Showing posts with label Carroll Spinny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carroll Spinny. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Dreams with APA References


       
          The assignment for my Philosophy class was to write my opinion on a dream job - which I already established in this post is NOT in accounting - though I may consider applying for said position with the Hallmark Corporation - though I think there would be other positions that would be of better interest.

          After reading over my assignment, I decided I hadn't completed the expected requirements and so am posting this to my blog instead.

What is a Dream Job?


            "The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive" - Albert Einstein (Doyle, 2018)

            The words "Dream" and "Job" together feel like such an oxymoron.  A job is something I would have in order to pay my bills and put food on the table.  I have had many jobs.  None have fulfilled any dreams for me. A Dream would be to give service, to share my thoughts and talents.  If I were to get paid for doing what I love, that would be an added bonus.


            I'm not saying that the dream job cannot happen.  There are many people who define "dream job" to mean a large variety of things from a handsome paycheck (Oteify, 2016) to having friends and sincerely looking forward to Mondays (Martin, 2014) I know that  no one career is going to fulfill all of my desires - which I realize does not sound at all optimistic.  We all have hurdles to jump - the first is in landing the job.


            I have been in a number of dead-end jobs to avoid the hurdle of interviewing and competing with others.  Oft times it feels like an endless game.  More people have worked at their careers than the success stories of those jobs that just seem land in their laps. Yet there have been a few success stories about being at the right place at the right time.

            Vanna White was only 25 when she applied for Wheel of Fortune.  I am certain that she had not dreamed that it would 30+ year career.  There may be girls today that would like to grow up and get paid for turning letters and wear different fashions every night.  But who was Vanna White's role model?  Who would have even dreamt up what she does?  


I really like these two quotes she gives:

            “It's not the most intellectual job in the world, but I do have to know the letters.”

            “Think about it: I get to give away someone else's money and make people happy—how's that for a job?”

            I think looking like Vanna White at age 61 would be a dream (Vanna, 2017)


            Carroll Spinney (2017) was approached by Jim Henson to work on Sesame Street - which may have just started out as a job for him but after suicidal thoughts and a broken marriage, Sesame Street eventually became his purpose in life (LaMattina, 2014).  A 45-year career he would have never thought to dream about.



            I think growing up on Sesame Street would have been a dream job.  Acting, playing, educating and getting paid for it.  I don't know how much money each made, but to me, that is not the most important part.  If I am not happy in a job, no amount of money is going to change that.  It is the least important of my priorities.

            My top priority would be location - which has nothing to do with the job itself.  But I do not wish to drive more than 20 minutes to get to my job.  I do not wish to live in the city and get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on my way to work or the return home.  Horn honking and uptight drivers do not set well with me.  I want to be pleasant and focused when I am at work or home and not waste time in heavy traffic.

not in my part of Oregon, worse in Portland

            The final assessment for my last mod was finding a company with a well-known trademark and write an analysis on my recommendation of the company.  I think I was supposed to include comparing different years of finances.  I ended up doing my report on the Hallmark Corporation and convinced myself that it is a company that I would like to work for. 



          I wondered what kind of a grade I would receive as I did not make a financial comparison. Their company does not have finances available to the public because they do not have investors.  I would like to work for this corporation as they are a family oriented company with ethics.  That, to me, is much more important than a paycheck. 

            I do not wish to open my own franchise but would like to work at headquarters sharing my opinion.  That would be a dream job if they were located closer to the Pacific coast and not in Kansas City Missouri where it will be too hot for me 5 months of the year. But then again, if we were to move to Kansas City - and I'm not saying it will be in our future - we'd be closer to Roland's other two daughters and possibly get to know them.  But then again, moving to Kansas City will also put us closer to their mother which may be worse than any natural element causing the temperatures to rise.


APA References

Caroll Spinney. (2017). Retrieved from IMDB:         https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818973/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Hallmark Corporation. (2018). Hallmark Deferred Compensation Plan. Retrieved from Hallmark             Corporation: http://www.empower-            retirement.com/client/Hallmark/DCP/documents/summary_highlights.pdf
LaMattina, D. (Director). (2014). I Am Big Bird [Motion Picture].
Martin, E. (2014, October 10). 5 Signs You've Found Your Dream Job. Retrieved from Business   Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/signs-youve-found-your-dream-job-2014-10
Oteify, R. (2016, December 9). What does a ‘dream job’ mean to you? Retrieved from getthat:             https://gulfnews.com/business/sectors/careers/what-does-a-dream-job-mean-to-you-           1.1942493
Vanna White. (2017, April 27). Retrieved from Biography:   https://www.biography.com/people/vanna-white-9542236

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Big Bird Made Me Cry


I have been trying to organize my thoughts on this post and continue to be interrupted.  I do not have permission for the pictures that I use and will remove them at the artist requests.  I will continue to keep the links on where the pictures come from so that they may still be viewed.

                When I was in my teens I remember many  people trying their hand at doing impersonations of different characters - the most popular being Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Kermit the Frog.  I didn't view it as a talent would take anyone anywhere.  Boy, was I wrong.  Fast Forward to being a mom.  Jenna and I had been watching an episode that Sesame Street had re-aired after Hurricane Katrina as the cast had experienced a similar disaster and perhaps children could better deal knowing that Big Bird had experienced the same trauma.  It wasn't until I had watched the documentary of said episode that I learned Steve Whitmire was able to utilize his impersonating talent and ability to impersonate Jim Henson's Kermit, who was the news reporter for the hurricane disaster.


muppet wiki
             I was fascinated at watching the behind the scene footage and all the work that is involved by those puppeteers who move on their knees while having their hands in the air (I could not find the hurricane footage use as a demonstration for just a few minutes - but perhaps you'll get the gist with this wonderful tribute to soldiers featuring Rosita and Elmo)




            I took Jenna to the Riddle Library on Wednesday.  While there, I checked out a video called "I am Big Bird: the Carroll Spinny Story" directed by Dave Lanaltina released in 2014.  I won't be using the APA style to reference as I am not being graded on this post, but will include several links.


www.iambigbird.com


            We watched it that night, and I got to tell you, it took me on a journey in which my eyes leaked (big surprise) as I learned that Spinny had been bullied, abused, had felt like a failure to the point of expressing interest in quitting his position with Sesame Street.  He had divorced, was suicidal.  It didn't help when Debra Spinny also teared up as she explained about the connection to Lianzi Ouyang and how hard it had been to leave her and how they had fallen out of touch - but I think I'm getting ahead of myself.



journalchina

journalchina


             Carroll Spinny was 81 at the time the documentary was released - and still working on Sesame Street.  How sweet that would be to be not only to be at the same job for 46 years, but to love being there.  I had always thought that it would be awesome to grow up on Sesame Street and have a steady income before you even understand what the word "income" means. 



abc news

muppet wiki
abc news



            Carroll loves his work, maybe even more so than when he had started out - though he had always been interested in puppetry.  I think it's awesome that his mom encouraged him to work with puppets. 



 
tumblr

copperpot


So many people don't see it as "real work" - but it is real work.  It is real hard work.   Very few positions in life come easy - and just a magician or puppeteer may make it look easy,  there are hours upon hours that go into it. 



www.iambigbird.com

Toronto Starship
tumblr

www.iambigbird.com



            Jim Henson had asked Spinny to do Sesame Street with him. 


 
time




            I was fascinated to learn that Spinny is also a cartoonist.



tribecca


 I was happy to learn he had found love again with his sweet wife, Debra



esquire

entertainment


I was floored to hear that NASA had asked Big Bird to promote the space program by going to the space station with them (here).  Big Bird was replaced when Ronald Reagan announced that they'd be sending a teacher.  I had posted that here not long ago

           
rockcellar



 I don't believe that is all I had on my mind when I initially tried to create this post. This post does not do the film justice.  They aren't kidding about a MUST SEE.  (Be sure you have some tissues handy)


Links to


abc News    here
Big Bird in China here
Copperpot    here
Entertainment    here
Esquire    here
 I am Big Bird    here
Journal China    here
Muppet Wiki    here
Rockcellar     here
Time     here
Toronto Starship     here 
Tribecca     here 
Tumblr     here

more great pics and story here, here and here