Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A Surprising Discovery

If someone had told me 10 years ago (okay, even 5 years ago) that I would spend my birthday touring an energy plant, I would have said they were crazy. Yet, yesterday I found myself in hard hat, goggles and earplugs, touring the Xcel Energy Cherokee Station electrical facility. First of all, let me tell you how sporty I looked...

How does someone get to be 34 years old and have no idea how electricity is made? I mean - no idea whatsoever. It has always been an enigma to me; the kind of question that Kirby asks me and I make up some sort of answer. I just can't believe how excited I am now that I actually know. Last Saturday, in my class that is teaching me how to teach science I learned how electricity is made and yesterday I got a chance to put it all together by walking inside the bowels of an energy plant. I won't bore you with a science lesson, but I will highly recommend that everyone tour a facility like this. It will forever change the way you view energy consumption. There was a pile of coal the size of my neighborhood, piled taller than my house, and that was just a 30-45 day supply to power the plant's electricity production! 

Beyond learning about electricity, I just find it surprising how much I've enjoyed learning in general during this phase of my life. Oh, if we could only go back and re-live those college days, right? I'm sure we'd all have a 4.0!

1 comment:

Laurel said...

Oh, how I wish I could have spent your birthday with you! And seeing you in a hard hat and protective eyewear would have been entertainment!

I love your blog. It is such a pick me up, and I am so happy to get these glimpses into your life, both interior and exterior. Thank you!

xoxo