I went to visit The Streets at Southpoint in Durham yesterday after my classroom management workshop. I got a little lost trying to find I-40 on the way there, because some sign told me to turn left, which went against my geographical intuition, and ended up in downtown Cary. Nonetheless, I saw the Apple Store, and tried an iPod (the new fifth generation) for the first time in my life. The click wheel is too sensitive for me for scrolling, and the video playback was a little jumpy, so I will pass on it. The store had sold out of the 30 GB iPod and the 4 GB iPod nano last night. Anyhow, I think the Nano is the better product, despite its tendency to, um, scratch easily.

The second store that I went to was Barnes & Noble. VERY Chapters/Indigo-like. In fact, I'd be darned if they weren't affiliated. Didn't really need any books, but nice to find a place where intellectual Americans hang out. They also proudly serve Starbucks in a café at the back of the store.

I love this shopping center! There's two floors in the mall, and opens into an outdoor pedestrian mall (known as Main Street). Probably the best mall I've visited since I've arrived here.

This past Thursday morning, I went to my car, expecting the usual condensation of water vapor on the windshield. Turning on the wipers did not help. Yes, it was frost -- in North Carolina! I did not bring a windshield scraper from home, so taking a cue from a Visa commercial, I took out my Visa check card and started scraping enough to peer out (running late). By the time the windshield had defrosted, I had arrived at school. Imagine driving 3 km without being able to see a thing. Good thing it was Raeford, and most people actually turn on their headlights.

Today I am off to the Triangle area [Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh/Cary] for a workshop on classroom management and maybe a little bit of shopping afterwards.

I was at Kure Beach, NC this past weekend. It's a little resort-like town about 15 mi south of Wilmington, and it was my first trip to the Atlantic Ocean in recent memory.

1. King receives $400 cheque from the Government of Alberta because of higher-than-expected oil revenue and the province's 2005 centennial, and told to spend it as he wishes.

2. The new iPod, announced today by Apple, is a portable multimedia unit capable of playing audio, displaying graphics as well as video content, is available for $269 US + tax.

Okay, I must stop thinking about this!

Tomorrow is Columbus Day in the U.S., and Thanksgiving in Canada, but still a regular school day at Hoke County Schools.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a little piece of my world with you. These are two of the things where most of my monthly salary goes (apart from the FICA and state taxes). Clicking on an image will show you the full-size image (well, whatever setting that my digital camera was on at the time of shooting).

1) The house I live in [246 kb] and the bedroom that I rent out (the door leads to a bathroom) [1.73 Mb].

---

2) The car I drive, a leased 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer ES [245 kb]. That is my regular parking spot, on the front yard of the house, it is not in the middle of nowhere.

---

We were learning about aquatic ecosystems in biology this week, and the class seems to have acquired all of their knowledge from Stephen Hillenburg's cartoon.

"Does anyone know what plankton are?"
"A tiny green organism with one eye!"

"What is the name we give to the ocean floor?"
"Bikini Bottom!"

Only in America.

We had our monthly staff meeting. I was overwhelmed with plans and benefits to sign up for regarding medical, dental, vision, prescriptions and all. Sign up for a health-care credit card! In Canada, you don't pay for these sorts of things, they're usually included as a "benefits package" when you are hired.

After the "presentation", we had pizza and pop as a treat. The pizza delivery was a little late because the store was robbed earlier today.

Well, I have been in the United States for one whole month. Hurray! I still not have seen any guns yet, despite being close to the Fort Bragg military base.

This weekend marked the first in four where I didn't go further than Fayetteville. Shopping for the essentials this weekend at Wal-Mart: milk, juice, bread, pre-packaged dinners, cereal, soap.

I am continually learning new things about my profession; I have acquired more skills in this past month than I have in fourteen weeks of student teaching in Edmonton. I have my own mentor teacher, a special program for initially licensed teachers, and plenty of opportunities for professional development. It's a lot of work, but I'm surviving.

The image above was submitted to a recent worth1000.com contest for mythical creatures in our everyday lives. I thought this one was among the best.