Misspelling the Important Words

Whether it’s been coded in my DNA to be a grammar stickler or whether it’s a socialized skill, I do not know.  What I do know is that when given another piece of writing, my eyes will immediately spot mistakes.  Since I’m used to reading the writing of many college students who were neglected by their poor high school educations, my eyes usually have a field day.  It’s almost like a crazy game of Duck Hunt — my eyes see so many targets, they start to go crazy.  Usually this does not aggravate me too much, as I know 1.) some people simply possess skills that have nothing to do with writing that I both do not and will not have in my life, 2.) there are learning differences out there that could lead to these understandable errors, and 3.) they’re still learning.

What does kill me, though, is when an “expert” on a specific topic repeatedly misspells a word that is vital to any discussions on the matter.  The one word prompting this post is “millennial,” as in a person born between the years of 1982 and 2000, and the generation known to demonstrate increased engagement with our political system through teamwork and enjoy Secret Service-like protection from their parents.  When I see “millenial,” I cringe inside.  Seriously.  I don’t do it because I suddenly hate the person writing it.  It’s not spiteful.  I do it because there’s little else this person could do that would do more to harm their credibility on the topic.

I don’t usually see this word in students’ writing, so rarely is there an opportunity to misspell it.  I do see it in blog posts of those professing to be experts or interested in millennials.  What would be considered good, solid writing surrounds it, but there it is — the one “n”-ed word, one right after another.

Yes, “Millennium,” the root word, is probably on one of those “50 Hardest Words to Spell” lists.  People spell it incorrectly many a time.  But, again, in order for one’s words to mean as much as they can, it’s imperative to pick the critical words in one’s field and ensure they know how to spell them.

Can’t Sleep

I have no clue why, but I’m currently in the middle of a no-sleep spell.

Well, maybe I do know why.  I am about to commence one of the bigger transitions in my life thus far.  My stop in Erie is swiftly coming to a close, and while I am going to miss many people here, my mind is already focused on my future.  I am so excited it’s ridiculous.

For one thing, I am eager to get back in the classroom.  After getting my feet wet in student affairs for the last three years, I can’t wait to apply my practice to newly-learned theory (which doesn’t get to happen too often, usually it’s the other way around).  I am looking forward to discussions on topics I like to talk about that take place nearly every day.  Yes, I realize I’ll get tired of them at some point.  But right now, I’m looking forward to it.  I also know I’ll be writing way more.  And with the blogging gig at Future Majority already on my plate, my writing will drastically improve from practice.

Another large reason why the idea of grad school is so exciting is the youthful environment.  I enjoyed time at my current institution because I got to watch people older than me live grown-up lives.  But now, I am looking forward to being the older person in conversations, while still being around people much closer to me in age.

Getting to be with Molly every day is also going to be a major plus.  Much of our relationship has taken on the theme of distance, whether we’re 30, 300, or thousands of miles apart (we’ve been all three).  But even if just for a year, settling down and seeing her each day for an extended period of time is sure going to be nice.

I hinted earlier that this is keeping me from sleeping.  Over the past couple days, I’ve come to realize that I am not feeling any heavy feelings of sadness at the beginning stages of this transition.  Perhaps this is related to knowing grad school is the next step, and knowing that I got into a great program surrounded by at least two people I already know very well.  And while I will surely miss my friends I have made here, I know I’ll be seeing them in the future.

But I don’t want to seem like some heartless bastard who doesn’t appreciate their feelings, either.  I think I’ll probably need to spend some time this week writing a letter or giving them a card with my goodbyes inside.

Either way, this transition is going to be instructive for me.  I need to be able to balance my enthusiasm for grad school with my understanding that I’ve developed strong friendships here with people who are going to be very sorry to see me go.  I’ll be sure to update you on my progress.

Hmm, maybe I can sleep better now that I have that out of me.

Seth Godin Offers Advice to College Graduates

Seth Godin had some advice yesterday for unemployed college graduates.

How about a post-graduate year doing some combination of the following (not just one, how about all):

• Spend twenty hours a week running a project for a non-profit.
• Teach yourself Java, HTML, Flash, PHP and SQL. Not a little, but mastery. [Clarification: I know you can't become a master programmer of all these in a year. I used the word mastery to distinguish it from 'familiarity' which is what you get from one of those Dummies type books. I would hope you could write code that solves problems, works and is reasonably clear, not that you can program well enough to work for Joel Spolsky. Sorry if I ruffled feathers.]
• Volunteer to coach or assistant coach a kids sports team.
• Start, run and grow an online community.
• Give a speech a week to local organizations.
• Write a regular newsletter or blog about an industry you care about.
• Learn a foreign language fluently.
• Write three detailed business plans for projects in the industry you care about.
• Self-publish a book.
• Run a marathon.

Seth’s underlying message is simply the missed opportunity for many who would rather sulk when dealt the blow of unemployment. While those employed might have the steady income, those not employed do possess something their counterparts don’t have — time. And while it’s not time that can be spent vacationing per se, it is time that is still valuable, given the plethora of opportunities Godin provides above.

Of course, there are some who are unemployed who simply do not have the resources needed to do some of the above. But this is where community resources like the library come into play — it’s free, and it offers the resources needed to do many of the above (computers, books on foreign languages, how to write business plans, etc.).

While I hope the government realizes the poor plight of today’s college grads and delivers some helpful policy prescriptions, I also hope in the meantime that young people don’t give up on themselves and their potential. The extra time on their hands is a hidden treasure.

Disney

I just got back from a trip to Disney World this past weekend.  Thought I’d post a nice picture of Spaceship Earth in Epcot, along with the monorail in the foreground.

Technology = Death?

I just finished a book named One Second After by William Fortschen.  It made me think.  A lot.

The novel’s plot sees the United States’ airspace attacked with nuclear bombs.  While a nuclear strike to land would cause obvious destruction, the effects of a strike above the country would be, at first, minimal.  And that’s what happens in the novel.  When the electricity went out, the protagonist and his family thought it to be just another power failure.  But then cell phones and landlines didn’t work.  And then most new cars simply shut off mid-drive.  Eventually the reader learns that the nuclear strike in airspace, if high enough, can demolish society as we know it, thanks to something called an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) triggered by the blast.  As the turmoil lasts for months, self-preservation subverts the common good.  And with no technology — increasingly our life-blood — and with no alternative infrastructure prepared for us to revert back to a 19th Century lifestyle, society begins to fall apart.

I am not usually a big fan of anything approaching the fantasy genre.  But what was so striking to me was how possible this situation could be.  As soon as I finished the book, I thought about how vulnerable we are with our reliance on technology and our increased ignorance of “old-time” skills, like canning and hand-sewing for instance.  Such a strike in reality would be the ultimate jujitsu move, using our biggest strength to slay us.  Interesting and scary all at the same time.

When the Lights Go Out

The power went out today for a little over an hour.  (Behrend has had probably three times the number of power outages than I experienced as a student at Allegheny, and I’ve only been here three years.)

It made me think about an observation I made at Allegheny during power outages there that still holds true today.  When the power is out, people all of a sudden like each other.  The power outage forms these bonds between otherwise complete strangers.  Perhaps it’s the lack of technology that keeps us from being distracted, or maybe it’s just the simple novelty of the experience.  Interpersonal communication is hauled out of the closet, brushed off, and put to the test.

Of course, the only thing funnier than seeing this happen is seeing it dissipate.  As soon as the power returns, things go back to normal.  These possibly new relationships built among strangers, perhaps floormates who had never dared speak to each other before, are ended just as quickly as they started.

I look forward to seeing how this dynamic plays out as I continue my career in higher education.

First Day Back

I’ve basically missed a week of work over the last week due to swimmer’s ears — yes, plural — and a sinus infection.  Once I got the right medicine on Tuesday, I began to recover.  Today was my first day back.

I dreaded returning to work for the last couple days.  I knew there was a lot going on, and I figured I was going to get slammed my first day back, frustrating me and burying me deeply as I tried to finish the end of the year.  The doctor, my mom, and my supervisor all warned me about rushing back into everything, and I’m glad I took their advice.  That’s normally how I would handle the situation, moving full speed ahead on things, working longer hours if need be, in order to avoid getting buried.  While there was quite a bit that did happen today, probably enough to meet the “slammed” threshold, I realized the power my “take it easy” mindset had on my sanity today, while allowing me to maintain some productivity.  While I was initially tempted to do so, I didn’t go into the day expecting to eradicate my to-do list.  Instead, I picked two or three things I wanted to accomplish, I got them done, and then I went home.

Grad school’s going to be another ballgame, with schedules and with task lists (two or three tasks completed won’t cut it), but I can take the same principles and apply them there.  I’m realizing how important it is to recognize that, while there are some things that have to be done immediately, there are things that can wait.  One thing I want to continue to work on, though, is getting my immune system back in shape.  Off to take some amoxicillin and some sinus medication.

E-mail ‘Outrage’

What are the odds the CNN.com headline writer has a Blackberry?

Building My Productive Schedule

Over my last three years as a young professional, something with which I’ve been constantly tinkering is my professional/personal balance. I heard from the start that I needed to be cautious about how much work I do, how much time I spend in the office, etc. because I would get burnt out. I didn’t really understand that at first, as I had just begun a job I couldn’t get enough of. It didn’t take me long to understand that it didn’t matter how much you did like your job; if it was constantly in your face, day in and day out, you’d start to get annoyed.

This year (this semester in particular), I feel good about my balance. I’ve done a couple things that seem to have worked. First, I’ve blocked time on my calendar if I don’t feel like having a meeting at that time. I targeted certain times during the day when I feel like I’m not at my best, or time slots in which I know I’ll be rushing thanks to the standing meeting or lunch that immediately follows. For instance, I will never meet with anyone from 9:00-9:30 AM, the first half-hour time slot of my day, because I want to have time where I can get settled and understand the big tasks of the day and what I need to do to attack them. I also will not meet with anyone at 11:30 unless it’s absolutely necessary. One thing I realized I value during the work day is being able to take that early lunch, especially so I don’t encounter a crowded space when all the students try to eat at the same time.

Another thing that’s worked for me is loading up most of my meetings on one day and making that day “take one for the team.” I’d rather have one long day in which I surrender some free time and retain it for later in the week, than be busy every single day. This day is Monday for me, because I’m already energized from the weekend, and I’ve already mentally adjusted for the week to begin. Plus, I simply enjoy easier Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Of course, I won’t know how this is going to work in grad school next fall. It probably won’t. I know that I’ll need to be more flexible, be willing to put in lots of work every day, and embrace the busyness and hectic lifestyle of a grad student. But there’s nothing that says I can’t try to use the thinking behind this system to build my next one.

Happy Monday!

Common Ground

I changed my blog name.

My old one was just not cutting it. It didn’t really mean anything, and frankly, I was sick of it. So when I thought of new title options, I wanted to have something positive and something that conveyed what I write about most often. I also thought about my upcoming experience as a grad student in a college student personnel program. I came up with Common Ground, mainly because in my work, in my writing, and in my personality, I will always be passionate about bringing people together around a common cause. I am going to continue using this blog for my personal observations, which I might not be willing to explore at my other outlets.

I also redesigned my blog a little bit to accompany the name change. I like the clean look as opposed to what I had before. In my redesign, I inserted a widget on the right that allows you to follow me on Twitter, if you don’t already have the honor of doing so.

Many thanks for continuing to read what I have to write.