My Week At A Glance

WOW....has this been a week for me. This week I have truly felt like a student though. A busy student, mom and full-time employee. Being off myself four days last week for a minor infection, having a coughing and feverish toddler who was also sick over the weekend too and going back to work on the 1st was truly hard.

First, in my position, one day off can seem like two....two can seem like four....three can seem like six...you get the point, right? Don't take time off !!! Government/licensing affairs wait for no one. Throw on top of that, the fact that only one other person can probably do my job as well as me and she's out too, and you know I had a mess on my hands. It pretty much took all week to clean up everything. I am thankful though that with my good organizational skills, I put things in lovely piles based on priority and what it required....a call, letter, email, approval and by 4:45PM today, I was walking out with only 3 pieces of paper on the desk !!!

Then after work on last Monday, I had class. We have a group presentation to prepare. We brainstormed as a class throwing out topics that might have some ethical issues related to them. Lots of interesting topics. Groups are formed and my group wants to do privacy issues. Privacy? How broad of a subject is that? So they narrowed it down to workplace privacy. In my opinion, that's non-existent. You dictate what, if any, workplace privacy you get based on the employer you decide to work with. But enough of that. I'll see how far we'll get with this topic today. Would I be wrong for asking to join a group that's doing something more interesting to me like transgender issues ?

So if you read your UB Daily Digest, like I do, you'll know March 1-6 was Ethics Week. The Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics offered a series of workshops this week. Two of them fit into my schedule. Attendance, followed by a 2-3 page reaction paper equaled a possible 6 points of extra credit for my Ethics class.

March 2-"Ethical Climates in Organizations"

5:30-7p.m., Room 003 Business Center

Dr. Ed Gibson and Dr. Heather Wyatt-Nichol, School of Public Affairs

Now for me, this started off a little dry, stats, lingo and researchers I didn't understand or know. The information seemed more interesting to public policy, public relations students. I struggled to find the Ethics relationship. Halfway through though, I was able to make some notes and should be able to write a fairly decent reaction paper. Now Wednesday's presentation....truly enjoyable !!

March 3-"Thurgood is Coming: A Living History Presentation

5:30-7p.m., Room 003 Business Center

Dr. Lenneal Henderson, Professor, School of Public Affairs & HCPE Senior Fellow

Dr. Lenneal Henderson....what a man. I took a class with Dr. Henderson last semester. If you don't know who he is, look him up and take a class with him!! This man is a walking encyclopedia of public policy !! Ask him anything and he knows it, right down to telling me how to dispute my property taxes THE RIGHT WAY. But to his presentation. There's the Thurgood Marshall you learned about in school and then there's Thurgood By Lenneal !! Dr. Henderson transformed himself and gave us a look at another side of the Supreme Court Justice no one would possibly have known; the personal and private Thurgood. It was truly a spirit invoking presentation. He captured us and kept us. And he was given a well-deserved standing ovation. Dr. Henderson is an eloquent speaker.

So Thursday approaches...my graphics class !!!! So we're done with InDesign and introducing Illustrator. Now this one looks like it could fun !!! Class was a lot more interesting. This program seems to be a lot more interesting too. We practiced using the tools in class. Our assignment? Draw a chicken !! Yes a chicken. Needless to say my poor little chicken had a run in with Tyson Company and so he doesn't exist anymore !!!! That was a terrible looking bird but I tried and that's all that count. My teacher actually tried to make me feel better and say it looked pretty nice She need classes cause he looked pretty sad to me !! Our homework assignment design a logo. This should be fun and I can't wait to start working on it. Now that I type this, I just realized we didn't get our group grade back. Damn !! I was so for another 'A' !!

Friday...easy sailing now. Not a bad day at all. Pretty smooth really. I guess I'm settled down and getting ready for my REAL special day which is Sunday (yesterday since my blog appears on Monday !!!)

Sunday March 7, 2010, a very special event took place for me and 5 others of Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church. We was baptised !!! There is nothing on Earth that can explain this feeling of starting a new life. I wonder if this is how people in jail feel. They walk out those doors of being locked down and locked up and proclaim "I'm free". Wow...standing there waiting to be taken into the water. I can't even explain all the things I was feeling. It was so amazing. I had a great group of friends and family there to support and celebrate with me. Later, my mom, a family friend, my best friend and her son came back to my house. My mom and her friend had to leave to get back to DC but I had a nice dinner and conversation with my best friend. It was truly, truly a great day.

I thought this week had me but I had to focus, think about what needs to be done now and get it together. I can't let myself get behind cause I'll never get caught back up. That's the mentality I'm taking. I signed up for school and homework is part of the job. But I got to remember I got other jobs too....mommy, wife, supervisor. Just prioritize, focus and prayer don't hurt either. Do these things and you can make it....in life and school.

Have a blessed week everyone.