On this historic day, if you are reading this before 8 p.m. and you haven’t voted, go vote! Your vote counts.

Today will go down in history. Over the weekend, an historic event in sporting was experienced here in NYC, the New York Marathon. I was able to watch Paula Radcliffe breeze her way to her second consecutive win and third overall win in the New York marathon. As I watched along Central Park South, I was proud to see a first-time marathoner and a New Yorker, Kara Goucher, take third place.

Last week, I had the pleasure to speak to the Pass Bureau Association in Newport, RI at their annual conference on the topic of “Going Green.” I chose to focus on awareness and going green in tourism, as well as the effects corporations and individuals have on each other. Like your vote, everything you do to help the environment, large or small, makes a difference. The conference was a great gathering of dedicated people in the industry. Everyone was able to discuss key current events affecting the industries through successful networking sessions.

As the conference came to a close, delegates had the opportunity to share some laughs and fun on the Newport Dinner Train. I didn’t know what to expect but was pleased as we experienced not only beautiful scenery but unexpected entertainment as well.

We went on the dinner train on Halloween. As we boarded, I couldn’t help but notice three characters on board - a flesh-eating prisoner, a dead bride and a nearly dead maid. The train sat tables of four on both sides of an aisle. I sat with delegates from California, Wyoming and India. All three actors were dressed in costume, and their acting was nearly too good for me!

We all realized, rather quickly, that the dead maid took a strong liking to me. Even though I played along, I told my tablemates that if she served my food, I would not be eating it. She continued to make me uncomfortable, but, I have to admit, she was funny with her innuendos. At one point she whispered things in my ear which made me blush - for the whole table to see! Even though these characters were not waiters and waitresses, they would pitch in every now and then to help the busy waitstaff. We caught the maid carrying a tray of drinks. She was so concentrated on not spilling them, she finally broke character. We all had a good laugh, and I breathed a sigh of relief!

I left the train on friendly terms with the maid. I had to compliment her acting skills, as I learned she took a liking to other conference members, too. In the end, we all had a good laugh. The dinner train was a success as I bonded with my tablemates (mostly at my expense). We had a great time at the conference, and I had a Halloween I will never forget!

-Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Last night we attended the wedding reception of our goddaughter, Laura. It was a large gathering, and we found ourselves seated at a table with a number of people who, over 35 years ago, had attended the same high school within two or three years of each other. Most hadn’t been acquainted at the time they actually attended school, but in the course of the evening they all found connections to each other through shared friendships and family members. Because I was a spouse, I was not at all familiar with the people being discussed, but I listened with interest to the way vivid memories of so-long-ago were shared.

One thread of the conversation especially drew me in. At one point the folks around the table discussed teachers they remembered and had in common. Whereas earlier they might have had difficulty recalling a classmate’s or neighbor’s name, they all instantly came  up with that favorite fourth grade teacher or the second grade teacher who “was really mean.” It reminded me yet again of the position teachers have in our lives, and the power just one individual can have over the way a child responds to his or her entire educational experience. A great teacher can inspire a child with confidence and wonder; one who is “really mean” (doesn’t like kids, the job or the subject matter) can batter a student’s belief in himself and make him hate school and learning.

It also got me to recalling my grade school teachers–the good and the bad. I found I, too, had little difficulty recalling details from those early classroom days. There was Mrs. Gilbert, our fifth-grade teacher who stood apart from the rest of the parochial school staff in part because she was not a nun; in fact, she wasn’t even Catholic! She was a warm, motherly soul, though, and her love of her students shone through, even when she was disciplining us. She made science and history interesting and fun to a girl who had never liked either before. Another favorite was Sr. Jacinta Marie. She was one of the youngest nuns at the school; looking back, I’d guess she must have been in her twenties at the time, and we had been used to much older ladies in habits who didn’t seem at all like us. She had quite a formal and even stern demeanor in the classroom and had no difficulty in maintaining order over her 35 students. There were times, though, when a playful side of her would shine through the twinkle in her eye and the lilting brogue of her Irish accent. I remember a rainy lunchtime when we were confined inside, and she began juggling three oranges with the ease of a circus performer. That was certainly a sight none of us had ever seen before–a juggling nun!!

I’ll bet every one of you has more than a few stories of teachers, good and bad, that come quickly to mind. Care to share a few?

 Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

I was catching up with friends last week after most of our kids had headed back to school. We were sharing stories of the summer jobs just completed, and I realized that in some ways things have not changed much since my college friends and I were working through the summers to help pay our school bills. I really can’t think of anyone I knew then or have met since that didn’t have to contribute to their higher education by working an assortment of less-than-glamorous jobs that would ultimately have little to do with their chosen careers (except for paying for the degrees required for those careers).

We all have stories of the miserable bosses, lazy co-workers, impossible conditions, long hours, rotten pay and ungrateful public we dealt with during the “breaks” from school. All of that seemed so much worse when we could look back with longing to just a few years earlier, when we were too young (or worthless) for anyone to hire us during those lovely summer days. How we pined for all that freedom we had so carelessly frittered away. (Ah, to be able to sigh/whine, “Mom, I’m bored!” once again!) Truth be told, though, whenever I hear people sharing their summer job horror stories, I can detect a certain pride in the recounting of those tales. They are told with a certain amount of relish, and the tellers often seem to be engaged in a bit of one-upmanship as to who can relate the most awful experiences.

Here’s my “worst job” story:

Because my roommate and I were treating ourselves to a mid-summer graduation trip to New York and Washington, D.C., after our senior year, our job choices were limited to those who would hire us for just a month or so at a stretch. I found a job at a food processing plant where a variety of fruits and vegetables were prepared for canning and freezing. My first day on the job, armed with ear plugs, hairnet, rubber apron and gloves and a wicked-looking curved knife, found me on the beet line. Now, growing up in a large family, we did not have the luxury of being picky eaters, but I definitely drew the line at beets. Now I was confronted by a conveyor belt full of FOOTBALL-sized (I am seriously not kidding!), parboiled, steaming, smelly purple beets which I was to inspect and cut out any “blemishes” (black, rotten parts). The odor was bad enough, but did you know that you can get motion-sickness from watching a belt of vegetables rolling past you? Oh, yes.

I don’t recall what job they gave me for the rest of that day, but I do know that I followed the company nurse’s advice to take Dramamine before coming to work from then on.

 Okay–now let’s hear you top that one!

 Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Last week I saw a story about some private colleges and the University of Maryland this year handing out “free” iPhones or iPod Touch devices to some of their students (any parent who has ever written a tuition check understands that the concept of “free” and anything related to their child’s education is dubious, at best).

 Spokesmen for the schools explained the move, stating that, among other things, it would allow for improved security (in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy) by allowing for a quick and accurate way to reach students with vital information. The technology was also being touted for its ability to help students maintain contact with professors regarding assignments and grades, do research and respond to surveys. It has also been suggested by some that participating schools may simply be trying to elevate their images as “cool”, cutting-edge institutions.

In searching for details on the story, I learned that while the hardware may be given to the students, they must pay for the monthly service fees. Also, the University of Maryland at least is emphasizing that theirs is a pilot program designed to answer specific questions about how both professors and students can integrate the new technology into the classroom, as well as enhancing safety and time management.

Nevertheless, there are concerns for misuse of the phones and the distractions they will cause. It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were hearing about colleges handing out PCs to incoming freshmen, and what a novel and even extreme move that seemed to be. I would imagine that, given a few years, we will wonder what all of the fuss over this latest issue was all about. Professors will still need to be engaging and informative in the lecture hall (if not, students have ALWAYS found ways to be distracted). Students who allow themselves to play games or text their friends instead of attending to their studies are the same ones who, 10 or 20 or 50 years ago, would have found some other way to goof off. And, finally, the “outside” world and its latest technologies and demands will be there waiting when the student leaves school and has to work in and survive that environment, whether they’ve been held at bay outside the ivy-covered walls or not. Better that those tools be invited in, studied and put to creative, positive uses than treated as a threat to the educational process.

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Doesn’t it always seem like the day of a trip things begin to go wrong? Murphy’s Law creeps up and timelines get delayed, travel is impeded by weather or other delays, things happen at work or personally that make you wonder if you are even going to make the planned journey? I am experiencing a bit of Murphy’s Law today.

I finally had a small overnight trip to my alma mater, Syracuse University, planned. Nothing elaborate, just a chance to get away for the night, show some friends my old stomping grounds and see a basketball game (I am a HUGE SU basketball fan, probably stemming from my freshmen year when Carmelo Anthony and the Orange won the NCAA tournament). The tickets arrived in the mail weeks ago (possible crisis one diverted), my traveling companions were scheduled off work (possible crisis two diverted), the hotel was booked and we got a great rate - with everything going right I should have known somewhere things would get thrown off track. The basketball team was even doing pretty great and the match up against Marquette was shaping up to be a great Big East game. AND for once, the weather in Syracuse was predicted to be snow free!

Flash forward to today - I woke up this morning with all my stuff together and a plan to leave at 6 p.m. Then, I found out, we were down a person (and stuck with a nonrefundable ticket), another friend was facing roadbock after roadblock at work that would be sure to delay our departure and weather.com has issued a winter storm advisory for the whole Syracuse area. Of course! But, hopefully tonight we conquer Murphy’s Law and find a replacement, leave on time and have a great trip!

 -Kimberly Krol, circulation and public relations executive