Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
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4:27 pm
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Crazy productive today. Now off for the rest of the week to a wedding in OH. Looking forward to some time away from work before the semester gets back into swing.
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Thursday, March 4th, 2010
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2:50 pm - random sleepy thoughts
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Wondering if the trojan condoms company picked their name for irony? Like a trojan horse you let it in thinking its safe and it secretly has stowaways out to get you....
This random thought brought to you by 5hrs of sleep
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Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
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9:44 am - hello out there!
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Over the past week Ive been going back to LJ posts from 6 - 8yrs ago, and have found it a great way to remember where I was, who I was. Its been weird, and good. So, im going to get back into it. Mostly for me, and as an update for those that still actually read this (let me know if you're still out there, im curious who is!)
So the quick update is --work has been quiet but wrought with tension. My boss has been sick a lot with a lot of things falling into my lap. Ive talked to another director about a possible promotion to being an assistant director so that I can officially be handling these responsibilities and actually get the pay it deserves. There seems there may be a small possibility of this, we'll see.
My masters classes have been going, if slowly. I dropped one this semester as Im doing an independent research class and a leadership program that has a community project (thus making it equivalent to another class). Because of the way the progression of the thesis project has to go, I have to take the proposal class in the fall and the project itself next spring. Nothing for it. This morning Im playing around with the idea of instead of finishing and getting outta dodge, sticking around and doing all of the things ive wanted to. Lead a field studies trip. Lead a study abroad trip. Play more at the outdoor ed and team building center on the PW campus (which I hope to volunteer at this summer). Not only will it be fun and put extra $ in my pocket, it'll test my theory that this is the sorta thing I wanna go into.
I get to go on vacation next week and am looking forward to it like crazy. There will be a wolf sanctuary, Hershey chocolate tours, and all kindsa random fun.
Much love.
current mood:  thoughtful
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Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
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3:23 pm
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"This is me saving your ass." I could say that to 2 of the directors (one of them my boss), because they totally let a planning part of an alumni event, slated to happen tomorrow night, fall through the cracks: Food. Apparently each director thought the other one had it handled. Can you imagine all of these alums showing up and us showing our love and appreciation for them with NO food? Embarrassing. Being an event planning dork, I think of these things and was able to fix it. I dont know where people's heads are, but its obvious theyre not in the game.
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Monday, July 13th, 2009
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2:49 pm - eep
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I was doing a presentation today for parents and new students when the dean of the college (my bosses boss) walked in and sat down in the back! I managed to not sound like a moron or show that I was nervous as hell. Yay for not screwing up! It helped that I was co-presenting so there was some awesome teamwork going on there too.
current mood:  relieved
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Friday, July 10th, 2009
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3:45 pm - neat workshop
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I ran a mini workshop this morning that turned out to be a lot of fun and have really cool students. It was a treasure hunt (I love treasure hunts) for incoming freshman to get to know campus. This was for students who were under represented in college and/or first generation. While they were running around campus like mad, I talked to the director of the program and she was telling me some of their stories. I was soo impressed. The stuff they face and overcome, and all the things they juggle, is just amazing. For instance many of them have to work to pay not only for their tuition, but for their family as well. They often have to take care of their siblings in their free time while trying to study, so they sometimes study in the car for some quiet. I felt really privileged to get to know them a lil and they were a lot of fun.
^.^
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Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
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9:21 am - going to the dentist
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After 6 years of absence, a dentist was recommended to me in the area that was gentle and didnt do unnecessary work. Still, I was nervous that they would take a look at my mouth and gasp in shock at all of the cavities. Luckily, I went, they were super nice (the hygienist and I spent 15min talking about the uniqueness of being from MI, where she was also from), my teeth are strong, and the only real cause of concern was that my teeth show signs of me gritting them at night and that can cause serious wear n tear to the teeth if not mitigated. So we're to find out if my insurance covers a night guard, cause otherwise is $800.
I walked out feeling relieved and with much cleaner teeth. Sometimes being a bit grown up isnt so scary ;O)
For my next trick im going to find a doctor in the local area and have them test to see if Im as anemic as I feel. In the meantime im hitting the iron pills.
current mood: optimistic
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Monday, June 15th, 2009
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12:45 pm - random thought
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So I love working outdoors and educating others about environmental conservation...maybe when I grow up (ie finish this dang masters) i'll work for an environmental nonprofit! Id get to play in the dirt AND use my degree....Food for thought.
current mood: amused
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Monday, June 8th, 2009
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10:38 am - yay for good weekends
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The visit from my mom was great. We laughed uproariously, tried new restaurants, went to a local fair and finally a botanical garden. Oh and watched Up, which was a lil heartbreaking but mostly HILARIOUS.
And it looks like im getting better about talking about the difficult painful awkward things and finally putting them to bed. Who knew it'd be so easy.
Oh and for the coup des gras, my dad said he was proud of me O_O ...I think its a sign of the apocalpyse.
current mood: calm
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Monday, June 1st, 2009
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12:39 pm - the weekend of awesome
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So this weekend was fabulous. Got the last few boxes of stuff unpacked finally, straightened things a bit (dont want it looking like a sty, esp. with my mom coming to visit this weekend!), started staining the lumber I bought to make a bed canopy and then just chilled the f*&% out. It was this last part that has been lacking for a while and was so restorative.
Today I started my new job. So far Ive been listening in on advising appointments to get an idea of how things work and have rearranged the desk and set up the odds and ends that make it feel a bit more like me. Not too bad thus far.
current mood: chipper
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
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12:06 pm - leave it to me
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only I could manage to stab myself with a plastic fork. Its only a flesh wound, but still im impressed with myself
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
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10:22 pm - the plague house
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So last Thurs out of nowhere I was struck with a stomach bug that laid me out for a day (it should have been 2 days but we had a big work event so I dragged myself in anyway). Im talking all liquids leaving my body (except blood) and running a fever, with sleeping in between. Still dont know where it came from but unfortunately now that my stomach is getting back to normal, Fin has gotten it. So I have gotten him the ramen, gatorade and ginger ale that he got for me and we have switched places where he takes over the bedroom while I sleep on the livingroom couch bed in hopes of not re-contracting it.
Work has been crazy busy, with the semester event schedule being kind of front loaded so that both my boss and I looked at each other today and said we were both tired and needed a vacation already. It doesnt help that we'll be working several weekends back to back. Still, im enjoying the work and the students so I wont complain too much.
Im hoping for a snow day tomorrow but not holding my breath :O)
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Friday, December 5th, 2008
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9:29 am
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Monday, November 10th, 2008
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1:40 pm - detoxing
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So I realized lately that with my crazy schedule I have let caffeine and sugar start to rule me. I go through this cycle a couple times a year. So I have begun my mild detoxing where I cut down on the caffeine and the sugar, so that's good, tho should be interesting to see how I do as the holidays descend.
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Friday, October 31st, 2008
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9:21 am - izombie
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
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9:23 am - pat on the back
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Im trying to be better about patting myself on the back for my small (but sometimes difficult) accomplishments. This weekend it was the awesome feeling of finishing a final, finishing a paper, cleaning the house a bit and cooking food for myself for the week --all in one day! Oh and still finding time to sit in the backyard watching the leaves fall, reading a book and seeing a hummingbird zoom around. Turning in the final means I am officially done with weekend classes. Of course I have to work this weekend, but I expect that to mostly be fun (we work with really cool students).
This morning I patted myself on the back for having a difficult conversation with my boss. She had asked me to talk to one of the students about something and bring her around to doing something. I had been dragging my feet on doing it and realized last night it was because I didnt quite agree with my bosses position and wanted to look out for the student. Ive been getting better about starting diplomatically in these kindsa convos (when I take time to think about it) and it went really well. I found myself beaming with a relieved smile halfway through when I realized it was going to be just fine.
After much debate, Ive decided that even tho a class I need to take is being offered in the spring and might not be offered again, I am going to take the spring off from classes and instead focus on recentering myself and getting into an exercise routine. I feel good about it.
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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
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9:15 am
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so last night I led a group of students to a domestic violence shelter to make halloween crafts with kids while their parents were in a life skills workshop. It was a lot of fun. There was glitter everywhere and the students loved making crafts as well. I even played with a little kid (im choosy bout liking kids), she was quite the handful but easy to refocus. Some guys from a fraternity showed up and they were really great. They made crafts too, played with the kids. Really good guys.
It made for a late night, but very worth it. And, I got quite the compliment on the way home when one of the students riding with me mentioned she thought I was 24 instead of 28.
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Thursday, October 9th, 2008
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8:58 am - puppy pile nap...dammit
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Have you been running yourself ragged? Having to deal with a lot of things all at once? Wanting to blow off your life for a while, lick your wounds, sleep for a year, and have umbrella drinks on the beach?
Well I propose a virtual puppy pile / nap. Who's with me?!
current mood: *drool*
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Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
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1:27 pm - moments in the light
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So apparently I might be interviewed by the Washington Post as the lead for our university's AIDS Walk team. Im hoping to get them to interview an undergrad student too, because their excitement for this event was awesome.
current mood: bemused
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Friday, August 29th, 2008
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9:39 am - random thoughts on volunteering
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These are things that have been bouncing around in my head for a while so feel free to read or not as you like.
Ive been having the fabulous feeling this week like I can actually do part of the meat of my job --which is really thinking critically about volunteer work and helping people connect to a project that works for them. It takes a lot of knowledge of the area, the community orgs, types of projects people can do and the logistics of such projects to start pecking at this sorta thing. Its a good feeling and fun to explore with people.
Ive also been learning the tedious balance of helping people find a way to work in communities without either them feeling like theyve magically fixed all the community's problems in their few hours of service (or that they suddenly know what the community needs & are going to tell the community), and alternatively helping them feel less discouraged or overwhelmed by the needs of the community.
The problem that I keep gnawing on is how to make it all sustainable. How to get the volunteer to regularly volunteer and maybe even with the same org, and how, with these changing interests of volunteers, do we help the community in a consistent way. Otherwise its like random collisions that can result in positive outcomes of limited duration.
My current office could decide to focus on working with a few orgs and getting regular volunteers (even if not the same volunteers) to those orgs, but its tricky with student interests waxing and waning. This leaves me feeling like while I get to satisfy the generalist in me, who loves to learn about new ways to do this and with new projects and orgs, I dont get to feel like my personal work or that of the volunteers is actually making a steady difference. Its disjointed.
We slowly get to help students learn about the needs of their world, and sometimes that can be a life changing thing for them which is amazing to watch, but we continually run into the problem of people (staff as well as students) not wanting to directly get their hands dirty. They will do it once for the feel good, and consider it done. Or, more likely, they'll do charity til the end of time, like collecting donations and dropping off to the org without actually checking that these are what the org needs most. Actually interacting with those in need is really uncomfy for 90% of people--its much easier to keep the physical and emotional distance. I admit to being guilty of this --it gets back to being pulled outta your comfort zone and thrown into dealing with something you either arent ready to, dont know how to, or feel overwhelmed to deal with. And if you do manage to do it, the discomfort and even guilt you feel when you get to go home to your roof, food, electronics, car --its like a double image superimposed on your life for a while where everything looks different and a little ugly. Its a balance to resist the urge to give away all you have and continue to actually connect to those in need.
My work is also slightly disconnected because it is volunteer administration --I can get things rolling and help the volunteer and org connect in a meaningful way, but I dont always get to be directly involved with the actual service. My goal is to eventually have a job where Im doing both more closely, and with those of all ages so that its a continuum of where people are in their experience/feelings on volunteering. And also figure out how to make it all more sustainable.
current mood:  thoughtful monkey
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mdhensley's journal
