Mad-Eye Moody

This past Monday when I walked into my first manager's meeting here in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, I scanned the faces of the group of people sitting around the conference table. None of these were people I had worked with before, so I did not expect to recognize any of them. But, as I my gaze shifted to the far end of the table, I found a familiar, though out of place, face.

Sitting at the end of the table was Mad-Eye Moody.



Now I'm not the type to publicly make fun of someone's physical differences or disabilities, so even though this man had a very obvious problem with one of his eyes (which you could see even through his tinted glasses) that immediately brought the Harry Potter Professor of the Dark Arts to mind, it wasn't JUST the bulging, slowly rotating orb that made me think of Moody. No, this gentleman had a face and head that looked like just like Moody's would if he had shorter hair that was combed and a fresh shave. Even his voice was similar.

It was an eerie feeling each morning at meetings this week to feel like I was sitting with the late member of The Order of the Phoenix, but today was his last day so I thought I'd bid him a fond farewell here.

Farewell Alastor, farewell.

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Fortune Cookie

I had dinner at a pretty authentic Chinese restaurant here in Waterloo tonight and it was very tasty.

But over and above the enjoyment of the food were two things that stood out:

My fortune cookie had two fortunes inside (is that good?) and one read, "A fond memory will soon lead to a renewed friendship" which was puzzling to me. I don't have any friendships to renew, lol.

When the fortune cookie was brought to my table, this is what the server delivered it on...


Yeah, that's some beautifully crafted metal container with a heavy white smoke flowing from various openings and it lent a very exotic air to what was simply me eating my favorite Chinese food meal and reading a magazine.

Does anyone know what the significance of this practice might be? The server did not speak English very fluently and anyway I was a little embarrassed to ask in case it was some kind of special honor or something.

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Waterloo

Ever since Cindy and I went to see "Mamma Mia" the week before last when I was still in Orlando, I've had various songs stuck in my head and ever since last Thursday, when I found I was coming to this part of Iowa, "Waterloo" has been front and center. If you're familiar with ABBA, you'll understand why.

My schedule has been full and hectic since arriving here Sunday. Monday I worked 7am until 10:30pm and yesterday 7am until 11:30pm.

The hotel room is not much, (though it's infinitely much better than sleeping in a tent, which is always a possibility on these jobs) but it doesn't really matter since I'm barely here long enough to sleep and shower. I was fortunate enough to snag a top floor corner room, but the trade off for that is this magnificent view out my window.



Obviously, I keep the drapes closed most of the time.

Sunday I'll be moving to a hotel that is closer to the Cedar Falls office and should be there through the second week of October when I take a break to go camping in the mountains of North Carolina. In addition to being closer, the hotel is a nicer brand that I've stayed in before while in Atlanta last July.

The cold from Hell is finally abating; all that remains is just a nagging cough that usually makes itself known by waking me up through the short night.

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Cornfields, Barns And Silos

I slept in until 7:30 this morning, trying to get as much rest as possible on my only day off with the hope of stopping this cold that has plagued me since Wednesday.

It didn't work.

Check-out wasn't until noon so I took my time, moving slowly, showering and then packing my bags and loading the car. I still managed to be checked out at 10:30am, so I headed to Perkins Restaurant for a late breakfast, then stopped by Walgreens to pick up more cold medicine.

By noon I was on I-35 heading north to take Highway 20 eastbound for a 2 hour drive that would bring me to Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Iowa and the scenery for my entire drive consisted of cornfields, barns and silos. Still, after the floods that wreaked so much damage in June, it was good to see some fields with corn that was five to six feet tall waving in the wind.

It will be a busy week ahead as I familiarize myself with the area in this branch, prepare for a class I'll be teaching next Saturday and even work on a webpage for our intranet. If I don't post much, you'll know why.

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