Tag: Firsts

First day of school?

The kids in my neighborhood started back to school late last week. I can’t remember first days of grade school anymore – although first days at college are like yesterday!

When I was in grade school, we didn’t start back to school until after Labor Day so the idea of going back to school in mid-August would have freaked me out back then. My family usually took our vacations in mid/late August so going back to school this early would have caused all kinds of family drama!

Mostly I remember being excited about having a new 3 ring binder, new pencils/pens and new clothes. I still love having new office supplies – do you suppose that’s an echo of loving those new school year supplies?

My first day at college was really memorable. I had 3 roomies my first year at BGSU so that first day was all about figuring out how we were all going to live together. We didn’t get to meet prior to showing up on campus so there was a lot of discussion about how to arrange furniture, who would get what desk and what closet and meeting everyone on the hall. Could NOT have been more exciting for me – I’d never had a roommate before let alone 3! Then figuring out where classes were, how the cafeteria worked, applying for my on-campus jobs and of course working out where it was best to hang out!

I remember going for a walk around campus my first night at BGSU with one of my roomies. She was from the east coast and couldn’t figure out why I kept saying hi to people. Finally, she just asked me – do you KNOW all these people? And I laughed – I thought everyone just said hi to everyone! The difference between a Midwesterner and an East Coaster maybe?

But this is a good time of year to take stock and remember those firsts. I’m hoping to be rejoining the work force soon and having an adult version of the first day of school. Wish me luck!

Return to format!

Given how slow my job search is going, I think it’s time to return to the real format for Learn or Do – so starting today, I’m going back to the original themed content by day and cutting back on the focus on job search. I feel like it has gotten repetitive – and that’s BORING! LOL!

So it’s apropos that today is Monday – it’s the first day of return to format which fulfills the Monday theme of firsts. So let’s remember as well, that the original purpose of this blog was to try to prompt my readers (and myself) to learn or do something new every day.

So here’s a fun first I bet you didn’t know – on March 18, 1662, the first public bus service started in Paris. The bus service was called Carosses a Cinq Sous and was meant to try to relieve traffic in Paris during the reign of Louis XIV. Famous mathematician Blaise Pascal was one of the instigators for the service – who better than a mathematician to recognize the problems of traffic?

There were 5 routes for the carriages with a published schedule. The carriages were staffed by a driver and a footman and could carry up to 8 passengers. However, soldiers, pages, and other liveried men were barred from riding in the carriages “to assure the greater comfort and freedom of the bourgeois and meritous classes.” Remember, Europe of the 1600’s was very class stratified so as unfair as this might seem to us today, it was a fact of life then.

Want to know more about Carosses a Cinq Sous or Blaise Pascal? Check out these links!