Irresponsibly Responsible

2009-09-25T16:20:00.000-04:00

2009-08-27T17:09:00.001-04:00

Hanging with Friends in DC

2009-04-15T18:56:00.005-04:00

Erica and I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend (and meet a new friend) in DC last weekend. Tim is a friend (I guess he's technically not an old friend, but when you switch jobs every two years like me, friends become old ones fast) from Kettering. We were both Research Assistants at KF, and now he's in his Ph.D. program at Cornell. This is the same school that Andy Bernard went to. He was with his girlfriend, Ellen, who is pictured, too.

It's easy to see why Tim and I are such good friends. We both have the same sense of fashion, and we both don't shave very much. We also have a penchant for hating Glenn Beck.

Moratoriums in Student Affairs

2009-04-08T14:42:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about things I'm growing tired of in the field of student affairs. Maybe it's just the end-of-the semester fatigue/frustration that many student affairs folks feel at this time of the year (and probably even more so for doctoral students), but I'm becoming increasingly frustrated and mildly irritated by certain things in student affairs. I understand that it's difficult to break old habits and change language, so my suggestion is we place a one-year moratorium on the following two things for the good of our profession and the sake of my sanity.

1. Diversity Metaphors - Diversity work is hard enough without the complication of tired, stupid metaphors (e.g., crayons in a box, rainbow, symphony, orchestra, stir fry, mosaic). Yes, I understand that you may like said metaphors, but it muddles the meaning of diversity, downplays important concepts, and it isn't working. Plus, it irritates many students. Let's refocus our work on exploring and teaching the nuances sans metaphorical organizing mechanisms.

2. The term, or any variation of the word "para-professional" - Graduate assistant is not synonymous with paraprofessional. I don't even know what a paraprofessional is to be honest, but it sounds like something you could sign up for from late night tv to obtain a certificate online for. Just because grad students are 20 hours doesn't mean we need some sort of qualifier in front of our title. We never say "Student Affairs Paraprofessionals," so why do we say it in the singular? I think it's destructive and degrading to graduate students who do just as good (if not better) work than full-time professionals. (Incidentally, this doesn't happen in my office... it's very supportive, so this one isn't autobiographical in any way.)

Hopefully these are helpful. I doubt they get any traction in the field, but I hope that they get some chuckles. Do you have any others?

Old Photos

2009-02-26T16:22:00.004-05:00

One of the coolest things about Facebook is the way in which other people can upload photos and "tag" you in them so they show up in your profile. This process often takes the form of getting together with a bunch of friends who are on facebook, taking pictures at the event, and having them uploaded a few short hours later. But every once in a while, someone with a box of old photos and a scanner upload some old photos from way back when. Case in point: My first grade class photo, a picture from a first grade play, and the last day of school in the sixth grade.

A few things to note. One, my fashion sense has progressed only mildly. Second, my hairstyle has remained remarkably consistent over the years, too.

A Day of Emotion

2009-02-18T22:17:00.003-05:00

I just learned that as of a few hours ago, my brother, Scott, boarded a plane bound for the US from Afghanistan. After spending some fourteen months there, this day seemed like it would never come -- I can't imagine what he must be feeling.

Only a few months after my brother got married, he departed for Afghanistan as part of the United States ongoing battle with terrorism. He spent his days and nights trying to keep safe in the thick of the fight. He was able to come visit some of his soldiers at the mid-tour point here at Walter Reed hospital in Washington, DC, including one of his friends who had been seriously wounded and is now wheelchair-bound. Erica and I were able to spend some time with him that weekend, and it will forever be one of the most memorable late night pizza dinners on a Friday evening I'll ever experience. I could tell that the weight of a world was upon him, and I couldn't imagine how he was reconciling having to go back for another six months.

Shortly after his visit here, we learned that his platoon would be featured on 60 minutes. On October 19, 2008, Erica and I huddled close to the TV to watch the most gut-retching thirteen minutes of TV we've ever seen. There's something about watching your brother get shot at on TV that will do that to a person. (I've embedded the video of the 60 minutes segment on the bottom of this post.)

I know that this day is the culmination of thousands of prayers sent up from family, friends, friends of friends, and people who care for the safety of our fellow Americans who put themselves in harm's way each and every day. Some prayers were sent by name, others were sent in general. Both had a significant impact, I believe. The power of prayer truly is remarkable. I will continue to pray for our troops who remain in harms way, including the 17,000 additional troops that have now gotten the call, in hopes that they, too, return home safely when their day of emotion comes.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Not a Big Chart Person

2009-02-16T00:34:00.002-05:00

Those who know me well know that I am fanatical about leadership, especially as it relates to leadership for social change. And, those who know me really well, know that I am visual/spacial unintelligent (See Howard Gardner's explanation of multiple intelligences to get a better idea of what I'm talking about if you are unfamiliar.)

So, when I come across something that looks to be pretty interesting when it comes to leadership, I always try to learn from it. This, however, sometimes becomes difficult when I have to use my spatial intelligence to understand it. I can usually glean some meaning from such charts, graphs, and diagrams, but sometimes I think it's just a lost cause.

Case in point:

I'm not sure where to even begin with this monstrosity. I think I'll just move on. Any sense you might make of it, let me know.

25 Random Facts about Me

2009-02-04T20:26:00.001-05:00

I posted this on my facebook account the other day, and thought it might be fun to post it here as well. Enjoy!

1. I have a brother who is currently in Afghanistan.

2. I just tried coffee for the first time in my life this morning. Overall it was a pleasant experience, although I went through a two-hour period where I felt like I wanted to eat my computer monitor because I had so much energy.

3. I once owned a Stone Cold Steve Austin T-Shirt.

4. I worked three years in an outlet toy store.

5. I use this one all the time when I have to share something fun about myself: I have no preference for food. I can tell they taste differently, but I don't like one thing more than another. I can order anything at a restaurant and have the exact same experience each time. It also means that I never "crave" a particular food.

6. I go back and forth in my mind about whether or not I would leave higher education if I could write for The Onion. I still think I would.

7. For a couple of years, I have been telling people that I wanted to invent a feature on email programs that would scan the body of an email for variations of the word "attach," and then prompt the sender after hitting "send" if nothing was attached to avoid sending emails out without attachments. I now see that GMAIL offers that feature.

8. I live with 52 women.

9. I have a pair of men's Ugg boots (they're more like shoes). I was ahead of the fashion curve (if you could call it that) on Crocs, and I'm hoping a small following will develop with men's Uggs.

10. I have a reoccurring dream (at least three times a month) where I'm back in high school and I can't remember my locker combination.

11. My ITunes library is over 11,000 songs.

12. I met my wife in our college's cafeteria (The Doan).

13. I've seen the hair metal band, Poison, in concert five times.

14. I don't like to fly that much, although I find myself doing so quite often.

15. The smell of dog poop nearly makes me vomit, even at the slightest whiff.

16. I learn a new vocabulary word each day. Today's is nubilous, which means vague.

17. I have a freakish memory for things like lyrics, content of books, journals, articles, and people's names, but am incredibly poor at remembering events in my life, directions, and grocery lists.

18. I have lived in a haunted house, and worked in a haunted building.

19. I am on the federal "do-not-fly" list -- not because I have committed any crime, but because my name is a common alias, or so says the TSA. I think this is part of the reason I dislike flying.

20. I can't get brain freeze. I don't even know what it is. In fact, when I see others get it, I think they look ridiculous because I can't empathize with them.

21. I absolutely despise shaving my face.

22. I have lived in five different states already.

23. I'm an incredibly observant person.

24. While I once harbored some conservative ideals, I now find myself drifting further left everyday, much to the liking of most of my friends.

25. Reading over this list, I realize how eternally grateful I am to have a wife who loves me and appreciates all of these personal oddities.

Springsteen at the Super Bowl

2009-01-30T20:48:00.002-05:00

One of my absolute favorite musicians (if not my favorite), Bruce Springsteen, will be playing the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday. And, in a great tradition of halftime performers, he's being quite coy about which songs he'll sing. But look no further than Irresponsibly Responsible to know which four he'll sing. I think I have it pegged, including the order.

1. Working on a Dream - The title track from his latest release on Tuesday, this song is an absolute shoe-in for the mini set list. Great sound, great song.

2. The Rising - There's no better song to end a show than his biggest hit in the last ten years, written as an homage to the victims of September 11. If you've never read the lyrics, please do so here. They are quite moving when read in the context of the tragedy of September 11.

3. Badlands - He's got to throw a bone to the truce Bruce fans out there who'll be tuning in, and Badlands is the one because of the crowd interaction.

4. Born to Run - Because tramps like us, baby we were born to run! And because it's the best song he's ever written.

A lot of people seem to think he'll sing Born in the USA. I don't think he will, especially given the great conservative demagogue's attempt to co-opt the song in the 80s. So, we'll see. Any thoughts?

Family Feud... Just about Outta Questions

2009-01-29T14:54:00.005-05:00

We had a snow day here at the University of Maryland yesterday in light of the three inches of snow (laugh!) that fell on our great city. (And just like 10-year-old Malia Obama said it best when she said that back in the Midwest, not only would they have had school, but they would have still had outside recess... but I digress)

Having the afternoon off, I did what any graduate student would do, which was nothing. I ran some errands, took a nap, and even watched a little TV. I happened to catch an episode of The Family Feud, which was a childhood favorite of mine. (I suspect I'm not alone in this.) I believe that I would be deadly on this show, and am constantly amazed at how poorly people do on that show. Well, the show has been on for a remarkable 26 years now, and it's clear that they are just about out of questions to ask those hundred Americans as evidenced by the show I watched last night. Here was the second round question:

"Name an animal a turkey would imitate to avoid being eaten on Thanksgiving."

Go ahead and think about that one for a moment.

How is one supposed to answer that question?!?!? It doesn't make any sense. I think it's about time to hang (no pun intended, if you caught that reference) it up there on Family Feud if that's the level of questioning being asked. Sad to see such a great show sliding into trying to decipher animal thoughts on national television.

Obamaiconing the Family

2009-01-26T14:42:00.004-05:00

There's a great new website called www.obamicon.me. It allows you to upload pictures and make them look like the Obama "Hope" picture. Here are my creations of my family!

Holiday Photos in January

2009-01-26T00:42:00.003-05:00

I had to take down some Christmas lights here at the sorority house today to avoid a fine from the city. I realized that I've never posted photos from our trip to Michigan for the holidays.

Well, here some of them are. The rest can be found here.

A Lesson in Privilege

2009-01-23T13:38:00.004-05:00

With as much self-described Obama-homerism that takes place on this blog, it's important to sometimes take a step back and consider the dissenting views (which I believe incidentally is headquartered at FOX NEWS) that say that people are blindly following Obama, he's all rhetoric, and he's too much of a celebrity. I've heard a lot of this over the last two years, and I've heard a lot of the retort. But what I haven't heard anything about is the vital role that privilege plays in these scathing criticisms of Obama and his supporters.

Privilege is nothing more than having a special right, immunity, standard, or permission in a society. Given the inequities in our social society, then, it means that some people are more privileged than others. The challenge of our times, I believe, is coming to a realization and understanding of these privileges in order to make social and economic process.

So, one way to look at the aforementioned criticisms of Obama is to look at it through a privilege lens. Perhaps an example is best to begin.

One of the early criticism of Obama's rhetoric early-on in the campaign is when he would say, "We are the ones who we've been waiting for." There were--and still are--frequent criticisms that this is simply an exercise in empty rhetoric that sends the masses into a frenzy over nothing. But, as Harry Boyte points out, that sang ties deeply into a message that so many Americans have lived. You see, that phrase is one that emanated from the deep South, and the struggle for civil rights. That phrase, then, isn't just a nine word phrase used to excite people, it's used to invoke something larger -- a movement of a people that is reminiscent of overcoming great obstacles in American history. It's similar to the Obama's frequent message of it's not about me, it's about you. Some dismiss this as Obama merely trying to deflect attention that he so desperately craves, but again, look no further than the movement that hoisted MLK to similar heights to find so many parallels. MLK wrote and spoke about the perils of a movement that put too much faith and stock into a single leader.

So, what do these examples illustrate? I think it's a simple yet complex message that different people see and hear things differently, depending on where they sit in the world. It's an important lesson for those who sit a little higher along life's great hierarchy, especially. The golden takeaway for me is simply, "Let us not be so quick to judge without first examining first where we sit and where we have come from."

Our Experience Volunteering Today...

2009-01-20T18:21:00.003-05:00

As reported on this here blog, Erica and I were selected to volunteer at the inauguration today. Here is a little bit of reflection on our experience. It's a bit lengthy, but worth the read, I think.

We awoke this morning at 3:30. We carefully layered all of our clothing, packed snacks in every orifice on our coat, packed our hand and feet warmers, and set out to the metro at 4:00 am. We were able to get downtown to our destination in 30 minutes, although our metro stop looked like something out of Deep Impact. We met our team at our designated meeting spot, and set out to find our post. Our job was to give people a "plus experience," which is a Disney term meaning to find a way to make people's experiences a little better. We were to greet people, smile, give directions, lend some encouragement, and just be available. We were just two blocks away from the capitol, and at the end of a long tunnel where thousands of people were pouring out. Shortly after we arrived, at roughly 6:30 am, most of our team left us because they were too cold. It was in the single digits this morning, but we were warm since we planned (and spent money on warm items) accordingly. Erica and I, among just a few others, stayed until 11 am helping people. To say that we helped nearly 10,000 people today would be a fair statement.

We were told that we would get food vouchers, a warming tent, and hand warmers for volunteering. After our team captain left us an hour into our time, we realized these things would never be coming for us. But these small inconveniences paled in comparison to what we witnessed from others.

People were generally in good spirits, although as the day wore on, people became more and more frustrated. Getting information--current, correct information--to people became impossible because phone lines weren't working. As volunteers, we were signed up for text messages when information changed, but we rarely got the messages in a timely fashion (even if we got them at all). Most people didn't have tickets, and were another 30 minutes away from the mall when we greeted them. People were tired, sick, cold, confused, and frustrated, but thankful we were there to help them along their way. For those who had tickets, we were able to find accurate information to get them to their entrances, but misinformation from others often forced them to backtrack 30-45 minutes. Many were not happy. We learned that many people who had tickets were turned away, sometimes even when they arrived four hours earlier.

There were a number of people with whom we interacted that we'll never forget: a 70-year-old African American woman who looked completely exhausted who told us that she marched further for civil rights and she wasn't going to stop short of seeing the first black president inaugurated, a husband and wife with two little children begging us for information on how to leave the city because they couldn't take the crowds anymore, a woman who waited for what seemed like forever to receive medical attention behind us because it took so long for medical crews to get through the crowds, and the tiny little boy who gave me a high-five and said "Obama!"

We left our post promptly at 11:00 to try to catch a jumbotron somewhere near the mall. It took us 30 minutes to walk just a few blocks. We couldn't get anywhere near the mall, and found ourselves surrounded by people--not moving, mind you--with no escape route in sight. We did what we could to find some clearance, and after what felt like an hour, we made it out to some clearing, just in time to find a metro station and catch the train home. We watched most of the inauguration proceedings (Obama's speech, etc.) from our phone with Sprint's live TV. We made it home just in time to catch the tail end of Obama's speech on the regular TV. And fall down exhausted in our bed to watch the rest.

We feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to help, in whatever way that we did, so many people. Even though we didn't get to "see" the inauguration, we feel as though we experienced it in a very meaningful and memorable way.

Below are some highlights from The Washington Post and a couple DC news sources regarding the crowds:

At 14th Street and Madison Drive NW, a crowd of thousands chanted "Let us out!" when barriers blocked them from leaving. Later, hundreds of people poured over a knocked-down fence near 15th Street, as National Guard soldiers let them pass.

On 18th Street NW, hundreds of people were using a novel strategy to escape the crush. When a siren-blaring ambulance passed, they ran behind it, taking advantage of the space it was clearing. The crowd was chanting Obama's name.

At 12th Street and Indiana Avenue NW, thousands moshed in gridlock, trying to turn north on 12th, just looking for a way around the security cordon. Several people were thrown to the ground as the crowd pushed them over curbs and between Jersey barriers. Parents screamed at kids to stay connected to family chains.

Overall, Washington area hospitals treated 350 people transported for medical emergencies ranging from hyperthermia to possible stroke during the Inaugural activities today, the D.C. Department of Health reported.

We Are One

2009-01-18T22:24:00.005-05:00

Today was one of those days that are so rare, so significant, that it's hard to put into words my feelings.

We were blessed to attend the "We Are One" inauguration concert today in DC at the Lincoln Memorial, joining an estimated 750,000 people in the freezing temperatures. We were fortunate enough to be admitted into the main concert section on the reflecting pool -- the same place where MLK helped drive and inspire a movement that paved the way for today's events.

Much has been written--and certainly more eloquently than I could--about the event. It was incredible to see such a wide array of megastars, each of whom would be headliners in their own right. (If Bruce Springsteen OPENS a show, you know something out-of-this-world is happening.) What was truly amazing was the atmosphere of the entire DC area. Beneath the hats, scarves, and winter coats was a grin and an excitement that shined through the overcast clouds. It was a gathering of people that helped build a movement that starts with electing Obama to the White House. And everyone from that movement was represented: young, old, gay, bisexual, transgendered, black, white, Latino/a, Asian, and everyone in between. It was an atmosphere that had a palpable sense of optimism, excitement, and determination. Erica and I spoke little about what was unfolding around us because we were too busy taking it all in. We feel truly blessed to be in our nation's capitol at this time in our history. It's an exciting time, that's for sure.

It was also awesome to see many of the musicians, especially Bruce Springsteen (who when he sings "The Rising" still sends chills down my spine), John Legend, Pete Seeger (I seriously thought he was going to burst from all of his excitement), and Stevie Wonder. It was truly a remarkable day. I was also very excited to see all of the Obama memorabilia for sale on the streets. In fact, it was difficult to walk more than 10 feet without being offered an Obama button, poster, calendar, flag, or something of the like. One guy was even selling Obama ointment... whatever that is. Nonetheless, the spirit of a nation is alive and well, and we were happy to take part.

We'll Be at Inauguration!

2009-01-13T11:07:00.002-05:00

I still have a lot to post about the goings on (technical term) in our lives over the past month, but one that just can't wait is the fact that we've been selected to volunteer at the 44th Presidential Inauguration! We were selected out of 80,000 applicants, and we couldn't be happier. Last night, we attended a three-hour training session to learn more about our specific assignment.

We knew that there would be a number of volunteer duties that we may be assigned -- helping with the parade route, working on MLK day, helping set up, tear down, etc. But, we also knew that we'd have a chance to either work at one of the balls or work on the national mall during the actual inauguration. Well, we were placed to work on the national mall! It's so exciting. It's going to be a tremendous experience. We'll be able to see Barack take the oath on the steps of the capital live and in person. It's going to be incredible. And, our job is only to assist people by providing them directions, maps, and a friendly smile. Seems easy enough, right? Plus, who doesn't want to hang out with 2.5 million of their closest friends starting at 4 am?

Here's a picture from our training last night. 15,000 volunteers in all. The most organized training I've ever been to in my life.

I've Made Little Progress in Some Areas

2008-12-16T22:54:00.003-05:00

I sometimes use this blog as an outlet for thinking about how much I've changed as a result of being married. I ponder everything from how my bathroom is now filled with a bunch of objects I never knew I needed, to what it means to move cross country in scholarly pursuits while balancing being married to a woman who has her own very important career interests.

As fun as it is to talk about transformation, it's also useful to step back and realize areas in which I've made no progress in. Take for example social cooth and preparation at holiday potluck dinners. I vividly recall attending my first holiday party with a white elephant gift exchange when I went to college in 1999 -- I had to stop at the store to buy cookies and what would turn out to be a terrible gift (I believe it was some sort of candle in a glass minutes before the party. Although no one ever said it, I know the cookies were terrible and the person who got stuck with my gift disliked it as well. Flash forward some ten years to a holiday gift exchange potluck I had today, and it is like time has stood still for me. I had to stop at the store to buy a pie because I don't know how to bake anything tasty (and not to mention I would have to cook in a commercial oven that looks intimidating), and I bought what I thought was a great "white elephant" gift (it was a do-it yourself lead detector kit with a note on it that said "have a SAFE holiday). Others had equally tacky gifts, but for the most part they were quite useful. (I would argue that mine was quite useful, too, but in a sort of way that anti-venom is useful to someone who lives in the north.) So, suffice it to say that I have made little progress in the way that I prepare for and engage in holiday functions.

Perhaps some day I will have a real kitchen, a couple of good recipes for tasty potluck food, an ability to discern what would be an appropriate gift. Until then, I will show up with store bought bakery goods and do it yourself lead tests. Or, in the case of the holiday party I have to attend for Erica's work on Thursday, it's store bought salad and a "grow your own bonsai tree" kit. Yikes.

Applebees - The Great Purgatory of Food

2008-12-09T21:59:00.002-05:00

As a nice celebration for the end of the semester, our class went to Applebees for appetizers and drinks. It was an incredibly fun time to hang out with everyone in class, including our professor; one in which is especially exciting because we rarely get to hang out as a large group outside of the classroom. The night was fun, but I came to two incredible realizations (at least in my mind) about Applebees.

The first is that Applebees has no discernable image. They've done a lot to shift their image away from the down home, come-on-down-to-the-neighborhood-grill, support-the-local-team atmosphere, but it really lacks an overall image now. It's sort of reminiscent of K-Mart trying to get away from the sell-a-bunch-of-crap-on-bluelight-special image -- successful in getting away from an image, but incredibly unsuccessful in finding a new one. Applebees and K-Mart are in a brand identity crisis of sorts, I think. One needn't look any further than the three pictures located adjacent to the restroom at our local Applebees to see what I mean. Hanging side-by-side are pictures of Enrique Iglesias, a picture of the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers, and a construction sign.

Second, Applebees is what I like to call the great purgatory of food. Not good, not bad. Not spicy, not bland. Not quick, not slow. Not friendly, not rude. It just sort of "is." I've never had a bad meal from there, but I've never had a particularly good meal from there either. Even the people they hire there, they aren't bland, nor eccentric. It's quite a revelation, I think.

What's your local Applebees like? The same?

Leading with an Open Heart

2008-12-08T17:21:00.003-05:00

I read a leadership article a while back that had such a profound effect on how I understand leadership that I see examples of tenets of the article on an almost daily basis. It's called "Leading with an Open Heart," and speaks eloquently about the difficulty we have in our society to forefront the convictions we have in our hearts when practicing leadership. The authors say that, "But to stay alive in our spirit, in our heart, requires the courage to keep our heart open; it requires what Roman Catholics call a sacred heart or what in the Jewish tradition is called an open heart. We can talk about the practical reasons why it's important to keep an open heart -- and there are practical reasons -- but chiefly it is important for your own spirit and identity."

With so much controversy surrounding our world, it's hard to see much evidence of leading with an open heart in our society, especially exemplary examples. But here is one I came across today, and if ever there was an example of someone leading with an open heart in a very public way, this is it:

It's hard not to feel his struggles and convictions when you watch this. Imagine pouring yourself out to a news crew, to face the almost certain risk of losing so many friends, colleagues, and family members' support. Makes me think how much better off we'd all be if everyone practiced leading with such an open heart.

Ravenchase

2008-12-03T11:05:00.003-05:00

Last month, Erica and I participated in a "Ravenchase Adventure," which is really just a scavenger hunt for adults who enjoy using their minds. It's sort of like National Treasure meets Amazing Race (you'd love it Julie!) A private company sets up a Ravenchase course, and participants have to solve a series of clues that lead them to different destinations that lead to more clues. Once all of the clues are solved, there is a mega-clue of sorts that directs teams to a local bar (also known as the finish line) to meet up with other teams. It was an excellent time for many reasons. We were able to meet a number of new people, we got to explore downtown DC like we never had before, and we were challenged mentally (which is always fun for folks like us!). Even being novices, we managed to take third place, finishing in just under four hours.

(I look humongous in this picture, btw. I assure you it's just the camera angle.)

I think the folks over at Ravenchase are on to something. It's an excellent team builder for students and corporate events alike. It sure beats doing a ropes course!

Sometimes One Letter Can Change the Meaning of a Whole Lot

2008-11-15T15:16:00.002-05:00

I've taken a small hiatus from the blogosphere since I'm knee-deep in papers, research, and things of the like. However, in parceling through some literature, I found an interesting statement with a small typo in it that I found quite funny. It comes from a group of prestigious faculty, scholars, and college presidents, and is intended to be a call for increased civic learning and social responsibility among colleges and universities. Here it is:

“We have a fundamental task to renew our role as agents of our democracy. This task is both urgent and long-term… We share a special concern about the disengagement of college students from democratic participation… This country cannot afford to education a generation that acquires knowledge without ever understanding how that knowledge can benefit society or how to influence democratic decision making. We must teach the skills and values of democracy, creating innumerable opportunities for out students to practice and reap the results of the real, hard work of citizenship."

I've bolded the typo, which is quite funny, I think. I wonder if anyone has caught this? What a radically different read this statement would be if it were truly talking about "out" students (i.e., students who have come "out" as being gay, lesbian, queer, or bisexual) rather than "our" students.

Amazing how one letter in a sea of words can change the meaning drastically, huh?

Things I Don't Want to Hear Today

2008-11-03T23:55:00.003-05:00

It's been 20 months. Some days it feels like 20 years. But the presidential election cycle as we know it will come to a close today. It's been as intense as it has been inane. As inspiring as it has been idiotic. We've seen accusations, lies, distortions, and smears like we've never seen before. Obama has become too black and too white before our very own eyes. In these same 20 months, McCain has miraculously been a maverick and a Bush stalwart at the same time. Palin has been a boost and a burden. Biden has been an asset and a liablity.

We've heard about Bittergate, Palin's clothes, "that one," McCain's cries for a football-like season of townhalls, SNLs resurgence to the American consciousness, Bill Ayers, 3am phone calls, terrorist fist jabs, and the importance of flag pins.

All of these things have brought to the fore of American's consciousness things that many Americans would rather not face the reality of: sexism, overt racism, covert racism, ageism, prevalent segregation, black liberation theology, ignorance, fear, white privilege, and double standards. For most Americans, unfortunately, these issues will just be written off as the craziness of election cycles. For others, though, who feel these issues every day, they'll go back to trying to live life in the face of these realities. But for a while, though, we were talking about these things at our dinner tables. We were talking about them in our classrooms. With our friends. With our loved ones. And that, I think, is one of the best things about election season.

So with all of that being said in the last twenty months, here are some things I hope I don't hear today:

(10) Sean Hannity's voice.

(9) Any commentator or pundit make a distinction between "working class Americans" and "African Americans" as if the two are mutually exclusive.

(8) Talk about how people weren't allowed to vote because of problems at the polls. (Seriously, how hard is it to fix this? Didn't we experience this four years ago?)

(7) That John King is having technical difficulties with his magic map.

(6) Any talk about "Reagan Democrats." Seriously. There's no such thing. It's something drummed up by the GOP that everyone has bought into. What the hell is a Reagan Democrat? I'd rather have 10 magical unicorns.

(5) "This might not be resolved until tomorrow morning when most Americans are at work."

(4) "This might not get resolved until it hits the courts."

(3) Reports of how people got tired of standing in line for hours to vote and just left.

(2) That Wolf Blitzer is tired. I want a good 7 hours of straight Wolf Blitzer tomorrow night. No breaks.

(1) That John McCain, and Sarah Palin, are your new president and vice president respectively.

Sometimes Your Inventions Come True

2008-10-29T16:15:00.003-04:00

I've long since had a wonderful idea for a product. Odds are good, in fact, that if I know you personally, I've told you about my idea. It would be a software program component that would scan the body of all emails for variations of the word "attachment" (i.e., attached, attach, attaching) and prompt you after you hit the send button if it doesn't recognize an attached file. This would catch all of the emails that say have a file attached but do not, only to be followed up by an obligatory "Whoops! Forgot the attachment" email. Well, Jonathan K has beat me to it (not as if I was really pursuing it).

This is an option you can enable in gmail:

Forgotten Attachment Detector
by Jonathan K

Prevents you from accidentally sending messages without the relevant attachments. Prompts you if you mention attaching a file, but forgot to do so.

Fair enough. You may have won this one, Jonathan K, but I'll get the last laugh when my "corporate doodles" book gets published.

Navigating Bureaucracy

2008-10-15T15:15:00.004-04:00

The decision to come to Maryland brought a tremendous amount of advantages, which I have discussed here before. One of the disadvantages I've been experiencing is the tremendous amount of bureaucracy one must traverse to get things done. It's like nothing I've ever encountered, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Here's an example of unnecessary bureaucracy with something as simple as a flu shot:

1. Make your appointment contacting UHR Flu hotline 301-314-8885

2. Stop by the Business Office between the hours of 8am-4pm to pick up your ISR form (Jane Tellor) prior to your scheduled appointment date

3. Contact Jane Tellor in advance with the names of your unit if more than 5 employees are wanting this service

4. Give your ISR form over to your clinical nurse the day of your appointment

5. Return the “yellow” customer copy to the Business Office after your visit with your clinical nurse

Insane. I could recount other examples here, too. Room reservations take roughly 30 minutes to secure. Updating websites takes three times as long to go through the proper channels rather than just updating it yourself. If I wish to retrieve, listen, and delete a voicemail on my work phone, I have to punch 27 keys. Recording my name on the phone is a "secret" menu option on the phone directory that isn't listed.

I'm now at the point where I can navigate the bureaucracy, but stand in amazement of the beast that it has become in my life. I do, however, find some solace in this picture.

Dr. Seuss for President

2008-10-05T10:39:00.004-04:00

Part of the draw for us to come to Maryland was the wide array of arts in the DC area. Last night we attended our first art opening called "Seuss for President." It was a collection of renowned childrens books author, Dr. Seuss's political works. Few people know that many of Seuss's books are really sophisticated political commentary. (I didn't know, either.) But Horton Hears a Who is really a conceptualization of how democracy should be. Yertle the Turtle is a case against fascism, largely based on Hitler. The Lorax was really Seuss's case for environmental conservation.

Seuss also did 400 political cartoons, none of which have ever been viewed by the public until now. The first release (pictured below) is called "The Knotty Problem on Capital Hill: How to Raise Taxes without Losing a Single Vote."

It was the first time that many of the works have been on display publicly. Seuss told his now widow that he didn't want any of this work to become public until he died. Now that he has gone, we are the beneficiaries of his fantastic work.

What was really striking was how timeless the lessons in Seuss's political works were. Issues around saving the environment, war, and democracy are as highly contested when he penned them as they are now. It was also quite interesting to see how few people actually notice the political overtones in his work. Finally, it was also fun to take a picture with the Cat in the Hat as 27-year-olds.

Goodness Criteria: Vice Presidential Debate

2008-10-03T10:38:00.007-04:00

Watching last night's presidential debate was much more "must see TV" than a real debate. Even more, it was a powerful lesson in framing around goodness criteria.

Without taking the easy way out and blaming the media, last night's debate was framed in such a way that should be outrageous to every American who watched it. The debate was framed in such a way that it was Palin's push for competence, and Biden's push for not seeming like a "bully," without anyone questioning it. The debate should have been framed as a discourse over policies, track records, and philosophies, which would allow the American people to decide who to get behind. Instead, far too many Americans (citizens, journalists, commentators) were swept away into judging the debate on goodness criteria that could double as the criteria for evaluating a new crime show on TBS.

The punditry is swooning over the "grades" for Biden and Palin last night with the wrong goodness criteria. "Palin held her own," "everybody won," and "she reinvigorated the base" without giving reference to what counts as the evaluation criteria, which was really nothing more than Palin avoiding looking incompetent and Biden holding back his passion, immense knowledge, and due criticism of the circus that is the GOP. Needless to say, I think it was a sad day in America that so many people can get caught up in a hollow framing without questioning it.

Certainly there are those who watched it and realized this framing problem, too. To you, I say thanks. But you don't really matter for the purpose of this debate, because you're already committed. This debate was about pandering to the uncommitted that can swing this election for better or worse.

"Lacklester" Night

2008-10-01T11:56:00.002-04:00

Tonight begins an important time of year for me. Tonight is the beginning of baseball playoffs, and of course, the Red Sox quest for the World Series. Tonight features Jon Lester vs. John Lackey in Game 1, so hence the "'Lacklester' Night" title. (Clever, huh?)

My excitement stems from not only watching good baseball, but for all that baseball means to me. It's this time of the year that I remember watching baseball with my mother (Hi Mom!) and my grandfather as far back as I can remember. It's the time of the year that I remember the rush of emotions that I felt when the Red Sox won the world series back in 2004.

For me, watching playoff baseball is the equivalent of others who say that there's nothing like curling up with a good book on a fall day. Although I like books, I'd rather curl up with a great pitching matchup on ESPN, even if the game does start at 10pm EST.

So if I seem a little dreary-eyed over the next couple of days, you'll know why.

Go Sox!

Readjusting to Academic Life

2008-09-25T14:00:00.002-04:00

As the fourth week of the semester comes to a close for me, I'm taking solace in the fact that my transition back to academic life is getting easier. It's been a slow process in many ways -- juggling many commitments, learning to say "no" to wonderful opportunities, and being ok when you turn work in that isn't quite up to snuff. What has been particularly challenging this go round is getting a system down for reading and organizing articles. Managing large amounts of data and articles can be cumbersome if you don't have an effective and efficient organizing mechanism. This is where EndNote and Skim have come to my rescue. Skim is a program by Mac that lets you alter (e.g., highlight, make notes) PDFs, while EndNote is a program that stores all of your references and documents. It also has a nifty feature called "Cite While You Write," which inserts in-text references for you and automatically creates a reference page at the end. It's a lifesaver and a lifeblood of a Ph.D. student, I've found.

My transition back into academe has been one that has been tremendously eased by a supportive partner first and foremost. Erica has been nothing short of tremendous in being my greatest support. She's been very encouraging It also doesn't hurt that she is in the field of higher education for academic support!

The transition has also been easier given the supportive academic and professional community here. I'm fortunate to have great colleagues who have been incredibly welcoming and supportive.

The first major papers are over now, and I feel like I'm in the groove. Thanks for checking in here, and I'll write more soon!

Able Bodied Birthday

2008-08-21T21:40:00.002-04:00

As facebook has informed most of you, today is my birthday. It's the big 27, and like every other day, it was a great one. Lots of emails, messages, and phone calls from friends and family, and most importantly, another blessed day in this crazy thing we call life.

I'm not usually one who gets terribly excited about presents, but this year I was particularly pumped about getting a couple of ITunes gift certificates. For those who have never used ITunes, it's basically a gift certificate from free legal music that plays on my computer and IPod. Even though my ITunes now eclipses 11,000 songs, I hate to pay for them out of pocket. So when I get gift certificates, I go crazy. I store up a wish list until I get one, and then I download a ton of songs. I'm seriously is like a kid in candy store. Well, that is until they don't have songs I want to download.

I really want to download "Able Bodied Man" by Charlie Pride. And some Bad Company. But, I quickly realize that these songs aren't available, and I'm probably one of maybe 10 people who care. I guess that is what happens when you are using a medium aimed at 20 year olds to access music that was produced 35 years ago. There's always YouTube:

The reason I share this is because there are always subtle hints in our lives that remind us that we're not as young as we used to be. Sometimes it is in the form of 49 facebook messages from friends, other times it's not being able to find songs you like in a worldwide library of 10 billion songs.

Newseum

2008-08-18T22:33:00.005-04:00

One of the big advantages of living in the DC area is all of the cool museums we have access to. There are so many, and their exhibits often change to keep locals coming back. We're able to just hop on the metro, go a few stops, get off, and head to the attractions of our choice. This past Sunday we explored the Newseum.

The Newseum, or the Newsoleum as Steven Colbert would like it to be named, offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. It has seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museumgoers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. In short, it was awesome.

Here are some pictures from our day.

Be sure to check out the embedded news video. I think you may know the reporters!

Things I Never Knew I Needed

2008-08-15T18:14:00.005-04:00

Even though Erica and I have been married for over a year now, moving out to Maryland has been the first experience where we've had to outfit our home together. We're now 99% set up, and as I sit around our apartment, I often see things that if I were not married, I probably wouldn't purchase. These aren't just any items, they're more of "utility" type items, meaning that they serve a purpose other than decorative. So here are a few such items, with a little bit of commentary under each.

This little piece of fabric retails for $15, and is called a "bathmat." It's purported purpose is to have something to stand on when you get out of the shower. Apparently the bathroom rug is insufficient, so we now have one of these. This little piece of fabric causes much stress in my life as I have to make sure to remove it from it's secret hiding place (draped over the tub, behind the shower curtain) before I turn on the shower so it doesn't become soaked with water. It is also important that I put this mat back in its hiding place after I shower.

Get a good look at these glass containers obtained from JoAnn Fabrics. They hold our cotton balls and QTips. Apparently the packaging they come in from the store are insufficient storage units. The QTip holder is especially annoying because I always fray the ends of the QTips when I try to grab them, resulting in moderate stabbings in my ear.

This is aptly named a "sham." For those not in the know, this is a pillow that lays on your bed that cannot be slept on. What purpose does a pillow on your bed you can't use for sleeping serve you might ask? Not sure. Even if you tried to lay your face on it, the beads and ruffles will char the side of your face, so don't even try. Added bonus: I get to remove these pillows every night before I fall asleep and put them back on when I get up.

Are there more coming my way that I don't know about?

The View from the Outside

2008-08-15T17:45:00.005-04:00

As promised, here are some pictures of the house we live in. It's quite beautiful. We get the house to ourselves 5 months out of the year, which is a pretty cool gig.

Dying Locations

2008-08-12T21:49:00.002-04:00

I came across the following list of the top ten dying cities in America. Forbes analyzed and compiled this list. Cities in Ohio and Michigan take 6 of the top 10 spots in the survey, which is based on population flight and unemployment:

* Canton, Ohio
* Youngstown, Ohio
* Flint, Mich.
* Scranton, Pa.
* Dayton, Ohio
* Cleveland
* Springfield, Mass.
* Buffalo, NY
* Detroit
* Charleston, WV

This is pretty striking not only because Michigan and Ohio are the two places I've called home over the last 26 (soon to be 27) years, but because of how much these cities' respective economies are/were dependent on the combustible engine and thus oil.

Perhaps if Jim would pick it up at Dunder Mifflin, and Michael would stop doing so many idiotic things, Scranton wouldn't be suffering as much.

Retreat Season is Upon Me

2008-08-12T17:35:00.002-04:00

I started my assistantship last week, and I couldn't be happier. It's going to be a great fit. Although, I think I've underestimated--or perhaps even forgot--how many retreats and orientations that happen when one begins a new position in student affairs. And, I had forgotten how they are all clumped together in the middle of August. It's going to be a long haul!

I'm convinced there has to be another way to make these orientations more engaging, but I just can't figure it out. I guess there is no other way. It's going to be an information dump any way you look at it. It's a problem that no icebreaker or teambuilder can solve.

Luckily, early on in my student affairs career I attended what was easily the worst ever graduate school orientation, so by comparison, any orientation is good.

Of course, the major advantage of these retreats is to network with your colleagues. That, on the other hand, has been awesome. This has proven to be a very good decision thus far.

Our apartment is 99% set up now, so we feel pretty good about our new space. Pictures to follow soon!

The Big Move

2008-07-24T22:14:00.011-04:00

Making the move from Ohio to Maryland was a big job. It's amazing how much stuff (read: crap) two people can accumulate in one year. We packed up just over a month ago, spent two weeks in Michigan with our families, and headed out to the big city.

We accepted a position as house parents for a sorority, and we couldn't be happier. It's a little extra work, but well worth it. Our first week was spent in the living room of the sorority house because our apartment wasn't ready. We slept on an air mattress, and somehow, we survived. Erica also started her new job at a nearby university that same week. To say that it was a bit hectic would be an understatement.

It took us roughly a week to get our apartment semi-livable. At long last, our apartment has some semblance of order... and it couldn't have come soon enough. Not having simple necessities and a routine can be quite jarring.

It is also the first time in our lives that we've had to make joint purchases. Our first was our bed, then came a lot of furniture. Let's just say that we have varying opinions of decorating. Admittedly, I'm only one step above frat house decor, while Erica's is quite a bit more refined. As with anything, compromising proved to be key.

So here are the pictures of our apartment 90% finished. In the past two weeks, I have assembled more furniture than an IKEA employee. When I lay down to sleep at night, I have pictures of cam bolts and screws dancing in my head. Thank goodness that is over.

We have lots of other photos coming soon of the outside and inside of the sorority house; it's incredibly elegant and beautiful. We feel very blessed and fortunate to be living this experience!

We're Here!

2008-07-12T21:00:00.003-04:00

Erica and I have made a successful move out to Maryland. It was a bit tiring and stressful, but we made it safe and sound.

Life is a bit crazy now as we are still in the midst of transition. As soon as we unpack the cord to our digital camera, we'll upload some pictures. The Maryland/DC area is definitely a change of pace for us. Some might even call it a culture shock! But, we're alive and well and we just wanted to say thanks for checking in on us.

Two Important Things End Today

2008-06-25T11:24:00.002-04:00

Today is a big day in my life. It is the ending of two major things. I'll begin with the one that I'm happy is ending.

My stats class ends today. We have our final exam tonight, and I think I'm ready for it. I've been taking an engineering statistics course for the past seven weeks, twice per week, 3 1/2 hours per meeting. It's been exhausting and trying. I didn't have the necessary calculus prerequisite, but I was admitted anyway. I'm happy to report that I currently have a 90% in the class. I have the good folks over at MathTV to thank for helping me catch up on the calculus portion of things. Those YouTube videos have been a lifesaver.

The second, and perhaps bittersweet ending is the end of my contract here at KF. As documented earlier, I've had an awesome experience here. I'm ready to go forth, but I know that I'll miss the 9-5 lifestyle here. I know it isn't goodbye, only a "see you later."

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

2008-06-20T09:30:00.003-04:00

One thing that I'm going to miss about the 9-5 life is the routine of it all. Even though my job varies in terms of day-to-day activities, there are some mainstays that I really enjoy, one of which is visiting some of my favorite websites first thing in the morning. These websites have made a big difference in my daily functioning, and I'm going to have to incorporate them into my new routine. I figured since I found them so useful/enjoyable, I'd share them quickly with you.

Newser -- www.newser.com
Newser is a news aggregator. If you don't know what that means, well, prepare to have your life revolutionized. It takes all of the major (and even some obscure pieces), abstracts them for you, and puts them together in a nice, easy-to-use format for you. It's also very customizable so you can get the news you want very quickly. If you want to read more than just the short abstract, it provides the link to the full article below. Check it out; I promise you won't be disappointed. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Freakonomics Blog -- http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/
The authors of the wildly popular book, Freakonomics, have an excellent blog on the NY Times site. It covers a wide array of topics, and I read it daily. They get a bevy of cool guest authors on the site to answer reader questions. I once had my question answered by the MythBusters, so it's a winner in my book.

Fark -- www.fark.com
This is a news aggregator on steroids, plus incredibly witty titles. You know all of those crazy news stories you hear about a snake living inside a toilet bowl, or a woman giving birth without knowing she's pregnant? They're reported on fark at least two days before the mainstream media get them. It's a guaranteed laugh every time you visit. Oh. There's real news on there, too.

WatchTVSitcoms -- WatchTVSitcoms
How this site is still operational is beyond me. It's a huge collection of free music, new and old movies, and TV shows that are embedded into the site so you don't have to download anything. I mainly just listen to the music on there. I especially like the Top 2000 Songs Ever mix.

Lifehacker -- www.lifehacker.com
I only recently stumbled across this site. It's tagline is, "Tech tricks, tips and downloads for getting things done." It's a clearinghouse of sorts on how to make your life better (read: "hack your life"). It has incredibly useful tips about how to get your security deposit back in your apartment, where to get free legal advice, how to clean your bathtub, among many, many others. Hope you find something on here that will hack your life.

I hope these are helpful. More importantly, do you have any sites that you visit regularly that you love? Leave me a comment!

Things I'll Miss about Ohio, Part IV - KF

2008-06-13T09:54:00.005-04:00

There's no doubt about it -- I'm going to miss this place. I'm not sure I'll ever have another job quite like this one. It's a strange place, but in a very good way. I will miss the relationships that I made here and the work that I'm able to do here.

I always joke that I'm surprised that they pay me to work here. I get to sit around reading fascinating things, explore ideas with others, work on my writing, AND get paid. I really think I've got the better end of this deal.

It all started with a curious beginning. I had a few failed job searches (either I turned them down or they turned me down), and I had no where else to turn. It just so happened that this position came open, and I jumped on it. I had a very dear friend who was familiar with KF tell me that I would be working in an interesting environment with an eclectic group of characters, and I would probably become a liberal. My friend was right on both accounts.

My first week on the job I attended a farewell party for the person who was in my position before me. One of the program officers remarked to my predecessor in her acknowledgments that KF was like Hotel California, "You can check out any time you want, but you can't ever leave." Those words ring true as well. I'll still stay involved with the wonderful work that KF is doing through contract research. It will be a way to stay engaged in an awesome network of folks doing amazing research to make our democracy stronger and improve the welfare of its citizens.

I'll also miss the curiosities that come with working 8:30 - 4:30 here. Trying to build and maintain a learning organization comes with all sorts of funny quirks and unintended consequences. I think the biggest takeaways from a theoretical standpoint from working in a learning organization I have are: 1) Decentralization can lead to oversight and overlap, thus resulting in waste, and 2) Feedback channels must be actively maintained and reviewed.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how much I'm going to miss the relationships and daily interactions with folks around here. With only 45 or so people who work full-time here, there is an immense of diversity on all fronts. Like any place one works, it really is the people who make or break the experience. These people have definitely "made" the experience a great one. I admire the candor, balance, and intelligence that people here have. I think it's very special.

I'll finish up here as a full-time employee at the end of the month. I'm taking a lot of solace in that my "good bye" will truly only be "see you later" since I'm really only "checking out."

Vice Presidents

2008-06-11T11:13:00.005-04:00

There's a lot of talk in politics right now about who will be McCain and Obama's running mates. Well, look no further. I'm willing to bet it will be Mitt Romney and Jim Webb, respectively. No shot for Hillary, no shot for Huckabee.

Vegas currently has odds of Jim Webb at 15:4, and Romney as a 2:1 in case you're wondering. If you're wondering why odds are posted on this and why people would bet on this, consider that you can bet on occurences from the Super Bowl, including:

1. What songs the halftime performer will sing
2. How long the national anthem will take to sing
3. The coin toss
4. The first commercial
5. The highest rated commercial

Proof being that people will bet on anything, I guess. The other point is that I wanted my predictions to be in writing for all the world to see when and *if* they come true.

Things I'm Going to Miss about Ohio, Part III, -- Princess Theater

2008-06-11T10:11:00.002-04:00

There surely isn't a lot to do in Oxford, OH for a mid-20s married couple. There are only so many trips for ice cream, so many visits to the farmers market, and oh so many bagels one can eat from Bagel & Deli. But one can never see enough movies for the sweet price of $4.50 for matinées, or $5.50 any other time.

We've seen countless movies at the Princess theater. We average 3-4 per month, and sadly, I think I'm going to miss it. The Princess a strange, faint odor that permeates the building. It only shows four movies at any given time. The website to check show times works 50% of the time. Sometimes the phone line to call for movie times screeches at you as if you've intercepted a fax. There is the same hole in the bathroom wall since I came to Oxford four years ago (they're working on it, I gather). My feet usually stick to the floor because they aren't much on mopping. It's probably the main hangout in town for the high school kids.

With all that said, it has the two most important things any movie theater could ever have: cheap movies and air conditioning. There's something oddly alluring about the Princess theater in Oxford, Ohio, and I know that I'm going to miss it when I'm paying $10.00 to see a movie I'm not all that jazzed about seeing. Because for $4.50, even if it's not a very good movie, it's strangely gratifying.

Things I'm Going to Miss about Ohio, Part II -- Sigma Pi, Eta-Phi Chapter

2008-06-10T12:04:00.005-04:00

For the past four years, I have served as the chapter advisor to the young men in Sigma Pi fraternity at Miami University. Being an advisor meant that I attended almost every weekly chapter meeting, in addition to weekly executive council meetings. I also attended other appropriate events, as my schedule permitted such as BBQs, baseball games, intramurals, and Greek Week events.

It's still a little surreal to say goodbye to them. It's going to be weird when the semester starts up in the fall to know that I won't be making my way over to the house on Sunday night for exec and chapter meetings.

To say that we've survived a lot over the last four years would be an understatement. I won't chronicle the past here, but know that I've dealt with it all. And I think the chapter--and I--are better for it. We've survived the loss of a brother within the chapter, won Greek week three times, narrowly escaped suspension, and, well, I guess I am starting to chronicle things a bit. There are too many memories worth noting, I guess.

Eta-Phi was a little bit more than rough when I started working with them. I'd like to think that they've improved greatly. In fact, they are very close to being a top chapter in the nation according to the national fraternity-- whatever that means. I'm quite proud of them. They've had to stand up to a lot, and often to their brothers within the chapter. I'm becoming even more convinced that there is nothing more difficult in the undergraduate experience than standing up to or confront a fraternity brother whom you love like a blood brother. I think there are other things that are comparable (dealing with the loss of a loved one, for example), but none seem to be as difficult as this. They've made great strides in this area. I think that's been the single greatest joy to watch unfold.

Being an advisor has been even more important to me over the last two years. While my work at the foundation has been very rewarding, it lacks the component of working with students, which I've been able to fill by working with the Sigma Pi's. Some of the relationships I've been able to build with the guys truly feel like brotherhood, even though we were on a bit of a different plane (advisor vs. student). The men are immensely talented, and it's been a pleasure working with them.

When I first began to work with the chapter, I used to always refer to the SVSU chapter of Sigma Pi (my undergraduate chapter) as "my chapter." About two years in, I started calling it "my undergraduate chapter" because I felt as though I now had two chapters -- Theta-Beta and Eta-Phi. I'm not sure anyone ever caught on to the subtle language shift, but it was intentional and was intended to convey an important message. Spending four years with a chapter--coming to every chapter meeting, attending events--is *almost* like having another undergraduate fraternity experience, minus the drinking, living in, and paying dues part.

Playing for Peanuts

2008-06-10T09:21:00.004-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows my passion for baseball; that's pretty obvious and well chronicled on this here blog. A lesser known interest of mine is documentaries. I will watch a documentary about anything. Coal miners, dinosaurs, Johnny Cash, autism... I'll watch anything. I've watched all of the documentaries that our public library has in their collection. In fact, I can't *not* watch them sometimes. A personality oddity, for sure.

Well, imagine my surprise last night when I was flipping through the channels while trying to fall asleep to find a documentary series about a minor league baseball team! It's called, "Playing for Peanuts," and from what I've seen so far, it's pretty fantastic. (Full disclosure: it's actually quite bad quality and production, but it's strangely entertaining and captivating.) Here's a synopsis from their website:

"Playing for Peanuts" is a new TV show about minor league baseball. The show uses reality TV and documentary techniques to follow the South Georgia Peanuts in their inaugural season. The Peanuts are made up of a mix of rookies and veterans, all hoping to get back into affiliated minor league baseball. The Peanuts are managed by former Major League second baseman Wally Backman."

Things I'll Miss about Ohio, Part I - Umpiring

2008-06-06T12:20:00.004-04:00

Today will begin a small series on this here ol' blog, called, Things I'll Miss about Ohio." Given the impending move to our nation's capital, there are *some* things that I'm going to miss about Ohio. After all, it has been my home for the past four years.

Umpiring

I've spent all four summers here as a little league baseball umpire. I umpire multiple age groups, from 8-year-olds all the way up to high school. I umpire almost every night of the week, except when it rains. It all started on a whim when I moved to Oxford. On a drive down to Cincinnati, I saw a sign for little league sign ups, so I called the number listed on the sign, left a message, and said that I'd be interested in umpiring if the chance was available next summer. Six months later, they called and asked if I would still be willing. Truth be told, I thought the position was volunteer, but they said they paid $30 per game. What a deal, I thought. I was a broke graduate student, and an extra $1200 for the summer sounded like a good deal. It was such a good deal, I decided to stick with it for four years, even while working full-time.

I think what I'll miss the most about giving up the shin guards and face mask is the connection to the community I feel when I umpire. As a transplant to this strange place called Oxford, I have always felt a real disconnect to the town. Umpiring helps bridge that. I talk with a lot of parents in between innings, not only about baseball, but about life in general. They know my name, I know most of theirs. I know their kids' names; I've watched them grow and develop as baseball players and as kids. I'm able to tell the parents how much improved their kids' swings are, and they appreciate that.

Of course, there is the obvious pressure that comes from umpiring, which is what I shall call "critiques" of my performance, which occur from time to time. I think I would have been more susceptible to them had I been umpiring for the money as opposed to doing it for fun. Oxford has a great little league, and have had very, very few instances with fans, coaches, or parents. Even in the midst of a hyper-involved parental culture, I can honestly say that the parents with whom I interact have been wonderful. It's been a stereotype-busting experience I might say. Coincidentally, whenever I tell people that I umpire little league, the first question they usually ask me is what the pressure is like from the "crazy parents." I like to take that opportunity to tell them that it's not always like that, and in fact, it's quite the opposite.

I don't think I'll continue umpiring when I get to Maryland. I just won't have the time, and I just don't think it'll be the same.

waxing ecSTATic

2008-06-03T14:19:00.002-04:00

For the past three weeks, I've been taking a statistics course at a branch campus here in Southwest Ohio in preparation for my Ph.D. program. It is a statistics course for engineering majors, but I figured I would have a good shot at passing it. I had to get a waiver to get into the class because it is the second one in a sequence and requires a calculus prerequisite, which I haven't seen since Bill Clinton was president.

I'm happy to report that after three weeks, I have a 93% in the class, which is quite amazing. I still have three weeks left, though, and it gets nothing but more difficult as we go. I'll be fine -- I think. Anyhow, this experience has taught me a lot about statistics, but an equal amount about being noticeably different from my peers.

First, the classroom in which we have class is filled with old geography maps from the 80s. I can remember getting these while in elementary school and really being blown away at how sophisticated they appeared. I mentioned this during break to a few fellow students, and they mentioned that they've always been a part of their classrooms as far back as they can remember.

I'm the oldest person in the class by a couple of years. This is a very new experience for me, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about playing the role of the old guy.

I come to class straight from work, which means I'm wearing a shirt and tie. I'm more dressed up than our professor. On the first day of class my professor asked why I was wearing a shirt and tie, and I quipped, "I thought we had to." He said that there weren't any dress code requirements, to which I stated that I was just kidding, and that I come to class directly from work. I'm still not sure he realized I was joking. (This is not the first time I've said something stupid in the early stages of a relationship that subsequently strained said relationship henceforth.)

In hopes of spicing up 3 1/2 hours of statistics twice per week, our professor shows us funny email forwards, YouTube clips, and other funny stories every half hour. Surprisingly they are quite entertaining and entirely unrelated to statistics. I wonder if there's a correlation there. (See? I can make statistic jokes, too!)

I find myself being a little gratified when I arrive at a "right" answer after a lot of thought and calculation. In qualitative inquiry (my graduate training), there was never a "right" answer per se, so it was a matter of subjective argumentation and reasoning. Formulas, I've found, can be quite nice.

Just three more weeks... I just keep telling myself that it'll be worth it when I have four less credits to take at Maryland.

Marketing Thought

2008-05-29T09:25:00.002-04:00

Even though I now pursue higher education as a discipline, I still see the world in marketing and advertising terms very often, since my undergraduate degree is in marketing. Marketing thoughts creep into my mind quite often, and every once in a while, I think I come up with a great idea. This morning's otherwise horrific commute happened to be one of those days. Today, I thought of what I believe to be an absolutely brilliant marketing slogan. Before I tell you what it is, let me first set the stage briefly.

I think this message would be targeted to college students, or those who are shortly thereafter removed. It would play on people's reluctance to go out once they are already home because they are tired, unmotivated, or otherwise just plain lazy. So, without further ado, here it is:

Because tonight could turn out to be "remember that night?"

I think it's fantastic. It creates a sense of urgency and maybe even a little bit of jealously, because everyone wants to be part of the night that his/her peers talk about for the rest of their lives. Still don't believe me? Consider one of these possibilities:

Bacardi (r) - "Because tonight could turn out to be "remember that night?"
(Fine Dining Restaurant) - "Because tonight could turn out to be "remember that night?"
Sure (r) Deodorant - "Because tonight could turn out to be "remember that night?"

Who knows? I could have been a wealthy corporate suit thinking these things up, testing them out on target markets, and trying to impress people at coffee shops with my accomplishments.

Mirroring Others

2008-05-27T11:50:00.003-04:00

There was a time when I was really into reading self-help books such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and How to Win Friends and Influence People. While I don't discount the merits and utility of this popular genre, I do question how much they reinforce simple solution and a dominant leader paradigm. Nonetheless, one of the most valuable lessons that I remember and still use very regularly from them is the importance of mirroring others; that is, to use the language, body language, and mannerisms of others when trying to relate to them. If your supervisor is talking to you about a project he'd like done with her legs crossed, it might be to your benefit to do the same. If she's resting her head on her arm, you might consider doing the same, and so on. The key is to mirror nonchalantly and inconspicuously. Doing this, some argue, puts the others at ease, builds rapport, and helps break down barriers that might otherwise be an interference. Let me explain using some examples I've had in my life, including one from today.

I was a leadership consultant for my fraternity after I graduated college, which meant that I visited 34 chapters at different campuses all across the country. My job was to help strengthen their chapter operations in the course of three days. This proved to be challenging because who wants to take advice on how to improve your student organization from some strange guy living out of his vehicle who shows up for three days and then leaves? Mirroring came in extremely handy on each and every visit I did. When the chapter members would tell me about their school, their house, and their chapter, I paid very special attention to the words they used to describe them. Sometimes they'd refer to their Greek community as "frat row" or "Greek row," which I always tried to repeat later on during meetings with members of the chapter. If they spoke slowly and calmly, I did, too. If they referred to their president as "J-Scruggs" instead of "Justin Scruggs," I did, too. Further, if the person I was meeting with used a lot of hand gestures, I would, too. This did a lot to reduce barriers quickly, and, hopefully (I'd like to think so anyway), a lot to make me more effective at my job.

Another example occurred just a few hours ago. My auto mechanic called to give me an update on some repairs to my vehicle. When I dropped off my vehicle this morning and spoke with the mechanic, I was dressed in a shirt, tie, sweater, dress pants, and dress shoes, while he was wearing typical mechanic garb, complete with grease and stains. There was an obvious barrier there. I'm not incredibly repair-savvy, but I knew enough to pay very close attention to the language he used as he speculated what might be wrong. When he called me a few hours later to explain what the problem was, I incorporated his language into my questioning, and I quickly noticed a shift in how he spoke to me. It was almost as if I was able to shatter his typical explanation of what was wrong just by paying attention to the language he used, his inflections, and his tone.

I've sort of internalized this "mirroring" thing now, so it's a part of who I am at this point. I do it in face-to-face interactions, emails, and even trade proposals in fantasy sports. If someone offers me a trade and the comment sections reads something like "if you dont want him, make me an offer when your ready," I'll respond back with the same poor grammar and lack of capitalization, which I'm programmed not to do. That way, he/she doesn't feel like I'm above them in any way.

Mirroring can be a great way to diffuse barriers between people, in addition to a way to check one's own assumptions and privileges.

NASCAR Fans Now Their Own Demographic

2008-05-21T09:40:00.002-04:00

Fresh off the Kentucky and Oregon primaries, a leading poll now has Barack Obama with an 8% lead of John McCain. Good news, but there is one troubling segment in the article when it breaks down the demographics of who's likely to vote for whom. Here it is:

Barack also leads among independents and some demographics that he has struggled with in the primary: Catholics, Jews, union households, and the working class. McCain led among whites, NASCAR fans, and voters over 65.

I understand the importance of breaking down voters across demographic lines to get a better understanding of voter preference, but when did "NASCAR Fans" become its own demographic? Why not bridge players? Why not gardeners or those who fall into watching ping pong on ESPN 2 at one in the morning on a Friday night? Why can't I have Peter King on my TV with his magical map telling me who fares better with voters who enjoy the likes of Agatha Christie novels? Tell me that Peter King. Tell me that.

Also, I give John McCain three weeks before he's uttering the words "Gentlemen, start your engines!!!" Heaven please help us.

McBush

2008-05-20T09:48:00.001-04:00

There's a bigger connection there than you think....

Sexism

2008-05-19T14:10:00.002-04:00

I'm always puzzled when people say that sexism and racism don't exist in today's society. There are scores of examples in contemporary America, but sometimes it's worthwhile to look back in history to see how overt oppression was. Take this recently unearthed example about women in the workplace in 1943 from Transportation Magazine written for male supervisors.

Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees: There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.

Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclines to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy.

Original article can be found here.

#1

2008-05-19T10:42:00.004-04:00

I just received an article that I'm pretty excited about. It seems Maryland is a pretty good place for graduate school.

"The Department of Counseling and Personnel Services (CAPS) in the College of Education has earned another No. 1 ranking in education in the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”

The Department Chair says, "Our programs work because of our collaborative leadership. Everyone—that includes faculty, students and staff—is focused on working together and gives more than the minimum expectation.”

I'm a big fan of collaborative leadership, so that's music to my ears. I can tell you that I got a real sense of this kind of leadership described in the article when I visited there.

Although I don't put a lot of stock into US News & World Report rankings, it's nice to have some positive ink spilled on the place you've just committed the next four years to.

Should you feel compelled, the full article can be found here.

The Graduate

2008-05-18T16:14:00.007-04:00

After two years, Erica has graduated! Sometimes it seems like it's been much shorter, other times it feels much longer. Either way, it's a remarkable accomplishment, and one that we celebrated in grand style. Erica's parents, grandparents, my mother, my sister and brother-in-law, Erica's friend Dianna, and her little one, Aidan, all came to commemorate the event. Ardent followers of Irresponsibly Responsible know that we live in a very small apartment, so playing host to 9 people proved to be a bit challenging, but we made it work wonderfully. It was a good thing that Erica and I are both trained in supply chain management and work flow, or else we would have been in trouble! Luckily, we were able to house them in adjacent rooms to our apartment, and we made good use of common areas in the residence hall for dining and lounging. It was a very memorable weekend -- certainly one that we'll never forget.

I'm very proud of my wife for graduating from a very challenging program. I also learned a lot about myself during the last two years, specifically how to be supportive during stressful times. I think I did pretty good at it, although Erica may tell a different tale. (Kidding, of course.)

Erica had to fly out to an on-campus interview on the following Monday. To say that she is exhausted would be an understatement. To say that I'm extremely proud of her and so excited to see what's next for her in her life would also be an understatement!

You can see all of the pictures from the festivities here.

Further Proof that Today's Music Stinks

2008-05-02T21:16:00.002-04:00

In my late night surfing tonight, I stumbled across the historical archive of the Billboard Top 100 Charts. Curious, I began to look at the top five songs from when I graduated high school compared to when my parents graduated. Here's a smattering.

The Top Five Songs When I Graduated Include: TLC - "No Scrubs"; Britney Spears - "...One More Time"; Cher - "Believe"

The Top Five Songs When My Mom Graduated High School Include: The Beatles - "Hey Jude"; Otis Redding - "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay"; Rascals - "People Got to Be Free"

The Top Five Songs When My Dad Graduated High School Include: Three Dog Night - "Joy to the World"; Rod Stewart - "Maggie May"

I think I'd much rather be associated with great bands and songs as opposed to horrific music from the likes of Britney and TLC, but who am I? You can access the whole list here, if you'd like. Feel free to post your graduation songs in the comments below!

Thanks, George

2008-05-02T12:27:00.004-04:00

Everybody's favorite president (well, 29% isn't bad, I guess) just deposited $1,200 into our bank account. Lucky us. I'm surprised it wasn't supplemented with some sort of pro-spending, patriotic, do your part, propaganda (see below).

We get ours first because the last two digits of my social security number are 02, so that puts us towards the top of the list. We'll receive our checks a full 8 weeks earlier than those who have higher numbers of the last two numbers of their SS. I told Erica that it's another benefit for having married me. They just keep on coming.

Our check is going to aid us in our move to DC coming up in less than two months. Nothing is more sexy than spending money on gas and UHauls. Nothing.

Expensive Allergies

2008-04-25T09:49:00.002-04:00

It's the most unpleasant time of the year.

It's allergy season.

Like clockwork, my allergies are killing me, and I'm in the allergy death valley known as southwest Ohio. I went to the doctor yesterday for allergies and he told me that I had been there on the exact same day for the past three years. I received my yearly cortizone shot, nabbed a prescription for eye drops, and went to the pharmacy to fill my prescription. (Un)lucky for me, Zyrtec is now over-the-counter, so I now have to pay roughly $0.85 per pill, which I take everyday. So here's the math breakdown:

4 months worth of pills @ $0.85 per pill -- $102.00
Eye drop prescription x 3 refills -- $90.00
Office visit -- $15.00
___________________________________________________
Total $207.00

Pretty expensive, but as any allergy sufferer will tell you, it's well worth it.

It was also interesting to note that we had to go to four different pharmacies to get Zyrtec and eyedrops (both of which are extremely common) because there was such a run on allergy medicine in Oxford.

A Weekend with the Redlegs

2008-04-20T23:15:00.006-04:00

Erica and I spent the weekend going to the Reds games on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Saturday we went with our friend Amy, and the Robles family. We sat in the all-you-can-eat seats on Saturday and were highly entertained with Eva and RJ Robles. RJ was the Reds #1 fan because he never stopped clapping (except for the nap he took from the fifth inning to the ninth). It was a beautiful day and a great game, although the Reds lost.

We returned to Great American Ballpark on Sunday for the third game in the series versus the Brewers. We went with a number of our friends who are in Erica's graduate school cohort. It was the best game I've ever seen live. The Reds came back to score three runs in the bottom of the 10th. The coolest thing that happened during the game was a homerun was landed right in front of us! It hit the guy's hands right in front of Erica, and it fell down. The guy next to him picked it up and kept it. If there had been no one in the ballpark, the ball would have landed in Erica's seat! It was pretty amazing. I've never been that close to a homerun.

Anyhow, here are some pictures from the weekend. Both games went into the 10th inning -- bonus baseball!

Arena Football

2008-04-18T10:54:00.002-04:00

I'm an unapologetic sports fan. I love baseball and football and fantasy sports. However, I've never been very fond of the Arena Football League, but when given the chance to attend a game for free, I went. I met one of my chapter brothers (who we affectionately refer to as "Milhouse") in Columbus who happened to be there on business. We were met by a Sigma Pi from Grand Valley State who worked there (he gave us the tickets). He gave us official game balls and hats, which was awesome. The game was actually pretty good; it was worthwhile entertainment. It was more fun to reconnect with a chapter brother and meet another brother from a different chapter.

The older I get, the more I revel in the chances to get together to talk about the glory days. Depressing, I know. What I do not look forward to is staying out to 3 am, and sleeping on a futon in a fraternity house. Those days I can live without :)

Anyhow, here are a couple of pictures.

The Boss Endorses Barack

2008-04-16T14:19:00.002-04:00

It's not often when two things in my life that I am very passionate about collide. Today, the best singer/songwriter of our generation, Bruce Springsteen, endorsed Barack Obama as a candidate for president. Springsteen said, “He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit.”

Awesome. That is exactly what this country needs.

Perhaps Bruce just knew that Barack was "born to run" for president. Or maybe he knew that the Pennsylvania primary was coming up next week and needed some help on the "streets of Philadelphia." Or maybe he realized that there was "trouble in paradise" and knew the country needed a change of direction. Or maybe... Ok, maybe he just knows he's the most influential politician since JFK and best choice for president. Either way, I'm happy.

Your Retarded Brother

2008-04-14T00:04:00.004-04:00

Erica and I often have game nights with our friends, Tom & Amy. We play about once a week, and as you might guess, we get tired of playing the same old games all of the time. We were very bored one night, so Erica raided the RA closet in our building to see if they had any games to play. They had an old copy of "Scruples" -- a game of trying to predict how other players will respond to various ethical questions. Most of the questions were things like "If you found $200 in cash, would you return it?" and "If you knew that you could get away with a crime that would better your family, would you do it?" We had a lot of fun with the game, and then we came upon the following question:

We found the term "your retarded brother" quite out of date. We had to note the political incorrectness of the time (the game was made in 1986). It was nice to see that we've progressed a bit in terms of inclusion even in something as banal as board games.

My Brother in Afghanistan

2008-04-03T20:24:00.004-04:00

Here a couple of pictures my brother passed along from Afghanistan. I've blogged about him before, but this is just an update to show you all what his "home" is like for the next year. More pictures to come!

Why I Do What I Do

2008-04-01T17:31:00.002-04:00

We had a meeting today at KF of international scholars, community organizers, and ordinary citizens from over 30 different countries. It was part of our Multinational Workshop week. There were roughly 75 people in attendance. The topic of discussion was "Why Do You Do What You Do?" or as I like to affectionately call it "WDYDWYD." People told stories of great injustices in their countries -- being denied jobs because of their race or gender, watching someone die in the community, being denied basic human rights, and losing the right to vote. They then connected these traumatic experiences to their life's work, thus the the "WDYDWYD." This was used as a springboard to talk about how to improve our communities and our collective well-being.

I had the opportunity to share my story as well. I talked about an experience I had my first year of graduate school. I facilitated a six-week leadership program with about 20 undergraduate students that included a community service outing to a local food bank. After the day of service, I facilitated a discussion with the students to process their experience. I'll never forget the passionate reflection one of the young men offered. He said that his parents came to Miami University but didn't have the opportunity to do anything like work at a food bank, and how thankful he was to have worked at a food bank. He went on to say how good he felt about his two hours of volunteering, and how he hopes his son or daughter will come to Miami and volunteer at the food bank because it was so fulfilling! At the same time, I was reading the books Big Questions, Worthy Dreams, and When Hope & Fear Collide. They are books that talk about how the current generation of college students is the most hopeful and ambitious generation in many generations. I began to realize that if students are to change the world, I needed to work to encourage them, harness their ambition, and put their enthusiasm into a larger context of politics that would look to address society's biggest problems (in this case, why we are the richest nation in the world and have a need at all for food banks).

So, in short, that is WIDWID. WDYDWYD?

Education Statistics

2008-03-27T12:17:00.003-04:00

When I started this blog two years ago, I wanted to record some of the random musings of my life. I also wanted to keep track of some interesting things I read while working at KF. I have gotten away from the later, but came across the Digest of Education Statistics Annual Report, and thought I'd put some of the important stats up here. So, if you hate statistics and/or education, please wait until the next blog post, which will most likely be about how we are going to let the baby fish out into the main tank to be among the other fish, or how desperate Hillary Clinton is.

College enrollment hit a record level of 18 million in fall 2007. That's almost double the population of the entire state of Michigan. This surge isn't expected to plateau until 2016.

There are 1.3 million faculty members employed in higher education. I hope I will be one of them soon.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, 1.5 million bachelor's degrees will be conferred, compared to 55,000 Ph.D.'s.

Faculty time was broken down by: 58% teaching, 20% research and scholarship, and 22% other (e.g., administration, professional growth).

The average faculty salary for males was $74,167. The average for females was a stunning $61,016.

There are 2,629 4 year degree colleges and universities.

Prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board at public universities rose by 32 percent in the past ten years.

The most popular bachelor's degree was in business.

The most popular master's degree was in education.

The most popular Ph.D. was in Education.

By that logic, I am very popular. (Bachelors - Marketing, Masters - Education, Ph.D. - Education (hopefully) )

A Visit with The Boss

2008-03-24T21:07:00.005-04:00

I couldn't decide whether to title this post "A Visit with The Boss" or "Largest Gathering of Middle-Aged White People Dancing in Their Seats Ever," so I opted for the more politically-correct one.

Nonetheless, Erica and I went to see Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen in concert on Saturday night. Bruce was an hour late, the tickets were $95 a piece for balcony seats, there were no other folks there our age, and IT WAS THE BEST SHOW I'VE EVER SEEN. Seriously. Bruce was incredible. It was no wonder that it was sold out, cramped, and that no one complained that he was almost an hour late. It was worth it when he took the stage and sang "Darlington County." He played every song off his new album, Magic, which is his first studio release with the E Street Band in five years. There's a reason why the E Street Band is regarded as the best band of the last thirty years. A violin, two guitars, Max Weinberg (Conan O'Brein!) on the drums, a sax (THE sax, I should say), an accordion, an two guitars, which all come together to deliver an unrelenting, non-stop show of musical brilliance. Ok, enough on that. Here are some pictures from the show.

This one is from our seats.

Here we are during the concert. Notice the earplugs. It was 150 decibels in that place.

We were easily the youngest people in the crowd, besides a few stray teenagers who were coerced into attending by their parents. A number of boomers talked to us and expressed their surprise and excitement that people as young as us would come see Bruce. "We grew up on this stuff" they said, to which we replied "well, so did we." We might have saved them some shock by driving a spaceship. We have found it's much easier to avoid explaining our musical preferences to fellow concert goers, as we frequently find ourselves in awkward discussions with some strange folks.

And, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, I will contend that this was the single greatest gathering of middle-aged white people gyrating in their seats to ever assemble in the galaxy. Hands down. Erica and I played a game of trying to find someone of a different race before the show -- we found two African Americans and four people who looked to be from India. That was it. There were 60,000 people there.

My Visit to Maryland

2008-03-24T20:41:00.007-04:00

I've had these pictures for some time, but just never posted them. I visited the University of Maryland a couple of weeks ago. (I have since accepted their offer of admission.)

The campus itself was beautiful and quite desolate. Except for these fine young men who were staging some sort of play fight scenario. They were quite elaborate in their outfits and plans, and I couldn't discern what they were doing, so I decided to capture the moment on my camera for future analysis.

And this here is Testudo, the iconic turtle who is surrounded by mythology. I don't pretend to know it all -- I just know that you're supposed to rub his head for good luck. His head is worn down from all the attention he receives. I have a feeling I'm going to make a habit out of rubbing his head over the next few years.

One of the many highlights of my visit was being able to reconnect with my good friends Kevin and Kristin. I went to graduate school with Kevin, and hadn't seen him since he left last summer. I stayed with them both nights, and even though I was exhausted when I saw them at night, it was awesome to see the both of them. They'll be getting married this summer, but they already have a small child pictured below.

Erica and I are excited to move to Maryland; it looks like the move will take place the first or second week of July!

Airplane! Airplane!

2008-03-17T12:03:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, we played host to Erica's parents. On Saturday, we decided to travel to Dayton to visit the Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum. It was a lot of fun, although quite exhausting to walk through.

The museum galleries present military aviation history, boasting more than 400 aerospace vehicles -- many rare and one-of-a-kind -- along with thousands of historical items and powerful sensory exhibits that bring history to life and connect the Wright brothers' legacy with today's stealth and precision technology. It was incredible to see the evolution of planes. It was also neat to see the interpretive side of the museum as it relates to the planes' roles in various wars. They have a lot of volunteers on sight to explain things, too.

It was kite building day there, but Erica didn't want to build a kite with me.

Of special significance was seeing the planes that were used to haul hundreds of soldiers to other countries during war time. (Let's just say the accommodations make a 40 person Delta puddle jumper plane look like business class for an international flight.) On the same day we were there, we gave well wishes to my brother, Scott, who left for Afghanistan for his second tour of duty in Operation Enduring Freedom on Saturday. Although he wouldn't be flying in a plane on display at the museum, his thoughts, fears, and anxieties must be the same of the soldiers who traveled in those planes some 60 years ago. You could get a sense--however small--of the emotions surrounding the planes and memorabilia.

On another note, it was interesting to note the artwork depicted on the various planes and bombs. Most of the artwork was in good taste, depicting things like skeletons, American flags, and cartoon characters, but many were very disturbing as they degraded African Americans, people from other countries, and women. Here is an example:

So, if you're ever in the Dayton area, I recommend checking out the museum. But try to avoid kids day. It's hectic!

My Decision to Attend Graduate School (Again)

2008-03-13T13:57:00.003-04:00

A lot of people wonder what would possess me to go back to graduate school AGAIN. Well, I have a lot of thoughts on that, but the writer(s) (?) over at stuffwhitepeoplelike.com sum it up best. If you don't know, www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com is an Internet phenomenon, averaging over 1 million hits per day. Great writing. Here is what they say about graduate school:

Being white means to engage in a day in, day out struggle to prove that you are smarter than other white people. By the time they reach college, most white people are confronted with the fact that they may not be as smart as they imagined.

In coffee shops, bars, and classes white people will engage in conversations about authors and theorists that go nowhere as both parties start rattling off progressively more obscure people until eventually one side recognizes one and claims a victory. By the time they graduate (or a year or two afterwards), white people realize that they will need an edge to succeed in the cut-throat world of modern white society.

That edge is graduate school.

Though professional graduate schools like law and medicine are desirable, the true ivory tower of academia is most coveted as it imparts true, useless knowledge. The best subjects are English, History, Art History, Film, Gender Studies, Studies, Classics, Philosophy, Political Science, Literature, and the ultimate: Comp Lit. MFA’s are also acceptable.

Returning to school is an opportunity to join an elite group of people who have a passion for learning that is so great they are willing to forgo low five-figure publishing and media jobs to follow their dreams of academic glory.

Being in graduate school satisfies many white requirements for happiness. They can believe they are helping the world, complain that the government/university doesn’t support them enough, claim they are poor, feel as though are getting smarter, act superior to other people, enjoy perpetual three day weekends, and sleep in every day of the week!

After acquiring a Masters Degree that will not increase their salary or hiring desirability, many white people will move on to a PhD program where they will go after their dream of becoming a professor. However, by their second year they usually wake up with a hangover and realize: “I’m going to spend six years in graduate school to make $35,000 and live in the middle of nowhere?”

After this crisis, a white person will follow one of two paths. The first involves dropping out and moving to New York, San Francisco or their original home town where they can resume the job that they left to attend graduate school.gradstudents2.jpg

At this point, they can feel superior to graduate school and say things like “A PhD is a testament to perseverance, not intelligence.” They can also impress their friends at parties by referencing Jacques Lacan or Slavoj Žižek in a conversation about American Idol.

The second path involves becoming a professor, moving to a small town and telling everyone how they are awful and uncultured.

It is important to understand that a graduate degree does not make someone smart, so do not feel intimidated. They may have read more, but in no way does that make them smarter, more competent, or more likable than you. The best thing you can do is to act impressed when a white person talks about critical theorists. This helps them reaffirm that what they learned in graduate school was important and that they are smarter than you. This makes white people easier to deal with when you get promoted ahead of them.

Officially a Terp

2008-03-07T19:51:00.003-05:00

Well, it is official. I'm a terp.

I officially excepted an admission offer for the College Student Personnel Program at the University of Maryland. My assistantship will be in the Student Union as the Graduate Coordinator for Student Involvement & Leadership Development Programs. If you want to know more about the office, you can check it out here.

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Wow. What to say. It's an incredible offer, and it was very easy to accept it. I visited there last week for "Preview Days", which allowed me to interview for assistantships, meet the faculty, interact with the students, and see the campus. It was an incredible experience. Susan Komives will be my advisor, who is pioneer in student affairs, specifically in leadership education . Erica and I are actively pursuing a house director position in a sorority as well. That should be a lot of fun, and we are await the possibilities.

What has made this decision somewhat strange is that Erica is currently in Boston at a conference, so we had to make this decision over the phone. It was a relatively easy decision as Maryland has been my #1 choice since I labored over those applications a few short months ago. It was just sort of strange to utter the line "Ok, so I'm going to call and accept" over the phone to her knowing that call determines the next 3-4 years of our lives. The decision was also a lot easier because it was fairly close to home (only an hour by plane), so our families would be able to come see us easily. My other offer was on the west coast, and travel would have certainly been an issue.

So here we go. We probably won't be moving out to DC until the end of June/beginning of July. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity; it is a bit surreal to be honest. But, I have a great partner next to me to move into this next area of our lives together.

We're Proud Parents

2008-02-25T18:33:00.006-05:00

No, we're not proud parents of actual human children -- more like the kind that live in the water.

Our two balloon-belly mollies decided to grace us with some small babies on Sunday morning. Here they are:

Pretty tough to see, huh? They are about the size of a pencil lead, and there are 22 of them. We have to contain them in a mesh net inside the aquarium. It took us about an hour to scoop them all into the net as they are quite elusive. Although it's a bit difficult to decipher their colors, we think we have some that are clear, black, orange, and spotted. Here is a picture of their home, followed by a picture of the proud mother (who coincidentally tried to eat her babies after they were born).

Erica feeds them ground up fish flakes with a toothpick 3-5 times a day. We really enjoy this method of feeding, and plan to feed our first child in the same manner.

Mid-Year Leadership Conference

2008-02-25T18:24:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I accompanied three Miami University Sigma Pi undergraduate men to our national leadership conference. I'd been a few times before, but figured it was about time to make another appearance. And, it was also Mardi Gras weekend in St. Louis. Win-Win, I thought.

The drive was long, and through Indiana. Not a lot of fun. The conference was ok. It hasn't changed much in its eight year existence, but that's ok. I went more for the chance to hang out with the Miami guys, and a few other friends that were there. Plus, who could resist this beautiful view outside of our Hilton hotel room?

Gorgeous.

It was also nice showering in 5 inches of old bathwater from my roommate each morning. Quite breathtaking. The Hilton has had this problem in certain rooms for at least three years. No matter how many times you call to report the issue, they just skirt the issue.

The only real problem we had was when we tried to check in. Apparently the gentlemen occupying our room refused to leave, and had to be escorted out by the police. I was sure he was in the room making some sort of trap (Hey, I've seen all the Saw movies, too). We managed to get a new room, but not until 2 am. Pretty great service if you ask me.

Anyhow, it was fun to reconnect with some Sigma Pi alumni. I'm sure glad I didn't have to work at the conference like when I was on staff in 2003. Late nights and early mornings aren't met with much enthusiasm from this working man anymore...

CNN Democratic Debate

2008-02-21T20:06:00.004-05:00

I am going to be in front of my computer tonight the whole duration of the CNN Democratic Debate, so I thought it might be fun to do a live blog of sorts. Hope this is interesting.

8:07 - Hillary Clinton looks remarkably upbeat for getting smoked in the last 11 straight primaries. The crowd seems very pro-Hillary tonight.

8:08 - Barack speaks for the first time. He sounds like he has a cold. Barack makes use of the first narrative for the night. Only to be followed up by another one, only this time he talks about the great(?) state of Ohio. Barack's baritone voice isn't going to last all night.

8:13 - First question out of the shoot is about Fidel Castro. Shoulda been you, Ameninajad.

8:16 - Barack invokes a JFK quote. I've watched him stump so many times I can almost finish his sentences. Barack would like to remind you that he has many parallels to JFK.

8:24 - The crowd is ruckus when the candidates talk about the economy. I doubt they need any help with finances and the economy. They probably just need to get it together, pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and have lower taxes. What's so hard about engaging in the free market?

8:36 - Border Fence time! Clinton, tell us about how you voted for the border fence. "Well, Barack voted for it, too!" Where's Ron Paul to talk some sense into spending billions on a wall that most people will find a way around?

8:45 - Our first break. Wow. Time to eat some leftovers.

8:51 - Hillary's first chance to jab (a few times in one vignette) at his "inexperience." Let's see what she does. Lame attempt. Off come the gloves from Barack. He nails her on his "inexperience" and says that statements like that attack his campaign. The roof is about to come off of that place. Total swing now for Obama.

9:00 - "Change you can Xerox." Nice one Billary. Watching Hillary makes me feel dirty.

9:17 - Hillary's attacks seem really lame tonight. Very tired. I wonder if that is the sense of the pundits tonight. We'll see, I guess.

9:19 - Obama says "Pakistan" weird. And "Taliban."

9:33 - Just noticed that Hillary is wearing black tonight. Must be mourning the death of her base, and thus her campaign.

9:36 - Hillary sidesteps the superdelegate question. Nice work. I guess when that's all you have to hang on to, it is worthwhile to continue to keep their support.

9:39 - Softball question to Obama here. Let's hope he knocks it out of the park.

9:40 - Hillary has "lived through some hardships in her life." One that comes to mind rhymes with Lonica Mewinsky.

On that note, I'm off to bed. Let's hope for no work tomorrow. Bad weather!

Something I Forgot I Wrote

2008-02-08T12:32:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite sure how I forgot I wrote this piece for publication two years ago, but I happened to come across it while searching for something else online. Here it is. I think it's pretty good.

A “Culture of Hazing”: An Unconventional Perspective
Matt Johnson, The Kettering Foundation
September 2006

It has become well documented that if we are to work toward eradicating hazing from undergraduate fraternity and sorority chapters, we must examine the problem from a cultural perspective. While this statement is generally accepted to be true, the difficulty lies within the thorny nature of culture as it is an intricate, ever-changing concept, which requires advisors to use an unconventional and perhaps unfamiliar lens. In this essay, I illuminate “the culture of hazing” using two theoretical concepts, symbolic interactionist theory and rites of passage, that may be peripheral to many advisors’ scopes as they are used almost exclusively by cultural anthropologists. I then suggest three possible courses of action derived from these theoretical concepts.

Symbolic Interactionist Theory

Symbolic interactionist theory is a theoretical approach dedicated to the relationship between humans and society. Specifically, it posits that human action and interaction are understandable only through the exchange of meaningful communication of symbols. Sweet (1999) suggests, “hazing is the result of group interaction processes that are linked with students’ need for belonging, their isolation from other social relations on campus, and subcultural definitions that legitimize hazing events as a necessary component of fraternity initiation rites” (p. 355). Central to Sweet’s reasoning of why hazing occurs is that “self” is ever-changing and socially constructed. Therefore, students’ identities are tied up in the fraternity/sorority, thus making it incredibly difficult for students to resist hazing. In other words, new members engage in activities that they would otherwise resist.

In addition to this assertion, a person’s sense of self couples with symbols and other people in a culture to produce specific meaning, which Katz (1993) calls “packaging.” Students systematically place symbols and objects (e.g., robes, candles, crests) in the context of hazing activities, thus creating the perception of being critical for membership. For instance, if the same set of objects and symbols are part of a legitimate activity such as a pinning or initiation ceremony, students are very likely to equate the same trust and importance to other activities that are illegitimate.

Rites of Passage

“Rites of passage are a category of rituals that mark the passages of an individual through the life cycle, from one stage to another over time…” (Myerhoff, 1982, p. 109). We must first understand that fraternal organizations involve leaving a previous state (new membership/pledging), and entering a new state (initiate), thus engaging in a rite of passage. In fact, many fraternity and sorority rituals are based entirely on this transformation. Furthermore, involved in the initiation process is the bestowment of values, symbols, and meanings unto initiates, which is characteristic of rites of passage. One of the paradoxes associated with rites of passage is that they “announce our separateness and individuality to us and at the same time remind us most firmly and vividly that we belong to our group and cannot conceive of an existence apart from it” (Myerhoff, 1982, p. 115). This may suggest that students feel like they cannot escape from their organization, even if the current members haze them. A final implication that Myerhoff suggests is that “keeping them busy in the obsessive, formal, repetitive activity that rituals require, consciousness and questioning may be inhibited rather than encouraged” (1982, pp. 117-18). This assertion may imply that hazed new members may not question their actions because of the incredible transformation that they feel and the repetitive nature of hazing activities.

What Can Be Done?

Trying to chart a possible course of action to address hazing is an arduous task. By no means are the following suggestions exhaustive – quite the contrary. It is the hope that these suggestions serve as a different way to think about hazing as opposed to a traditional reward and punishment system. Perhaps these suggestions will shed light on addressing what so many deem (and rightfully so!) “a culture of hazing.”

1. First, we must try to minimize the separation of fraternities and sororities from other groups and the rest of campus. Are the chapters under our purview isolated from the rest of campus? Poll a few members of suspected organizations and ask them how many people they know in other organizations. One might consider strongly advocating that every new member class does 2-3 events with other organizations (both fraternal and non-fraternal) outside of new member parties and chapter socials.
2. It is imperative to work with our fraternity/sorority organizations to help identify safe, effective, and practical ways to meet the objectives they try to accomplish by hazing (e.g., building brotherhood, community). As Myerhoff (1982) argues, if rituals are not provided for students, they will provide them for themselves. Little advisement on safe, meaningful rituals and/or rites of passage greatly increases the likelihood that students will not only continue to follow dangerous rituals, but create equally hazardous ones as well.
3. We need to be very clear in helping members of fraternal organizations understand that it is not the end of the world, and they will be safe if they disaffiliate from their respective organizations. Symbolic interactionist theory helps us realize that fraternal organizations are very good at creating an atmosphere whereby members feel as though they cannot leave the organization because a large part of who they are is inseparable from their organization and they cannot visualize themselves outside of the organization.

By putting symbolic interactionist theory along with rites of passage at the fore of our work, we, as fraternal educators, can begin to nudge the hazing culture. Symbolic interactionist theory enables us to see how a student's need for belonging encourages his/her participation in hazing practices. Rites of passage allow us to understand individual member’s connection to the group and their fear of removing themselves from the group. Using these theories as framework in conversation with students will assist us in the slow process of eradicating hazing in our fraternal organizations.

References

Katz, F. (1993). Ordinary people and extraordinary evil: A report on the beguilings of evil. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

Myerhoff, B. (1982). Rites of passage: Process and paradox. In V. Turner (Ed.), Celebration: Studies in festivities and ritual (pp. 109-135). Washington, C.C.: Smithsonian Institute Press.

Sweet, S. (1999). Understanding fraternity hazing: Insights from symbolic interactionist theory. Journal of College Student Development, 40(4), 355-364.

Adventures in Hanging Out

2008-01-26T14:55:00.000-05:00

Erica and I had the pleasure of hanging out with two of our very good friends last night, Eva and RJ. Some might call this "babysitting," but we like to think of it as hanging out with some friends.

We got to take them to the dining hall here in our building for dinner. It was quite a production. The dining hall didn't have any booster or baby seats, so we mainly fed the littlest one (RJ) on our laps. They were the hit of the dining hall, as some 100 undergraduates watched the little ones eat. (Truth be told, I think they were watching Erica and I struggle to feed them more, but whatever.) Dinner took about an hour and fifteen minutes. It was a lot of fun. We knew RJ was done eating when he through a bite of food at us. It was clear that he had enough and was ready for a change of scenery.

We brought them back to our apartment and played with them. They were both equally enthralled by our fish tank. Eva was certain that the lobster was waving at her from his "hiding" spot in his fake log. RJ just wanted to grab the fish. Either way, the fish loved the attention.

RJ crashed out 20 minutes after finishing dinner and Eva was close to falling asleep thereafter. We watched Monsters, Inc. (which is coincidentally Erica and I's first date movie).

We only "hung out" with them for a few hours, but we were exhausted when they left. We loved our time spent together and hope to do it again very soon!

Please Describe Yourself

2008-01-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

The Graduate School interviews have started and I must admit, I really enjoy them. It is very stimulating to talk with potential colleagues about myself and our mutual work. One of the questions that one always receives during an interview of any sort is, "Tell me about yourself." I always struggle with that question because it can have so many dimensions. I think about this question a lot actually. It is one of the most basic yet complicated questions in existence. As I finished one phone interview the other day, I spent the rest of the afternoon reliving the interview in my mind. It went well, but I kept thinking about the "tell me about yourself" question. As I was driving home from work, I thought of something that really does make me quite unique that I had never really thought about.

I am incredibly curious about new things and have to find out the answers to my questions, especially in settings that appear banal.

Here are some examples.

Earlier that day I went to an eye specialist for an exam. The doctor was an "opthalmic specialist" and I immediately wondered what percentage of his customers were referral-based (doctor to doctor). When the nurse was administering tests to me, I wanted to know how much schooling she had to have to do her job. When I left, I saw a 100 gallon fish tank in the lobby and I wanted to know who picked out the decorations and the fish for the tank. (Needless to say I inquired about all three of these.) So here I was, going through a number of tests about my eyes, and I was more concerned about the fish tank than what the tests actually measured or were looking for.

Later that day I happened to run into the gentleman who refills our snack machine downstairs at work. My mind was so overrun with questions about his work that I started asking him a few questions. I wanted to know how many snack machines he fills in a given week, if he refills other kinds of machines as well, and how large of an area does he cover. He was very excited to converse with me and was happy I was taking an interest in him.

The way I've characterized my inquisitive nature here seems to indicate that people would find me annoying. Maybe they do, but I have found that people are genuinely excited that someone is interested in their work, and more than willing to share information. It also makes one very knowledgeable about how the world works in many important ways that often go unnoticed despite occurring right under our noses. I guess this aspect of who I am never really hit me until these graduate school interviews...

Medical News

2008-01-19T00:20:00.000-05:00

This was a bit of a nervous week for me.

About two months ago, I was driving home from work and something hit me. I suddenly had very blurry vision and large blind spots with some "stars" mixed in. It was very scary, and I probably should have pulled over. I didn't think anything of the incident at the time. I just took an aspirin and slept it off.

Last Saturday, the same thing happened. But this time, I wasn't driving. I was working out. I quickly went to the doctor on Monday morning, and they did a number of tests on me, including a head MRI that was conducted in a trailer in the parking lot of the doctor's office. I took the test, and was told that I wouldn't find out the results until today.

Well, today at 3:30 I got the phone call from the doctor saying my MRI was normal. It turns out that I have ophthalmic (ocular) migraine headaches. They are quite peculiar, as I only experience blind spots and blurred vision--no headaches, no numbness, no slurred speech. Just blind spots. In fact, if there was a drug that produced such effects, it might be a desirable thing. I will have pills to take when I experience them to minimize the effects and the "hangover" that seems to occur the next day. (I just feel a little run down afterwards.) These migraine attacks might happen once every few years, every few months, or every few days. They are quite the medical mystery apparently.

So, I get off pretty easy this time. I am very thankful and relieved today. If the diagnosis would have been worse, we would have managed I'm sure. I have a great wife, family, friends, and faith to get me through anything. But for this little snag in life, all I'll need is a little pill and some peace and quiet!

Michigan Primary

2008-01-15T20:52:00.000-05:00

Today marks the Michigan primary for the presidential election. As someone who claims residency in Michigan (still), I had to vote absentee a few weeks ago. I was very sad to learn that the Democratic primary was not a true primary, as only Hillary Clinton and Gravel were on the ballot. It was sad that Clinton decided to go against the party's wishes and leave her name on the ballot. I'm sure she isn't too saddened by the news, as her name will surely be mentioned numerous times during this primary. The Republican side should be much more interesting. I am writing this at 8:30 pm, and I'm betting that Mitt Romney wins. His shtick about invigorating the economy as someone who has added so many jobs to Massachusetts will likely sway many votes.

Speaking of voters in Michigan, the following people voted in today's Michigan election.

This is my father. His work does not give him the day off to vote until the November election, in hopes of keeping Michigan blue via the union vote. It's doubtful he made it to the polls today.

This is my mother. She is no doubt thrilled about this picture being on the Internet. She will probably be even more excited to learn that I am going to forward this picture to her co-workers.

And finally, this is Chance and Barbie (my brother and sister-in-law's dog). They aren't eligible to vote. (Well, at least not until 2051, when dogs enslave us all.)

Maggie in the Snow

2008-01-12T22:53:00.000-05:00

When we were home for the holidays, we were the benefactors of 12 inches of snow on New Years Day. It was very pretty when it all fell. We took a number of pictures around Erica's house, which we think are quite good.

I like the one of Maggie, Erica's family dog. She is a Shih Tzu just like Chance (my sister's dog). They haven't met yet, although I am certain they would like to. Maggie got a lot of snow mats in her fur from plowing through the snow. Upon entering the house, Erica thought it was a good idea to use the blow dryer to melt them off her. Maggie was lukewarm to the idea to begin with, but after she heard the noise it made, she ran frantically from Erica. If Erica came at me with a blow dryer, I would probably run, too.

This blog is also a great excuse to put a picture of Erica up dressed crazily.

A First

2008-01-11T09:29:00.001-05:00

I did something last weekend that I had never done before. I went to see two movies at the theater back-to-back. Erica was still at home visiting her family, and I was home alone. I really wanted to see Walk Hard at the theater, so I went to see it. When it was over, I had a striking realization that I had nothing else to do, so I went right back in and saw The Great Debaters. Both very good films in their own right.

Walk Hard is a parody movie about Walk the Line , the Johnny Cash story. It is a little over the top, but overall very, very good. Quite funny, too. The music and the arrangements in the movie make it truly worth while. There are also a number of cameos and one-liners that make the movie even better. It was good I saw it sans Erica, as I don't think she would have appreciated it.

The Great Debaters was a very good film based on a true story. It revolves around the efforts of debate coach Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) at historically black Wiley College to place his team on equal footing with whites in the American south during the 1930s, when lynch mobs and Jim Crow laws abounded. The Wiley team eventually succeeds to the point at which they are able to take part in a debate with Harvard University. It is one of the few movies that portrays professors in a positive and I would argue realistic light.

It was a great Saturday of movies to be sure. If you've never went to see a movie by yourself, it really is a gratifying experience. I also had Chinese buffet after the movies.

Holidays at the Homeland(s)

2008-01-10T19:44:00.000-05:00

Erica and I spent the holidays back home in Michigan. It was the first holiday season spent as a married couple. We had a great holiday and are very blessed to have such great families and friends. We spent the first part of the break at my families, eating dinner on Christmas Eve. The year brought two new "official" members to the family to dine around the table, Erica being the first, and my sister-in-law, Stacy being the other.

We opened up presents early on Christmas morning, and scurried off to Erica's parents' house. We've become quite skilled at this practice, as this has been the case the last two years. As anyone knows who has to split time between families around the holidays, there is never enough time, and you always feel like you're rushing.

One highlight of being home was we got to meet Chance, my mom and sister and brother-in-law's shih tzu puppy. He is very smart, and becomes restless when you don't play with him enough. He has a hernia, but he can't get it fixed until he's a little older. Chance is quite feisty and lovable at the same time.

Chris Farley

2007-12-20T10:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the death of Chris Farley. He was a noted actor and comedian, best known for his memorable characters and sketches on Saturday Night Live. His life was cut tragicall short due to his problems with alcohol, drugs, and weight control.

The reason that I bring this is up is that rarely can I watch something over and over and still laugh out loud. Almost all of Farley's work does this to me, and incredibly, so many others. Rarely does a celebrity death make me think any differently about my life, but Farley's death really shook me when it happened, and it still saddens me ten years later. I remember going to friend's houses on Saturday nights to watch SNL, and then quoting the sketches all week long while in school. Farley seems so much a part of my youth.

I was telling Erica about the tenth anniversary of his death last night, and she reminded me that she "never really watched SNL" back then. I'm going to work diligently to bring her up to speed on classic Farley sketches thanks to YouTube. I think I'm going to start with this one:

You Sicko!

2007-12-17T16:09:00.001-05:00

Like much of the country, we received a lot of snow this weekend. Four inches to be exact. In fact, we barely left our little apartment this weekend. We managed to traverse the snow at one point, to acquire Chinese food goodness, and a couple of movies. We rented Sicko, directed by Michael Moore, which investigates the American health care system, focusing on its for-profit health insurance and pharmaceutical industry. The film compares the non-universal and for-profit U.S. system with the universal and non-profit systems of Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Cuba. It is quite an eye-opening documentary (I guess that is the point of documentaries—no?) It’s very much worth seeing as it carefully shows why universal health care is so elusive. Basically, Sicko shows that a system that provides health care has too many inherent flaws in it to be effective and just if it is a for-profit business because maximizing profits means denying care to keep costs down. I was also humored at the attempts of those who greatly benefit from the current system (i.e., HMOs, shareholders, members of Congress, corporations) to liken universal health care to socialism. Great comedic value. Check it out if you haven’t already.

In case you were wondering, the Chinese food was not as good as the movie. But, any Chinese is good Chinese in my book.

In other news, today was the annual “Secret Santa” gift exchange here at KF. I received a great gift – a very cool chip and dip set, complete with chips and homemade salsa. It is quite amazing that a place so quiet and taciturn on the whole can become so vibrant and full of cacophony over something as simple as a gift exchange. It goes to show that environments can be shaped, and cultures transformed with intentional efforts.

I’ll be glued to tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup, as it has major implications for my fantasy football title, and thus a considerable amount of money.

A Meeting I Enjoyed

2007-12-14T14:52:00.000-05:00

I get to attend some pretty cool meetings here at Kettering. I feel very fortunate for that. I attended one this morning that had some fascinating moments.

We had two folks here today (one from Mobile, Alabama and the other from New Orleans). They work in community organizations who were instrumental in Katrina relief efforts. The woman from Mobile told a story that really got to all of us. Before I retell the story, I should say that the purpose of the meeting was part of an ongoing effort this semester to understand communities. We're interested in what makes a community work as it should, what makes people engage/retract from community life, how communities change the ways they do politics, amongst other questions. The folks from the Gulf region were here to talk about their experiences in communities in crisis. On with the story:

Not long after the levees broke, a young couple with their two babies escaped to the rooftop of their apartment building to avoid being swept away in the rising water. Once they ascended to the top, they were greeted by another couple, who did not have children. They waited for helicopter rescue, and were met by a helicopter shortly thereafter. The childless couple that had been there first let the other couple board first and said that they would wait for rescue at a later time. It was important that the young babies find shelter and food first, they felt. Upon boarding the helicopter, the mother and father asked the other couple to hold their babies momentarily while they boarded the helicopter, as it was too difficult to try to navigate the rescue ladder and hold the children. Well, what was supposed to be a matter of moments turned into quite a bit longer, as the helicopter abruptly took off once the parents were on board. The helicopter pilot said it had reached its weight limit and couldn't return. He assured them that they would be reunited again soon. It wasn't until a fireman came into the temporary housing complex where thousands of stranded residents were taking refuge that the babies were reunited with their parents. The complex was apparently silent when the firefighter walked in, as everyone in the complex came to know of the young couple's tragedy over the course of the two weeks they shared together.

What an emotional story. There are many lessons to take from the story, but the one I took was how powerful we can be as citizens when we engage to help others.

Thursday Will Be a Good Day

2007-12-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

There are a number of reasons why today is going to be such a good day.

1. The Mitchell Report comes out today. For those that have more productive hobbies than following baseball mercilessly, this is a MLB commisioned report into steroid usage in baseball over the last 20 years or so. It's a 400 page report, and the biggest news is that it will name 80 players by name who have used steroids in the past. A lot of controversy surrounding the report, but pretty fascinating stuff. It will be one of the most important days in baseball history in the past decade. Expected time: 2 pm.

2. Office Christmas Party! Let the open bar, awkward conversations, expensive food that I can't pronounce, and schmoozing begin. It's at a fancy place downtown, and Erica will accompany me. I'm so lucky. Well, not that lucky. I have to wear a suit all day at work today. Expected time: 6 pm.

3. NFL game on Thursday night. Who cares if it's on NFL Network and only people with Direct TV can see the game? I can follow the stats online. That means it's fantasy football playoff season. I'm currently in the semi-final game in my fraternity alumni league, which I dominate. It's a great source of second income. Expected time: 8 pm.

4. Thursday is apparently the day of the dove. Can't argue with that. It's on a T-Shirt.

5. Free lunch at work. This happens roughly 4 times a month, but the importance can't be underscored enough. I don't have to pay for food, and it will be entirely prepared for me. And it's fantastic. We have in-house caterers here at the foundation, each of whom are very excellent. Expected Time: 1 pm

There are probably many more, but this looks like it for now. Hope your Thursday (or whatever day you're reading this on) is equally stirring.

My Brother

2007-12-12T13:37:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at embedding video on my blog, so I hope it works. I didn't want to get in a habit of posting videos here, but this one is very special.

This video stars my brother, Scott. He plays the role of a sniper in the United States Army. He is very good at this role, mostly because he plays a sniper in real life. He is the third person to talk in the video. (Please note his use of the term "instinctual" as confirmation that it is indeed him.)

More importantly, Scott has served our country overseas in the Iraq war for one tour, and is about to embark on another tour in Afghanistan in the spring. We wish him the very best, and rest easy knowing that people like him protect our country, which allows all of us to do whatever it is that we do. Check the video out, and let me know what you think in the comment section.

And They're Off....

2007-12-07T15:11:00.000-05:00

Today is an important day for my sanity.

With this, my last application for graduate school (Ph.D.), I am finished applying.

It was a long, ardous journey. I applied to ten schools in all. They are:

University of Minnesota
Boston College
Ohio State University
Penn State
University of Michigan
UCLA
Stanford
New York University
Loyola (Chicago)
University of Maryland

The application process was surely long and expensive. Tons of forms, each with their own nuanced requirements. Each school ranged in application fees from $40 - $110. The GRE cost me $140. In sum, the whole expenditure cost me roughly $800. I hope I did everything correctly. If not, I'm sure they'll let me know. I should start getting letters back in late February/early March. Keep your fingers crossed!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-30T21:51:00.000-05:00

Erica and I sure have a lot to be thankful for. We have countless blessings in our lives, including our families and friends. We went back to Michigan for Thanksgiving, splitting our time between her family and mine. We had two great meals, played some games, and caught up on some much needed sleep. We arrived back in Ohio stuffed, tired, and happy. Only a couple of weeks and we'll be back for the holidays.

My Job

2007-11-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

I know I have it pretty good at my job--I get to explore my research interests, it's great preparation for a Ph.D. program, the people are excellent, the pay is good. But today, it got even better.

Just so I won't get too chilly in the morning when I arrive in my office, someone has been turning on the heater for me prior to my arrival. Imagine the horror if I had to endure 65 degree tempatures when I sat down at my desk! Yikes!

Kettering Sure Is Pretty This Time of Year

2007-11-18T19:31:00.000-05:00

As much as the Midwest gets cursed (rightfully so) in the Winter, the Falls are absolutely beautiful. It's my favorite time of year. It's nice that my workplace is so well manicured. It makes this time of year even more beautiful. Here are some pictures.

Guitar Hero

2007-11-18T19:14:00.000-05:00

Video games have long been a passion of mine, which may come to a shock to many of you. I drifted away from them in graduate school, but have since picked up again. I usually only play war and sports games, neither of which Erica enjoys. This means we have never been able to share this interest.

That is, until now.

We splurged a bit and purchased Guitar Hero III. It is a game that has a miniature guitar as a controller, and you have to play "notes" on that appear on the screen corresponding to various songs. It allows those with little or no musical talent to "rock out." More importantly, it provides us a way to play video games together. It is more addicting than any video game I've ever played. It features "Talk Dirty To Me" by Poison, which is my all-time favorite song. It is euphoric.

5 Ways to Instantly Appear More Productive

2007-11-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

Let's face it. We're not always as productive as we should be when we're at work. That doesn't mean we can appear to be more productive. Here are 5 easy ways I thought of to create the ever important illusion that you are indeed being more productive.

(5) Carry a folder - Whenever you leave your desk, pick up a random folder and carry it with you. You're bathroom break instantly looks more productive, as does going to get your mail.

(4) Stick a pencil in your ear - This one takes almost no effort. Simply put a pencil behind your ear. If this doesn't make you don't look like you're on a deadline and you mean business, I don't know what will. (Note: Mechanical pencils will not suffice. It must be a yellow pencil.)

(3) Befriend Post-It notes - Add a couple of post it notes to your computer monitor. Write things like "Conference call, 3:30" or "Download Regression Report ASAP" on them, and voila! You're busy, productive, and important.

(2) Keep a messy desk - If a messy desk equals a cluttered mind, what does a clean desk indicate? An empty mind! Go ahead and stack some papers on your desk, and open a couple of folders and spread them around on your desk. It only takes a few seconds each morning, and you'll be well on your way to the coveted "Employee of the Month" award.

(1) Alter your dress slightly - This is the only gender-specific tip. If you're a guy, roll up your sleeves a bit, or slightly loosen your tie. This will show that you're really getting into your work, and you can't have blood restriction to your head be the cause of being unproductive. Similarly, you can't let your sleeves get in the way of your work. For women, well, I'm not sure what you could do. The sleeves trick still applies, but you can't exactly loosen your tie. Sorry.

Hope these help. Do you have any others?

Unhappy Construction Workers

2007-10-25T10:46:00.000-04:00

I read an article this week that highlighted a recent study showing linkages between certain jobs and depression rates. It showed that people who work closely with the elderly and children have high rates of depression (closely followed by food servers), while those who work in engineering, architecture, construction, and surveying have the lowest depression rates. Fair enough, I guess. Caring for human life is a taxing profession, so I can see that. Engineers, architects, and construction workers probably love being outside and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.

But here's my question: If you were to observe 100 caretakers and 100 construction workers for a week who would you think would seem happier?

I think it would overwhelmingly be caretakers; exactly the opposite of the aforementioned study.

When I read this article the other day, I got to thinking about how despite their evidence that construction workers enjoy such a low depression rate, I don't know that I've ever seen a smiling construction worker in my life. Have you? Don't these pictures seem strange?

Living Hard

2007-10-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

As evidenced by my ITunes library that recently eclipsed 10,000 songs, I'm clearly a music fanatic. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Cross Canadian Ragweed, whatever... I love most any music. However, it's rare that a CD has me waiting for 6 months in anticipation. It's even more rare that uncommon that when the CD finally arrives, it lives up to my expectations and captures me in such a way that I have a hard time articulating.

Well, yesterday it happened. My favorite artist, Gary Allan, released "Living Hard"--his seventh studio album. And wow, it is amazing. I haven't stopped listening to it since I scurried to the store yesterday morning to purchase it.

The CD packs a very emotional punch, as Gary wrote most of the songs (a rarity these days) as a way to reconcile his very troubled past. A couple of years ago, Gary's wife, Angela, asked him to check on one of the kids, and he said, "I just put them to bed, everyone's fine." Moments later, she said, "Would you go get me a Coke? I feel like I'm sick." Shortly after he walked to the kitchen, Gary heard a loud pop. "It sounded like she had thrown something," he says. "I had a gun safe underneath the bed and she had taken the pistol, stuck it in her mouth and pulled the trigger. She was on the bed. She was gone." Gary would later say that he had absolutely no idea she was depressed.

The CD is chock full of songs that cut to the core of every human emotion that we all feel but are reluctant to air: frustration, helplessness, vices, love, loss, loneliness, recovery, moving on, and everything in between. Each song is an experience unto itself, and the entire CD is incredibly touching.

It's worth noting that Gary Allan is a country musician, typically cast aside of the mainstream because he isn't "pop" enough for the current state of country music. He is an iconic example of commitment to your beliefs, reflection, and self-expression, irrespective of environmental pressures (i.e., pressures to change his sound and image). It's also worth extracting another lesson from this story, which is that inspiration, truth, and beauty can be found in seemingly unlikely places, like the New Releases shelf in Wal-Mart. And it will only run you $12.98.

Helping Elderly Men Cross the Street

2007-09-28T10:52:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, and I thought I'd take time to reflect.

I was walking in uptown Oxford the other night, and had a very unexpected experience. I was waiting to cross the street, and a woman, who looked to be in her 50s and a man who looked to be in his 80s waited on the opposite side of the street. As traffic dissipated, we both started to cross. I watched as the woman led the man (presumably her father) across the street by his arm. It was roughly 60 degrees outside, but he was bundled up and looked to be hunkered down for a blizzard. It was very cute. As I observed them crossing the street, I became captivated by their conversation. She was telling him to hold on tight, hurry up, and other polite directions. He was taking very small steps, and not walking too quickly as his age was certainly limiting his speed. He told her that he didn't want to be out too late tonight, because he wanted to watch the Cleveland Indians, because they had a chance to close out the division tonight and earn a playoff berth.

When I heard that statement, I almost stopped in the crosswalk. It might as well have been my (late) grandfather crossing the street with my mother. In fact, for me, it was. I smiled at the couple as we met, both going our opposite directions. I was filled for the next few minutes with thoughts of my grandfather. It was incredibly emotional. Here was a man, late in his life, scared to cross the street, dressed in winter clothes during the summer, unhappy about the inconvenience of going out, and all he could think about was that he had to be home at 7:05 to watch the Indians. My grandfather, an avid Red Sox fan, was the same way. Regardless of how his body was failing him later in life, he was still concerned with the Red Sox, and even the Yankees. (Of course he was only concerned that the Yankees didn't win, or steal a coveted free agent away from the Sox.)

This is a very special time of the year for me. Baseball is a big part of my life, and that can be largely attributed to my grandfather. Playoff baseball is a magical experience for me, and sometimes all it takes is a happenstance interaction with an elderly stranger to remind me why.

Are You Going to a Job Interview?

2007-08-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

As you know, I commute a considerable distance to work (40 miles, one way). I always stop for gas in Trenton, Ohio--a very small, conservative, working class town--because they have the cheapest fuel around.

When I drive to work, I often think of how my journey begins and ends in two very affluent places (Oxford and Kettering Foundation), but most of the drive is a working class environment, with an economy stimulated by coal, steel, and manual labor. I don't always appreciate the beauty of Trenton and Middletown, especially when I get caught by one of their trains. Sometimes I'm even oblivious to the contrast in my commute, except when certain things happen to jar me out of my ignorance.

I am forced to wear a shirt and tie everyday to work. I've grown to tolerate it, but it's certainly not my preference. When I stop to get fuel, I occasionally notice some awkward stares from fellow gas station patrons, but I assume it's because I drive a yellow SUV. This probably isn't the case, I've decided. You see, when the gas station attendant waits on me, and if I'm feeling conversational, he/she often asks if I'm going to a job interview. The first few times it happened, I shrugged it off, but after the fifth or sixth time, I began to wonder why I kept getting that question. I have thought a lot about it, and I can only figure that I'm probably the only person they see in the morning wearing a shirt and tie. I decided to test my hypothesis, and follow up with a probing question the next time I was asked.

It finally happened this morning.

After I was asked--almost verbatim--if I was going to a job interview, I politely asked, "Why would you think that?," to which the woman responded, "Because you're all dressed up."

Fair enough, I guess. Considering this woman probably waits on 300 people in the morning, 5 or 6 days a week, and I'm probably the only one in a shirt and tie, I can't argue with her line of thinking. It just makes me more cognizant of who I am.

Celebrating the Day of My Birth

2007-08-22T11:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I turned 26. We had a little celebration at work, Erica made (bought) me a cake, we ate dinner with some very good friends, and played Uno with some other friends (they are very good friends, too). Erica had already given me my present a week early, which is shown below.

(this will probably be the topic of a future blog post. For now, though, just know that it is an unhealthy obsession I've had since 1994.)

As I was driving home yesterday from work, I began to reflect on my birthday, and what it all meant. My reflections can best be described by the following:

No more break in car insurance premiums, no more bar night excitement. Just new digits! As I was reflecting, I quickly started thinking about my life. There are only two conclusions I could draw:

and

All kidding aside, it was a great birthday. Thanks to all who wished me well!

I Might Have a Screw (Or Two) Loose, But....

2007-08-20T15:13:00.000-04:00

Someone in this world thinks that I need to have my cabinets refinished. He/she is so sure of this fact, that he/she emails me at work every morning at 9:00 am.

Every morning when I arrive at work, I exchange pleasantries with co-workers, put my lunch in the refrigerator, make some green tea, and try to catch up on the world while I was sleeping. As soon as I finish, just like clock work, I hear a faint "ding" that lets me know someone cares enough about me to send an email. I admittedly get excited, only to discover it is from "Cabinet Refinishing" with the subject line "Your Guide to Do-It-Yourself Cabinet Refinishing."

I'm not sure what about my demographics says "do-it-yourself," "cabinets," "refinishing," or any combination of the three, but someone sure thinks so. I'd like to meet him/her and get the bottom of this.

I guess there are worse things to be solicited for online (e.g, .... well, you know what they are), but I can't seem to figure this one out. For now, I'll just take sanctity in the fact someone cares enough to email me with what he/she deems my best interest at heart!

Leadership Lineage

2007-08-13T09:48:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I attended Sigma Pi University, an international leadership conference for Sigma Pi brothers. 350 people were in attendance--the largest ever gathering at one of these events. I was asked to present on two things I know very little about: planning chapter retreats and crisis management. The presentations went pretty well, although I'm still surprised that students are interested in crisis management at 9:30 in the morning.

As with any conference, the informal gathering time was the best. I was able to reconnect with many brothers I met on the road during my time as a traveling leadership consultant. I was also able to connect with my chapter brothers from SVSU. Here is a picture of all 4 of us. Coincidentally, we are all past Sages (presidents) from our chapter.

You'll notice the haziness of the picture. It was probably 124 degrees that day, and I was in a shirt and tie. Needless to say, I nearly combusted after this photo was taken.

The trip also solidified my LOVE for Nashville. It is an amazing city, with great live music. I hope to live there (or a similar city) when all is said and done.

Mr. & Mrs. Johnson

2007-08-06T21:13:00.001-04:00

Here we are. We have over 955 images, so I just thought I'd post a few of them here. Don't know what else to say, other than it was the best day of my life!

Wedding Post #2 - Rehearsal Dinner

2007-08-02T21:10:00.001-04:00

Practice makes perfect; or so they say. After the bachelor party festivities, we commenced to rehearsing. Erica made me wear a shirt and tie so I could be presentable. (Just kidding. Love you honey.)

Everyone arrived on time, and we were set to go. We began by signing the marriage license a day early (please don't tell anyone). Pictured with us is Father Charlie, the man who helped make our marriage so. We couldn't imagine working with anyone else who was so kind and easy-going. He made us so feel comfortable throughout the whole experience.

This is the illustrious best man and maid of honor. They were signing the license here so we had official witnesses. (Side note: In Vegas, for an extra $200, your witnesses can be Sonny and Cher, Bonnie and Clyde, or Johnny and June Cash.)

One hour later, we were done with rehearsal, and ready to chow down on some pizza, salad, and cake.

Here we are all getting ready to eat so pizza and salad. Everyone looks so happy! (Notice only one person is paying attention in the photo.)

This would prove to be good practice for the following day:

And finally, this man. The rehearsal dinner took place in the town bowling alley. We stumbled across a very important person in the town, who apparently was a really good bowler. From birth, this man was destined to be a bowler, I'm sure.

I think I dragged everyone at the dinner to see this picture. I couldn't get enough of this guy. So happy he is. At this point, we were only one day away from being as happy as Mr. Ball.....

"Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."

2007-08-02T15:05:00.001-04:00

Do you know who said that quote? This guy:

This little gem comes from last weekend's trip to Nashville. We were at a "trailer park" bar (has an old car you can sit on, mismatching lawn furniture, old tires, green AstroTurf), having a few big boy pops, and who walks through the door? ABE LINCOLN. I, like other bar goers, couldn't believe me eyes. He looked just like Abe Lincoln. His beard was real, his eyes looked old and wise. He spoke very little. He had a top hat. I solicited him for the picture, and felt very uneasy talking with him. Quite possibly the strangest bar night I've ever had.

I spoke with our waitress, who tells us he is a real "Abe Lincoln impersonator." This brings up a multitude of questions:

How does one choose this line of work?
Are there fake impersonators?
Is this a full-time job?
Are his circle of friends fellow presidential impersonators?

(Better pictures to follow soon.)

New Hobby - Gardening

2007-08-01T13:42:00.001-04:00

A small but dedicated group of us at work make use of the elaborate garden that Kettering so graciously provides us. Anyone can claim a plot (or more), but only a few of us do. My motivation for getting involved was purely pragmatic, as I figured I could save a few bucks by growing some food rather than paying grocery store prices. Like many fellow gardeners, I find myself relishing (pun intended) the experience more than the harvest. I think this is something I'll continue later in life.

Here is a copy of the report I filed for others at the foundation:

TO: Kettering Foundation Staff

FROM: The Gardening Group (Lara, Derek, Matt)

CC: Mother Earth

DATE: August 1, 2007

SUBJECT: Mid-Season Report

The Gardening Group has experienced a very successful first half of the season, and wishes to file a mid-season report. We have produced many cucumbers, peppers, greens, tomatoes, peas, beans, and basil. We “weathered” some attacks from squash bugs and things of the like, but managed to recover quickly.

While we are always happy to share our harvest, we are even happier to welcome new members into our group. We plan to plant our second harvest in a couple of weeks.