Back to Bemidji, One Year Later

I returned yesterday from my first trip back to Bemidji since I graduated, to attend the MCPA Board meeting. While I ended up feeling icky yesterday and opted to return with my carpool instead of staying until today and taking the bus back as planned, it was still a nice return to the place I spent my college years.

We made it Thursday night in near record time, thanks to my recommendation of a shortcut well known to anyone who has done the Cities to Bemidji trip a few times...Highway 64 instead of 371. Upon arriving in town, I saw that a few things have changed, but not much....couple of new fast food places and a bank.

A few of us went out for a bit, ending up at the popular Bar 209. It was nice to get to know a few of my new board colleagues informally. We chatted about our history in student affairs and swapped a few random stories. We got to talking about finding our names on the internet/Googling ourselves, and I mentioned the time I got misquoted by the CyberIndee in Winona. To my surprise, one of them said he'd seen my blog entry...which means he must really have read my archives considering the entry was in 2005.

The meeting was good, and it was nice to be back on campus and see a couple of folks. I told one it was like being home...I love that place. I'm also looking forward to my new involvement this year. It is a good group of people, and especially nice as a way to stay engaged right now with professional discourse as I seek new employment.