Doright Manor is situated on a small lake in a rural housing development about eight miles outside of Tallahassee, Florida. I live in the woods, and I love it. Studly Doright, my husband of 43 years, and I often joke that there are more trees in our front yard than there were in our respective Texas panhandle hometowns of Dumas and Floydada. Honestly, that’s not much of an exaggeration.
One of the coolest things about living here is our proximity to Florida State University. A 20-minute drive gets us right into the heart of the campus. Of course being the curmudgeonly people we are, we avoid FSU like the plague. If I have an appointment anywhere near the school I plot routes that will avoid busy Tennessee street with its six narrow lanes of crazy college aged drivers, even if taking said route requires me to add an additional 20 minutes to my drive. Today, however, I am purposely venturing onto the FSU campus for OLLI.
One might ask, “Who is OLLI and why is he/she worth risking one’s life for?”
OLLI is an acronym for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. According to Wikipedia, “Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes offer noncredit courses with no assignments or grades to “seasoned” adults over age 50. Since 2001, philanthropist Bernard Osher has made grants from his foundation to launch OLLI programs at 120 universities and colleges in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.“
I’ve been aware of OLLI classes for at least a decade. When we lived near the University of Illinois I had friends who took classes through the program there, but I was still working full time. Now that I’m mostly retired I no longer have any excuses. Except–the anxiety of venturing into the unfamiliar territory of Florida State.
Yesterday (Wednesday) I performed a dry run to locate the building in which my first class will be held, even though I initially went to a similarly named building. And, even after locating the right one I never quite figured out where I’d be able to park. Guess who will give herself an hour of extra time to get there today?
You might also wonder what class has intrigued me enough that I am willing to venture out of my comfort zone. It’s one titled “The Parallel Universe of Ants.”
Studly Doright thinks I’ve lost my mind, but who do you think will have the last laugh when our insect friends begin their quest for world domination? Again:
If you don’t hear from me again after today you can blame it all on OLLI, or ants, or you can just make something up that’s suitably dramatic.
Peace, people!
Praying for Eyebrowz 
I hope you enjoy this venture. Are the over 50s termed “seasoned” because they have salt and pepper hair?
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That would be a logical deduction.
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So now I’m going to look at online courses at OLLI. 😉
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Oh, good! Our fall semester is just beginning, so you might even be able to register for a class right now. Oh, and OLLI also offers travel opportunities
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Hm…some warm Florida weather during the colder months up here does sound appealing. They do call us Snowbirds for a reason…:)
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It’s very warm today!
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Oh that sounds wonderful! I’m so excited for you and you have to post ongoing updates on what you’re learning please, as I cannot imagine where this class may be headed! I’m with Claudette. Going to check this place out and see what they might have. I wonder if it is associated with those courses I planned to take at our local CC… the ones that inevitably were cancelled due to lack of enrollment 😦
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Google OLLI and your nearest university. I know that I’m Tallahassee there are satellite locations.
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Just checked and the closest programs are really north of me and also within the worst traffic areas we have around here! I am working on my daughter-encouraging her to move that way (which they have thought about) and giving me a bedroom 🙂 I would love to take part in this program!
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Turn up the oressure. 😉
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That sounds so interesting! There must be something to the study of ants because a guy from my state, E. O. Wilson, became a well-known biologist and ants are one of his major interests.
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Omg! His name was mentioned today. I’m going to order one of his books.
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Hey, very cool! I actually knew someone when I lived in California who made his living knowing about all kinds of insects. His CV was entirely academic, but he was always being hired by engineering and construction firms to consult on whether insects would be a problem in new (and old) buildings. There could be a whole new future for you here with ants. 🙂 – Marty
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Who knows!?
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What a fantastic idea! That’s so cool that they offer classes like that!
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It’s really cool, and available at most major universities.
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