Weekly Geek Outs - 08/12/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Stranger Things

My partner and I watched through this intriguing new series from Netflix recently and really enjoyed it. It is a fun, mysterious '80s throwback horror thriller, with some great music and solid storytelling. It isn't the most original thing ever made, but it is enjoyable and I appreciated the nostalgia aspect of it as well as there being a cool character named Dustin! I definitely recommend checking the show out. It is only eight episodes and it hopefully will be back for another season. Chalk this one up as another hit for Netflix!

• Anniversary

I have two anniversaries to celebrate this weekend; my three month work anniversary (nothing major, but just a nice milestone) and my three year anniversary with my partner, Jenn. We're going to Alexandria, VA which is close to us. We haven't checked out that area yet and we're going on a party boat with an open bar, so it should be pretty fun! Stay tuned to my Instagram for photos from this weekend.

• Future

I've had some interesting epiphanies lately about me, my future, and what I want to invest time on. I don't know why they're hitting me when they are now, but nevertheless, I'm trying to listen to the universe when it feels like it is giving me a sign. I've had some half baked ideas of what I want to do with my future, and I think it is time to let them go to focus on different, better goals. I also realize generally the value of my time and my energy. I want to be able to give that to myself to stay healthy, to my partner to not just give her my "leftovers", and to my work so that I'm not so distracted all the time. I mean this last one to say my actual job (which I love and want to be able to invest in) as well as the other work I do (writing, podcasting, etc.). I don't have anything concrete in my mind yet, but I'm trying to figure out the best balance for myself.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Night Owls

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2015 dark comedy, Night Owls.

l stumbled upon this movie on Netflix recently, and for whatever reason, I've had a penchant for watching dark comedies and other movies involving suicide and the end of the world. What I think makes this a solid premise for a story is that it forces characters to confront their issues with themselves and each other. I must say though, it can get kind of depressing.

The premise of this film is that a young man, Kevin (Adam Pally) and woman, Madeline (Rosa Salazar) have a one night stand but soon, Kevin realizes that something else entirely is going on when Kevin stumbles upon Madeline trying to kill herself. What follows is a long night of Kevin and Madeline struggling to come to terms with each of their own lives.

I enjoyed this movie. It's the sort of small, contained, personal story that is hard to find nowadays. All it entails is two characters in a house talking. What it accomplishes though is impressive. It's not a perfect movie, but it is entertaining enough as it explores the effect of committing too much of our happiness to other people. We are all flawed, and we need to create happiness for ourselves.

I don't want to spoil any more of the movie. As always, half the fun is the revelations that happen over the course of the plot.

You can stream Night Owls right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 08/05/16

Greetings!

Here's what is on my mind this week:

• Creativity

I had a great chat recently with Craig Bidiman for the podcast about art therapy. We got into the creative process and the value of having creative hobbies. I write, I podcast, and I enjoy engaging with the creative products of others. Other people draw, do coloring books, paint, sing, or any number of other things. It doesn't matter what you do or if you do it for others or just yourself. It just matters that you do it. It is important to nurture different parts of ourselves outside of our day to day lives and work.

• Collaboration

I've had the opportunity recently to collaborate with Kayley Robsham writing for the Check I'm Here blog. I really enjoy bouncing ideas around and I think active, positive, and focused collaboration helps produce better outcomes. I work now in a far more collaborative environment then where I came up before, so I feel spoiled with all the different venues for great collaboration going on right now. I also enjoyed featuring a lot of great content from other writers for my #SAGeeks series. They were able to write about a lot of different things that I could never get to myself. It is important to bring other people in to help us do the things we can't or the things that don't come as naturally for us. The world would be better for it if we all could contribute our unique strengths to the greater good.

• Communication

In addition to my writing, podcasting has been a very fulfilling creative endeavor for me in many ways. I've been able to have conversations with amazing people in our field, learn many different things, and build up skills I wouldn't have the opportunity to otherwise. My new job also really helps me cultivate my communication abilities. I have to talk to a lot of different people about a lot of different things every day. Communication has always been a struggle for me. I'm very grateful for this opportunity to build these skills as well as use my experience and expertise from student affairs to help serve students in a very unique way.

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Movie Musings: Ghostbusters

Greetings!

I saw this "controversial" new film the weekend it came out with my partner. I mentioned in a recent geek out post, but I wanted to get around to giving some more detailed thoughts on the movie. Also, I say it was "controversial" to say that I don't believe it was, but I know other, less open-minded people did.

I enjoyed this movie. It's not the greatest film ever made, but it doesn't have to be. It's a perfectly fun summer movie that honors its past, and paves a positive way forward for the future. It allows for more diverse representation in our heroes and media in general, and I think it provides positive role models for young women.

We've had a lot of nostalgia marketing lately, with reboots, remakes, and repackaging of all the things we loved from the 1980s and 90s. Some of these efforts are done well and others are not. It's really 50/50 for me usually whether or not it feels like pandering. Stuff like the Jump Street movies are fun, things like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies are not. Stuff like Jurassic World is decently fun, things like another Indiana Jones moving being in the works or something like Independence Day: Resurgence feels unnecessary. Just because Star Wars did it pretty well with The Force Awakens doesn't mean we need some other franchise movie that picks up 30 years too late.

If we're going to have more reboots, I'd want them to be done well and in a fresh way like Ghostbusters. Star Wars and Star Trek and many other reboots have struggled with simply rehashing old story lines with a shiny new veneer. Ghostbusters embarks on a new path and has clever humor and good action. It's just a good movie on its own outside of any of the female empowerment aspects of it, that is just a nice bonus.

I hope you enjoyed Ghostbusters if you saw it. I hope others go out and see it to enjoy it and to support making more movies like this.

Thanks for stopping by!

#SAGeeks - A Lifelong Love of Musical Theatre

The SAGeeks series is all about celebrating the geeky and nerdy sides of all of us working in higher education and student affairs. The series is edited by Jenn Osolinski and Lynne Meyer. Check out our resources page for more geeky goodness.

I have been a musical theatre geek for as long as I can remember, to the point where I was inspired to get my bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts. I had some stellar experiences with my programming board, and started shifting my aspirations towards a field more focused on events. After trying out a career in event sales and hospitality, I made the decision to apply to Student Affairs graduate programs. Though my theatre career is now centered around being an audience member, the musicals I love still shape the way I see the world. My #SAGrad application journey would not have been complete without some of the musical life lessons I learned from some old and new favorites:

Into the Woods

I have a theory that each of the characters in Stephen Sondheim’s fairy tale conglomerate, Into the Woods, represents different stages of life. After my Jack (of beanstalk fame) days of undergrad, I would currently place myself in the Cinderella stage of my life. There comes a moment where Cinderella has to make her first big decision: does she run from the prince or go to him? She decides that her decision is “not to decide” and leaves behind a shoe to see what will happen.

When I first started entertaining the idea of working in Student Affairs, I decided to throw out some “shoes” in a couple of different areas, and see which one stuck. I applied for a mixture of jobs in higher ed and hotel sales. I ended up getting interviews for two jobs at the same time: a position in sales at a luxury hotel and a position in student center operations at my alma mater. I ended up not getting either job. However, I realized how much more invested I was in the student center job. I was excited about the ideas I was discussing during the interview process, and I was absolutely crushed when I did not get the job. The experience showed me how much more passionate I was about higher education than hospitality, so I decided to start the Student Affairs graduate application process.

I ended up receiving an offer for a similar position that had opened up at the hotel in January. Now it was decision time, and I nervously told them thank you, but I had decided on a career change. The next day, I received my first acceptance to a program!

Spongebob Squarepants the Musical

I had the pleasure of seeing Spongebob Squarepants the Musical’s out-of-town Broadway tryout in Chicago. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and how it included some valuable insight that could be translated to Student Affairs. Over the course of the show, Spongebob is constantly told that he is not manager material. Spongebob frets over his lack of skills when it comes to stopping a volcano from destroying Bikini Bottom. In the end, he encourages his friends to use their strengths to defeat the volcano, and realizes his optimism and support of his friends is his strength. He is manager material after all!

The graduate school application process was enormously humbling for me. There were many times when I looked at personal statement prompts and felt like a simple sponge myself. I decided to talk to Student Affairs professionals I had looked up to during undergrad, and find out what skills they thought were necessary to be a good Student Affairs professional. I learned that in order to be “manager material,” I needed to be willing to listen to and advocate for my students, and to trust my students to use their own skills. One professional I spoke to told me that “students don’t need us as much as we think they do,” which inspires me to ensure that I have a clear understanding of what my students do need, whether that is support or a challenge. Figuring out what “manager material” was helped me figure out how a simple sponge like me could fit into that material.

Rock of Ages

As a teenager in New Jersey, I spent most of summer 2009 obsessing over the 80’s jukebox musical Rock of Ages. While a musical featuring that much glitter and spandex may not seem the most obvious choice for inspiration, the moral of the story has always stuck with me: “Sometimes the dreams you come in with aren’t always the dreams you leave with, but hey, they still rock.” The main characters in the show do not end up becoming a rock star and movie star, instead they realize they value honesty and love over the crooked paths they were taking to achieve their career goals.

There is still a part of me that wonders how the freshman dead set on becoming a Broadway casting director in New York City would feel about the fact that I am gearing up to spend two years in a midwestern town, 45 minutes from the nearest Starbucks, to start my career in higher education. I wonder if I am disappointing a part of myself. Then I remember that the important thing is that I still have dreams that are fulfilling to me, and I am working hard to achieve them. I also know what a joy it is to watch students develop into leaders, which I could not have imagined at the beginning of my college career. Though I probably will not end up with a Tony Award over the course of my career, I am excited to see where my Student Affairs journey takes me next.

*cue Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’*

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Shannon M. Daly is an incoming first year in Western Illinois University’s College Student Personnel program, where she will serve as the Graduate Assistant for the University Student Union. She has strong interests in programming, advising, and operations. She graduated from DePaul University in 2015, where she was heavily involved in DePaul Activities Board and the Office of Student Involvement. During her gap year between undergrad and graduate school, she in Group Sales at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. In her spare time, she loves baking, karaoke, and browsing craft stores. Connect with her on Twitter, LinkedIn, and on her website.

Weekly Geek Outs - 07/29/16

Greetings!

Back after a break last week to update you all on what's going on in my world:

• Work

I've been at my new job for almost three months now. It has settled down a bit after my initial training and kicking off of my first academic module. I've had time to reflect and process and start to connect with my coworkers more. I'm looking forward to improving for our next on-boarding process here soon and to continue to support my students as best as I can. This job has been pretty great so far and I look forward to celebrating more milestones and holidays with my team. It's hard to start something new, but I'm very grateful for this awesome opportunity. Nothing is ever perfect, but this company is exactly what I was looking for right now.

• Life

Getting used to life in a new area is never easy. I've realized I struggle with this perhaps a bit more than others. I appreciate a routine and knowing my way around. I have to restart with getting haircuts, medical appointments, and now have to worry about stuff with my own apartment. I was spoiled with my on-campus apartments for years, and now I have to handle a bit more of the "real world". I have to admit, it's been stressful to handle since I put a lot of pressure on myself and haven't been patient with giving things time. I just want everything to be perfect right away, especially as me and my partner are working to build a life together. I know the sort of future I want for us, and I can't wait to be there with her. I know it will come with time and work, since nothing worthwhile comes easy.

• Thoughts

Where my life is now, I would have never guessed I'd be here if you asked me where I thought I'd be when I was younger. I thought I'd be a high school history teacher, since the first time I felt excited about a possible career was watching my own teachers do amazing work. I've always had a reverence for education and see myself always working in the industry one way or another. What I do now is something I wouldn't have ever even known about back in college. I've gone where the wind takes me and followed my heart with what I felt was right. I've gotten more opportunities and done more than I ever would have thought possible. I grew up with my world being very small, and I look forward to it continuing to grow through personal growth, exploration, and experiences that I can't even fathom yet.

Thanks for stopping by!

#SAGeeks - Breaking the Norm

The SAGeeks series is all about celebrating the geeky and nerdy sides of all of us working in higher education and student affairs. The series is edited by Jenn Osolinski and Lynne Meyer. Check out our resources page for more geeky goodness.

There is a very well known TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson titled “Do Schools Really Kill Creativity?” In his talk, Sir Robinson speaks about how many K-12 systems are designed in a manner in which those in attendance are expected to conform to certain norms. Sir Robinson shares the anecdote of a student who fidgets, is seen as unruly, different, and is even believed to need medication. Meanwhile when no one is watching, the student dances with a bright smile. To which Sir Robinson asks the question of whether our systems allow the true person to shine, or force conformity to a set of norms.

One recent example of this is the extremely famous YouTube star and self proclaimed geek, Lindsey Stirling. For those who don’t know, Lindsey Stirling, sometimes known as “the dancing violinist,” has over 8 million subscribers, Forbes rated her as one of the Top 30-under-30, and is now the top grossing female YouTube star. Sadly, she did not start this way. She wanted to be her true self, the woman that we now have the privilege of listening to, but her environment did not always allow it.

Lindsey has shared in interviews that growing up she wanted to dance and wanted to play music, but she had to choose because her family could not afford both. She chose violin, but could only afford 15 minutes of lessons a week and was told by her teacher that she would not be successful. After years of dedicated effort outside the 15 formal minutes per week, she became an expert with the violin and she started incorporating dance into her music. Then when she was trying to become a musician the record companies saw her style as unconventional, and she was given no contracts. Many would be disheartened at this point, give up, but Lindsey put her true self out there in the new (at the time) medium YouTube for the simple joy of being herself. No vision of becoming the sensation she now is (no one had been that successful on YouTube), it was just an outlet free from the constraints of the industry. In her passions, she is free, and anyone who has ever seen her feels it emanate through the screen and off the stage. It is this authentic passion in action that can cultivate an inspiration for others to show their true self to the world and tackle dreams that at other times were daunting.

I felt this when I saw one of Lindsey Stirling’s first videos, uploaded in 2011 titled “Zelda Medley” which now has over 28 million views. Later I confirmed this authentic passion when I had the privilege of seeing her perform live. She becomes alive with her passions in action, and I believe that we are better for it.

As Student Affairs professionals, do you bring your true self to your work, or is it yourself to an extent? When talking with others about positive influencers in their lives you often hear about the personal investments made, and the closeness of the relationship. I challenge that if we want to be and do better for students that we should first ensure that we put our authentic passions into action.

Doing so we can can break down barriers, inspire others by being ourselves, and foster positive systems of support that models the way. I believe that this is what has led to Lindsey Stirling’s success. She pours her heart into what she does, lets it shine, and millions of people seem to think that’s a great thing. So why don’t we try?

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Bruce Brown currently works in Student Activities at Texas A&M University - College Station. He is the Leadership Program Coordinator for LeaderShape & StrengthsQuest, and advisor for two service based student organizations. Bruce is an avid gamer, grew up outside NYC, completed his MA at BGSU, has traveled to all 7 continents, and even met his fiancee thanks to Legos.

Connect with Bruce via Facebook, Instagram, and add him as a GeekBuddy on BoardGameGeek!

#SAGeeks - Broadway Isn't All About Jazz Hands and Kick Lines

The SAGeeks series is all about celebrating the geeky and nerdy sides of all of us working in higher education and student affairs. The series is edited by Jenn Osolinski and Lynne Meyer. Check out our resources page for more geeky goodness.

Being a “geek” is an ever changing term, where once those who identified as “geeks” may have tried to hide, I like to think that people are now more willing to wear their geekdom on their sleeves. My walls are covered in Broadway window cards both signed and unsigned, I trade playbills like baseball cards, and my iPod is 98% show tunes. I am unequivocally and without shame what some would call “Broadway trash”.

In the last two years, as I went through graduate school and obtained my masters my I began to see my love of Broadway in a new light. Suddenly I was broadening my horizons through the subject matter, seeing the parallels between the inclusivity we strive for on campus and the inclusivity playing out on stage, and using Broadway subject matter as a way to connect with students.

Being part of the Broadway fandom is like having a ticket into a welcoming and nurturing community. Fellow fans who always want to talk about shows, meeting actors at stage doors and being able to tell them the impact their show has had on you, and through social media and beyond seeing the tight knit relationships between actors even when their shows may be competing against each other. Take for instance, the combining of the Broadway community to do the special recording of What the World Needs Now to support the victims of Orlando. It took only two days of organizing to get everyone from Idina Menzel, to Lin-Manuel Miranda, to Carole King, Audra McDonald, Wayne Brady, and so many more. The support given between members of the Broadway world is part of what makes you feel like you are being hugged by this community, being a member of the Broadway fandom is like being part of the happiest family reunion you could attend.

Tying my life as a Broadway geek into my life as a student affairs professional wasn’t something that I consciously decided to do, it really came about in a more organic way. Suddenly, as I went through my graduate coursework, saw the topics and issues happening within higher education, and worked with students, I began to see the same scenarios playing out on stage. While I saw the fight for transgender rights paying out on campus, I saw Darren Criss’ portrayal of transgender rock star Hedwig and her struggles play out on stage in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. As I learned about disability accommodations and the resources that some institutions have and others don’t, I was able to witness the near seamless implementation of deaf talent and ASL come together in the Deaf West revival of Spring Awakening (a show that also included Broadway’s first actress in a wheelchair). Similarly, when I witnessed student leaders educating themselves on working with students who may lie on the spectrum, I was able to help them understand a bit more by explaining to them my love of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (both the play and the book).

In a world where students just want to see people like them represented, striving for equality and equity and perhaps thinking that it won’t happen, I ask them to look away from the mainstream media where they may not see themselves and instead perhaps look to outlets that are getting it right. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the man who first put his name on the map with In The Heights a musical shining a light on life in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York, is now telling the history of our country then as told by our country now. Diversity is prevalent in Hamilton, from telling a story of immigrants, to casting a diverse set of actors, to using hip-hop on stage.

I am a Broadway geek at heart, I love getting lost in the whimsical worlds of Wicked or Aladdin but I also love the stories shown on stage that shine a light on today’s issues, issues being discussed on campuses. Whether that is relationship abuse, shown in The Color Purple and Waitress, racial tensions in classic musicals such as West Side Story, struggles with gender identity seen in Kinky Boots or Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and about every other topic that the arts can help portray. The Broadway community is like a big loving family, and as part of that family I strive to use my geekdom to spread that loves on to others.

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Hannah Berling is a recent graduate of the Higher Education in Student Affairs from Salem State University. She is currently undergoing her full-time job search and is looking to obtain a position within student activities or student success and retention. In addition to her passion for student programming, she hopes to one day be able to work with and provide resources and advocacy for undocumented students within higher education. Through her love of Broadway she encourages students to, in the words of Pippin, find their "corner of the sky". Connect with her on Twitter.

#SAGeeks - Did You Know You're a Dungeon Master?

The SAGeeks series is all about celebrating the geeky and nerdy sides of all of us working in higher education and student affairs. The series is edited by Jenn Osolinski and Lynne Meyer. Check out our resources page for more geeky goodness.

One of the noblest, and most stereotyped, geek activities is that of Role Playing Games (RPGs). Don’t know what that means? I bet you do once you learn that Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is an RPG, and yes, even D&D has lessons for us for those in Student Affairs.

What are RPGs? Although you may have heard of the very popular D&D, you may have never learned what it is exactly. Unlike traditional games, RPGs typically have no board and no pieces, just a rule book, dice, and players set out on an adventure seeking to achieve something great. You might be wondering how they accomplish anything without a board and pieces. Players use their minds! They challenge themselves to create a vision in their head of what is going on, design their characters according to the rulebook, and use pen & paper to track their progress. Then when the characters try to perform actions, such as striking the Dragon with their sword to save the princess, they roll a 20 sided die to see their effectiveness.

Each time they play, one person takes on a unique role -- the Dungeon Master (DM). DMs are, in a way, the Student Affairs professionals of the fantasy world that is unfolding for the players. The DM paints a picture for the adventures of world they are exploring, and informs the players of their goals for the quest. Additionally, DMs do not participate in the quest but are themselves challenged by serving as the “in-between” for the adventurers and the world itself. Roles the DM can take on range from the honorable King who supports the players with tools that will aid their needs, and sometimes even act as the Dragon that presents the players with their toughest challenge yet. If the players work together, utilize their skills and abilities they may overcome these challenges and be renowned for their success.

As Student Affairs professionals, many of us take on the role of Dungeon Master for our student’s quests. Similar to a DM, Student Affairs professionals have spent lots of time studying student development (the game mechanics), have a good grasp on rules of the land, and have had first-hand experiences that aid in providing context to students.

Now the interesting thing is that just like our students, the players choose their own actions. Some choices might be noble, others far from it. Regardless the Dungeon Masters serve as the in-between for how the environment (University) reacts to the choices of the players. Sometimes it’s to recognize them for their achievement, challenge them, or hold them accountable for their actions.

Okay. I get it. We are all Dungeon Masters, now what?

I challenge you to assist students in connecting their experiences into a holistic narrative, equip students with the tools for success, present noble quests & challenges when appropriate (Dragon or no Dragon your choice), hold them accountable for their actions, and celebrate the successes of their adventure.

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Bruce Brown currently works in Student Activities at Texas A&M University - College Station. He is the Leadership Program Coordinator for LeaderShape & StrengthsQuest, and advisor for two service based student organizations. Bruce is an avid gamer, grew up outside NYC, completed his MA at BGSU, has traveled to all 7 continents, and even met his fiancee thanks to Legos.
Connect with Bruce via Facebook, Instagram, and add him as a GeekBuddy on BoardGameGeek!

Summer Movie Musings: Star Trek Beyond

Greetings!

I wanted to write up some thoughts on my latest summer movie love of this year, Star Trek Beyond (I'll get around to Ghostbusters next week).

I checked out this movie this past week on Thursday night. I was looking forward to it after some good buzz in the weeks leading up to the film's release. I wasn't as hard as others were on the previous installment, Into Darkness, but Beyond is a much better movie. This film feels like the first time this rebooted series is breaking out on its own.

The plot finally gets the Enterprise crew off of Earth, and encountering strange, new worlds on its five year mission to explore the galaxy. We have some better character moments, a better message, and is just solidly fun. I look forward to what is to come next after this movie, but it does have to unfortunately move forward without cast member Anton Yelchin due to his recent tragic death.

This film also has the recent death of Leonard Nimoy hanging over it, as well as the 50th anniversary of the original series premiere. The future of Star Trek is being highly scrutinized right now, and with the premiere of Star Trek Discovery coming next year, we will see if the optimistic, thoughtful vibe of Star Trek is something people want right now. I will say that I hope it is.

Let me know what you thought of Star Trek Beyond if you saw it!

Thanks for stopping by!