I voted Tuesday.  I voted for hope and change.  I know that it will take more than one man and more than one day to heal the wounds in our country.  I know that change will be slow and hard.  If someone is sick, deathly ill, it can take years to recover.  I have faith that I picked the best candidate for the health of our country.  The overwhelming Obama victory shows America as a hopeful nation ready for change.  The skeptics paint him to be eloquent but inexperienced.  His campaign managed to make three major changes on election day. Red states turned blue.  Young people and minorities voted in record numbers.  A black man was elected president.  That's real change.  Let's hope for more.

While I was away at the convention, many other teachers called in for any number of reasons, leaving the school deficient in substitutes, forcing teachers to cover classes during their planning periods.  I left easy, bulletproof lesson plans for my replacements, but I might as well have left nothing at all.  None of my plans were followed to my satisfaction and the kids spent two days basically doing nothing.  I'm glad I spent all of that time writing those plans!  Thanks, school!  You're awesome!

Woke up Sunday morning with a wicked hangover.  Compounded by the effects of daylight savings time, the hangover wore off around noon and life resumed normality.  The three conference sessions I attended yesterday were very informative and interesting.  I'm looking forward to trying out some of the ideas in my classroom.  First, I went to a consumer chemistry demo lab session that offered ideas for using household chemicals in the laboratory setting.  I knew many of the demos, but they gave away a few other nice ideas on card games and extra credit activities that I will try very soon in my classroom.  After that, I attended an engaging clay modeling session presented by the vendor of an anatomical model system.  We built realistic looking skeletal muscles and I picked up a few ideas about how to teach confusing terminology to my students.  Most anatomical terminology is relative, which can be very hard to reconcile with the absolute definitions they have learned in other science classes.  The third session presented tabletop aquaponics, in which we learned how to build a DIY system merging hydroponics and aquaculture, allowing for the simultaneous cultivation of plants and raising of fish through a continuous material cycle.  It seems like a fun and interesting idea, but I do not know if I will have the abilities or facilities necessary to try it out at this time.

We went to a dinner banquet that evening and met people from all around the state.  I made a few good local contacts that I hope will help come hiring season.  We took a look at the after party, but it didn't interest us much.  We hung around a bit, checked out the "games" in the "arcade" (nerdy challenges for science teachers to puzzle out for crappy prizes), and ended up calling it a night.

Right now, I'm skipping a session I was supposed to attend.  I know, I know, I shouldn't, but it was sponsored by a company I talked to this morning and they basically explained to me what would happen in the conference session, so I decided to skip it.  It wasn't my first choice and I figured that I did not need to play a board game for 45 minutes when I could get some things done in my hotel room.  The free Wi-Fi in the hotel is a nice touch.   I don't plan on skipping any other sessions, but I needed to confess my sin.