Meine Klein Welt

Plymouth: Take 2

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Where's Waldo?Well I’m back in Plymouth now for year 2 of my Master’s program in educational technology. My cohort is much the same as last summer, but we have picked up a few fresh faces to help spice up the class. We’re halfway through week 1 now and we’re looking forward to having a lot of fun and creating some interesting projects.

Fear the power of many geeks united.

Snort, snort.

In other news, it’s cold here. I went from 27-30 degree highs in Vienna to 15 degrees and rainy. Makes me wish I’d packed more than one pair of pants. I might be forced to go shopping *shudder* for more pants if it doesn’t get warmer pretty soon.

Ok, think happy thoughts…sunshine, warmth, lunch, the Internet…that’s better.

My favorite quote this summer involved one colleague describing another as someone who understands all the “X’s and O’s” of computers. Hmmmm…That’s not the kind of binary I was expecting to learn this summer…

Helpful Online Tutorials

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One of my friends from my Master’s program in Plymouth created these really great tutorials for Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) as well as Macromedia Studio (Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks).

The site is called Quantunet, and the tutorials are really great. If you’re familiar with Atomic Learning, it’s kind of like that, but better, more extensive and easier to integrate into school curriculum.

Check it out!

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Please Feed the Cats

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feeding cats in italy

Last February in Italy I encountered what might be the most bizarre situation I’ve ever been in:

While hiking between two fishing villages in Cinque Terre, we came across a picnic table. A cat sat watch on the table and tin cans littered the ground. On a nearby tree I noticed sign posted that read, in Italian and English, “Please feed the Cats.” It was then I observed a stash of cat food and some plastic plates. Intrigued, I approached the food and picked up a can.

Immediately I was surrounded by half a dozen meowing cats. Amused, I opened a can and began searching for something to scoop the food out with. I settled on a stick. By now I was joined by Bekah, who also prepared a plate or two of food for the now 15 cats surrounding us with mews and whimpers.

We distributed the food as evenly as possible and watched the cats eat hungrily. Several times I scanned the area, looking for a house or person, or even a camera. Something or someone to explain the purpose of this little cat sanctuary. Nothing else was found other than a cash box firmly attached to the picnic table. Presumably for donations. We left smiling and a bit bewildered at what had just transpired while contented cats meandered back into the woods to await their next meal.

Click here for more pictures of our cat feeding frenzy.

February Break in Italia

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In Austria all schools get a week’s vacation in February for something they like to call Energy Break. Usually I just chill out at home for most of this break, but this year I got a cheap flight to Italy and traveled down to an area called Cinque Terre with 3 other teachers. Cinque Terre is a series of 5 old fishing villages connected by scenic trails and a train if you’re not up to walking.We were traveling during an off-peak time, so there weren’t a lot of people around, and at times it felt like we had the place to ourselves. I suppose the downside to being there off-peak is that most of the locals were on vacation and we had a lot of trouble finding even places to eat.

The scenery was amazing and it was nice to have a break from city life, if only for a few days. I had a great time, though I may hesitate to travel with three women again. 🙂 One thing I do know is I would not make a good Mormon. I mean, seriously. I can’t even keep one woman happy. What would I do with three?

For more photos from the trip click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kleinwelt/sets/72157600277903331/

Happy Birthday to Me

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My Monkey Present

Originally uploaded by kleinmat4103.
Last Friday, May 25, I turned the ripe old age of 29 for the first time. It was a festive evening filled with good food and good friends. One of the highlights of the night was a homemade pinata with the Mets’ logo on one side and Tim McCarver on the other. It was hard to know which I wanted to hit more. You can see some action shots on my Flickr site in the “My Birthday” set. If you forgot to buy me a present, don’t worry, I do accept late gifts.

Click Here For More Birthday Pictures!