DV for Teachers

But it isn’t David Warlick’s fault. I deliberately jumped into this workshop hoping to learn more about PHP so I could do more with weblogs, specifically those on WordPress. We just finished working through basic instructions for inserting pre-defined variables in a web page; next is creating links to the index page, carring our new variables with it. After that (likely after lunch) is Forms. And it’s going to work, but I have to flounder in the deep end before I swim smoothly. Joy!

As Sergeant Gray would say, “This is so cool.”

Made it. The presenter, David Warlick, will be leading us, and we’re waiting for another couple of buses. Transport problems at a conference like this, on the first morning, can be difficult to overcome. After registration, we walked down to the bus area, and … there was nobody to guide us to the buses. They were all across the street, on the other side of the buses, where we couldn’t see them. Hmph. They’ll improve that, but it was a rocky start.

David is starting now, so I’ll post during a break about this workshop.——-

Made it in a couple of hours ago, and my room wasn’t ready here at the Comfort Inn Penn’s Landing (made less grumpy by free speedy wireless, thanks very much), so I took a walk in search of lunch. Things didn’t look promising. The hotel looks our on a busy divided 6-lane street between it and the Delaware River. From the ground floor here there’s little to see except for the huge bridge spanning the river a few blocks north, and some buildings blocking the view of the river itself and across the way, New Jersey.

I walked a couple of blocks down an unappealing concrete stretch of Christopher Columbus Boulevard, jay-walked over to Penn’s Landing proper, and found an Irish Festival going on. Not a huge turnout, but things began to look up. I was sorely tempted by the beer tents, but no lunch yet and the prospect of a long wait for my room kept me from them. I crossed over I-95 on Chestnhet back into a neighborhood with a mix off yuppie-looking condos, ethnic restaurants including Afghan and Indian and Irish, as well as philly cheese and pizza. Ate a “Sonoma burger” at Anjou, a nicely appointed restaurant and sushi bar. Jin wins waitron honors for the day.

Walked back north on 2nd Street, found two used book stores. The Book Trader had the requisite sleeping cat and a bonus reading space upstairs overlooking the street adorned with fresh flowers. Nice.

Making sure I knew how to get back there easily, I continued north to the route my airport-hotel shuttle driver took, to Race Street to cross back over to the hotel. Encountered Elfreth’s Alley, a row of brick houses dating from the late 1700s to the 1830s, continually lived in all that time. I only took a quick walk through, but it looked very historical.

Back to the Comfort Inn, to the semi-comfortable lobby and the ongoing wait for my room. E just called suggesting I ask for some breakfast comps. Good idea.

I’m getting antsy because I need to get to the convention center to see about tomorrow morning’s workshop. Rrrrggh.——-