This morning there was a coffee with the principal at the elementary school. I went to one previously, though during the semester it's hard to find the time. Now that semester's over, its easier to find the time, so I went. We chatted about various topics. We talked about supporting teachers learning to use technology and I made the point I always make: the first thing you need to do is make sure the teachers all have their own computers -- preferably a laptop they can take home -- and encourage them to use it for school activities and interaction. As long as they computers are just at the side of the room, you'll never be successful getting teachers to really learn how to use them effectively and you'll have to wait until this crop of teachers dies off before you can have real change. We were talking about fun things the school could do, so I mentioned a tradition at schools when I was a kid: Fun Night. When I was a kid each year the elementary school ran a "Fun Night" celebration that was rather like a carnival. Each room would have carnival activities: the little floating ducks, ring toss, balloons, cotton candy, etc. It was great! Nowadays, we have things like the "multicultural festival" or "math night", which are nice, but they're no "Fun Night".
After the coffee, I rode my bike to the bike shop to have them work on the bottom bracket. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick it up this afternoon and ride it a bit for a day or two to make sure everything's working properly for the trip to Gettysburg. I'm not entirely happy with the bike shop -- the people I've interacted with there have been a bit dour. Not unhelpful, but not friendly either.
This morning, I ordered 
Eyes-in-the-Back-of-Your-Shirt Shirts for Phil and me. With any luck, they'll arrive before the trip so we can gather data on whether having eyes on the back of your shirt will help keep motorists at bay.
I picked up my bike -- the new bottom bracket did the trick! I'm all set for Gettysburg! I do still want to get a few more minor items: a new water bottle and cage, a spare innertube, a patch kit, and maybe a better bicycle pump. I'm vastly relieved to have the bike pedalling smoothly again.
I went a bit early to get the bike because Alisa was going that way anyway, so she dropped me off. As I came out of the store, I noticed that dark storm clouds were rolling in -- and I began to hear thunder. I decided to try to beat the storm. I made it to the Loose Stool when the storm really broke. By the time I hit North Pleasant, the rain was falling in sheets. By the time I hit the building, I was drenched. A colleague pointed out that I must have been going pretty fast, though, because I was only drenched in front. Oh, well. I'll dry.