Donation/ Scholarship Thank You

In a more scholarship-oriented vein, an important letter to know about is the thank you for a scholarship or donation. The thank you for a gift of money is as simple as when someone hands you something you've asked for.

Donor Name

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

Date

Dear Donor, 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity in funding the Scholarship Name that I received this year as part of my financial aid package. I feel very fortunate to have been chosen as a recipient of this award. 

I am currently in class year majoring in subject and I plan to graduate in Month Year with a degree. While I attend School Name full/part-time, insert some personal information to create a connection with the donor. I am truly grateful for the assistance that I am receiving because of your thoughtful gift. When I graduate, I hope that I can use what I have learned at school to make a difference in people's lives, just as you have made a difference in mine. 

Thank you again for the generous contribution which made my scholarship possible. 

Sincerely, 

Signature
Name
Educational Institution

You want to make the letter your own. Personalize it with what information you feel is appropriate: if you're not comfortable with providing a lot of personal information, talk about what your program is doing and what you're learning (this is information which the donor can obtain from the syllabus). With the school year beginning, this is the opportune moment to express gratitude for those who allow fiscal stability in education. 

This format works best for a printed and mailed letter, however, to simplify and transition it into e-mail formatting you may remove the mailing addresses. 

Just a thought...
Stephie

Important Letters

As life progresses I've learned that respect and consideration are some of our most powerful and best tools for proceeding. While in the heat of the moment you may not want to sugar-coat your message it is commonly accepted that less is more in various business settings.

I have been blessed with an exceptional education, but it has not prepared me as well as it should have for life in the business world. I recently discovered this when attempting to terminate my business relationship with a long-time employer.

When I was struggling with my resignation letter I discovered there are quite a few letters young people haven't been taught to write, let along make their own. A quick internet search will reveal dozens of templates; in my next few posts, I'll present my examples for different letters.

Cover Letter
Interview Follow-Up/ Thank you
Resignation/ Two Weeks' Notice
Donor Gratitude
Apology

Herd Immunity

Until a few months ago, the idea of Herd Immunity wasn't really something I'd considered, yet it was, and continues to be, something which protects me from more than simply Polio or Diphtheria. Herd Immunity is something which protects us all from more dangerous forms of diseases such as Chickenpox or the Flu. 

     The theory is that enough people are immunized against the disease or illness that those who cannot get vaccinated are protected through the people around them. With all the 'conversation' in the media about having children vaccinated, I decided to take a deeper look at what exactly Herd Immunity is.

     The TED Talks folks have posted a video of Dr. Romina Libster's presentation to the TEDxRiodelaPlata conference. Her video is in Spanish with English subtitles (more languages are available at TED.com), and explains the evolution of H1N1 in her hometown. Dr. Libster is a medical researcher who looks at respiratory viruses and looks for ways to prevent their spread. 

     While less entertaining than the video by Penn and Teller, Dr Libster's presentation makes a complex idea more bite-sized and palatable. 

Just a thought...

Stephie

Death of Balder

     The Norse goddess Frigga and her husband Odin were overjoyed when Frigga gave birth to her beloved son Balder. Balder grew strong and handsome, he was known as the god of Truth and Light, much admired and loved by the other Norse gods and goddesses. He grew to adulthood and married a vegetation goddess, their home became a haven where only truth could pass.
     When Balder began to have nightmares about his death his fellow gods took the dreams seriously and sought out the potential source of his demise. Frigga  traveled the nine worlds and asked every plant, creature, and inanimate object for its promise to never harm her son. In her journey she overlooked the small mistletoe plant, but it was a harmless little plant and Frigga saw little reason to worry. When she returned the gods began drinking in celebration and decided to test Balder's invincibility.
     Taking turns, each god threw first stones, then weapons at Balder. When they bounced off his body without harm it became sport. The trickster god, Loki, however was not amused at their games and went to Frigga in disguise. After much questioning, he discovered the mistletoe plant had been overlooked. Loki then fashioned a spear of the small plant and convinced Balder's blind brother, Hod, to take part in the festivities. Hod threw the missile at Loki's direction and it struck Balder, killing him immediately. The Norse gods were stunned. They built their greatest funeral pyre and mourned the god of Truth and Light, but sought Loki for his treachery.
     Loki hid from the other gods and continued his mischief. Hel, the goddess of Death, offered to return Balder if every thing in the nine worlds wept tears of grief for his death. The only holdout was the giantess Thok, Loki in disguise and Balder was kept in the realm of Death. Loki was eventually captured and punished: imprisoned in a cave with venom dripping on him until the end of days Ragnarok.

Does the Major Matter?

I get a lot of flack for having chosen English in college, as opposed to Education or Biology or Mathematics, but especially in comparison to Business. Most people aren't too surprised though--I'm very vocal about my love of reading. Recently, though, I've spoken to several former classmates and they're usually stunned when I tell them it doesn't matter what your degree is in, as long as you can sell it to an employer. 

     Now, I don't mean that someone with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature should be performing open-heart surgery--definitely go get your medical doctorate and specialize in cardiology, then have at it. I mean that for most positions I've come across, the degree itself is what matters. There will always be jobs and positions where a specialized degree is helpful, but just as important is the ability to sell your degree to the employer. 

     Recently I came across an article that explains (somewhat sarcastically) why humanities majors should be considered--with our indirect specialties and rounded curriculum--and why you're "An Idiot" if you don't hire from the humanities. More helpful was a webpage I discovered when I was looking for work--while it didn't help directly with finding a job, it gave me a jumping-off point for my search. 

     My point, I guess is that so long as you're hard working, passionate, and can apply what you do it doesn't matter what your degree is in, so long as you finish. But please, if you want to become a medical doctor or work in a field that requires a specialized degree, go get that specialized degree. 

What Do You Mean "You Don't Know"? - Psoriasis

     You'd think that having some sort of medical conundrum you'd understand it about as well as the experts can explain. I always find it hilarious, then, when someone asks about my psoriasis and the best way to explain it is through metaphor.
     Psoriasis (said: so-RYE-uh-sis) is an auto-immune disorder in which the immune system attacks the body. Simple enough: but then the brave or curious soul will ask "Why?" For that no one has an answer. The best thing I've ever come up with it that my immune system doesn't work the same way a normal person's does; whatever it is that tells your body to stop growing new skin, to stop attacking what's making you sick, or to just relax, doesn't work properly in my system. So, my body is always at war with itself.
     I don't get the questions as much as I used to (most people are terrified how I'll take it if they ask) which makes sense as I grow older and the people I surround myself with either know or understand I won't explode at them. But absolutely I love when little kids ask, partly because their parents are horrified and they don't know yet what a social muck they've gotten themselves into, but mostly because little kids just ask then accept. Once they discover they won't get it, they go back to their other eight billion questions.
     One of the down-sides to psoriasis, though, is that my immune system doesn't fight things that make me sick as well as other people's. I get everything! If someone two streets down has strep throat, I'll have it next week; if someone has the flu, I'll catch it later today; if you've got a cold, thanks, now so do I. On one hand my system has learned how to get over illnesses quickly and I've got an amazing ability to continue functioning when most people will be curled under their covers praying for relief, on the other I forget what it's like not to have some sort of cold or sniffle.

      So what do the experts know about psoriasis? Not a lot... It's genetic, but we don't know how people get it. The immune system functions differently, but we don't know why. There are 5 types of what they call lesions--most normal people call them spots: plaque psoriasis, Guttate (GUH-tate), inverse, pustular, and erythrodermic.
     Plaque psoriasis is the most common type. It's described as raised patches of skin with a "silvery-white build up of dead skin"--in essence your skin is raw underneath and dead on top. They can be anywhere, but are most often found on joints--knees, elbows, lower back--and in the scalp. It doesn't sound too bad, like a scab of old skin, but these 'scabs' can crack and bleed, and when you pull them off you take the healthy living layer off with the plaques. Your raw skin is exposed to the elements that it isn't mature enough for--imagine a sunburn on your chapped lips, that's about how it feels.
     Guttate is the next most common type of psoriasis. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), 10% of people with psoriasis develop this type of lesion. It starts in childhood or early adulthood and is characterized by small separate red spots on the skin. They're like bright red thumbprints all over your body, usually found on the trunk, but can be anywhere. Guttate psoriasis is usually accompanied by other types of lesions and a breakout can be brought on by anything from an infection to stress. In my experience they aren't as painful--the skin is still flexible and moves, but it will pull as it dries after a shower or swimming.
     Inverse psoriasis is commonly found in folds of skin. It looks like a burn--the skin is smooth, red, and shiny--and it is more prone to irritation from rubbing. For the most part it manifests in smaller patches because of the moist environment of skin folds, but like plaque and Guttate psoriasis many people have inverse psoriasis at the same time as other types.
     Pustular psoriasis usually looks like white blisters across the skin. In fact, it is made of white pustules (defined as blisters) filled with white blood cell pus and surrounded by red, newly growing skin. Elements of pustular psoriasis cycle through raw patches to scabbing and pustules. The pus is not contagious, though it is uncomfortable to know you've got pus all over your arms and/or legs, and it is not an infection. There are factors that seem to induce a breakout including pregnancy, emotional stress, and ingested medicines.
     The last major type of psoriasis is Erythrodermic (eh-REETH-ro-der-mik). It is a more serious type of lesion and if you have an outbreak the NPF advises you contact a doctor immediately as it can be "life threatening". Erythrodermic is a rare type of psoriasis that covers large parts of the body causing inflammation and usually appears in only 3% of the population with psoriasis. People with unstable plaque psoriasis are more likely to have this type of psoriasis--when they say unstable they mean plaques with little or no definition around the edges. Severe pain and itching accompanies Erythrodermic psoriasis.

   
     There are a lot of different treatments for the different kinds of psoriasis and some treatments are more effective for some kinds than others. Treatments include phototherapy or light box, topical medicines, biologics used to keep the immune system from attacking the body, systemics like medicines used to treat psoriatic arthritis, and other treatments. Every type has benefits and drawbacks and some will work for one person while it makes another person worse. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for this disorder, just as there is no one-size-fits-all version of the disorder.

     I just hope the children growing up with psoriasis like I did grow to accept it. I was volunteering in an elementary school and a first grader came up to me one day; she was probably about six and was wearing a long sleeved shirt even though it was a gorgeous day outside--the first I'd worn short sleeves for--and she asked me what I had on my arm. I smiled and told her about it and she pulled back her sleeve to show me a smaller version of my rampant plaque psoriasis. "I have that too!" she said, surprised. I asked her what she does to make it feel better and she didn't really have an answer, just that her mom helped with lotion. I told her some of my treatments and that playing in the sun usually helped me, "That's why I'm wearing short sleeves today." She went off to class after what was probably a two-minute conversation and the next time I saw her she was running around in a t-shirt just like the other kids.
     To be able to help anyone understand this is a part of you, just like red hair or brown eyes, was probably one of the best things this disorder has ever given me. You have to be yourself and take care of yourself, ignoring something that's such a huge part of your life--and always will be--is only going to make it all harder. It sounds corny, but I'm glad I got to talk to that little girl and I hope she'll talk to someone else and help them accept it.

Just a thought...
Stephie

History Day

     When I was in high school I participated in a program called National History Day. It's a pretty cool idea to get kids involved in history and thinking about the events that changed the world--though they definitely don't realize they're doing it. At least, I didn't realize that I was learning about world-changing events and their consequences.
     This year the theme was Rights and Responsibilities and the projects were all good choices. Where I became more and more frustrated over the course of the day was in their inability to string words into complete sentences. Now, I understand that twelve to fifteen-year-olds won't have the same confidence with language that I do after sixteen years of education, but they can at least build a sentence that makes its point without throwing me into a maelstrom of confusion at the mere sight of it.
     I was actually proud to see the projects and see how everything has changed because of the technology available. When we completed our exhibit (I was in a group with two other young ladies) we had to go to the library for primary sources or ask the librarian for help finding and having them sent to us. Now there are so many archives online students can find and access without too much stress that they have more informed presentations and they are more connected to not only their history but also current events.
     The competition is good for the students if they 're hoping to move forward to college and, in my experience, gives them something to strive for academically. The experience is similar to what I experienced working on projects in college--not only do you need to understand research methods, but you must know how to convey your argument clearly and concisely.
     I enjoy working with the program and my greatest frustrations rise when students don't give their best efforts then hope to convince me, as a judge, that it is their top work. Sorry kiddos, been there, done that, I still have the paper somewhere. It's a good program and deserves recognition for introducing young teens to the process and rigor of academic research.

Back to School--Without the School

     It's August and that means time for school to start. This year is different for me though; I'm not going back to school. For the first time in seventeen years I won't be donning that new-school outfit and worrying about where I'm supposed to be and when, hoping I don't walk into the wrong class, and hoping I'll be on time. It is sort of a surreal feeling, but not a bad one.
     There is some of that nostalgia everyone says you'll have when you graduate. For some reason I didn't really have time for it after high school, but now that I'm leaving my friends, coworkers, and fellow Lutes, I'm starting to get what everyone was talking about.
     Why now? Well, I'm in my last week of work at the University and saying goodbye to people I've spent the last four years worrying over tests, schedules, and building relationships with is becoming more and more difficult. Today I realized we all have been only getting so close at work; the great friendships are formed by people who have class together or see each other outside of work. This week is letting us cut loose a little and have some fun. That fun is letting us get to know each other better and making it harder to let go and move on.
     I'm glad for all the friends I've made in college: from class, work, clubs, and other extra-curriculars come different kinds of people and different friendships. That's going to be what I miss the most, not the endless readings, not the twelve page papers due in two weeks, not the professors who want your entire attention while the groundskeepers are mowing the lawn outside, the friends and experiences you can only get in a place where so many people are trying to discover themselves outside of their pasts and the influences that make them into children.
     What will I do? I don't know. Maybe find a job, pay off those pesky student loans, and become the adult I always wanted to be. But not all grown-up, I'll still remember how it felt every September to look in that mirror and think, who am I going to be this year? I'm going to be me, just a little bit different.

Just a thought...
Stephie

Graduation!!

      Yesterday was Graduation Day for my university! On one hand I'm ecstatic to be finished with my undergraduate years, but on the other I'm going to miss all the friends and the experiences and I'm terrified of the "real world." These last four years have been some great times, starting with my freshman year and learning how to function again after tearing my knee apart and having surgery to fix it and finishing with this last year and the insanity of Capstone and preparation for today--my first day as a college graduate.
     There's that worry and stress about "What are you going to do after college?" Well, apparently I'm going to sit on my computer and talk to the world... I don't have a long-term job lined up like some of my classmates, but I'm positive about discovering what I enjoy and working toward the goals I've set for myself. I'm willing to let those goals change, and move with where the world flings me. I'm not exactly just letting it happen, as my family thinks, but I will look around and maybe do something a little unconventional for a while.
     What will I do after college? I will have fun, make people smile, read for pleasure, do my own research on topics that fascinate me, and I will cultivate the relationships my undergraduate years have allowed me to develop. But I will start all of that by packing up my apartment and moving back home until I have that semi-permanent job and can afford my own place.

     I want to say "Thank You" to all of my wonderful friends, my crazy family, and the myriad of professors, mentors, fellow students, and other people that have supported me, pushed me, and been the person I prove wrong when I accomplish the impossible--you have helped to create the person I am today.

Just a thought...
Stephie

The Universal Unit System

     This semester I took a Ballroom class at my university and it was fascinating. Not only did we learn the dances (Country Two-Step, Cha Cha, Waltz, Tango, Nightclub Two-Step, and some others) but we learned about the Universal Unit System which is a way that you can measure music to make it easier to learn. It was designed by Skippy Blair and it is a pretty awesome way to learn difficult dances. 

     We had to write a paper to show we understood the concepts from class, here's some of it: 

     The Universal Unit System is designed to describe the weight changes in dance. Each two beats of music is one unit and the weight changes can be described in three ways: single, double, and triple. A single unit is one where there is only one weight change in the two beats. A double is two weight changes in those two beats, and a triple is three weight changes in two beats of music. There are two different types of single unit: a standard and a delayed single. A delayed single differs from the standard or regular single in that the weight change is on the second beat of the unit, rather than the first. There is also an empty unit where the dancer does not have a weight change.

     How these measurements appear on paper is with dots and slashes. The single unit will have either a dot and slash or a slash and dot—the dot is a weight change while the slash is a hold of some sort: a tap, ronde, or some other movement that does not shift weight from one foot to the other. The double unit will have two dots for a single unit, and the triple will have two large dots with a smaller one in the middle. This smaller dot means the triple step is syncopated: it doesn’t have an even distribution of the time between steps. The steps are placed against cards measured for the beat of the song. In the case of a Country Two-step, the dance is set to 4/4 time (4 beats of music with the quarter note determining the beat) and the steps are single, single, double. It looks like:  The “&a” between each count is how the space between each beat is measured. How 

this is counted is a “slo-ow, slo-ow, quick, quick, slo-ow, slo-ow, quick, quick” saying each syllable on a beat. The difference in the notation between a slow in Country Two-Step and a staccato dance like Tango is a smaller dot below the dot like musical notation has a small dot to indicate staccato.

     I really enjoyed the class and this system is something I think I'll be able to use in the future when I try to learn new dances.

Just a thought...

Stephie

Boomerang Nebula

Hubble Space Telescope

     So I was talking to a friend today and we got into some pretty interesting stuff about science and the universe. Bottom line is that this guy knows a whole lot about physics for a history major. He told me about this place that's known as the coldest naturally occurring place in the universe: the Boomerang Nebula. Apparently it's in the Centaurus constellation and it's colder than actual space.
     The Nebula has such a cold temperature because it's releasing gas from the star's core and expanding at a rate of 164 km/s. It's located 5 thousand light years away and is pretty neat. The scientists who first saw it in 1980 only saw the Nebula's bend, but after viewing through the Hubble Space Telescope some scientists now call it the Bowtie Nebula.
     There are places that are colder, such as Wolfgang Ketterle's lab at MIT in Cambridge, where temperatures have reached 810 trillionths of a farenheit degree above absolute zero, but the Boomerang Nebula is the coldest known naturally occurring place in the universe. It's incredible!

Just a thought...
Stephie

Library Woes

     Yesterday I made a trip to the library with my grandmother: not a completely unusual occurrence, but it was not what I expected. Instead of going to the library we normally visit, we stopped by a branch closer into town and I was surprised at the difference between both size of the building and the selection. At our usual library the main room is probably sixty feet long and eighty feet wide. The entire selection of books, movies, audiobooks, music and the public computers take up that space. The fiction section at the library we visited yesterday was about the same size. What made it unexpected was the fact that we're in the same county and run by the same library system.
     My question is: why? Why is a library is the same system--in a more populated, yet more rural area--so much smaller than one closer to town? Wouldn't the thought be, if the library is one of the only modes of entertainment and public enhancement make it more varied and bigger? I don't understand. Okay, I understand that the system wouldn't want a larger library in an area where people wouldn't use it, but if the library was larger, it follows that more people would be able to use it. I guess my largest frustration is that I have read most of the selection at the local library, and now I have to go to other branches if I want to explore something new.
     On the plus side, I now know that particular library has a good selection of general fiction, and a spectacular media section. I think I'll send in a letter to the main office.

Just a thought...
Stephie

Back to the Grind

It's 2013!

     It was a crazy year, 2012: at least four "apocalypses", a Presidential Election, and some very influential decisions made in Washington State. Yet, we're all still here. What are some of your favorite memories from 2012? Did you ever keep those New Year's Resolutions that we're always making? What are some of the things you wouldn't change for the world?
     I'm back to school after a wonderful Christmas Break full of friends and family. New Year's was great, the party went as planned, and we had a great group of friends there. We counted down that last ten seconds to the new year and watched the Seattle Space Needle firework show on the local news. Then there was the NYC celebration, the flurry of text messages and phone calls from family and friends, and the midnight toast. Overall it was a great time and a fun way to ring in the new year.
     But now we're back. I learned yesterday that my entire January schedule was wrong: my class starts at 11:30 rather than 2:30 and goes Monday through Friday instead of starting Tuesdays. That doesn't seem like much of a change, except that it's right during the time I was scheduled to work. The frustration of figuring out how to balance all of our schedules and have someone on duty at all times is starting to get annoying, simply because January has a completely different schedule than the rest of the year. Anyway, everything is piling up, and homework is still a huge factor in what all of us Lutes are doing this month, but it's great to be back and have everyone else around.

Just a thought...
Stephie

School Shooting--Make Your Own Decisions

     This past Friday, there was a terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut: a classroom of kindergarteners and fourth graders, as well as some of the professionals at the school were killed. Now everyone is taking stances on the American Constitution's second Amendment--the right to bear arms. We seem to think because there is gun violence and people are going to abuse their right to protect themselves that taking away the ability for the average person to have a weapon is going to stop the people breaking laws.
     Here's my question: If people are going to use guns in the process of breaking the law, what makes our society think that the illegality of possessing a gun will stop gun violence and the breaking of law? If someone is going to break the law, making gun ownership illegal is not going to stop them. For example: one of the main arguments for why pot (marijuana) should be legal is that people are not going to stop using it.
     Yes, what happened Friday in Connecticut was a tragedy, twenty-some people lost their lives, parents lost their innocent children, and there will be a generation of children terrified and traumatized because of this experience. But, as sad as it is, this happens every day around the world: that same day 22 children and an elderly woman were stabbed in China outside an elementary school; July 20th of this year 12 people were killed and an additional 58 were injured when a gunman released teargas in a crowded theater release of the new Batman movie, then fired shots into the audience; a man near Newport Beach, California opened fire at a mall both Saturday and in a similar instance November 16th; and December 11th a man opened fire at the Clackamas Town Center mall near Portland, Oregon killing two people and severely injuring another.
     We live in our own little worlds, ignoring all the unpleasant things in our society until the media brings them to our attention. The local news may pick up on more of the tragedies that effect us directly, but this "head-in-the-sand" method of dealing with the dangers of life in a world where people don't respect each other is what will get us into real trouble. Be aware, not only of the 'crazies' that are out there killing people, but the people who are doing good in the world. Be aware of where you are and what you're doing. Be aware that the greatest dangers are of letting someone else make up your mind for you.

Just a thought....
Stephie

Does it Hook You and Drag You In?

     In reading for Capstone, I came across a literary critic who, just after his mother's death, used photography and photographic theory to try and recapture his mother. that was Roland Barthes' (said "Bart") foray into photography in Camera Lucidia, which was originally written in French. The fact that it was translated helps to understand why the actual words on the page don't always make sense.
     The main things Barthes talked about were the punctum, studium, and unary photograph. When he talked about these different ideas he used the word affect to describe the emotions it made him feel. The punctum is described as a detail in a photograph that hooks into the reader and draws their attention. Studium is something that you notice, but the attention doesn't get caught on. A unary photograph is a photo that is so perfectly composed that it doesn't do anything to the attention--the observer says "hmm" and walks away--like the pictures that come in picture frames.
     My argument is that everything has this sort of element--it's not in the art itself, but in the observer's experience. The three parts are dependent on each other to exist, but without the observer there is nothing for them to relate to and create the affect that Barthes seems so stuck on. I understood affect to be the emotional meaning that creates the three responses, when you look at a wedding photo you're usually happy because weddings are happy occasions.
     It's difficult to make my argument make sense to other people because I'm not applying a photographic theory to photography, so I have to explain as well as show that what I'm saying is not only possible, but also plausible. I'm enjoying the application of my take on Barthes's theory, but no matter how interesting I find it, explaining his theory is a pain.

Just a thought....
Stephie

Do I have ADD or is it my Generation?

     So I'm working on a giant paper that shall be the bane of my existence until it is complete, but I've noticed that lately I just can't focus for more than fifteen minutes at a time. Even when I can get those fifteen minute bursts to line up and form more than 45 minutes, there are three things I have to have on hand: 1. A cup of hot tea, 2. A clean working environment, and 3. My earbuds and music. The first two are more necessary when I want to sit down for more than twenty minutes, but the third is necessary for any work to be done. My question is: Why can't I work unless I block out the world with music?
     When my brother was little, his teacher wanted him to be checked out for ADHD (Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder)--he was seven and hyperactive as any seven-year-old boy is--the doctors concluded no, but a couple of the symptoms of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) linked with some of the behaviors that both my sister and I have been experiencing in the last couple years at college. Mainly the inability to focus for longer periods of time. Now, none of the doctors I've seen have said anything about having ADD, but I've noticed that when I can't hear the world around me, it's easier to focus. I've also noticed that I'm not the only one this works for.
     You can take a look at nearly any college library to find students listening to music while they study. This is the same group of students that can text and walk, listen to the television and hold a conversation, and play a video game while socializing with friends. Multi-tasking seems to be what we've been trained to do. I can keep track of four conversations at once, as long as I'm not actively involved in any of them, but why can't I just sit in a quiet room--even if I have my cup of tea and clean environment--and get anything done?
     There are a couple theories circulating that propose this inability to work without extraneous stimuli is a result of the multi-tasking my generation has been asked to do from such a young age. So why is my generation so different? We grew up with the computers, with the internet and all the flashing colors trying to get your attention, we have our portable music devices and our phones that all keep us going going going, and we've had them since we were little.
     I wonder about the children who are already experiencing what I've started going through in the last couple years: the lack of concentration without stimulation, what are they going to do in fifteen years when it all starts getting more pronounced? Will we have to have those sci-fi technologies where the computer display is in your head, just so the everyday person has enough background brain stimulation to focus on the foreground?
     Whatever happens, I just hope we realize that we're doing this to ourselves and our kids. Take the time to turn off all the electronics and interact with real people: they're way more stimulating and it eases the go-go-go of the brain.

Just a thought...
Stephie

Existentialism

     Nearly everyone I've talked to about existentialism has been confused about it. I'm a little confused how they can be so confused. From what I understand it's just the belief that existence is created from the choices and experiences of a person. Every person has the right to make their own decisions--this is where liberty and freedom come into it--and if a person doesn't have the freedom to make their own choices you're experiencing oppression. That's my understanding.
     Part of it though is a willingness to live with the consequences of your actions. I think that's where people get confused. We talk about how life isn't fair and how bad things happen to good people, which is true, but at the same time it's because the good people take responsibility for their actions that bad things happen to them. People I've classified as 'bad' in my life have had the tendency to let other people take the blame for their mistakes and missteps. And I've noticed that because the other people (the good people) are more willing to take the blame, even when it doesn't belong on their shoulders, the people I've always labelled 'bad' don't have to take responsibility for themselves.
     What happens when the 'good' people no longer are willing to take responsibility for someone else's actions? I like the ideas put forth by the school of Existentialism, for the most part, they make the world make sense.

Just a thought....
Stephie

Lost Friends

     It's getting on toward graduation season again. All you high-schoolers and college kids know what that means: the loss of relationships. But why does it have to be that way? With Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, and all the other facets of the internet, why do we still lose all those friends? Were some of them just friends of convenience, or was it really just time to break off the connection? I had friends that I spoke to every day; we knew everything that was going on in each others' lives, but when school got out and we went our separate ways we just stopped talking.
     On the other hand, I've had some of the same friends for years--despite moving away, graduating high school, and going to schools in different states with different focuses. Is it just that our personalities matched better, or was there something else going on? I had a graduating friend promise to keep in touch, swears that he's not very good at it, but says he will. I know he'll try, but what methods would keep everything together?
     Was it easier to keep in touch back before all the social media of the internet when everyone had to think about keeping in touch and take the effort writing down thoughts, emotions, experiences in letters? My grandmother receives something like two letters every day from people she went to school with, or people she knew while she taught in Japan.
     Maybe what's happening is just a natural transition: as a person moves to different chapters in life, they give up friendships and relationships to create new ones. When we move from chapter to chapter, we change as individuals, and the friendships from one portion of life don't fit together with the new person from the new chapters.
     I've known my best friend for nearly sixteen years (a lifetime, I know) and when we meet up it's like nothing has changed. Recently she met one of my new friends from college. It was a strange arrangement: the friendship we've shared for years is much more innocent than the newer one, but we communicate on a deeper level for the most part. Not to say my newer friend and I don't talk about the "deep stuff", but it's done in a more immediate manner.
     I guess the question I'm grappling with is: what makes a friendship or relationship last? Is it the constant communication or a deeper connection? Is it all thing things two people have in common or is it just two personalities fitting together like puzzle pieces?

I don't know. It was just a thought....
Stephie

Sasquatch

     I live in the Pacific Northwest, I have my entire life, and I still don't understand how people can't believe that there is something out there that we don't understand. I'm watching whatever this is on the History channel about Bigfoot. They keep talking about skunk apes and mutant gorillas, or even the missing link between humans and the apes. They've gotten a group of "experts" together to look into whatever the sightings might really be.
     They wonder what Bigfoot eats, where he lives, why he is secretive or hides, where did he come from, and what is he doing? They look at what Bigfoot had to evolve toward in order to survive. They mapped out where sightings have been reported, they're focused along the western coast in North America, and the experts compared that to what they believe to be the best climate for a large omnivorous ape. Supposedly they match almost perfectly. The sightings describe a tall, broad, hairy-looking man that walks on two legs, can run like a man or an ape, makes calls into the night and hunts in the forest.
     The scientists compare the Bigfoot sightings they're researching to the Loch Ness monster and to the Yeti as mythic creatures. When they compare the Bigfoot to creatures we know to exist they usually compare them to humans or to chimpanzees or gorillas. They talk about the Yeti living in the snow fields and being compared to the Mande Burung and the Yeren in Asia, and to the Oreng Pendek in Indonesia. These are creatures that have been seen for thousands of years and match a human ancestor called Heidelbergensis.
     The name Sasquatch is a native american term and the tales match up with each of these different ancient human examples. There is another theory that the Bigfoot creature is a modern human that has become the "Wild Man" and evolved to live in the wild. It wouldn't necessarily be a future example of humans, but a parallel species. They cite the similarity to humans in diet, shape, possible rituals, and purported sexual desire (apparently Sasquatch has an attraction to human women and the tribes of the Pacific Northwest take care to protect their female guests) to draw lines between human ancestors, giant apes, modern human cousins, or even modern homo sapiens.
     I'm just interested in what's out there. Is it a spiritual location for the native tribes where the shamans become wild people and transform into a completely different kind of person? Is there a cousin or ancestor to modern humans wandering the forests? Or is it just a trick of the eye? I think there is something out there; I know of at least one person who has seen something like the typical image of Sasquatch, and I'm sure there are more.
     There is some magic in the mystery of Sasquatch and the other Bigfoot, as well as in the Loch Ness creature. I don't understand why we, as a human collective, insist that there isn't something in the forests and waters of the world. One day we might know what's out there, but I hope that we still have some of the mystery that pervades our planet when we do discover what it is.



Just a thought...
Stephie

Managing Group Politics

     So I deal with one of our Residence Hall governments and we've been dealing with the politics of hiring a DJ and planning programs. We just finished an event and were going over what went well and what didn't go so well.
     The biggest thing we've discovered as a problem is discussions happening outside of the official channels. One student had asked to do music for a function and another student, one with the authority to say yes or no, didn't object. The hopeful DJ took that to mean he had the job, but the miscommunication contributed to an unsatisfactory result.
     It turns out the DJ was willing to use any music we wanted, but something stopped him from using his own music, and what we provided. So, he had a buddy bring in music. The friend's music was all of one type--dubstep--and it began to influence the event. In the end, the dance ended early because people weren't enjoying themselves or the music. An event that has been one of the biggest events of the year became a mediocre replica of what it had been, only because the lines of communication became blurry.
     Is this a normal thing that plagues all sorts of organizations? Or is it because we are inexperienced in this sort of thing? The group I'm working with is an amazing collection of passionate people working to make both their own college experience and their classmates' the best it can be.

Just a thought....
Stephie