i dislike autocorrect in certain situations. Historically, i have a habit of not capitalizing “i” when writing in a non-professional capacity. i don’t know if this is a subconscious attempt at murdering my ego, but in my personal writing, a capital i was never a thing, really, especially in my days of handwritten journaling. MS Word is notorious for fixing that on me, and i got to a point where i just stopped reversing the correction. But truth be told, i miss that as a style in my writing.
So, as of today, i am rising up with my army of one against the suppressive technology of forced grammatical correctness.
This is a ridiculously hard question for me to answer.
My brain jumps from thing to thing. Constantly. I can focus on tasks and such, if need be, but when I do that, it feels like I think faster to compensate for the lack of jumping around. The energy has to go somewhere, right?
In any case, if someone asks this question, chances are I’m not knee deep in spreadsheets, so my mind is functioning within its normal parameters. This, of course, meaning that my thoughts are playing leapfrog while tossing a ball amongst themselves randomly. It could be anything from physics, a social experience I recently had, elephants, philosophy, a ridiculous situation at work, how a particular machine works, or anything and everything outside and between. Or some rapid succession of any combination of the above.
If they interrupt a thought, how can I answer not knowing what the complete thought actually was? If they do happen to ask between thoughts, do I answer with the most recent one, or do I try to figure out a theme in the last couple of thoughts? Or do I think about the last few and choose the one least likely to result in uncomfortable questions about where that thought came from? I mean, not many people sit around thinking about elephants, but sometimes, they just pop into my head.
9 times out of 10, I’ll simply say “nothing” or “lots of things”, and that is generally satisfactory.
Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.
The first day of anything can be the start of many things – a lesson, an adventure, a whole other life. My first day story is the start of a transformation from a position of dire necessity to a job where I thrive, learn regularly, and love what I do.
It was a cold, wet day in February. Flurries still fell, though the brunt of the storm had passed overnight. I was up early – I had to be at my new job through the temp agency at 8am. I was nervous, but not normal first day jitters. I had to do well. I needed this job. I had been unemployed for over a year, and my husband had just been laid off. It was do or die time.
My husband dropped me off at the entrance, wished me luck and went off to do his thing for the day. I walked in, confused by the lack of anyone in the front office. I finally found one of the guys from the warehouse, and told him who I was looking for and that it was my first day. “I dunno anyone by that name.” He furrowed his brow. “Hold on.” He ran off, and returned a few minutes later with someone who proceeded to tell me that I was looking for the company on the other side of the building. Oh, ok. Time check – 5 minutes before I’m late. Got it. I thanked them, walked out, and started walking around the building. I walked. And walked. And walked. Seems an industrial building with 150,000 square feet has a bigger footprint than I thought.
A few minutes later, I walked into the correct office, late and well-chilled. I was grateful for the warmth in the office, but soon wound up regretting that I wore a sweater. The ladies in the front each had a space heater and their small office started to feel like a sauna as I awaited the person who would give me more info on the job. In a whirlwind of information, I was given a computer login, tattered notebooks of handwritten instructions, a few product books, and some high-speed training on the multi-line phone system. I left that day exhausted and overwhelmed.
15 years and a remodel later, the building is still vast, but far less intimidating than it was that first day. In my time with this company, I have worked in 5 different departments, learned SQL, and earned my CPIM credential. Certainly not what I was expecting when I walked in, but something I am grateful for. I joke that my job title should be “Professional Problem Solver”, because that is essentially what I do every day – I solve problems and find ways to make people’s job easier and them more effective at doing it. I love it.
How many different versions of each of us exist in the minds of people we interact with? Can those versions ever truly match the version in our own minds?
Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?
Yes and yes.
I took a few acting classes in college, was in a production of The Vagina Monologues, and presented a research paper to peers and faculty.
Each time, I was nervous as hell, but once I started speaking, the world just sorta vanished and I had a laser focus on whatever piece I was delivering. They were all amazing experiences.
I always thought that a philosopher was a person who had wisdom. I have recently realized that that’s not necessarily the case. A philosopher is actually someone who loves or seeks wisdom, and reading the works of such authors as Socrates, Plato, Russel, Nietzsche, Locke, and the sort, are really just looking through a window to their minds as they were on the hunt for wisdom in their own lives.
I am, in fact, a philosopher – not a “philosopher (of sorts)” as it says in my current definition.
