes! Today was game day for most HS sports as well…now during HS if we had a game, a match, a tournament…whatever you want to call it…all we had to wear was either our jersey, or a shirt and tie. Apparently the new trend is to make your team look as RIDICULOUS as possible…i guess it builds moral. If everyone looks like a hippie…or a greaser, or a thug then the whole team can feel as if they are one. It was hysterical to see some of these kids dressed as if they belonged in a Hobo circus.

Overall people were very receptive to us! I head out to DC tomorrow morning at 9. Look for further, more interesting posts! Till then…peace

Pittsburgh…check

neilfortin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:18:55 +0000

On the road again….Flying home from Pittsburgh…trip 1 of 10 this fall! The show last night was breathtaking! The two leads were amazing, and most of the special effects lived up to the hype. (Especially when a grey-suited actor suddenly became encased in tin as the Tin Man in front of our eyes! Amazing!)
I thought that today I was going to be lucky enough to get to sleep until 10:00am before having to pack and depart for my flight home at noon….so not the case. At 8:00AM it sounded like a warlock was trying to break down my door. This wasn’t any old Warlock either; it was the kind with a Swiffer and a mop! The “housekeeper” decided to rouse my out of a very comfy sleep at the UNGODLY hour of 8:00am to what…vacuum my sleeping body? CLEARLY the door was locked, CLEARLY the deadbolt was set, and CLEARLY I had the “Do Not Disturb” ticket in the key slot…what more did she want?? A barricade? After toying with the idea of poking her with my toothbrush between the door and the wall-to-wall carpeting…I politely called out “ I will be here a few more hours…thank you” (I’m a sucker, I added the thank you in there after thinking about the fact that she probably just found someone’s used condom in the bathroom of the adjacent room) I rolled over, and attempted to get back to sleep but to no avail…It must be the Marriott’s rule that once the maids are let loose, the whole hotel is required to greet the morning with a cheery “Hello!” So I got up and paid my bills (It’s payday! Yay!)I departed after packing everything my room including the free soaps, shampoos, shower caps and lotions. I debated taking the towels but quickly stopped thinking about them when I noticed two toothbrushes sitting next to my toiletries. There was a unseemly toothbrush sitting next to my cologne. This rogue toothbrush was bristly, dirty, and downright disgusting…and on top of ALL of that…IT WASN’T MINE. I know for a fact last night I used my own toothbrush because I am a pushover to a good advertisement and had bought the ones with the bendy head so they REACH alllll the way back to my gums, but how the FUCK did this scrimey toothbrush end up with my perfectly packed 12 oz. baggy of products…ready to go back to Boston. Freaky…just freaky. (I bet that maid was so eager to get into my room this morning because she had brushed her teeth with that brush the night before and had forgotten it on the vanity!)

gross

I finally was able to get on the road, Gina at my side to drive the 25 minutes to the Airport. In Pittsburgh everything is connected by bridges, key bridges are connected to suspension bridges by draw bridges…etc. I was taking the Fort Pitt Tunnel Bridge (What a name!) to route 60 and the airport. There is a GIANT Stop Sign on the bridge warning people coming from the city that they have to give the two lanes of traffic on both sides of them the right-of-way before the middle lane can go. I dutifully stopped at the sign, checked my mirrors, checked over my shoulder, noticed there were no cars coming and proceeded to gun-it onto the highway…(It’s the only way you can do it safely…otherwise your car is going to be smack dab in the middle of morning rush hour) As I rocketed the Passat onto the road a KIA SUV shot out of nowhere on my left like a bat out of hell…the driver blaring on his horn and holding up that oh-so-special middle finger. Lets discuss his KIA…it was royal blue, with Steelers stickers all over the back, and GIANT Steelers FOAM FINGER taped to the side-back window…Safe…really Safe. This gentleman ( I use that word very loosely…) proceeded to dive 55 for about 2 miles of tunnel and another 2 miles of highway taunting me with looks every once and a while. What was he going to do? Run me off the road?? That would have been a GREAT Story…Finally he pulled off at the exit advertising a brand new CRACKER BARREL restaurant. Good for you sir, go clog your arteries with hush puppies and deep fried okra.

heart attack waiting to happen

Finally I reach the airport, dropped my car off with the eternally happy Enterprise folks and dragged my stuff into the terminal. Since they charge you an extra 40 dollars for a 2^nd piece of luggage now I decided to try to stuff my big suitcase full of WIT promo materials. This idea did not work out so well, so I had to pay another 40 bucks to ship both my suitcase and travel case back home.

I bought lunch and a smoothie from Ben and Jerry’s where I proceeded to wait 10 minutes for the woman at the counter to make it because she was “chatting” with me. I swear my annoyance stems from growing up in and around Boston where speaking with a food service provider is an anomaly. “Linda” was chatting about the weather, why I was in Pittsburgh, what I did there and which flavor was my favorite. Now, I think of myself as a pretty friendly dude, but 10 minutes of chatting can get a little excessive. But, she was adorable, so I forgave her. Linda had gotten the job after her kids went off to college (In Boston of all places) and absolutely “loves talking to people” Shocking.

I called my parents, extolled the virtues of “Common Ground” Amy D’s book that she gave me to read during travel. (It’s so weird, my parents lived through everything I am reading about. They were students in Boston at the time and remember it like it was yesterday. We’re so used to reading history that a very few have experienced…it’s interesting to be able to have someone actually relate. Very cool!)

There are a few interesting characters on my flight…the man with a withered leg who, instead of using a crutch to get around, has hewn his own walking stick out of a branch, put a tennis ball on the end of it, and uses it to hop around like a one-footed Gandalf, and the man who flicked his tongue in and out of his mouth like a snake the entire time he searched for his seat and stowed away his luggage in the overhead compartments.I was lucky enough to be without a seat partner for the trip home…so I could write this in peace without someone staring over my shoulder. I will be back in Boston for the afternoon…to get some dry cleaning done, and pack for my three week trip that I have coming up. Tomorrow I have a mini-fair out in the middle of the state near where my mom grew up in Hopedale. Maybe I’ll have some crazy kid comments from that one…

Until then…peace.

Day four in “The Pitts”

neilfortin — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:31:38 +0000

‘afternoon guys…

Today was a relaxing day…had four visits this morning, all in an area I know fairly well from last year. Nothing spectacular, a very polished, white collar region with more “Main Street Fall Festivals” than I can shake a stick at. The first school I visited had a very interesting way to greeting visiting admissions counselors. They had a flock of Mom Greeters in the main doorway of the school Now, I would understand if there was one PTA mother standing there with a tray of fresh-baked cookies, but is it neccesary for a school to accost its visitors with FOUR sterotypical “moms”. Each had a little too much coffee this morning before she ushered her children on the school bus and got in her SUV on the way to CVS for her weekly supply of uppers. I do admit, its a nice gesture to have a cold bottle of water and a smile waiting for you when you arrive at a school, but to have 4 Baby Boomers fighting over the Dasani that they get to hand to the “nice gentleman”…common lets get real. (However, I did realize that Botox must work WONDERS!)

I LOVE COFFEE!!!!!!!!!

The second school I visited I FINALLY MET SANTA CLAUSE!!! DID you know he lives in Canon, PA? I had no idea till today! What a treat. The “big guy” swept me into his office and wanted to hear EVERYTHING about school…he was just so interested. He ears pricked up when I started to talk about my travel season and how I get all over the place without a map. He just loved the idea of a GPS and that it enables ANYONE to get ANYWHERE. Although he didn’t realize that you don’t carry it with you when you get out of your vehichle. (Santa: Wait how did you get like…exactly here? Does it have sidewalks in it” …direct quote) No sir….it doesn’t have sidewalks in it…but I’m positive you can find a high altitute GPS that you can attach to your sleigh. You might have to wrap it in one of your old Star Market plastic baggies you save from your veggie purchases to keep it weathertight tho. Kidding aside, this guy was great, he was a retired counselor…very interested in schools…but I have a feeling that this info just isn’t going to be passed onto the kids at Canon-Macmillon High School.

The rest of the day flew by with two visits to private schools in the Carnegie (Pronounced Car-Nay-Gee not Carn-Agee…don’t worry I have been told 2109349 times that I was wrong)-Melon area…Where Carnegie-Mellon and University of Pittsburgh live. Did you know that U PITT has the highest building in Higher Education…its a pretty sweet sight to behold driving all around the Pittsburgh area. They named the Building THE CATHEDRAL OF EDUCATION…a very regal and epic title. Inside it has 40 classrooms that have been reworked to reperesent all of Pittsburgh cultural sub-groups. Its a three dollar charge to take a look…I haven’t had a chance to yet…next trip!!

The Cathedral of Education..DA DA DA

I’m seeing Wicked tonight at the Benedum Center….its naptime…later!
Update: 11:00 Show was amazing tonight…I felt like I was watching the Broadway cast. Real solid performance. I fly tomorrow afternoon! Big fair in MA on friday…later