see as i saw

Despite no longer being beholden to daily posting, I couldn't seem to break the habit today.  There was sunlight, a rare winter occurrence.  Even though it was a balmy 25 degrees outside, I bundled up and spent as much quality time with my camera as possible...until my fingers went numb.  Then I stopped at Starbucks and had a hot chocolate.

Even though the scenery is mostly dreary and colorless, I made it my mission to somehow draw out visual interest with the textures, light and shadows.  I'm relatively pleased with my little mission, although there were quite a few duds in the camera roll.

This is more of a "work" than "play" weekend in cottage land (although there's never a deficit of entertainment), including the successful execution of a bridal shower.  Officially starting off my participation in the 2012 wedding season.  

I feel a sort of nakedness leaving for the weekend without my computer. When you travel to cottage land in Michigan's thumb, you leave internet connections behind. That includes this smart little phone of mine. So, I shall be writing my updates and taking my photos, but the actual listing will be on delay. That counts, right?

In reality, it can be nice to disconnect from the constant digital web we live in. As long as my phone's camera still works, I'm good.

Each weekday morning the American Advertising Federation emails what they call a "Smart Brief" to their subscriber list.  Essentially, it's a recap of major and current advertising-related news.  I've been a subscriber since my undergraduate days and pay varying degrees of attention to the emails.  On a typical day, I skim the headlines and occasionally read a couple of the abstracts.  Once or twice a week, I actually click to read a full article.

Today I clicked on a headline, "Best Small Towns for Business in America", under the American Express Open Forum section.  I did a little light reading on how start-ups don't necessarily need to be located in urban meccas anymore, because of digital capabilities.  Skimmed through the list of cities that attract this crowd and why.  Then I checked out the "You might also like" article recommendations.

A mixture of curiosity and annoyance greeted me when I saw an article entitled "Don't Hire People Who Went to Grad School".  That seemed like a pretty unwarranted blanket statement.  Clearly my possession of a graduate degree can't be a disservice to my job search...right?  I read the woman's article and reserved judgment until the end (but I'll give you my opinion at the beginning).

Final verdict: I understand most of her arguments, but I don't agree with her assertion that "it's a decent bet to stay away from candidates with a graduate degree". Sure, some people do go to grad school just to put off real life for a few more semesters. On the other hand, some people really are just passionate about a field or learning in general, so they extend their education. These may also be the employees with an appetite for lifelong learning, always seeking to extend their skill set, ultimately becoming increasingly valuable to an organization. Again, point taken, there are a lot of graduate programs that are not structured in a way to successfully prime students for the professional environment. The same applies to undergraduate programs, though; should we tell employers to eschew Bachelor degrees also?

I can't speak to her arguments about MBA or law degrees, since I haven't personally been enrolled in either type of program. The points that she raises sound like great hard-hitting interview questions: Why did you spend $100,000 to learn about entrepreneurship rather than forming a start-up? Outside of your knowledge of case law, how have you accrued the requisite skills for forming a successful law practice? There's just no way I can buy into writing off a candidate with a graduate education before giving them a chance to demonstrate their value.

Stepping down from my soapbox now.

My dad left the police force somewhere around 1997, but this piece of memorabilia lives on in my parents house.  Much like the ash gray t-shirt I still wear that bears the same logo.

Since my parents no longer live in my childhood home, or even the same city, coming home has become a juxtaposition of familiar and new.  For the most part, the material items representing my childhood and adolescence have either migrated to my own home or been purged.  My mom has a similar love for photography, but the type focused around people.  Those reminders of years past hang everywhere in my parents' home, sometimes eliciting a smile and a fond memory, other times a shake of the head and amazement that anyone would wear that outfit.

There are certain creations and art projects that my mom couldn't bear to part with, and they still have a place of honor near her desk.  For some reason, my prom dresses still hang in a basement closet.  I'm sure if I dug through a couple of boxes in storage, I might unearth some other "treasures".  For now, I'll passively sit on the couch and sip from my Novi Police coffee mug, absorbing the morning sun.  I wish it came with a donut, too.

Something peculiar dawned on me this week.  What used to be an encompassing and dedicated passion has slowly shifted further down the priority list.  It's French Open time and even though I don't have a day job, I have only amassed a couple of hours watching those guys slide around on the red clay.  Partial blame can be attributed to the heaviest coverage being on the Tennis Channel, which had to be struck from my finances.  The ESPN coverage window only lasts from 5:00-9:00am, which is less than convenient.

Regardless, I find myself looking at the draw and seeing so many unrecognizable names.  That can only mean that I've been paying much less attention over the past three years.  Inexcusable.  What's even more dismal is my distance from playing the sport myself.  That whole membership at a racquet club idea backfired in my face.  Public courts in Chicago seem to be more of a waiting game than an actual opportunity to hit balls.  And my strings are so loose that I'd be impressed if my racquet could push the ball over the net from the baseline.

So many excuses.  Unacceptable.  Maybe I don't have the time to dedicate to researching the best and brightest upcoming talent, like I did back in the high school and college days.  I likely can't dedicate ten hour days to watching matches.  And if I want to snag some court time, I'll have to put up with the parameters that the city necessitates.  But ultimately, you have to make a priority of the things that mean something to you.  Tennis, whether watching or playing, has always brought me joy.  So, tomorrow I'm taking the first step toward reigniting the flame.  There's no reason that I can't wake up an hour earlier and spend some quality time with the French Open.  Now, hopefully there are men's matches on at that hour.