t shirt friday january 2009

While nowhere near as lovely as our wondrous nursemyra, i nonetheless thought i’d play along again.  just because.  nurse had a slightly medical theme, so i dug up a shirt from a great trip to Glacier National Park…

Glacier Paramedics

They all sound like fun

i got a kick out of the blatant marketing for business by that fine group…

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Begging for Phones

I have the kidlets on one of those family cell phone plans.  Theoretically cheaper, especially when you consider calls to each other don’t count against minutes.

Daughter Person has been bugging me for a new phone for some time.  The way the contract works, you can get a new phone any time you want.  But if you want a discount price, you have to wait until the current contract expires, then sign a new 2-year contract.  I can live with that.

She pinged me again recently with this e-mail – – –

=================

Hello Paternal Giver-of-Life,
Could you find out for me when the first day/last day I can get a new phone under the contract is? (I forget how it works).  I think mine needs to be sent to a home soon (next time you talk to it, try and get it to see it’s best for the whole family).  That way I can plan better.
Thank you!
Love,
Daughter Person*

p.s. I got my GRE scores and my writing score went up as well as my verbal!! Now I’m much more competitive for those merit-based fellowships–that’s a good investment right there, my friend.

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Yeah, I included her “p.s.” sort of as a proud pop preen.

Anyway… I really get a kick out of her writing style in her notes to me.  Especially that greeting to me.  Makes me smile.

But, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was rehearsing for my more senior years —

“….I think mine needs to be sent to a home soon (next time you talk to it, try and get it to see it’s best for the whole family)…”

Was she rehearsing for me in later life?

Yep, gonna have to keep an eye on her…

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*Yeah, we use that name for her between us in ‘real’ life, too.

Growing Old, Not Up

As mentioned a few times before, I’m mumblety-two years old.  Let’s just say I watched Ike through the slats of my crib on the ol’ black and white television with all of three channels.

Admittedly, that’s chronological age.  Emotionally I’m still a kid.  I like to play.

I was talking recently with a friend in more or less the same line of work* about how difficult it is in a career to balance work and play.  If you act like you want and play, even if you are very capable at what you do, you don’t go up the corporate ladder.  However, if you “act your age”, you’re liable to burn out and become painfully cynical.  Me?  I’m in the second phase of my career.  In the first phase, I was smart enough to rise up the corporate ladder.  I also saw the rare other high level executives who could still play, while being effective and efficient at their jobs.  Therefore, I thought I could as well.  That philosophy came crashing down when I hurt my neck crashing into the “act your age” glass ceiling.  While those other executives snuck through, I was stopped cold.  And done.  And cynical.

But not dead.  I came back in a similar job in the same bureaucracy, but starting over.

I’m trying to recapture the playfulness, both personally and at work.  Work is too serious to be taken seriously.  Hell, LIFE is much too serious to be taken seriously.  You need to work hard—and live seriously—yes, but have fun doing so.

Two events helped me see this is both harder…and easier…than I thought it would be.

First was a mandatory workshop set up by my bosses.  It was intended to teach us to think creatively and synergistically to solve problems.  On
arriving at the workshop, I was delighted to see little toys — legos, plastic cars, bouncy balls, crayons.  The workshop facilitators hit it right away–“You need to have fun at your job to be creative at your job.”  Excellent!!  Finally an advocate of the way I like to work.  I fell full throttle into the class.  I was multi-processing, playing with the toys while still listening to the facilitator and participating in the exercises.  Those around me (who happened to be from my office) were doing the same.  Comes the first break and a facilitator walks up to us, “I’ve been asked to tell you to tone it down.  You’re having fun is distracting the others from their learning.”  “Okay, let me get this straight… having fun is distracting from learning that having fun is essential to job creativity?”  “Right.”  My energy for support and participation in the workshop went from 100% to 0% in a matter of moments.  I used much of the remainder of the meeting using the crayons…quietly…to write over and over, “Shut Up And Color”.

It’s going to be hard…

The second was a recent and brief interlude in life.  A passing moment.  I went shopping at one of those warehouse stores and bought a bunch of
stuff for my condo.  It was very busy that day and I had to park quite a distance away.  Feeling the need, I started running with the shopping cart, getting it up to speed, then jumping on the back for a ride down the parking aisle (visions of the movie ‘Titanic’, on the bowsprit, “I’m the king of the world!!”).  It was exhilarating.  Whenever the cart slowed down, I repeated the process.  Just before getting to my car…and just as I had jumped off…a car comes pulling up beside me.  The lady driving rolled down the window and hollered, “Hey!”  Now, she looked to be about my age, as well as seeming a no-nonsense mom type.  Just because I’m mumblety-two doesn’t mean I won’t react to a Mom calling me to task.  I looked at her sheepishly**, already feeling busted for the crime of exuberance.  Then she stuck her lecturing finger out at me.  I’m thinking,  Uh-oh.  The ‘lecturing finger’!  I’m really in for it now.”  Then her words came out, slowly and deliberately, “Don’t. You. Ever. Stop. Playing.”  Shock…Escape…Vindication!  She went on to say we’re all too serious in life and a little bit of happiness should be pursued wherever you can find it.  I thanked her profusely and wished her a happy day.

It’s not going to be that hard…

Balance?  Yep, still working on it.  More so, I need to work on not giving a crap what others think.

…and just have fun.

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*meaning they more or less understand me and how i relate to my job…more or less…

**baaaaaa!!!!!

Missed Opportunity

Dammit!  i missed the deadline to apply.  maybe next year.  anyone with me on this one?  at a minimum, please remind me?

I’m thinking i can qualify as a sexual “scholar” as a minimum.  Or at least an eager “practitioner”?

I’m also wondering how one can get qualified as one of those “sexual experts” who serve on the selection committee… I need another career…

================================

The Center of Excellence for Sexual Health

2008-2009 Fellowship Program

Application Instructions Guide

Thank you for your interest in the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health (CESH) Fellowship Program. Please use this guide while you are completing the application process. All instructions must be followed exactly otherwise the application will not be considered. If you have questions, please contact Carey Bayer, EdD, RN, CESH Fellowship Director at cbayer@msm.edu.

Eligibility

The program welcomes applications from scholars, journalists, and health practitioners who can demonstrate a commitment to improving the sexual health of others, especially those who represent underserved communities. The selection committee will award four fellowships. Applicants must hold at least a BA/ BS or its equivalent obtained from an accredited United States or foreign university at the time of the application deadline. Those who have completed more advanced graduate studies, such as medical training, are also welcome to apply. Minorities and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. There are no citizenship requirements for the CESH Fellowship Program, though this is not a sponsoring Fellowship for residency or visa renewal purposes.

Fellowship Schedule

The first class of fellows will begin September 2, 2008 and conclude on July 2, 2009. Fellows will be given off the standard Morehouse School of Medicine holidays.

Selection Committee

Fellowship candidates will be chosen by a selection committee of sexual health and community leadership experts based on the strength of the essays submitted as well as having demonstrated commitment to community leadership in sexual health.

Application Information

The application must be completed online and supplemental documents uploaded at cesh.msm.edu

The Application Components include:

1. Three recommendation letters and school transcripts (one original) for each completed degree

2. The online application form

3. Three essays (uploaded in the online application form)

CESH Fellowship Application Instructions 2

CI Homage 23Jan09

Floating down a stream of consciousness, Alice lazed idly in thoughtful waters.

With a circumspect hand, she lackadaisically stirred up the sediment of abandoned ideas which had settled to the bottom.

She watched the concepts swirl, entwining incestuously for brief affairs of hypothesis, only to withdraw again in solicitous self reverie.

Alice’s musings became nightmare as Nick, with a gratuitous shout of “Cowabunga!”, absent-mindedly cannonballed into her thoughts.

“Witless twit,” muttered Alice, drifting back to reality.

She blotted herself with happy notions and glided off to face the coming brainstorm.

They’re BACK!

Just when you thought it was safe… they’re baaa-ack!

Yes, another Sciuridae attack.  As I have reported before, this is a chronic and heinous pattern of crime sprees by these squirrelish rodentia!  This time, it was innocent young children!!  When will the horror end?  The CNN report is below.  FLAMES this time!

When Squirrels Attack!

(image stolen from a Flickr Site)

There have been efforts by vigilantes that have had some success.  But, with the new administration starting at full speed today, surely they will put this as a highest priority.  Write your Congressperson NOW!  Think of the children!

And seek out their leader, U.K.  Seek him out, hunt him down, and teach him a squirrelly lesson he’ll never forget!

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Firefighters: Flaming Squirrel To Blame In Jones Wildfire

Students Moved From Elementary To High School

POSTED: 11:16 am CST January 21, 2009
UPDATED: 1:41 pm CST January 21, 2009

JONES, Okla. — A squirrel caught fire, sparking a blaze Wednesday
morning that resulted in the evacuation of an elementary school in
Jones, fire officials said.

Wildfire Forces School Evacuation
Raw Video: Jones Wildfire
Crews Battle Wildfire In NW OKC

Investigators said the squirrel touched two power lines at the same time
and fell to the ground near Britton and Hiawassee roads.

That fire burned 5 acres in the Jones area, forcing the evacuation of
the elementary school. Those students were taken to Jones High School.

School officials said the students would be kept at the high school for
the rest of the day. Parents will be able to pick them up at the normal
time, although some parents have already come to the school to pick up
kids.

Several trailers burned in the fire. However, there were no known
reports of injuries.

Stay tuned to KOCO.com for any further details.

Inaugural Observations

happy man, happy country (AP Photo)

Barack Obama.

He’s our new President.  Officially official.

The folks in the office took over one of the conference rooms and rigged the TV to play through the projector so that we could watch.  I’m sure there’ll be tons of blog posts about this day, but why should I let that stop me from doing so as well?  Many will reek of commentary and editorial, often leaning far right or far left.  This will be just some observations, with only minor editorial comment.

–  I think President Bush was looking awfully relieved to be giving up the office.

–  All the big guests were introduced by their full names, e.g., George Walker Bush and William Jefferson Clinton.  So why was President Obama introduced as Barack H. Obama?  His middle name is Hussein… let’s get over it people.

o   Ahhh, but he did take the oath of office using his full name.  Good!

–  The pastor giving the invocation was too damned long winded.

–  Aretha Franklin was introduced to sing a musical number.  I suggested to my office mates…and not to their pleasure… that it would be “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”.

–  She did sing “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee”.  As many famous singers do, she gave it her own twist on phrasing the words around the music.  However, what I heard when she started out?  “My Count…….try ‘tis of thee…”.  A rather unfortunate delay there, Aretha.

–  Loved the musical number with Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and others.  Impressed they could keep the instruments in tune in that frigid cold wind.

–  I liked that President Obama stumbled a bit on the oath of office.  He’s a real person!  He’s human!

–  On the briefing screen through our work cheap-ass projector?  President Obama looks green.  Or maybe he was just a bit woozy from that kick ass throw down kegger party the night before.

–  I am proud that my fellow countrymen…and me… elected this man.  Me!  A lifelong moderate Republican.  And happy that I did vote for him.

–  I heard shades of “New Deal, 21st century version”

–  I’m guessing all my engineer and scientist friends must have been geek-a-rific thrilled that Obama mentioned a refocus on science and technology.  Yeah, it was just a mention.  But in political speeches, that’s all it takes to show an administration’s intent.

–  I especially pray that the plentiful idiots in this country will let this man have a chance to govern.  I’m not just talking about the hate groups who have and will continue to threaten his life.  I’m also talking about the political twits who will want to either block him from doing his job or try to impose their own political will, slowing down the process.  Let. The. Man. Lead.

–  I am very heartened for this country’s future!

And now, President Obama?  Off to work.  You certainly have a shitload of it ahead of you.

Addenda:  …and I just saw the CNN web site where it says that Obama inspires Ashton Kucher and Demi Moore… I couldn’t give less than a rat’s ass about them.  Obama is here to inspire a nation, not the self-indulgent prima dons and donnas who think they speak for the people.  Inspire the people themselves, Obama!  (okay, I guess I did get into a bit of editorializing there… this just pisses me off that overpaid and pretentious actors have such sway on our thinking).

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