Looking back on day 1

MONDAY: Meet & Greet

10-11: Intro and chat with the Staff in the Red Room and Tour of the place.

I arrived early enough to get a metered parking space next to the school and shuffled on in. A few people were already there. I draped my jacket onto the back of a chair in a room that leaves no guess work as to its designation; The Red Room. Cherry red walls, ceiling, and carpet with black modern-styled furniture... this is the meeting room. I venture down the hall to a kitchenette with coffee brewing and an array of donuts and ceramic mugs waiting to be claimed. Other people started making their way inside and towards the kitchen. Some are recognized by their profile pics on Facebook, most engage in a handshake, name, and program track at Salt; then hoping to remember the other persons name after the exchange. The enthusiasm is thick in the air and the kitchen fills with gab. People waiting and the coffee is not done just yet, but that doesn't stop some from pouring a weaker cup from the large chrome urn. As the kitchenette fills people pour out into the hallway. Somehow the other males attending gravitate towards each other. There are 5 out of 30 and the odds don't really come to mind as much as we joke about why is it males tend to herd together in larger clusters. Soon we are all herded into the red room and introduced to the staff. Donna Galluzzo is the Executive Director. She conducts the majority of this mornings briefing with a thoroughness and succinctness evident of prior performances. Mandy Morrish handles the academic and community affairs. Christine Heinz handles IT, marketing, and financial affairs. After general introductions of the staff, we went around the room introducing ourselves. Then the fun rigmarole of going over policy stuff and getting various logistical paperwork out of the way. Not long after mentioning, "in case of a fire...", the fire alarm goes off and everyone vacates out and across the street. Glad I took my coat with me, there was a bit of a windy bite in the air for a sunny day. Someone else didn't, so I offered my scarf. Who knows how long we will be out there. Standing around wondering what is going on, five firetrucks arrived and one extended its ladder to the roof. After an uneventful wait we were let back inside unaware of what set off the alarm in the first place. We took a tour and got a feel for the layout. Afterward, a group of students got together for lunch and we walked down to O'Natural to continue our conversations and inquiries about each other.

till next time,
Shane... Radio