The Living Is Easy

thelivingiseasy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:37:40 +0000

Dear Blog

I will be back to posting to you soon. I have been on a very long hiatus since last semster. I am trying to finish my Master’s and will be done in 5 weeks. I promise you will not be left out there is cyberspace without me…

Speaking of Friends on Facebook…Check Out Mine

thelivingiseasy — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:33:59 +0000

They are so cute!!

In a previous post, I wrote about Facebook friendships. Since that post I have increased the number of friends that have slightly. I have also increased the status of the types of friends I have on Facebook. That’s right, Barack and Michellle Obama are two of my closest friends on Facebook. You gotta love them. Smile!!

As a fan of social media, I have been keeping up with my pal Barack through various sites. As I said, we are friends on Facebook, I follow him on Twitter and he follows me, he emails me several times a week and I watch a couple of his videos on YouTube. I’ve even received a few emails from Michelle.

I think Barack Obama is a great choice for president. I also think that being active on these sites helped him win the Democratic nomination.

In the book The First Campaign, Garrett Graff wrote:

“Our next president must be one who can dream and really the nation around a common set of goals, and aspirations that can lead us forward-to change the expectations of the nation to better reflect the needs of a digital, interconnected, global age, where discoveries are made out in the heavens and in labs under microscopes, where bytes and bits fly around the world faster then our faster jets, and where one can talk to a friend in Bangalore as easily as to a friend on the next block. Our expectations of the world have changed, and so must now our expectations of government and society.”

I wonder if Barack Obama or one of his staff members read this book. It is like they knew exactly what to do and how best to use social media to win the campaign. McCain and his staff better get busy especially if he is just starting to take the time to learn about the Internet.

The Realities of War

thelivingiseasy — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:41:04 +0000

The War in Iraq is said to be the first war were people here in America can get first hand encounters of the things going on in the war immediately thanks to blogs, video sharing sites such as YouTube and citizen journalism.

Today I watched a video on YouTube called US Marines in Iraq Real Footage Warning Graphic. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be in another country and fighting the enemy on their native land. This video gives an up close and personal veiw of what soldiers are doing everyday.

I also checked out a blog called Army of Dude after my teacher suggested it. This is a blog by a soldier named Alex. He posted on this blog while he was stationed in Iraq. Currently Alex is back home trying to adjust to civilian life. The pictures that Alex has on this blog are amazing. Everyone looks so young and innocent some of the soldiers pictured are still in Iraq but there are also many pictured that have died fighting in the war. Social media is clearly having a significant impact in giving a human face to the tragedy of this war. I think that it is helpful to people to know what is really going on. I do not know anyone personally who is in Iraq however reading these blogs gives me a chance to see real faces and I think that is important. Seeing these faces brings the atrocities of war closer to home versus seeing a news anchor just talk about the war.

This is definitely a blog that I will continue to read even after my class is over. I am interested in keeping up with Alex and reading his thoughts about the war as it continues.

Does anyone even care that Bush said “Mission Accomplished” on May 1, 2003? Maybe he should have said “mission could be accomplished but I’m not done yet.”

I am very thankful that these soldiers have a commitment to protecting our country at all cost even if the cost is their own life.

Baby Momma Drama

thelivingiseasy — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:36:33 +0000

I have a friend who has been trying to conceive a baby for the past five years or so. She has been posting her experience on her blog This Girls Journey and I have been following her encounters as she and her husband have tried to have a baby. I am very happy that she has announced that she is in the early stages of pregnancy six weeks to be exact. I am so excited for them because I know this is something they want and they have been trying for so long.
It is always so interesting to me that people who are mentally stable, financially stable, and mature have to try to have babies. Meanwhile drug addicts, teens, and mentally unstable people can have as many babies as they want without even trying sometimes.
Her most recent posts have been about all of the things that come with pregnancy. Hunger pangs at 4am, morning sickness, lack of sleep and cramps. As I read her post I go back and forth between using her experience to learn more about pregnancy and thinking I don’t want to have to go through that mess.
Society says that it is time for me to have a baby. All of the future grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and so on are ready. But am I? I am married and we just bought a house. In July, I turned 31. I don’t have any kids right now but I know my window of opportunity is quickly about to slam shut. Sometimes I think maybe I should go ahead and I have a baby right now. But on the other hand I am honestly happy with my life the way it is and anyway graduate school keeps me busy enough.

Sharing and Connecting Is Just As Important As Closing The Big Deal

thelivingiseasy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:55:05 +0000

When I think of Johnson and Johnson I tend to think of babies and the sweet smell that J&J products give to babies. Did you know that Johnson and Johnson had a blog? I didn’t. And surprisingly it is a very good blog. I like the blog because the topics are just as random as the topics on my own blog and the posts are written in a very familiar voice as if you talking to an old friend. Currently their are four contributing writers, Ray Jordan, Jeff Leebaw, Shaun Mickus, and Bill Price. The editor of this blog is Marc Monseau . A recent post written by an employee named Rob was about his experience at BlogHer 2008. Rob attended a blog conference that was attended mostly by female bloggers. One thing that Rob pointed out was that he noticed at this woman dominated conference women were more interested in “sharing” and connecting with each other whereas male dominated conferences would more interested in “selling” and “deal making.”

I can totally agree with Rob’s observation. As a higher education administrator I have attended two NASPA conferences. Many people use the conference as a chance to interview for positions at other universities. However, I love to go to the conference to use it as a chance to not only learn about new trends in higher education, I also like to meet people from other universities that I would not ordinarily have an opportunity to meet. I also get a chance to hear about the challenges that other universities may have or share “war” stories about housing issues, move in weekend, and helicopter parents.

Last year, the conference was in Boston. While I was there I meet Fabienne Naples, Ed.D and her husband Robert Naples. Fabienne is the Associate Vice President at the University of Nevada, Reno. Bob is the Associate Vice Chancellor/Dean of Students at UCLA. Yes, the have a long distance marriage and they are the cutest couple I have ever seen. They were also two of the nicest people that I think I’ve ever met. And although both of them have very high positions at their universities, both of them are highly educated, and exceptionally smart. They were the most down to earth people you would ever want to meet. Quite a few people at my university could learn from them.

On a side note…if you are involved in higer education in any way and you have never been to a NASPA Conference, you don’t know what you are missing.

NASPA 2009 Seattle, Washington!!

If You Are About To Eat That Do Not, I repeat DO NOT Sit Beside Me On The Train

thelivingiseasy — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:09:00 +0000

Chow asks “Is it rude to eat on mass public transportation?” I would like to use this blog entry to answer that question. My answer is an unequivocal yes; it is absolutely rude to eat on mass public transportation. I think it is totally disgusting to eat on public transportation because public transportation itself is totally disgusting. I have heard that the Washington, DC trains and buses are the cleanest in the country however I think only surface dirt has been cleaned. While that is okay just to sit for thirty minutes to an hour as you ride to work I would never ever want to eat dinner while I am on the train. Chow wrote “you’ve been touching germ-infested poles, turnstiles, and armrests, so unless you have an antiseptic wipe you’ll be eating with dirty hands.”

Sure, I have popped a piece of gum or a small piece of candy in my mouth while I was on the train, holding it with the wrapper of course, but never a full meal or a king sized candy bar. I am even appalled that someone would even consider it.

There are enough strange smells on the train (this includes B.O. ) that I do not need to smell someone’s food too. I am getting sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

Once I saw a man in a pink shirt clipping his fingernails on the train and letting his nails fall on the floor. I totally disgusted by him and I decided that he was a “girlie man.” I am sure he would have been angry with me had he known my thoughts but I don’t know any men who would actually groom themselves on the train.

What if someone was eating beside him and a nail popped into their plate? Now that would have been comical.

Blogging in Armenia

thelivingiseasy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:14:36 +0000

Global Voices Online is a Web site that compiles some of the most interesting blogs from other countries. Typically the information found on this site is not found in main stream media. I was very fascinated with this Web site because I know that main stream news is filtered and it does not always represent what the everyday person is talking or thinking about. For this blog post I have decided to look at Armenia’s blogosphere to see what people are blogging about there.

There are several blogs in Armenia about the LGBT community, education, and politics in general. It seems that there is a reoccurring theme around the world when it comes to blogs. They give people an opportunity to voice opinions that may not otherwise be heard. The LGBT community has several blogs in Armenia. According to Global Voices, blogs were originally used to by the media to perpetuate homophobia amongst its residents now it is used to give people in the LGBT community a forum to voice their opinions and views. One of the most popular LGBT blogs in Armenia is called Unzipped: Gay Armenia.

Education seems to be another hot topic in the Armenian blogsphere. It seems that many people are opposed to how the government handles the education system in Armenia. According to The Armenian Economist, the government plans to fund students to study abroad. This blog however argues that the money would be better spent improving the education system currently in place. The country’s lack of resources and shortage of qualified teachers has also been a pretty hot topic amongst bloggers there.

I must admit that I am known for being wrapped up in my own little world and I tend to forget that there are other people in the world with their own issues. This Web site gave me an opportunity to look at what others are talking about and the challenges they face. I think that this is a great Web site and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to leave their world for just a minute to experience another.

Are All The Cool People Twittering? I Want To Twitter Too!

thelivingiseasy — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:45:31 +0000

I have been using Twitter for about three months now. So far I am following nine people and six people are following me. I feel like I still haven’t gotten into Twitter as much as I would like since most of the people I know have never even heard of Twitter. But I still like it.

According to ReadWriteWeb.com, Twitter is getting a new look. Tge wrote that Twitter is “trying to streamline its interface with its new design.” Now I am all for redesigning web pages to make them prettier or more user friendly. But, am I the only wondering about Twitter getting a system upgrade first. I do not twitter often but it is pretty annoying when I think of something that is “Twitter Worthy” and I cannot get access because their are too many people twittering and the Web site cannot handle it. I can only imagine that upgrading the site layout will only increase traffic to the Web site. Will Twitter.com be able to handle all of the traffic?

And Another Thing:

As I look at my Twitter page I have to say that some people twitter too much. I am sure the makers of Twitter love these microbloggers but I am starting to rethink some of the people I am following. Some people twitter every few minutes and they are not people that I am that interested in keeping up with. I started following them because they were suggested by my teacher as some of the best and the brightest social media followers. My goodness one of these people twittered seven times as of 6:45pm today and they twit like this everyday. I am lucky if I get two tweets in one day. Maybe the problems lies with me. Maybe I do not twitter enough. I think I will go post something right now.

Trip to Fort Lauderdale

thelivingiseasy — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:31:33 +0000

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale ready for a week of fun in the sun. Everyone is excited and we can’t wait to get our week started. No work, no responsibilities…well at least for three out of four people. I still have school work to do but I am not going to let it stop my fun at the Wyndham Palm-Aire Resort.

After we arrived and got settled in, we went to the local Family Dollar to pick up a few things. As I am walking around the store looking at all of the things that I want to buy but don’t really need for my stay in Florida I make my way to the front of the store. All of a sudden I hear a woman say “I am driving a red car. Who hit my car?” Then she says “Oh that is not my car.” Instantly I think about the rental car that we have just picked up. It is burgundy which is close enough to red for me. So I decide to go see what all the fuss is about. Sure enough when I go over to the two ladies to ask them which car was hit, they pointed to our burgundy car that we rented from a company I will not name at this time. Oh CRAP!! Someone just hit our car and drove away. How are we going to explain this? And of course we opted not to purchase the insurance from the rental company for an additional $20 per day. This was obviously not the start to our vacation we has anticipated. We had only been here for five hours and now we were wrapped up in a hit and run and talking to the local sheriff’s office.

Luckily one the ladies’ asking about the car was a policewoman from Illinois. She heard the accident from the street and chased the perpetrators car to get pictures and their license plate.

Thank goodness they were there. We wouldn’t have known what to do if it were not for them. They stayed with us and gave statements to the police for us.

It was pretty ironic. On one hand someone had ruined our day but on the other hand, my faith was restored that there are still good people in the world.

Is Tom Cruise Updating Articles in Wikipedia Again?

thelivingiseasy — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:36:26 +0000

Scientology is a religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1952. I have never met anyone who is or has been a scientologist. However, they have a very large media presence especially since they have a large number of celebrity followers. I must admit, I sometimes stereotype it as a religion for celebrities or rich people.

Recently, I have been checking out the Church’s activity on Wikipedia by researching Wikiscanner. I have found that representatives of the church are somewhat active editors on Wikiedia. As of August 2007 there were 170 updates throughout Wikipedia that linked to the Church’s IP address. The obvious edits were on pages that discussed The Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard (founder), Dianetics, and David Miscavige the chairman of the board of Religious and Technology Center which oversees The Church of Scientology. Most of the edits included adding links to their Web site or to Web sites that support their causes when it pertained to the subject matter. They seem to edit on a wide variety of issues to help support their school of thought.

According to Wikipedia, Scientologists are “vehemently opposed” to psychology and psychiatry. Several edits made in Wikiscanner were made to articles that dealt with depression or anti-depressants. Articles that were edited that dealt with mental health or anti-depressants were:

· Postpartum depression

· Kurt Cobain

· Schizophrenia

· American Psychiatry

· Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

· Depression

· Dyslexia

One article that was updated by The Church that I found interesting was about Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold of the Columbine High School massacre. They edited the article to include the fact that the coroner’s offices found a “therapeutic amount” of the anti-depressant Luvox in Eric Harris’ system. This was clearly edited to support their belief that anti-depressant cause suicidal thoughts and violence amongst its users.

I am surprised to admit that I think The Church of Scientology is pretty responsible in their Wikipedia edits. Obviously they want more people to submit to their teachings so they add links to their site were they fit. Again, I noticed that there were several links and additions added to support their theories however, I do not believe they were too presumptuous in their editing.