Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Sometimes we have to go off course to make Dreams Happen


                For math class this week, we (the students) are required to post a discussion about our dream job.  I think all throughout the course we are required.  We are also required to take ourselves in optional directions.  I know it's a good thing to keep an open mind.  Sometimes our direction is thrown off course.  Sometimes we realize the dreams we're chasing are not really what we want.  Often we're not prepared for the alterations that fall into our path.  Many times we are in control.  Sometimes we're not - but we need to learn how.


                So the math discussion prompt is for me to look into my magic crystal ball and see my future in my dream job with math.  Becoming an accountant was never a dream job.  Working with numbers has always felt more like a nightmare that a dream.  A dream job with numbers?  This is what I posted for my math class yesterday:

"My Dream Job without math . . . that would be a dream, for as we discovered in last week's discussion, math is essential for so much in our lives.  I think it would be fantastic if I did have that ideal awesome job, so awesome in fact, that I would never look at the clock to see what time it is because I am thoroughly enjoying myself that I don't even think about the time.

"Even if that were true, there's still that matter of my paycheck and the money management.  I am majoring in accounting.  I don't feel like that's my dream job, however.  I would like to serve others in a positive way.  My husband is working on his masters in business.  Right now he is considering opening an adult day care.  If the crystal ball is accurate, we will be up and running our business in less than four years.  He will do all the marketing, and I will balance the books, cut checks for payrolls . . . Chances are really great that I will have a need for knowing the decimals that we get to learn this week (yippee)

"If someone else reading the crystal ball would tell me that I can just slide out my future with no math at all, I wouldn't believe it."

            I don't know what I may have considered "the dream job" when I was younger.  Each of us has a different perspective of what the dream job entails.  In the area I live now, I would think that just  finding employment within a 20-mile radius within the county would be a dream job for a lot of people.  There's really not a wide variety to choose from, let alone obtain  - especially for a full time.

                 I would love to get paid for my thoughts - so I could not only make a living, but have a handsome sum to set aside for those emergency situations, or a well-deserved vacation.  I realize there is pocket change to be had through blogging.  I don't enjoy seeing ads clutter up anyone's blog page.  Why would I then let it clutter up mine?

            Few are successful at making their passion work for them in their profession.  There many who have to take a second job to support their dream desires.  My cousin, Michelle, is an artist.  My brother-in-law, Bill, is a photographer and my brother, Corey is an actor.  Each seems to have to hustle from one assignment to the next - or (in Bill's case) do it on the side more as a hobby, and if he should get paid for what he loves, maybe it's a perk.

                Roland asked me what it is that I love that I could make money on.  I'm not going to love it if I have to put a price tag on it.  He doesn't get it, but there are some of us who do relate to Harry Connick's character, Justin Matisse from Hope Floats when he says:


                "You're talkin' 'bout the American Dream. You find something that you love, and then you twist it, and you torture it, try and find a way to make money at it. You spend a lifetime doing that. At the end, you can't find a trace of what you started out lovin'. What did you start out lovin'?"

            The choices of majors for an online college seem to be limited.  I went with accounting, because of the four choices, it seemed the most promising as far as finding a job.  Plus, my belief was that I could be left in a backroom to do my thing and I wouldn't have to socialize with anybody.  I'm learning quickly that with any job I get, I am going to be a part of a team and I will need to contribute to more than just the books. 
 
                Here are my speaker's notes of a power point which was the last assignment I had to turn in for the philosophy class that I took last mod; the one I had attempted to correct in this post:

"I became an accountant so that my employer would stick me in a back room to do the books and I would not have to talk to anyone. My knowledge would be of our spending and profit; that would be it.  Why would I ever need to learn what takes place on the floor?  It is not my job to mingle with the clients or other employees. 


"For example, if I was working in an adult daycare,  I wouldn’t have to know  what time the seniors eat; just what was spent  on food and what profit we made. That is all I was hired for, right?


"If a client were to ask a CEO or one of his employees a question, ideally the answer would be the same.   Would that also apply to the accountant?  Would the accountant have to attend all of the meetings as the CEO to fully understand the ins and outs of the company?  Would the CEO have to go on Undercover Boss to understand the employees who might think they’re at the bottom of the totem pole?  It’s a matter of communication and respect. 


"We each have something to bring to the table.  What is it that brought us to adult day care?  Why do we care about this company?  What can we add to the company that others may benefit?  How do we achieve this goal? By working together, by researching the needs of our clients, learning their likes and dislikes and understanding what will work best for them.


"Now say, for instance, we were having a meeting about ways to improve the center or bring in more clientele.  First, we need to brainstorm what it is we'd like to accomplish and share our ideas.  Don't be afraid of making suggestions.  If you think there's something valid to share - share it.  We need to listen to one another - even if we don't agree with what is being said, we need to allow each team member to complete his or her thoughts. Furthermore, we need to work together and utilize our skills and talents. 



"Band members need to listen and take cues, not only from their conductor but the other instruments which surround them.  Sports team players need to understand the communication both off and on the field so that they may play a successful game.  CEOs and those they employee need to work as a team and stay in sync so that everyone can understand what is expected to make for a successful company. A good leader will delegate effectively. 


"Now I understand.  I am still a link in the chain of a working function.  If the client or anyone expressing potential interest asks me about Generations Adult Day Care, my answer should come out the same as the business owner.  I need to know more than just the book end of the business.  I must be a team player as well.

"Remember to be a team player. Every employee and position are necessary for any company to function as a whole. It is important for all participants involved that they maintain a positive attitude,  don’t allow your emotions to cloud your reason. Contribute to the workforce and share their ideas.  We are each in a different stage of critical thinking, which is a good thing, as we need the diversity.  We need to rely on one another so that we can function together as a whole. As we take these steps to work together, our communication is bound to improve."

             I had actually borrowed the "band member . . ." paragraph for an assignment I had done in another class.  However, with the English class I am currently taking, I am learning that I have to come up with new ideas and not borrowing from past assignments.  Whoops.

            I have such a strong belief in communication, and have used it as my theme in past assignments, so instead of looking at it from the employees perspective, I have decided to approach this assignment from the consumer's point of view.  I actually have more ideas as a consumer than I do first-hand knowledge as an employee.  Perhaps it will make for a better assignment. 

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

I can't get NUMBERS out of my mind!




I hate math
I think I hate math
and yet I use it all the time
How many minutes before I have to get up?
How many hours did I sleep?
What time does Jenna have to be at the bus stop?
How long do I have to fix breakfast?
How many eggs should I use?
How much milk is left?

I address a letter to my granddaughter
and put it in the mailbox.
I have used a lot of numbers:
her house number
her street number
her zip code
my house number
my zip code

Jenna's first day of seventh grade
was yesterday
She had wanted to spend her last free day of summer
going to the Big City of Roseburg.
Roland brings me my phone
before we pull out of the driveway.
I had forgotten to return it to my bag.

There was a time when I had memorized
many phone numbers
all kind of different phone numbers
some with area codes
swimming in my head
I now have phone numbers on speed dial.
I now have very few
numbers memorized.

I drove passed the first onramp and
entered the second.
How many mile markers did we pass?
How many exits?
What is the speed limit?
How much sooner did those drivers passing me
arrive at their destination
before I arrived at mine?

I5 drivers are always in a hurry
because they mistime themselves
they don't look at their clocks
they don't like math
either

As long as we were in Roseburg
I made the trip to Lowes
to return an item that we
hadn't measured.
We hadn't done the math.
The cashier counts out the
amount of the item.

We spend too much time in the aisles
looking for a part that fits the measurements
I don't like to shop
probably even more than
I don't like math

We returned to the house
Jenna wanted to play a game
We played "Chatters Matters"
Her card asks how old her parents were
when they got married.
She attempts to subtract our ages
and the years.
The math was done incorrectly;
she started off by giving us
the wrong age

We use math to  keep score,
to double or half a recipe,
measuring . . .
I don't think the creator of our house
used either math or logic
well,
not enough of it
anyway

Roland reminded me that we hadn't
paid for Jenna's lunch this year.
I can pay online, but there is a percentage
added to the  amount that I spend.
That feels so wrong to me. 
It would cost less in gas for me
to just take the payment directly
to the school.

I look at the calendar.
I notice an event coming up.
I wonder if I set my alarm
to remind me of said event.
How many more days?
I noticed the weather felt cooler yesterday than
it does right now.
I am check the temperature almost as much as
I check the clock.




















What is up with all these numbers?
Why can't math just leave me alone?
None of us can escape it.
Numbers are a big part of
our lives.
Big numbers.
Fat numbers.
Numbers haunting me,
following me,
forcing me to use math often.
I don't even think about the many times
that I use math throughout the day.
Basic math.

Today is the deadline for posting
a discussion in which we are required to share
about five times that we used math this week.
I don't have to wait a whole week.
I use math more than 5 times a day!
Holy cow!
How could I hate something if I use it
all the time?
ALL THE TIME!

It's only Wednesday
and I have already been graded on my
assignments and my post.
Hallelujah! 
That means I can spend the rest of this week
focusing on just my other class.

I wonder what the numbers will be
on November 8th this year.
Image result for vote november 8 2016

                                   
                                                                                   kfralc

.

Friday, August 26, 2016

You Can't Change Others - You Can Only Change You



            When my sister brought her family to Oregon for a visit, she also brought a box that I had left in the shed back in Kearns.  In the box were several photos - some that had already been scanned; some were not.  I decided to scan most  of them and post them to facebook.

            I had found Pamprin (here) on facebook a while ago.  I have clicked on her profile just to see updated photos and have shared them with Jenna and Roland.  




            When I started clicking on photos that included Pamprin, her name came up to tag.  That seems weird as we don't seem to have any mutual friends. But then again, she is the only one in there. I thought that it might be a blessing and that perhaps she or her sibs would feel the desire to reconnect.  However, when I went back to tag some untagged photos, I noticed her name had been removed from all the photos.  So here are my theories:

            A.  Pamprin has no desire to be a part of the family.  She removed all of my tags and prevented me from tagging any pictures of her in the future.  I wasn't trying to stir up ill feelings.  I was really hoping to make a connection between her and her sibs.  But apparently, the feeling is not mutual.  

            B. She deleted them to prevent her mom from seeing them, thus preventing confrontation with one who is psychologically messed up.

            C. She never got to see the photos as she and her mom share the same computer and her account was still up when her mom got onto the computer and deleted all tagged photos.  

            D. Granted, some of them were not the most flattering photos.  Pamprin seems weight conscience.  I know she hasn't had the best eating habits in the past, but she is also big-boned.  I don't know of any diet plan that can produce weight loss in bones.  Perhaps she was embarrassed by the photos.




            Whatever the reason, I'm sorry about our situation.  It would be nice if Jenna and brothers got to know their sisters.  At this point, I don't even think the boys care anymore.  Tony never send Pamprin a friend request because of Maleficent's  piercing eyes and constant interference. Maybe some things are  better left alone.

            I remember  I once had a family history teacher that found her sister after years of searching.  Both had grown up in foster care (obviously separated from one another) and the woman she had found had discarded her past - or so she had hoped.  So while my friend had searched for a connection and finally found one - the person on the other end turned all her hard work into a dead end.  If someone doesn't wish to be contacted, what do you do?




            At least Pamprin did not make the request for me to remove all of her photos from my wall.  Nor has she blocked me from viewing her account (at least not yet). I am  unwilling to remove some photos as she's still a part of Jenna and their brother's past.
            We can't change the past.  We can learn from it, treasure it, try to escape it, or just deal with it.  I hope that one day the issues at hand may be resolved and new discoveries can be made.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

My Mind is Full and Spilling Over

Two more classes
Math and English
Why did I accept the math
I hate math
Ironically I'm going for my
Bachelor's Degree
in Accounting
But I learn
and I grow

English
this time the grade I
receive in class
will affect my GPA

Triggers
I watched the lecture last night
everything is connected
this week
assignment
discussion
my last two classes



brainstorming
mapping
outline
free writing
write a discussion post
attend live lecture
sorting through photos as I listen
never get away with that at
 a desk in school

instructor makes comments
more triggers.
My mind's racing
Never experienced that with math.
Never brainstormed about math
it gives me nightmares

my mind is spilling over
brainstorming
maybe a sentence or two
more than just an assignment
a letter
a post
thoughts floating in and out of
my head
usually out

Hopefully I'll be able to keep up

with my thoughts.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Two Paragraphs plus

        For our last assignment in English, we are supposed to write two paragraphs to express "I believe in . . ." fill in the blank. As always, my mind jumped from subject to subject. Though it wasn't my first thought, I did consider ". . . laughter being the best medicine" which changed to " . . . power in literature''  (although that seems it would be tough to do in just two paragraphs) to ". . . saving the libraries in Douglas County" which is the assignment I ended up turning in. Meanwhile my brainstorming has caused other triggers, thus this blog post will include a lot more than just my two paragraphs (plus my writing may not reflect all those same rules)

        I will also refer reader to other posts which I have written - but don't worry.  I will not give all 66 posts in which library is mentioned. They are referenced if you may be interested in reading further or if you've been a follower all along, you may already remember.  So don't click on underlined references unless you are truly interested.  So with no further ado, let me take you on a "Library Journey"



        My earliest recollection of going to the library was Ruth Vine Tyler Library located in Midvale, Utah.  It was in the days before CDs, DVDs and computers.  I think the library offered LP records to be checked out - though I don't believe anyone in my family ever checked out  the LPs.  Granted, my dad had quite a large record collection - possibly even larger than the library.  My brother Patrick and I also had a huge collection of children's records, so probably did not use the audio sources that were provided through the library.

        I do know that in addition to books, prints and pictures were among the items that could be checked out. I don't remember having checked out the pictures personally, though I do recall mom mentioning a neighbor down the street checking out pictures and hanging them on her wall for three weeks at a time.  Among those she had checked out were prints of  "Pinkie" by Thomas Lawrence and "The Blue Boy" by Thomas Gainsborough. I had remembered seeing them available.

 



        Ruth Vine Tyler is currently one of eighteen libraries in the Salt Lake County Library System.  I haven't taken the time to figure out which ones existed during my childhood.  I remember Whitmore Library having been built in 1977.  I think it was the largest of the county libraries at that time.  Largest I had been to anyway.



 

        It wasn't until after I was married that I really began to explore several of the other libraries.  At present I have been to only half at one time or another.  Our first house was located in Kearns and we would walk to the library on occasion.  Kearns Library always seemed to offer fun activities; it was definitely the noisiest library I had ever been in.

 

        Even after we had moved to West Valley, I would often visit the Kearns Library.  I wasn't as impressed with the West Valley branch - at least not in the beginning.  After a while, I came to enjoy going to the library in West Valley, as we could commute there by train.  It was through West Valley Library when Jenna and I were introduced to the mother/daughter reading group mentioned here




        Thus the three libraries I had visited the most often were Ruth Tyler, Kearns and West Valley - though Jenna and I found ourselves frequently visiting the Calvin Smith when Roland was working for an agency in a nearby location.  All of the other libraries I had gone to were mostly just because I happened to be in the area. We really didn't have to travel from library to library.  If, for example, the Herriman library carried a book that I was interested in reading, but not interested in driving all the way to Herriman, I could place an order to pick up the book at the library of my choice.  I thought that such a cool feature 

        I have always been grateful for libraries, but at the same time I may have taken the them for granted. I certainly took the hours for granted.  All libraries were open 60 hours a week.  Monday-Thursday 10am-9pm; Friday & Saturday 10am-6pm.  Our move to Oregon changed that.  Oh, the library hours in Salt Lake are the same, but only 20 - 25 hours a week for libraries in Douglas County (see here) I'm happy that Douglas County offers some similar services as Salt Lake as mentioned above or in this post on the library system (Douglas actually works the same way; but far less paid positions than in SLC - many positions in this county are operated through volunteers) 

        The libraries of Douglas County are no in jeopardy of being closed.  We have an opportunity of putting voting to keep the libraries open by accepting an increase in our taxes.  I attended a meeting at the end of May and heard one librarian compare our libraries to being on life support.  On November 8th we have the option of pulling the plug or keeping the doors open. 




        I believe in supporting the library system of Douglas County, which is why I'm voting "yes" on November 8th.  I would encourage all registered voters of Douglas County to do the same thing. It is important to realize the library provides great resources such as borrowing books and DVDs; there are also computers available to use.  Although it is true that not everyone in Douglas County uses or even feels they have a need for the library, let me list some reasons why everyone should vote to keep the libraries open.





        To demonstrate some of the reasons for keeping the libraries open, let me share a few examples. For instance, I know some mothers who like to bring their young children in for story time. As a result, it gives the little ones an opportunity to explore through their minds. Additionally, I know even more people who go to the library to use the computers and Wi-Fi, as they don't have personal access.  Furthermore, I personally like to go for the variety of books.  I think it is great to have the opportunity of borrowing a book and being able to return it for someone else to enjoy.  Again, these are just some of the reasons for keeping our libraries open.  These are some of the reasons why I'll be voting "yes".




        We need to get the word out.  I'm doing everything I can on facebook, but as I only know a handful of people, it's definitely going to take just more than my contribution.  I hope anyone reading this may pass it on to others who live in this county and help us save our libraries.  Thank you.

        For more reading on the history of libraries, see here, here and here