Bagging Groceries

 
 I worked in a grocery story for about a year during college.  Smitty's, down on the "levee" in the area between West Lafayette and Lafayette was a family owned, full service, grocery.  Mostly I was a cashier, in the days before bar codes when you had to memorize the price of milk, eggs, and beer, but sometimes I would stock shelves.  Occasionally, if it was slow (and the stock boys were bored) or super busy (and the lines were getting long), we had baggers, but more often the cashiers who rang up the purchases bagged the groceries, too.  We were all instructed on basic rules, like don't put the bread on the bottom, but otherwise we were pretty much left to our own particular style.  I liked to group items--cold things in one bag, non-food items in another.  I tried to balance the weight so that all the cans weren't in one bag, or so that the peaches weren't squashed against the cat food. (It is amazing how many cans of cat food some people bought!)

I guess those bagging experiences have been hard for me to shake and I realize I've become quite critical of grocery store baggers.  I frequently find myself rebagging my groceries after checking out.  Some baggers seem to take it as a challenge to try to fit all my purchases in as few bags as possible.  I always go to the store with 5-6 reusable totes, but if they can get everything into 1 they look so proud. It's like a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle to them.  I live on the third floor and find it much easier to carry 2-3 lighter bags up the stairs than 1 heavy one.

But, I've never had an experience like yesterday's at Trader Joe's.  As usual, I brought my own bag for the 8 or so purchases I made.  As the cashier scanned the items, I put them in my reusable tote.  But, he finished scanning a bit before I finished bagging.

"Here, let me," he said and grabbed the bag and took everything out! 
"Don't you like how I was doing it?" I asked.
"Sorry," he said, "I guess it's just my OCD."
"Well, maybe MY OCD is why I was doing it!"

Now we had it, an OCD standoff!  Who should bag the groceries? I could have argued that the customer is always right and grabbed the bag back, taken everything out and done it MY way. But I conceded the bagging job and let him rearrange my groceries.

"See," he exclaimed happily, "Now you have more room!"

More room for what I wondered?  I was done shopping, I didn't NEED more room.  But he looked so pleased with himself that I just smiled and took my bag.

Summer

 

One of the harder questions I get asked is "What do you do at work during the summer?" I know there is this perception that universities shut down for the summer, but that isn't the case.  True, we have summer classes going on, but that is not what takes up the most of my time.  I sat down today to make a list of things I need to get done in the next month, before our new students arrive on August 10.

Here is my list:
develop the assessment plan for one of our degree programs
form an curriculum committee for that program
make modifications to the program based on changes in course offerings
create advising notes for the students in the program
develop a co-terminal degree option for that program
develop guidelines for departmental external reviews
develop list of possible external review committee members
apply for teacher CEU credits for a fall program (something I've never done before and have no model for doing...)
work with admissions to coordinate this fall program for potential students
develop a charge for a task group on sexual harassment that I'm chairing
recruit faculty to serve on the committee
figure out how to dissolve a non-profit organization where I am the secretary-treasurer
create syllabus for fall class

I'll check back after August 10 and let you know what's been accomplished.

Imrpov, it's trendy

In my meandering quest towards self-actualization I've tried a variety of new things--writing, meditation, storytelling, yoga, folk dancing, running, and gymming, to name a few (and I just made up that last word because "exercising" or "working out" don't seem to be quite right...I go to the gym, regularly).

My last venture was improv, or improvisational acting.  Being in Chicago, the birthplace of improv, it was something I had to try.  Second City is well-known as the incubator of comedic geniuses like Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, etc.... But in addition to their shows, Second City runs a robust training program.  There are classes for kids, teens, older adults, corporate types, movie makers, actors, script writers, voice over artists....you name it, they do it.



I had heard of one of the central tenets of improv, "Yes, and...," in strategic planning workshops.  The idea is that rather than knocking down an idea, you build on it.  This approach encourages the generation of unique solutions, builds trust, and creates a more collaborative environment, so they say.  As someone who frequently has to lead brainstorming and planning sessions, I thought I might benefit from learning more about improv.

In checking out the class schedule I noticed a class aimed at those 55 and older.  Only problem was that it was offered in the middle of the day. I guess there are a lot of retired 55 year olds out there. Not me.  I dilly dallied around for several months, debating about whether I had the time, money, and inclination to commit to 8 weeks of classes.  Finally, I pulled the trigger and signed up.

My eight weeks of classes ran January through February.  We were a group of about 18, with a disproportionate number of men (13 v 5).  I was the oldest class member, there was another "mature" man in the class, but the average age was maybe 27.
  
                                       
 
 What's a class like? Lots of games, like the kind of games you play at summer camp or a retreat.  We did trust building activities, like leading a blindfolded classmate through the halls, and cooperation building activities, like untangling a human knot. We threw imaginary balls to each other, sometimes 3 or 4 at a time. We passed around strange sounds and actions. We sang songs, rhymed words, talked in nonsensical babble, and mimed. The emphasis was not on being funny, but on the key elements of teamwork--trust; giving and receiving; recognizing, supporting, and acknowledging each other.

Not everything we did was comfortable or easy for me. I learned a bit about myself. I know I'm better with concrete tasks, and I could feel my logical side fighting for control in some exercises. But, when my partner and I took turns mirroring each other's motions and then let "invisible person C" lead us, I found I could let myself relax and be guided by our energy, rather than our brains.

At the end of the eight weeks I decided to sign up for the next session, then life intervened and I couldn't continue the classes. I'm not sure if I will go back, but I'm glad I experienced a bit of what improv is about.

Improv seems to be a trendy topic.  One of my Illinois Tech alumni uses improv exercises in her clinical psychology practice. 

 https://magazine.iit.edu/spring-2018/better-living-through-improv


I recently read another "mature" student's account of his Second City experiences.

https://medium.com/@JayGerhart/thinking-improv-do-it-my-first-18-magical-hours-part-1-6508349625dd

It is even being promoted as a perspective for those working with people who have dementia.

 https://changingaging.org/dementia/dementia-the-joy-of-living-an-improvisational-life/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialShares

Email

I think email is ruining the workplace. My concern isn't the quantity of the email I receive, it is the quality. At least once a day I have to deal with a situation where there was a misunderstanding through email. Sometimes they are very simple, but usually they involve people writing things they would probably never say face to face.  People insult each other, use rude and dismissive language, express strong emotions.  The conversation threads get long and complex.  There are blind copies, accidental "reply all"s, and indiscriminate forwarding of messages. People see email as a way to document their objections, concerns, and grievances. And they sure have a lot of them! 

I'm sure that workplace incivility isn't new (I did watch a few episodes of Mad Men, after all), but email seems to make it so much easier.  When you had to type out a memo, make copies, and circulate it you had more time to think about what you were saying or doing.  There was gossip and talk around the water cooler, but it wasn't written down and circulated.  I have colleagues who seem to spend most of their time writing emails.  To what end?  There is this need to accuse, refute, deny, document, argue, and complain.

The worst emails are written at 3 am.  I know, I've been there.  Never, never send an email you have written at 3 am.  Smart phones have made this so much easier. Used to be you had to get out of bed, fire up your laptop, open your email, and then type.  Now, you can roll over, pick up your phone, and let loose on someone.  Most of what we think at 3 am is not good, not good at all.  Write if you must, write if it will help you get back to sleep, but do not send.

If I could do one thing at work it would be limit the amount of email sent.

Slippery slopes

At work, I've been dealing a lot with the concept of a slippery slope. 

Here is what I've decided:

One sure way to keep from starting down a slippery slope is to never take a step forward.

Some of my favorite slippery slope images.......


                       


                       



                                                                               

Ordinary Time

Driving home last night I passed a church sign announcing the coming week's events.  At the top of the LED display was the line, "4th Sunday in Ordinary Time."

The Christian calendar has two main events, Easter and Christmas. Each is preceded by a period of preparation, Lent for Easter and Advent for Christmas.  Pretty much the rest of the year is "ordinary time."  (There are a few minor things like Pentecost and such, but they don't get whole seasons.)

It seems very appropriate that the first religious period in the new year is ordinary time.  It is a bit of a rest between the excitement of Christmas and the secular New Year and the arrival of spring and Easter, a quiet time that fits the January vibe of the Northern United States.  Roz Chast, the brilliant New Yorker cartoonist, sums up January this way:
                                    

Ordinary time. A holding pattern, a period of quiet, a lull.  Most of the year is spent in "ordinary time." We anticipate holidays with periods of preparation, but we don't have names for the aftermaths, for the times of recovery.  We spent weeks building up to Christmas and Easter, but quickly find ourselves back in ordinary time.

A lot happens in ordinary time.  The gray cold months of January and most of February (depending on the timing of Easter).  But also the whole long hot summer.  The time when we are expected to vacation, to rest, to restore ourselves. A lot happens in ordinary time.  Weddings, births, vacations, the end of school and the beginning.  We travel, we visit, we walk and bike, we swim and ski.  All on our own schedule, our own time, our ordinary time.

Puzzling

I love doing jigsaw puzzles, a topic I'm sure I've written about before (if I was a real blogger I would index my posts and be able to provide a link here to an earlier article. I am not a real blogger).  I love the orderliness of them, the transformation from a pile of pieces to a coherent scene.  I wonder if anyone has ever studied the spatial reasoning ability associated with jigsaw puzzles. In my experience, they are a largely female pursuit.  But, are they really different from Legos?  Why don't we talk about using jigsaw puzzles as a way to encourage women into engineering? 

This week I undertook a 2000 piece puzzle.  The first time I've attempted such a feat.  I admit to being a bit intimidated at the beginning. Luckily, I had looked at the puzzle measurements before starting and realized that the only surface available to me would be the dining room table. I would have been really upset if I'd started on the card table and then had to move!

Here is what the puzzle looked liked after day 1. I always like to do the border first. Unlike many puzzles, the sky was the easiest part and I started with that.

After another few days of work I got to this point. It felt like I had a long way to go yet, but I had finished the "window" and most of the shelves in the other corner.  The big open areas were the ones where the colors were very similar...save those for last.

Another day and I am almost done now...still left to do--the greenish-brownish wood at the bottom.  I was tempted to go to bed at this point, but decided to see if I could finish. I slowly worked on the wood, piece by piece.

This almost turned out to be a 1999 piece puzzle.  All done and one piece AWOL!!!  I blamed the cats.  They aren't allowed on the dining room table, but every now and then I would knock a piece to the floor and they would bat it away if I didn't quickly retrieve it.  I was pretty frustrated at not being able to finish.

But, eureka!  The piece was found and puzzle completed.

I feel more confident about attempting another now.  Like most things, you need to break the problem down into smaller tasks and tackle them one by one.  Look for the easy parts, work on those, and gradually the whole will fall into place.

Maybe next year I'll put together a big Lego set!