…..a year makes

So for some reason my mom and I are trying to construct a timeline. You see it’s warm here for this time of year, which is so unlike last year. In fact when we think of this time of year last year freeeeezing temperatures come to mind; which takes us to the constructing a timeline part. It’s one of those, “one thing led to another” scenarios.

Which made me think of this blog.

Before thanksgiving last year I was headed to Boston for my first appointment, with Dr. K afterwards I wrote this post:

All I Want For Christmas
From November 28, 2008

isn’t my 2 front teeth.

“What do you want for Christmas?”

If your family is anything like mine that question starts circling around in November, sometimes October, and intensifies as Christmas gets closer and closer. If you’re in my family and your birthday is right before or during that time between Christmas and St. Patrick’s day the question has some extra weight, “What do you want for Christmas?” really means, what do you want for Christmas & your birthday (one stop shopping & usually on sale). As a kid I interpreted this to mean that I would get everything I wanted. What the surprise would be was whether it showed up under the Christmas tree or after my birthday cake. Therefore my “Christmas List” was pages long, and typed, once we owned a computer. It took me years before I realized that I never got everything on my list no matter how close my birthday was to Christmas. Since then I’ve shortened the list quite considerably. It’s that old quality vs. quantity debate that I’m sure everyone goes through every holiday season.

I started thinking about what I’d want for Christmas while I was preparing to leave Washington. I guess it was something to look forward to, a refocus. I was also looking forward to a mini rebellion against service life. There’s only so long someone can go with out a home computer, a load of VHS tapes (many of them inappropriate), and a red wall phone showing signs of wear. My first thoughts of Christmas gifts were new, shiny, fun, useful, and EXPENSIVE. But I had a reason for choosing every one, other than I really do deserve to be showered with gifts at every possible opportunity.

Last Christmas was like no other. I’ll write about it at a later date, probably on or around Christmas this year, but for now let’s just say this, it was the first Christmas in my life when I was not with family. The first Christmas I broke tradition. My Christmas gifts were sent to me before hand and placed them under the tree and waited until Christmas Eve to open each one. The house wasn’t going to be together on Christmas, I was the only one with the day off, so I broke another tradition and opened all gifts Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. Last year I got everything I asked for in terms of material items and I actually needed every one of them, well except one. It was truly a special Christmas season.

This Christmas will, again, be like no other. I’m struggling to come up with things I should ask for. When Oprah showed off the Kindle on her show I found the first gift I really “had to have.” I’ve been known to read more books per week than there are days of the week so it would pretty much pay for itself and pretty quickly. Plus I have an iPod for all of my music so why shouldn’t I have a Kindle for my books? It only makes sense that I have one. A few weeks later I decided I didn’t really need a Kindle so I didn’t “have to have” it after all.

My mom called me from work the other day to tell me that someone she knows from the hospital has a Kindle. I should thank whoever this person is because I think they pretty much convinced my mom it was a worthy investment. I was well on my way to becoming the proud owner of a Kindle, well I was.

“Now that I’ve thought about it I don’t really want one of those. I don’t really need it either. I don’t really need any stuff. What I really want you can’t buy. So what’s the point of buying me stuff?”
Yeah, I said that, well at least something close to it.
Should I also tell you I was almost crying by the end of it? I guess I just did.

Let’s face it I’m not much for gifts anymore, at least not the material sort. I still have gift cards from last Christmas that I haven’t used, the same goes for my birthday. So do I really need more of what I haven’t already used? No.
(Maybe I should start some giveaways)
I still have too many gift cards than I know what to do with, literally. I found one in my wallet last week while waiting for my CT scan. I have no idea how it got in there. It just goes to show that putting it away for safe keeping translates to hide (no so) well enough that I forget about it.

I’d like to attribute this major change to being “Ruined for Life” and being awakened to some of what life is really about. However I think that would be putting too much credit where it doesn’t belong. It might be why I still have gift cards from last year and it’s probably why I’ve put so much thought into my wish list this year. But that’s where it pretty much ends, I think.

Remember that off hand comment I made before leaving the hospital in Boston?
That’s the rest of it.
What I want you can’t buy.

If I could rewind my life by 4 months yes I would still want a Kindle, a new iPod, a new laptop, maybe a set of cleats, or a hat that reminds me of little JS.
Four months ago I wanted stuff.

Fast-forward to today. I do need a new laptop, mine is 6 years old & on its second hard drive & a drive. Gremlins & computer bugs have taken my iPod hostage, so I guess I could use a new one. I did loose a cleat, but they weren’t even mine to begin with. I have a drawer full of hats I don’t even wear (you love shoes, I love hats). I don’t need a Kindle because even though I’ve been known to read more than 7 books in a week, I haven’t read a book in over a month.

What I want you can’t buy.
I want to travel.
I want to discover.
I want a career.
I want to live on my own.
I want a home.
I want a community.
I want to be happy.
I want to achieve.
That’s what I want.

To get what I want, at least have the best chance at it, I need something.
I need the help of modern medicine.
I need treatment and intervention.

All I want for Christmas money can not buy,
but the skill of (wo)man can give me the chance.

What do I want for Christmas this year?

In terms of material things I haven’t been paying enough attention to make a list, or even come up with one thing. There are things I would like but it’s nowhere close to, “I’d LOVE to get this for Christmas!” or even, “I’ll ask for this for Christmas.”

To be honest I feel I’ve already had my Christmas. It wasn’t full of tress, decorations, family, food, snow, songs, and all that other good stuff. But it was one of the best gifts ever. How could I possibly ask for stuff and expect it to measure up?

I have a ridiculous amount of godparents. My mother says she didn’t want any of her friends to be left out so my brother and I have around eight each! This, of course, has many benefits. In my early years it ensured a high yield of gifts on birthdays and at Christmas, and this week I was invited by one of my godfathers to a Livery Dinner held by the The Worshipful Company of Salters. Oh yes!

Out of my league

I wasn’t too sure what to expect. My godfather was a solicitor and having Googled the Livery Companies, I had an idea of the company I would be in plus there had been talk of having to wear white tie and tails…and I am still not really sure what that is. Anyway, I found myself amongst diplomats, MP’s, chairmen of some massive corporations and high ranking chemists, with some of the wearing robes, medals and animal hide! It was patently clear I was way out of my league on so many levels and when I explained I was in the social media, emerging technology ‘field’ there were various glazed expressions and one “…how funny!”. Awesome.

Very minor epiphany

During the dinner I, again, found myself trying to ‘pitch’ the industry to Dr. Gordon, a chemist from Geneva who knew way too much about wine. He was fascinated by the theories and possibilities of social media that I was attempting to explain, but couldn’t see any practical purpose for himself. He used email to stay in touch with his family and had heard of Facebook and Twitter but certainly wouldn’t consider himself a social media ‘user’. Reaching for examples or case studies that I could launch at him, I asked what his favourite pastime was? “Easy, wine.”

“Cool”, I replied, “there are loads of ways to use social media for wine …” And then the minor epiphany happened. He cut me off and said, the only thing he had really done online was buy wine at an auction through a live feed. He went on to say how amazing it was to feel so connected to the actual event and could bid in realtime, see the auctioneer, other bidders etc. “And you said you have never used social media?” I said. “What, that was social media was it?” was the answer!

Look past the tools

My point is that it is so easy to see social media as the tools or platforms that grab the headlines rather than a wider capability to connect you to people and places, which is where the real magic is. Dr Gordon had a ‘real’ human experience using social media for what it is meant to be…and he apparently got a good deal on the wine!

Okay, am I the only non-American who’s been oddly craving turkey and stuffing all day? Well, holiday or not, I hope everyone had a fabulous Thursday

Mine started off a little too early for my liking, so I went for a little comfort in a big bowl of oat bran.

With almond butter and marshmallow fluff. Mature, yet immature all at the same time

I triple-checked the gym schedule and made it to the right BodyPump class this week (after going to the wrong gym last week). I was really looking forward to it for a nice change in my routine.

But I have to say, this was my third BodyPump class, and I’m still not entirely sure if I like it! I want to like it. But I just don’t like doing the same moves for 3-4 minutes at a time. According to the Les Mills website a typical class is broken down to target one area for each song played. 

• Warmup – a mix of all the moves using light weight
• Legs/Squats – barbell squats
• Chest – barbell presses laying on a step
• Back – deadlifts, rows, clean&press
• Triceps – skull crushers, tricep extension
• Biceps – curls
• Lunges – couple varieties, today we did it off a step
• Shoulders – various rotations with small plates and barbell presses
• Abdominals – crunches
• Cooldown – typical stretches

So each bullet point is the length of one song, and we only do the moves listed for the duration of the song. That’s right, I did bicep curls for 4 minutes straight. Choosing weight is really difficult too. I choose light weights so I can maintain the movement for such a long period. But it means the first couple minutes are always too easy, then all of a sudden it gets really hard and I can’t finish. I dunno, it’s just a set-up that isn’t for me.

Our instructor also said the typical calorie burn for the 60 minute class is 460 and I burned 220. I was hurtin’ too. Maybe if I was stronger and could push higher weights I would get a better burn. OR she’s full of BS

Aaaanyways, I did 18 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical after and called it a day. I will at least say my muscles got a good workout and will be appropriately sore tomorrow

Came home and got some protein in me asap. Starting with some protein juice, aka PVL peach flavoured whey cooler.

And by “asap” I mean I started drinking it before I even took the picture It’d been a long time since breakfast!

Accompanied by a bagel with Yves cajun chicken slices, tomato and swiss cheese.

NOM. Everything becomes instantly better the second you melt cheese on top.

I used up the last of my leftover roast chicken for dinner (*sob*) and opted for something other than a sandwich.

Chicken omelette! I used one whole egg and a whack of egg whites, and a delicious filling of chicken, spinach and laughing cow cheese. I dusted the top with paprika, so it’s not as burnt as looks

Then it was off to Starbucks for my first training shift!! This is the third time I’ve done the training in five years. Ugh! It’s because this is the first time I’ve ever worked for a corporate Starbucks, the other ones were licensed concepts.

Now, I’m not going to lie here, I’m a little apprehensive about how being back at Starbucks will change my current lifestyle. Let me explain.

The last time I worked at Starbucks was Summer 2008. I was 30 lbs heavier. I would go into work and drink a giant latte and have a cinnamon roll for breakfast. Then the guys from New York fries would come over and bring us free poutines for lunch (in exchange for free frappuccinos, of course). A snack would usually consist of my own frappuccino or another latte, and then nibbles of whatever brownie or cookie we were sampling that afternoon.

Oh, and we’re allowed to bring the old pastries home at night. So I would come home to a freezer full of frozen muffins and scones that I’d been bringing home from work.

Obviously, that last stint at Starbucks was a little over-the-top, even for “Old Susan.” It’s what brought me to my all-time highest weight. I know there’s no way I’ll ever eat like that again. I’ve learned sooooo much about nutrition since then. I don’t think I ever want to put a cinnamon roll in my body for breakfast again, (hello! fat? protein? fibre?).

There’s also the fact that I’m going from a job where I spend 30% of the day on my feet, to a job where I spend 100% of the day on my feet. I remember what’s it’s like to work on your feet all day, it sucks. Your feet hurt, your back hurt, and you go home at the end of the day just exhausted. I have concerns that I may have trouble keeping up my current level of exercise when I’m running around a cafe all day.

With that said, I’m determined to make it work. Black coffee and tea are my new best friends I will bring in a slew of healthy snacks with me, so I can grab my own bag of homemade trail mix instead of snacking on the Starbucks packaged variety.

I’m going to work really hard at working out before my shifts, when I still have energy. I have a feeling I won’t be up for running on the treadmill after eight hours of churning out lattes at the mall on a Saturday afternoon. But maybe a stellar sweat sesh before my shift will give me the energy and stamina I need to get through it.

Finally, I need new work clothes! I looked like I was swimming in my old black pants and collared shirt tonight. I felt like a bum

Oh, and I just gobbled up this delicious snack:

Kashi peanut peanut butter bar with an extra slathering of PB on top. Take that tempting Starbucks peanut butter bar, this was delicious

Question of the day: How do you stay healthy with you current job? Working as a reporter wasn’t easy either. Since I didn’t spend much time in the office, I always made sure I had a bag of healthy goodies on my person that I could dig into while running around. A lot of meals were eaten in the car, and snacks shoved down while rushing from one assignment to the next. My weekend shifts really tuckered me out for exercise. It’s hard to find the motivation to work out after an 8-hour day that started at 4:30 am. But we’ve got to find a way to make it work!

Speaking of which, I’m getting up for a 6am spin class before my reporting shift tomorrow. My bed is beckoning, lator gators!

I was obsessed with the Real World. Even my first boy crush came from the series - Real World: New Orleans’s Danny Roberts.

While I have since weened myself off the reality program where seven – now eight – strangers stop being nice and start getting real – I was excited to see the commercial for the upcoming season in Washington D.C.

Making a cameo in the trailer is Representative Jared Polis. Polis is one of the few openly gay members of Congress.

While certainly some have enjoyed a little same-sex loving – talking to you Mark Foley and Larry Craig –  the only other openly gay Congress persons are Tammy Baldwin, and the institution that is Barney Frank.

Polis makes an appearance alongside housemate Mike. Mike is the token gay of this season. His twist is that he comes from a conservative Christian household, and no one expected the popular star athlete and prom king could actually be – - dun, dun, dun – - gay. Okay – it’s not really a twist, they’ve had this kind of character on before.

According to MTV, “He dates guys and girls, and is still questioning whether he’s bi-sexual or gay. Mike comes to DC to be an environmentalist, but unexpectedly finds the inspiration to help advance marriage rights for gay and lesbian Americans. His sexuality has caused some tension back home, and it’s his time in D.C. that will prove to be the turning point for him and his family in terms of accepting him for who he is.”

Mike eventually meets Polis and says, “You are the person I want to be in 10 years.”

Watch the trailer here.

Esta entrada es para advertirles que hay un peligroso asesino suelto por ahí,  pero no se preocupen, la policía ya cuenta con su retrato hablado, y es mi deber difundir este retrato para que si lo ven 1: se alejen inmediatamente y 2: llamen a la policía.

Debo advertirles que este asesino tiene una cara terrible y que si ven el vídeo es muy posible que  su aspecto les provoque un ataque…

… pero de risa.

Was chosen to be part of a top secret project. LOL!! Anyway, here are some clues:

… I’m thankful for this abomination.

Real World DC is premiering December 30. Who’s excited?

While there were many standout moments in the short trailer linked above, I had some favorites:

1. “There’s just something about Callie…”

2. The douchey blue flip up shades.

3. The over-reliance on Obama campaign rhetoric to describe 8 vapid teens on an outdated, vapid reality teevee show.

4. The kid Mike who wants to be Jared Polis in ten years. Seriously?

5. But then that kid knows to make fun of the “shake-hands pose.” Good boy.

Miss Earth 2009

Larissa Ramos of Brazil grabbed the Miss Earth 2009 title.

Miss Earth Air

Our very own Sandra Seifert (Philippines) grabbed the first runner-up position and Miss Earth Air crown.

Miss Earth Water

 Venezuela’s Jessica Barboza was crowned Miss Earth Water.

Miss Earth Fire

Alejandra Echevarria of Spain was crowned Miss Earth Fire.

Wait...you do WHAT for a living?

Thanksgiving gets increasingly more stressful for me every single year. If I’m not having nightmares about the stuffing running out before it gets passed to me, then I’m biting my nails over the fact that I’ll have to explain my career to my family sixteen times. And let’s not even get started on the fact that I’ve misplaced my expandable waistband jeans and turkey-print mumu. There’s no way I’m sitting down at that table wearing anything else. The last thing I can afford is a busted pair of pants with no buttons and a broken zipper.

I’m pretty sure my own parents can’t figure out exactly how blogging works or how I’m making money — so I have no idea how to even explain it to my grandmother. For years I thought she was computer literate, but it sadly turns out she was convinced that the Windows Paint program was actually the Internet. It certainly explains why she was adamant that my e-mails were never getting to her, but it will also make explaining blogging to her quite the challenge. Perhaps my best bet is to just replace her entire World Book 1965 collection with book covers that say “by Jenni” and tell her that I’ve been writing outdated encyclopedias since graduation.

Even worse than having to explain blogging to a 176-year-old (give or take a few decades) is having to beat around the bush when my younger relatives actually ask to see the blogs. While I’m writing for six different blogs, there is not one that’s appropriate for family members to see. If I’m not writing about one-night stands or pee pranks, then I’m giving advice to elderly men on how to date financially desperate women. And I’ve just ruled out showing this one because I know someone will tattle on me to my grandmother, which means a month from now when my siblings are opening up Chanukah envelopes with crisp 10 dollar bills, I’ll be opening a package marked hazardous that’s filled with my grandmother’s old dentures.

My anxiety ulcers aren’t just coming from having to explain my blogging career, but also from having to spend time with my extended family. When I was little, cramming 12 cousins into 2 beds seemed like a fun challenge. But now that everyone’s grown up (and gained weight) it’s more like every man for himself — if you don’t get a bed or a couch, make yourself cozy under the kitchen table. And beds are nothing compared to the fight over the remote. So help me god if anyone thinks they’re watching anything besides 30 Rock on Thursday night.

For a second I thought that maybe I was overdoing the stress and exaggerating the whole situation. But then my mom just called and gave me the annual lecture about not going out of my way to make my sister cry this year and I realized that I might be better off spending the holiday in my apt — TV remote and bed to myself.

A common misconception about independent schools is that they are artificial environments in which students lack exposure to the “real world.” This argument comes from those outside of the independent school world that believe that we must expose students to the ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic diversity of their communities in order to provide a real world experience. Though I do not doubt that attending a large public school will expose students to a great range of attitudes, behaviors, and local experiences, it does not follow that this exposure is necessarily healthy. In fact, there is substantial evidence that shows that independent schools actually better prepare students for the real world than public schools do. But, it is important to define what we mean by the ‘real world.’

When we understand the real world to be the world beyond the city limits and the nation’s borders, it is very clear that independent schools outpace all other schools. When we understand the real world to be the world in which the right brain will reign supreme, it is clear that independent schools provide a superior approach. When we understand the real world to be a world in which critical thought and creativity is honored and teachers are not encouraged to teach to standardized tests, it is clear that independent schools excel.

In fact, the lack of real world experience found in local public schools is astounding. Local public schools only represent the local community and the diversity, or lack thereof, found in that community. These schools also represent the greatest variance in academic abilities, parental involvement, student behavior, and student motivation; variances that tend to serve as hindrances to learning, not advantages. Within the typical public school, students regularly cluster into interest groups isolated from the others. In spite of the ethnic and cultural diversity often present, these schools rarely represent the diversity of the real world.

Only the exceptional non-independent school regularly engages its students in global activities such as international travel and international school partnerships, activities that are the norm for independent schools. On the other hand, virtually every student in independent schools is involved annually in student service projects occurring throughout the world. We only prepare our students for the real world when they have the ability to function in a global economy and understand the various cultures of the world. The real world does not exist within the walls of a school, regardless of the diversity present therein.

The difficulty for many of our public school colleagues is not of their doing; it is the unfortunate fact that most American communities do not value public education highly enough to ensure appropriate funding. Additionally, public school teachers are required to teach to a much wider variance of academic abilities, thus making it more difficult to address the needs of all students in the class. Teaching to such a wide variance of academic abilities is even more difficult when the class size exceeds 25 students, a regular occurrence for public schools. Additionally, unlike their independent school counterparts, public school teachers have less enforcement ability to ensure good student behavior.

It is common for friends of independent school parents to shame them for sheltering their children from real world experience. This argument implies that parents should neglect their child’s developmental interests for the good of the public school. The suggestion that taking the best students from the public school creates an unhealthy brain drain for the public school is only sensible if one believes that parents should use their children to fix the troubles found in many public schools. This notion that a child should be used as leaven to improve the public school is, in my opinion, an immoral position.

Parents should provide the best education possible for their children. For the truly conscientious parent, sending their children to the local public school merely to show support for public education should not be an option. Support for the local public schools should be expressed in ways other than using ones child to raise the mean academic achievement level.

This discussion is not intended as an attack on public education, for indeed we all hope that America’s public schools will succeed. It also is not intended to be a treatise on public school teachers, for indeed there are many outstanding teachers in public schools. It is, however, an argument against the notion that students attending independent schools are not being exposed to the real world. The facts just do not support this notion. In fact, independent schools represent the real world best.

Tip: It is in the interest of all independent schools to include phrases addressing the global nature of your program as you market your school. Although we in independent schools have always understood this value, it is clear that we have not always made the argument effectively. It is time to dispel the myth.

Hey friends! So I’ve finally got some news on the work front. I’m just gonna tell you right now because I’m a blabber mouth who sucks at telling secrets, and I’ve already been tweeting about it all day

So first off, I got hired at Starbucks! Yayyyy! I’m going to be working as a full-time supervisor for the next few months, and start training this week. I’m happy there will be no void in my paychecks, and the Starbies job should actually pay just as much as the reporter gig

I’m not going to just be working at Starbucks though. You all know I realized a long time ago that I do not want to be a daily reporter, and I don’t want to be a PR person unless I find the perfect company. These are the only things my skills and background would allow me to do.

But why just do what my background allows? Especially if it would just make me miserable? (again) So I’ve decided to instead follow my heart, my gut and my passions. I’m throwing all sense and rationality to the wind and working toward a personal training specialist certification with CanFit Pro (Canada’s national standard).

I know, right? Me? A personal trainer? Why not!? Exercise and fitness isn’t just a phase or a hobby, it’s my life. What draws me to jobs like reporting and Starbucks are the people. I love meeting fabulous people, and even more I want to help the ones that are looking for it. My mom told me this wonderful thing along the lines of “the day you discover your passions is when you’ll never work another day in your life.”

Of course, I expect to work And I expect it to be hard at times. I don’t also plan on plugging away with people at the gym all day. I plan to continue my education with a future certification as a Nutrition & Wellness Consultant. Perhaps I’ll even want to be a class instructor – who knows! Basically, I see this as the first step in many steps to come. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m taking a step forward, and not just another step back.

I also plan to keep the journalism thing up. My new experience and titles will allow me to delve further into health and wellness writing. I’m lucky to have made a lot of contacts in journalism school, and I have a long list of Canadian publications I hope to freelance for.

I’m so excited!!!

And before we move on, I have something else I have to get off my chest – I’m back on the VitaMuffins.

I toasted my favourite deep chocolate flavour last night and put some marshmallow fluff on top. ohmysweetlord. It got crunchy on the outside, but soft and melty on the inside, then the fluff was all frosting-like on the top. Every single bite was worth every penny spent

Breakfast this morning was not very photogenic, which usually equals deliciousness.

Two Nature’s Path flax waffles smothered in 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 tbsp almond butter, 2 tbsp faux-syrup (mixed with a hand blender). And sprinkled with cinnamon of course. SO good! Freezer waffles are only filling when you throw protein + fat into the mix.

Then it was off to BodyStep, ie the funnest class ever (sorry spin, you hurt too much to be fun ). Step class is definitely not one of those workouts you can just phone in. You definitely get out of it what you put in, more so than some of the other classes. I think that’s why I always come out feeling so satisfied and accomplished

Afterward, I came home and drank some chocolate Amazing Meal blended with almond milk, half a banana, yogurt and ice.

 
I was a sweaty mess. But I had to look decent for my job interview this afternoon. Enter lots of showering, hair straightening, caking on make-up, ironing clothes (ugh) and digging out accessories and voila!

Hi!! I’m actually modelling my new necklace and earrings. For years I wore nothing but giant flashy earrings, but I’ve been on a chunky necklace kick lately. And I’m a sucker for girly flowers

And apparently the gussying up worked!

Oh, and there was a lunch, carefully eaten as not to spill anything on myself.

Smoked salmon on a bagel with laughing cow cheese, capers and spinach and an orange on the side. This salmon is local bbq flavoured stuff. SO good!! We Maritimers know how to do our smoked salmon

After all my running around, I came home and tried out my other KIND bar. This time in Walnut & Date.

I had high hopes for this bar after Kath raved about it on her blog recently. Plus, dates are one of my favourite foods and I love them in just about anything. But, I wasn’t a huge fan! Maybe my expectations were just too high. I loved the walnuts, their texture reminded me a lot of sugar cookies. But I couldn’t really taste the dates. Honey is the third ingredient, and it was definitely the overpowering flavour in this bar.

Supper was (what else) chicken salad pita made with my leftover roast chicken from yesterday.

YUM!! You can see my running hat in the background. Meh. I’m a slob.

Finally, you may be wondering what “To the stars on the wings of a pig” means. Technically, it’s “Ad astra per alia porci.” It was the motto and personal stamp of John Steinbeck and appeared on the insert of all his books. It was a jab at an old teacher who once told him he’d only be a successful writer when “pigs flew.” I studied Latin and have a soft spot for Latin phrases. I’ve adopted it as my personal motto, to remind me that anything is possible

P.S. I’ve updated my About page so feel free to go check it out!

Till next time!

روزگاری بود عده ای از نخبه کشی در طول تاریخ ایران گله داشتند و امروز ما با کشتن،مفتضح کردن، طرد کردن و……به دنبال نخبه کنی هستیم.

و تو خود بخوان حدیث

There is no denying that “reality TV” has ingrained itself into our culture.  A look at recent headlines confirms this.  But the headlines also underscore how reality shows are nothing like the reality most of us face.  As families struggle with finances in this bleak economy, not only do we find our world completely apart from the one inhabited by the Kardashians and the like, but also increasingly adrift from Washington.  The politicians seem oblivious to the situation, even though the federal budget is as dreadful as many family budgets.

The “balloon boy” parents pleaded guilty recently to charges stemming from their now infamous stunt in which the former “Wife Swap” stars reportedly tried to snag a reality show of their own.  Unlike the bizarre episode they concocted that had many Americans riveted to their TV sets for a day, ballooning federal budget deficits are no hoax and demand our sustained attention.  These balloons won’t be coming down any time soon and it is very likely that our children are in for a rough flight.  Unfortunately, it is the would-be rescuers we find hiding in the rafters.

Massive red ink in government will affect significantly the standard of living of future generations.  The mounting disparity between federal receipts and expenditures – a record $1.4 trillion in 2009 – parallels the growing disconnect between Washington and the rest of the country as our elected representatives refuse to constructively address the dilemma and we fail to hold them accountable.  Now that U.S. National Debt reached a record high $12 trillion last week, the matter seems to have President Obama’s attention.  But it is still not clear that Washington has the resolve and farsightedness to seriously address it.

The “Dancing With the Stars” season finale is this week and there is growing anticipation over the upcoming season of “American Idol.”  At a time when too many families across the country have no choice but to face the financial music, it is disheartening to see the same old song and dance emanating from the nation’s capital.  However, we cannot use this as an excuse to tune out Washington.  It is exactly that attitude which has enabled the fiscally reckless behavior.  Instead, we must channel the same energy and ingenuity we are directing towards resolving our personal finances to restoring fiscal responsibility in government.

The resilience and resourcefulness that Americans are exhibiting in these trying times is inspiring.  Take for instance that fact that many people, of their own volition, are sending checks to the federal government to help pay down the national debt.  We must demand the same level of responsibility from our leaders – and ourselves – in tackling the national debt.  Just as we have learned to become more discerning consumers – leery of credit card and mortgage offers that sound too good to be true – so too must we be as voters in rejecting fiscally irresponsible campaign promises. 

Like many Americans, the fundamental need for fiscal responsibility literally hit home for me recently.  When I look at my two young children and ponder the future I can provide for them, I agonize over not only our family finances, but the larger economic picture that they will inherit.  I want to bequeath to them the promise of prosperity, not the obligation of debt.  That will only happen if we all start acting responsibly and face reality.

It is no wonder that the “Real World” and “Real Housewives” franchises are now filming in Washington.  The city is living in a reality of its own.  It is time for more action and less hot air and dancing around the issue.  We must deflate the deficits before they carry away our future.

Hoyas 3-0! Yeah, buddy.

Speaking of which, it was nice to see our old homeboy Jeff Green on the court against the Wizards last night…

…Looking for an act of devotion in honor of the Solemnity of Christ the King?

Consider adding your e-signature to the Manhattan Declaration…

…After I finished high school, I got a job typing the reports of a company of local archaeologists.

The company specialized in pre-historic archaeology–that is, the study of artifacts produced by people who did not have writing.

In our area, you can discover a pre-historic artifact while you are out for a walk. There are still Algonquian arrowheads and potsherds lying on the surface of the earth.

Contrast this with archaeology in the Old City of Jerusalem. On Monday evening, we walked down four flights of steps from street level. We emerged into a cistern that was built to hold water for use in the Temple in the fifth century B.C.

Chiesa Nuova in Rome

There are books written about the building of that temple–they can be found in the Old Testament. My point is: In Jerusalem, archaelogists have dug and dug and dug, and they still have not gotten to the pre-historic level.

And here is some more perspective: In our day and age, since the beginning of the Digital/Organic Era (which began when Bill Gates’ net worth reached $1 trillion), “new” refers to something that came into being in the last half-nanosecond.

In Rome, there is a beautiful church called Chiesa Nuova, the “New Church.” It was completed in 1606.

In Jerusalem, the Nea, the “new” church in honor of Mary the Mother of God, has lay buried beneath the rubble of earthquake and Persian destruction for 1200 years.

Today is the day the Nea was dedicated in A.D. 543.

Our Lady was born in Jerusalem. She was among the girls who cared for the Temple paraphernalia.

When Mary brought the newborn Jesus to the Temple to present Him to the Father, she encountered the priest Simeon and the prophetess Anna. The three of them may already have known each other.

The above is a mosaic map of Christian Jerusalem. It is not easy to read. The Cardo, or main street, runs left to right through the middle of the city. The huge ancient basilica of the Holy Sepulcher is below the main street, the Nea is above it, to the right. There was an annual procession between the two churches.

…I am sorry that I allowed the following “Bests” list to get as stale as five-year-old granola bars. It is retired. An exciting new edition is available behind the Bests tab above.

SPECIAL “MY iPOD” EDITION

Best Rob Thomas Song: “Real World” (Matchbox 20)

(“I wish the real world would just stop hassling me” is not a bad motto.)

Best Paul Simon Song:
The Obvious Child

Best Radiohead Song:
Talk Show Host

Best Bruce Springsteen Song since 1979: Radio Nowhere

Best K.D. Lang Song: Constant Craving

Best Rock Band Alive Today: Switchfoot

Best B–n–d Ladies Song: Falling for the First Time

Best Cover Ever: The Boys of Summer by the Ataris

Best Nineties Band that No One Has Ever Heard Of: World Party

Best Taylor Swift Song: Teardrops on My Guitar

I meant to add this yesterday, but after a few hours running town in a vain attempt to settle a compounding problem, I promptly got home and forgot.

This week I overheard a discussion between a few financial professionals. They threw in their collective knowledge about sushi and Aberdeen, Scotland. Apparently there are no sushi bars in Aberdeen and those folks up in the very North East of our island are poor souls who have to travel down to London in order to get a bite of cold fish and rice. While they argued back and forth I googled it – turns out there are 7 sushi restaurants listed in Aberdeen. I had suspected no less but it left me puzzled that those folks with iPhones and internet access right in front of them rather resorted to making themselves look less than smart than simply checking it first and then telling others.

The same applies to recruitment processes I learned the other day. Understanding what sort of personality you are about to recruit is still based on relatively old-fashioned conversations, going through CV (resume, Lebenslauf) data, checking references – all a bit slow and ignorant of the possibilities we could harness. Senior executives in charge of making final decisions about recruitment of graduates still believe you need to sign up for Twitter in order to ‘read it’. There is a profound lack of skills in making use of the considerable amount of data many graduates provide on the net.

Accessible to anyone involved in the recruitment process and able to pull the strands together, it won’t need to be the images of drunk nights out on Facebook that are compromising. That might be the worst case scenario only. Someone briefing decision-makers would go and search for patterns in order to see whether the applicant may fit in beyond the bare facts and if so, to what degree. Questions that matter most when recruiting staff, which are not easily assessed in personal conversations, might be:

• What sort of moods does the applicant reveal? Stable? Erratic?
• What kind of friends or conversational partners does the applicant engage with? What’s the tone of these conversations? Any consumer forums or communities that show technical or social skills?
• Any skills that match the CV or are perhaps not even mentioned – check Youtube, Flickr etc.
• Does the applicant appear to ignore copyrights or infringe others’ rights?

Internet usage skills are complex and reveal a lot more about a person than many keep thinking. While typical assessment practices provide nothing more than a snapshot of an applicant on a day of all effort being made to look good, the internet research will provide a long-term profile that says a lot more about potential employees with regard to:

• team working including group blogging and
• feedback skills including taking in and learning from criticism
• broader communication skills and
• general networking, dealing with ’spam contacts’ as well as
• digital media ethics

That is potentially a lot more and a lot more of a holistic picture than we could ever be able to find out in conventional recruitment talks. Smart and skilled applicants will make sure they have privacy settings in place for personal conversations that will not be haunting them in these kind of situations. It’s a question of being in command of the social media you are using rather than being controlled by technology in non-desired ways. Employers and applicants – as well as old media – frequently seem to hold less differentiated views on this.

The very same applies to the applicant perspective, they are free – and should make use of it – to check their future employer and senior staff’s profiles. If there is no online identity searchable, not even a few hits that bring up names in relation to conferences or affiliations to professional bodies, this conveys an equally strong message.

After all, what we want, is making informed decisions. It’s not about sneaking into people’s personal lives and moralising about life styles as some may argue, rather, it is about finding suitable matches and making sure you won’t need to waste a few months in real [business] life together before the mismatch becomes all too evident.

In this sense, Eszter Hargittai’s ‘The Role of Expertise in Navigating Links of Influence’ is a great read. The essay is available as part of The Hyperlinked Society: Questioning Connections in the Digital Age (2008) by editors Joseph Turow and Lokman Tsui.