I know...believe me, I know. It's been nearly an eternity since I last blogged, and my apologies necessarily follow. Things have been busy, and I really haven't had a whole lot to say I thought was worth your reading...until now.
Have you ever loved someone so much you don't know what you don't know what to do with yourself? I mean, a love so strong it hurts when the person isn't around? A love that the world couldn't dissuade you from? So what happens when you have that kind of love for a person you don't see but for a few times per year? What happens when you know you have to be away from your love for extended periods of time, because you're trying to make things better in the future? Life sucks, that's what happens.
So what do you do? You can never be busy enough, never hang out with others often enough, never have enough things to do to take your mind away from how much it hurts to not be with the person you love. So what is left? What I've discovered over the past year and a half (or so), is that the key isn't trying to distract your attention with you work, but to recognize the distance. If anything, I've learned that my love has grown exponentially since I've been apart from T. Why is this the case? I think it's because I spend so much time away from her, that when I do see T, it literally changes my world - every time I see her.
So...what do you do when you can't be with the person you love so much it hurts to be away from? Well...you recognize that you can't be with that person. Furthermore, you realize that the time you spend with that person is more valuable than anything you'll ever know in your lifetime, and cherish every second you have with him/her. Finally, make the time you spend with your significant other (by the way, I hate that term, but whatever...it works) more meaningful than you can make anything else. After all, if the person is really the person you love more than anything, then the time you spend with them should also be more meaningful than anything else, right? The interesting thing about this whole situation: if your person really is the person you love more than anything else, the time you spend with him or her will naturally be the best time of your life - each and every time. Love is a great thing, isn't it?
So, don't be afraid to love just because you don't see your lover (again...a stigmatized term, but once again, it works) isn't with you every day. If anything, the distance will strengthen your attraction toward each other, will make the time you spend together more meaningful than you can possibly imagine, and will overall benefit your relationship more than you can possibly understand. Take it from someone who knows, distance isn't necessarily a bad thing so long as it's not permanent.
I love T more than anything, despite the distance between us on a regular basis. I can't wait to see her again in November, and I promise - the time we spend together will be nothing less than awesome.
Don't be afraid to love, and when you finally find the person who's worth loving, love them with all your heart and without reservation. Period.
01 November 2008
29 August 2008
Special People
Well, there's been a sufficient time gap since my last post such that I feel like I should say something again. Here goes...
There are all kinds of people that you'll meet in your life. This is one of those lessons that I'm sure I've seen on a Hallmark card at some point, but not one that really had much meaning until recently. You'll have people you like, people you dislike, and people for whom your feelings are indifferent. As for the people you dislike...well...there isn't much you can do about them. They're kind of like a disease...something that you don't like, but are inherently difficult to get rid of and as such you learn to deal with.
The people you like, on the other hand, these are the ones to really show your colors to. Make sure you know how you feel about them and they about you. Life is too short to live a guessing game, so why bother? What's the point of my rambling? Is there one? Of course!
After 23 years I think I've found a person I like more than all others. The person I speak of is...well...different than everyone else. Have you ever met someone and instantly felt a connection with him/her? The kind of person who makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you want to be a better person, and just makes life more enjoyable in general? Well, the girl I met nearly three years ago is all that and then some. Well, you can imagine that such people are few and far between. As such, I've decided to not let this one go, so I'm marrying her.
Ok, so I said that I had a point, and I do...just hard to put it to words. Ok, here goes... Don't let these good people pass you by. Make sure they know how you feel about them. For some it's as simple as saying "thanks," for others it might take a few more words. Still for others it might mean giving some token of your appreciation, and for others yet nothing less than a sparkly gemstone placed in a shiny setting coupled with a lifetime committment will do. In any case, do whatever you must, but don't let them get away, you'll regret it later on if you do.
Until next time...
J
There are all kinds of people that you'll meet in your life. This is one of those lessons that I'm sure I've seen on a Hallmark card at some point, but not one that really had much meaning until recently. You'll have people you like, people you dislike, and people for whom your feelings are indifferent. As for the people you dislike...well...there isn't much you can do about them. They're kind of like a disease...something that you don't like, but are inherently difficult to get rid of and as such you learn to deal with.
The people you like, on the other hand, these are the ones to really show your colors to. Make sure you know how you feel about them and they about you. Life is too short to live a guessing game, so why bother? What's the point of my rambling? Is there one? Of course!
After 23 years I think I've found a person I like more than all others. The person I speak of is...well...different than everyone else. Have you ever met someone and instantly felt a connection with him/her? The kind of person who makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you want to be a better person, and just makes life more enjoyable in general? Well, the girl I met nearly three years ago is all that and then some. Well, you can imagine that such people are few and far between. As such, I've decided to not let this one go, so I'm marrying her.
Ok, so I said that I had a point, and I do...just hard to put it to words. Ok, here goes... Don't let these good people pass you by. Make sure they know how you feel about them. For some it's as simple as saying "thanks," for others it might take a few more words. Still for others it might mean giving some token of your appreciation, and for others yet nothing less than a sparkly gemstone placed in a shiny setting coupled with a lifetime committment will do. In any case, do whatever you must, but don't let them get away, you'll regret it later on if you do.
Until next time...
J
16 July 2008
Celebrity
I was driving my usual route on the way into work the other day when I heard the egregious thing on the radio. Mind you, this wasn't the usual station that I tune into every morning and afternoon, it was one that someone else had listened to when they were driving. In any case, they said that, much to my relief, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's twin children had been delivered without any complications. Whew! At least, I can sleep soundly once again because the new Pitt-Jolie son and daughter are alive and well. No, that wasn't what got me thinking about this blog post. Instead, the talking personality said that some newspaper had paid something like $11 million dollars for the first picture of the "new" family - becuase they weren't a family with their previous four children or anything.
Let's think about this...$11,000,000.00 (somehow I think it has more of an impact with all the zeros) for a picture. Unfortunately I don't know the numbers off hand, but I can only imagine how many better uses there are for $11 million. How about feeding hungry people? How about helping bail out our less than responsible fellow citizens who were "unaware" they were setting themselves up for disaster when they took out a home loan for $500,000+ while earning a comfortable $65,000 per year? How about donating it to a charity to help overseas people recover from tragedy. How about helping to build a new community center for kids to go instead of joining a gang and perpetuating the cycles of violence that kill countless people every year? As I said, there are many, many things that we can do with $11 million, but what do we choose to do with it? We bought a picture of two adults and their children.
My point isn't that someone spent $11 million on a picture. It's the principle - we give entirely too much of our time concerning ourselves with what people - celebrities or not they are just people - do with their lives. Photographers jump when a movie star or singer takes time to go to the beach with his/her family. I'm sure they do the same thing when Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel, and Nicolas Sarkozy take their families to the beach, right? No? Hm...what about when Mr. Ban Ki-moon and his family go on vacation? Ok ok ok, let's be serious...the media won't do a thing when the aforementioned people take time for themselves, but when Dmitri Medvedev steps off his jet on a short family vacation, photographers go nuts, right?
Of course they don't. For some reason, we place the spotlight on people who, in the grand scheme of things, make little to no appreciable difference in our lives. On the flip side, we never talk about the things done by people who can make a difference in our lives. For a glimpse of these people take a look at the last paragraph (for those of you who don't keep up with international affiars, those are the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Chancellor of Germany, President of France, Secretary General of the United Nations, and President of Russia, respectively). Not sure who they are? These are some of the people who actually have a say in world events, the people who can work to change the lives of most of the world's population, and yet most people aren't likely to recognize their names...interesting.
I might be off, but I don't think any of the above people would have spent $11 million on a picture of some family presently living in France.
Ok, so what's the point? Why am I rambling on? My point is that we should place more importance and focus on the people who can actually make a difference in the lives of others as well as ourselves. We shouldn't worry so much about a new family or fashion trend or rehab success story. Take the lead from politicians and world leaders whose main occupational goal is to leave their world a better place than it was when they found it. Maybe, just maybe then we'll be able to do the same.
Let's think about this...$11,000,000.00 (somehow I think it has more of an impact with all the zeros) for a picture. Unfortunately I don't know the numbers off hand, but I can only imagine how many better uses there are for $11 million. How about feeding hungry people? How about helping bail out our less than responsible fellow citizens who were "unaware" they were setting themselves up for disaster when they took out a home loan for $500,000+ while earning a comfortable $65,000 per year? How about donating it to a charity to help overseas people recover from tragedy. How about helping to build a new community center for kids to go instead of joining a gang and perpetuating the cycles of violence that kill countless people every year? As I said, there are many, many things that we can do with $11 million, but what do we choose to do with it? We bought a picture of two adults and their children.
My point isn't that someone spent $11 million on a picture. It's the principle - we give entirely too much of our time concerning ourselves with what people - celebrities or not they are just people - do with their lives. Photographers jump when a movie star or singer takes time to go to the beach with his/her family. I'm sure they do the same thing when Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel, and Nicolas Sarkozy take their families to the beach, right? No? Hm...what about when Mr. Ban Ki-moon and his family go on vacation? Ok ok ok, let's be serious...the media won't do a thing when the aforementioned people take time for themselves, but when Dmitri Medvedev steps off his jet on a short family vacation, photographers go nuts, right?
Of course they don't. For some reason, we place the spotlight on people who, in the grand scheme of things, make little to no appreciable difference in our lives. On the flip side, we never talk about the things done by people who can make a difference in our lives. For a glimpse of these people take a look at the last paragraph (for those of you who don't keep up with international affiars, those are the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Chancellor of Germany, President of France, Secretary General of the United Nations, and President of Russia, respectively). Not sure who they are? These are some of the people who actually have a say in world events, the people who can work to change the lives of most of the world's population, and yet most people aren't likely to recognize their names...interesting.
I might be off, but I don't think any of the above people would have spent $11 million on a picture of some family presently living in France.
Ok, so what's the point? Why am I rambling on? My point is that we should place more importance and focus on the people who can actually make a difference in the lives of others as well as ourselves. We shouldn't worry so much about a new family or fashion trend or rehab success story. Take the lead from politicians and world leaders whose main occupational goal is to leave their world a better place than it was when they found it. Maybe, just maybe then we'll be able to do the same.
27 June 2008
Ain't we Learned nothin?
This morning was nothing special. I woke up unacceptably early, showerd, dressed, and then got in my vehicle and joined my fellow working-class Americans on the daily morning commute to the place where we spend most of our waking hours. While on my drive I was listening to the radio and the hosting personality cited an "alarming" statistic - more Americans think that their education is of more importance than the war currently taking place in Iraq (and the one in Afghanistan that we don't talk about anymore). Woah...wait...our education is more important than a war...no way!
On top of that, our friendly host personality gave us a few more "statistics" - that most people don't think their educations adequately prepare them for life in the "real world." I say "statistics" because I find it amusing when people talk about statistics and numbers and it's fairly obvious that they don't really know what they're talking about. Usually most people simply write statistics off as mere numbers that don't carry much weight - the exact impression I was given this morning.
In any event, if this faceless personality on the radio is correct, Americans value their educations more than war, but still don't think it's getting the job done. Well now there's a shocker...let's see if we can't figure out why. Education has changed over the decades, to the point that it's not really an education so much as a crash course on how to memorize certain facts so that your school can have high scoring test takers which in turn makes them more money...which they then spend to make their students even better memorizing machines. Doesn't sound like much of an education.
Look back to our parents' generation. How many of our parents were forced to take standardized tests? I don't think very many. Instead they were set on actually learning things that matter - math, english, history, science - the things that they took into the working world to make their lives better. Think about it, how uncommon is it to find someone in your parents' generation who didn't go to college? Not very. Look back even further to your parents' parents' generation - how many of them went to college? Not very many. Does this mean that our parents and grandparents are stupid? That they are utterly incapable of discharging the duties of whatever occupation they chose to go into? Not in the least (well, maybe they are, but that's not my business nor my point). What was different? Of course, it was a much less complicated era back then, much less technology to deal with, and by in large, many fewer international issues to concern oneself with. However, what was also different was the education that they received.
On the flip side, look at today. For graduating high school seniors - what's the first question they are asked? "Where are you going to school?" Confused, some say, "I just finished school, what are you talking about?" Though most simply rattle off the list of schools they were accepted to, which gave them the best deal, and which one they ultimatley decided to attend. No longer is it socially acceptable to say, "Well, I think I'm just going to stick it out with my high school diploma and try to find a nice job; more school isn't really something I'm interested in." Of course, some still take such an approach to their lives, but it's far from acceptable in today's society, at least it is in all the places I've lived.
My point? My point is that we shouldn't be overly happy with the education that we receive prior to college. Rules, red tape, fear of litigation, and the countless other things that plague our schools are only partially to blame. However, let's not forget the students themselves. I remember stories my parent's told me about how it wasn't uncommon to be disciplined by their teachers while in school; the stories from my grandparents are worse. But now, if a teach so much as looks at a student the wrong way they risk being sued, losing their teaching license and their job. Do students know this? You bet, and many take full advantage of it.
So what do we have? We have an educational system wherein teachers are unable to teach for a variety of reasons, a population of apathetic, lazy students who take advantage of the system, politicians who continue to make things more difficult, and parents. I have many friends from college who went into teaching; thier number one complain wasn't the school system, politicians, or even their students. No, the most feared thing are the parents - those parents who think their kid deserves more one-on-one time than all the other students, parents who think they can teach better than someone trained to do so, and parents who threaten teachers and school systems alike with lawsuits.
So why then, should anyone be surprised that we no longer think our education that we get prior to college is preparing us for life in the "real world?" We now have an educational system that is no longer designed to prepare us for jobs and the "real world." Instead we have a system that takes classroom and recess time away from kids, forces them to memorize useless facts, score high on standardized tests (both for the schools and college entrance exams), so that only after they become machines can they enter the sacred halls of higher education and finally take a step toward the rest of their lives.
On top of that, our friendly host personality gave us a few more "statistics" - that most people don't think their educations adequately prepare them for life in the "real world." I say "statistics" because I find it amusing when people talk about statistics and numbers and it's fairly obvious that they don't really know what they're talking about. Usually most people simply write statistics off as mere numbers that don't carry much weight - the exact impression I was given this morning.
In any event, if this faceless personality on the radio is correct, Americans value their educations more than war, but still don't think it's getting the job done. Well now there's a shocker...let's see if we can't figure out why. Education has changed over the decades, to the point that it's not really an education so much as a crash course on how to memorize certain facts so that your school can have high scoring test takers which in turn makes them more money...which they then spend to make their students even better memorizing machines. Doesn't sound like much of an education.
Look back to our parents' generation. How many of our parents were forced to take standardized tests? I don't think very many. Instead they were set on actually learning things that matter - math, english, history, science - the things that they took into the working world to make their lives better. Think about it, how uncommon is it to find someone in your parents' generation who didn't go to college? Not very. Look back even further to your parents' parents' generation - how many of them went to college? Not very many. Does this mean that our parents and grandparents are stupid? That they are utterly incapable of discharging the duties of whatever occupation they chose to go into? Not in the least (well, maybe they are, but that's not my business nor my point). What was different? Of course, it was a much less complicated era back then, much less technology to deal with, and by in large, many fewer international issues to concern oneself with. However, what was also different was the education that they received.
On the flip side, look at today. For graduating high school seniors - what's the first question they are asked? "Where are you going to school?" Confused, some say, "I just finished school, what are you talking about?" Though most simply rattle off the list of schools they were accepted to, which gave them the best deal, and which one they ultimatley decided to attend. No longer is it socially acceptable to say, "Well, I think I'm just going to stick it out with my high school diploma and try to find a nice job; more school isn't really something I'm interested in." Of course, some still take such an approach to their lives, but it's far from acceptable in today's society, at least it is in all the places I've lived.
My point? My point is that we shouldn't be overly happy with the education that we receive prior to college. Rules, red tape, fear of litigation, and the countless other things that plague our schools are only partially to blame. However, let's not forget the students themselves. I remember stories my parent's told me about how it wasn't uncommon to be disciplined by their teachers while in school; the stories from my grandparents are worse. But now, if a teach so much as looks at a student the wrong way they risk being sued, losing their teaching license and their job. Do students know this? You bet, and many take full advantage of it.
So what do we have? We have an educational system wherein teachers are unable to teach for a variety of reasons, a population of apathetic, lazy students who take advantage of the system, politicians who continue to make things more difficult, and parents. I have many friends from college who went into teaching; thier number one complain wasn't the school system, politicians, or even their students. No, the most feared thing are the parents - those parents who think their kid deserves more one-on-one time than all the other students, parents who think they can teach better than someone trained to do so, and parents who threaten teachers and school systems alike with lawsuits.
So why then, should anyone be surprised that we no longer think our education that we get prior to college is preparing us for life in the "real world?" We now have an educational system that is no longer designed to prepare us for jobs and the "real world." Instead we have a system that takes classroom and recess time away from kids, forces them to memorize useless facts, score high on standardized tests (both for the schools and college entrance exams), so that only after they become machines can they enter the sacred halls of higher education and finally take a step toward the rest of their lives.
08 June 2008
Time
Time. Oh how it has a way of getting away from you. Here I was thinking that I was doing a fairly decent job at keeping up with this blog, and I come to find that it's been nearly 2 months since my last blog. Well, naturally, apologies are to follow such a hiatus, and really...all I can say is that time got away from me. It's amazing how often that happens now that I'm in my twenties.
Well, no use with drawing out the apology - I'm sorry, and that's that. Onto the more important things.
Since the end of April a lot has happened. Well, not really a lot, persay, but I say a lot so that my life seems less boring to me.
School. School has ended for the academic year. As many of you know, I'm a graduate student working on my master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (for a better idea of what that is, see previous blogs). I successfully completed my first year without a hitch and am now completing the requirements for my internship over the summer.
Presently I am working for an amazing company - CSC - in Maryland. For those of you unfortunate souls who aren't familiar with CSC, it is a global leader in outsourcing, computer services, and a bunch of other things. You should check them out, obviously: www.csc.com. In any event, I work for the Public side of the company (in CSC it's known as NPS). More specifically I work for staffing and recruiting. Even more specific, I work for the University Relations team along with 4 other people. Though it's not something I could see myself doing for a career, I do enjoy my work. Mainly I help find interns and full-time recent graduate hires for the various divisions that make up CSC. In addition to that, I'm the Head Intern for the company, so I have a quasi-manager role in the intern program - helping the other interns with any problems they might have, setting up events, and serving as a liaison between the interns and the various managers. It's a lot of work, but I enjoy it and it keeps me busy and out of trouble - any pays me a respectable sum as well. All of that equates to no complaints from me.
Other than school, there isn't much to speak of in my life. My AMAZING girlfriend is still in the picture, luckily, and is spending the summer with me in Maryland. She's a real trooper, as she hates the East Coast with all of her being - she's only out here because I asked her to be; neat huh?
Oh, and now for something that you might actually take an interest in - as I'm sure that you'll relate to the following. I've decided that fake people REALLY bother me. I don't mean they bother me like sand in my shoes, an overcooked steak, or even those irritating people who sit in front of you and put their seatbacks down during a long flight with no concept that it might inconvenience someone else - maybe the person sitting behind them. No, I mean they really bother me. We have a person who works with my group, and she's fake. Well, not really, only somewhat. She's very rude to people, present company included, but when she needs something from them/me she suddenly becomes the "nicest" person in the world. Funny how that works, isn't it? Most people don't seem to notice, and just appreciate that she's not as bad as she usually is, but it REALLY bothers me that she acts that way. These are the behaviors that belong within the walls of a high school, or even middle school; heck, maybe even in the dorms of college freshmen, but in the working world? Really?
Maybe I'm just too optimistic, but I'd like to think that at some point people move beyond being fake, move beyond using others, and can actually pick a demeanor that allows them to look at themselves in the mirror every morning. Is that too much to ask? I don't mind doing favors for people, but I do mind doing them when the person only speaks to me when they need something, only acts like a decent human being when she needs something that she doesn't have and "can't" do herself. *Sigh*
How does that fit in with the theme of this blog (keeping in mind that the original theme was about time)? Well, it doesn't really, but this is my blog, so it doesn't all have to flow back to the theme, ok?
Alrighty, that's all for now. Moral of the story - time gets away from you, so pay attention! And, don't be one of those fake people that others come to loathe, it won't do you any favors.
Until next time,
JD
Well, no use with drawing out the apology - I'm sorry, and that's that. Onto the more important things.
Since the end of April a lot has happened. Well, not really a lot, persay, but I say a lot so that my life seems less boring to me.
School. School has ended for the academic year. As many of you know, I'm a graduate student working on my master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (for a better idea of what that is, see previous blogs). I successfully completed my first year without a hitch and am now completing the requirements for my internship over the summer.
Presently I am working for an amazing company - CSC - in Maryland. For those of you unfortunate souls who aren't familiar with CSC, it is a global leader in outsourcing, computer services, and a bunch of other things. You should check them out, obviously: www.csc.com. In any event, I work for the Public side of the company (in CSC it's known as NPS). More specifically I work for staffing and recruiting. Even more specific, I work for the University Relations team along with 4 other people. Though it's not something I could see myself doing for a career, I do enjoy my work. Mainly I help find interns and full-time recent graduate hires for the various divisions that make up CSC. In addition to that, I'm the Head Intern for the company, so I have a quasi-manager role in the intern program - helping the other interns with any problems they might have, setting up events, and serving as a liaison between the interns and the various managers. It's a lot of work, but I enjoy it and it keeps me busy and out of trouble - any pays me a respectable sum as well. All of that equates to no complaints from me.
Other than school, there isn't much to speak of in my life. My AMAZING girlfriend is still in the picture, luckily, and is spending the summer with me in Maryland. She's a real trooper, as she hates the East Coast with all of her being - she's only out here because I asked her to be; neat huh?
Oh, and now for something that you might actually take an interest in - as I'm sure that you'll relate to the following. I've decided that fake people REALLY bother me. I don't mean they bother me like sand in my shoes, an overcooked steak, or even those irritating people who sit in front of you and put their seatbacks down during a long flight with no concept that it might inconvenience someone else - maybe the person sitting behind them. No, I mean they really bother me. We have a person who works with my group, and she's fake. Well, not really, only somewhat. She's very rude to people, present company included, but when she needs something from them/me she suddenly becomes the "nicest" person in the world. Funny how that works, isn't it? Most people don't seem to notice, and just appreciate that she's not as bad as she usually is, but it REALLY bothers me that she acts that way. These are the behaviors that belong within the walls of a high school, or even middle school; heck, maybe even in the dorms of college freshmen, but in the working world? Really?
Maybe I'm just too optimistic, but I'd like to think that at some point people move beyond being fake, move beyond using others, and can actually pick a demeanor that allows them to look at themselves in the mirror every morning. Is that too much to ask? I don't mind doing favors for people, but I do mind doing them when the person only speaks to me when they need something, only acts like a decent human being when she needs something that she doesn't have and "can't" do herself. *Sigh*
How does that fit in with the theme of this blog (keeping in mind that the original theme was about time)? Well, it doesn't really, but this is my blog, so it doesn't all have to flow back to the theme, ok?
Alrighty, that's all for now. Moral of the story - time gets away from you, so pay attention! And, don't be one of those fake people that others come to loathe, it won't do you any favors.
Until next time,
JD
27 April 2008
Summer
Summer. Oh how I miss that last day of school, yes, you know what I'm talking about. That last day of school, that always had perfect weather outside, nothing really to do inside short of being there to count another actual school day. Signing yearbooks, giving hugs to the overly emotional girls who you wouldn't see for...a few days. Giving teachers the small gifts that your parents made you put into your otherwise empty backpack, successfully stealing from you the glory of going to school sans backpack. Oh yes, the glorious last day of school. I can remember waiting until the bell rang so I could run to the bus, go home, and start my summer vacation that generally entailed a whole lot of nothing. What happened to those days? What happened to having such a simple life?
No, now my last day of class is no longer anticipated, but rather it's feared. With so many projects, papers, and homework there simply isn't ever a good time for the last day of class to come and for all outstanding work to come due. And of course, we've replaced the nothingness of the last day of school with the dreaded "final examination," and still worse - the singe phrase that every college/graduate student has come to fear with all their being - "comprehensive final examination." Even while in my undergraduate years life was relatively simple during the summer. Of course, everyone goes out and gets their annual summer job (for me it was changed every year, but still the same kinds of jobs), worked for 6 or so hours each day, made some money, but was otherwise worthless throughout the months of May, June, July, and part of August.
Unfortunately, graduate school isn't quite the same. No, there are no meaningless jobs for me anymore. Instead, with my final exams nearly complete, I have the pleasure of looking forward to my internship. Don't be misguided; this isn't the same thing as an undergraduate internship wherein most are reduced to making copies and stapling papers together. No, my internship requires me to do real work - the kind of work I have to do when I graduate; bummer huh? Life is just more complicated - that's what I've decide. But what I can't figure out is if the increased complication in my life is warranted and necessary? I continue to struggle with this, because I'm inclined to say yes, otherwise why would the complication increase? However, by and large, it seems that it's the minor parts of life that get complicated, and that serves to complicate the rest of life, so is it really necessary? I'm not sure.
In any case, I'm told that it only gets worse from here. Gone are the careless days of summer. Gone are the cherished but overlooked simplicities of a younger age. No more is doing nothing with my life an option. C'est la vie, I suppose. And now, with a raising of my glass and a toast to the complexity of life, I take my leave.
Until next time,
J
No, now my last day of class is no longer anticipated, but rather it's feared. With so many projects, papers, and homework there simply isn't ever a good time for the last day of class to come and for all outstanding work to come due. And of course, we've replaced the nothingness of the last day of school with the dreaded "final examination," and still worse - the singe phrase that every college/graduate student has come to fear with all their being - "comprehensive final examination." Even while in my undergraduate years life was relatively simple during the summer. Of course, everyone goes out and gets their annual summer job (for me it was changed every year, but still the same kinds of jobs), worked for 6 or so hours each day, made some money, but was otherwise worthless throughout the months of May, June, July, and part of August.
Unfortunately, graduate school isn't quite the same. No, there are no meaningless jobs for me anymore. Instead, with my final exams nearly complete, I have the pleasure of looking forward to my internship. Don't be misguided; this isn't the same thing as an undergraduate internship wherein most are reduced to making copies and stapling papers together. No, my internship requires me to do real work - the kind of work I have to do when I graduate; bummer huh? Life is just more complicated - that's what I've decide. But what I can't figure out is if the increased complication in my life is warranted and necessary? I continue to struggle with this, because I'm inclined to say yes, otherwise why would the complication increase? However, by and large, it seems that it's the minor parts of life that get complicated, and that serves to complicate the rest of life, so is it really necessary? I'm not sure.
In any case, I'm told that it only gets worse from here. Gone are the careless days of summer. Gone are the cherished but overlooked simplicities of a younger age. No more is doing nothing with my life an option. C'est la vie, I suppose. And now, with a raising of my glass and a toast to the complexity of life, I take my leave.
Until next time,
J
20 April 2008
vitae brevis
Have you ever lost someone close to you? Thankfully, I can't say that I have. Unfortunately, I know people who have, and that sucks...a lot.
During my 23 years on Earth, I've had to say goodbye to several family members. This; however, isn't really what I'm talking about. No, what I'm talking about is a different kind of "someone." I mean friends, friends of the close sort. These are the people that you joke around with, grow up with, know inside and out...you know who I'm talking about.
Maybe I've never lost someone like that because I've never had someone like that to loose. As I've said before, I grew up in the military, moving around a lot. Because of that I haven't had those lifelong friends - the people you meet when you're 6 months old, go to school with, graduate from high school and/or college with, and keep in touch with forever. No, most of my friendships have been fleeting. This, however, isn't my point (yes, I have one, read on).
What do you say to someone when they've lost a close friend? Further, what do you say when you have no similar experience from which to draw upon to establish a connection of sorts with the person in mourning? I want to tell them that things will be okay, and that with time they will begin to heal and feel better; slowly moving on with their lives. I want to say that while it sucks that they just lost their friend, they must go on; take away the good times and remember them forever. But can I really say that? At the very least, can I say that without seeming naive or simply rude?
I like to think of myself as a very practical person - perhaps too practical a person. I look at situations and attempt to figure out how we can best benefit from it. That being the case, you wouldn't be far off thinking that grief and sadness are not feelings that I place high importance on or spend a lot of time with. As I'm sure you can imagine, this makes situations in which others are grieving that much more difficult for me. Now I have a person, presumably someone close to me, who is having a hard time because they lost something that I've never had and are expressing feelings that I don't. So how do I empathize while not feeling like a fake and not coming across as an idiot?
Some say that we shouldn't mourn the dead. No, instead we should celebrate the life that was. Well, if that's what we were meant to do, then why do we feel grief when someone dies? If we were supposed to celebrate life shouldn't we be, to some extent, happy? Clearly this isn't the case, though I think I'd prefer it to be. Grief, sadness the the like are not things that we benefit from. Quite the opposite in fact. When we grieve we have to take time to grieve; time that we could otherwise use to do something else. However, were we to celebrate a life that should mean that we're happy, or at least not sad, right? Happy people are productive people, and that, friends, is my language.
Unfortunately, this isn't a way to address death. No, trying to make someone think they should be happy because their friend is no longer with them just seems weird to me - it simply won't do. Well, what then? I suppose that, to a large extent, we don't really need to know what do to. Maybe we should just be there for the person grieving. Everyone is different, right? That being the case, I suppose to makes sense that everyone will need something different. Even one person will need different things at different times. Unfortunately, it seems to me that most of the things that people will need are unpredictable, so we just need to be flexible and work with them. Eventually they will get better and move on; it just takes different people different amounts of time.
My point (I'm not even sure that I remember it anymore, assuming that I had one) is that the world doesn't work the way that we'd always like it to. No...for practical people like myself there are things like grief and sadness to think about. For normal people there is death to deal with. Neither are things that we want to happen, but they are things that we have to deal with anyway. Ideally, dulcius ex asperis - through the difficulty will come sweetness. In other words, the hard times that we must go through will hopefully lead to better times in the not-so-distant future.
Vitae brevis. Life is short. Embrace those whom you love and keep them close. Be there for those who are in mourning. Live your life to the fullest - don't be the person who lies on their death bed and regrets not doing something. Live, love, and appreciate. Make the most of your life and include as many people as possible so that, after you are no longer here, those you leave behind have nothing but good memories with which to remember you.
During my 23 years on Earth, I've had to say goodbye to several family members. This; however, isn't really what I'm talking about. No, what I'm talking about is a different kind of "someone." I mean friends, friends of the close sort. These are the people that you joke around with, grow up with, know inside and out...you know who I'm talking about.
Maybe I've never lost someone like that because I've never had someone like that to loose. As I've said before, I grew up in the military, moving around a lot. Because of that I haven't had those lifelong friends - the people you meet when you're 6 months old, go to school with, graduate from high school and/or college with, and keep in touch with forever. No, most of my friendships have been fleeting. This, however, isn't my point (yes, I have one, read on).
What do you say to someone when they've lost a close friend? Further, what do you say when you have no similar experience from which to draw upon to establish a connection of sorts with the person in mourning? I want to tell them that things will be okay, and that with time they will begin to heal and feel better; slowly moving on with their lives. I want to say that while it sucks that they just lost their friend, they must go on; take away the good times and remember them forever. But can I really say that? At the very least, can I say that without seeming naive or simply rude?
I like to think of myself as a very practical person - perhaps too practical a person. I look at situations and attempt to figure out how we can best benefit from it. That being the case, you wouldn't be far off thinking that grief and sadness are not feelings that I place high importance on or spend a lot of time with. As I'm sure you can imagine, this makes situations in which others are grieving that much more difficult for me. Now I have a person, presumably someone close to me, who is having a hard time because they lost something that I've never had and are expressing feelings that I don't. So how do I empathize while not feeling like a fake and not coming across as an idiot?
Some say that we shouldn't mourn the dead. No, instead we should celebrate the life that was. Well, if that's what we were meant to do, then why do we feel grief when someone dies? If we were supposed to celebrate life shouldn't we be, to some extent, happy? Clearly this isn't the case, though I think I'd prefer it to be. Grief, sadness the the like are not things that we benefit from. Quite the opposite in fact. When we grieve we have to take time to grieve; time that we could otherwise use to do something else. However, were we to celebrate a life that should mean that we're happy, or at least not sad, right? Happy people are productive people, and that, friends, is my language.
Unfortunately, this isn't a way to address death. No, trying to make someone think they should be happy because their friend is no longer with them just seems weird to me - it simply won't do. Well, what then? I suppose that, to a large extent, we don't really need to know what do to. Maybe we should just be there for the person grieving. Everyone is different, right? That being the case, I suppose to makes sense that everyone will need something different. Even one person will need different things at different times. Unfortunately, it seems to me that most of the things that people will need are unpredictable, so we just need to be flexible and work with them. Eventually they will get better and move on; it just takes different people different amounts of time.
My point (I'm not even sure that I remember it anymore, assuming that I had one) is that the world doesn't work the way that we'd always like it to. No...for practical people like myself there are things like grief and sadness to think about. For normal people there is death to deal with. Neither are things that we want to happen, but they are things that we have to deal with anyway. Ideally, dulcius ex asperis - through the difficulty will come sweetness. In other words, the hard times that we must go through will hopefully lead to better times in the not-so-distant future.
Vitae brevis. Life is short. Embrace those whom you love and keep them close. Be there for those who are in mourning. Live your life to the fullest - don't be the person who lies on their death bed and regrets not doing something. Live, love, and appreciate. Make the most of your life and include as many people as possible so that, after you are no longer here, those you leave behind have nothing but good memories with which to remember you.
05 April 2008
Different Traditions
Evening folks. Tonight we'll hit on a topic of a different nature that you're generally accustom to reading on my blog (and yes, I know...the topics are, if nothing else, random). Today I went to my cousin's bat mitzvah (I think that's how it's spelled, if not you have my apologies). For those of you who don't know, when Jewish boys and girls "come of age" in their faith they have a special service wherein various members of the congregation (is it called a congregation?) bless the person and they become an adult in the church/faith. This ceremony is known as a bar mitzvah for boys and a bat mitzvah for girls; today I went to my cousin's bat mitzvah.
Being raised a Christian, and going on to become a self-proclaimed Agnostic (for the most part anyway), I'm not what you'd consider well-versed in the ways of the Jewish faith. I don't know much of their history, nor their rituals, and I'm certainly not what you'd consider at all familiar with the Hebrew language. No, instead I went to show support for my family member. The whole process was, despite being unnecessarily long and at times confusing, rather interesting. I never realized how much a Jewish service differed from a Christian one. Everything is highly ritualized, as it is in the Church (the "Church" meaning all of Christianity, not just Catholicism), but they don't really talk very much; they sing all of their prayers and blessings.
As I said, the whole experience was very interesting. The ceremony and party lasted for most of the day (the actual ceremony started at 930 and I didn't leave to come back to my parents' house until nearly 9pm) which wasn't what I'd expected at all. I thought the ceremony would be an hour or so, then brunch after for an hour, and then I'd be back here by noon at the latest, giving me plenty of time to do some homework and study for the test I have on Tuesday.
In any case, if you ever get the opportunity to attend such an event, I'd strongly encourage you to go...it's a very different, interesting process. You'll no doubt get lost a few times, unless you've been to one before or know the language/customs, but it's neat to see a 14 year old person reading from the Torah as well as the Rabbi...at least I was impressed.
And with that, I take my leave. It's been a long day, and my bed is calling me - a call that I'm not willing to resist.
Be well and go experience new things.
Until next time,
J
04 April 2008
Family
Ok...so we're supposed to love family members, right? Hm...well, is it bad if "love" isn't exactly the word that you'd use to describe your feelings toward a family member? That sounds bad...let me explain.
I have two brothers, one is three years younger than me and the other is three years older. My younger brother, B, and I get along fairly well. We talk about stuff and have good laughs - mostly at each other's expense - and generally have what I'd call a characteristically good relationship. My relationship with my older brother, C, isn't quite so nice. We've never gotten along, not even when we were growing up and certainly not now that we've both grown up and moved out of my parent's house. I've always been told that when you're not around your sibling(s) very much you actually grow closer, and to a large extent that hasn't happened, at least not with C and I. In any case, today was C's birthday, and believe me, it was ALL about him. He said today that he is the most self-absorbed person he's ever known, and I find myself agreeing whole heartedly. Is that bad? I never know what to think anymore; I feel like a bad person for not having a great relationship with my brother, but at the same time I know that I've tried to make it work and he has yet to put in the same effort, so that seems to legitimize the issue.
I guess I still love my brother, but only because he's my brother and for no other reason; we don't get along, aren't anything alike, and have entirely different outlooks and goals for our lives. Oh well, generally I don't lose much sleep over the situation, but it just made me think about it a little more - what with today being his birthday and all.
In any case, that is all. Just something for everyone to consider - enjoy the good relationships that you have with your siblings and other family members, try to make the ones that are bad better, and if you try to make those poor relationships better and it doesn't work, move on with your life.
Be well in all that you do. Until next time,
J
03 April 2008
Stuffage
Alrighty, not much to really say today, but it's been a while since I posted, so I feel compelled to write something.
It's a pretty nasty day outside - cold and rainy - and I have nearly 5 hours of class to sit through today and then a 5-6 hour drive to get back to my parents' house this evening...all on a nasty day.
On a lighter note, my partner and I FINALLY finished our validation study. To most, "validation study" means little more than a paper we had to submit (which, for the record, ended up being 35 pages long), but to those in the I/O field, we know better. Validation reports are technical, time consuming, and for the most part dull. Technically, they're considered legal documents that one must produce for a selection method that a company uses (the method by which a company selects its employees) should that company ever be sued for discrimination or any other form of unfair hiring practices. In any case, it's done...well, mostly. Presently my partner is doing her final edits and then sending it back to me to print, then we're done. Sadly, there is no "sigh of relief" as we have more projects and papers to work on before the conclusion of the semester, but we can still take a mini sigh, right? *sigh*
So, with tests looming overhead, final examinations charging at me, project and paper deadlines making themselves known, time speeding up, and work that goes at a break-neck pace, it's hard to take time for myself and just do something that I want to do. However, I've found through my nearly 5 years in higher education that you have to be able to do that, else you run the risk of losing your sanity (of course, this goes on the assumption that you have yet to do so). I've found that even a 30 minute walk around a park or something is nice. Previously I tried "reading for pleasure," though in graduate school you do a lot of reading, so when I don't have academic reading to do, it's hard to motivate myself to read anything, let alone the authors that I enjoy.
And that's that. I have finally secured an internship for this summer, as well as housing, so that's one less thing that I need to worry about. Unfortunately, as I said earlier, there's no time for a sigh of relief...not until finals are done, but then I start working 4 days later, so again...a mini sigh will be in order; I'll take what I can get. And...what's even better is that in...less than 2 months T and I will be reunited for the summer...oddly, though my classes speed by the time when I'll see T seems to get further and further away...not sure how that works, but...oh well.
Ok...and that's all. I have an article to read for class (yes!) and a validation report to print off and finish so that it can be turned in and forgotten about in roughly3 hours.
I hope that today finds you in good health and high spirits, and nice weather wouldn't hurt either. Enjoy life, and your day, and thanks for stopping by!
Until next time,
J
It's a pretty nasty day outside - cold and rainy - and I have nearly 5 hours of class to sit through today and then a 5-6 hour drive to get back to my parents' house this evening...all on a nasty day.
On a lighter note, my partner and I FINALLY finished our validation study. To most, "validation study" means little more than a paper we had to submit (which, for the record, ended up being 35 pages long), but to those in the I/O field, we know better. Validation reports are technical, time consuming, and for the most part dull. Technically, they're considered legal documents that one must produce for a selection method that a company uses (the method by which a company selects its employees) should that company ever be sued for discrimination or any other form of unfair hiring practices. In any case, it's done...well, mostly. Presently my partner is doing her final edits and then sending it back to me to print, then we're done. Sadly, there is no "sigh of relief" as we have more projects and papers to work on before the conclusion of the semester, but we can still take a mini sigh, right? *sigh*
So, with tests looming overhead, final examinations charging at me, project and paper deadlines making themselves known, time speeding up, and work that goes at a break-neck pace, it's hard to take time for myself and just do something that I want to do. However, I've found through my nearly 5 years in higher education that you have to be able to do that, else you run the risk of losing your sanity (of course, this goes on the assumption that you have yet to do so). I've found that even a 30 minute walk around a park or something is nice. Previously I tried "reading for pleasure," though in graduate school you do a lot of reading, so when I don't have academic reading to do, it's hard to motivate myself to read anything, let alone the authors that I enjoy.
And that's that. I have finally secured an internship for this summer, as well as housing, so that's one less thing that I need to worry about. Unfortunately, as I said earlier, there's no time for a sigh of relief...not until finals are done, but then I start working 4 days later, so again...a mini sigh will be in order; I'll take what I can get. And...what's even better is that in...less than 2 months T and I will be reunited for the summer...oddly, though my classes speed by the time when I'll see T seems to get further and further away...not sure how that works, but...oh well.
Ok...and that's all. I have an article to read for class (yes!) and a validation report to print off and finish so that it can be turned in and forgotten about in roughly3 hours.
I hope that today finds you in good health and high spirits, and nice weather wouldn't hurt either. Enjoy life, and your day, and thanks for stopping by!
Until next time,
J
29 March 2008
Hello again
Hello there! Well, it appears that it has been quite some time since my last blog...my apologies. Lots has happened since that last blog; however, so hopefully this will be informative, though it does have the possibility of being rather long.
Let's see...where to begin? Oh, at the beginning; naturally. So I went to Denver, Colorado a few weeks ago for an academic conference. The conference was reserved for masters and doctoral students in the fields of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, with the exception of some HUGE names in the field who gave keynote addresses. In any case, it was a good conference. I made some good contacts, my program did a great job with our presentations, and a good time was had by all. My group presented on cognitive ability and performance in police officers. Basically, we found data that leads to a conclusion that it is possible for police officers to be too smart for their jobs, but I think that could be the case with most jobs. Sound controversial? Indeed, we had many interested persons stop by to take a gander, ask questions, and give feedback, though no one alluded to the idea that we were wrong.
While in Denver we stayed at a decent hotel. Sorry to be vague here, but I'm not a fan of representing organizations that I'm not a member of and have no vested interested in, so I won't give names. Anyway, we had a few awesome shuttle drivers at the hotel, Rick and Bob, who made the trip that much better. They were both older guys, but knew exactly (or close to exactly) where all the hot spots were in LoDo (lower downtown) each of the nights we were there. Needless to say, they were the topic of many conversations both during our stay and for a while thereafter. [Sidenote: don't you hate it when people say "needless to say" and then go on to say whatever needn't be said? Irritating sometimes, though it's a habit that I have...sorry, moving on...]
Since I've been back from my conference life has been pretty standard. My colleagues are fighting with my university to get the money we were promised for the conference (the University said they'd give us X amount of money after we got back, but there is entirely too much red tape involved with actually getting that money - ridiculous). Otherwise, classes are going well and keeping me busy, as is work and securing my internship for the summer.
Hm...on a completely unrelated note, my internet sucks. Since we have been in our apartment my roommates and I have gone through two different internet companies. I'm not going to talk about my issues with internet and cable companies, so if you'd rather not listen, you might want to go about your daily business and skip the rest of this blog. The first company we purchased internet and cable from, and all was well in the world. That is, until our cable stopped working (though we were still paying for it). After a few months of arguing with the company, we canceled the cable and now have no cable; neat huh? Anyway, after that our internet began to go downhill, fast. So after a few more months, we canceled our internet with that company, completely severing our ties with that company. After that we signed on with a much more well-known company for internet, thinking that because of their name/reputation we'd have better internet; we were wrong. We are still with this company and just had the guy out here to fix it yesterday. It hasn't been 24 hours since he was here and our internet is already sketchy...again. Oh, and in lieu of cable we have Netflix (I know, I'm not a fan of brand "repping" but I view "netflix" as somewhat of a noun now, not really sure how else to describe it); not quite the same, but it works.
Ok, that's all that's new in my life. Sorry if you're bored to tears, hopefully something more interesting will come about soon. More to the point, hopefully I'll actually be able to blog more often; we'll see how my internet holds up.
Thanks again for stopping by. Have an enjoyable day, and be well.
Until next time,
J
Let's see...where to begin? Oh, at the beginning; naturally. So I went to Denver, Colorado a few weeks ago for an academic conference. The conference was reserved for masters and doctoral students in the fields of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, with the exception of some HUGE names in the field who gave keynote addresses. In any case, it was a good conference. I made some good contacts, my program did a great job with our presentations, and a good time was had by all. My group presented on cognitive ability and performance in police officers. Basically, we found data that leads to a conclusion that it is possible for police officers to be too smart for their jobs, but I think that could be the case with most jobs. Sound controversial? Indeed, we had many interested persons stop by to take a gander, ask questions, and give feedback, though no one alluded to the idea that we were wrong.
While in Denver we stayed at a decent hotel. Sorry to be vague here, but I'm not a fan of representing organizations that I'm not a member of and have no vested interested in, so I won't give names. Anyway, we had a few awesome shuttle drivers at the hotel, Rick and Bob, who made the trip that much better. They were both older guys, but knew exactly (or close to exactly) where all the hot spots were in LoDo (lower downtown) each of the nights we were there. Needless to say, they were the topic of many conversations both during our stay and for a while thereafter. [Sidenote: don't you hate it when people say "needless to say" and then go on to say whatever needn't be said? Irritating sometimes, though it's a habit that I have...sorry, moving on...]
Since I've been back from my conference life has been pretty standard. My colleagues are fighting with my university to get the money we were promised for the conference (the University said they'd give us X amount of money after we got back, but there is entirely too much red tape involved with actually getting that money - ridiculous). Otherwise, classes are going well and keeping me busy, as is work and securing my internship for the summer.
Hm...on a completely unrelated note, my internet sucks. Since we have been in our apartment my roommates and I have gone through two different internet companies. I'm not going to talk about my issues with internet and cable companies, so if you'd rather not listen, you might want to go about your daily business and skip the rest of this blog. The first company we purchased internet and cable from, and all was well in the world. That is, until our cable stopped working (though we were still paying for it). After a few months of arguing with the company, we canceled the cable and now have no cable; neat huh? Anyway, after that our internet began to go downhill, fast. So after a few more months, we canceled our internet with that company, completely severing our ties with that company. After that we signed on with a much more well-known company for internet, thinking that because of their name/reputation we'd have better internet; we were wrong. We are still with this company and just had the guy out here to fix it yesterday. It hasn't been 24 hours since he was here and our internet is already sketchy...again. Oh, and in lieu of cable we have Netflix (I know, I'm not a fan of brand "repping" but I view "netflix" as somewhat of a noun now, not really sure how else to describe it); not quite the same, but it works.
Ok, that's all that's new in my life. Sorry if you're bored to tears, hopefully something more interesting will come about soon. More to the point, hopefully I'll actually be able to blog more often; we'll see how my internet holds up.
Thanks again for stopping by. Have an enjoyable day, and be well.
Until next time,
J
02 March 2008
What to Do?
What do you do when you want something so bad that you can't stand it, and yet there's nothing you can do to get it? It's not often in my life that I have such a feeling, but I seem to be having one more and more lately. For those who are familiar with the few posts on this blog, you'll remember that in the beginning I mentioned my girlfriend, T, who is in Iowa finishing up her bachelors degree right now. I, on the other hand, am in Virginia and am nearly half way done with my masters degree. The distance thing...well, it sucks, a lot. More than that though, is this feeling of helplessness that I find in myself. This scares me a little because it's not a feeling that I've ever had before.
In any case, I have this feeling and I can't seem to shake it. It's one of those situations that, given the opportunity, I'd drop everything to go back to Iowa and be with T, but that's simply not feasible right now. I have my work, work that's fairly important to my future and the occupational field that I'll be entering in just over a year. Similarly, she has her work that she needs to get done, and even if I were there, I feel as though I'd only get in her way and she wouldn't get anything done, thereby increasing her level of stress. I suppose then, that's why I'm still here and she's still there. Despite this understanding, the feeling remains. So what do I do?
Right now, and for the past...oh, it's been nearly a year now, it has been my prerogative that we stay as busy as possible so as to not be able to really understand how much we miss each other. That isn't working; we're both too busy as it is, and yet the pain of not being there is greater than ever. So then I thought, well, it might be good to see each other. Nice idea, right? Unfortunately the only amount of time that either of us can spare is a weekend, and there aren't any long ones left in the semester. Due to the expensive (both time and money) of travel, that's mostly out of the question. Additionally, it seems that seeing each other for such a short period of time might actually be worse than not seeing each other at all, as odd as that sounds.
So what do I do? I'm sitting here, feeling as though she's falling apart (if I can assume that the lack of me being there can cause such a thing), which stresses our relationship - a relationship that has the potential to be a lot more than it is, something that could potentially happen not too far from now. But in the meantime, what do I do? As I said, I feel as though I'm sitting here watching my relationship, and what's so much more important, T, fall to pieces, and there's nothing that I can do about it. I've tried staying busy and that doesn't work...so now my only hope is to muster through the remaining two months of this semester until I get to see her again.
Watching everyone else in relationships doesn't help either. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a selfish person, and I'm more than happy that friends of mine are in happy, healthy relationships, but that doesn't make my situation any easier. On the flip side, I see other friends (some of whom were in long-distance relationships similar to my own) whose relationships are falling apart, or have ended altogether. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand it makes me feel better that my relationship is still in tact - reaffirming my belief that it's strong and lasting. But on the other hand, it makes me think..."what if the 'rumors' about long-distance relationships are really true? What if they can't last?" And that, above all else, scares the living crap out of me.
So what do I do? Do I stop doing what I'm doing now, and disappoint myself? To be honest, that's not something that I'm not very inclined to do, and a small (very small) part of me thinks that T wouldn't want that either. Do I keep on going with my studies and risk disappointing T and losing my relationship? That's also something that I'm not inclined to do. Disappoint myself or T, or potentially both? Great situation you've gotten yourself into Jason...now if only I can think of a way to get myself, my girlfriend, and my relationship out of it all in one piece...
In any case, I have this feeling and I can't seem to shake it. It's one of those situations that, given the opportunity, I'd drop everything to go back to Iowa and be with T, but that's simply not feasible right now. I have my work, work that's fairly important to my future and the occupational field that I'll be entering in just over a year. Similarly, she has her work that she needs to get done, and even if I were there, I feel as though I'd only get in her way and she wouldn't get anything done, thereby increasing her level of stress. I suppose then, that's why I'm still here and she's still there. Despite this understanding, the feeling remains. So what do I do?
Right now, and for the past...oh, it's been nearly a year now, it has been my prerogative that we stay as busy as possible so as to not be able to really understand how much we miss each other. That isn't working; we're both too busy as it is, and yet the pain of not being there is greater than ever. So then I thought, well, it might be good to see each other. Nice idea, right? Unfortunately the only amount of time that either of us can spare is a weekend, and there aren't any long ones left in the semester. Due to the expensive (both time and money) of travel, that's mostly out of the question. Additionally, it seems that seeing each other for such a short period of time might actually be worse than not seeing each other at all, as odd as that sounds.
So what do I do? I'm sitting here, feeling as though she's falling apart (if I can assume that the lack of me being there can cause such a thing), which stresses our relationship - a relationship that has the potential to be a lot more than it is, something that could potentially happen not too far from now. But in the meantime, what do I do? As I said, I feel as though I'm sitting here watching my relationship, and what's so much more important, T, fall to pieces, and there's nothing that I can do about it. I've tried staying busy and that doesn't work...so now my only hope is to muster through the remaining two months of this semester until I get to see her again.
Watching everyone else in relationships doesn't help either. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a selfish person, and I'm more than happy that friends of mine are in happy, healthy relationships, but that doesn't make my situation any easier. On the flip side, I see other friends (some of whom were in long-distance relationships similar to my own) whose relationships are falling apart, or have ended altogether. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand it makes me feel better that my relationship is still in tact - reaffirming my belief that it's strong and lasting. But on the other hand, it makes me think..."what if the 'rumors' about long-distance relationships are really true? What if they can't last?" And that, above all else, scares the living crap out of me.
So what do I do? Do I stop doing what I'm doing now, and disappoint myself? To be honest, that's not something that I'm not very inclined to do, and a small (very small) part of me thinks that T wouldn't want that either. Do I keep on going with my studies and risk disappointing T and losing my relationship? That's also something that I'm not inclined to do. Disappoint myself or T, or potentially both? Great situation you've gotten yourself into Jason...now if only I can think of a way to get myself, my girlfriend, and my relationship out of it all in one piece...
26 February 2008
Ethics
Good afternoon friends and readers.
Have you ever had a discussion about ethics? Specifically your ethics, and the ethics of whoever happens to be in close proximity to you at the time of the discussing. I'm sure that you have, and if not, perhaps you should, you learn a lot about both yourself and other people when discussing your (and consequently their) ethics.
I had an ethics conversation in one of my courses today. Let me just say this: I've had plenty of prior discussions regarding my ethics in the past, have even taken an ethics course in my undergraduate years, and haven't had a problem with it. Today's conversation; however, was different. Something I've learned over the past few years is that my set of ethics doesn't exactly flow with what everyone else seems to think and feel.
As a psychologist-to-be, I've been taught how to conduct research properly - what to look for, what to ask, how to address that question and phenomenon, etc. However, our ethics, and the ethics of the "powers that be" which governs what I do (in my case it's the APA, my University, and my professors) will obviously limit what we can do. Generally speaking, this is thought to be a good thing, however, I beg to differ.
Obviously there are times when research goes too far (for clear examples, look up the Nazi Medical Experiments conducted throughout the Holocaust and WWII). However, I feel as though there are times where there are harms and dangers that may happen to participants of research. This isn't always a bad thing, at least not to me. Naturally, we don't want to go around harming people if we can help it, but there are times, I believe, where such attempts are both unnecessary and actually hinder one's research. Please note that in saying such things I don't necessarily condone violence between persons, not in the least. My point is that I think society is overly protective of its own, so much so that we miss out on opportunities to learn more about ourselves and advance the fields in which we work.
Does this go with the flow? Hardly. Does that mean that I'm wrong? Well, I, of course, would say no. Does it mean that I'm right? Decidedly not, as most colleagues and "powers that be" are quick to point out to me - we are ALWAYS to keep the best interests of humanity in mind (though it would appear that the only "best interests" that we should concern ourselves with are those of the immediate type, never mind any potential benefits that might arise in the long-term). I don't mean to be overly critical; the APA, my University, and my Professors do, for the most part, allow all manner of research to proceed; however, there would be, at least in my opinion, much more research that would and could be done should we look at things from a different standpoint.
Furthermore, it seems to me that such banned research is actually socially reinforced! Not directly, of course, but in a roundabout way I believe that I'm correct. Think about it - no research is ever completely discarded; even if nothing is found the study can still be references, for replication or to show how not to do things, but it is used nonetheless. I feel as though this banned research is of no exception. Have we learned nothing from any of the studies of yesteryear that could not be conducted presently? Of course we have, so we disagree with how certain research is conducted, why it was conducted, and everything related to that research, but we'll still use the results, at least in some manner. Sure, a few practitioners might go to jail, pay a fine, or meet some other ill-regarded consequence, but in the end, it might be worth it.
Alright, I'm done rambling - for now. I'm sure that more will follow at a later date, but for now, you've had a glimpse into my ethical standpoint as it relates to research. I'll never say that you should believe what I do, but I will ask that you at least consider it before saying that my thoughts are detrimental to society and that I shouldn't be allowed to conduct research.
Thanks for stopping by! Until next time,
J
Have you ever had a discussion about ethics? Specifically your ethics, and the ethics of whoever happens to be in close proximity to you at the time of the discussing. I'm sure that you have, and if not, perhaps you should, you learn a lot about both yourself and other people when discussing your (and consequently their) ethics.
I had an ethics conversation in one of my courses today. Let me just say this: I've had plenty of prior discussions regarding my ethics in the past, have even taken an ethics course in my undergraduate years, and haven't had a problem with it. Today's conversation; however, was different. Something I've learned over the past few years is that my set of ethics doesn't exactly flow with what everyone else seems to think and feel.
As a psychologist-to-be, I've been taught how to conduct research properly - what to look for, what to ask, how to address that question and phenomenon, etc. However, our ethics, and the ethics of the "powers that be" which governs what I do (in my case it's the APA, my University, and my professors) will obviously limit what we can do. Generally speaking, this is thought to be a good thing, however, I beg to differ.
Obviously there are times when research goes too far (for clear examples, look up the Nazi Medical Experiments conducted throughout the Holocaust and WWII). However, I feel as though there are times where there are harms and dangers that may happen to participants of research. This isn't always a bad thing, at least not to me. Naturally, we don't want to go around harming people if we can help it, but there are times, I believe, where such attempts are both unnecessary and actually hinder one's research. Please note that in saying such things I don't necessarily condone violence between persons, not in the least. My point is that I think society is overly protective of its own, so much so that we miss out on opportunities to learn more about ourselves and advance the fields in which we work.
Does this go with the flow? Hardly. Does that mean that I'm wrong? Well, I, of course, would say no. Does it mean that I'm right? Decidedly not, as most colleagues and "powers that be" are quick to point out to me - we are ALWAYS to keep the best interests of humanity in mind (though it would appear that the only "best interests" that we should concern ourselves with are those of the immediate type, never mind any potential benefits that might arise in the long-term). I don't mean to be overly critical; the APA, my University, and my Professors do, for the most part, allow all manner of research to proceed; however, there would be, at least in my opinion, much more research that would and could be done should we look at things from a different standpoint.
Furthermore, it seems to me that such banned research is actually socially reinforced! Not directly, of course, but in a roundabout way I believe that I'm correct. Think about it - no research is ever completely discarded; even if nothing is found the study can still be references, for replication or to show how not to do things, but it is used nonetheless. I feel as though this banned research is of no exception. Have we learned nothing from any of the studies of yesteryear that could not be conducted presently? Of course we have, so we disagree with how certain research is conducted, why it was conducted, and everything related to that research, but we'll still use the results, at least in some manner. Sure, a few practitioners might go to jail, pay a fine, or meet some other ill-regarded consequence, but in the end, it might be worth it.
Alright, I'm done rambling - for now. I'm sure that more will follow at a later date, but for now, you've had a glimpse into my ethical standpoint as it relates to research. I'll never say that you should believe what I do, but I will ask that you at least consider it before saying that my thoughts are detrimental to society and that I shouldn't be allowed to conduct research.
Thanks for stopping by! Until next time,
J
24 February 2008
Friends
Hm...so I just read my friend's blog and now I feel like a complete waste of a friend. In her blog, she discussed the fact that sometimes friends say that they'll stay around for the long haul, but rarely does that actually end up happening. I hate it when I read things like that...even if they aren't entirely directed in my general direction, it always hits home, makes me wonder who else might be thinking such things about me, and that bothers me...a lot.
I've moved around a lot in my 23 years. My dad was in the Navy until I was nearly 17 years old, which means that we moved around every 4 years or so to a new place, something that I've continued to do with college and graduate school, even though my parents have since retired. While it is nice being able to say that I've lived in 5 different states, 2 countries, went to two middle schools, two high schools, and countless elementary schools, it's less nice to have to admit that I don't have what most people call "close friends." No no, this isn't a session where I discuss how hard it is to be me, not by any means. However, one thing that I do understand is my friend's comment about how friends disappear. You'd think that my familiarity with the topic would mean that I try especially hard to make sure that I'm not one of those people, sadly you'd be mistaken.
In any event, enough with the downers for the evening - I refuse to be "that guy," at least right now. My point, yes there was one, in all this verbiage, is that we should really understand what it means to call someone else a friend, even more for those we call "close friends" or "best friends." Remember what that means, both to you and your friend, and don't let that slip away...life is too short to not keep in touch with as many people and friends as humanly possible.
Ok...in other news, I spent entirely too much on groceries this evening - something that happens routinely. As it turns out, when you attempt to eat more healthily it's a lot more expensive...c'est la vie, no?
Have a good night, be healthy, and go call a friend.
J
I've moved around a lot in my 23 years. My dad was in the Navy until I was nearly 17 years old, which means that we moved around every 4 years or so to a new place, something that I've continued to do with college and graduate school, even though my parents have since retired. While it is nice being able to say that I've lived in 5 different states, 2 countries, went to two middle schools, two high schools, and countless elementary schools, it's less nice to have to admit that I don't have what most people call "close friends." No no, this isn't a session where I discuss how hard it is to be me, not by any means. However, one thing that I do understand is my friend's comment about how friends disappear. You'd think that my familiarity with the topic would mean that I try especially hard to make sure that I'm not one of those people, sadly you'd be mistaken.
In any event, enough with the downers for the evening - I refuse to be "that guy," at least right now. My point, yes there was one, in all this verbiage, is that we should really understand what it means to call someone else a friend, even more for those we call "close friends" or "best friends." Remember what that means, both to you and your friend, and don't let that slip away...life is too short to not keep in touch with as many people and friends as humanly possible.
Ok...in other news, I spent entirely too much on groceries this evening - something that happens routinely. As it turns out, when you attempt to eat more healthily it's a lot more expensive...c'est la vie, no?
Have a good night, be healthy, and go call a friend.
J
Jason the Teacher...
Well, it's been a while since my last post...my apologies. I've found that I want the things on this blog to be worth reading, and well, let's be honest, I generally don't have much to say that people want to read. That being the case, I haven't been updating this blog because I really have nothing of any importance to say. But today I've come to a realization...no one reads this blog anyway, so I can ramble on about nothing and it all will be well in the world.
In other news, I'm going to be a teacher, scary huh? Here in graduate school we have assistantships, so we graduate students can survive...you know, with food, rent...things like that. Anyway, these assistantships are of varying importance and amounts, the highest of which is known as a teaching fellowship. Two weeks ago, I applied for such a fellowship. Last week I found out that I was one of seven people chosen for the fellowship, so I should be happy, right? Well, there's a catch...along with the money and apparent prestige, I have to teach...like, for real teaching. I'll be solely responsible for nearly 140 students each semester, for two semesters. I have to lecture, test, field questions, and everything else that a professor does...all by myself. To be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about this new responsibility (which, in and of itself is a nearly 40-hour per week job, in addition to 9 hours of classes and 25-30 hours of homework/project work per week and has effectively doubled my workload...awesome!), but I'm slightly afraid, increasingly excited, and...also a big nonchalant about it all. On the plus side, it's guaranteed to spur new ideas for blogs.
In still other news, I was contacted by a former significant other this evening via Facebook. As I'm sure you'll come to find, I'm not what you'd call a fan of Facebook. Quite the opposite rather, I've come to despise the program and yet am unable to cancel and delete my account with it - too many people that like to "keep in touch" through it...whatever happened to phone calls, e-mails, and regular old mail I'll never know. In any case, this former girlfriend sent me a private message and proceeded to complain about the status of her life, or rather, of a few events that are taking place in her life right now. I'm not entirely sure why she thinks I needed to know about these things, but I'm not entirely sure that I should be concerned with them, or her for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy chatting with people, and don't mind listening to the things going on in their lives and, when requested, offering insights and comments that I hope aren't too destructive. However, when people begin to take advantage of that, it bothers me. When people only talk to me because they know I'll listen/read, it bothers me...so stop it.
And in even more news, I spent an entire day writing two 2-page essays...yes that's right, an entire day. Awesome, huh? Yep, I'm pretty impressed with myself. After beginning my essays at 10am, I did my wash, the dishes, had lunch, watched a movie, and hung around until around 4pm when I actually sat down to write my essays. After spending two hours of "deep thought" I decided that I was done with my writing, and ate dinner and played Mario 3 for a few hours....nearly beat it but alas, it wasn't meant to be...at least not tonight. And now...now I'm writing this blog in the hopes of wasting more time...feel free to congratulate me on a job well done.
And now...now I'm done. I've sufficiently rambled on for too long, likely lost your interest, and am now talking to no one but myself. Have a good night, world. Until next time...
J
In other news, I'm going to be a teacher, scary huh? Here in graduate school we have assistantships, so we graduate students can survive...you know, with food, rent...things like that. Anyway, these assistantships are of varying importance and amounts, the highest of which is known as a teaching fellowship. Two weeks ago, I applied for such a fellowship. Last week I found out that I was one of seven people chosen for the fellowship, so I should be happy, right? Well, there's a catch...along with the money and apparent prestige, I have to teach...like, for real teaching. I'll be solely responsible for nearly 140 students each semester, for two semesters. I have to lecture, test, field questions, and everything else that a professor does...all by myself. To be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about this new responsibility (which, in and of itself is a nearly 40-hour per week job, in addition to 9 hours of classes and 25-30 hours of homework/project work per week and has effectively doubled my workload...awesome!), but I'm slightly afraid, increasingly excited, and...also a big nonchalant about it all. On the plus side, it's guaranteed to spur new ideas for blogs.
In still other news, I was contacted by a former significant other this evening via Facebook. As I'm sure you'll come to find, I'm not what you'd call a fan of Facebook. Quite the opposite rather, I've come to despise the program and yet am unable to cancel and delete my account with it - too many people that like to "keep in touch" through it...whatever happened to phone calls, e-mails, and regular old mail I'll never know. In any case, this former girlfriend sent me a private message and proceeded to complain about the status of her life, or rather, of a few events that are taking place in her life right now. I'm not entirely sure why she thinks I needed to know about these things, but I'm not entirely sure that I should be concerned with them, or her for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy chatting with people, and don't mind listening to the things going on in their lives and, when requested, offering insights and comments that I hope aren't too destructive. However, when people begin to take advantage of that, it bothers me. When people only talk to me because they know I'll listen/read, it bothers me...so stop it.
And in even more news, I spent an entire day writing two 2-page essays...yes that's right, an entire day. Awesome, huh? Yep, I'm pretty impressed with myself. After beginning my essays at 10am, I did my wash, the dishes, had lunch, watched a movie, and hung around until around 4pm when I actually sat down to write my essays. After spending two hours of "deep thought" I decided that I was done with my writing, and ate dinner and played Mario 3 for a few hours....nearly beat it but alas, it wasn't meant to be...at least not tonight. And now...now I'm writing this blog in the hopes of wasting more time...feel free to congratulate me on a job well done.
And now...now I'm done. I've sufficiently rambled on for too long, likely lost your interest, and am now talking to no one but myself. Have a good night, world. Until next time...
J
11 February 2008
It could always be worse
Okay sports fans...this is going to be a short post as it's pushing midnight and I'm tired.
So...as you know I'm in a long-term, long-distance relationship right now. I find that as time goes on it gets increasingly difficult to be away from T, and can't say that it's something I'd wish upon anyone...except for one aspect: the strength of my relationship. The relationship that I'm currently in is unequivocally the strongest and most fulfilling one that I've been in during my 23 years of existence. Why is this? Well, it takes different kinds of people to survive these kinds of relationships, it takes open lines of communications, and of course, enormous amounts of trust and love. It's my belief that many relationships, for whatever reason(s), do not have all of these things and as such they aren't nearly as strong as my own. Life, for me and T, could be worse.
Additionally, T and I are VERY busy in our respective programs of study that we're in. It sucks, a lot. Not being able to enjoy yourself because you've got so much work to do is not good and certainly isn't any fun. Not being able to talk to each other some nights because there's more work than can physically be done in a 24-hour day isn't any fun. Getting irritated with one another because we're frustrated because we can't see/talk as often as we'd like isn't any fun. However, it could be worse. We could have a horrible relationship; one in which we didn't trust each other and felt that we needed to talk on a daily basis not for the pleasure of talking with one another, but to check up on each other and make things were still okay. Things could be worse.
My point isn't that things aren't bad right now. My point isn't that life can't have it's downfalls. My point is that while it may seem as if life sucks and the good times are a distant past and unseen in the future, things can always be worse. Believe me, I never liked "that kid" who used to say such things; it always made it seem as if s/he was minimizing my troubles and/or concerns in order to maximize his/her own, but rest assured, I mean no such thing. Yes, life might not be all laughs and fun right now; however, the hard work and apparent suffering that we're putting into life right now will, or at the very least should, pay off in the end, making life more enjoyable and fun...or at least that's the hope.
So chin up, keep a smile on your face (most of the time), and push through the hard times in life, always keeping two things in mind: good times are ahead, and things could always be worse.
J
So...as you know I'm in a long-term, long-distance relationship right now. I find that as time goes on it gets increasingly difficult to be away from T, and can't say that it's something I'd wish upon anyone...except for one aspect: the strength of my relationship. The relationship that I'm currently in is unequivocally the strongest and most fulfilling one that I've been in during my 23 years of existence. Why is this? Well, it takes different kinds of people to survive these kinds of relationships, it takes open lines of communications, and of course, enormous amounts of trust and love. It's my belief that many relationships, for whatever reason(s), do not have all of these things and as such they aren't nearly as strong as my own. Life, for me and T, could be worse.
Additionally, T and I are VERY busy in our respective programs of study that we're in. It sucks, a lot. Not being able to enjoy yourself because you've got so much work to do is not good and certainly isn't any fun. Not being able to talk to each other some nights because there's more work than can physically be done in a 24-hour day isn't any fun. Getting irritated with one another because we're frustrated because we can't see/talk as often as we'd like isn't any fun. However, it could be worse. We could have a horrible relationship; one in which we didn't trust each other and felt that we needed to talk on a daily basis not for the pleasure of talking with one another, but to check up on each other and make things were still okay. Things could be worse.
My point isn't that things aren't bad right now. My point isn't that life can't have it's downfalls. My point is that while it may seem as if life sucks and the good times are a distant past and unseen in the future, things can always be worse. Believe me, I never liked "that kid" who used to say such things; it always made it seem as if s/he was minimizing my troubles and/or concerns in order to maximize his/her own, but rest assured, I mean no such thing. Yes, life might not be all laughs and fun right now; however, the hard work and apparent suffering that we're putting into life right now will, or at the very least should, pay off in the end, making life more enjoyable and fun...or at least that's the hope.
So chin up, keep a smile on your face (most of the time), and push through the hard times in life, always keeping two things in mind: good times are ahead, and things could always be worse.
J
06 February 2008
Minor irritations
Hey all - sorry it's been so long since my last blog entry...just haven't really been sure of what to write. But fear not, I haven't forgotten about my blogging responsibilities!
Ok, so I have a minor tuft with people today. Today is my birthday...emphasis there on the "my" part. It's my understanding that different people celebrate their birthdays in different ways. If this is the case, does this also include the lack of celebrating one's birthday? I believe this to be the case, and as such, I feel that it is well within my birthday celebration rights, to refrain from celebrating. For whatever reason, my lack of a celebratory mood seems to bother people, but I can't understand why. Everyone enjoys celebrating their birthday, as they are free to do, but just because they enjoy celebrating their birthday doesn't necessarily mean that I, too, have to enjoy celebrating my birthday. I was informed today that this makes me a "Grinch," but again, I don't understand why. I'm not prohibiting anyone else from partaking in a celebration, in fact I welcome them to. I don't downplay the importance of their birthday; it's an important time in one's life; unless of course, you are like myself, in which case your birthday means nothing more to you than the days both before and after it.
My apologies for venting, but I'm getting irritated by peoples' lack of respect for how I choose to celebrate my birthday. So please, celebrate your birthday as you will, I'll even join in the festivities, so long as they are not for my own birthday.
Happy birthday to me
-J
Ok, so I have a minor tuft with people today. Today is my birthday...emphasis there on the "my" part. It's my understanding that different people celebrate their birthdays in different ways. If this is the case, does this also include the lack of celebrating one's birthday? I believe this to be the case, and as such, I feel that it is well within my birthday celebration rights, to refrain from celebrating. For whatever reason, my lack of a celebratory mood seems to bother people, but I can't understand why. Everyone enjoys celebrating their birthday, as they are free to do, but just because they enjoy celebrating their birthday doesn't necessarily mean that I, too, have to enjoy celebrating my birthday. I was informed today that this makes me a "Grinch," but again, I don't understand why. I'm not prohibiting anyone else from partaking in a celebration, in fact I welcome them to. I don't downplay the importance of their birthday; it's an important time in one's life; unless of course, you are like myself, in which case your birthday means nothing more to you than the days both before and after it.
My apologies for venting, but I'm getting irritated by peoples' lack of respect for how I choose to celebrate my birthday. So please, celebrate your birthday as you will, I'll even join in the festivities, so long as they are not for my own birthday.
Happy birthday to me
-J
28 January 2008
It's the little things that matter most
Ok...I need to correct a mistake in the "About Me" section...or rather an omission. I forgot to mention my girlfriend that I've been with for nearly 2 years. She reminded me, ever so humbly, that I forgot to mention her, so now she gets an entire post, just for her!
Anyway, aside from her reminder, it was something that happened tonight that was the real inspiration for this blog post. There was nothing remarkable about my day - I didn't give any great answers in class, didn't accomplish a whole lot in the line of work or homework, and didn't really do anything that made me feel overly impressed with myself. However, after talking with my girlfriend, T, for a while tonight she said that she'd "wait...patiently" for something to happen (I'm sure there'll be more on this topic at a later time). For whatever reason, that made the day a lot better, granted it was at 1100pm or so, but still...totally brightened my day and made me feel like the most important person in the world - much more so than would any answer given in class, "A" on a test/paper, or completion of a project at work.
While this post may appear vague to some, I think it'll be clear to the one person that it need to be. Moral of the story - don't over look the small things that people say and/or do for you; sometimes they can make all the difference in the world - or at least, all the difference to you.
-J
Anyway, aside from her reminder, it was something that happened tonight that was the real inspiration for this blog post. There was nothing remarkable about my day - I didn't give any great answers in class, didn't accomplish a whole lot in the line of work or homework, and didn't really do anything that made me feel overly impressed with myself. However, after talking with my girlfriend, T, for a while tonight she said that she'd "wait...patiently" for something to happen (I'm sure there'll be more on this topic at a later time). For whatever reason, that made the day a lot better, granted it was at 1100pm or so, but still...totally brightened my day and made me feel like the most important person in the world - much more so than would any answer given in class, "A" on a test/paper, or completion of a project at work.
While this post may appear vague to some, I think it'll be clear to the one person that it need to be. Moral of the story - don't over look the small things that people say and/or do for you; sometimes they can make all the difference in the world - or at least, all the difference to you.
-J
27 January 2008
Thesis: the beginning
Good afternoon. Today is Sunday, which means that it's the end of my "weekend" and tomorrow is the beginning of a new week filled with classes, projects, work, and no doubt more homework than can possibly done in a 5-day period. I'm sure that many of you are familiar with this realization - kind of puts a damper on the fun that you're supposed to have on the weekend, doesn't it? Though I've realized that as I get older the less fun that I'm allowed to have on the weekends...c'est la vie...*sigh*...
In any case, I have a new thing to discuss. As I mentioned in my "About Me" section, I'm a graduate student working towards my masters degree in industrial/organizational psychology. For those who have no idea what this means (I'm still trying to figure it out myself) it's basically psychology applied to the business world (no, there's no counseling "sick" people, no working with schizophrenics, none of the "cool" things that you generally think of psychologists doing; sorry to disappoint). Personally, my interests lie in employment law, compensation, affirmative action plans, benefits, etc. That's right folks; I want to do the boring things that most people run from!
So the point of today's message (yes, there is one, I promise) is that I've officially started my thesis. I'm in the very beginning stages of my literature search/review, but I'm pumped! It's amazing what a little research can do for a person.
Because this blog is getting rather long, I'll end it here. I'm sure that you'll learn more of my thesis and my frustrations therewith as this blog gets older. Have a great day and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
In any case, I have a new thing to discuss. As I mentioned in my "About Me" section, I'm a graduate student working towards my masters degree in industrial/organizational psychology. For those who have no idea what this means (I'm still trying to figure it out myself) it's basically psychology applied to the business world (no, there's no counseling "sick" people, no working with schizophrenics, none of the "cool" things that you generally think of psychologists doing; sorry to disappoint). Personally, my interests lie in employment law, compensation, affirmative action plans, benefits, etc. That's right folks; I want to do the boring things that most people run from!
So the point of today's message (yes, there is one, I promise) is that I've officially started my thesis. I'm in the very beginning stages of my literature search/review, but I'm pumped! It's amazing what a little research can do for a person.
Because this blog is getting rather long, I'll end it here. I'm sure that you'll learn more of my thesis and my frustrations therewith as this blog gets older. Have a great day and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
24 January 2008
The beginning
And so begins my journey as a new blogger. To be honest, I'm not really sure what all will appear here - hopefully something interesting.
Hm...so I suppose I should explain the name of my blog - Dulcius ex Asperis, This is a motto that I consider on a daily basis; one that I try to always think about and, for the most part, live by. Originally I hadn't planned on translating it for everyone - I figured that would take the fun away, but then I figured that it'd be difficult to talk about if you didn't know what it meant. "Dulcius ex Asperis" is Latin, or at least I think it is and it means sweetness through difficulty. Basically, through the hard and/or bad times will come the good times.
I feel as though this is a phrase that could do everyone a little good. Don't be afraid of hard work - it'll take you places. Nowhere have I learned this more than in graduate school. As I mentioned in my "About Me" section, I'm working toward my masters degree in industrial/organizational psychology - for those of you who've no idea what that means, stay tuned as I'm sure I'll both explain and talk about it later on.
Alright, that's it for tonight. Thanks very much for stopping by and reading my little blog. Until next time...
-J
Hm...so I suppose I should explain the name of my blog - Dulcius ex Asperis, This is a motto that I consider on a daily basis; one that I try to always think about and, for the most part, live by. Originally I hadn't planned on translating it for everyone - I figured that would take the fun away, but then I figured that it'd be difficult to talk about if you didn't know what it meant. "Dulcius ex Asperis" is Latin, or at least I think it is and it means sweetness through difficulty. Basically, through the hard and/or bad times will come the good times.
I feel as though this is a phrase that could do everyone a little good. Don't be afraid of hard work - it'll take you places. Nowhere have I learned this more than in graduate school. As I mentioned in my "About Me" section, I'm working toward my masters degree in industrial/organizational psychology - for those of you who've no idea what that means, stay tuned as I'm sure I'll both explain and talk about it later on.
Alright, that's it for tonight. Thanks very much for stopping by and reading my little blog. Until next time...
-J
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