Have you ever heard of the phrase "choose your attitude?" Chances are the answer is an overwhelming "YES!" Your supervisor or peers may hammer this idea into your head on a regular basis. Over the past 3 weeks, we have been in Administrative Faculty training within our department at Virginia Tech. It has been great, and I am learning new processes and ways of carrying out my job. What I haven't mentioned is that there are another 4 weeks of training before residents begin to arrive. Talk about a lot of information, right?
During some of the longer sessions, I have noticed myself spacing out; 30% of this is due to the information and the other 70% is due to my admitted short attention span. Sitting for more than 1 hour in the same place is more than enough time for me to begin losing focus. Yesterday was my favorite day during training, and that is me not being facetious. This can probably be attributed to the fact that we were actively involved in creating our schedules for when the staff arrive and finalizing our Community Learning Plans.
Something that I have noticed about myself during these past few weeks: If I do not get coffee in the morning, I turn into grumpy Gus extraordinaire. Yesterday I met with my supervisor at 8:00 AM (yes, it was Friday), grabbed coffee (many, many cups) and breakfast, and that really transformed my day and my attitude. The day was also accomplished, as I was able to complete a number of items on my personal and professional "to do" lists.
So, you are reading this and are probably trying to figure out the moral of the story. Well, let me tell you without further delay. The moral is to find that one thing that will boost your morale no matter what. For me, the slightly bitter, yet smooth taste of this liquid nicotine is what carries me during these long and unavoidable days. I plan on conducting a study on how other perceive my attitudes on days when I drink coffee versus days I do not drink coffee. Results to come.
Always know, I choose my attitude by choosing coffee.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
3 Unpredictable Weeks
It has been awhile since I have posted anything on here. 60% of that is due to the move. The other 40% is due to the fact that I was lazy and needed to take a break. I'm glad to be back, and I hope this post doesn't disappoint. Let's rewind to the last week in June where we last left off.
The end of June was full of ups, downs, and everywhere in between. I was busy packing to head out to Virginia and finishing my thesis, which was a full-time job within itself. The week was a difficult one emotionally, as I was leaving some really close friends behind who I have grown to know and love during my time at Oklahoma State. Hope you all are doing well with the onset of training. :)
I left for Blacksburg at 6:00 AM on Friday, June 29th. Everything was going smoothly during the beginning portion of the trip. I stopped in Siloam to have breakfast with Carter. It was good to catch up for a bit before I left for a few months. Arkansas was not a terrible drive in the morning. It was cool, I was surrounded by mountains, and this was energizing me for the remaining 12 hours in the car. I made it past Little Rock, and that it when disaster struck: Traffic! My car doesn't have A/C, and the temperature was quickly rising into the 110's. An hour of sweating, cursing, and waiting, I was finally through the traffic and was ready to continue ahead. The 16-hour drive ended up taking 19 hours, due to other random stops along the way. I ended up getting into Blacksburg around 2:30 AM.
During the first week of July, I drove down to Charlottesville to visit some old friends. Denise came back from Georgia (the country) and was recently employed! The 3rd was an incredible night with some incredible people. I vow to never play "Survivor" with these people again. The second game was a mistake.
The following week, we began training. I'm thankful for having worked in ResLife prior to this week, as the information was not as heavy for me as it could have been. I also defended my thesis and ended up passing. All of the paperwork was turned in (which was a sigh of relief if you know of the situation), and I have officially graduated with my Masters. Better late than never, yeah?
Looking ahead to this week, I am excited to work and develop plans for Pritchard's in-hall training. I'm thrilled to work specifically with the building and to get to know the nooks and crannies that is the Pritchard Maze. Now is the time the HRL staff will know what they got themselves into by hiring me. This will be a productive few days!
The end of June was full of ups, downs, and everywhere in between. I was busy packing to head out to Virginia and finishing my thesis, which was a full-time job within itself. The week was a difficult one emotionally, as I was leaving some really close friends behind who I have grown to know and love during my time at Oklahoma State. Hope you all are doing well with the onset of training. :)
I left for Blacksburg at 6:00 AM on Friday, June 29th. Everything was going smoothly during the beginning portion of the trip. I stopped in Siloam to have breakfast with Carter. It was good to catch up for a bit before I left for a few months. Arkansas was not a terrible drive in the morning. It was cool, I was surrounded by mountains, and this was energizing me for the remaining 12 hours in the car. I made it past Little Rock, and that it when disaster struck: Traffic! My car doesn't have A/C, and the temperature was quickly rising into the 110's. An hour of sweating, cursing, and waiting, I was finally through the traffic and was ready to continue ahead. The 16-hour drive ended up taking 19 hours, due to other random stops along the way. I ended up getting into Blacksburg around 2:30 AM.
During the first week of July, I drove down to Charlottesville to visit some old friends. Denise came back from Georgia (the country) and was recently employed! The 3rd was an incredible night with some incredible people. I vow to never play "Survivor" with these people again. The second game was a mistake.
The following week, we began training. I'm thankful for having worked in ResLife prior to this week, as the information was not as heavy for me as it could have been. I also defended my thesis and ended up passing. All of the paperwork was turned in (which was a sigh of relief if you know of the situation), and I have officially graduated with my Masters. Better late than never, yeah?
Looking ahead to this week, I am excited to work and develop plans for Pritchard's in-hall training. I'm thrilled to work specifically with the building and to get to know the nooks and crannies that is the Pritchard Maze. Now is the time the HRL staff will know what they got themselves into by hiring me. This will be a productive few days!
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