Our Sunday school teacher Russ has season tickets to the Falcons game, but he couldn’t go last Sunday. So he gave us his tickets. It was my first time in the Georgia Dome and my first time to see an NFL game. I was not disappointed. Continue reading
New post on my professional site: What’s wrong with this shopping poll?. Here’s a picture of the poll. See if you can figure out what’s wrong before going to my site to see what I think about it.
I only have 2 weeks of school left, and when I’m done that will make my total amount of time spent in school 19 years (K-12, college, grad school). So why do I still get nervous over projects? I just finished two projects today, and I’m already starting to wonder if there was more I should have done. And as I look towards my next project (the last for the year!), I’m overwhelmed and incredibly intimidated by it.
Every time I start a project, the hardest part is getting started. I have to constantly remind myself it won’t be that bad once I dive in. I may even have fun with it. And time and time again, I prove this to be true. But time and time again, I fail to be comforted by this when I start a new project.
I’ve narrowed down part of the problem – grades. When I start a project for work, I’m never intimidated. I know that any failure is really a success in that I’ve learned of an option or path that won’t work. Hurray! I won’t make that mistake again. But slap a grade on a project, and it’s another story. Sure, I’m graded at work via performance reviews and my peers’ opinions, but no one’s standing around saying “You get a B for your work on that user guide.” Or at least, if they did, I’d be well within my rights to kick them.
So why do I let something like grades push me around? In all the professors and teachers I’ve encountered, only a handful of them were actually sticks in the mud who refused to help me. Most professors are ecstatic when a student has a question about an assignment. It shows you’re actually trying and taking it seriously. But for some reason, no matter how many questions I ask or how well I prepare, I am always scared when starting a project and when finally turning it in.
I think the problem for me is that grades are so final. I work on a project, turn it in, get a grade, and I’m done. And if I get a bad grade, I just have to live with it FOREVER. This never happens at work. If I complete a project and it doesn’t meet expectations, you better believe my boss is going to ask me to do it again or add to it. But I don’t get this chance at school, and it frustrates the heck out of me. And it ups the fear, because whatever my first attempt results in is what I have to live with forever.
Is this what it’s like to be an OCD perfectionist? I can’t wait to graduate – not just for the accomplishment, but for the end of big, bad, mean ole grades trying to cramp my style!
I just finished cooking broccoli casserole for our Thanksgiving lunch at work tomorrow. The company’s providing turkey and dressing, and everyone else is bringing the rest. Personally, I’m looking forward to my co-worker Kristen’s hashbrown casserole. I always beg her to make it for any lunch we have at work, but she always begs me to make broccoli casserole so we’re even.
I still can’t believe Thanksgiving is just a week away. I haven’t been in a big holiday mood these days, because I’m too focused on finishing school work (only 2 weeks left!). But between previews of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and now my house smelling of broccoli casserole, I’m starting to get more in the spirit.
This time next week I’ll know whether my dressing turned out OK for a second year in a row. At least broccoli casserole is simple enough – I can actually remember the recipe without looking at it. Dressing is always a surprise. But I know it will be great at Christmas time – April makes it then and she’s had a lot more practice!
Nothing a paw to the face can’t hide. This practice also happens when the alarm clock goes off. WE DON’T LIKE ALARMS… or anything that disturbs nap time.
