One of the many advantages of interning at a Radio Station is you get to hear about all sorts of upcoming shows, and on occasion you get to hear bands you have not been previously exposed to. Yesterday was such a day for me. Of what I heard of the band I liked, and when I heard free show at Government Center that night, I knew how I was going to spend my night. When I came back from the concert, my ears were ringing and my voice was slightly shot. All in all, I would call it a very good show. Not only did I hear the band that came to the radio station, I also caught the ending half of another band's set.
Unlike some of my friends, music is not my life. It is only recently that the number of concerts I have been to has begun to increase. This may be because I am now getting more into music. It might also be because most of the clubs that have shows I wanted to go to in San Diego were 21 and up and for most of my 21st year, I was not in San Diego. I still remember when I was 17 and I heard of an artist that I was a fan of coming to San Diego. When I found out the venue was 21 and up, I was just slightly disappointed.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Power Networking
Last Tuesday, June 22nd, my fellow program participants and I listened to a lecture from a famous 'power networker'. It was part speech, part interactive. The interactive activity was the famous ball of yarn (in our specific case it was a ball of ribbon) exercise. For those of you unfamiliar with the exercise, this is when one person begins by stating personal facts, and then another person stands when they share a personal fact with the person speaking. The person speaking then throws a ball of yarn/ribbon/string to the person who has stood. Then that person (the one who stood up) begins to state personal facts about themselves until someone else stands up. The process repeats until all in the room are standing and are holding a piece of yarn/string/ribbon. Some of the things this speaker said were things I had heard before in high school during the college admissions process. Other parts of the talk were familiar, but phrased in new ways. There were other things which she (the speaker) said that I was unfamiliar with. For example, according to her a first impression is made in seven seconds or less and it takes over two hours to undo a negative first impression. From my personal experiences, that is something I am willing to believe.
One of the things this speaker said that I am having an issue with is that one's network is equal to one's net-worth. While the people that one surrounds oneself with can be influential, a part of that bucks against my 'one can pull oneself up by one's own boot strings' mentality. I know that the myth of the self made or truly self sufficient person is just that, a myth. However, it is one of those myths that I have held onto. Why am I so attached to this myth in particular? I'm not sure I can say. I think its just one of the things that I heard so much as a child. While I know that the myth is often times exaggerated and has little to no 'real' place in the history books, that sense of the self made or self-sufficient individual is at heart one of the core American myths. Acknowledging that a myth is a myth is the first part of separating oneself from it, but the myth that one can be truly self sufficient is (for me at least) still an interesting concept.
Something the speaker said that I do agree with is that one should be cautious with one puts out on the internet. Even with the best firewalls and protections, it is becoming easier and easier to find people. Fortunately, when I google myself I am still very much a non-entity. While that is one measure of privacy, I know that the sort of search I do for myself is nothing compared to what potential employers might look for. What we put out on the internet can and often does have a way of finding its way back to us. Part of why I have been as slow updating this blog as I have been is that I often debate for long times after I finish writing potential posts before I decide whether or not to press the 'publish post' icon. Most of the time, I decide not to and scrap a post. I know I have said somethings here and elsewhere on the internet that may well find there way back to me some day. However, all the things I have said (at least on this blog) are things I am willing to stand behind. That all said, maybe I'll ask one of my friends who is more technology literate than I am to help find a way to make me less visible in the future.
One of the things this speaker said that I am having an issue with is that one's network is equal to one's net-worth. While the people that one surrounds oneself with can be influential, a part of that bucks against my 'one can pull oneself up by one's own boot strings' mentality. I know that the myth of the self made or truly self sufficient person is just that, a myth. However, it is one of those myths that I have held onto. Why am I so attached to this myth in particular? I'm not sure I can say. I think its just one of the things that I heard so much as a child. While I know that the myth is often times exaggerated and has little to no 'real' place in the history books, that sense of the self made or self-sufficient individual is at heart one of the core American myths. Acknowledging that a myth is a myth is the first part of separating oneself from it, but the myth that one can be truly self sufficient is (for me at least) still an interesting concept.
Something the speaker said that I do agree with is that one should be cautious with one puts out on the internet. Even with the best firewalls and protections, it is becoming easier and easier to find people. Fortunately, when I google myself I am still very much a non-entity. While that is one measure of privacy, I know that the sort of search I do for myself is nothing compared to what potential employers might look for. What we put out on the internet can and often does have a way of finding its way back to us. Part of why I have been as slow updating this blog as I have been is that I often debate for long times after I finish writing potential posts before I decide whether or not to press the 'publish post' icon. Most of the time, I decide not to and scrap a post. I know I have said somethings here and elsewhere on the internet that may well find there way back to me some day. However, all the things I have said (at least on this blog) are things I am willing to stand behind. That all said, maybe I'll ask one of my friends who is more technology literate than I am to help find a way to make me less visible in the future.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Of Smoke Detectors
Well last night was the first night in the building I will be spending the next seven weeks in. My suite mates seem like a nice group and I am enthused by the location. All things considered, it looks like it is going to be a wonderful summer. When I meet the people that I will be interning for, I will comment on them as well. However, I am relearning a few things about being in a city that I had forgotten. While I have lived in both Copenhagen and Kunming, they are slightly different from American cities in that there are times when those cities seemed still. American cities, at least certain parts of them, never truly sleep.
Another thing I am having to relearn is the joy of smoke detectors. Last night, the smoke detector in the suite went off three times. The shrill noise woke me up each of the three times. Almost as bad as the shrill noise itself was the ringing in my ears afterwards. Needless to say, I did not have the most restful night. I understand the necessity of smoke detectors and other such devices, and I am grateful that the one for this building works. That all said, I think that anyone who has had multiple 'false alarms' during the night will be sympathetic when I say I wish that this will not become a nightly occurrence. Having a working smoke detector is a wonderful/important thing, having an overly sensitive one such as I do (as to the best of my knowledge none of my suite mates were smoking or doing anything that would cause a smoke detector to go off)... well that can certainly color your first impressions of a place.
Fortunately, my internship does not begin until Tuesday, so I have an opportunity to catch up on my sleep. I know that I am lucky to have such minor problems and that the smoke alarm was a false one all three times. That being said, if the smoke detector goes off again tonight, I will take the appropriate steps. According to one of the RAs (resident assistants) in the building that I spoke with last night (the second time the smoke detector went off) the activation of smoke detectors in this building has not been an infrequent happening. Even semi-regular false alarms would certainly color my summer experience. Now, I can only wait and see. In the meantime however, I think I am going to go eat breakfast.
Until Again!
Another thing I am having to relearn is the joy of smoke detectors. Last night, the smoke detector in the suite went off three times. The shrill noise woke me up each of the three times. Almost as bad as the shrill noise itself was the ringing in my ears afterwards. Needless to say, I did not have the most restful night. I understand the necessity of smoke detectors and other such devices, and I am grateful that the one for this building works. That all said, I think that anyone who has had multiple 'false alarms' during the night will be sympathetic when I say I wish that this will not become a nightly occurrence. Having a working smoke detector is a wonderful/important thing, having an overly sensitive one such as I do (as to the best of my knowledge none of my suite mates were smoking or doing anything that would cause a smoke detector to go off)... well that can certainly color your first impressions of a place.
Fortunately, my internship does not begin until Tuesday, so I have an opportunity to catch up on my sleep. I know that I am lucky to have such minor problems and that the smoke alarm was a false one all three times. That being said, if the smoke detector goes off again tonight, I will take the appropriate steps. According to one of the RAs (resident assistants) in the building that I spoke with last night (the second time the smoke detector went off) the activation of smoke detectors in this building has not been an infrequent happening. Even semi-regular false alarms would certainly color my summer experience. Now, I can only wait and see. In the meantime however, I think I am going to go eat breakfast.
Until Again!
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