15 miles on the Erie Canal

Today was surreal! I slept late, got Up and ate breakfast, did lesson plans and Skyped. Then shortly before 2 I went out to fill up my 5 liter water bottle before I was to meet Sonia at 2. I had checked the sign on the door of Amigo Miguel again and she had checked the website. Both said that it would be opened at 2, and we wanted to eat lunch there before going to the game. We get to Amigo Miguel at about 2:15, and , surprise, surprise, the door is locked. So we just headed straight downtown on the 37 bus to grab a bite at Aroma Cafe before the basketball game. I notice that there’s piped-in music in the background as I’m eating another great salad there. All of a sudden my ears perk up. I’ll be damned if the Erie Canal song isn’t playing over the loudspeakers in English. The lady even sang two verses. Who would have thought that “15 miles on the Erie Canal” would have been worthy for Muzak in Kazan, Russia. Also while we’re sitting there, Sonia checked the Amigo Miguel website again and realizes she just hadn’t scrolled down far enough to see the new opening times. Why don’t they remove the sign from the door then and the old schedule from the website?! But we figure we can catch it after the volleyball game next Friday because that stadium is really close to us and it will be a short walk to AM on the way home. So, we walk back to the Basket-hall from Aroma Cafe and Emma and Fouad meet us there. The game is good. Very exciting and we are leading by 12. I look way up in the stands on the other side and there’s someone holding up a flag from former East Germany! The country stopped existing in the 90s! It seemed like “back to the future” day for me with that and the Erie Canal song. And it seems that having long hair must be a requirement for the cheerleaders here. Tattoos are optional, however. AND, Sonia caught a t-shirt from the t-short cannon which wasn’t working, so a cheerleader had to throw it by hand. Who cares how she got it. It’s a great souvenir. And I took more than 11,000 steps today. I don’t think I mentioned yet that my good friend gave me a pedometer for Christmas and I’ve been checking how much I walk everyday since I can’t get out on my bike. when I only go to school and then come straight home, I have between 6,000 and 7,000 each day. When I go into town or to the pool or post office, I easily surpass my goal of 10,000. I want to stay in decent shape and keep my weight stable. I’m going to start a unit with the kids now about transportation. They can learn the words for car, train, etc., and well make traffic lights. They should have fun with this. And by the way, it’s snowing again.