Cafe Victoria

Juno: “I loved it. Its like Little Miss Sunshine. A must see. ”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: “Harry Potter my new example of leadership”
Blade Runner: “Classic”
Harry Potter and the Gobbet of Fire: “Soo good. Loved the Tournaments”
Hairspray: “Good morning Baltimore..”

Another break, another chance to write papers.
At this moment in time I am finishing “Managing People, a guide for department chairs and deans” for my book review paper, and “researching the GI Bill and its lack of funding for today’s college vets” for my critical issue paper due Jan. 7.
In the back of my mind I have to start writing the outline for the book review paper due Jan. 9 and schedule a visit to Pacific Union College for my compare/contrast paper that needs to be written by Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday. Ohh yeah, and in the middle of it all I have to do my first draft for the Capstone of the 1 -4 compencies and philosophy of student affairs by Jan. 15.

So the question is do I relax or do homework? I figure if I do a few hours of homework a day..I can relax the rest..balance, right? When is Graduation again? May 3, 2008!! The count down begins…

Don’t mind us. We are rocking to our Rock Band Video Game. “Woo..living on a prayer!” Miss plays drums. Matt the guitar. I the vocals. You can call us the Grass Valley Great Buggies. Merry Christmas!!

When I first went to Matthias’ apartment he had a German poster on his wall for the film Run Lola Run. Three years later we enjoyed the film as if we were on a first date. Way cool film by the way. We were inspired to watch thanks to VH1 90’s flashback. I forget what year they were talking about Run Lola Run. I think it had to do the fact that she is running through Berlin during the whole movie. Anyway, if you missed that film like I did, I highly recommend renting it and enjoying the fun German Tekkno Music of the late 90’s.

This week in my program we have been writing about practical wisdom on our ecollege site. One of my co-hort’s shared this quote she got from a Dean of Students.

“I was somebody before I was a dean. The title does not make me who I am, it just give me more to accomplish.”

The most surprising thing about being in student affairs is no real job title will explain the impact we can have on college students. We often are a listener, coordinator, advisor, cheerleader, realist and motivator. We often are the ones who see the bigger picture and at the same time try to keep everyone on task. To keep with the flow of my class this week, I ask does it take a certain kind of wisdom to do this work? I think I will go with Meredith’s quote. If you are going to work in student affairs, you need to go where you can achieve and trust you have wisdom to share with others around you. But most important, you help make the students and the place better.

For my Administraiton in Student Affairs course, I just finished “The Art and Practical Wisdom of Student Affairs Leadership” (2002). I have to write about practical wisdom for our discussion board. The main theme and advice was balancing. Many of the Chief Student Affairs Officers interviewed in the book talked about how challenging it was to balance their love for their work and to enjoy life outside of work. I feel fortunate that I found a field of work that I love being a part of and spending my day at. Ironically, my time doing jury duty has helped me realize that as much as I love working with college students, there is a world outside of higher education.

Wow, I thought I was busy when I was planning the wedding. With Christmas shopping, staying connected at work and taking two courses, I am feeling a bit stressed. To tell you the truth, I would rather spend time with friends, family and my students then drive around buying Christmas presents in the cold. I would trade catching up over some hot apple cider or walks in the sunshine any day then drive around in the holiday season traffic. I bet all of us in a way would rather spend time together then just send each other Christmas cards. For those I get to see in the next few weeks, I’m looking forward to it. I think Matthias has officially changed the Estrella Family Christmas. It looks like we now open gifts on Christmas Eve. Ahh..but I think he is starting to love Christmas morning waffles. For family members I only get to see when the timing is right, I miss you.

On a joyful note; Winter Solstice is almost here AND just in time for all of us to slow down and welcome in more sun light and a new year. Fall brings changes. Winter brings awakening.

I found these advice months ago in Real Simple.

1)      Think “easy”. I wish it was that easy. Asking for help is a good thing.

2)      Stop measuring yourself. I keep asking myself, who am I measuring myself against and why?

3)      Look up. I have done a much better job of looking up from my computer. It helps with listening.

4)      Listen to the people you love best. True relationships have honesty.

5)      Look for the magical moments. I still ask, what was your high today?

6)      Sit down, just for five minutes. My downtime now is watching The View’s “hot topics” while making dinner. Love DVR!!

How is it that I feel like I am not doing enough when I feel like I am doing too much?