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I think the title pretty much sums up everything I would put in an introduction quite well. Honestly, I have to say that the fact that this topic comes up quite often truly surprises me. Every time. When I made the decision to go overseas to support OEF for a project I was working on, it never crossed my mind this was an odd thing, especially since I wasn’t doing it for the money or because I had to. In all honesty, I practically begged for the opportunity to go over and volunteer my efforts.
I guess that yes, most Americans that support the war efforts in Afghanistan and elsewhere are predominantly Republican. And well, I am not predominantly Republican. It was never, and still is not, political to me though. I don’t think it ever will be either.
After being repeatedly asked, it forced me to think about the situation and really break down what my reasons and motivations were. It ended up boiling down to two reasons. My primary reason, and my thought process going into the decision, was completely based on my goal as a human sciences designer – to research the users of my products and ensure they are as usable as possible, rather than the user spending a lot of time using the system. The users happened to be in a rather unconventional place, so that is where I had to go.
As far as our efforts in OEF and OIF though, I have to say that I don’t have a ton of background information or knowledge to make an expert decision on whether we should be there or not, which I think is probably true of most people. Most reactions to the war are emotional. So I ask you to think about this….
We are in a war right now, whether we like it or not. There are brave men and women there, putting their lives at risk every hour they’re there. It’s not a one sided war either. It’s also a little more complicated than just pulling out and leaving. Anyone that thinks we can just pack up and leave needs to do a little more thinking and research. So long as a decision was made at some point to be there, means that it has to be done right and done well. So long as our Marines and soldiers are there I will be supportive of their efforts, pray for their safe return, and do what I can for their safety and well being.
So yes, I do lean towards the liberal end of the spectrum and yes I did all I could to help while I was there. I didn’t cringe every moment of the day either. I rather enjoyed it and was very humbled at the opportunity I received. I don’t see my viewpoints on things changing anytime soon; yet I would still return again.
Awhile back I agreed to guest blog for Light Rail Blogger. It would have something to do with my recent bicycle purchase. I spent awhile thinking about it, which probably looked like I was putting it off. A couple weeks ago it hit me. Why stray from what I know and what is constantly on my mind – user experiences.
I was ecstatic to learn that it not only received lots of views, but that the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) actually retweeted it. I couldn’t be more flattered that a design organization took notice.
The article focuses on the following:
So, what is meant by the user experience of bicycling? It can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be. The experience starts at purchasing a bicycle; it can even include the common thoughts and perceptions society has on bicycles and their purpose. User experience deals with how a person feels riding their bicycle and the issues and pleasures they gain from the experience. It even deals with the interactions they have with other bicyclists, drivers, pedestrians, businesses and roads during their bicycle trips. This experience can sometimes be very intimate for the user.
The full article can be seen here:
http://lightrailblogger.com/2010/04/21/guest-blog-post-the-user-experience-of-bicycling/
I cannot believe it’s almost been a year since I created my 30 before 30 list. I gave myself a tad bit over a year to complete these tasks. My purpose was to do things I’ve always wanted to do and never have, as well as experiment.. and try things I’ve always been afraid to do. I wanted to take some steps in becoming a better person, a better friend, and a better soul. Here is an update on my progress with a little over 3 months left.
Finished | Definite Plans to Finish | Finalizing Plans | Still on Backburner
I hopefully will have time to blog in a little more detail about some of the best ones, but feel free to let me know if there’s anything you’d like to hear about in particular. As always the ones in red I’m definitely looking for guidance on and the orange ones will hopefully not slip through my fingers either.
This past week, the IA Summit conference was held in Phoenix. I was both excited and astonished when I heard the news late last year. Having very few of the so-called UX Superstars here and not much of a formal tight knit group of professionals, I was nervous to share my city with people as enthusiastic as I but excited to prove that Phoenix can be a force to be reckoned with.
While I loved hanging out with my friends and meeting new friends as well, I have to admit it was a bit of a user experiment for me. I found myself more and more curious about what restaurants people would choose to go to, what they thought about the vibe of the area, and even more so, what they didn’t like and thought could use a makeover.
Being that I am completely and forever more in love with Phoenix, I want to know how myself and other residents and community members can make it better. So I am calling out to all the IAS attendees and asking you… if you could change part of Phoenix, what would it be? Was the hotel a dud? Did you get aggravated by the Light Rail? Did Sky Harbor give you the creeps? Please, give me your thoughts and pass this along so others can as well.
Enjoying a Me Date at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum
It’s honestly sad for me to see so many people who seem like they do not own their own life, even after technically being on their own for years, or even decades.
Many of those same people, if I confronted them on it, would tell me that they do in fact own their own lives. That would more than likely be followed with examples of why this is true. They would list off activities such as having their own car, getting their own lease on a place to live, finding a job and having their own source of income and possibly even listing hobbies they have such as wine tasting, being a foodie, or going to the gym.
I’m not entirely convinced these activities and typical qualifications for being a stable adult have much to do with owning your life.
I think it’s even more true nowdays than earlier that everyone lives to impress. While it may not seem like much, or while it even may seem normal, I think it can degrade the quality of life you lead. It may sneak up on you too, and while it seems you are leading your own life, it can gradually become clear this is not the case.
For the past two years, I have spent a lot of time doing what most would call soul searching. Could be chalked up to hitting that almost 30 point and being not quite a kid, but not feeling like an adult. In my opinion it is kinda like being an adolescent all over again, which we all know wasn’t an emotional high. I started slowly, first working towards the job I wanted, and finally landing the perfect job that I was truly happy with, for me, and not for others. I started becoming involved in activities and being comfortable being single. They were big steps for me.
Still, I was kinda living my life for others in some ways. I was still slightly worried about what people thought of me. I felt like I was obligated to go out several nights a week to social events in order to be validated as a member of society. Sometimes I would honestly feel like I was a walking example of Stuff White People Like because I had to be. Additionally, there would be things I wouldn’t do that, while they seemed like they were for me, they weren’t; they were just a way of rebelling against society, which is still living for others rather than yourself. I would rebel by going to the gym and eating what I wanted. I would rebel by not dressing up because I wanted to prove a point.
At the time, I didn’t realize this though. In my head these were all things I was doing because I wanted to. Things that were making me live for me.
Lately that’s changed. I don’t feel I need to be friends with everyone and I definitely don’t want to be a contestant in anyone’s popularity contest. If you don’t want to talk to me, I’m perfectly okay with that. If you do, it better be genuine, or I won’t tolerate it for long. I’ve learned that I don’t need to do everything and no matter how much it’s desired by others, I owe myself nights in, even if it’s 1opm on a Friday. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is while everyone may seem your friend, they may not be your friend. Oddly enough, it may surprise you which people in your life are your true friends and genuinely care for you as a person and want to be around you, through good and bad, and not just to gain attention for being a good samaritan.
I still think I may be a walking example of Stuff White People Like, but it’s not because of a need to fit in. It’s because of a genuine change in me and my beliefs. I bought my bike because I truly wanted a different way to get around other than my car, and not because it was a fad. I haven’t had TV for a year due to it not really being of much value to me. I’m not exercising more and eating better because I want to be a skinny bitch or think I’ll have more friends. In fact, I think I may lose some, but I will be a healthier and better person in the end.
Don’t feel you need to have a million friends on facebook that aren’t your friends. Resist the temptation to have to accept every RSVP or respond to all the popular tweets. Spend some time away from social media and don’t be afraid to take a trip by yourself because you want to go, even if no one else does.
Own your life. Do things because you genuinely want to. It’s harder than it looks trust me, because it’s so easy to validate what you are doing. Once you truly own your life though, all those superficial feelings and activities will just go away. It’s not selfish to live for yourself; it’s courageous.
I am going to try something new. It may fly and it may fail tremendously, but how do you know unless you try. I want to invite you to come over and cook with me.
I’ve always been one to say that I am more of a baker than a cook, and while that kinda holds true, I am even more so also falling in love with cooking as well as baking.
Always being a lover of food, I used to really enjoy heading to all the great establishments and unknown diamonds in the rough in the valley. It was a great way to sample new cuisine, get to see the valley, and hang out with some amazing friends all at the same time.
While I still enjoy that a lot, I’ve really found a new love for cooking and baking at home since I’ve been back. I think this is partially attributed to some of my new goals, which include not eating out as much due to the cost and occasionally the terrible food I crave occasionally. I mean, as a Wisconsinite, it’s hard to refuse cheese, and a lot of restaurants equate cheese to artery clogging caloric content!!
Furthermore, one of the things I looked forward to most upon coming home was being able to make when I want, when I wanted it and not having a limited supply of food options to choose from. While I enjoy restaurants greatly still, and food, I’ve found a great relaxation and enjoyment out of preparing dishes, even if they are just for myself.
I’m by no means an expert chef… seriously. I seem to be able to make some great dishes though with basic ingredients I stock up on in my pantry and my refrigerator. The one shown up top is what I made the first chance I had to cook after I got home. This morning I made myself some three cheese and spinach eggs. Delicious!! They were great to enjoy while on my patio listening to the birds and enjoying the calm of the day.
I know a lot of people who just don’t think they can cook fantastic dishes like they can enjoy at a restaurant at home. I want to challenge that thought. Anyone can make some great dishes at home. All that’s needed is some basic creativity, an occasional starter recipe to run with, your creativity, and optimism.
Therefore, I wasn’t kidding with what I said above. I want to invite you to cook and bake with me, whether you already love to cook and want to cook with another avid fan, or whether you don’t believe you hold the capability to make anything mouth watering, I challenge you to come over for an evening or afternoon of cooking. Maybe you can teach me a few things too! Food is better when it’s shared. Let’s share!
Please Note: Not to be rude, but I will have to know who you are before I will cook with you Safety first!
Deployment sucks when you are single and are past that age where you want your parents taking care of your life and crap. Honestly. You have no idea until you go through it, which is what I’ve spent the last 6-7 months of my life doing and probably have a few more months of recovery left. It’s similar to moving and taking a 6 month vacation on a remote island all at the same time. Imagining that may seem nice – relaxing and exciting all at the same time. I assure you though, there are many trials and tribulations most do not think of. I now have a huge appreciation for those in the military that do this alone. Here’s why:
Bills:: There are countless items that need to be checked off a list before you go such as ensuring anything that may need to be paid while you are gone is covered either in the form of prepayment or automatic deductions. This includes things you may not really think of all the time, such as renewing the registration on your car, or the web hosting you completely forget about. This also includes making sure that companies are aware of your absence and, in the case of utilities (if you’re keeping a place in the states while you are gone), that there is another person on the account that can put in support requests and other items as needed. Remember to also either cancel your cell phone or put it on hold.
Housing:: While you are gone, there will probably be maintenance and upkeep to your residence, even if it’s leased. Someone you trust should be asked to check on your house periodically. They should flush the toilets occasionally and check to ensure your house is at a reasonable temperature (too hot is not as bad as too cold.. especially if you live in the eastern or northern part of the states to make sure your pipes do not freeze). Your HOA or leasing office should be aware that you will be gone to ensure that your house is monitored and to know who has permission to enter and put in work requests. If you have a lawn or other items needing maintenance, this also should be covered in advance. Other items that will help save while you are gone include unplugging everything you can (especially fridge and major appliances) and turning off your water heater. You don’t need these while you are gone.
Mail:: Mail sucks ass, which I didn’t truly realize until a few days ago. Deployments are usually too long to have your mail held, and therefore you need to have it rerouted somewhere. Not really wanting anyone to have my mail, I decided to have mine sent to me while I was gone. This worked fine for two of the four months I was in Afghanistan. Then the post office randomly decided that all mail that was supposed to be forwarded, would instead be returned to the sender for an invalid address. I actually had a bad address fee charged by my bank account for them getting several returned statements. Note to self: even if you have paperless statements set up, mail still comes to you. Lord only knows how many people got returned mail and how many companies now have my address on alert. I know for a fact the benefits section of my employer had an alert on my account that they had a bad address for me. Oy.
Medical:: Preparation takes up a lot of time. I guess this happens despite being single or not, but it’s still hard. Lots of physicals, blood work, tests, and certifications to take. For those that are close to me, you know this well filled up the three weeks prior to my departure… almost every. single. day. I still have my damn smallpox scar.
Legal Matters:: Who is responsible for your estate if anything happens to you? Who’s responsible for you and decisions that need to be made if you can’t? I don’t care how old you are, if you are leaving for an extended period of time, especially on deployment to a war zone, you should probably have some legal documents drafted. This is something I never would’ve thought of if I hadn’t been deploying.
Post-Deployment Re-Situating:: This is the worst!!!! The picture at the top of this post shows how my room’s pretty much looked ever since I have arrived home. It took me weeks to catch up on laundry (including putting it away). I am still working on cleaning my house and figuring out what I’m keeping and storing and getting rid of as far as items I had before I left as well as things I had shipped back from while I was there. It’s really like moving all over again. I had to restock my fridge. I had to cancel any automatic payments on utilities and bills I didn’t want and let people know I had returned home. I had to find things I “hid” while I was gone such as my mailbox key. Additionally, in the chaos of cleaning my place, I happened to lose my gym key as of yesterday. I have tons of emails I haven’t caught up on because of all the chaos surrounding my life right now. There are social/professional outside of work activities I feel terrible about not having time for yet. Taxes I still have to do… countless items I need to catch up on yet still want to have somewhat of a social life with my friends as well as have my me time and exercise time. I think it will easily take me another three months to get fully back into the swing of things.
So, in the end, it’s pretty brutal if you are doing this by yourself. There are many companies that give benefits to spouses of employees for various things. I am starting to think the military and military contracting companies need to give benefits for single people that deploy in the form of additional paid vacation time so they have substantial time to catch back up on their lives. I love my alone time, and I definitely have those nights I want to stay in, but sometimes it’s really hard to explain to your friends that haven’t been through it, why it’s taking so long to get caught back up again.
I’d like to precursor this with the fact that I’m sure other generations are awesome too… no hard feelings. I just decided to write this in regard to Gen Y.
I was talking to one of my coworkers this morning about the deposit I recently put on a new bicycle. The first one I’ve had in over a decade. I spent so much time walking while i was gone that I now really want to start walking and riding more around town for little errands and for enjoyment rather than driving everywhere. I also mentioned that I made a decision about TV in my bedroom last night too. I used to need background noise to fall asleep and therefore had a crappy old 1990s era tv/vhs combo in my room. However, the vhs part isn’t working. Rather than getting a replacement lcd/dvd I am going to do without TV in my room. It should be a peaceful place, and I have learned to fall asleep without it.
As I was talking about this I started to think to myself that it sounded like I was becoming a hippie. While I don’t think that’s exactly the case, it made me realize how awesome our generation is, for a similar reason.
Look around at a lot of generation y – especially within Phoenix and even in Midwestern town and other areas not typically considered “tree-huggers.” We seem to be along a pretty good path. A lot of my friends and others I know have pretty active lifestyles. They participate in sporting leagues or walk and go to the gym frequently. We are interested in staying active and entertaining ourselves in ways other than TV and electronic media. We read books. We hike. We go to museums. We are in soccer leagues and we take dance lessons.We walk places and ride bicycles.
Additionally, we are for the most part healthy in regard to what we eat, while at the same time supporting local growth and development. We purchase a lot of vegetables and other healthy items. We shop for organic foods. We purchase our items at farmers markets and CSA memberships. We plant our own gardens, even in the city.
Not enough? We also care about the environment and promote alternative forms of transportation. We walk or bike our short errands. We carpool. We use alternative transportation such as buses or the light rail.
We promote the cities, communities and country we live in, and look towards the future. We are involved in politics and local organizations. We support free thinking, new ideas, and promoting local businesses.
Part of this could be because of the economy we’ve grown up in. We’ve graduated with the market sucking, we’ve heard talks of another depression and we’ve been through job layoffs, or not even getting jobs period due to either being overqualified with our newly acquired degrees, or under-qualified because we did not yet have a graduate degree or a million years experience. We have lived through competing for jobs with those generations ahead that had more experienced and also went through a layoff.
Another aspect might be the waking up of the world in regard to environmental and health issues. We actually know where the world and our generation is headed if we do not do something to change it. And we don’t want that to happen.
I think for the most part though, it is because we are a great generation. We grew up with a lot of privileges and new technologies, but also with new ways of thinking. We’ve been able to and confident in our own decisions and are by nature goodhearted, and care about the future.
Many think our generation is comprised of a bunch of slugs that sit around and play video games and text all day. And while, yes, even I enjoy the occasional video game and you rarely catch me *not* texting, it is not an accurate description of generation y.
We are educated, independent, and confident. We are a great generation capable of doing great things.
Don’t get me wrong. I am very glad to be home (though slightly bittersweet and missing my Marines and my Divas). However, now that reality is starting to set back in here, I am beginning to get the blues a little bit. Today was the first day at work that everything started to come together (projects, meetings, etc etc). While it took 3 days, it *only* took 3 days. And I love it. I’ve always enjoyed my job and looked forward to going to work. But I think it took so much starting to happen at work for me to start stressing out about how much I have going on in general that I need to get in order when I’m back.. I’m starting to wonder how long people think I need to recuperate as opposed to how long I think I need and at what speed of pace I can operate for the next couple months.
So far I haven’t been doing too bad in my opinion. I’m slowly unpacking and as I am, I’m figuring out what to do with things rather than just throw them everywhere. I’ve started sorting items and washing all that came back with me from Afghanistan. I’ve been checking my mail and I’ve started to get my checkbook balanced again and a hold on where I am with all my bills.
Likewise, I’ve been making a list of items I need to accomplish and know in the back of my head which ones can wait and which ones can’t. I’ve also been spending less time on the computer, so I don’t see the list as often.
I’ve made sure to see most of my friends and at least contact some that I haven’t had a chance to sync up with yet. I have the projects I do outside of work on my back burner and have started to contemplate them and where I need to pick up.
All the while, I’ve been trying to figure out how to keep my health in check and get this sleep thing figured out. That’s been the worst. Some days I only want to sleep 4 hours, and some days it’s 12. There are days I fall asleep at 6pm and days I’m still anxious and going at midnight.
However, today I started thinking of all the things I have to do… I have items that desperately need sold, thrown out, donated, etc… from before I left and while I was gone. I have taxes to do. I have random missing things I really need to eventually find. I have a budget to figure out and organizations I need to get back on top of such as IxDA at multiple levels, Smunch, and Phoenix Actually. I have 30 before 30 goals I am a few months behind on.
I’ve done some good things such as the weight I’ve lost while I was gone.. but because of it I have tons of clothes that don’t fit I need to do something with and I need to find some clothes I can wear in the mean time until I reach my goal and can go crazy on clothes.. and even that that’s going to be expensive.
I also was able to pay off all my unsecured debt (credit cards, medical bills, etc) from those bad times in my life when I was in between school and jobs and dealing with a crappy economy. This is good, but there are also things I want such as saving for a house, taking some dance classes, and all that. So, I really have to learn to budget without letting these pile up ever again. Part of this is learning to ride my new bike when I get it more, so that I am saving on gas and exercising at the same time.
I know I will get there eventually, but my overachiever self expects me to bounce back right away… or at the very latest by August when I have visitors for vacation. Hopefully this feeling will pass. For now, I’m going to forget about it and go to the gym.
Well, it’s about time I do a 30 before 30 update, especially since I am having difficulties scheduling my vacation right now.
My previous update was in mid October.
Once again, a recap on my list:
The Completed Items:
Items I have started that I will complete by my grand 30th in August:
And here are the items I have lined up:
As you can see, I have a bit to go. Between the completed, started, and on my radar, I am totaling 24. I don’t think this is all that bad of progress considering I have been gone for 4 of the months I was to use towards these goals. Some of them, due to changing circumstances may be traded for something of equal value as well, which will be discussed closer to my target completion date.
Can you help with any of these items? Want to take a dance class with me? Paint a canvas? Take a trip to the Grand Canyon for a weekend? Go on a date (LOL)? Let me know!!
