5 Pieces of Advice

In response to an assignment from Deb Morrison's class I'd like to share what I've learned this term at the University of Oregon:

5 PIECES of ADVICE

FIND 3RD SPACE.
I bummed this term from two great sources: Starbucks and Zach Blank. For Starbucks, this is the place that isn't work, and isn't home. It's the place where you can enjoy transition. For Zach Blank, it wasn't the classroom, and it wasn't his bed. It's the place where he could set up shop and think, while being available to his peers. Make it somewhere people can find you, and it won't bother you to be found.

SAVE TIME.
No matter if it's making coffee while you're getting dressed or doing all your school work at school, saving time means multi-tasking to be an effective worker and creating time for yourself.

DON'T WORK TOO HARD OR YOU WILL GET SICK.
There is a limited amount of time in the day and if it's all for work, then none of it is for you. I learned this the hard way, and hopefully I've learned it for good. You need time to rest and refuel in order to be the lean machine that's expected. Set boundaries.

IF YOU WANT TO GO TO BED IN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES DO NOT GO ONLINE FOR ANY REASON.

READ A BOOK.
Instead of going online to check your favorite blog before bed, read a book. I've recently rediscovered my joy of fiction novels. Right now I love to read books where the main character stresses over four different aspects of his/her life in sentences that end with exclamation points. I can laugh at their chaos and trivialize it compared to my own, which makes me feel better. Books high on my priority list are moderately interesting and relatively unrelated to me. Very recreational and relaxing.

BIGOTRY! Response How-To

So, remember the LogObama from November? It looked like this:

Well, crazy as it sounds, I always had this impression that my fellow residents dislike my outward, optimistic support of our new president. In fact, they despised it and hissed behind my back. At this point I should add that I don't really know the other residents, sad, yes, but we mostly keep to ourselves. And I also had no reason to suspect other people of this kind of behavior and I really thought I was just self-conscious of showing such open political support.

BUT!Apparently someone believed that, "No, we can't." He or she replaced my words with silence. Very disappointing. Then the LogObama sat alone, a sad little construction paper logo with no tag line. All I could exclaim: "I KNEW IT!" Unfortunately, this only confirmed my crazy, or the unpleasantness of my neighbors.

But, since this is a simple how-to tutorial. The lesson must go on.

HOW TO DEAL WITH INTIMATE BIGOTS:
Well, you can't just let them get away with their bigotous crime. Sure they want a rise out of you, that much, and their narrow-mindedness, you can count on. So here's the trick. Respond without stepping outside your territory. Go ahead, and call it like it is. Even if you don't have all the supplies, it's important to get your opinion back on top. Out in the open where it counts.


Now, yes, I know this is a strong and potentially offensive message to display on the door of my home, but no less than the thing that created a need for frank talk. Bigotry.

(While this post is based on true events, I do not recommend this type of action for conflict resolution, and the viewpoints expressed on my behalf are hyperbole, intended for comedic effect.)

POM promo

This is a short-short video Jason Shannon and I did for portfolio class. Neither of us having much experience in flash, we tried to work within our skill sets. We chose a poem style format for the copy to give the piece a little bite, and keep the video do-able :) I think we'll be adding to this.

Swindled Again!

I have been studying the ancient art of Tai Chi for a little more than a year now. Every quarter my class meets in the Student Rec Center and begins practice with silent warm-ups. My chosen pair of shoes have been well broken in and, when I am late, they squeak as I try to creep behind the group. I've been thinking about getting some new shoes.

All the enlightened Wushu kids in the class, and our instructor, wear these kung fu shoes. Maybe they would be a good purchase. The shoes look like this:

Can you see those glorious little white feet? The shoes are called "FEIYUE" and I take them to be an authentic kung-fu shoe, because the peers whom I trust wear them. So maybe I'll check these out for a new tai chi sneaker. I visit the website and stare dumbly at the screen, crestfallen. There are a plethora of sneaks to choose from. They're like Adidas.

Here, I was enamored with what I thought was a little brand. Authentic, genuine. But when I learned it is a shoe giant, all the magic was gone. I didn't want to sort through their plethora of pedantic bipedal designs! I just wanted the classic shoe.

And this is the point at which most people are overwhelmed and feel bombarded with meaningless options. Why can't a brand, a product, a choice, or an experience be just one good thing? Just one. Is that too much to ask?

(To supplement my post, watch Malcolm Gladwell on TED. Around 9 minutes.)

Appease yourself.

Only a few days ago I sat at my kitchen counter. My sinuses burned and my eyes watered with the enjoyment of wasabi peas. When I regained my vision, I noticed the bag's label:

"WASABI PEAS: A DELICIOUS COMBINATION OF SPICY WASABI AND CRUNCHY PEAS."

I was struck by this incredibly accurate description of its contents. Subsequently. I felt a little ashamed that a bag of peas has a clearer description than I do. 

I wondered, 'If I had a descriptive label, what would it say?'

WHAT WOULD YOURS SAY?