A Final Thought March 20, 2008

As this may be my last post on this blog, I just want to say good luck to everyone who I have had the pleasure of sharing the last few months with. I think I might start a new blog with a different focus in the near future. This has been a learning experience for me, and I thank everyone who posted on my blog.

Since I only have a few posts, what I want you to take away from my ramblings is that it is important to have time management skills, a group of people to support you (a support group if you will…) and a positive attitude. Let’s celebrate!

Lisa

March 13, 2008

Managing all of the things going on in my little world has proven to be a tough task. I am getting by however. And I’m getting better. Every day my organizational skills are improving. It’s easy to say “I have great organizational skills” on your resume, but ACTUALLY having them has been hard for me.

I used to be the queen of organization. Then something happened…I don’t know what…and all of a sudden I’m losing papers that aren’t in binders, forgeting important things on my desk that I need for class. Any suggestions on how to stay organized are welcome here! Oh, and my room doesn’t stay clean for very long either….

The end of reading week March 3, 2008

Reading week is now officially over. And what do I have to show for it? An almost completed newsletter, and an almost completed feature article, and an almost completed research project, and…well you get the trend. It would appear my lack of concentration to see a project to the end is becoming an issue. Now I’m left with projects to finish up before the end of the week. My time management and work/school balance I’ve been blogging about is growing weak. Mind you, there have been a  couple of roadblocks (literally) put in my way. Like the normally 20 minute drive home from work taking 2 hours due to an extremely unfortunate incident on the QEW that had 7 kms of the highway closed most of the night. The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was sit for another two hours. The weather, also being an unfortunate force this past week, had me leaving for work earlier and arriving home later to ensure I had enough time to take the slippery roads slowly. I know these things shouldn’t have kept me from completing my work, but again, there goes the work/school balance thing out of the window.

Then of course, I also wanted to have fun. I wanted to go shopping, hang out with my friends, go out for a few drinks, watch some tv, sleep in, etc. All the fun things that reading week should also include. Plus, it allowed me to get extra hours at work, which is always a bonus to my bank account. And the week flew by. Now it’s monday and school/work routine takes over. 4 weeks to go though! How bittersweet.

Time Management February 25, 2008

I guess the focus of this blog is about being a student and trying to manage the other things that are going on in my life. Though technically I’m not a “grad” student, I feel like my life is going at the pace of one. At the beginning of the course when we read the letters of last year’s students, time management seemed to be a common thread. I find myself with lots to do right now, and although I knew about it all, the due dates seem to be creeping up really fast. I haven’t always been a procrastinator though. There’s only about five weeks left of classes and the time is closing in. Soon I will be out there on my internship and there will be times that I wish I was back in class laughing and joking with the people in PR. The past few months have been awesome and I’ll remember them through the pictures…cuz if it happened, Dana has a picture of it!

I’m learning (thanks to Mrs. Geddie, Linda and Colleen) how to say what I need to say in as few words as possible. Obviously this blog does not reflect what I’ve learned! Just consider this to be verbal (well, typed actually) gibberish. Good thing I’m using my time wisely and watching Seinfeld instead of working on the many projects I have on the go. But really, what is life if not one big Seinfeld episode?

work and school…the ultimate balance February 15, 2008

I had a therapy session last night. Okay, not therapy in the traditional sense, rather more of a releasing of pent-up stories and situations a customer service employee finds his or herself in. Often 3 or 4 of us from work will go out and have dinner, or coffee, or whatever and discuss the last few weeks in our retail lives. Some of the things we see and people we deal with are too bizzare to even make up! The swapping of stories and latest goings on (not gossip!!) really helps to take away some of the stress. We always end up laughing and I think it’s good to have a “support group”.

We also talk about what is going on in our lives outside of work. The subject of school is also a hot topic considering we are students or recent grads. The balance between work and school is very tough for most of us. To me, school is my number 1 priority and work takes a backseat. However, I need to work to have money to be in school. As you can all see, and I’m sure have experienced, it is a vicious cycle. Although I do enjoy being in school, I am looking forward to graduating and starting my career, not just another job. So, with any luck and lots of hard work, I’ll be taking off my blue work shirt and trading it in for something a little more professional. And no matter where I go, I know I’ll always have my support group and they’ll have a story that will make me laugh, and I’ll have one that will make them laugh. Sometimes you just need to laugh.

A beginners first post February 5, 2008

As you can tell by the heading, I am new to the blogging phenomenon. If it wasn’t for Linda’s class, I doubt I ever would have started my own blog. Perhaps it is time to broaden my horizons anyway.

I can’t help but wonder where I will be a year from now. A year ago I was applying for the PR program and the year before that I was trying to finish my courses so I could get the hell out of university. I was tired of “theory this” and “theory that” and I wasn’t the only one fed up. One of my profs actually refused to teach a lecture becuase no one in the class had done the reading. He stormed out of the class room. If I broke down my tuition cost, I wonder how much I paid for that lecture that he never taught. I suppose if we had done the reading… But can you blame a room full of third year students who have 4 other classes and 4 other text books to read? Not to mention the threat of essays and exams creeping up on you before you know it. This prof is a smart man and I’m sure I could have learned a lot from him if I had been interested in the material. He used to teach in Alberta and I think educational expectations are higher out west becuase I could feel him thinking that we must be academically inept. I guess no one told him “if you can walk and talk you can go to Brock”

Hello world! February 5, 2008

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