First day (night) of class

Image via Wikipedia

Typical media weather drama - "Severe Weather Alert - Icy Road Conditions."

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 5:15 p.m., I-90 was fine. It was salted and okay on the way home at 9 p.m.

I digress.

Dusk. Interior shot. Camera follows main character (me) as she enters the off-campus building. The only section of Health Sciences Biology that was open when I registered is held 20 miles from home. At night.

With close to $200 in shrink-wrapped Biology books in hand, I sit down at the back of the room. Look around. A wide range of ages. Yeah. It's cool. I'm cool. I'm wearing Billibong.

But hey, what am I DOING in a room that is outfitted as a science lab?

This is different. Suddenly I realize, I'M different. Who I always was, but now also who I wasn't.

I am listening to the instructor's overview of the syllabus. He broadly discusses what we will be covering and shows us this online resource called "Blackboard" where we can track our grades, find resources and more. He tries to ease any performance anxiety with assurances that we're all starting out with the same number of points. Show up for lab and participate - an automatic 10 points. Exams - 50 points. Do the reading and follow the yellow highlighting in his PowerPoint slides and you can keep most of those points. Turn in a completed lab book at the end of the course - more points.

He's enthusiastic.

My mind wanders in and out of present time as he discusses blood typing of bobcats to trap poachers, trillium-munching white-tailed deer, the gene that causes Tay Sachs, recent additions to the periodic table of elements. Science is changing all the time, he says.

He's got my interest. Some of this stuff looks familiar. Whatever isn't, he'll knit it together with what I do know.

Ok. I can do this.

###