I haven't been good about posting

OK, so I started pretty strong with the whole blog thing. The whole idea was to chronicle our experiences here at Riverside so folks could follow along, and we would have some memories. We still have our memories, but my blog is way behind. Here's my first attempt to catch you up.

We had a great first "What's It Really Like" event. The theme was autism, and our guest was Dr. Laura Klinger from the UA psychology department. The turnout was great - at least 50 people jammed the Riverside RCC "living room." I also spoke, sharing some of our experiences as Sam's parents. The most meaningful part of the evening for me was a young woman who told me she learned a lot about autism that night. She is a nursing major, and I'm sure she will see plenty of folks with autism as she progresses through her career.

We've also started our "open apartment" hours on Wednesdays from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. We're here to chat, advise or just hang out. We're propping our hallway door open, and we're very excited and proud of our cat Pearl for not trying to run down the hall. I have decided to make a vow to update the blog every Wednesday night as I'm sitting here thinking about being Faculty in Residence.

Our first "What's It Like" event

So, we're preparing for our first Riverside event this coming Friday. We're starting our "What's It Like" series on a topic that's very close to home for us - autism. Our friend and autism expert Dr. Laura Klinger from the UA Psychology Dept. will join us and talk about autism, and I will share a couple of stories from our life with our son Sam.

We want to have a bunch of folks attend, so we've created flyers, created a Facebook group and sent messages to all the Riverside RAs. We haven't started chalking sidewalks, but I don't really see us doing that. Sure, we're bribing students with food (an ice-cream sundae bar!) and door prizes.

We're meeting Thursday Sept. 21 at 7:30. We hope to see you there!

Gameday in Tuscaloosa

I love gameday! It brings tens of thousands of people to Tuscaloosa. Most of these people love the Tide, and it seems like they all spend money. The most amazing thing to me about the gameday phenomenon is the way the Quad gets completely covered by incredibly sophisticated tailgating gear. We visited friends who had networks of tents, complete with satellite television, fantastic food, and comfy seating! It is truly a spectacle.

One aspect of gameday that still gives me a weird reality-warping feeling is the way the campus where we work (and now live) transforms into a place that is so special to so many people. We're very blessed to live here and to be a part of The University of Alabama. One of my Facebook friends wrote that she couldn't explain it, but she feels closer to Alabama since she graduated, even though she lives far away. That's the thing about this place. When you're here, you're a part of it and then it becomes a part of you.

Roll Tide!

Labor Day Weekend

Even though it seems like most of our Riverside West neighbors have left for the long weekend, we Dowlings were very excited about watching Alabama's first game in our apartment. In celebration of this historic occasion, we invited several friends to join us. Earlier in the day Saturday, our smoke alarm went off. Sam Dowling executed our fire alarm plan flawlessly, and we Dowlings met at our predetermined rendezvous spot over by the north parking lot. We stood there for a few minutes, waiting for everyone else to come out like last time. A student eventually came out, but he was carrying laundry to his car! At that point we figured out that perhaps our smoke detector had malfunctioned. We went back into our apartment, and prepared for our visitors.

I was particularly excited about the arrival of our grill. We had left it at our house, and my father-in-law brought it over a few days ago. We planned on cooking hamburgers for our guests. One question my wife always asks me when we plan grilling events is, "Are you sure we have plenty of gas?" "Of course we have plenty of gas," I said, with no real way of knowing how much gas was in there. So, I fire the thing up, put our burgers on it, and they commence cooking. Suzanne suggests taking a photo for the blog, and I consent to that. The photo you see posted here is the last five seconds of gas burning out of tank. Fortunately, the burgers were cooked by this time, but Suzanne still got to give me her "I can't believe you ran out of gas," speech.

Anyhoo, early in the second quarter of Bama's triumph over Va Tech, our smoke alarm went off again. Our guests took it well. Suzanne leapt up and ran over to the RCC to ask the RA on Call what we should do. Many thanks to Rebecca for helping us get help with the faulty detector. She made some calls, and a replacement was installed before the end of the half. We didn't get the name of the woman who came over and replaced it, but she was great!

The crisis was averted, and we were able to watch the game in peace. What a great way to start football season!

First Fire Alarm

We had our first fire alarm last Sunday. We were happy it was a pretty day! Sam knew exactly what to do. He got out of the apartment quickly and waited for us. We met up with the rest of the residents on the north side of the community. It turns out the cause of the alarm was some burned cookies on the third floor. The firemen rescued the cookies, but it was too late for them. Don't worry - the fire alarms are in every bedroom here, and there's no way you could sleep through one of these things. So we have experienced yet another new "living in a dorm" thing.

Living on Campus

Living on campus has been great for us so far. The Dowlings are enjoying the whole scene! I enjoy being able to get up early and walk around campus. The Palmer Lake (is it still called Palmer Lake?) ducks are getting to know me. When they are asleep, some cover their heads with their wings, but some just kind of stare. That's just creepy. Sorry I don't have pics of sleeping ducks, but I don't think it's a good idea to startle a whole platoon of ducks while you're standing in their midst. So the pics here are just regular early-morning ducks.

Move-in Weekend!

It was a big weekend at Riverside. The place is coming alive with people! Suzanne and I spent some time Friday meeting the Riverside RAs. These folks have a wide variety of backgrounds and interests, and they seem like a fun bunch of people. We really enjoyed meeting students and their families as they checked in. This is a great time for students and their families. There's excitement, anticipation and some nervousness for everyone. A few years ago, our son Sam went to church camp for a week. He had a great time, but we were nervous and excited at the same time. UA is way bigger than camp, but I think our students will power through it. Their parents will, too!
Saturday afternoon, Suzanne and I walked up to the Supe Store to pick up a gift, and we really felt like we are part of campus. Riverside is convenient to everything, and we were happy to avail ourselves of the opportunity. It's just great to see the energy the new students are bringing to campus!
Saturday evening, Honors College had a cookout. Judging by the number of people who attended, there is a great deal of interest in welcoming our new students to campus.

Our first guests

Tonight we had a couple of our friends over to our apartment. They were our first non-family guests, and they couldn't believe that our "dorm" was so nice! It really is! This is not your father's dorm. They liked our apartment, and they were very impressed with the courtyard, the community center, the pool and the grounds. I didn't know the pool table in the game room was a "real" pool table!
We Dowlings are fortunate indeed to be in residence here at Riverside. We're looking forward to getting to know our students and experiencing this academic year together. We're working up programming ideas that will inform and entertain. We'll also work on ways to have fun!

Early Move-in Day!

Early arrival students are moving in today. It's nice to hear folks down the hall. We're ready for some neighbors! Even Pearl is getting used to it. She no longer freaks out when she hears something going on down the hall or upstairs. Now, all we need to do is hang some of our pictures, and we'll be all moved in!

Next week, the rest of the residents will move in, and I'm sure it will be a busy time. I was driving around this morning and happened to drive in the vicinity of Tutwiler Hall. Lots of folks were moving in over there, with a big line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot. I'm sure we'll get a taste of that next Saturday, but I love the energy. Bring on our students!

Victory!

The Ikea entertainment center was a much tougher nut to crack. It had many more pieces, and the Ikea people apparently didn't want to insult my intelligence by labeling them. Despite the guesswork, I got this thing assembled while Suzanne went to a couple of meetings.

Best of all, Sam will get a substantial upgrade to his television as a result of this. The analog television he has now is too deep to fit onto the shelf, so we will be moving our other, flatter television into his room. It's an HD set, so now The Andy Griffith Show and Playstation 2 games will look much better!

Ikea solutions

We're so inspired by our apartment that my lovely wife Suzanne drove all the way to Atlanta to visit the Ikea furniture store. OK, she and her friend Ann were going to Atlanta to visit friends, but they did go to Ikea. More importantly, they came back with furniture that will help us organize our lives.

Over the past couple of says, I have assembled (with only a few spare parts left over) our bathroom cabinet organizer thing. For me, this is big. I'm not a very handy guy. Now, we must tackle the entertainment center. This will go in Sam's room to help organize his media collection. I'll keep you posted about our progress!

Apartment adjustments

We're getting used to our new place in Riverside West. Yesterday, I assembled a bathroom organizer cabinet from Ikea. Woo-hoo! For me, that's a major home improvement undertaking. Over the weekend, some folks have moved into Riverside West. We think they're summer campers for volleyball or cheerleading. It's nice to have other people here in the building. For a while there, it reminded me of "The Shining." All work and no play makes Rick a dull boy!

Not so much. ;)

Riverside - We're Here!

We Dowlings are almost completely moved into the Faculty-in-Residence apartment in the Riverside community on the UA campus. It's very quiet for now - the students haven't arrived yet. The move has gone well, and we are all adjusting to our new home. Getting used to a smaller living space will be a big adjustment for us, but we need this. A big house means more stuff, and this will be a great chance for us to see what we really need.

We had Sam's 18th birthday party last night at the Bama Theater. It was the coolest birthday party I've ever been to! Lots of folks came to see Sam. That kid has a lot of people who love him!

We're looking forward to meeting the residents when they check in. I'm sure that day will bring back a lot of memories for me. It was a mere 28 years ago that I unpacked my Opel to move into Paty Hall. Good times!