A New Leaf

There is nothing more refreshing than starting a new school year. Last night I was giddy as I tried to fall asleep, anticipating the first day of RHD Training. 

Everyone is happy, in a good mood, eager to learn, and just full of joy when training starts. And there is something very special about working with new professionals. Building a team and hearing new ideas and thoughts from new and young professionals is very energizing. 

Training is probably my favorite time of year. Today we learned things about each other, got some of the awkward "getting to know you" things covered and got excited about the upcoming year. We also got to look at the semester long calendar. Tomorrow we get to look at it even more! I love to plan the semester, look at what is upcoming, see the fun weekends that are planned, dread the busy times, but anticipate that feeling of doing things as a team. 

My type A, gold personality shines through during times like this- photocopying and hole punching, searching for new scholarly articles, finding that free font and perfect clip art- it just energizes me!! And the fuzzy, blue parts of my personality love all the team builders and ice breakers and I take such joy in learning new things about people. I feel as though I should have been a psychic or something because I just love to learn about people. 

Today did not disappoint and they are willing to indulge my shopping addiction for fun things the College needs  this weekend :) Life is good.

The Hondog

Many of you know that Honda makes a specific brand of car- it is called the Hondog. They made it to specifically fit the fabulous curves of my bottom on long road trips. The Hondog model is equip with wall to wall floor mats for the girl who drops a large McDonald's Sprite upside down the first week of ownership and needed to respond (I hope that was the best lunch you ever had Marcus).

#She'sSoFancy #Silver'RoundTheGlass

Some Honda's are made to live a long life- but the Hondog favors her second owner and will most likely be driven until she won't turn over again. On average this Hondog will travel 1600 miles a trip while blaring 90s hits. She also has ample truck space (oooh yeah).

Ladies, Gentlemen, and all other Folks- the Hondog has been fully paid for. Her last payment will be postmarked June 8 (there is no post on Sunday!) and will make it to the Chase Auto Finance people before their deadline of June 13. Therefore I will not add $.07 a day for all days after June 13 and I did not check the box you are not supposed to check when making a pay off.

The Hondog came home in July 2011 and is paid for in June 2015. That might not seem impressive- but with only 20 extra dollars a month I shaved a year off the loan and two years off a loan if they would have gotten their way and talked me into a 72 month plan. 

This is the second vehicle ownership for this proud Motor City native and I intend to take care of the Hondog- treat her like the middle aged work horse that she is. Nice bubble baths this summer, RainX window treatments, ArmorAll wheel cleanings, and ShammWOW buffings are all that she has to look forward to. I hope you can read Hondog- but on the off chance that you cannot (or that no one gave you the title of this blog to follow) get geared up girl! You are in for a treat!

#Hondog #AGirl'sBestFriend

The Parking Lot of America to go with the Mall of America

Today we venture back into film. I had a wonderful day of cleaning my house and regaining control of my life. Sometimes I let that go and today I had wonderful distraction angels that talked with me while my house when from the start of an episode of Hoarders to normalville with a little bit of dust on it. Could it be cleaner? Yes. Is it clean enough for government work? Heck Yes. 

So tonight I have decided to indulge in the American Teen Princess Pageant and Mount Rose, Minnesota world that is featured in Drop Dead Gorgeous starring Kirsten Dunst, Kirstie Alley, Allison Janney, Denise Richards, Ellen Barkin, Brittany Murphy, Amy Adams, Nora Dunn, Mo Gaffney and Mindy Sterling. Well if that star studded comedy team does not convince you to watch this movie, then you just don't know what yer missin'. I wish I could tell you how wonderful this film is but a blog post will not do it. It is just as good as Minnesota nice. 

Drop Dead Gorgeous is one of those quality mockumentary films that follows the contestants through Mt. Rose's American Teen Princess as they compete for nationals. The camera crew asks great questions of all the people in town and everyone has a great Minnesotan accents. I can recite too many of these lines and frequently do whenever they pop into my mind. I feel bad for those who know me well as they have had to suffer through those performances of great scenes from this film. I wonder if there were dialect coaches to teach everyone how to use that accent so wonderfully or if it is just something natural that actors can do? I mean I am confident that my over the top Minnesota is very authentic- I am going to go with the hypothesis that everyone can do that accent.

As you can imagine there are shenanigans that these contestants get involved in as well as...gasp...murder! Someone wants to win pretty darn bad and as viewers we have to try and figure out what is going on in this small MN town. It is pretty funny that everyone thinks the camera crew is from Cops. Not to ruin the film for you but later the Cops camera crew shows up. Too funny. Also Amber lives in a trailer park and I just relate to those types of people.  

The judges are just hilarious too. There is a conspiracy in town that the Leeman kid has it in the bag- even though Leslie Miller would pick Brett Farve to be president if she could. Why she did not win I will never know. Sorry for that spoiler too. :)

If I were to plan a program with higher ed and this movie I would possibly play along the angle of the beauty pageant, there are lots of different kinds of women that participate in this pageant so you have lots of things to discuss. Maybe you can plan a contest among your floor. Have everyone share their silly human talent or host the contest with an app like Dubsmash where they all vote for the best video. Could be a hoot!  

Author in Training

Lots of things happened yesterday. First of all a good friend of mine suffered a loss. A horrible loss that just rocks you to the core in the amount of feelings you have as a result. Losing one's spouse or the equivalent is the worst thing that I have ever experienced in my short time here on this planet. As I am thinking of her and what her world looks like now, I came across this post from my friend AMK's newsfeed from a woman named Sheryl (does she work for Facebook?). I could not believe that this woman was one of those people that could articulate how I feel and how awful this whole process is for someone.

It is so hard to read how someone wants to grieve, it is hard to know what to say to someone who has experienced loss. But those of us who are grieving have a responsibility to tell those of us in our support system how we want to grieve. Sensitivities have a role but they should not dominate this process. If I do not want one more person to ask me how relieved that I am that I will get to see him again in heaven one day, then that is my right. Now I am not advocating to be rude to those people that say those things when they meet you or are not in the "circle." But those that are in your support system need to hear those things, your co-workers need to hear those things, people that care about you need to know what you need. They will be grateful-trust me. They do not know what to say or do anymore than you would before you suffered this tragedy. 

We as a society need to learn the tactful way to express how we feel. We need to learn to ask for things we need, we need to gently remind folks that it is ok for us to sound like a broken record. We should feel comfortable talking about our loves and remembering all the special things about them. It is not sad. It might bring tears and it might feel sad-but it is good. 

"Time heals all wounds" is another one of those sayings that maybe one day I will feel differently about- but now it irks me. This is not a wound, death is a change, death is a permanent alteration of life. Death changes everything. It changes how time will progress from that moment forward. As time passes things will continue to change and adapt as years pass. But that is expected change, anticipated change. Death is a change that will never change. At one point I had no idea what the future held but I knew who would be by my side and who would be my partner, my love, for the rest of that future. In one accident that changed time, it forever altered my future. 

All of these things really got me to thinking about how inspired I was to write my thoughts down after Ferdinand died. I wanted to write a book that was designed to be a resource for people who lose their partner when they are not legally married. That adds a whole level to the grief, especially if you are a control seeking and needing person. Maybe it is time I actually start to write that book. 

Gorno Ford is EVERYWHERE

I am back to reality! Nashville was great, and I only had minimum road rage on the way home. The worst in Indiana. Actually, the entire state of Indiana was a bit of a bust. It rained so hard that I had to drive slow (I hate to drive slow) and that for sure elongated my drive. As I was pulling off the highway in a call of nature emergency, this car was purposely making it difficult as it was indecisive about its direction. I was trying to expain to the driver from my car that a decision needed to be made quickly as I was about to bust!

As I pulled into the parking spot and the trouble car pulled into the drive-thru I saw it had Michigan plates, then I saw the words Gorno Ford on the back! My anger immediately dissipated as I thought of the possibity that my Aunt Nanette sold them this car! 

The worst thing about ending a sweet trip, was that I got sick. I cannot tell if it was all the sing/screaming I did in Nashville or at the top of my lungs in the car that made my throat scratchy, or if it is the nature of going, going, going I did from 90 degree heat to cold Wisconsin. No matter the reason, I feel gross. Thank goodness a staycation was already in the works. :)  

I am a Mess....Literally

I often spill things, on myself, my desk, my new khaki pants...everywhere. But nothing compares to when I am supposed to look nice. I think the words "business casual" trigger something in my brain that makes me more of a mess. Let's start with my trip here. I am driving to a luxury hotel/conference center- a lot of money is put into these places and they are clean and nice. I order a brown cola beverage to get through the last couple hours on the road. I take a drink-about an ounce of that liquid drips onto the boob shelf. I pause, inspect the lid and straw apparatus to be sure I expertly connected the two to the cup and discover all seems normal. I take the lid off and reseal just to be safe. Again, I attempt to drink. Oh- was I proven a fool. Again it spilled! 

So when I arrive at the hotel I am standing in the check in line with men in tailored suits, women with Coach, Louis, and Gucci, and more diamonds than one can shake a stick at. Thankfully it was raining cats and dogs, and I did not valet like these other dry humans, so I looked like a drowned rat anyway. Sometimes I wonder if I started to care what people around me or in the immediate vicinity thought if I would be crippled with anxiety...

Fast forward to the next morning when I treated myself to a terribly overpriced spa experience. I grab a coffee. I drink coffee EVERYDAY. I must be good at it by now right? Nope. A white cardigan was supposed to make me appear tanner, healthier, maybe even appear to have a glow in the natural light pouring into the hotel. Well what does it say when you have three, not two, spots of coffee that dripped out of the invisible hole in your lip! And that boob shelf strikes again-now with a nice and very noticiable spot. So I walk into the spa where everyone has great hair and looks wonderful and I just smile-I know, I know-I am a mess :)

You thought this story was over didn't you? Oh no. Let's have breakfast. My favorite kind of breakfast- all you can eat. My kind of meal. I have to wear one of those name tags to get access to all the conference stuff so of course I am wearing it. I sit down and get settled in, elbows angled, to enjoy me some southern breakfast. When my name tag with that damn "Alumni" ribbon that I was so proud to adorn the tag with, runs right through my scrambled egg. Sort of just gracing the top layer of the eggs like a dry paintbrush blending some colors together at the instruction of Bob Ross. I look up-a woman across the table noticed and does the polite look down at her napkin situation as to save me the embarrassment. I have days left with this nametag so I have lovingly nicknamed myself scrambles because I am sure I smell like it. 

Today I braved khakis instead of the regular black of the wardrobe. Let's see if I can avoid spillage. Fingers crossed!

May 23

As I did not do so well posting each day this month, I will post about the 23rd. Friday the 22nd was eventful in getting students checked into their summer housing assignment and getting things ready to leave for a week. So once Saturday rolled around I was ready for a whole lot of nothing. After I packed the car and the cooler for the camping trip, I got on the road for my 8 hour trip to the Mitten. 

Eight hours in the car is a lot of hours to think. I am an overthinker by nature so eight hours alone with myself is the time to put that overthinking into overdrive. When you read that can you please put the emphasis on the "over" parts of those words? Because as the author, that is how I intended it. 

I spent some time thinking about how different my life is three years later. Three years after the accident that changed the course of my future, changed things that the planner in me planned out for the next 15 or 20 years. Changing those plans before they even happen is hard! In the past year I have been told by my counselor that I am "ok" and that maybe regular appointments are not necessary anymore. That was quite the blow. How does one determine that they are ok? Is there a grief meter that gives one the a-ok to start living "pre-accident?" The short answer: No. There is no going back to pre-anything. There is just the now and everything before does and should affect the now. 

There is one thing I know for sure, and that is that I will never be the same. I think differently now, I feel differently, I even love differently. I thought that I would never fall in love again, I would never have that feeling where one is completely vulnerable to another person. I did not expect to try so hard to find that feeling either. I craved it. I learned I craved touch. I wanted hugs, kisses, foot massages, eskimo kisses (I am sure that is offensive but I cannot think of a PC way to describe it), you know, that intimacy stuff. I opened the door to other companions, I tried to open myself to others. I fell in love once in there. I fell hard too. I went in whole hog and really enjoyed it. For the first time (well since that other first time) I could picture myself old and gray with someone else. Someone else's happiness was just as important as mine, for the sake of this post let's call him Biff. Well wouldn't you know, that was not without challenge and that experience had so many emotional roller coasters. I have not ended that journey. Biff is not in the co-captain chair on this crazy ride with me. But I sure did learn a lot about myself with Biff. I learned not to give up on that love stuff. It might happen for me again, it might happen in a way that knocks my socks off again. Scratch that, it will happen again, I just have to be open to the possibility. Shit, it could happen with Biff, or Tom, Dick, or Harry. 

I wish I had a wordle or word cloud of all the words I have used in this blog. I think PERSPECTIVE  would be the biggest word in my cloud (or STAFF as I am often really proud of those buggers). I feel like my mind has been opened and my eyes have been shocked to see things in a totally different way. I choose to be happy. And that is h.a.r.d. For real that is hard. Every morning I have to make the choice to be happy, and choose my attitude to start my day (thanks to the Fish Philosophy). Some days it does not work. Some days I want to sleep until the day has passed and try again. Some days I let myself do that, some days I fake it. Some days I am truly happy. Three years later and I still don't think "time makes things better" or "you'll see him again someday." Three years later things are just different. I still think of him every day. I still wish he were here. I still spend the first couple seconds of consciousness thinking that it was all a nightmare and he will be right next to me. But now I stop and force myself to think of the things that make me happy and I spend my day focusing on things that make me happy. I recite that mantra I tend to use quite often: I am thankful to be gainfuly employed, I have health insurance in case I get sick. I know my car will start and there is food in my kitchen. I have clean water and hot water. I live in a country where some civil rights are guaranteed. My house has heat and I have the love and support of other humans should I reach out and grab it. I am very lucky. I have to make the choice, but I do choose to be happy. 

The Great Outdoors

I recently went camping...in my backyard. Did you miss that post? Read it. Then come back here. We will wait. 

Welcome back. Well that back yard camping was an adventure in itself. It was super windy and despite George Graphos telling me that it would not rain...it rained. Thank goodness for nature calling to bring me to my senses and back inside to my warm bed. The next day as I waited for the tent to dry, I got the rest of my gear together for camping over Memorial Day. After 20 trips from the basement to the garage I finally had everything I needed:

• headlamp
• Freshette 
• sleeping equipment for myself and my mom
• cooking over the fire gear
• extra batteries for things
• fishing essentials
• camping chair with name stenciled on lovingly by staff members

Well fast foward to the actual trip. You know when you can do something perfectly when no one is watching but as soon as you have an audience you struggle to perform? Well that was me with the tent. All by myself in the backyard things went without a hitch- with my brother drinking a miller lite and judging me-I missed putting poles in, could not get the thing to stand up, set it up on an incline...sigh. I am the girl in the family. They think I am fancy and hate dirt and germs. Well dang it! I love dirt (in measured doses with soap and water nearby) and I can camp, fish and start fires with the best of them. I am one of those people that if I am going to do something, I am going to do it well. I will learn the right way to do it before I have to ask some dang man for help in doing it. So the tent pre-camp set up was also a reeducation in how to use my tent, it has been about three years since I have set it up. I did not want to be a fool in front of my brother. 

Anyway after the tent was up, the car air pump had inflated the mattresses and things were ready- my brother dared me to start a fire without an accelerant. I laughed at him. I start fires at my home in the driveway on a surface that is not flammable with a bucket of emergency water nearby almost weekly in the fall, spring and summer. He apparently always uses gas or some other flammable  liquid to start his fires and then cooks marshmallows over it consuming all of those nasties. Ewww. My mother had already gathered an appropriate amount of kindling on her walk when she first arrived at the site, so I needed the leaves or pine needles to use with the logs. I built my fire-starting pile with lots of air pockets, places to make sure the small twigs caught on fire and stayed lit, and with the logs. I lit that sucker and voila! Fire started and sustained through out the evening. 

After that first night my brother said he was proud of me for knowing how to do these things and I suppose, proving him wrong. I accepted that compliment because I think he meant it as such. Since I do not see them very often, I suppose it is acceptable for them to not know that I am the shit, the bee's knees, a bit of an overachiever. But maybe now he will believe me when I call and tell him of my accomplishments out here in the frozen tundra. Maybe. 

Flashbacks....

I know, I know. I am a terrible blogger. How many times should I say that in blog posts? Today I met and became best friends with Dominque Dawes (from the third row center) and as Dom would say- I can make excuses all day long but at the end of the day I am only putting in about 50% to this blog so I can only really expect to get 50% out of it eh? Jenzabar never fails to amaze me with the time and effort they put into these meetings, today I got to hear one of the Magnificent Seven, some of the best gymnasts of my lifetime so far, talk about team Gold in Atlanta and her personal fall on the floor exercise. Dominique was wonderful- she was inspiring and spoke on one of my favorite topics, perspective. While I am satisified with my life dose of perspective thus far, it is nice to hear others say what I am thinking. But much more elequently. For real, she was wonderful and so beautiful. 

Well friends I am having a flashback to two years ago when this blog was new and I was also on my Grand Adventure around Florida after experiencing my first Jenzabar JAM. That was the begining of my journey as a BRAND NEW smart phone owner as well. Today I am broadcasting live from another Gaylord BioDome. This one in the heart of country music- Nashville. I have been here before, about ten years ago, and I think a lot has changed. But to be honest- I cannot remember last week, let alone ten years ago. If you see me ask me about the cordless phone incident of 2005 and I will tell you that story. 

Anyway this hotel also boasts the best of the outdoors, but indoors. I have currently found my cheapest drink- $7.00 for a beer and some pizza. I left the fancy hors d'ouvres in the Delta Ballroom in favor of Jill's favorite, cheese pizza. I was missing the gang a little bit today as we are soon divided so I am having cheese pizza in their honor. I have made quite a mess of myself today too- coffee on the while cardigan this morning, spilled fries and water at a buffet line and almost dropped this newly purchased beer to the floor! But I made a miraculous save and am content to consume it in its entirety. 

My time here so far has been consumed with thinking and vacationing. I cannot complain. I will update more in the coming days as my Nashville adventure gets started. 

May 9-10 Domestic Goddess/Camper

This weekend I was quite domestic. I mowed the lawn, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, and set up a tent. Once my tent was all set up in the beautiful sunshine and breezy spring, I got started getting that bad boy ready for the big camp. I pulled my handy, dandy shop vac for car cleaning and got to business getting all the dirt out of that tent. 

I actually exclaimed out loud in anger that Ferdiand let a dog in our tent! A dog! There was hair all over the place and I had to vacuum much more than I anticipated. Once the tent was all clean and ready to go-I air out the sleeping bags and got ready for a night under the partly cloudy sky. I popped over the the good old grocery store to get even more domestic by making dinner on the grill. 

I spent the night out in the tent and the only way I can describe it is that I must have been in Kansas as Dorthy was being cycloned. My tent was blowing this way and that-and of course, nature called. Thank goodness my house was just a few steps away. Being inside in the peace and quiet was enough to convince me to crawl into bed. And none too soon, it apparently started to rain into the dry, aired out tent that was ready to pack. So the next morning I had to clean the tent again and dry it out so it was packable. 

Long story short-my tent is campsite ready. And I had enough domesticity to last the rest of the year. Cereal for dinner for this kid from now on. And don't think for a minute I am going to clean anything until June.

May 8- Welcome Back

Today I learned that the theme song from Welcome Back Kotter was the number one pop single on this day in History in 1976. How many of you have seen any of that show? I am a bit too young to have watched in while it was in its original run, but I have been able to see all of the episodes now that I am the ripe old age of 25. 

I love TV shows from before my time. When I was growing up I shared a room with my brother Adam at my Dad's house, we had a little loft for a while at Sibley Road. Nick at Nite was my favorite channel, but my brother was less than excited for the black and white shows like the Donna Reed Show, The Patty Duke Show, Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke or charaters like Dobie Gillis and Maynard. Adam hated when I had the remote. I hated that Adam talked in his sleep and made other various noises. Come to think of it, I must have had trouble falling asleep even back then! I remember being awake for hours after everyone else was asleep and I could hear Adam making noises in his sleep, or talking about breakfast cereal. I would keep a small pile of clothes next to my bed- perfect for throwing at Adam when he started to make noise. I would be so angry that he made me compromise and watch something other than Nick and Nite that I would throw the button of his jeans right at his face. 

I know, I know that is not very nice. I am fairly confident that I was not very nice to my brother the entirety of our childhoods- I remember having to share EVERYTHING with him-and in natural sibling ways that made me want to scratch at him and throw things at him while slept. I'd like to take this moment to publicly apologize to my first friend and enemy, Adam. Deep down inside I really do like you little brother!

Since I am making public annoucements, I would also like to thank Mary Richards, our title character from the Mary Tyler Moore Show, for helping to create the strong woman I am today. She was a single, career woman in the Twin Cities hghlighting the challenges that women face in the world. She also inspiried my favorite room decoration- a big letter J on my wall. I feel a kindred spirit with Mary, she and I are going to make it after all. 

May7-Thankful for my nose

I am so thankful that I do not suffer from allergies. The air smells so fantastic on days like this! Pollen is covering my desk and all surfaces in my office right now. Having all the windows open and the breeze fly in really makes a difference in my day. I actually left work without a headache today. Sunshine really changes my outlook on a day. 

I cannot wait until tomorrow when I walk to work and check to see if the lilacs have bloomed yet. I want to see the tulips opening in between the two houses at the end of my street. And at the end of the day when the breeze is warm, the walk home is so relaxing. I forgot what those extra few minuntes in the commute do to the brain. I am more relaxed when I walk in the door, I feel more creative when I find something to make for dinner. I did not have cereal tonight! 

I also stopped by the public library tonight and I got some gems to try out for RHD training. Stay tuned for my thoughts on those books!

May 6-David Attenborough

What is it with nature? Why are shows about wildebeest (which according to Wikipedia is also a gnu?!) just so relaxing as I try to end a busy day? Is it because they do not blink? Is it because I am rooting for the young and the sick to make it across the river but I am also glad that the lions, crocs, and gators get to eat? 

When I was a kid I hated boring shows about animals. I would use that annoying voice kids use when they are exasperated and want something RIGHT NOW. I would demand something else be put on TV. Now when I get the chance to watch/listen to anything that NatGeo or the BBC puts out there I jump on it. This is another area where Netflix has changed my life, I can fall asleep listening to David Attenborough any day I want thanks to them carrying a large variety of animal shows. 

Some days you feel like you are looking up hill-nothing is going the way you want and all you need is a good hug. I often struggle with finding the balance in day-it seems when one part is looking up, another is heading down. But today, like other days. I forced myself to remember that pesky perspective. I am lucky to be healthy and gainfully employed. I am lucky to be able to eat until I am full, drink clean water, and live in a safe place where I do not fear danger or war. 

When I click that circled arrow I can listen to all the David Attenborough I want. All of that makes me pretty rich, pretty darn rich.

May 5-Working on the Railroad

I used to hate working late. I hated having more and more things to do and now that I have been in the field for 11 years, I almost enjoy it sometimes. Today I was able to get some high quality me time in while finishing a couple projects that needed just a bit more time. 

The weather was gloomy today too and I knew that would make for the best day to stay under the mighty florescent lights. It reminded me tonight too about how when I was a Hall Director and it would be 11 or midnight and I would be finishing things in August or May when the students were not living in the halls. It was quiet, I had tons of things to complete, and no one interrupts you as you finish all the projects. 

I would be misrepresenting the truth if I said I did not miss working like that in the halls. I do not have empty rooms to check or an office to organize knowing that I will be either ending or starting a school year. Now all I get is the paperwork! 

Look back at this flashback from when I started- this was one of my first trips in a College van. Nowadays you will be hard pressed to find me not in control...er...I mean the driver's seat. I miss that shirt. 

Well tomorrow is a big day- Loft Collection! There are also some interesting meetings and the start of compiling all our student conduct to prepare for end of the year reporting. May is dwindling down. 

May 2-4

Oops- I have already broken my own deal. But I cannot tell you how happy sunshine makes me! This past weekend was gorgeous! Sunshine makes such a big difference in my mood. Just like other people, a bright sunny day changes my whole outlook, but it is hard to remember that in the world of winter that is the Midwest. We had an outdoor concert on campus which means some quality time with my staff. We wanted to watch the first Avengers but settled for the Hunger Games and lots of eye rolling at what the college kids think is "cool" now a days. 

For the record- I wish that all outdoor concerts were hits from the 80s and 90s. That is the best kind of live music I think. 

Today I spent all day until about 7pm outside. Such joy. Then I installed some blinds in my living room, made a quick dinner and paid some bills. I wish this post were thought provoking or interesting. But it is not. I am ready for bed. So more interesting things coming in the following days. :)

May 1- breakfast

Today is the start of my everyday blog challenge. It is the time of year where college campuses get warm, spring time sets in, outdoor events start, and everyone wants to grill and drink beer. Well that last part is what sometimes gets in the way of us ResLife folks enjoying that sunshine as much. 

When you through in a large, free concert then things get really exciting. So before I have a full day of that tomorrow- I am going to try and make this homemade bread, egg and cheese thing. I love bread, eggs and I bought cheese that is delicious. Yum yum yum. A hearty breakfast for my first full day outside with sunblock to boot!

Protest and Prospective

I am not sure if there is controversy with Howard Zinn that makes this quote suspect- but I like the spirit of it. The state of the world bums me out these days. I know that tradegy, inequalities, and social problems have been affecting our world long before now, but as an adult working in Higher Education I see it through many different lenses. I am privy to student thoughts that are not only impacted by what they learn in the classroom, but also the things they disagree with that their peers voice. I get to see visual displays of support for different things and disrespectful disagreeent with some of those thoughts. I see students realize things and learn things from their peers- seeing those different perspectives for the first time. I see programs and speakers that we as an institution fund reach students at new levels. I also see students who cannot see another perspective no matter what the College or their peers try. I see students hurt by hate speech and disrespect for cultures that other students just do not understand. 

My heart breaks for students who cannot find their niche on campus, they cannot find themselves represented in the staff, faculty or other students and that leads them to see their education as not worth the time and they leave. I see students florish in an environment on campus, but come back fom breaks after seeing an unsupportive family and struggle. 

I wish that more humans were worried about the state of humans. We all deserve respect, safety and trust in our law enforcement, enough food to eat, shelter from storm, support, love, basic health care, this list could continue all day long. I wish I could feel confident in our world to think that could be achieved. I wish that I could protect some students from the evil that they experience on campus and off. 

I am fortunate that I work in Higher Education and I can be part of trying to expose students to things. I am glad that I can learn fom them and hopefully they can feel supportive vibes I send their way everyday. I learn something new everyday about another culture, another student struggle, a joy, I get to see them run to my office after being on academic probation and show off their new test scores. I have to try to focus on the good we try to do and those moments that bring a smile to my face to get through the negative parts and the sad days. And I have to remind myself of those students who call four or five years after they graduate to apologize for destroying a drinking fountain or being a pain in the rump while they were students, or to thank me for something they experienced while on campus. Those students learned things while they were in school outside the classroom-they were exposed to things and even if it took a while-they learned. I have to hold on to those moments to get through the low times. 

It is easy when I think about the mircocosm of higher education to represent the bigger picture. It is not as easy to see things when you look at it through a world wide lens. It is hard to see the light when the news is dominated with few stories that describe joy or change that makes a difference. Perspective can be both a help and a hindrance when thinking of the state of the world. I am thankful to be employed, have a home, eat everyday, not worry about clean water, calling the police in an emergency, or health care-but having a global perspective makes hearing of those without those things even harder. 

Blog Challenge-Gear up!

This post is for the faithful. Those of you who have read the blog and often wonder where the energy has gone. I am here to announce a new challenge that I have just proposed to myself. 

I am going to blog EVERYDAY in the month of May. I need something to kick start a regular cycle again and the month that contains the very end of the academic cycle and the start of a residence life professional's short summer seems like the place to start.

I am confident that I can meet this challenge head on and that it will be good for what Gretchen calls the "artistic slice" of that magic wheel that keeps us in balance. 

Other goals for May:

• a new hair do
• a massage by Brandon and none of this crappy massage stuff that I know is more cost effective but just actually not that effective
• hot dogs on the grill
• strip and stain of the table in the spare room
• start the garden

Whew- that is kind of a lot on the list when you consider I will be traveling for some of the month and there are a whole lot of work hours left before the halls are empty once again. But not everything worth doing is easy as pie, eh? Just like those darn relationships where if you do not work at keeping them alive they fizzle. It's hard because it is worth it- or so they say. 

Kjell Bjorn, Elling, and Pork with Gravy

It might not be obvious from my collection, but I love foreign films. Love them. I think there are so many gems of movies from all over the world but I only own a few. Elling is one of those great movies- the title comes from the main character and narrator in the film. It is Norwegian, subtitled, and the subject matter is focused on mental illness and just life. Elling has lived with his mother, never meeting any one else or leaving the house until his mother dies and the State comes to find him, alone and scared. He has incapacitating anxiety that makes him afraid to go outside, talk to others, use the phone, or try anything new. After sometime in an institution, the government has decided that Elling and his roommate from the institution, Kjell Bjorn, are ready for an apartment in Oslo on their own. 

This film has so many humorous moments as Elling and Kjell Bjorn learn about themselves and living on their own for the first time. Kjell Bjorn is obsessed with food and women and not always in that order. Elling learns through the expression of poetry that he is braver than even he knows. They have a unique and beautiful friendship that is so supportive and lovely. They help each other overcome their fears and express emotions. They meet new friends, Kjell falls in love, Elling buys and returns a lot of sauerkraut. Some of my favorite moments are learning how well these two men come to know one another and how perfectly they are paired to venture into the world together. 

It is also interesting how the film changes as time progresses- it starts out kind of scary and I have never noticed in the many times I have seen this movie that the screen tilts when the phone rings or the doorbell sounds. I cannot believe I have not noticed that before!! But it adds to the terror that these men feel about interacting with a world they are very uncomfortable in- that is until they find their own way to enjoy it. As the films ends the screen does not change when the phone rings, the men go on a vacation in an old Studebaker, Kjell even becomes a father, sort of. 

I recommend that you find time to watch this film, I'll let you borrow my copy if you want! If I were an RA and I wanted to program around Elling I think I would focus on the fear of the unknown. It might be a great film to show to college seniors that are transitioning out of college and into a new environment. Conversation could be focused on taking small steps outside of your comfort zone, a step a little farther each day. Students should also know that there are others, in their grad cohort, apartment building, the cubicle next door, who are just as afraid to jump off the ledge into the unknown as well. No one has to do it alone if they do not want to! Attending one poetry reading, one jazz bar jam session, one blush and brush night- can often lead to a new friendship, a new hobby, and just new when you start out in a new place. That makes that new place not so scary.   

Cluster Cuss

My favorite childhood authors include Ann M. Martin and Roald Dahl. I read almost every Babysitters Club book there was, I will forever thank whichever parent it was that had the great idea to pay for me to be in that book club. They delivered three to my door each month, including special collections and something extra for my birthday each year. I hope I am accurately remembering the joy those books brought me- because some of my favorite moments at 3221 Lakeland Court are sitting under a blanket that was over the heat vent with a quilt, Kristy, Mary Anne and the rest of the club.  

I have already written about the wonderful world of Matilda my favorite Roald Dahl story, click here if you missed it. But today we are watching the film adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox. This film is animated, but I am not sure if it is claymation, like Wallace and Gromit. I think it is for sure stop motion. Actually it sort of looks like the foxes are puppets. Anyway it is directed by Wes Anderson so it has some of the familiar actors lending their voice talents that find themselves in other Wes Anderson movies adding in George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr. and Mrs. Fox. The film and the book are similar in story but not exactly the same. 

One of my favorite parts of this film is the fact that there are no swear words in the movie. They use the word cuss instead. It brings a smile to my face. Against his wife's better judgement, Mr. Fox goes back to his old ways, stealing from the three mean farmers that live around their tree. Mr. Fox gets greedy and it results in his tail being shot off by the three farmers, who are hell bent on killing Mr. Fox because he stole chickens, goose, turkey, and cider. The Fox's dig down and far away to escape the three angry farmers. It appears as though things are safe, but then gallons of alcoholic cider are introduced to the story and whoa! You need to see the rest of the film for the end of the story. One of the morals of this story is that Mr. Fox has a desire to make everyone think he is "fantastic" that he does not make the best decisions for himself and his family. 

I had some trouble coming up with an RA program with this film. I am not sure that the moral I saw when watching this film was actually intended by Mr. Dahl. I did find it interesting that the animals in this film put bandit hats on when they start a mission. Well except for Ash, Mr. Fox's son- he wears a tube sock. Maybe instead of planning a program, you should get together with your residents, make some bandit hats out of old tshirts, and teach each other karate or spend 30 minutes meditating. As a residence life professional I feel I have to discourage mischief publicly, so avoid mischief.  

Cheese!!

There are few things I enjoy more than eating. I like to read, I like movies, I like the internet...but I LOVE eating. One of my favorite things to do on weekends is to sort of picnic at home. I am not sure why I do not do it more often. Once I was watching Ina Garten on the Barefoot Contessa and I learned that there is a name to my kind of picnic. It is called a Ploughman's Lunch and it dates back to a long time ago. It is some meat, bread, and cheese on a tray. When you work out in the fields all day and you need a lunch that is hearty but quick. I like to think my weekends of laundry and dust bunny annihilation are very comparable to working in the fields all day.  

My lunch looked NOTHING like this :)

At my house I have a couple variations: wheat thins, cheddar, an apple, some other kind of cheese, then some more cheese, option two is cucumber, feta, tomatoes, wheat thins or some sort of bread. I call that one my quasi-Greek meal. I skip the meat part, I do not cook a lot of meat around here so there is not a lot left over for things like a ploughman's lunch. Sometimes I add some wine or juice but most often I just drink water. There is something I really like about cheese and crackers and water. I suppose I should make sure to point out that this is not an endorsement for wheat thins, I like a lot of crackers, but wheat thins with sharp cheddar cheese is just a winning combo. 

But I eat these things just off the cutting board on the floor in the living room. Well I cut them to eat, you know, I don't pre-cut things. I added an orange yesterday too. It makes me feel like I am camping or on vacation. To make things even better this weekend I still had the smokey smell in my jacket from the first bonfire of the season so the house had a certain campfire smell.

Enough Bat Speed?

Surprise, surprise! I watched one of my favorite movies today! Fever Pitch! My favorite part about this movie is that they had to rewrite the ending because the Curse of the Bambino was broken and the Red Sox came back to win it! Oh and I love Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore together. This is such a cute movie. It also has an AWESOME soundtrack. If you do not already own it I suggest you get to it. It is a great listen from start to finish kind of album. They do not make albums like that anymore-that is why I have always been drawn to soundtracks. 

But honesty there are two things I was contemplating while watching this film today. One is that I have been very vocal about my disappointment with music albums today. The majority are focused on the "grab a track" kind of albums and not "listen from start to finish" kind of albums. I think there is a distinct difference in an artist that can produce hot tracks that you want to listen to in order because that is the best way to enjoy the music and the ones that have one or two top songs that they just want to sell. 

The other thing is anonymity. I started this blog under complete anonymity and no one knew it was me posting all of these incredibly witty things. But I used to look at it as both a creative and emotional outlet- I did not realize that until I went to write the post about Frankie and Johnny. I held back on things I was thinking about while posting that I probably would have shared a year ago before my identity was tied to it. In a way I suppose that really makes me part of this current generation and their fascination with Yik Yak and other anonymous sites. I might understand what that means now. Maybe I will explore that more later but I suppose I should focus on the film right now!

In the film Fever Pitch, there are two main characters-Ben (Fallon) and Lindsey (Barrymore) and they start to date each other, she is a workaholic and he is a math teacher and a die hard Red Sox fan. Actually die hard might be an understatement. According to Lindsey he even has Yankee toilet paper. As we watch they have some of the age old relationship issues, they have lots of fun with one another, make out a lot, enjoy interests that are similar and different, they even confront a possible pregnancy. The Red Sox are essential to the story and if you did not know much about them beforehand you will by the end of the movie. Lindsey gets an offer to go to Paris and invites Ben, but he can't go because the Red Sox have a big game. She spills the beans that her period is late and even though Ben does not go to Paris, he guys a little Red Sox jersey in size one for a player yet to be named. It appears that this possible pregnancy has derailed paradise for the love birds. Lindsey is not sure about Ben anymore and in fact there are a few minutes when it looks like Ben and Lindsey might not make it- but I will go ahead and ruin it for you- they end up together in the end.  

You find yourself rooting for the Red Sox just as much as you are rooting for Ben and Lindsey to make it. There is something likable about a love story like this one, it is simple and sweet. This story has all the pieces it needs, attraction, laughter, make outs, little drama, more making out, BIG drama, happy resolution. Isn't that the classic combination of events that makes a great story that can be told again and again? Well if I were to plan a program about this movie, I think I would focus on obsession. Like Ben's obsession with the Red Sox. College students can all find some sort of obsession or addiction they have: checking facebook every hour or some other social media, Starbucks, I am sure they can find something. In RA training one year some RAs read James Frey's book A Million Little Pieces and one of the RHDs that year came up with an activity for RAs to give them a tiny bit of perspective about addiction. I am not suggesting that giving up checking facebook for a period of time at all compares to drug addiction and the challenges that addiction brings someone, but it was an interesting activity. The RAs were challenged to cut that addiction cold turkey and journal about it- at times when they were not successful and cheated a bit and when they resisted the urge. Then they compared that to the struggle that they read about in the book. RAs can compare their struggle in this instance to Ben's struggle to choose Lindsey over the Red Sox. Oh boy. That might spark some interesting conversation!

Do You Believe in Fairies?

Another day another feeling of plain crap. Not even pretty, glittered covered crap- just yuck. Well this yuck just turned into luck for you readers. Today I started to watch Finding Neverland a great Johnny Depp film. This movie is all about imagination, the wonderful imagination of J.M. Barrie. I love imagination-I feel fortunate to have a wild imagination myself. My imagination sometimes joins forces with my anxiety and makes for tough times in this brain of mine. 

Anyway I was very excited to see Peter Pan form before my eyes in this film, and then I remembered why I have not seen it in ages. The disc is defective! I remember now the jumping between scenes of James' cold and unimaginative wife and his creative filled afternoons with Sylvia Davies and her wonderful boys, Peter, George, Jack and Michael. This movie is a real tear jerker so I am glad that I did not get to see all of it. It is hard to figure out James' and Sylvia's relationship- it appears that they have become good friends, even though there is a little bit of affection there. Sylvia's husband had died before we meet her and one of her boys, Peter, is having an especially rough time of it. That is probably the best part of the film for me- watching Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore (that is the actor playing Peter) interact with one another. It is also pretty great to see Dustin Hoffman who plays Captain Hook in the the Peter Pan film Hook work though as J.M. Barrie's producer. 

It is hard to accurately capture everything in a film, Hollywood has to pick a focus. Otherwise all these great movies would last hours and hours. So for Finding Neverland the main focus of the film is about little boys growing up, dealing with grown up things like death, loss of imagination and such. Not death itself, even though it is pervasive through the whole plot. I always start to tear up as one of the theatre goers- Mrs. Snow comes up to James after the show and talks about how her husband had died, then little Peter outs James as Peter Pan and then the whole show at home for Sylvia. I am a water works of a mess. What a great story! 

If I were to program around this film I would have to play with the always a child theme, but not something like coloring books or something like- I would find games like Pretty Pretty Princess or Mall Madness. Games that force you to act goofy and giggle so the real child part of you can come out. None one will be left with their cool caps on- no one. 

I Love The Way You Swig

I have been feeling quite under the weather. That makes for a lot of time on one's rump. I decided to get back on board with the ZYX project. The selection today is Frankie and Johnny. I am not sure how this film got into my collection. I have mentioned before that I usually only

purchase movies I have seen a million times. I have only seen this movie a couple times. But by the time I finished watching it I remembered- it has food, small NYC apartments, Greeks!, gay best friends and laugh out loud funny moments. Those are some of my favorite things! It stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino and one of my FAVORITE actors Hector Elizondo- bonus points for those of you who can go back through the gems on the blog here and find my other Hector spotlights. There is also a film of the same name that stars Elvis Presley- this film is not a remake or anything like that, both movies just use the names and the famous song "Frankie and Johnny" from 1904.

Anyway so Frankie and Johnny both end up in NY for different reasons. Frankie is a waitress and we later find out used to be in a very abusive relationship and Johnny just got out of prison. They end up to be working in the same restaurant. Hector has a ponytail and runs the restaurant where they work and at one point you see a VCR on sale in a window for $199. That is crazy! But as my loyal blog followers might also know- I am not a big fan of these overly romantic movies anymore. This movie has some lovey dovey going on. And some kind of gross kissing, like suck on the whole face kind of kissing. Gross. And there is some s.e.x. I fast forwarded through that- double gross. 

Frankie reminds me of me in a way- she is nice but might be at her wits end. She is one tough cookie too- she don't need nobody for nothing. She is also friends with all the other waitresses at work, sort of like a little family. She talks to the regulars and cares about them, and I love that when someone cannot open a jar, they hand it to Frankie and she opens it almost effortlessly. And because it is women's history month, that makes me smile a little extra. She's got a mouth on her- I love the use of the f word when it is appropriate like it is in this movie. I read somewhere that people thought Michelle was too pretty to play Frankie and maybe that is why it looks like she does not wear makeup in the film, but again that reminds me of me. 

The Apollo Restaurant she works in is painted in a way that makes it look like Greece or another Mediterranean  isle- which reminds me of Grecian Island, my favorite Coney Island restaurant from home. There is also one scene where she is eating warm caramel sauce from the jar and it gets stuck in her throat and she gives herself the heimlich maneuver. It doesn't sound funny but it was- and it was right after she is looking at all these couples in their NY apartments having dinner or petting their puppy. I am sure it was meant to give us viewers the impression that she does not want to die alone, as she almost dies alone in her apartment. That makes me think of that line in When Harry Met Sally when Harry tells Sally he does not want want to "die one of those NY deaths where no one notices until the smell seeps out into the hallway." Anyway, Johnny comes on strong and some other things happen, and well...you will have to watch the rest of the movie to find out. 

If I were to program with Frankie and Johnny, I am not sure what I would do. Hold on while I ponder that...listen to Claire de Lune for a minute...google Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune...ok program time.

You could plan one about proper dental hygiene, the feng shui of elephant decor, how to live in a studio apartment, or even use this movie as part of a Garry Marshall film festival that highlights some great Rom Coms. I recently learned some new internet slang so hmu if you want more programming info. :)

No!

I have been told a few times that I might have a condition-or ability depending on how you look at it-that makes it nearly impossible to say no. So naturally I went to the internet for some answers. I am sure that there are some WebMD experts that can educate me on such a condition. The Internet Therapist told me that the inability to say no is a characteristic of codependency. Putting the needs of others before the needs of oneself and causing a deterioration of one's emotional and mental well being is a the result of not using that powerful two letter word. 

Wendy Wallbridge reminded me that when I say no to something I am in fact saying yes to something else. This makes sense to me-and at times I do say no to social engagements just so I can say yes to Netflix.

Andreas Moritz brings up the excellent point that sometimes one feel pressures to say yes because of beliefs that are connected with education or religion, or even gender and class. There is the societal pressure for a woman to say yes, especially to her parents, significant others, maybe even her children. Well anyone who knows me, knows that I do not have a problem saying no to my family when I feel my mental or physical health will benefit from saying no! And now that it is March I can remind you that I do not feel any pressures to do anything that some man asked me to do!

On my first page of Google hits I was even given some coaching by a company in the UK on how to say no. It was actually pretty good advice. Things I might take back to the workplace. That brings me to another point- I think there is a work "no" and a personal "no."I will admit that I have trouble saying no at work. When a student asks me for something or when I can help with something I always try to make it work in my schedule. I have said no a couple of times to being part of a committee or part of planning things like Women's History month and I can honestly say that I feel guilty when I do- and I recognize that is a problem. 

In my personal life I have become much better at saying no to things that I do not want to do. I have declined more social engagements in the last three years then I have since college when I was too busy to say yes! 

But I am a sucker for someone I care about-I do not want to hurt their feelings nor do I want to see them suffer. I say yes to a lot of things I am sure that I have suffered or have done a dis-service to those friends too on occasion. But I honestly feel my heart is in the right place-I never intend to make matters worse with all my yesing, nor do I want to be taken advantage of during those times. And if any of you reading this call to ask me for a favor in the next few days, I would think twice.

Oh yeah-that's right. The No Machine is in the garage ready to go. I am going to be driving that bad boy all over the place. For a little while anyway. I am sure that the sucker in me will be out in full force in no time :) 

True Self

Sometimes I am too much my true self. You know what I mean? I am confident in my ability to do my job, but sometimes I let loose and share my thoughts with students. The other day was one of those days! To be fair, my daily coffee was delayed by about two hours, that is a real issue :) 

This is the look I give the RHDs when they cross me BEFORE coffee...

Professionalism has such a fine line. A young professional has an even harder time drawing that line. When working with first time professional staff members we talk about how to distinguish yourself from the students and how to present oneself. Residence Life is such a funny job in that respect, a fellow staff member has to know you well enough to support you. You have to learn enough about each other that you trust one another at 2am when you are confronting student behavior. Students have to also feel that too- they should know what it looks like when you are upset or happy or feeling goofy. Students can often see right through us when we are trying to hold in a comment or a laugh at an inappropriate time. I used to work pretty hard to hide it- I would never leave my apartment in sweatpants, my hair was always brushed and styled, and I would never cry in front of a student! Never! Now that I am over thirty I feel as though my filter has eroded away and I have been left with nothing in the professionalism department. I let it all hang out there. Sometimes it is funny, but most of the time it makes me nervous that I will cross the line in a non reversible kind of way. Thankfully if there was one department to be a goof and slightly inappropriate is Residence Life so I might be safe. I cry all the time now- in front of anyone-student or not. In the middle of the night I leave my house in sweatpants or long johns- whatever I happen to be wearing- to respond to emergencies. 

It is refreshing to just be yourself. I feel free at work to tell people when I am angry or when I am sad. It is refreshing to rely on that support from the office. When you think about it, I spend more time in the office or on campus then I do at home. You need to find that support. When my life was struck by sudden tragedy I found most of my support on campus with my work community. I am glad that ten plus years on the job has chilled me out and made me act like myself. It is a relief to just be me. 

100th Post!

Hello loyal Blog followers! We have reached the 100th post, and it took a lot longer than I suspected it would. I blame that on workaholicism, netflix, and that age old, awful excuse that time escaped me. 

Today I got the opportunity to take three students who volunteered to attend a leadership conference with me. It is nice when students take advantage of professional development opportunities. When I was a Greek adviser years and years ago- I could offer to pay for the entire conference, hotel stays, transportation and food and I would still find it impossible to get students to attend. Even today while driving to this conference two of the three students were busy doing homework as to not lose time in the travel. But I wish that I could help all students to see the value and the transferable skills that can be gained by taking advantage of experiences like leadership conferences. 

Today there were students from a variety of schools with sessions to chose from about leadership and an awesome keynote by Vernon A Wall. If you ever get the opportunity to hear him speak or attend his summer Social Justice Training Institute I recommend it. His message about how we all live in one world and our identities influence everything, including how we treat one another. His message was full of energy and it was simple- just to the point about how we need to love one another and respect our differences. I really enjoyed it and so did the students with me. 

I was honored to have the opportunity to present today about the True Colors Personality Test and how that relates to leadership. I had a great crowd of students who seemed to enjoy it and participated fully. Those are my favorite kind of sessions, where the students talk among each other and seem to enjoy the topic. They understood the themes I was trying to get across and their conversations were so rich that I had to cut out one of my activities! 

I was also impressed with the students, including first year students, who presented today in front of the crowd of students and staff members attending the conference as well. I am getting softer as I age-I get so proud of students and their accomplishments that I tear up just thinking about it. This winter we had a case study in our RA training and when I hear them talking about it and what they learned it is another case of the proud mama tears. 

It is hard to be a student in college these days- I would imagine the feeling of being torn between  academic achievement and the pressure to expand the resume with extra curricular activities drives many of today's students bonkers. I really do appreciate the time they take to be RAs, participate in all the trainings and inservices we require and still find time to volunteer a Saturday to learn more about leadership. I appreciate it even more when they share with me on the way home how much they enjoyed it and what they learned.  

She Rambles and Rambles

I feel as though I have talked about perspective quite a few times in this blog. But it is so important. Today while I was browning ten pounds of meat for RA training meals on Thursday I had plenty of time to think. 

I am fortunate to work with many talented students and hall directors everyday. While at times I complain about the 18-24 year old crowd-they really are a very interesting bunch. I love to see new employees grow and change and I cannot speak enough about watching a college student move through four years of college and seeing those changes. That must be why aside from the occasional exclamation that I am quitting my job, I keep myself on the payroll. 

But even when times are challenging and we are dealing with mental health crisis or puzzling student behavior- I would not trade my team for anything. In my professional life I have been fortunate to work in residence life where the emphasis is always on the person. I have been able to get paid to build relationships and just have fun at times with some pretty awesome people. And believe it or not those times where we laugh at inappropriate poop jokes or probe too much into each other text messages to make fun of our scoompsie language make it easier to trust each other at three in the morning. 

I often think that a change in vocation would make the most sense. You know a crafty job where I can show off my Pinterest skills. Or as a professional Bob Ross instructor. Or even going back to my amazing skills in the local grocery or Bed Bath and Beyond locations. But I know I would miss that feeling that comes from working with my residence life staff. 

I know I am ten times more excited for my RAs to come back to campus then they are, actually ten times might be too low an estimate. And they make fun of me for taking so many pictures and loving residence life so much for the entire training. But I don't care. I am proud of my little team and what we try to do every semester for college students. 

So as we approach another hiring cycle of student staff members and professional staff as well I will keep my perspective. That while sometimes the day to day sucks quite a bit- it is worth it big picture. It is worth it for the perspective you gain in the position and for the amazing people you meet along the way. It is worth it when you see a staff support each other through hard things and they don't squabble over what is fair with duty- they just do what is right for the team. Or when one of us is not doing ok we all analyze what that person would appreciate as an introvert and respond accordingly. We know how the INFJ needs to be supported. We have done our homework. We also know about the ENTJ boss who jokes and teases but cares a whole lot.