Comments on: Hibernation 2009 #FridayFlash

By: Rosa Say

Rosa Say — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:38:14 +0000

I’m sorry to hear you were laid off Jeff; this bump in the road certainly does not show up in your writing, for it has been as strong as ever. That disconnection from a comfortable cadence with time you mention was something I wanted to illustrate in my duet of stories: We generally tend to think we want more time, but relativity and context makes all the difference in the world. I think the phrase you used, “time-value assessment” is a telling and very accurate one.

I do not want to minimize that this is a tough time for you Jeff, and I feel very honored you feel comfortable about sharing that so transparently here, but I for one feel very positive about your future prospects, having learned what I have about you and your talent these last few months we’ve come to know each other’s work.

By: Rosa Say

Rosa Say — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:05:32 +0000

I’m an optimist Kevin, I think we can have it all! We certainly can have a happier ending than we are presently getting, and my campaign continues with every expectation of greater success. As for my descriptions of nature – thank you! Beautiful Hawai‘i, and my blessed sense of place here get the credit: I just have to notice and write it down.

By: Rosa Say

Rosa Say — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:58:46 +0000

Good thoughts Trev. I am a big advocate of financial literacy within that “economic viability” part of the equation, for there is a “business of life” we all must be able to navigate through successfully for livelihood over and above business profits. However I am also in favor of more dabbling and less major/minor specialization while in college so we truly find that “intrinsic interest” you allude to, and thus a more long-lasting self-motivation. Some of the best courses I ended up taking were not my first choices, but ones I ended up in to get all my credits because the mainstream major/minor heavy-hitters were fully enrolled, and I couldn’t get in. A generation later, my two children had the same experience.

Maybe my fiction dabbling was meant to be… My first major was journalism, and I found the reporting emphasis so restrictive – I barely made it through one semester because I tried to write too creatively and with journalistic freedoms that were not permitted. What did I graduate in? Business, with a minor in Travel Industry Management.

By the way… “read: bureaucratic” – couldn’t agree more.

By: Jeff Posey

Jeff Posey — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:22:39 +0000

Good topical hit, Rosa. I was laid off from my job one month ago, and I’m still having a hard time getting a rhythm to my day. I try to focus, but my mind races and I have a hard time shutting it down. I can feel for someone just graduating and already being in my shoes. It’s tough. Even if your job is nothing more than a means to earn money to do something you want, your perception of self when you’re without income changes dramatically. And it changes your time-value assessment. I just spent two hours grocery shopping today to spend $65 — three stores, loaded up on cheap stuff. Yeah, it’s very strange how your days become when you don’t have the structure and financial reward of work. In a way, it’s a nice break. But it sure is hard to see it that way most of the time.

Jeff Posey
.-= Jeff Posey´s last blog ..A Spiral-Maker’s Questions =-.

By: KjM

KjM — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:02:52 +0000

Two sides of the same morning, very well painted. I understand your wish for a happy ending. Sometimes there isn’t one. In reality, I would wish there were.

Your descriptions of nature are beautiful, lyrical. A joy to read.

Thank you.
.-= KjM´s last blog ..Because I Can =-.

By: trev

trev — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:00:45 +0000

Hmmm….Interesting point. We have been encouraged to reap much of our self image and sense of worth from work. Times like these, we see the downside of that. More and more I lean towards work as simply a way of being able to afford to do the things that I like to do, increase my sense of self through those activities, exclusive of work.

The college/work connection is interesting. What I’ve discovered is that the major is not so important. It’s the commitment and completion that employers look for. The transferable skills, such as time management, organization, and communication that develop regardless of area of study. Here’s a little guessing game to illustrate the point:
I went to college for music. One of my colleagues has a degree in Linguistics. Another has a Bachelor of Science in Organic Chemistry, and one of our managers, an Asian woman, learned fluent Russian as a result of her post secondary degree in Internation Relations. What business are we in?

My two bits? De-couple expectation from education. Study something that has intrinsic interest rather than economic viability, and be mindful of developing those transferable skills. Our society and economy move in real time, and academic (read: bureaucratic) time can’t keep pace. Most of what you learned in the first two years has a good chance of being irrelevant by the end of your fourth year.
.-= trev´s last blog ..Happy Ending # fridayflash =-.

By: Rosa Say

Rosa Say — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:35:44 +0000

Thank you Maria. I aspire to be more like my first character too! For starters, I should pay more attention to my own garden over the weekend, since it does get kissed by the Hawaiian sunshine, something not to be taken for granted.

By: mazzz_in_Leeds

mazzz_in_Leeds — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:08:44 +0000

The stories worked well together, with their similarities pointing out their differences I am very jealous of your first character :) .-= mazzz_in_Leeds´s last blog ..#FridayFlash: High Feast =-.

By: Rosa Say

Rosa Say — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:43:21 +0000

Chris, your cousin is far from alone, and I hope to bring this issue to the collegiate community via Teaching with Aloha, where Dean and I try our best to illustrate that business and academia can partner better (our past relationship has been at odds too often). My view is that we must promote entrepreneurship beyond the MBA programs which now exist... I have this vision of Main Street USA coming back everywhere as people get more enterprising and self-sufficient, with big box retailers giving up their strangle hold on us... Thank you for continuing to support my #fridayflash learning as you do. Your comment is encouraging in that I do try to keep my fictional accounts entertaining even when the issues are real and quite serious for me.

By: Chris Chartrand

Chris Chartrand — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:55:34 +0000

The two views played off each other well. It isn’t a topic I had given much thought to. I have a cousin who is becoming what I call a professional student. He keeps switching majors because he is terrified of graduating.
I always enjoy reading your #fridayflash because it tackles issues in a real way. Not to mention it’s always well written and entertaining. This week is no exception of course.
~chris
.-= Chris Chartrand´s last blog ..Wizard’s Last Hope =-.