2008 New Professional

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”

2009-06-16T20:18:00.003-04:00

Above quote is from Ovid, a Roman poet from waaaaay back in the day who definitely knew what he was talking about. He wrote a lot of love (and all things encompassing it) and transformation. Ever read The Erotic Poems? There's a man who has a way with words :)

My summer is already half over.

Who can believe that it's only the middle of June but there's already only half of a summer left before I'm forced back into the jaws of an everyday work schedule, one that I know for sure will make me get up before 10am. I'm being a bit dramatic, but it's still a hard pill to swallow that soon I won't be able to wake up, lie in bed reading and chatting with friends on the phone, before finally crawling out to see what it looks like outside and start my day. Soon I'll be fueled by coffee (plenty of sugar with a hit of cream), bagels with cream cheese, and covert text messages with my coworkers across the room. [Uhhh, I mean, sit and pay attention to every little word that's said?]

The amazing thing is that despite all the fun that I've already had, the second half of my summer is actually the best part. Most of the excitement is soon to come and so I shouldn't feel pissed that I haven't been working on my tan as frequently as I'd like because I'm going to have plenty of time (and in the best locales) to do that very soon. I shouldn't think of summer as half over, but rather think that the slow and steady warm-up has now completed and is prepared to yield to the upbeat and fast paced cardio that's yet to come. (I must provide this peptalk to myself, if not to those others out there who might also be experiencing this downtrodden view of life.)

One of the more surprising things about this summer has been my lack of desire to work. While I'm not required to do anything work related I told myself that I'd definitely putter about in my office working on things for next year's staff and getting things ready for training. I was SURE that I would want to be creating things on Microsoft Publisher, reading up on some material, and putting some plans into place for programming. I've probably stepped into my office about 5 times in the last month, each time either dropping off something that found its way to me that I don't need to worry about until July or retrieving something that was left in there that I need (like a favorite pen, or perhaps a picture frame). My travels will take me away from my life here for the next few weeks, proving that I was delusional upon thinking I would be proactive when I was obviously too lazy to way a few feet down the hall to my desk. I guess the idea of relaxation was just too much for the idea of working ahead to handle :)

Tiiiiiiiime is on my side, yes it is.

2009-06-09T22:50:00.001-04:00

One of my summer experiments is attempting to swear off my watch. I’m one of those people that is hyper organized and conscious of where I’m supposed to be at what moment of every day. During the school year I am always near my planner and my Outlook calendar, constantly updating both with events from my work and personal lives. I’m trying to relax and enjoy this summer as much as possible and for me this means trying to stay relatively unscheduled and carefree. While I obviously have to plan out all my trips to here and there, the one way that I can really try and do this is by not wearing my watch.

This is not easy. I’m not sure at what age I started wearing a watch every day, but it was long enough ago that I can’t remember not being able to look at my wrist to see the time. I’ve become so dependent on it that I often freak out when I don’t know what time it is and get uneasy in places where there aren’t enough clocks (at least by my standards). I used to have cheap watches because I was so hard on them; constantly banging them against things and such. I spent so much money replacing them every few months that I decided to invest in something a bit more sturdy, and it’s been well worth it. Every few years I get a new one just because I find something very fun that I like – but every one that I own (once its battery has been replaced) still works, including one that had to be revived by a very nice jewelry store man who could see the absolute pain on my face when he couldn’t get it started again.

At first not having the watch was weird. I was constantly looking at my cell phone to see what time it was, searching out clocks in public places, etc. More quickly than I imagined, I started liking the feeling of having nothing on my wrist. I finally had to do a semi-professional event a few weeks ago and put it back on, thinking that if nothing else it might help jumpstart me back into the feeling of working, if only for a day. I was surprised to find that I didn’t like the feeling of it anymore – I didn’t like the grip of it on my wrist, didn’t like feeling its weight on my arm. I was glad to take it off at the end of the day and return to my summer world where time doesn’t matter….much.

Deep down I know that this doesn’t mean I’ll never put one on again. I think it’s sort of like having to wear “real shoes” with socks for the first time when it starts getting cold again – you hate the feeling of it and you feel suffocated at first, but it just feels right after the first few times. My crazy organized self will return when needed, but for now she’s been safely repressed to the deep corners of my brain.

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."

2009-05-27T13:44:00.003-04:00

Quote from Henry James, a 19th century American-turned-British author who I would say is probably most well known for The Portrait of a Lady, but he also wrote The American and The Europeans which might be of equal familiarity. Regardless as to how you know him, no one can deny that he definitely knew what he was talking about with summer.

Oh the lazy days of summer. I have rediscovered the joy of never setting an alarm, laying on the couch all day long, and feeling like I have the power to do anything I want. It's amazing.....mostly.

You might ask why, after so many posts over the year of looking forward to a summer off and free from responsibility I have suddenly declared that it's not completely satisfying. Well folks, I'm bored. It's only been 2 weeks, but I'm already bored with doing nothing. Now, I realize that I'm blessed with a life right now that most people would be dying to live, but my always-busy-go-go-go lifestyle has taken over and I seem to forget how to really enjoy being stagnant. Some days I am content to do nothing and other days I feel like if I don't have some sort of a project to work on I might just lose my mind. Truth be told, I haven't been bored enough to go into my office and work on things for next year, but I've thought about it and the idea gets more tantalizing with each hour that passes.

I won't be doomed to a summer of sitting in my apartment day in and day out with nothing going on. Most of my summer will actually be spent jet-setting from one place to another, it's just getting through this first part that's turned out to be....well, a bitch. I have even contemplated going on a random roadtrip to a state I've never been before because #1, I've never been and it's closer to me now than it was before, making it a much more realistic possibility; #2, I enjoy random roadtrips and I actually enjoy being alone so doing it by myself doesn't bother me; #3, I can be pretty random about life and this just seems to fit with me perfectly. The things that stop me include the fact that gas is ridiculously expensive, the weather is making me sluggish, and I can only imagine what people would say if they knew that I preferred to do this alone rather than trying to convince people to go with me.

Instead (at least for the time being) I will sit and daydream about what the rest of my summer will look like. I'm cramming in a whole lot of fun in a small amount of time, and I've been presented with the possibility of including even MORE fun in my summer - I've been invited to visit a friend whom I haven't seen in many years, a friend who lives in an incredibly fun place I've never been. The responsible side of me tells me to not try and push my luck with more trips and entertainment, but the reckless kid inside says that I'm an idiot to pass this up. I'll let the mental battle continue while I lay on the couch eating bon-bons and thinking fondly of all of you out there who still sit in your offices, hard at work :)

The Beginning of the End, Part Two

2009-05-16T21:40:00.002-04:00

It's officially all done - I've completed my first year as a new professional. All of the students are gone, my paperwork is complete, and there's an overwhelming calming feeling that's come over me. As I walk the halls and look at the plain doors I think about the students that used to live there, and how next year will bring a brand new crew into the building. As much as I complained at times about the noise and the immaturity, they were a good group. We survived without any major issues (to my utter delight, although this convinces me that next year will be horrid), my staff all bonded and became friends with one another (no mutiny occurred!), and I learned an entire new University system in a whole new place.

Through the year I've learned a few pearls of wisdom that should be passed along to those of you who have just completed your degrees and are anxious to get started with a new job:
- Change can be incredibly difficult to handle, but try to remain open minded and you'll be surprised at who you'll meet and what you'll learn.
- Students will constantly try and test you, especially when they think that you're ALSO a student and will therefore let them do what they want.
- Being a new supervisor is a HUGE challenge. Realize that with supervision comes delegation - you no longer have to do everything yourself. Trust in your staff and you will learn right along with them. Be prepared to work with a staff that might be completely different from who you are. Inheriting a staff means that someone who was quite possibly VERY different from you made the hiring decisions. Some staff members will challenge you because they want to show the new guy or girl everything they know, others will just want to show off their leadership abilities and not really know how. Accept this advice/guidance with a grain of salt and know that ultimately what YOU decide is what matters - you are still their boss in the end.
- Maintaining work/life balance is much easier when you don't have school thrown in there as well. Also helpful is having colleagues who are willing to put you in check when necessary. You will lose your mind if you don't take some time for yourself.
- On that same note, try and make friends with coworkers - especially those that have been there for a year or more. They will help show you the ropes of work and also know all the best student-free spots to frequent in town.
- Become involved in your department. Show that you can be a leader in whatever way you can. Form relationships with your superiors that will help you grow as a professional and develop new mentors.
- Try and get to know the graduate students in your department and help them when you can. Realize that there may be a difference between your program and theirs, but in the end you will both be in student affairs and are doing the same job.
- Never underestimate the power of swearing in front of students. It sounds ridiculous, but by showing that you're a "real" person students will actually start to respect you a bit more. Being able to throw around "asshole" and "shit" can give you some street cred that you'll gain no other way.

In the next few months I plan on worrying about no one but myself (a feeling that's escaped me since AUGUST) and loosening the connection that I have with my cell phone (I actually have the ability to turn my phone off now, or leaving it on silent ALL DAY). I want to enjoy a student-free town, take some random vacation trips, and return ready to have a fantastic year and feel energized.

I keep thinking back over the year and trying to identify what I learned about being a professional that was surprising to me, but I can't really think of anything. Maybe it's because I came from a very hands-on, practical based grad program (in contrast from the many theory-based programs that exist) and my careful observation of those that I worked for/with during my time as a student, but I didn't find it very difficult to try and get used to being a full-time employee; work just replaced the time that I had been spending being a student. In some ways it was EASIER than grad life, if only because I had my weekends free and didn't have to worry about juggling my assistantship, class, a second job, and my personal life. The hardest thing for me to get used to was being in residence life again. I still haven't decided if this is the aspect of student affairs that I should make my career in, but I know that I have the personality for it and the dedication.

The rejuventation process of the summer has already started. I find myself going out more, watching tv a whole lot more, and actually paying attention the cleanliness (or lack of it) in my apartment. I'll say goodbye to friends, start making new ones, and prepare for year number two. With any luck by the time training starts again I will have found my new place within the department, and a new motivation to work in student affairs.

The Beginning of the End, Part One

2009-05-09T23:24:00.002-04:00

Silence.

I sit on my couch and there is overall silence in the building. Stage One of move-out is complete, and tomorrow the remaining folks will pack up and head out. I've taken the "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here" approach this whole week. I've done quiet rejoicing as students left, in my head I've jumped up and down as keys were returned.....and now that I'm here I'm not quite sure how I feel.

I walked through the building today and saw so many empty rooms. The hallways are still, with only the tiny noises of movement from random residents breaking through. I am thankful for an end to the year and to the worry, but with all of that comes the sadness to say goodbye.

My staff ambushed me with a card and gift yesterday, prompting me to immediately start to cry, the first time they've seen that happen. Then as they've left, I've cried again - sometimes full out crying as I hug them, sometimes just tearing up, sometimes waiting until they go to really let it all come out. My very first staff for my very first year as a professional, and now it's all over.

I am anxious to finish my paperwork and get my summer underway.....anxious to shut the cover on this year and know that I made it. But with this excitement comes that constant tug of melancholy, knowing that it won't ever be the same.

"But fate ordains that dearest friends must part."

2009-04-30T21:13:00.003-04:00

Quote from Edward Young, an English poet from the 1700s. He is most known for Night Thoughts, a poem that I'll admit I've never read, but he did a great many other works as well. His quote is completely true and fitting for today.

What do you do when your coworker who has been your professional listening post and confidante decides to leave the position?

One of my downfalls (as I see it right now) is that I tend to form very important connections with people. When I meet someone that I click with it happens quickly and with ease, usually deepening before I have any control over it and I have a new friend overnight. A bond is formed and suddenly it's impossible to think about how I could have survived without this person.

The upside is that I end up with excellent friends that I am very intertwined with. They are usually fiercely loyal (as am I) and people that witness all sides of my personality and emotions.

The downside is that they are incredibly difficult to say goodbye to. I end up feeling like a part of me is being left with them, and the emotional pain I experience is awful.

So what happens when the person you've worked closely with for 9 months, shared good times and bad, and really become friends with decides to pursue other opportunities? I didn't realize that the natural turnover of residence life positions would feel like this, that I would become too close with people and stop thinking about how any of us could decide to leave by the end of the year. Perhaps I'm not cut out for residence life because of the connections that I make with people - or maybe that's part of the reason why it comes so naturally to me.

The connection that I've made with my staff hasn't been as strong as I thought it would be. Part of this is because they're my first staff, and while I'll always remember them, I was hesitant to reveal my personality to them. Despite that, when I say goodbye to them next week it will make me cry (just as I'm crying as I write this because I'm obviously just a mess at this point). As I watch my residents leave I will be satisfied and happy that the year is over, but I will be sad to know that they won't be returning to my building next year. Yes, I've helped develop them into (hopefully) mature rising sophomores who will have fond memories of their first year of college but I'm selfish and would like to continue to watch them grow.

Ugh. No one told me that the end of the year would feel like this.

"In summer, the song sings itself."

2009-04-25T19:45:00.003-04:00

Quote from William Carlos Williams, an American poet. He's most famous for his poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" but he did a lot of good poetry.

We are almost at the end.

My staff has held their closing meetings. We're planning the check-out schedule. I've finished spring evaluations. I've met with my staff for next year. Within a few weeks the students will be gone. It's all finally coming full circle.

I find myself being the 'Rookie of the Year' (as my dad put it) and seeing incredible successes where ever I look. I am no longer intimidated by these students and my staff and it finally feels like I am considerably older than them, even if considerably is defined occasionally as only a few years. Next year I will be the leader of my section of campus, being the only full-time returning staff member. What used to frighten me now intrigues me and I can't wait to see what sorts of things will happen in 09-10.

With the nice weather and end of the year approaching the students have increasingly lost their minds. My building is loud all the time, students are outside playing ball, laying out, and acting like idiots, and you can tell that students are prowling around for their end-of-the-year fling. I can't say that I blame them and that I didn't do the same thing when I was their age, but can't they make sure they don't get in trouble in the process?

"The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to."

2009-04-14T02:00:00.003-04:00

Quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American author who is considered one of the greatest of the twentieth century. Most famous for The Great Gatsby. If you haven't read it, you should.

I am annoyed that I fell asleep on my couch ridiculously early and hauled myself to bed, only to wake up a few hours later and feel like it's morning, unable to go back to sleep. When's the last time I saw the hours of 1 and 2am for reasons that were not because I was out with friends? My plan to go to bed early and wake up early is now going to be seriously foiled because of my current insomnia. The positive is that I always have friends who are night-owls, mainly because in my younger days I used to be one. One of my old friends (we'll call him Jack) from my grad school days is still awake, as I figured, and is happily chatting to me online since neither one of us seem to be heading to bed soon. Jack's also really musically talented, and the benefit of this conversation is that I'm also going to get to hear some of stuff he's currently messing around with. A win on all parts.

Professional life has been busy with to-do lists. I have many going simultaneously, and it's fun to try and juggle between my worlds. Mostly I am working on completing things for closing and getting all the important documents squared away, but I also have those things I need to get done for my building and my staff, and my ever-growing personal to-do list (it's usually reminding me to change my shower curtain liner and I usually just ignore it). The end of the year is so near that I can taste it. How everything can be winding down already is beyond me, but it's happening whether I'm ready or not.

The end of the year is also bringing some major professional life changes. I'm watching a few more friends/colleagues than I initially thought leave our department in search of a better fit and/or better opportunities. It's hard to deal with, especially since I formed close friendships with a few people and excellent working relationships with other. Next year will definintely take some getting used to.

Meanwhile I press forward with summer plans.....and by that, I mean trying to come up with some. I'll definitely visit one of my close friends from grad school, spend some time back at home, hang out here and enjoy the peace. I made the decision awhile ago not to work this summer, and while my credit cards might wish that I was making some extra loot, my sanity is quite glad for the time off.

Random tidbit of the week.....I recently looked into a position that wasn't in higher ed that I think I would really love to do. I've thought about doing this type of thing before, but then settled on going to grad school and it was really only a fleeting thought. While I don't have intentions on applying now since I've committed to returning to my job next year, I will admit that the thought crossed my mind. And now I'm starting to wonder what else is out there beyond the higher ed realm that might interest me. That doesn't mean that I'm throwing in the towel with this profession.....it just means that I'm curious how else I can use this degree. We shall see.

ACPA Wrap-Up

2009-04-04T21:22:00.002-04:00

The idea of posting during the conference definitely did not work out as planned. ACPA was one big huge glob of events and sessions that was over before I really stomached that it started. My thoughts about this year.....

It was definitely great to get to experience the sessions at the conference and not worry about placement. I stepped into placement once, for about a minute while I was looking for someone, and then immediately left. I was not ready to handle the measurable level of stress in that room. The sessions that I went too were mostly good; I really started thinking about a few different topics through what I learned and I got excited about a few things. Some sessions were really bad, and I was generally disappointed by how many good sessions (at least in my opinion) were stacked on top of one another.

The social aspect of the conference was amazing. My old grad school friends were there and it was great to reconnect with people and see how they're doing a year later. I met lots of new people (yay for networking!) and had what was undoubtedly WAY too much fun. What you don't know until you go is that the OTHER side of ACPA is all about socializing to the max. I got swept up into that world and here I find myself wanting to be back there. It's incredibly euphoric to be able to absolutely have fun in a new place and not worry about your staff and your building and how you're getting home (because you're either in the hotel you're staying in or right down the street).

The downside to everything is that you come back feeling incredibly wiped out. I am finally feeling a bit more normal and like I've caught up on sleep (because at ACPA you always sleep much less than you do normally - there's just too much fun to be had!). It's a hard reality to face when you walk into your office and see piles of things on your desk and a full mailbox (both in real life and the virtual world). The post-conference snap back to reality is a little too much to bear at times, and leaves you counting down the days until you get to go back.

But the best part is that my building survived! My staff had a handle on everything and nothing occurred that was beyond all repair. All my worry was for nothing, as I came back to normalcy. Spring semester moves on as I plan out closing the building and start thinking about what I want to do special for my staff before the year comes to close....

Pre-ACPA Anxiety (No quote needed)

2009-03-26T22:45:00.004-04:00

There's planning to go to ACPA when you're a grad student.....and then planning to go to ACPA as a professional. Two VERY DIFFERENT things, as I'm learning this week. Let's chat.

Example One.....I am leaving on Saturday. It is now Thursday night and I have meetings for the first half of tomorrow and 2 events to attend tomorrow night. I just got out my suitcase today and it remains on my bed, completely empty. I have a very shady idea in my head as to what I intend to bring. Somehow I need to find the time to pack, when the grad school me would have been all packed by now minus the essentials.

Example Two....I have an incredibly large list of work related things to get done before I leave. Some I absolutely HAVE to get done, some I just really WANT to get done. Either way, there is not enough time in the day tomorrow to get everything finished before I intend on leaving my office to finish some last minute errands. The grad school me had everything completed and organized, tabbed and labeled, and ended up taking the day before the conference OFF because I was just that good.

Example Three....My apartment is an absolute disaster. There are shoes EVERYWHERE - literally in each room except the kitchen. Clothes are strewn about, my sink is full of dishes, my coffee table has a bunch of random things, my bedroom is a wreck. I really would like to clean tomorrow so I can come back to a relatively decent home, but let's not forget what Examples One and Two told you already about my to-do list. The grad school me would have already cleaned.

Example Four....I HAVE to do laundry tomorrow, especially since a few things I would like to take with me are dirty. And then I'd also be coming back to a gigantic amount of laundry, as I'd have what I already left here PLUS what I would be bringing back. The grad school me would be ironing my clothes already and placing them gently in my suitcase.

Example Five....I am more worried than I expected about leaving my building and staff for five days. I understand that this is NOT a big deal; they are adults (including the residents, despite what they make me believe certain days), they know how to do their job, they know what to do in an emergency. I'm just a little mom-like at this point and I'm having some anxiety about leaving them all alone. The grad school me didn't have these worries - I just shut the window and locked the door behind me, then dragged my stuff out of my apartment building.

The good thing is that I already have an idea for what sessions I want to see.....I already know what I'll be doing in my free time.....I already have made some plans with old friends from grad school. I might be ahead of the game in DC, but here in CollegeTown I am so far behind. My early bedtimes as of late are definitely not helping and I have a feeling that tomorrow could be a very late night. And of course instead of doing things now I am sitting here posting this, because as much as I want to get things taken care of, I still enjoy the good old feel of procrastination.

My goal is to try and blog regularly duing the conference. I did a decent job of it last year, but we'll see if I can actually pull this off.....

"I don't need to pay a therapist to give me crap. I have a roommate that does it for free.”

2009-03-23T21:56:00.003-04:00

Quote from Calista Flockhart's character Ally McBeal from the sitcom of the same name. Remember that dancing baby? I never watched that show but even I remember that baby. Calista Flockhart dates Harrison Ford and they just got engaged, as my people.com newsfeed tells me. (What can I say - I love celebrity gossip. It's guilty pleasures like this that make my day.) Roommate conflicts are all over this place these days, and I think this is fitting - especially for today.....

Tonight I spent an hour and a half helping to mediate a roommate conflict....one that transpired because no one was communicating and everyone stopped showing respect and common courtesy. It was one of the most frustrating things to deal with and just reminded me how much of a difference there is working with traditional first year students.

This was one little roadblock in my busy week of meetings and ACPA preparations. I am SO excited to attend this conference as a professional! I've already spent some time looking at the online conference schedule and figuring out what sessions I'd like to attend. There are so many that are interesting to me, making for a busy (and long!) conference if I end up attending all of these! I've planned in some sightseeing time as well and can't wait to meet up with some of my grad school friends that are now scattered at different institutions. I'm definitely excited for the socials, especially my grad school social as I've heard that a few of my old professors will be in attendance! Definitely lots of fun to be had!

Meanwhile back in the real world I'm working on my end of the year report and keeping up to date on my budget. I'm trying to get through my training presentations and remind myself that the next month is going to FLY by. I realized that I need to start working on RA evaluations and also find the time to plan a meeting for my new staff next year so we can meet and greet.

I'm starting to try and brainstorm fantastic end-of-year activities. I've already got something in mind for my hall, but I'm hoping to do something special for my staff. I've always given them little treats along the way (just because, for birthdays, holidays, etc.) and I feel like I need to do something nice as a final send off. I'm considering cooking dinner for them, especially since a lot of them will probably run out of money on their meal plans near the end of the year. I'd also like to do something else....probably write them little notes thanking them for being a part of my first year and being fantastic. I have a few seniors who will be graduating and even though I didn't know them during their whole time here, this is an important event that needs to be recognized. I haven't quite figured out what I can do to honor this event, but I'm working on it. Something meaningful that doesn't cost a lot of money....

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

2009-03-15T13:18:00.003-04:00

Quote from Winston Churchill, British politician who was Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II. Primarily famous for his leadership skills, but also did a ton of other things during his life.

My 2 weeks of silence encompassed getting ready for spring break, closing down my hall, and then reopening it. While I definitely appreciated the time off, it was weird to be able to lounge around without a holiday occurring.

My hall is slowly filling with the sounds of students reuniting, music blaring, and people running up and down the hallways. I'm not sure I'm ready for the week to begin and start having to attend meetings, teach class, and deal with all the randomness of the life of a residence life professional. The good news is that we have 2 months left of the semester. This year has completely flown by and I'm starting to realize why some people stay for years and years in this position - it's so easy to have time just fly by and not realize what's going on. I can't believe that all my kids are about to finish up their first year of college and head home for the summer.....this has been a whirlwind experience.

One of the more fun parts of this job (at least in my opinion) is preparing for training once we return for the fall. I've always loved being a part of training, even when I was an RA and got to help out once I had been there a year. It was so odd in the beginning of the year to have to be someone who just sits and learns instead of having the ability to teach others. Now I've been assigned lots of sessions for this upcoming year, and I'm finding myself having to relearn more things than I thought. In the end I know it'll make me stronger in my position, but right now it's almost a bit of a pain in the ass. At least this will keep me busy and involved during training, and will indulge the diva inside of me - I definitely LOVE being on stage :)

I'm starting to think more and more about next year and what it will be like. I'm excited for my staff and to be able to get a lot of my opening tasks completed before the end of this year or at least over the summer. I'm already trying to think about some programming initiatives I can bring to the table and what we can do to get students excited about our community. I'm trying to do a little inner searching as well, thinking about what sort of experience I want to get out of my second year of work and how this position is preparing me for where I want to go next and what I want to do (both of which are major unknowns for me). I'm looking at some leadership opportunities within the office, hoping that I'll be able to show to everyone that I have what it takes to accomplish what I want. I think I need to really get myself in gear for these last two months and finish on a strong note so that I can look back on the not-so-great times but know that I pulled it all out in the end.

....which means less sitting around daydreaming and more action. Less being lazy and more taking initiative. Less thinking and more doing. And most importantly, much, MUCH more caffeine.

“College is like a fountain of knowledge - and the students are there to drink”

2009-03-01T21:36:00.003-05:00

I don't know who said the above quote, but dammit if whoever it was isn't write. Read on for more details.

We are entering in what I consider the most wonderful time of year in student affairs.....conference season.

People are all atwitter about their plans; what conference they are attending, how they're getting there, and who they're going to see. Spring just carries an infectious energy to it, especially now as a new professional, because not only does conference season give you the ability to stretch your professional development abilities, it's also the time to get out of being at work :)

I got hip to conference season 2 years ago during my first year of grad school when I went to the NASPA/ACPA joint conference. It was an amazing experience and I realized that I enjoyed nothing more than being able to be around a ton of other people that love doing the same other things as me. Last year I was at ACPA as a placement candidate and that worked out incredibly well, as I managed to keep my sanity and still have fun while interviewing what felt like non-stop. This year I'm heading back to ACPA again, looking forward to going to some sessions (I didn't get to go to any last year) and also enjoying be back in DC again. I'm branching out and going to another conference a little later in the spring, but I'm presenting! Something else to add to the resume.

Meanwhile I am also looking forward to spring break and closing up my hall. Everyone in my hall has suddenly lost all sense, and alcohol is flowing freely. They are shocked when they are written up, and I suddenly get flooded with emails asking how they can appeal such a charge. With such cut-and-dry situations, I wonder what they think they can possibly appeal - not only are they underage, but they're in a dry residence hall. The only thing that minimalizes the annoyance of having to follow up with all of these students is the amusement that I get in listening to their sob stories. I don't think I have a sympathetic bone left in my body.

"I don't answer the phone. I get the feeling whenever I do that there will be someone on the other end."

2009-02-19T23:35:00.002-05:00

Quote from Fred Couples, American professional golfer who has won a ton of championships/accolades/awards for being a superawesome golfer. He also apparently has the same issues as me, but more on that later in this post.....

The past few weeks have been a little emotionally hell-like.

Just when things calm down with my job and I'm finding more and more time to relax in my office and daydream about the summertime, I am hit from behind with my personal life. I find myself locked in struggle with my thoughts over my relationship, turning 25, and my friendships. I start trying to dissect every nuance of my life, trying to sequence out why things happen and how they've managed to turn me into the person I am now. I end up, in essence, driving myself to hysteria. It's a quiet and personal one until a late night conversation hits too close to home and suddenly feel like I'm standing in the rain watching a movie of what things could be like.

Another day and a clearer view of reality proves that things aren't nearly as foul as I think they are, and with a few honest talks with people I start to feel like a normal human again. Before I know it it's Thursday evening and I'm realizing that a weekend of fun and excitement with my coworkers is upon me, and in a few short weeks it will be spring break - meaning for me that I'll be able to enjoy the peace of an empty building and then the exhaustion of a whirlwind trip back to my hometown.

In the meantime I'll be fielding an unbelievably large amount of parent phone calls. Nope, not my parents (with my busy life and tendency to be bitchy when interrupted they usually leave the dialing up to me), but rather the parents of what feels like any student from my building that might be the teeniest bit unsatisfied/frustrated with basically any part of his or her college career. When I see that I have voicemail I automatically tense up and wait to hear which Mr or Mrs So-and-So I need to call back. The voicemail light taunts me, gleaming all proud as if to say, "Haha! Look at what YOU have to deal with!!". I have learned within my professional experience this year that the voicemail light is the bane of all existance, that even if it's from someone else you work with there's some pressing issue going on which is why they've called instead of just popping off an email or just trying the call again later. The voicemail light is there to add anxiety and stress to your day, causing you to rearrange your schedule so you can make time for the call-back - which will last at least 30 minutes, if not longer. The voicemail light is there to make you doubt your abilities in your job, the competency of your staff, and the tenure of your position.

I used to giggle at my assitantship supervisors when they would sigh and moan when their voicemail lights were on. I thought it was funny that such a thing could cause such immediate exhaustion and frustration. They weren't even working in residence life yet it was still a pain in the ass and something that was sure to either be utterly ridiculous, extreme anger-inducing, or (when you were lucky) just a hang-up. Now I understand and realize that perhaps karma is paying me back for all those smirks and sad faces I would make. Retribution is here, my friends. My personal emotions have waved the white flag and surrendered, allowing me full control over my thoughts once more, but the war rages on with my voicemail light with absolutely no end in sight.

“I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind”

2009-02-08T15:54:00.002-05:00

Quote from Albert Einstein, German-born physicist whose theory of relativity put him into history. He's a winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, an author of both scientific and non-scientific works, and his last name has become another word for 'genius'. I think he also knows what he's talking about with living in quiet solitude (or as much of that as you can get while living in a residence hall filled with students).

All around me I am starting to hear the job search buzz….whether it’s from colleagues that are getting ready to move on, grad students who are preparing to start their first search, or the bloggers of the 2009 Job Search Blog….and, believe it or not – I am jealous.

I know, I know. For as much bitching and moaning that I did last year during the process and how I couldn’t WAIT for the whole thing to be over, I am now jealous of those who get to do it again. It’s not because I hate where I am (I love it!) or that my job annoys me (I love it!), it’s just that I love having to be super organized and researching for positions.

Yes, I truly am this much of a nerd.

What got to me last year was the anxiety of what would happen if I didn’t find a job. Sure interviewing at placement was exhausting and getting those “Thanks, but no thanks” emails was heartbreaking, but the process itself was actually fun. And now I don’t have to do it, and it’s a little odd. Relaxing, but odd.

The one thing I hate is how the job search changes people. Everyone becomes edgy and irritable, with the slightest misstep becoming a huge catastrophic mistake. People who have been your friends suddenly start to pull away - in part because their time is consumed by the job search and also because they stop caring. Not about you....necessarily. They stop caring about the job and the institution and in their minds they have already clocked out and moved on. It's heartbreaking to watch and even worse to actually live. [Job searchers, please keep this in mind as you embark on this journey.]

Today has been peaceful, something I was seeking after this past week and something that I need to get me through the next. The building has been fairly silent (I directly attribute this to a lack of sports on TV this afternoon) and I've been able to wander my apartment doing random things that please me. I need this type of weekend to restore my sanity from the avalanche of roommate conflicts and problems within my building, as they will all hit me right in the face on Monday when I step into my office.

"The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches."

2009-01-28T17:16:00.003-05:00

Above quote from e.e. cummings, an American poet from the 20th century who is perhaps most famous for his lack of capitalization, punctuation, and attention to sentence detail. I think he was amazing, and part of the influence on me and my poetry-writing style.

Ahh, the snow day. A simple event that can instantly strike fear in the hearts and minds of any residence life professional. An event that many of us are dealing with these days, and something that always proves to be interesting and keep you on your toes. It's not just about the college/university shutting down, it's about cancelling huge events that have been planned for months, students going crazy in the building and coming up with new (and often dangerous) ways to amuse themselves, and trying rearrange your schedule to accomodate the new appointments that will creep up because of it.

I have spent my snow day working (albeit minimally) and watching House. I'm refusing to leave my apartment and have been digging through my pantry trying to find something that I can assemble together that might resemble a meal. I've yelled at students and watched other people yell at students. I see students wandering around outside in SHORTS (forget about the cold - there's a lot of snow out there!). I truly believe that when these things happen students lose all sense and wits and turn into animals. Today has only reinforced this.

I'm hoping for a calm evening and that tomorrow will see a return to normalcy. It's too snowy to go outside and cause a ruckus, right?

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

2009-01-20T21:59:00.005-05:00

Above quote from President Barack Obama's inauguration speech today. Read on for more info.

One of the things I love most about my job is the total autonomy that I have. Not only do I manage my own building, making my own decisions, and create my own standards for my staff, but I also have complete reign over my schedule and my time. It's this sort of thing that allowed me to take off a decent part of the day to sit in front of my TV and watch CNN as they gave me incredible coverage of the inauguration of President Obama. In fact, I'm STILL watching it; now I'm seeing all the balls and the dances and thinking about how incredible those parties must be.

I realized the other day that I can remember watching the inauguration of the last few 4 year increments. Part of me wonders if I remember seeing a recap on the evening news or actually watching them in real time.....shouldn't I have been in school? Did I manage to convince my mom to let me stay home? I'm not really sure, but I have vivid memories of watching President Clinton take oath (the first time, I think) and I would've been fairly young at the time. I remember lots of his campaign against then President Bush Sr. and Ross Perot; I even remember watching the debates. While politics has been a part of growing up for me (I remember campaigning for my school levys to be passed and constantly aware of what was going on in the world) it seems to have been fallen by the wayside. Today as I watched all of this I decided that I should become a more politically minded individual and get a better grasp on the hot topics of the day. Since I feel like I'll officially become an adult when I turn 25 this spring, this seems fitting.

Anyway, I decided to check out the new http://www.whitehouse.gov that CNN kept discussing and immediately settled on the biographies of those important people of this administration. I was immediately reminded of how education-minded the Obamas and Bidens are, especially with higher education:
First Lady Michelle worked for the University of Chicago for many years, including serving as Associate Dean of Student Services and Vice President of Community and External Affairs for the medical center.
President Barack taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago.
Dr. Jill Biden (Mrs. Vice-President) has taught English for years at the Delaware Technical and Community College [ahhh, how my heart soars at this because of my experience at the small community college-esque campus]. She just earned her Ph.D in 2007 but that's okay because she's been busy raising her family and earning TWO master's degrees (in English and Reading). Oh, and she had on knee-high boots today. That furthers my intital thought that I LIKE her :)

All of this gives me a good feeling, especially once I browsed the agenda on Education (also available at the White House site). One of the things that made me smile was the idea that the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) could be eliminated and replaced with a check box on your tax form. As someone who has experience working in Financial Aid (especially with assisting families with filling out this form).....well, I can't really express the amount of frustration that could be eliminated and the number of families who would probably receive aid who do not currently because of the complication of the form. Wow.

So....today has not been about work for me. It's not been about what I'm working on, what's on my list of things to do, or what's happening in my building. Today has been about what the world will look like in the next 4 years, and what we can hope to see in the future. It's about change and new beginnings, no matter where you live or who you voted for.

"There is no substitute for hard work."

2009-01-15T14:12:00.002-05:00

Above quote comes from Thomas Edison, American businessman and inventor. Credited with the creation of many items, he is perhaps most widely known for inventing the light bulb. There also exist over 1,000 US patents in his name, as well as some scattered in Germany, France, and the UK. I think he definitely knows what's talking about in terms of hard work.

I was totally unprepared for what this semester was going to bring me. When I mentally prepared to come back, when I wrote my last post on Saturday, when I actually started back up at work in my office…..I still had no idea what this was going to look like. And wow, what a shock all of this is.

I am BURIED in work. So buried, in fact, that I have no right to actually be taking time out of my day to be writing this post. I am in between meetings with students right now, the time when I should be catching up on emails, writing recommendations, working on projects. I keep watching my Outlook show me new emails in the bottom of my screen and I am ignoring them. I keep adding more meetings to my calendar as students email me wanting face time. I keep adding more and more things to the piles on my desk (and my other chairs in the office) that I’ll get to eventually….just not right now. And over the past 4 days I’ve realized that my stress level has rocketed and there’s nothing I can do to change it….and that it’s probably ALWAYS going to be like this at the start of each semester. Holy shit – what did I sign up for?

I thought that this semester was going to be a little easier than others. I signed up to teach a class as something extra because I couldn’t imagine what I would be doing with my time otherwise. I am thrilled to get this experience, and I’m hoping I will be able to help/influence the 11 students who are currently enrolled, but I forgot how much time it takes to prep for a class even when everything is already outlined for you. I’ve been moving like a whirling dervish (as my mother would say) to get things completed in time and have a good grasp on what I’m teaching each class meeting. Now I have things to grade, assignments to explain, and more prep work ahead of me. I am excited about it, don’t get me wrong, but I definitely didn’t budget for all of this.

I have a major project I’m working on that’s sucking up most of my time. Maybe that’s not the best way to say it…..enveloping all of my time? Completely all-encompassing any time that I might have thought I may have? I keep catching little errors that just bother me and feel like it’s never going to be perfect – which for some people is no big deal, but for me is definitely a REALLY big deal. I never considered myself an actual perfectionist until I started this job and realized how many people around me do things to near-perfection, so bringing a half-assed attempt is definitely NOT acceptable. I’m making it harder on myself in hopes that the end result will be amazing….I can only hope.

And then there’s the matter of next year…..it’s time to decide where I’d like to be within our halls and try and articulate why. With rumors flying around our department, it’s hard to keep track of who is interested in working with what, and why. It’s turned into a more pensive time for me than what I was anticipating….I’ve starting thinking more and more about what I’m looking for out of my second year experience here and who I want to work with and FOR. Interesting developments within the department has made me think harder about everything, and now I’m trying to make decisions.

I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday AND it’s a 3-day weekend for me. I am hoping to be able to walk out of my office on Friday afternoon and not walk back in until Tuesday morning. Working on the weekend is definitely NOT what I want to do, but if I don’t start crossing things off on my to-do list it may be unavoidable….which means I should probably stop blogging and start working :)

"Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness."

2009-01-10T16:52:00.003-05:00

Above quote is from Richard Carlson, an American author, psychotherapist, and motivational speaker who is most famous for writing Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (and a handful of other books related to this one) I think it's quite accurrate, and perhaps best explains that there really IS something wrong with me since I work in a field where stress is just a part of life.

There is nothing quite like returning to your job after having a glorious two week vacation. I spent my time off away from here and back in my hometown. I watched an unhealthy amount of TV, took naps nearly everyday, went out with my friends every night, and dreaded having to come back to work. I knew it was going to stink, but I didn't know just how much.

Packing up and coming back was harder than I was expecting. While I definitely missed having my own apartment and all my stuff around me and missed my friends here, I did NOT want to leave and be miles and miles from my friends and family. I cried for a portion of my trip back, which isn't surprising since crying is one of the things that I do best. I got back, unpacked, and enjoyed the fact that my building was SILENT and that I didn't need to worry about a thing.....and then the next day started.....

It's been nonstop ever since. I've been working with my staff, working with my collegues, working in my office. The committee work I do has kept me ridiculously busy since I got back, and I can expect that to continue for quite a while. Here it is, Saturday, and I'm in my office working on things so I don't have to try and balance everything on Monday when I come in. I am hopeful that tomorrow will be peaceful and have few glitches as my building reopens. I want nothing more than to sleep in and lay around all day before the week starts and I am hit with so much more to do.

My to-do list is growing as I keep remembering things that I need to work on. I'm teaching a class this semester and it starts on Monday, meaning that I should probably take a minute and develop a lesson plan for EXACTLY what is going to happen. I have student meetings already set up for the first few days, and I should probably look to see what it is I need to do during them and what I need to say. My calendar needs updated, I have papers to read through, an RA to meet with, recommendations for students need written, and oh yeah - it's about that time when I need to sit and make a final decision on whether or not I'm returning to my position next year and, if so, what community I would like to work with.

I guess I'm making this seem like I'm a lot more unhappy than what I actually am. I love to be busy (maybe not THIS busy....) and even though I get really frustrated at times, I love this job. I only wish I could've had the chance to ease back into work instead of getting tossed in the deep end - and after all, I can't even swim!!

Auld Lang Syne

2008-12-30T19:07:00.003-05:00

Did you know that "Auld Lang Syne" is actually a poem by Robert Burns? It's set to the tune of an old Scottish folk song.

It's easy to tell that students are back at home and their parents are starting to ask questions about their college experience.....as my email has suddenly seen an influx of questions from the residents of my building. After weeks of silence, deserted office hours, and the unwillingness of any students to even make eye contact with me let alone ask me anything, suddenly there are tons of questions and scenarios that need played out. It's hilarious to me, and I really love how all of them start out by saying that they hope I am enjoying my break and that they're so sorry to be emailing me. My out-of-office auto reply tells them that I'm out of the office until January, so despite that I should probably be responding to their emails as I get them, I've been ignoring all of them. My conscious is starting to get to me and I think tonight that I might actually hammer out a few emails in return....unless I decide not to :)

So far my winter break has been extremely relaxing and lazy. I've done a lot of sitting around, plenty of tv watching, and much catching up with old friends. Being back in my hometown for an extended period of time has been challenging at times but a lot better than I was counting on. Celebrating New Years Eve tomorrow will be just like old times and I'm excited to have a few drinks and socialize with people. I've made some tentative plans for the rest of the weekend and then I'll be heading back to my job and my little apartment.

I have managed to do a little work during the past few weeks, including making an ever-growing to do list for when I return to the office and doing a little prep work for a class that I'll be teaching this spring semester. I'm already starting to feel the stress of having to jump right into a very busy month as soon as I return and I'm not a fan of seeing that my January is going to be devoured by work and probably little personal time. What will keep me going is the upcoming events of my birthday, a visitor or two, and eventually spring break. Looking ahead at times is the only way that I can survive in residence life.

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."

2008-12-13T14:51:00.004-05:00

The above quote comes from the one and only Oprah Winfrey. I know, I can't believe that I'm actually quoting her. It's not that I dislike this incredibly strong and powerful woman (we can never have too many in this world!) it's just that...well, I guess I don't know how to articulate it. But I mean, who can blame her? If I had as much money as her I'd probably do the same things, including starting my own magazine and putting myself on the cover every month. How ballsy of a move is that, and she still sells them because she's Oprah. Maybe we should all aspire to have her fame and fortune.

Who can believe that I'm getting ready to close my building and head home for winter break? This semester has not just flown by, this YEAR has sped past me so incredibly fast. It's usually at this point that I like to think about what's gone on this year and do some kind of 'year in review' synopsis. So, in no particular order.....

- I moved for a job that I thought would be fantastic (and it is) and for reasons that were all my own (ignoring what others really wanted me to do).
- I turned 24 and started feeling old. I did have a pretty sweet party thanks to my best friend and favorite people back at home.
- I job searched and job searched until I started not caring where I worked and what I did. And then this place called me for an oncampus interview and everything changed.
- I learned to be happy and satisfied on my own, then decided that maybe I wanted to date again.
- I started planning for my retirement, right as the economy decided to crap out. I have some type of portfolio-thing with some big company that didn't file for bankruptcy or get bought out. Does that mean my money is safe? I'm still thinking I need a financial planner....
- I got grown-up health insurance!
- I bought a TiVo and it changed my life.
- The girl that swore up and down she'd never go to grad school (that'd be me) graduated with her master's degree.
- My best friend got married. (Did I mention she's younger than I am?) And she bought a house. And a new car. And went on a supercool honeymoon. Did I mention I feel old?

All of this makes me think about next year, and what type of resolutions I might like to make. These are things I usually decide in December and promptly forget about in January. I try to keep them practical enough (because we all know I'm NOT going to workout and I'm NOT going to suddenly start saving my money instead of shopping all the time). So this year I think I'll resolve to start flossing regularly and buying fresh flowers so my apartment smells more outdoorsy than what Bath and Body Works Wallflowers can deliver me.

Since a new semester is starting, I want to look at resolutions I can make for that. Having my evaluation meeting recently also put this in the forefront of my mind. Don't let me give you the wrong idea - I had a really great eval. My ideas pretty much lined up with that of my supervisor's and it's nice to know that even though I get frustrated and sometimes feel like my building sucks, I know that I'm still doing all that I can and getting my work done. So, I want to look at what I can do next semester to make my ability at performing my job even better. Like putting my foot down when I want to instead of wavering and being a doormat. Or delegating tasks to people instead of thinking all the time that it won't get done right unless I do it myself (although I'll secretly know that this is true and instead just try and chill out enough to actually let someone else give it a shot). Maintaining my cheerleader disposition in times when I really just want to scream and cry and yell about what's going on with my staff/department.

I think I should also resolve to be a better blogger, and to spend some of that time I waste on facebook actually writing posts and organizing my thoughts :)

"This became a credo of mine: attempt the impossible in order to improve your work."

2008-12-08T18:54:00.002-05:00

Above quote from Bette Davis, a famous American actress who was in a lot of movies primarily in the 30s and 40s but continued acting into her later years.

I am learning quite a bit about myself through evaluations. Each of my staff members fills out an eval about me and my performance and it’s been interesting to read them and go over each one. There have been certain trends amongst the staff – I wonder if they pre-discussed everything they would be writing. They are all frustrated with the same things, most of them seem satisfied with everything I’ve been doing, but perhaps the biggest surprise has been that many of them wish that they knew more about me/that I was more open about my life.

For the people that know me well, this might be hilarious. I usually can’t stop talking about anything, and I’m pretty forthcoming with information about me and what’s going on in my world. I came into this job knowing that I didn’t want to have a completely open relationship with my staff. I figured that I would let them define what kind of relationship they would like to have with me. Most of them ask how I’m doing but don’t go more in depth than that, and so I don’t ask anything that’s too personal about themselves. They don’t ask any questions about much of anything, something that’s always been interesting to me since they see my apartment on a regular basis – a place that has many pictures and random artifacts of my life. And for that matter, my office is a pretty personalized place as well. I guess they’ve been waiting for me to volunteer information or at least seem more open about answering questions (although I didn't know that I wasn't).

Instead I've started to let certain things slip....more stories about my life and my friends, important people to me, etc. I've started talking to one of my RAs that stops by my office frequently and I'm curious to see if the information is getting dispersed like I think it might be. I'm trying to come up with a way to handle next semester a little differently. Maybe some sort of icebreaker for the start of the semester that has to do with storytelling. We'll see what I can cook up.

I have to admit that it's been harder than I thought to keep up with my writing this semester. Time just seems to fly by and before I know it weeks have gone by and I've done more than just neglect my posting. I forget to return emails and phone calls and let too much time go by without seeing people - in particular one of my college friends that lives about an hour from me whom I haven't seen since July. Full Time life is way busier than I ever thought it would be.

“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion....I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward"

2008-11-22T21:46:00.002-05:00

This quote brought to you by Kurt Vonnegut, American writer famous for his satire/science fiction combination books, such as Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions. He passed away last year at the age of 84.

Here I sit in Panera Bread, working on staff evaluations.

Ick.

My absence has been because my life has been taken over by preparing to close my building for Thanksgiving (my first ever closing!), working on evaluations (I'm convinced they were created to make my life miserable), and sogging through the random drama in my personal life (boys, boys, boys). I am trying to stay positive and keep my sanity until I make it home for Thanksgiving, but with each day I get more and more excited to pack up and spend a few days with my family - both biological and the one made up of my friends.

[I would like to digress to point out that for whatever reason, children appear to love me. Despite the fact that this place is pretty much empty at the moment, three children come tearing in the door with someone and immediately run over in my direction and sit right by me. Normally I think it's cute, but right now all I crave is solitude and to melt into the chair.]

Anyway, my building has turned into the last place I want to be. I think the pre-Thanksgiving crazies have hit the students, and they're being loud and obnoxious 24/7. Last night I was up until after 4am because people were thundering around the halls and slamming doors. I think some sort of indicator goes off when I open my apartment door and start walking the halls, since my round of the building that I did at 2am was silent except for the various residents in quiet conversations in the hallways. I wasn't back in my place for more than 15 minutes before the noise started all over again and I decided to give up and admit defeat. My energy level is rapidly plummeting and I can't keep up with all these 18 and 19 year old students anymore. I am old, and I need some peace and quiet. It's definitely time to make my way to my hometown and enjoy the quiet, boring place that it is.

Getting out and working on these evaluations was the best thing to do today. I've managed to get through more than half, although I'll need to go back through everything again before it's time to submit them. My motivation is starting to slip away and all the coffee I've consumed has left me jittery and unable to sit still. Getting anything else accomplished today is probably not in the cards, and the lure of the stores around me is proving to be too much to resist. Maybe one day I'll get back my concentration and desire to work.

"Half of the American people never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half."

2008-11-04T13:23:00.002-05:00

Today's quote comes from Gore Vidal, an American novelist and politician (among many other things) who wrote The City and the Pillar, the first American novel to contain an open representation of homosexuality. He is connected to many well-known political names; his mother married the man who would later become Jackie Kennedy's stepfather, he was the fifth cousin of Jimmy Carter and distantly related to Al Gore, his grandfather was a senator from Oklahoma. He himself became a political activist in the 1960s and had an unsuccessful bid for Congress in New York. He would later run for a senate position in California, another unsuccessful attempt.

On this historic election day, I would’ve expected much more excitement and debate across campus. I wanted to see rallies and students debating (albeit peacefully) and a huge surge of pride as we go into this election.

Instead, it has been relatively quiet. I’m seeing new signs on campus, but not much more than that. I’m concerned that students on my campus just don’t care enough, or don’t want to be bothered with voting. Perhaps many of them voted absentee and there’s no need to get their metaphorical panties in a twist, but I was at least hoping for a little more. Maybe by tonight when polls start to close and the projections are made I’ll start to hear students buzzing about the election.

4 years ago during the last presidential election I was a college student. I went to school at a small private college, but one that had extremely liberal leanings. I was an RA and encouraged all of my residents to vote. I sent in my absentee ballot with plenty of time to spare and parked myself on my bed that evening and watched CNN all night long. I fell asleep with the TV and woke up randomly in the middle of the night to see that predictions were very different from when I had last remembered. I could barely concentrate the next day and all I wanted to do was watch what was going on.

This election will fare no differently. I’ve been told about many different election parties that are going on around campus but I think I’ll be spending this evening alone. I think it’s fun to sit by myself in my pajamas and watch everything…..sometimes I’ll laugh, sometimes I’ll yell at the TV, but the best part is that I don’t have to deal with anyone else getting all uppity about their candidate over mine.

And speaking of that, for whatever reason my staff is very curious about who I was planning on voting for. I’ve refused to tell them and I think it’s only made them more curious and want to ask me even more. I know some people have been very open about where their support falls, but I felt that it was in my best interest to just keep my mouth shut. I’m aware that I have a variety of political leanings on my staff and I’d rather not rock the boat one way or another. Maybe I’ll tell them after everything has been officially decided, or maybe I’ll just let them keep wondering.

My civic duty has officially been completed. I allotted myself about 2 hours of time for the voting process in case lines were long, but I was able to walk right in and cast my vote. This was the first time that I’ve actually voted on election day – I’ve always voted absentee in my hometown – and it was very cool to get to touch screen my vote into history. Plus, I got a sticker! And that’s really what made it all worth it :)

“Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything.”

2008-10-28T21:35:00.002-04:00

This week quote is from Vince Lombardi, the famous American football coach of Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins. The Super Bowl trophy was renamed after him after his death from cancer in 1970, and he was inducted into the football hall of fame the following year. He is also well known for introducing the idea of zone blocking, the famous 'Lombardi Sweep' play, and for coaching the Packers during the Ice Bowl (otherwise known as the NFL Championship Game of 1967).

As a highly competitive individual, I love this quote. I never realized until recently how deep my competitive spirit runs, but it's pretty deep. When I tell my students that I will not accept anything less than the best and winning, I know that there's a good chance it won't come through to victory. The best part is giving them that desire and watching them try so hard to make it happen and to know that I played a small bit in that.

The past week has been a huge combination of good and bad, pride and sorrow, ups and downs.

My best friend came to visit me over the weekend. If I ever needed a dose of her friendship, now was the time. I laughed until I cried, ate so much sushi I thought I might explode, and got to go Walmarting with her – an event that I miss more than I’ll probably admit to most people.

Students in my building came together to create some great school spirit in an attempt to win a contest – and they did :) I cannot describe the feeling associated with finally seeing students unite together for a cause other than going out and drinking underage. What’s more, the win has boosted our budget and we can now do many more fun things!

Our football team has reached new levels of bad. I don’t even know if ‘bad’ even describes them at this point. It’s heartbreaking for the students – both the athletes and the fans – and it’s so hard to sell the idea that they should continue to go and support them when they know (or assume) that the team will probably lose in some catastrophic way. I'm starting to wonder if I should stage a coup and take over one of their practices in an attempt to give them the pep talk that I give my students :)

We had another write-up in my building this weekend, and it amazes me what students will get pissed about. Nevermind the fact that they broke policy and had alcohol in the building, the more important fact (to them, of course) is the fact that the RAs had “no reason” to knock on their door and follow up with them from their noise violation earlier in the evening. These students thought that 3am was a PERFECT time to try and talk with me about the situation. While they didn’t knock on my apartment door, they did stop me outside on the sidewalk as I was walking outside with my friend after my RA called me about the situation. And then (because of course, it gets better) they didn’t understand that I don’t actually work ALL THE TIME and were insistent on trying to find me the next day to talk more about it when it would be convenient for them. This in turn created the first time that I’ve actually had to get snippy back with students because of their attitudes towards me. And then they don’t understand why. I remain amazed by this entire ordeal.

The good thing about everything that’s going on right now is that every passing day puts me closer to more unstructured time in my office and the sweet release of Thanksgiving break. I will shop, play Rock Band/Guitar Hero, sleep in, and enjoy that I have no one else to be concerned about but myself. Then I’ll just have 3 more weeks to get through before I have a lovely 2 week break for the holidays.

I can see how people burn out on residence life. I’m not to that point yet, not at all, but I think next year I will do a better job of structuring my time and not waiting until October to finally leave campus and get away. Even next semester – while I know I will be busy with various things (including teaching!) – if I don’t find time to get away and escape I will probably lose my mind. I have already started thinking about spring break and what sorts of things would be fun to do. And then there’s May which means the end of my contract for the year, a fantastic vacation, and then possibly back to work for a month before I get a whole other month off and the chance to roam around the country visiting family and friends. Despite what the calendar tells me, it doesn’t seem that far away at all :)

"The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships."

2008-10-21T14:12:00.002-04:00

This post's quote is from Anthony Robbins, a self-help writer and apparently famous for various seminars and the tactics he uses to sell his point. I'm not very familiar with it, and I won't even go as far to say that I buy into it at all, but I like the quote.

As I read through the other blogs on studentaffairs.com, I’m starting to see a trend. It’s apparently that time of year when nothing seems to go right and everyone is ready to absolutely scream. I can buy into this – last week I could not WAIT to pack up and get out. I had fun weekend plans and I wanted them to start immediately, without any of this work stuff getting in the way. I was a whirlwind as I packed, cleaned up my desk, tore through my to-do list, and hit the road. I had a fabulous weekend with some fabulous friends and I’ve returned energized and ready to charge through the next 5 weeks.

At least, that’s how I feel today. Yesterday was a mish-mash of feeling sorry for myself and being sad about other people. I teared up twice in my office during the day (email exchanges full of emotion and reminiscing of good times will do that) and then ended up crying later on in the evening while I was talking about everything that was going on. Thankfully my evening took a turn for the better, and so now I’m looking forward to seeing what might happen with a new situation……

Okay, so I’ll just put it out there. I might enter the new realm of trying to date while having a full-time job. Up until last week or so I didn’t think I was ready to handle it. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to balance my job with my personal life and learning how to make time for myself in a world where I’m always at work. It’s been a rough transition, much more difficult than I anticipated. I find myself with plans every weekend (you don’t understand how much I love having coworkers that are my age that share similar personalities to my own) and spending the evenings during the week trying to catch up on sleep and recharge for the next day. Now I’m starting to see that I’m a little bored with myself and maybe I’m ready to try sharing my time with another person. Maybe.

My dating record is full of mistakes and smudges across the page. I’ve made some good friends over the years (I’m proud to say that I still speak to almost everyone that I’ve ever dated) but haven’t ever found someone that could put up with me just as much as I could put up with them. But now things could change, and after a 10 month hiatus from being in a relationship, maybe I’m ready to give it a go. Maybe.

As for everything else, it’s shaping up to be a beautiful fall. The weather has finally turned cold – cold enough that the heat got turned on in my building yesterday – and I feel like fall weather is here to stay. The sun still shines brightly and the campus is looking more beautiful than I even imagined that it could. My job is still busy (although will slow down quite a bit in the coming weeks) and I still love what I do here. With each passing week I feel more and more comfortable with my position here, and now that I’m achieving career satisfaction it might just be time to get some personal satisfaction as well.

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me/ Fluttering from the autumn tree."

2008-10-12T15:10:00.003-04:00

Today's quote is really two lines of poetry from Emily Bronte, the British novelist and poet from the 1800s and one of the famous Bronte Sisters - all of whom were successful writers and published under male pseudonyms at the time. Emily is remembered for Wuthering Heights. (For those interested, Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre and Ann wrote Agnes Grey) Both Charlotte and Ann published additional works - Charlotte published the most but all of the Bronte Sisters would die young before their talents could be fully developed. [Despite my background in literature, I haven't read any of these. This is probably a tragedy in and of itself.]

It's that lovely time of year when fall is really setting in - weather starts to cool off, leaves start changing colors, I start wearing socks again, and then my building goes absolutely nuts.

Maybe I should say that students in general start to go crazy. I'm sure that it isn't isolated to my building or even my quad of campus. My usually quiet building has suddenly gone topsy-turvy and things are happening all over the place. Roommate situations are moving from a slow simmer to a rolling boil, beer pong becomes an acceptable weekend activity (ha!), and people run around all crazy because they simply can. I stand in the midst of it all wondering what's going on and thinking that it must be time for fall break and that's why people have suspended all views of reality.

Other than all of that, there hasn't been much interesting stuff going on. Students are studying for midterms and I'm preparing to start my first round of meetings with those students whose academic attempts have come up a little short. We're preparing for homecoming festivities and Halloween and programming within the hall is starting to pick up a bit. My staff seems stressed out - from their own coursework and also because they are starting to realize that there are two very short months left of the semester and most of them still have a lot of programming left to do. I know that it's probably time to do a little staff development, but no one seems like they want to do anything fun together that isn't thrown together a mere 10 minutes prior. Or maybe they just don't want to do anything that involves me - either way, it's not giving me very much to work on.

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I am choosing to spend it on my couch in front of the TV. One of the very best parts of being a professional is not having homework to do on the weekends and being able to be as lazy as I want to be :)

“Money is like a sixth sense - and you can't make use of the other five without it”

2008-10-02T17:25:00.003-04:00

This quote is from W. Somerset Maugham, an English playwright, novelist, and short story writer who was most popular from about 1915-1940. This quote works with the theme of today's entry, but also the theme of the world today. Reading my daily USA Today has gotten a bit repetitive and bleak in the past days.

I wish I could sit and tell you about all the wonderful and interesting things that have happened since the last post, but not a lot has occurred. At least, not a lot that stands out in my mind. The days blend together in a blur of appointments and suddenly so do the weeks and then I've lost all track of time and I don't know what's going on at all. Welcome to the professional life.

I have a busy month ahead of me, with homecoming festivities and Halloween (always a big deal, no matter what campus you work on) and looking forward to Thanksgiving and winter break. One of the best parts will be getting my first official visitor, the same wonderful friend who helped me move here, who will be returning to hopefully experience a much more calm and relaxed version of myself.

In the meantime, I was reminded in the past week about the wonderful professional development allowance that I am given and all the fun things that I can do with it. I had forgotten that it existed and that I didn't need to worry about paying for some of the things that I'd like to do, since I have the money available to take care of it. So now I'm stuck trying to figure out what exactly I want to use it on.

Some of this is a given....I want to attend ACPA again so I'll be paying my membership fee and conference registration fee, and travel/hotel fees with the money....but if I get to be a part of recruitment at the conference (which I am DYING to do because of my own ACPA experience), then I've heard rumors that I don't have to use my development funds because the college will pay for everything. This means that suddenly there are other conferences that I could attend and books I could buy that I hadn't even thought of before! And being the nerd that I am, I'm already starting to look around and think about what exactly I'd love to see the money used for.

The best part about having this development money is that that means more of my personal money is available for more fun things, like travel! And clothes! :) One of the best parts of having a real paycheck and being an adult is having the ability to decide that I want to take random trips to random places for no real reason. Not only is it exciting to be a tourist and explore, but it's always fun to get out of town and leave the college kids behind. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my residents....but I also love having conversations with people over the ages of 18-22 and getting out of the residence hall.

"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies."

2008-09-24T08:37:00.003-04:00

Quote from Aristotle, a Greek philosopher who was a student of Plato and a writer on many subjects, perhaps the most famous being his works on the formal study of logic and the physical sciences.

[I wrote this yesterday but in between meetings and programs in the evening it didn't get posted.]

Today was a day of blogging – both reading and writing. I’ve been amusing myself in between appointments and meetings by reading a blog written by one of my staff members this summer while he traveled abroad. Then I decided to wander over to studentaffairs.com to see if anything new was up, and I discovered the graduate student blog and read that. Man, did that take me back. The ‘Takin’ Care of Business’ blogger sounds exactly like me when I first started my program two years ago. I can remember feeling incredibly lost in classes, watching all these second years (and more assertive first years) interacting and commenting on issues that I hadn’t even thought of. I had been interested in student affairs for a good year (at least) before I started the program, but coming from a small residence life program (and a small institution in general) left me way behind in many ways. It wasn’t until my second year of grad school that I really started to feel competent. Things started making sense, I started having more things to say, and suddenly I was feeling like a real professional. But back in the first year, in those beginning days, I was miserable.

I picked up and moved for school and the only person I knew in the area was the guy I was dating at the time. He didn’t support me in my pursuit of a masters degree and had little patience listening to me whine about all the work and the awful time I was having. A month after classes began we went our separate ways. I would leave class feeling defeated and spend parts of the drive home crying about what I should do about my life. As I started to make friends things got better, and after the first semester (when I took the worst combination of classes that anyone in my program could possibly take) things got much easier.

Which is why when you go back and read my parts of the 2008 Job Search blog I was so devastated to move away and leave all of that behind. And that’s also why I still have a hard time coping with being away from the past two years of my life. So fear not, those grad students out there who might be feeling something similar, it will all fall into place. You just have to push your way through the bad in order to reach all the good.

Life these days has been rather interesting. I’m developing the sickness that most of those around me have already had. This makes it hard to concentrate and feel like my usual peppy and upbeat self. I’m having students miss or cancel appointments at a rapid rate – something that I have no patience for, or tolerance, and that my schedule cannot accommodate. My staff has started programming at a rapid rate, and so my building had a program last night, another one tonight, something tomorrow night, and another is already planned for next week. As they find their groove I know things will only get more active and fun around here. I knew my “pep talk” that I gave them a few weeks ago would pay off eventually.

So I’ve been my usual busy self, but I’m finding more down time during the days than I anticipated. This is in part because of the appointment woes that I mentioned, but also because I’m actually (dare I say it?) ahead of the game. My desk is clean and free from all the random papers that I’ve just been pushing around. I have neat piles of important things and my files have been organized. My office has been rearranged (I got sick of it after less than two months) and I feel like it’s a lot more user-friendly for myself and the students. I am caught up on email and have even cleared out my inbox from random other things that were hanging out there. While I know that this won’t last, and as my schedule heats up even more I will probably lose this calm and confident feeling, for now I will enjoy the fact that I am a cool and collected professional, ready to conquer the world!

"Ugly naked guy is having Thanksgiving dinner with....ugly naked girl!!"

2008-09-18T20:18:00.003-04:00

The quote in the title will make sense when you get to the end of the entry. Or, if you're really good, you already know what it's from.

Things with work are getting busier, but somehow I'm feeling more organized and put together. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: being crazy busy and stressed just makes me get more serious about whatever the issue may be. I'm in the office early so I can sort through all the emails from the evening before and then in between appointments and meetings I'm returning calls and emails and keeping up on everything. Some days are really long, but other days (like today!) end up being fairly short and easy to deal with.

My frustrations with my staff are starting to even out. I think they could sense my restlessness about the issues and are starting to become more productive. Things are happening in and around the hall that are positive, and this helps me feel like I'm doing something right with my job and staff.

We've also been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike - something that I wasn't expecting to have to encounter where I work. Between debris and power outages and kids gone crazy, it's been a hell of a week. I can't wait until I have some sort of normalcy restored.

All the news about the economy has me thinking about big picture issues that I never thought I'd have to worry about yet. I've already been faced with picking a retirement plan (hmm....something I should probably decide on rather soon...) and I've been thinking about annuities (which still don't completely make sense to me) and one of my friends was telling me that she has a CD (which seems cool and interesting but I'm not quite sure I understand all about it) and this same friend yelled at me when she found out that I didn't have a savings account (which doesn't mean I don't have a savings....necessarily....it just doesn't have it's own account yet. I've been BUSY!). I need a financial manager or something. Or at least someone who can explain all of this to me. Being a grown-up is rather difficult business.

Meanwhile, here I am watching reruns of Friends because it's a Thursday evening and I have nothing to do :) Plus, this seems better than planning my future. This episode is from the first season and it's the Thanksgiving episode. Now I can't stop thinking about going home for Thanksgiving and eating until I want to vomit. Black Friday shopping with my mom (if she's brave enough to handle it!)....taking naps on my parents' couch....spending countless hours with my best friend. All squeezed into a few days. Wonderful happy thoughts to get me through the rest of the week.

"To do great things is difficult; but to command great things is more difficult. "

2008-09-13T00:23:00.003-04:00

This post's quote is from Friedrich Nietzsche, the nineteenth century German philosopher. I think this quote perfectly goes with how I'm feeling, but I'm laughing hysterically on the inside that I would pick a quote from someone who is well known for his beliefs on postmodernism and existentialism. [Friends from college would maybe get this, but this could be my own joke inside my head. Either way, it's amusing to me right now.]

Today has been one of my introspective days. I've spent this week listening to people comment about how down or melancholy I seem to be, which is totally in contradiction to the actual good feelings I've been having. Well, mostly good feelings. I can't help but feel icky inside when I miss important events (birthdays, pregnancies) and when I just can't be there to give my best friend a hug. Things have happened this week that have left me wishing I was at home.....well, at my multiple homes that I feel I have. But on the work front, I've actually felt a little bit better about things.

For the first time since training started, the items on my desk are relatively under control. There are still some things I need to manage, but for the most part I'm happy with the state of my office affairs. I'm finally feeling like I'm finding my professional niche....or at least starting to worm my way into what COULD be one. And as I start to feel more in-control with the general aspects of my abilities to do my job, I start to realize how incredibly frustrating other things are. The topic for this discussion is my staff.

Don't get me wrong - I have been blessed with having a phenomenal group of people work for me. They are all talented in their own rights and I love them each dearly. Lately I've been struggling with their motivation....or general lack of it. I know the students here have their own unique culture that doesn't fit with the types of populations I've been involved with before, but I don't feel like that's a good enough excuse - or really that excuses are acceptable at this point. You're here to do a job, and you're doing it with this certain type of community. They have no desire to program. They see most requirements as a chore. I have basically been hung out to dry on an event this weekend that I seem to be having to completely run myself. I feel like no matter what I try and do they will be pissy about some aspect of it. And now I'm pretty much fed up with the entire situation.

I know that as a first-time supervisor I have made mistakes along the way. The entire month that they've been here with me has been a learning experience, with each week yielding more things that I have to discover how I will handle. Yet I'm starting to wonder if either I a) completely suck at supervision and motivation; or b) command no respect from anyone. Or, maybe it's not me at all and my staff is just really not feeling doing their jobs. None of these choices are acceptable. A change must occur.

So I will spend this weekend trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation. I hate to give a million deadlines for every little thing (I provide some, but not for everything), but I feel like I'm being pushed to the point of having to really take a look at their performances and wonder what I can do to help them along. It's not everyone; of course I have a few that are stellar and keep my hope alive that everything will be okay. But the ones that are starting to push my buttons are really stomping on them. Tonight I will stay up later than I should and mull all of this over, trying to come up with answers that I know won't come. And I'll also lay on my couch and wonder what's happening back at my homes, wishing I could be everywhere at once and feeling like I can't control a thing.

"The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure."

2008-09-06T14:22:00.002-04:00

The title is a quote from Françoise de Motteville, a French courtesan and writer. Oh how appropriate and true these words are.

So, let’s talk about how much I love my job. In fact, let’s talk about how much I love absolutely everything about this place.

To begin –
- The atmosphere at this place is amazing. A college town that is one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever seen. ONE of. I can’t deny the beauty of my own alma mater.
- My building is super cute. Maybe cute isn’t exactly the right word, but it’s the only thing I can think of at this time.
- My residents seem to be an eclectic mix of individuals. They come from all over the US (and a few countries) and have lots of different backgrounds. And this is just from the little that I know about them – I haven’t even started really getting to know any of them quite yet.
- My apartment and my office are AMAZING. I was initially horrified by the apartment. I can’t lie that I burst into tears when I saw it and thought I was moving into hell. As I mentioned in the previous post, NOTHING looks good when there are boxes everywhere and you’re sweating so much that you think you might melt. Once I turned it (and my office) into truly livable spaces that feel like ME, I realized how much I love them. This was reinforced when I started seeing other people’s offices and apartments. I am a lucky girl :)
- The department is more than I could ask for. With so many supportive supervisors and colleagues and feeling like I could approach anyone for assistance, this could be the perfect place to cultivate a new professional like myself.
- The community I’m working with is absolutely PERFECT for me, and I’m curious as to how they figured out that this was the best place for me to be. The placement that was done for my position was spot-on, and that goes for others here as well. How they just figure this out from interview questions that don’t even really ASK about these things, I’m not quite sure. Maybe I’ll figure this out during recruiting season this spring.

It’s quite obvious how happy I am when I put it down on paper, but I still can’t really believe it. And when others here about all the work that I’m doing (and how often that I work) they are in shock that I “put up with this” and actually claim to enjoy it. These conversations make me see how great the divide is between us student affairs professionals and the regular working folk. I never really felt a total sense of inclusion with my grad school cohort. It was no fault of the program, but as a group of students we just never really bonded. But now…..now I feel like I am with my people. Working at the place that I’m supposed to be at, doing the work that I was meant to do. Even as I write it seems too new-agey to actually leave as part of this entry, but I’m not sure I can put it any other way.

Other updates include the lack of incidents in my building. I feel like I may have jinxed myself by typing that, but I’m kind of hoping that that’s exactly what this does. Am I insane for hoping that my RAs bust a party or some random residents tonight? Or this coming week? Probably….but I want so badly to show those other residents (you know, the ones who are pretty sure they can get away with things and are just about ready to give it a shot) that they CAN’T do whatever they want and we ARE out there watching things. I’m ready to take on whatever comes at me, whatever it might be.

"What we call results are beginnings"

2008-09-02T21:21:00.003-04:00

The title is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and a fitting one to start off this new path in my life.

What a journey it’s been since my last post on the Job Search Blog. (For those that followed along, or wish to go and catch up on things, I was the "Suddenly I see" blogger) I finished up working and took a short vacation home to visit family friends, only to return and pack millions of boxes. At least, it felt like millions of boxes. Somehow I managed to get everything I own into boxes, suitcases, and bags, and then cram it all into a u-haul. Many long, sweat-filled hours later I rolled onto campus and began this new adventure. There are a few things I learned along the way:

- There is never such an experience as having “too many boxes.” Keep collecting more and perhaps you’ll end up with just enough.
- Never underestimate the amount of Kleenex you will need in order to say goodbye to the past two years of your life. (I recognize that this might only apply to me, but it’s good advice in any emotional event)
- Expect that you’ll get lost, even if you know where you’re going.
- Nothing is ever what it looks like in pictures. Also, nothing looks good when there are boxes everywhere and you can’t stop sweating.
- Moving in July is the worst idea. Ever.

My life has been moving non-stop ever since I arrived. I launched straight into training for my position, then training for my staff, and then right into move-in. Now it’s the beginning of the second week and I feel like I can finally catch my breath and prepare for the rest of the semester!
Professional life has its perks…the ever-coveted parking pass that lets you go anywhere, respect from other staff/faculty, development funds, a very cool apartment, and the ability to change lives. It’s odd for me to get used to being a supervisor. In comparison to some, I have a fairly small staff. This is a blessing since I don’t have to keep track of a whole baseball team-sized staff, but is also a bummer because I think it might actually be easier to do some things if I had more people. But I’m learning to work with what I have and to try and be successful with what I’m trying to do. I know that I still have a ways to go on this one.

I also forgot how frustrating it can be to try and find one’s way around in a new place. One horrible day I got ridiculously lost and had my mom on the phone trying to mapquest me out of the random town I was in. I made it back and then got a GPS navigator. As much as I hate giving in to this gadget and allowing someone else (no matter how robotic) tell me how to get around, I must admit that it’s pretty cool. I feel like the continental USA is mine to discover, and I can even find every Walmart along the way!

I can tell this is going to be one hell of an experience. I am pleased that my residents have been here for nearly two weeks and the building is still standing. My schedule is about to explode with meetings and lots more work, but I think it will make the time fly by even faster. After all, I signed up for this in part because I like to be busy. I am trying to take advantage of the opportunities that are offered to me while still be conscious of my time and energy level. I think it’s going to be a very interesting year :)