Shorties 6

Real Understanding
As a technical writer, I'm not expected to be an expert in the subject that I'm writing on but an expert writer and researcher.  I seek out the information I need and use it in such a way that the reader thinks I'm an expert.  I still have to have a basic understanding of the subject but that usually develops as I do the research. Yesterday at work, I finally started to "get" what I'm writing about, which is good since it's an instructional guide.  Up to this point, I've just been copying information from another document.  It's still early for me on this project but I'm really pleased that I've started to internalize the material.

Stress Reducer
When I wrote about my trials in getting a Maryland driver's license, my dad left a comment asking me what I can do to prevent something like that happening again.  I thought about his question a lot and realized that I was neglecting one of the four things that I need to do regularly to manage my anxiety.  I've been eating healthy, studying my scriptures daily, and (mostly) getting plenty of sleep, but I haven't been exercising like I should.  A lot of that is due to the bad weather we've had which would throw my entire routine off.  So, to better combat Mother Nature, I've decided to join a gym.  I've done a lot of research and found a decent gym for $10 a month, which is super reasonable even for me and my lean budget.  I even pass it coming home from work.  Since I haven't gotten paid yet, I probably won't start until next week, but I'm excited to be able to hit the gym again.

Roommate's Milestone
After Church on Sunday, Samuel went to visit a member of the ward who is unable to attend church and blessed the sacrament for the first time.  I didn't go, but Samuel came back beaming.  He told me how excited he was to have finally blessed the sacramental water and that he is eager to do it again.  (In case I haven't mentioned it, Samuel is a convert and is still very new to the gospel).

Vegetarian No More
Monday was the last day of my cleanse, which means I'm eating meat on a regular basis again.  I've certainly dropped the weight that I gained while unemployed and, I suspect, a little bit extra that I didn't need to lose.  I guess that means that I'll have to pack on the pounds by pumping iron.

"Now run!"
While I was visiting the Larsen's to celebrate my birthday, Henry and Clara showed me a new game that they've discovered.  It's the classic activity where a kid grabs an adult's leg and is dragged along while the adult walks.  However, walking got old and they started asking that I run.  Not that I would actually run, I did try to move a bit faster for them, though with little success.  As with countless uncles before me, I tired before they did.  Still, they were both super excited that we got to play together, which never gets old.

Tuesdays with Media: Avatar: The Last Airbender

I grew up watching cartoons, so when I became an adult, I saw no reason to stop.  Back in 2005, a cartoon started it's run on Nickelodeon that I completely ignored.  Avatar: The Last Airbender, while an American cartoon, was heavily influenced by Japanese anime, which I don't generally care for.  Due to the animation style, I ignored it.

Then I learned a little kung fu.  Ian sponsored me as the two of us took lessons in Choy Li Fut style kung fu, which was amazing and I've missed it ever since we stopped.  We both got really into practicing our stances and forms, but the lessons were expensive, so they didn't last long.  This short experience sparked in me a fascination in martial arts that still exists to this day.  Due to my new appreciation for all things kung fu, I paid much closer attention to fight-choreography in movies from that point on.

I forget why I decided to watch an episode of Avatar, but I sat through two back-to-back episodes from the second season, "The Serpent's Pass" and "The Drill."  I was blown away.  I really had almost no idea what was going on story-wise, but it didn't matter because the visuals were amazing.  Yes, it still had a strong anime-style animation, but the fight-choreography was fantastic.

For those who don't know, the universe that Avatar takes place in has people that are born with the ability to "bend" or telekinetically control one of the four elements.  So there are airbenders, waterbenders, earthbenders, and firebenders.  What was so great about this show, however, was that benders used their powers by doing martial arts.  To add to the cool factor, each type of bending was modeled after a different style of martial arts.  Airbenders use Baguazhang, which emphasizes avoiding your opponent; waterbenders use Tai Chi, which emphasizes fluid movements; earthbenders use Hung Ga kung fu, which emphasizes strong stances; and firebenders use Northern Shaolin kung fu, which emphasizes strong attacks.  Only the Avatar can control all four elements, which is why he or she is so important.

This show's production team really took time to animate each movement properly.  The movements may have led to making rocks fly, but it was such a unique approach that I had to see more.  I sought out the first season and watch through.  Not only were the visuals great, but the episodes also had some really great character development and world building.  I think by the time season three started, I had seen the first two seasons twice each.  I also got Paige and Isaac involved and we would often talk about different themes and choices that characters made as new episodes came out.

The series ended back in 2008, but in 2012 the sequel series, The Legend of Korra, began.  Paige, Issac, and I still often discuss each episode after it's aired.  While Korra is a great show, I still prefer the original.  It may have been a show for kids, but it treats it's audience with enough respect that people of all ages can enjoy it.  I recommend it for anyone who likes good-storytelling with cool action in a family-friendly setting.

Avatar: The Last Airbender was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Another Year Older

For those of you playing at home, yesterday was my 31st birthday.

Birthdays are weird things.  For many people, having a birthday means that they are now a year older.  That's completely false, of course.  Time moves at a constant pace on our planet, so you age one day everyday.  Having a birthday doesn't make you older.  I don't think this is news to anyone, but because of the way that we track our age, it often feels like we've suddenly aged a year.  This perception can lead to having a bit of an existential crisis.  If you don't believe me, think about this: have you ever met someone who doesn't want to admit that they're older on their birthday?  If you haven't yet, you will.

Part of the problem is that even though time moves forward at the same, constant rate, we don't perceive it that way.  Time flies when you're enjoying yourself but drags at a snail's pace when we're doing something tedious or boring.  Add to that the fact that we measure our ages by whole years, it can often feel like an entire year has dropped itself on you.

To prevent having weird feelings of getting older on the anniversary of my birth, I start thinking of myself as being older a few months before my birthday.  Around New Year's, I upgrade my age in my head.  When my birthday finally rolls around, my new age is old news.  I realize that this approach isn't for everyone, but it works for me.

I do want to mention that while I don't use my birthday as a marker for my age, I do still enjoy celebrating it.  As with last year, I went to the Larsen's to celebrate my birthday, though it was more convenient to party the day before.  We ate burgers, had cake, and played board games.  It was fun and easy going, which is how I prefer things.

As a marker of time, birthdays aren't important to me, but as an excuse to have fun, they're great.

Surprising Trial

Wednesday began as any other day, with a pleasant breakfast and a hot shower.  Right when I was about to leave, however, my pant split.  Better to have it happen at home than at the office, I guess (also, this is the second pair of jeans from Old Navy to split on me after only a few months of use).  This incident was to be a foreshadow of the rest of my day.

The first half of work went by easily enough with the assignment I was working on keeping me busy.  At lunch, I decided that I would go to the MVA (the state's version of the DMV) to get a Maryland license.  Why go on my lunch?  The MVA offices keep insane hours, closing at 4pm every weekday and noon on Saturdays.  I looked online to see if I could make an appointment, but discovered that wasn't an option.  I didn't want to wait until Saturday because the MVA requires either a passport or a birth certificate and I only just got my birth certificate in and my license expires this coming Sunday.  I didn't want to push things too close, just in case I needed more time.  Another reason I went on my lunch was because there was a tracker online that said the wait was only 15 minutes.  I figured that was a good sign, so I went.

The nearest MVA office was twenty minutes away, which isn't too bad, but I was starting to get nervous when I arrived that I wouldn't have time to finish everything and get back to the office in time.  I quickly queued and got my number.  I found a seat near a monitor that tracked which number was last called and waited.  My number was getting close, but time was quickly running out.  I was finally called around the time that I should have been on my way back to the office.  I decided to stay since I was already at the window.  How long could it take?

In addition to needing my birth certificate, they also needed my Social Security Card, my California license, and two pieces of mail to prove residency: I had a bill and a pay stub, but they would only accept the former.  Luckily, the envelope that my birth certificate came in was in the car and that worked.  My picture was taken, my information was confirmed, and it looked like I was nearly done.  When the employee handed back my documents, she kept my California license.  I asked to have it back (I still have my first two licenses and wanted to keep the third), but she refused.  I asked why and she just said she couldn't give it back.  I asked to speak to a manager, who repeated the same thing.  I offered that they could deface the ID, even cut it half, but they wouldn't budge.  I was given my new Maryland license and directed to where I could register a formal complaint.  I decided to just go back to work.

As I drove, I got more and more angry.  Why was losing my old license such a big deal?  I thought it was a good picture of me, but that didn't explain why I was so upset.  I made it back to the office (twenty minutes late, though I wasn't in trouble or anything) and I sat at my desk, ready for a welcomed distraction, but I couldn't calm down enough to concentrate.  In fact, I got so mad that I started to shake a little.  I eventually broke down and cried a little bit, the pain was so great.  While I don't have my own office, my desk is in the server room where I'm otherwise alone, so I didn't have to worry about being embarrassed.  The rest of the day, I tried to be productive, but my efforts were futile.  The rest of my time at the office was basically shot.

Why had I gotten so upset over something so trivial?  I'm still not sure, but I've thought a lot about it and came up with this: stress.  I like my new job, but with a recent history of losing good jobs after a short time, I'm nervous about proving myself, both to the company and myself.  Going to any form of the DMV is stressful, especially if you do something stupid like go on a lunch break.  And then losing my license was a an unexpected blow, taking with it one of my strongest ties to my home state.  It all became more than I could bear.

While I was struggling through the second-half of my workday, I said a prayer, asking for relief (I remember thinking how "ugly" the emotions were that I was experiencing).  I felt inspired to get a Priesthood blessing.  I texted one of my Home Teachers to see if he would be available that evening.  He wasn't, but he called his companion (I only had the one number) who found a second brother to assist.  I wasn't able to get the blessing until that evening and by then I had calmed down considerably.  Still, I had felt prompted to get a blessing so I saw no point in turning it down now.  The blessing that I received was short, simply promising me that I would find peace.  With the word "Amen," all of the stress and anxiety of the day was gone.  I thanked the brothers and before long they were on their way.  After they left, Samuel asked me if I was now happy (there's that word again).  I laughed and replied that no, I was at peace.

This experience was strange and I am still surprised at the impact that such small things can have when one is stressed out: you're not upset at the trivial annoyance, it's just the thing that pushes you past your limit.  However, I am very grateful that I have a faithful Home Teacher and that I listened to the Spirit and received a blessing that brought a peace "which [sur]passeth all understanding."

A Basic Right?

I heard a news segment yesterday about a business not wanting to provide certain types of birth control for their employees, citing religious reasons, despite the fact that the Affordable Care Act states otherwise.  The case has gone to the Supreme Court.  With my job dealing (indirectly) with government funded healthcare, I've thought a lot about this case and want to share my feelings.

I understand that certain types of birth control can help regulate a woman's cycle and that can be beneficial, but the case I referenced above doesn't deal with that kind of birth control, it deals mainly with so-called "morning after" pills.  In the report that I heard, some representative of the plaintiff said that the business was "picking and choosing" what part of women's health to care for, but that all of men's healthcare would be covered.

The problem with any of these arguments is that the underlying question is being ignored: do all citizens have the right to sex without consequences?  And this isn't about STD transmission because if it were, this case would be about condoms.  No, this is about being able to have sex without worrying about pregnancy.  To be clear, I relate to the worry.  When money's tight, the last thing you want to deal with is another expense.  I relate to that worry because while Allison and I were still attending OSU, she was late once.  We started getting worried, but as the days dragged on, we accepted our fate and even started getting kind of excited.  Once we found out that we weren't pregnant, we breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but we were ready to face what we thought was coming.

I am frustrated by the moral state of our country that states that birth control is a basic necessity that needs to be provided for all people.  If you don't want kids or aren't willing to accept the fact that pregnancy may occur, keep it in your pants.  (I just realized that as weird and alien a concept as polygamy seems to me, that's how everybody else feels about abstinence, or so their actions would indicate.)

I realize that I'm probably not swaying anyone in my audience as you're likely on my side already, but I've learned that writing out my arguments for some philosophical dilemma or what have you can help me make peace with it.  So thank you for allowing me a platform from which to speak.

Tuesdays with Media: Jack-Ass vs. Strange Invitation

Today, I will be reviewing two versions of the same song, though they each have their own name: "Jack-Ass" and "Strange Invitation."

Jack-Ass

Strange Invitation

"Jack-Ass" was the fifth and final single from Beck's third studio album, Odelay.  It's a lighthearted and fun song that doesn't seem to be about a lot.  Beck's lyrics are noted as mostly being nonsensical (at least at first glance), but when you hear a song's lyrics with the music you can usually suss out the theme, if not the meaning.  "Jack-Ass" is a little different since the lyrics never seem to line up with the music: the words seem to be a narrator putting himself down for his follies.  The title of the song seems to be calling the narrator, or perhaps the audience, a fool.  Though the song does end with a donkey braying, so it may just be a reference to that.

"Strange Invitation" is the same song, but a little slower and a bit more melancholy.  It also removes the prominent sample from "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" by Them.  That sample was the main part of "Jack-Ass" that made it so fun, but it also distracted from the meaning of the song: drifting through life without purpose.  With words like, "I've been drifting along in the same stale shoes" and "When I wake up, someone will sweep up my lazy bones," it starts to become clear as to the songs message.

I prefer the sadder "Strange Invitation."  It feels more honest.  It knows that it doesn't have a happy message to share and it doesn't try to cover it up with a jaunty melody.  Too much art, especially in America, is overly happy.  Life isn't always happy, so I appreciate art that honestly portrays that.

"Jack-Ass" and "Strange Invitation" are distributed by DGC Records

Duties

Last week I briefly touched on a few details about my new job, but I didn't actually say what my responsibilities would be.  Let's fix that.

CAS Severn (CAS is pronounced as one word, "Cass," and stands for "Computer Applications Specialists") has a contract with the United States Government to create a computer program to reduce wasteful spending within Medicare.  I can go into more detail, but I'm not sure what I can or cannot share - I signed a lengthy nondisclosure agreement - but I think what I've laid out is vague enough that I should be fine.  This program is one of the ways President Obama is fulfilling his promise to free up money to pay for the Affordable Care Act.  I must admit, being apart of a company that will help to reduce the amount of money that the government bleeds on a daily basis makes me feel really good: it's something to be proud of.

Where I fit into this whole thing is that I will be writing the user manual for the program that is still being coded.  I've been spending a lot of my time while at work reading up on what we have so far, as well as looking at the requirements set by Medicare, in order to familiarize myself with the project.  It's really dry, desert-like even, but that's no surprise.  I'll mostly be taking data from the programmers and plugging it into a template, while still keeping it as readable as possible, which is the real challenge of the project.  On top of writing the user manual, I'll also be doing product testing to make sure that the program does what it's supposed, but that won't be for quite some time.  I may also give some presentations to help train some of the users in the new program once it's rolled out.

I just realized that I have a pretty vital role in a major project that will have a significant, positive impact on a well-established government program.  Holy wow, that's amazing.  This really is the time to prove to the professional world that I've got what it takes.  I'm ready and I'm excited.

House of Tutors

As of this writing, I have worked two two-hour shifts as an English tutor.  It was pretty cool.

I was surprised at how quickly I adjusted my communication style to better fit the kids.  For example, at one point I proofread a girl's essay that she wrote on The Scarlet Letter for her English class.  This was just a bonus and not required as part of my job, but since part of my professional job is to proofread, I volunteered to look it over.  Normally, when I see an error, I simply mark it and indicate what it should be changed to.  For this student's paper, however, I would try to mark an error and ask a question about it ("Who are 'they?'") or explain why it was wrong ("Make sure all of the verb tenses match") without actually giving the answer.

The basic set-up for the tutoring center is that, after taking an assessment test and being assigned a particular level in different skill-sets (reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, etc.), we take the kids through various activity books.  Usually each student will spend an hour each with math and English, but some individuals need more attention on one subject.  The boy I helped out with yesterday spent 90 minutes with us on English before switching to math.  The activities are pretty basic and I can grade their work without the answer key, but I use it since it's faster.

There are two ways to work with the kids: one-on-one or in groups as large as five, but usually no bigger than three.  Typically, we only do one-on-one sessions with the kids if they are younger and need help focusing or if they are really far behind and need extra attention.  Even when working with the students individually, we're not alone since there are other tutors nearby working with other kids.

One small complaint that I had is that some of the information in the readers is inaccurate.  Not in a critical way, like explaining incorrectly how semi-colons work, but the little stories don't always give the right information.  For example, one short paragraph explained that the "funny bone" is so named because it "feels funny" when you bang your elbow, which is patently false (an elbow bone is called a humerus; yes, even orthopedics can make jokes).  Does this really matter?  Not when it comes to reading comprehension, no, but I still corrected the book because my nerd-sense wouldn't stop tingling.

Erroneous trivial matters aside, I think it's pretty cool being an English tutor.  Most of the kids don't want to be there and that sometimes gets in the way of being able to help them, but it's still fun to be paid to explain basic English rules.

Thrown for a Loop

With the snow that hit us (once again) on Monday, my boss called me and recommended that I delay starting my new job until the following day.  So I started on Tuesday, but I it felt like Monday, so I forgot to update the ol' blog in time for Wednesday.  I'm starting to get back in the swing of things, but it does mean that I'm a day late.  My apologies.

Since I've only had a day and a half at my new job (half of the first day was spent signing more paper work), I don't really have a lot to report.  Everybody is really nice, the office has no dress code beyond "wear clothes," and I have a laptop that I have to take home every day.  Additionally, there is one thing that I still don't completely understand: six hour work days.  That's an over-simplification, but the idea is that since we all make a salary and are not eligible for over-time, as long as we meet our deadlines (which sometimes means staying late) and are in the office during "peak" hours (9 to 4), we aren't required to be there for eight hours.  And since I'm just working on familiarizing myself with my role at this point (meaning that I have no deadlines), I've been sent home both days that I've worked at 4 o'clock.  I understand the reasoning, kind of, but it still seems super strange.

Sorry that this post is both late and super short, but there's really not much to write about at this point.  Most of yesterday was spent taking notes on new vocabulary that I need to learn, otherwise known as the kind of thing that isn't worth sharing.  Tomorrow's post should be a bit better since I'll be telling you about my other new job.

Tuesdays with Media: Artist vs. Audience

I've been thinking about my movie reviews from earlier this year and how much fun it was to play film critic.  After some thought, I've decided to add an extra day to this blog and review some kind of media once a week.  I may review a movie, a TV show, a book, a song, a painting, a website, or some other kind of art.  I would enjoy feedback on these reviews, so any thoughts, critiques, or disagreements left in the comments are welcomed.

I decided to start by talking about art in general and how a piece's message can vary from person to person.  One of the reasons that Shakespeare is the continual subject of analysis and criticism is because his plays and poems have many layers to them.  That means that two people can read the same piece and come away with different messages and themes.  For example, while I was taking a course on Shakespearean literature to finish up my BA, I watched a couple of different versions of Richard III.  One was much more traditional, playing up the despicable nature of Richard and setting up his downfall as his own doing.  The other, however, was pretty funny; it still dealt with Richard's downfall, but it didn't take itself as seriously.  The lines were the same, but the performances interpreted the material very differently.

Just as the directors of those different performances saw the material differently, we as audience members can see a work of art differently from what the artist intended.  I felt that my farcical short story was obviously satirizing how standards of beauty for both men and women have changed over the years, but not everybody got that: one person couldn't get over how ugly the character's names were, but that was kind of the point.  That doesn't mean that that person's interpretation was wrong, just different from what I intended.

That's one of the great things about art: just as the artist brings certain notions and ideals to the table, the viewer brings different notions and ideals.  Both are right in their interpretation because art truly is in the eye of the beholder.  So for the foreseeable future, I will show you what I see in a particular piece of media once a week.  Please join me.