dLog: June 2007

Saturday, June 30, 2007

What I'm reading: If success is a game, these are the rules

From Cherie Carter-Scott's If Success Is a Game, These Are the Rules: Ten Rules for a Fulfilling Life :

The rules:

Each person has their own definition of success
Wanting success if the first step toward attaining it
Self-trust is essential
Goals are the stepping-stones on your path
Your actions affect your outcomes
Opportunities will be presented
Each setback provides valuable lessons
Managing your resources maximizes your efforts
Every level of success brings new challenges
Success is a process that never ends

Mood:

successful

What I'm reading: If love is a game, these are the rules

From Cherie Carter-Scott's If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules: 10 Rules for Finding Love and Creating Long-Lasting, Authentic Relationships:

The rules:

You must love yourself first
Partnering is a choice
Creating love is a process
Relationships provide opportunities to grow
Communication is essential
Negotiation will be required
Your relationship will be challenged by change
You must nurture the relationship for it to thrive
Renewal is the key to longevity
You will forget all this the moment you fall in love

Mood:

in love

What I'm reading: My freshman year

From Rebekah Nathan*'s My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student:

An undercover professor reports on her experiences as a college student. Some of her findings:

Community and diversity are central to the college experience, yet it is difficult to build community on college campuses and in residence halls due to the widely varying student schedules and interests: "It is hard to create community when the sheer number of options in college life generate a system in which no one is in the same place at the same time," (p. 38).
Very few students utilize residence hall lounges, opting to watch the super bowl individually in their own rooms instead of the floor lounge with food provided by the RA.
Not only do all of the black kids sit together in the cafeteria, but for the most part men are least likely to eat with men of a different race (they sometimes ate with women of a different race), while women more often ate with other women of any race.
Each professor had vary different course policies and expectations, and it was difficult to keep them straight. Many office hours, departmental events and activities conflicted with others.
The university is becoming more market-driven, especially as state support dwindles. Lack of financial support is leading more students to affordable community colleges. Most instruction is now done by non-tenure track instructors.

This was a very interesting read to see how college life is now perceived, and some of the perceptions serve as a warning to keep close tabs on the state of higher education in america. Small believes that:

"we are ultimately the guardians of the university's very special functions in society. There are serious questions about how universities can maintain their 'liminal' transformative qualities when the world is so much with them. Although we may want universities to address the needs of our states and our businesses, we cannot rely on either the politics of government or the profits of corporations to guide the educational mission. In the long run, we would not want a university to become so immersed in the wold as it it that it can neither critique that world nor proffer an ideal vision of how else it might be. These are purposes of universities that none of us should surrender." (pp. 152 & 153)

*Pseudonym for Professor Cathy Small, Northern Arizona University

Mood:

cynical

What I'm reading: The G quotient

From Kirk Snyder's The G Quotient: Why gay exectuvies are excelling as leaders... and what every manager needs to know:

Snyder presents reseach on traits the best gay executives use in their daily work. The book contains leadership tips for any sexual orientation, including:

Knowledge + Interconnection = Employee Empowerment
Types of motivation: Achievement, authority and power, affiliation
Inclusion affects both personal and professional relationships: employees wonder "What is the organization committed to and how do I fit in?" "How do these commitments apply to the daily processes of my work?" "Is my work making a difference?"
Creativity with concepts, possibilities, and people
Adaptability and ability to work with ambiguity, nonconformity, and flexibility
Connectivity through external networking and internal awareness
Communication: listening to all organizational levels in an ethical manner
Intuition or perceptual intelligence as a business skill
Creating a professional community through collaboration

These skills are said to come from gay men "survival skills" including: adaptability, intuitive communication, and creative problem solving. A key message of this book is that quality of life and personal skills outside of the workplace contribute to workplace engagement and performance. Snyder suggests inclusion is profitable, happiness matters, mistakes can lead to innovation, and employees need to own their jobs. He closes with 10 things every manager should know about G Quotient Leadership:

G Quotient leadership is both objective and subjective.
G Quotient leadership focuses on the processes of work rather than the final product.
G Quotient leadership models a systems approach to management.
G Quotient leadership places value on experiential learning.
G Quotient leadership focuses on the present.
G Quotient leaders are still in the trenches.
G Quotient leaders manage inspiration.
G Quotient leaders focus on positive employee characteristics.
G Quotient leaders run their organizations like entrepreneurs.
G Quotient leaders understand and value themselves.

Mood:

working

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Fortune

Fortune cookie says:
"Make everyday your best. You will improve yourself greatly."
"It's not the amount of time you devote, but what you devote to the time that counts."

Mood:

productive

Sunday, June 17, 2007

I'm so proud...

James ate 4 lbs. of ground beef in the form of four 10-patty burgers. Mmmmmm artery clogging. I'm not sure which is better, a customized t-shirt or front page of the Ann Arbor News.
Yes, this was "Top News":
Ann Arbor News web graphic

Mood:

full

What I'm reading: Saving the self

From Cristian Lacatus' Saving the Self: Consumerism, Freedom and You:

Saving the Self is a challenging wake up call to the multinational consumer, that offers ways you can reclaim personal choice from politics, religion, and class. An interesting read on the philosophical and practical levels, Lacatus examines community, food, obesity, health, entertainment, education, the environment, sexuality, and spirituality. I was most intrigued by his concepts of eating meat (it is okay as long as you kill it) and death (using it as a tool and not a marketing ploy or nonexistent thing that only happens to others).

Mood:

reflective

What I'm reading: What happens to a torn dollar bill?

From Dr. Knowledge (Charles Reichblum)'s What Happens to a Torn Dollar Bill?:

This book features trivial facts about US and world currency. Includes historical accounts, statistics, and anecdotes about bills, coins, counterfeiting, credit, debt, engraving, financing, and more. Perfect waiting room book - many stories are 1-2 pages long and easy to enjoy bits at a time.

Mood:

full