Rotary Orientation Weekend

I know this post is way overdue and now that I've started my catching up posts really out of chronological order, but I did want to share a few pictures of the Rotary Scholars Weekend I attended in Tampa that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago and share one funny anecdote that actually just came full circle yesterday.  First the pictures...

The University of Tampa

The orientation weekend was held on the University of Tampa campus and considering I didn't even know the school existed until about a month ago I was really impressed with what I found.  The main admissions and administrative building of the campus was actually built in the late 19th century to serve as a hotel for the country's elite.  If you're ever in Tampa or nearby seeing the restored hotel and museum are worth the trip.  From what I gathered the rest of the campus is relatively new construction. 

 

Our seminar room, once the music hall of the old hotel.  See the balcony on the upper left... apparently that's where unmarried and unaccompanied ladies were required to sit as to preserve their reputations.  

This is a photo of my group acting out the proper way to respond to certain shall we say not quite ideal situations that could arise while we are overseas.  

Okay now for my funny story... well I think its funny, but my friend Bill told me once I wasn't great at telling jokes.  So I'm going to try, just don't get your hopes up.  Part of the weekend's purpose, I think, was to get us all comfortable with speaking in front of an audience- something I don't think I really have a problem with... except I guess when I have a topic I know nothing about, which was the case over that weekend.  So the first night we arrive, we are each give this slip of paper about the size of a fortune from a fortune cookie.  (I've always loved fortune cookies, but I don't think I'll look at those little slips of paper the same way ever again.  Okay I think we may have found the cause of my inability to tell jokes well... I can never keep on subject.  Perhaps this will all make more since if you just read it without all these random asides.)  Each slip of paper contained a  different word- some of them associated with food, others made up of too many letters to count, but each was different and probably something we hadn't encounter ever or very often.  Although one girl got the word "peanut butter" which I thought was a little unfair, especially considering my word was "pusillanimous."  For once I am totally certain I've spelled a long, unusual word correctly.  Those letters were burned in my brain as soon as I laid my eyes on them.  If you were like me, your first thought was that this had to be a joke and that this wasn't a word.  Let me assure you that it is just not one I'd run across before.  We were given the chance to change words if we wanted, but I decided to have courage and accept the card I had been dealt.  Ironically I found out later that evening from my parents that "pusillanimous" actually means "contemptuously timid."  My 3 minute "speech" went well, I think.  It was definitely not the most humorous, but I did manage to get several laughs by refusing to pronounce the word I was given and spelling it several times instead.  What makes this story funny?  Well yesterday I actually read the word in Gone with the Wind, my current summer reading material.  Its on page 478 and I quote, "But I think that pusillanimous feller, Hilton, that married Miss Cathleen knows, because he laughed kind of nasty when I tried to sound him out."  It took a second to register and then I think I just about gave my mom a heart attack when I exclaimed that I couldn't believe what I just read.  Anyway I guess having to give that speech was for some good after all.  

I hope you enjoyed the anecdote.  Please try to remember that in no way is this an audition for The Last Comic Standing.  

Just, Margaret