Road Trip 2018 Day 2

Day 2 started out so foggy and ethereal. 

Somewhere out there are the beautiful mountains and valleys of West Virginia.

At the first rest stop in West Virginia, the outside vending machines were all caged up!

It was so peaceful and scenic.  Me and the moms stood looking at the big map trying to figure out which rest stop we were at because there was no "You Are Here" arrow. A nice young bearded man with a smooth southern voice started pointing out where we were. I wish we could have stayed and talked longer. Or, rather, stayed and listened to him talk. And later we'd find out that perhaps Cheryl should have stopped to talk with him too!

We had passed this combo earlier. The back of the trailer was held together with a thin rope, and the Cherokee was so sacked out I'm surprised the hitch wasn't bottoming out. 

The fog stayed with us most of the day.  Little did we know, because Cheryl wasn't with us when the nice local was giving us a map tour, that we had actually missed the turn off. I didn't know we were going to be leaving the Interstate for a state road to see a fabulous gorge. We probably wouldn't have had much of a view, and the route we took was quite a bit longer (think: we would have taken the hypotenuse to go see the gorge, but the way we went was the A and B sides of the triangle).

Instead, we were taking a longer route, and going through the capitol, Charleston, W. Va is not at all the same as the other Charleston. Rather dingy, the fog made it surreal and the capitol dome was the only bit of colour. 

 This rest stop was awesome. The sink units had soap, water, and a hand dryer which doubled as a shelf!! They were so cool and the only place we saw them. The rest stops are not at all like the OnRoute stops in Ontario.

We wished the rest stops/welcome centres had plant plaques. 

 Going into the first of two tunnels!

I think this was near where I77 crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway

The sun was trying to peek through as we crested the hills and crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway. I would love to do the BRP from one end to the other some day. 

Earlier in the day we had seen a billboard for a "Beef Jerky Outlet" and thought, That's interesting, wonder what it is.

Well, what it is is a chain of 100+ stores that specialize in beef and other jerkies. We stopped at the next one in Lewisburg, WV. The ladies were SOOO nice. If you do this trip, stop in! Samples, and information, and lots and lots to  choose from. Even though we paid separately, they gave us the multi-item discount! I bought Cherry Maple Beef. So yummy! 

Then we went across the road to try Bojangles. We each got something different to try. I liked the spicier chicken, but there wasn't' enough in the salad. Cheryl had the spicier tenders as her meal and liked them but said later she had heartburn and tummy issues. The sausage on a biscuit was good. Everyone liked the biscuit. The seasoned fries were good, but overall, everything seemed a little salty. A couple fries were okay, but by the end, we were salted out.

A lovely welcome center as you enter North Carolina. Beautiful gardens. 

A beautiful rainbow appeared with this American flag

The South Carolina welcome center was large and nice...but closed. The washrooms were open and the wifi was on.

Our must-reach destination was Columbia. They had warned us at the North Carolina welcome centre that Charlotte could be slow because it is a "big city" of 850. "850 Thousand?" I asked. Yes. Okay, we're used to dealing with Toronto with 3+ MILLION and no good bypass. This would be a piece of cake. It ended up that a combination of rain, Friday rush hour and construction made it quite a slow trip through the city (the GPS told us to stay on the interstate through the city, not the loop highway around it). We really needed to get to Columbia, South Carolina. We hadn't wanted to drive much, if at all, after dark so we wouldn't miss anything. However, days are short in December and really, by this point, we were out of the mountains. We picked the Best Western Plus on Two Notch Road. Not the best location...

Girls Road Trip 2018

In 1980 my parents took my brother and I to Florida and for a week we stayed at a condo across the road from Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. At the time, they were still building Epcot Centre. There was not much else here. They went to the "come and chat with us and get a free dinner out" meal, and next thing they knew, they were the proud owners of a week at Vistana Resort.
Fast forward over the years. They barely got to use it. The area grew, the resort grew. Rob and I came here on our honeymoon in 1997 but that was the last time I was here. My younger brother and his partner Cheryl have been twice, 2008 and 2016.

Cheryl planned to come back this year and bring her mom. Then she invited my mom, who is good friends with her mom (Nicki). Then I sort of invited myself because she forgot to LOL.

I had a Christmas concert on Dec 1 with my community band, so I considered flying down on the 2nd (check in was on the 1st). I watched the prices as during the summer I have no job and I hadn't found out if I actually got the supply teaching job. Eventually I got my acceptance but the flight had increased so eventually I decided to come on the roadtrip with them.

I spent Wednesday night with the ladies at Cheryl's house, so we could leave at 4:30am. Well....Cheryl was sound asleep with ear plugs in and didn't wake up till almost 5. Then there was a conflict with her downstairs neighbour. We finally left at 5:50am.

This is what I intended to take, plus my "in car" bag:

This is what I actually took:

I did manage to fit the polka dot bag into the GoodLife bag, and I sat on my seat cushion. However, I had a few more bags for the trip home LOL.

We hit the road, and stopped just before the Fort Erie border. Then again at the Duty Free, where I got some lesser strength reading glasses to wear with my contacts. Then we crossed over and not long after stopped again.

This is the rest stop south west of Buffalo. You park over at the right side and walk across an enclosed pedestrian bridge to the rest stop in the middle of the Interstate. The bridge was cold. 

So much snow through New York and Pennsylvania. Apparently they just had a big snow storm.

We made it to Weston, West Virginia, which was about an hour further than our "must reach" point. We were on the highway and the view was not great

Wal-mart, a Sheriff, and fun traffic to watch. We went to Wal-Mart for some shopping and people watching LOL. Our moms were quite fascinated by the local "culture". They were amazed at how different Americans seemed to be, especially in such a small town. Our towns of similar size (4100 people) do not have Wal-Marts. And while we don't have free dental care here, since health care is covered, perhaps we just place greater emphasis on general well being, including dental care. Just speculating. I can see that if you are making minimum wage, affording any type of health care would be a challenge so taking care of your teeth is probably not a priority.  As always, the locals were friendly, funny and helpful. I love West Virginia and really want to come back for another holiday here. Rob and I spent a few days here in 1995 and I've wanted to come see more ever since!

Second Day of Work!

Two days after my first day, I got a morning call for "Instrumental Music" at a school in the next city over. I was pumped! I had put together my lunch the night before, my bag was ready, I was in the zone. I looked up the school's website and read about it. Smaller, older school with a high number of transient students. Okay, I can cope with that.

I get there and get sent to a portable. Fine for a shy person like me. I don't remember the exact schedule, but at one point I had to go to the neighbouring portable to pick up a grade 6 class. I was to remind them to bring their class laptops (the grade above them, also working on the same assignment, had board-issued Chromebooks). I remind them, I see them, we walk back to the portable. I hand out the sheets and explain the assignment, and get

"Do you have a pencil?" x 25.

What the?

"You didn't remind us to bring a pencil!"

Are you kidding me?!

My response?

"I didn't remind you to put on shoes either but you figured that one out."

Grade 6's, and they were surprised they might need a pencil.

Apparently though, I did not learn my lesson. Later in the afternoon I had to go upstairs (man, this was a hodgepodge school. Bizarre layout due to many additions) and bring down a grade 4 class. We got to the portable, I got them doing their work, and same thing! No one had a pencil. Someone went back to their classroom and their teacher found them a box of pencils so they wouldn't have to go through all the desks.

Unsharpened pencils.

We found two pencil sharpeners (one was mine but I think I left it there). However, do you know how much work actually got done in the 30 minute period?  That 30 minutes has to include travel time.   They were working on labelling a picture of a ukulele. They had nothing to tell them what any part was though, just the part names to write on a sticky note and stick on to the picture. Sticky notes do not stay sticky all that long and many of them looked less done by the end of class than before they came in.

A kid in one of the morning classes started talking to me about his love of music and playing drums/bass/piano. He seemed to be a bit of a metal head loner and asked if he could still come in at lunch like he normally does. I said sure. We had a great chat while he played a bit. I didn't know most of the bands he talked about but I could see his enthusiasm and that he needed that interaction. And it meant I didn't have to go sit in the staff room alone.

I had a last period prep, so I was ready to go when the bell rang. Of course, I waited a few minutes so I didn't look so eager to get out of there. I went to the office to return the key and chatted with the secretary for a few minutes. I noticed a very large binder (4") labelled "Court Orders and Permissions". I had never seen that before. I know you have to list the people allowed to pick up your child, but other than kindergarten, kids are usually just let outside. There might be a teacher on duty at the doors to keep an eye on things, or in a kiss and ride, but they don't have any way of checking the legality of every pick up. It really saddened me and I went home, very grateful to not be included in a binder like that.

First Day of Work!

As soon as my info had gotten entered into the Board's programs, I started getting a few calls. The first was an advance call, for secondary school instrumental music!! How funny, that less than a year after being told I didn't have enough experience to be hired to the secondary panel, I get my first job and its secondary. AND instrumental music. I hadn't done secondary music since Feb 1995. I don't even know where my baton is. I was frightened. It was also a school I had never been too, very large and scary.

I got there early, and thankfully the office was great, the plans were great, and there was another music teacher to help fill me in. The teacher had left details for both a music sub and a non music sub. By golly though, I was a music sub! The first class was grade 9. They were incredibly silent. It was still fairly early in September, and I think they were still in shock. I got to experience a high school prep period, 75 minutes. And then there was a grade 11 class. That was fun, especially the student who told me they were way more advanced than anyone else in the school band, because of taking lessons for so long. Then another grade 9 class. Again they were very quiet!

I easily survived my first day back! Though it wasn't really 'back' since I had actually never done secondary supply before! I almost felt bad for earning my pay. Where was the mischief, the foul mouths, the crazy happenings I heard from other OTs?!

Oh, I spoke too soon.....

What's Happening?

I know this blog doesn't get the same love as my other blog. Having a better phone now, and posting to Facebook, has done away with a lot of the things I would have written here about. I'd really like to get back to posting here on a regular basis, especially after all the changes from the past year!

What changes? My job! I wrote about it on my knitting blog, but I'll fill you in here too.

Near the end of June 2017, I finally submitted my application to the local school board for supply teaching (officially called "occasional teacher" here, it's also known as substitute teacher). I had heard it could take a while before hearing anything. Then October came and right before we were leaving for our cruise, I applied to two daycare jobs. They weren't really a good fit for me/my family but I was actually offered both jobs. I turned them down. I had a sense that there was something better out there.

On Nov 13 I received an email asking if I'd like to interview for the secondary supply list. Duh! Yeah! Had the interview on Nov 24, and on Tuesday Nov 28 while signing in for lunch supervision job, I got a phone call telling me I wasn't successful (not enough experience--very true for the secondary position, but the interviewers implied that I was also being considered for elementary), but I could be added to the "Emergency Supply Roster". I could not reapply for the  daily list for 12 months.

What's that? It's different in each board, but here, you get assigned to one school (you can suggest schools or an area you'd prefer). In the morning, after 7am, if there are any unfilled jobs at your school, you get called. You can also be called during the day, for the afternoon. In this board, you must be a certified teacher, and you are paid the same rate as the other supply teachers. Towards the end of the school year, you are guaranteed another interview, usually with the administration (principal and vice principal of your school) and are almost always successful at getting on the daily list.

I went to my sign up session (where you fill in your info for human resources and provide the criminal reference check) on Friday Dec 1. For my suggested schools,  I put down the one I was working as a lunch supervisor at. On the Monday afternoon, I got confirmation that would be my school! I had planned to go in for lunch supervision the next day and "introduce" myself as the new emergency supply. But on Tuesday morning I got a call from the secretary asking if I could work that afternoon!

I had no "teacher bag" prepared, no tricks or plans, nothing! She gave me the choice of a 2/3 English, or a grade 6 French Immersion. Well, I took the English one LOL.

Work was really steady most weeks. One FI teacher was having a serious house issue and I got to know her class really well--many of the kids came to the school in grade 1 when FI starts, so I didn't know them in kindie. Then there was another FI class who's teacher had gone on leave, and they couldn't find anyone to replace them. That poor class struggled for several months. Because there was a shortage of French teachers, many of my days were in FI classes. I really enjoyed my days, and it was fun getting to know the teachers as co-workers. Many were surprised I was actually a certified teacher and had been working as a lunch supervisor. Due to government regulations, the hiring process is really ...regulated and there's a process to go through from daily supply to long term occasional (LTO), to eventually permanent. In the last few years, the process was taking up to 7-10 years for most non-French teachers. If I hadn't been doing lunch supervision, I wouldn't have had the references to even apply for supply work.

Towards the end of the school year, it really slowed down. These weeks, I really wished I could select my own jobs. And I hated on some days I'd get the call and I'd have to say "no". I finally got my interview on the second last day of school.

I didn't hear anything until August 14! It felt like forever. I had to go for another sign up session, but not until Aug 27. In the meantime, I applied for a 0.6 LTO which included junior and senior music. I had an interview on Aug 24. What this meant was you'd be working 60% of the week, which could be 3 full days, or 2 full days and two half days, or 1 full day and four half days...and at the interview, they didn't know exactly what the schedule would be until they hired the person. And school started on Sept  4. They said they'd let me know either way, but actually they never did (unless I missed a call, but they could have emailed). It really was more of a job than I wanted to start with, but still a good opportunity to interview!

At our sign up session we were told it would be about two weeks to receive our email address (which we already had since most of us had been emergency supplies) and get entered into the system, which we already were sort of, due to being emergency supplies. However, after two weeks, we were still waiting. We thought it would be a quick and easy transfer. There had been a massive hiring spree at the end of the summer and they were extremely behind. Through a FB group, I found out there was a LTO opening at the school I had been emergency supply. The posting was closing in a couple days. I emailed HR and said "It'd be a shame if I can't apply to an internal job that I'm qualified for because of administrative delays". I got my info the next day. I applied to the job (it was still in the internal employee listing process--the other job had gone "external")...but never heard anything!! I know who got it though and I'm happy for her. But jealous still LOL!

Finally, I got my first call. It was an advance call, and high school MUSIC!! Holy Smokes. Just throw me right in there!

Some weeks have been good, with 2 days, usually booked in advance or the night before. I've only had one "day of" call--mainly because I realize I can't cope with the anxiety of the phone in the morning. Some weeks have been quite slow. One week I had a half day.

Other FB group members say this has been an extremely slow year. There used to be lots of jobs posted in the evening to "shop" from. Now, everything is assigned through the call out procedure and nothing makes it to the job board. Hopefully it picks up soon! I've had some great days, and some not-so-great days and I hope to write more about my experiences. Right now, I have to go wrap Lucy's birthday presents! She turns 16 today!!!!

Chip Truck Review: Bancroft Kawartha Dairy

Edit to add: The Burger Bus has been changed to "Hillbilly Diner". Totally new structure (I think). It looks less hillbilly than the old place. I could see a sign with "$5 Menu" so I think it could still be the same owners. Hopefully we'll get to check it out soon.


Every parent that has ever driven into Bancroft up Highway 28 has experience the annoying backseat demands once the first Kawartha Dairy billboard is in view. 7km! Every time we've stopped, we always say "we should try the chip truck." I was bringing the kids up on my own this past Friday and when we saw the long line up at the Dairy, we headed over to the chip truck. It's actually called Burgers & More. Cash only!

My pictures are a little out of order and I can't seem to change the order on my phone.
The poutine was a little pricey, we felt. Yes, there were cheese curds, but over all, they were just ho-hum. Soft fries--I think because they closed the lid. We got the Regular/Small--$6.95!

Skippy wanted in on the cheesey action

They looked promising!

The onion rings were actually very good. They could possibly have been fresh made. They were much skinnier than the PC Frozen ones from Miss Crispie's. A man ordered two orders of fries right after us and his were ready quite quick, and while we were also getting a bacon cheeseburger, I don't know how that would delay our order so much. These rings were $3.95. I would get these again. 

The menu is quite extensive, and they have another board with $5 deals. Overall, our meal was a little pricey, even without the burger. Megan got chicken nuggets and she said they were really good (they looked like McDonald's nuggets to me).

There is a covered seating area, but the benches look a little sketchy. We sat at a picnic table with an umbrella, and there is also a little gazebo (but no pets allowed in it). 

Chip Truck Review: Mr GoodChip

Edit to add: The last time I drove along Taunton Rd I noticed this truck was gone. If you know where it's moved to, let me know.

This is a brand new truck in Oshawa and has a lot going for it. Fresh, very clean inside, there's great parking, a Porta-Potty (didn't check it out), clean and new tables with umbrellas. Just no onion rings. Located on the north side of Taunton Rd, between Garrard Rd and Thorton Rd, at "The Barn" next to the big pool store.

I get the feeling he's not entirely committed to the menu yet. That's okay though! Look how clean everything is. I nearly tried the blooming onion petals, but I knew my kids wouldn't eat any so I'll wait for when I'm with Rob. The two sizes of burgers are nice. Oh, I didn't see the coleslaw! You can tell a lot about a food establishment by their coleslaw!

Wowzers. Look at the size of those fries! Thick! And real cheese curds! The gravy was thick and rich. The girls thought it tasted like chunky beef soup, but I think that's a good thing actually.

Halfway down was another layer of cheese and gravy. There was no cheese shortage here!! Which upset Hugh cause he doesn't like cheese on his fries and usually picks around the edges and at the bottom. The cheese was so stringy, it was ooey, gooey messy and yummy. I will say I thought the fries could use another minute or two and most of my testers agreed--even though they like them pale. They were not crispy fries.

Look at how pretty and smooth the table is. The umbrella has solar lights too. Mr Goodchip obviously knows what people want, and it's the little things that can make the experience good. The ambience...well, it's Taunton Rd. You can watch small planes coming/going to the Oshawa Airport, and traffic watch. A little noisy but not too bad. We will definitely check it out again and hopefully he's added onion rings :)