Week Nineteen: PC Wars

As I’ve said before, I’m a Mac Man!  I work hard, I have integrity and I like to do things in the most efficient way.  It appears this PC disagrees with me.  The proof is in this very page.  It has two lines on it now, but once was a nice, quaint little finalized article.  Why is it gone?  Well, I put trust in the PC and didn’t click save.  That was my first mistake.  It decided to take this blog and crash it into the ground (after five minutes of not responding to my mouse-clicking, enter-smacking, end-task striking rampage).  Maybe I should give it the benefit of the doubt.  It’s early, so maybe it was tired.  It’s also Friday, so maybe it had a big weekend it was looking forward to.  Maybe it was sick.  I don’t know, but I’m frustrated.  I couldn’t help but think of what my job would look like if I adopted the work ethic of this very PC. 

I could come into work and take my sweet time getting all warmed up and ready.  Then, when the boss tells me to do a task, I’ll put up my finger (the hourglass of the human) as to say, “hang on a minute.”  Hey, I’m starting the task on my own time here.  I will then do the project my own way.  When the boss wants a certain word here or there, I’ll autocorrect it to how I feel it should be written.  Halfway through, I’ll freeze up.  With arms crossed, I’ll stare at my boss and mentally shut down.  What can my boss do about it?  Trust me to send my own error report somewhere that nobody will read?  Bah!

No, PC, get you’re green-squiggly line off of here.  My grammar is just fine, thank you very much.  Don’t insult my intelligence.   Now what is it PC?  Oh great!  A red-squiggly line!  Wait a minute, let me check. . .   

Oh fine, I’ll give you that one PC.  Thanks for helping me spell squiggly. 

Why Volunteer?

Volunteering is an important branch of the Experiential Learning Center (ELC).  The ELC facilitates a wide-range of volunteer opportunities for students.  We maintain VolunteerLink, containing a vast database of service opportunities.  You can navigate VolunteerLink with ease to find the perfect service outlet, matching your personality and interests.  If you only have limited time to give, the convenient pit stop you may be for is the Stop and Serve Program, where you can literally stop in and volunteer as much, or as little, time as you like.

Want to get scholarship money for volunteering?  The UCAN Serve program offers a monetary scholarship for volunteering that helps pay for school expenses.  The ELC also hosts a volunteer fair, connecting students, faculty and staff to local organizations who offer volunteer opportunities.  The ELC partners with Habitat for Humanity, enabling students to participate in monthly volunteer opportunities.  Spring and winter alternative breaks allow students to spend a week doing direct service for various organizations.   

Why volunteer?  Volunteering helps you gain experience outside the classroom, expands your networking of connections, sculpts skills in your field of study and perpetuates your future goals.   Volunteering is the travel mug of experience—serving you on the go and providing experience that works around what’s convenient for you!  Come talk to our Service Learning Coordinator, Kyra Tarbell.  She will guide you towards a volunteer program based on your interests, your location and the amount of time you’re willing to commit.  She’ll match you with the type of populations that interest you.  Whatever route you choose, volunteering is an asset to your resume!   

If you want to help make the world a better place, while helping yourself gain professional experience, come to the Experiential Learning Center and open the door to the vast opportunities volunteering can provide.  UCD students, plug your interests, talent and hard work into the outlet of volunteering and see the rewards you could gain.      

Week Eighteen: The Pain of Editing

If you were to look at my fingernails right now you would see little jagged nubs.  Why?  I’m trying to compromise with myself.  I’m editing my volunteer article (still without title).  I like it the way it was, but recognize it can be much better.  Tam made some interesting edits/comments that made me see the flaws and strengths in the article.  This is now the process that causes my incessant nail biting.

Mr. Paragraph looks a little distraught and awkward.  I notice a sentence—Mr. Paragraph’s arm—is deformed.  I argue with myself about how to do surgery.  I pull out my surgical tools and rewire it.  Then it looks worse, so I pull it off and discard it.  Then I attach a new one.  This one looks funky as well, so I toy with it some more.  It looks even worse than before.  So I put the original back on and realize that was the wrong arm.  

Week Seventeen: On Writing

          I’m glad to see that real writing is finally happening now.  Not

that I wasn’t really writing before, but it felt too much like a

process.  In my experience, the best writing doesn’t come from

this.  So far, in trying to fit the mold of an article writer, I turned it

into a generator.  The article was spread out in front of me and all I

had to do was plug things in.  Here’s an opener (make it real

catchy).  Here’s a quote (fix the speaker’s grammar).  Here’s some

researched information (hopefully it’s correct).  And so on and so

forth.  This writing felt forced, mechanical and stiff.  I would read

over the first drafts and get bored with the predictability.  Sure, it

was fine for an article, but I wanted it to be interesting.  When I

pushed myself to start breaking these molds I felt the freedom to

make the writing interesting as well as fun to write.

           Now I feel like I’m doing that.  I started a blog but got

caught up in it and turned it into a full-on article.  I stretched myself

and by doing so I was able to pepper my articles with my voice and

creative touch, truly making them my articles.  The consequence,

however, is disorganization.  I know what I’m trying to say and

expect everyone else to know it, too.  It’s hard to slow down

sometimes and create good flow and pacing.  I think we all

experience this when we are excited.  We rush to get to the punch

line but forget to tell the joke.

Week Sixteen: Auraria Through the Reading Glass

     This week I began many new projects.  I started mapping out and putting together the portfolio/Staff Writer manual.  I started writing a few blogs about my experiences at the ELC that will go up on the Facebook page in the future.  I also began brainstorming an article about the ELC from an insider, intern’s perspective.  On top of this, I have continued plowing through the mounds of success stories left to do.    

      I also took a historical tour of the Auraria Campus, which was actually very interesting.  We walked around the campus with the overcast sky and learned about the rich history this campus has to offer.  It’s interesting that you can walk past buildings and not even notice them until they’re presented to you close-up and detailed through the reading-glass frames of history. 

Week Fifteen: Bessie's Hope

This week I went with the ELC staff to do a volunteer project through Bessie’s Hope—an organization that promotes and aids in nursing home visitations.  They were founded on the principle of helping out the elderly that don’t have the opportunity to get many visits.  Through this, we were able to go and visit the elderly and bring some various plants to give to them (which they were very excited to pick out).  We helped them water the plants, sang songs with them and talked with them about their lives.  At one point, a somewhat quiet older lady piped up, “what’s with all that stuff all over your face (referring to my facial hair)?”  She told it like it was.  I wasn’t too upset, since she proceeded to ask me if I was married.  When I replied no, she inferred that she was single as well. 

There were many interesting conversations that went on in the few hours we spent at the nursing home.  Overall, it was a rewarding experience and I’m glad that I could have helped brighten those people’s day.  And, hey, if I ever need a date, now I know where to look!