How to survive and thrive working in college housing with a geeky twist.

Posts in category Summer

Catching up – Starting Anew.

Aug17th
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Tyler

Wow.  It has been a crazy summer.  I apologize, dear readers, that it has been almost two months since my last post.  So much has been going, let me catch you up to speed:

  • Comic-Con– We did the geekEd. panel for a second year.  It was great, and we had a blast doing it.  The family stayed at the University of San Diego, so it was fun seeing conference services from a consumer end.  We really enjoyed our time!  Some things I took away from the conference:
    • Thinking globally, we had two professors from Sweden attend our panel who taught courses on Harry Potter and other geek culture ideas.  They did not get a lot of support from the Universities and were looking for support here in the states.  It is interesting to note – on this topic of “geek culture” there are different realities for each of us.  At schools like MIT or Carnegie Mellon, every week of programming is “geek week.”  For us at Fresno State, this is not the case.
    • More research is needed to legitimize this area of focus – it is my hope over the course of the next year, that you, fellow geekEd. folks, could incorporate some “geek questions” on your surveys that you ask residents.  Please look back at our data for the question we asked here in Fresno, it would be great if you could ask similar questions at your campus.
    • Alfred Day really challenged me this year at Comic-Con in how we spent our time there.  I usually LOVE the panels – seeing cast members from my favorite shows (Psych, Community, etc).  But Al made the point – “is it worth it?”  Is it worth the investment of time – the standing in line, the waiting through panels you don’t want to see…just to have a glimpse of your favorite star?  With three kids at Comic-Con for the first time, for our family, the answer was no.  we didn’t see a single panel – which was tough, I’ll admit, but it was the right choice.  And because of that – we were able to capture some cool moments with our kids:

 

  • Training – once I got back from Comic-Con on July 17th – it has been two final weeks of Resident Director training, straight into one week of Assistant Resident Director Training, and then BAM! right in to Res Life training for the past two weeks.  You know – that is one crazy time frame.
  • Res Life Staff Recruitment, Interviews, Selection – So – it has been a summer of changes here at Fresno State.  When we started the summer, we thought we were going to need to close a building, fortunately by the end of summer we were basically full.  This meant we needed to hire more staff.  We originally hired extra staff “conditionally” telling them that if we opened full they would have a job, but if we needed to close a building they wouldn’t.  On top of this, we also had staff leave – because of grades, because of policy violations, etc.  So when I got back from Comic-Con we had not one, but TWO recruitment, interview, and hiring processes.  We had a staff member leave three days into ARD training.   We made our last hire 2 days right before training started.  It was a crazy time frame.  But if that wasn’t enough:
  • Home Ownership issues – Before I begin – feel free to skip this next section.  It is more personal venting than anything else – but if you own a home, you’ll relate.  Now – for those of you reading this who have lived on campus for a long period of time and have yet to experience the joys of owning your own house, this is going to seem very strange to you.  As someone who lived on campus for 17 years, I understand how foreign this will seem to you.  I have no “Jack” (UCSB) or “Steve” (Chico State) or “Patrick” (Fresno State) that I can just call and have things “magically” repaired.  So, when, in the middle of RD/ARD/Res Life training I am at home and we smell gas, there is no easy fix.  So when we called PG&E to say they smelled gas, they sent someone out right away…TO DISCONNECT OUR GAS LINE!!!!  Yes, that’s right – they confirmed our suspicions – when the PG&E guy came to the door, and we opened it – his little “gas Geiger counter” as I like to call it basically went off the scale audibly.  His response?  “Um…you MAY want to get your wife and kids outside.”  But PG&E doesn’t FIX our gas line – they just tell us it’s broke and we have to get our gas line fixed.  Oh, and then have the city inspector come and sign off that it is fixed.  And then we will reattach your gas.
    • Ok – well, we don’t have a “Patrick” – but he DO have a home warranty!!!  They sent a plumber out (at a reduced cost to us) and he found two leaks.  But there’s a problem.  He said – there could easily be more leaks, and there could be problems with city inspector signing off – because our gas lines aren’t “up to code.”  So – our home warranty doesn’t cover “up to code” they only cover repairs.  So the plumber tells me – it’s going to cost you $1500 (of which the warranty will only cover $300) and I cannot guarantee you that the city inspector will sign off on it.  Greeeeat.  Meanwhile, in the middle of training, we are boiling water to wash dishes, give the kids baths, and we have to do laundry elsewhere (because we have a gas dryer).  And I am taking cold showers every day.  Needless to say – grump city.  So – here’s the positive in all of this.  I was lamenting to our “Patrick” and he put me in touch with a plumber he trusts.  This plumber came out and he looked and said – well, it’s going to cost you a lot more, but I can pretty much assure you I’ll fix it right and get the city to sign off – for $2800.  Now – $1500 without a guarantee is not as good as $2800 with a guarantee, so we gave him the bid.  Well, the two leaks originally found turned into five, and then 12, and then pretty much – the plumber had re-piped our entire gas system.  He then got it signed off with the city and fast tracked it to PG&E so they would get our gas line back up.  Two weeks and three days later, we had hot water again!  And, the plumber didn’t charge us extra, a good guy, recommended by our “Patrick.”
  • The moral of this story?  Make friends with your maintenance folks – cause when you are a homeowner – they can help you out greatly.

So that has been my summer, and that is why there haven’t been any posts.  But today we are on the cusp of opening – and I am getting excited for the year to come.  Some things to look forward to in our blog:

  • Power of positivity – exploring how “celebrating” even the most difficult situations can help morale.
  • How we turned Hunger Games and Game of Thrones into mega training sessions and resident events.
  • Exploring a potential “geek identity development model” – I am working on adapting the Cass model to look at the process of folks developing a geek identity.  It will be rough at first, but hopefully with some discussion here, we will develop something cool.,
  • More research!  We are going to do our second study on geek identity with our residents.  We want to encourage you to do the same.  Just one or two questions at your campus could go a long way to reaching our students
  • Guest bloggers!  If you want to write an article, let me know!  I’d ultimately like to get to a place where we have a guest blogger each week, and we can post twice.
Beginning, Comic-Con

Summer Movie List

May16th
2012 4 Comments Written by Tyler

Ok – so this may not be as “geeky” as previous posts, but this post involves movies – and that’s pop-culture, which fits a little bit with being a geek.

Movies. All of us in Residential Life/Housing know the movies we love to use. For training, for fun, etc. Back in the 90s, I joked with some staff that really the best question to ask in an RA interview was whether you liked the movie “Grease” or not. If you liked “Grease” you were RA material. If you didn’t: “Seeya!” We were joking. Sort of. Don’t get me started on “Grease 2″ though. Michelle Pfeiffer is no Olivia Newton John.

Anyway. I have two summer movie lists. Before I share them, please know – I will never recommend a movie I have never seen. There are LOTS of great movies out there (AND I would love you to comment and leave some of your own recommendations) but I don’t think it is fair for me to recommend a movie I haven’t seen. It is just wrong (in my opinion). So without further ado – I give you my first list of quintessential summer movies:

These are movies that are “impactful.”  You will be a better person for watching them (if you haven’t seen them yet).  They deal with themes as a Residential Life Staff member that you will come across (making a difference in someone’s life, overcoming adversity, a life redeemed, etc)

  • Lean on Me (Morgan Freeman)
    • Best Movie.  Ever.  Based on a real life story,  I even got to meet the real Principal “Crazy Joe Clark” at a leadership conference.  It is all about one man making a difference in the lives he is educating.  I STILL Cry every time when I watch this movie.
  • The Power of One (Morgan Freeman)
    • Another powerful movie.  Dealing with Africa and apartheid, revealing the power of education to make a difference in       someone’s life.  Best quote of the movie:  “A waterfall begins with a       single drop of water.”  If you haven’t seen this movie.  SEE IT.
  • Stand and Deliver (Edward James Olmos)
    • Another true story – about a teacher who challenges urban kids to take the AP calculus test.  A movie about math. Yes!
  • Shawshank Redemption (Morgan Freeman)
    • Yes, I am a big Morgan Freeman fan.
  • American Me (Edward James Olmos)
    • And Edward James Olmos
  • Remember the Titans (Denzel Washington)
    • I use this movie every year in Leadership class. People sometimes give me ribbing for it, and I challenge them to find a better movie to demonstrate different styles of leadership, and mix in issues of diversity.  No one has  done it.  Yet.
  • Dangerous Minds (Michele Pfiffer)
    • She makes up for “Grease 2” and “Married to the Mob” and “Batman Returns” – Catwoman? Really?
  • Precious (Mo’nique)
  • Higher Learning (Ice Cube, Lawrence Fishbourne)
  • Dead Poet’s Society (Robin Williams)
  • School Ties (Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon)
  • American History X  (Edward Norton)
  • Crash (Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle)
  • Radio (Cuba Gooding, Jr)
  • Rudy (Sean Astin –  nephew of Alexander Astin – the guy who created the Social Change Model)
  • Pay it Forward (Kevin Spacey)

So – here’s my challenge for you.  Pick a movie you haven’t seen from the above list.  Watch it.  Then write about it.  Email it to me (tymiller@csufresno.edu) and I will post it on here for a review.  Even if you HATE it.  Explain why you hate it.  Please?

If you don’t like that challenge?  Add a movie of your own on the comments below.  Maybe I will watch it (if I haven’t seen it) and do a review.

That’s all for now.  We are heading into the trench run of closing.  “Look at the size of that thing” I am thinking as we enter into our last two days.  Fortunately,  I have a wise Obi Wan Kenobi telling me – use the force.  Let go, Luke.  While at the same time I have a Han Solo telling me – “Let’s blow this thing and go home, kid!”  Next week, I’ll present you list number 2 – “Cheesy/Comedic Res Life movies.”  We have a tradition here at Fresno State that I will share next week once we destroy the death star of closing.

Until then…may the force be with you…always.

Advice, Development, movies   

Summertime. Blockbusters.

May10th
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Tyler

Summertime is coming (it may already be here). Blockbusters abound.  Summer is the time the BEST movies come out.  Check this out:

  • May: Avengers, Dark Shadows, Battleship, Men In Black 3
  • June: Madagascar 3, Prometheus, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Brave, GI JOE Retaliation
  • July: Spiderman, Ice Age: Continental Drift, BATMAN:Dark Knight Rises
  • August: Bourne Legacy, Total Recall reboot, Expendables 2

Now that is a nice list of winners.  Probably some stinkers too.  Summer time in Res Life is an interesting time of year.  It is a time to catch your breath.  But I believe summer time is where you make or break your career.  What will you spend your summer doing?  Here are some things to think about:

  • Process:  Before I do anything else, or allow myself to rest, I take some time reflect and process the year with my RDs.  A “Total Recall” so to speak.  What went well?  What didn’t?  What do we want to fix?  Are there things to tweak with closing?  Programming ?  What are we proud of this year?  What are we not so proud of?  While it is fresh, it’s time to talk about these things before it gets lost and you’ve moved on to next year. What is going to be your team’s LEGACY?  Your team is likely changing next year – what will the current team leave as a LEGACY for the next group.  As I said last week, also making sure you take time to bring closure for your staff.  Maybe send some notes out.
  • Rest:  Getting rest over the summer is crucial! You just experienced the process of the Academic year.  Travel. Explore the area you are living.  Last summer you may have just started your job – you spent all your time last summer learning the campus, the system, prepping for your RAs arrival.  Maybe you didn’t have time to see the town you were living in.  Now is that time.  Maybe it’s time to REBOOT.
  • Dream: Think ahead.  What is it you want to do over the next year?  What do you want to learn professionally? Personally?  What will you do to develop YOURSELF this upcoming year?

If you look at the summer movies and other sequels from the past, it gives us some insight on what your life looks like each year.  If our academic year is a movie, each successive year is kind of like a sequel.  As you reflect on your past year, was this your first year in the field, and was it fresh and exciting?  Or are you on Police Academy 5 where it feels formulaic, and maybe you are tired of going through the motions.  After all there are just soooo many ways a human being can make beeping noises and have it still sound fresh.  Maybe you’re a one act pony whose schtick was tired 4 years ago?  If you keep telling the same jokes, they DO get tired.  There are only so many times Rocky can get knocked down and get back up before we say “yeah yeah – we know – he’s an underdog – and he’s going to WIN!”  There are only so many ways to break up and get back together.

There are many different ways to handle sequels.  Let’s take the Batman Franchise for instance.  Michael Keaton’s First Batman movie felt fresh, new.  I believe it is the crucial moment that geek culture went from camp to cool.  More on that in another post.  But by the time George Clooney took the mantle (with the future Governor of California as Mr. Freeze – ugh) it was tired and sad.  And BAM, Christopher Nolan takes over so many years later with Batman Begins and it’s new again!  And BAM! He follows it up with the Dark Knight, and Heath Ledger brings a greater depth to the movie.  Sometimes it takes a great villain to be the hero you were created to be.  Think about that if you had a potentially rough year this year.  Batman NEEDED a re-boot.  Maybe you do too?  Maybe you don’t need a reboot, you need to take what you learned from last year and just grow from that experience because it is part of something bigger-   think Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  Either way, the suumer time is when you can “make it happen, cap’n.”

I think being an RD was most difficult when I realized over the summer all that hard work I invested last year was over and I had to start again new next year.  It didn’t really hit me my second year as an RD until about late September/Early October.  Maybe it doesn’t hit you until your third year.   Didn’t I teach my staff how to deal with that ALREADY?  I can’t believe I am STILL dealing with staff who want to be liked by their residents instead of respected.  I got my staff RIGHT where I wanted them LAST year in May, and now, all that work is gone.  UGH!  But it will hit you – when you realize that each sequel to your RD movie is a little bit the same and familiar, and a lot different.  Now, I spend my summers EMBRACING that notion.

And here is where I made the change for me.  It was when I realized the energy I was spending each year was not to make MY LIFE easier.  What frustrated me as a young professional was that I spent this energy during the year and I had to START OVER.  What I was really saying – all this energy should make my life easier next year.  My life.  My life.  My life.  AND – it wasn’t about making me BETTER it was about making my life EASIER.  When I began to embrace that this wasn’t about me, and more importantly, my comfort, I begun to realize that the energy I spend developing residents, RAs, and now RDs, isn’t about making MY LIFE easier.  It is about helping THEM making THEIR LIVES better.  THAT energy is NEVER Wasted.  Well…almost never…I’ve had one or two “Voldemort” residents and/or staff members over the years…but in general I have seen my investments pay off in the lives of those around me.  That is why I do what I do.  When I realized that, I saw each year as a new opportunity.  A new adventure.  And the possibilities were ENDLESS.  It wasn’t the same old formulaic sequel.  Each year was a chance to reboot.  Or at least advance the story from the year previously.  To develop the characters further.  to enrich them.

And surprise!  This not only made the lives of my STAFF better – it impacted MY life for the better as well.  When I stopped worrying about making my life EASIER and instead investing in others, my life was enriched beyond measure.

So, dear reader.  As you get through closing, catch your breath.  Reflect and Process on the movie you just got done making.  As the director of next year’s movie, what do you want it to look like?  Do you need a reboot?  Do you need to enhance what has been done?  Answer some of those questions, and then go and get your rest.  And then DREAM.

Just for fun – if you had to pick a movie that would define your past year – what would it be?  Would it be a summer blockbuster?  A tired sequel?  Pick a movie and share it with the rest of us.  Please?

PS.  Sorry if this is a little disjointed. We are crazy busy with closing as most of you are.  Hopefully my heart got across in what I wrote.

Advice, Closure, Development, Dreaming Big, Harry Potter, Peace, Star Wars, Uncategorized

How YOU can join in on the DC reboot.

Jun30th
2011 1 Comment Written by Ryan

First off, I gave up comics nearly a year ago, but with this reboot, I may have to jump back in. Maybe I’ll just subscribe on my iPad—I’ll have to find out the logistics (the digital should be cheaper, no?) But I think DC is smart to do a reboot and invite the next generation into the comic book world. (I have fingers crossed that the Lanterns do not change that much.) I’ve heard rumors: Superman and Lois divorce, etc, but I think it can only help the business. But how do you reboot? How can you change up and revise what you’ve been doing?

Destroy the Clutter

We as housing/college professionals hoard information and one of the biggest culprits is the elusive binder. Ugh. We attended a conference, a program or a seminar and winded up with these binders that just weigh us down. I mean, they look great in our office and we look so intelligent. But you have to get rid of these beasts.

Even if they aren’t binders, if they are not an active file, if they are just stacks of static information, what you need to do is either: scan the information, destroy it, or Jor-El forbid, store it. When you scan it, make sure you compact it as much as possible. And if you destroy it, and feel weird about it, if someone else has the exact same binder, feel that relief and recycle that sucker (I save the binders though.)

Go through your office and give away, reduce or destroy whatever is distracting. Student files? Store those suckers. Thank yous? Make a file (or scan them). Clutter is your nemesis.

Training

Whatever training you work on, tear it apart. Start anew. Challenge everything you do. Cut, slice and destroy. And if you are wondering what to do with leftover time? Easy—bond those students/staff together. No one ever said, “We bonded too much.”

And here’s a great time saver: make sure the expert is teaching on the topic you are giving. There is nothing more time consuming then having someone have to do research to figure it out. Instead of 30 minute blocks, can you give them 25 minute blocks?

Your Body

Take a good hard look in the mirror. Are you where you want to be fitness-wise. Tomorrow, July 1st, I’m rebooting. Hitting the gym, getting the nutrition back. But here’s the thing my comrades, if you have failed at self motivating yourself before, if you have not been disciplined, if you do not have the willpower, you do not have the willpower. Take it from someone who has read a ton of Green Lantern, you cannot manufacture willpower overnight.

I rebooted my exercise by going to Crossfit, a gym where the decision are made for me. I don’t wonder if I got a good exercise—I know because I leave a sweat angel on the gym floor as I crawl to my car. Now I’m admitting June hasn’t been my best month, but I’m rebooting tomorrow, July 1st.

I’m telling you, rebooting your body (as well as throwing out the crap you keep in your house), will do wonders for you.

Forgive the Mistakes

We all blow it in our jobs. Every one of us, but don’t let those mistakes hold you down. You have a new year in front of you (and August and September are rapidly approaching) and you need to decide, today, that there is a new start and a new day waiting.

Organizing

Yoda: He would have RULED as a Resident Director.

Jun29th
2011 2 Comments Written by Ryan

First off, I understand that Dagobah wasn’t filled with college students. But the way he went about his life, he could have been an awesome Resident Director on Coruscant. Let’s take some lessons from the Jedi Master about how to hone these skills (whether we have the esteemed position of Resident Director).

Do One Thing Well: Luke, in ESB, makes this sad, pitiful attempt to lift the X-Wing out of the muck of Dagobah. Then he goes into this horrible, whine about how hard it is and no one really understands him. On and on, this guy goes. He’s this little Jedi hipster. Well, Yoda lifts that beast right out and attempts to explain that it’s not about the size, it’s about the focus.

Yoda is all there in the moment. He is not distracted by what’s going on around him, his memories, his future. The goal: get the X-Wing out is his priority. At times being a Resident Director is like being a doctor in an social ER. It’s hectic at times and sometimes a little calm.

And our culture (especially education) keeps using the phrase: multi-task. When I hear this, I can barely hide my eye-roll.  For the simple fact it is a myth. Yes, it’s a myth.

You might consider one of these tips to add some more focus to your life:

Shut your door and hang a sign that says: Just need 1/2 hour of uninterrupted time, I beg thee.

Come in 1/2 hour before everyone else when it’s quiet.

Take a walk and think through what is going on. Bring some paper and jot down what pops in your head.

Delegate, delegate and then delegate.

Touch once. Once you touch a piece of paper, when you are done reading it either: pitch it, file it, or scan it.

Behind Closed Doors: He sends Luke into the cave to face his fear. He doesn’t give this detail about what exactly needs to happen, he simply points his little stick to the cave. Luke faces his fear and makes a hasty courageous evolution after that. Yoda runs a solid behind closed doors event. Here are some tips gleaned from that.

So when you are training your staff to confront different situations, don’t have a rigid decision about what needs to happen. Be a bit more open. If your staff are “confronting” students drinking, make sure you have your standards (tone of voice, alcohol disposed of, situation documented), but make sure you are not imposing YOUR style on them—but write up that situation you must.

Advise, Don’t Demand: He lets Qui-Gon screw it up. He advises him, and when it all goes bad, he helps advise further. Granted, he knew about Anakin becoming Vader, who then blew up Aldarran (see previous post), but he didn’t fire old Q.

Next up: I’m not really sure. We’ll get there together. Thanks for staying tune. If you could, please share these articles on good ol’ Facebook.

Connecting, Mentoring, Uncategorized

Knowing your Campus: Justice League Style Series: Black Canary

Jun22nd
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Ryan

What? Black Canary? I mean, isn’t she a bit B-List? No. She isn’t B-List. She’s awesome. She was a leader of the JLA for awhile, kept Green Arrow in line (and did they get married? I’m not sure about that. Note to self, Google that hard) and for being a one-power hero, she’s got moxie. And she’s got a killer voice, a voice anyone can hear. Here’s how to be like her.

Short and simple: Help the department you are trying to connect with use their voice. For example, if you have a Women’s Center on your campus, you should find out how you can advocate for them. And I hear you, I hear you. You are saying that I don’t advocate. That’s not true. Whoa, put the laser down. I’m saying go a bit beyond just throwing up some posters. When they ask for help, be specific on how you are helping them. So when they ask you to put up fliers, send an email that states all the ways you’ll help them.

Hey, your event sounds great, and I think it’s a brilliant idea. Here’s what I’m going to do for ya!

  • Put up the 10 fliers around your department/resident halls
  • Explain and publicize the event at the meeting.
  • Ask an RA to attend the event and bring 10 residents.
  • Ask my RHC/RHA to attend/support the event.

I think this is key to get buy-in from departments. Show your support and many more doors will open. Helping departments get their voice out is imperative to gaining influence on your campus.

Connecting

Knowing your Campus: Justice League Style Series: Flash

Jun20th
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Ryan

He’s Wally West. He’s the fastest man alive (yes, I know there are other Flashes, and yes, I’m getting caught up on Flashpoint which will transform the DC world. Dun dun dunnn.)

Flash’s power can be described in a thousand ways: he’s attached to the Speed Force; he’s super fast, he has a super-metabolism; he can walk on water, phase through walls, etc. Here’s his power in a nutshell: he gets there when people need his help. Unlike a lot of superheroes who can act at a distance (heat vision, calling dolphins, sending in the Batplane), Flash is active and present.

Now that you have a department worked out from last time, think about what they need help with. Answer these questions or ask some colleagues to get an idea.

What training to they give their staff that they could chip in and help with? (Does the Women’s Center need help connecting to people in the resident halls? Could you give a 1/2 hour training how to advertise better?)

What volunteer opportunities could you offer if they are doing a service project? (Financial Aid is doing a clothes drive for winter. Could you throw some bins in your resident halls and have the RAs go door to door?)

Is there a communication breakdown between one department and the students’ understanding? (Does Parking face a lot of misunderstanding about where students can and cannot park/when and where? Could you give up a bulletin board for a month and offer it to them and get all craftastic? Yeah, your craftastic. You can say it.)

Did a department accomplish something great on campus? Write them a note saying, “Awesome job.” Do not send an email. They get a ton of them and they are dismissed (later on I’ll show you how to do email the right way. Not now, young padawan. Not now.) A handwritten note would be very touching. Trust me. They remember.

Does their department have new hires? Go meet them. Don’t send an email. Go meet them and take them out to coffee and show off your department. Go. Over. There.

Action Steps: Find out about the department you want to connect with. Check their website for new information and congratulations. Be the Flash. Be the person who arrives with help—before they even ask for it. That’s a hero.

Connecting

Knowing your Campus: Justice League Style Series.

Jun14th
2011 1 Comment Written by Ryan

Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to be talking about how to get to know your campus and make some allies regardless of how long you’ve been there. One of the first lessons I learned as a Resident Director was to get to know all aspects of the campus. It’s a daunting task, and it takes a bit of time and dedication, but it’s worth it when you’re in the weeds.

Have a student in your office crying about financial aid? You’ve got someone to call.

Need a couch like yesterday? Yep, you can solve it cause someone owes you a favor.

So I’ll take you through the heroes of the Justice League to point out strategies of winning others over and tear down some of those pesky silos.

First up: Batman (No, I’m not starting with Superman. Come on.)

Connecting

Your Reading List

Jun12th
2011 4 Comments Written by Ryan

Here’s my one piece of advice about what you should read over the summer: whatever you want. If you want to read trash, so be it. I’m serious. I think you should read escapist, nerdy trash. Nothing that really opens your mind or expands your horizons.

Don’t read anything about college students or actually anything that has happened in the past 20 years. Nothing that’s a bummer. Load up on the candy bars of literature my friends. You’ve earned it. I want you to focus on everything else that makes you who you are—not being a college professional. You have plenty of time for that.

Here’s my required reading for the summer.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. This is one of those penultimate fantasy books. Here’s the deal my fellow geeks. If you hate this book either there is something signficantly wrong with you or you hate dolphins. It’s one of my all time favorite books. Everytime I turned a page I thought, It’s going to be over. And I’ll be sad. The sadness happened. And it’s sequel: A Wise Man’s Fear—pretty awesome as well.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. A great science fiction book—the flip side of Ender’s Game. Instead of recruiting young people for war, you recruit the elderly. You just have to make some adjustments.

A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. A great book about humans overthrowing the gods and enslaving them at the cost of everyone. Made me consider a lot of social structures in the face of tradition. Plus it’s a romance. I still liked it nonetheless.

Also, pick ONE thing you want to learn aside from something to your career. I’ve been learning how to grill thanks to Just Grill This by Sam Zien. Love this book. And I’ve made more friends!

Throw me some comments about what you’ve been reading, but keep it geeky.

 

Anti-Development., Books    , , , , ,

Summer is here. What to do about it.

Jun10th
2011 3 Comments Written by Ryan

Admit it, we all love when the students are gone. They pack up and you have to check them out of their old room. There are tears as your staff takes off. Your desk explodes in disorganization. And maybe as the dust settles, your calendar frees up, you wonder to yourself: What now?

Two things—take care of yourself and read. (Your summer reading list will be in the next post! Stay tuned!)

Take care of yourself. I know that when the school year is over, you have a major shift in schedule and routine.When this happens to me I get a bit down, a bit sad. (And my building gets empty like The Shining. Luckily no twins. Yet.) So what I usually do is take some of my vacation and head out. Now a vacation is different of us. But with my college compadres, there are different kind of vacations that energize us.

Family: There is an immediate visceral reaction when you see family. Some of us would love to hang out with our parents, watch a movie, catch up, and eat our favorite meal. Some of us would rather suck on an old hospital mop. I get it. One caveat about visiting your parents: do not talk about work. I’ve made this mistake where that’s all I talked about and frankly, it was because that’s all I knew.

Service: Find a place you can serve. I know, don’t I serve enough, Ryan? Yes, yes you do. But finding a place you can fly off to and volunteer, meet new people, and make a difference somehow scrubs off the film. Here’s a great book about finding a place to go: here.

Learning: This is where I thrive. I attended the World Domination Summit (more on this later) and was blown away. Imagine attending a conference where you meet all of your best friends you’ve never met. That aside, find a place to learn about something unrelated to your profession: quilting, ninja star throwing, a cultural experience, etc. My next quest is to go to the Iowa Writing Conference.

The Couch Surf: You know all of those people who have shared your couch—it’s their turn to return the favor. Call em up! I’ve hit: Boston, Portland, Miami and Sydney, Australia. Make the phone call, book the tickets, and get away.

Let me know in the comments below what else you do to relax and re-engage during the summer.


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