In Medias Res #26- Suit Up!

1. What the dapper gentleman wears for ACPA
I went suit shopping this weekend. This-I believe- is the first time I’ve ever gone suit shopping by myself. It is in fact one of the few times that I’ve gone shopping for clothes alone. I know I don’t have much in the way of taste or personal style. This is why I almost always bring someone else with me to shop. Initially I did do that. A coworker joined me for the first round-and ended up buying himself an overcoat- but for day two I went out on my own.
I needed a new suit for ACPA. I’m interviewing candidates for 4+ days. The alternatives were either: wear a sport coat one of the days or double up on a suit. This is what I ended up doing at placement last year (for the curious I wore a sport coat in lieu of doubling up). The whole time I was walking through placement, though, I felt underdressed.
The suit I bought is nice. It was on sale. It is a pretty uneventful suit. Clothes shopping, though, got me to thinking about professionalism. That word in the form of an outcome for improvement came up in my last performance review. I have had a rough transition between ‘grad’ school appropriate and work uniform. I know there are certainly days I come into the office with too much beard scruff, or an un-tucked shirt. I also know this is unacceptable.
Here’s the thing though: this job runs us all ragged. Something has to give for people. For some its their social life. They spend their nights and weekends at work and spend their free time preparing for work. I have a colleague like this. I could not live the way she does. For others its sleep or vacations. I give up ironing my pants. You may be wondering how ironing can be that time consuming. Well, I’m going to have you to simply accept the reality that doing laundry is a bitch. I hate it. With a passion.
The whole issue of ‘what to wear’ gets compounded by the fact that I have very few ‘dress’ clothes. Basically I own enough to get me through a week, however when you return to the same place week after week that’s not sufficient. So I know where my tax refund is going: Banana Republic (and their ilk)!
The irony? I actually really like wearing dress clothes. I think I look universally better in them, and I’m almost always more comfortable when I have to attend a meeting or visit with a colleague.
2. Recruiting
How very underwhelmed I am by the process of recruiting a new hire. Most of the resumes we get have no related experience, are vastly under qualified, or they have some glaring spelling or grammatical error. Now, I know I’m not prince dear reader. I misspell stuff all the time. But not on my resume! Not on the resume I posted to the placement site!
What has been most interesting about this phenomenon has been the ‘unexpected applicants’. These are either alumni of the institution who are now in student affairs or former colleagues and friends that the director who I am recruiting for (but do not work for, I should add) would like to see in the position. Most of these people? No real experience and to cap it off a lot of them have wildly erratic resumes. Were they not ‘known’ applicants or friends of friends they wouldn’t make it pass the first resume review. Quite a number of these applicants have less than a year experience at any institution they’ve worked at.
I know student affairs is hard. I know circumstances change. But when you’re making a lateral move after three months at one institution to a position at the same institution! And then you don’t even stay in that position a year? There are multiple applicants like this. The whole thing makes me uncomfortable, and its making me suspect of this colleague.
I have friends from grad school. I would love for them to live in this city (and believe me I’m lucky because two of them do). I would love more for them all to work at this institution. That’s never going to happen though. Because where I work is not a good fit for many of them. Hell, it’s a horrible fit for most of them! They would hate many of the very things I love about it. Case in point: I spent two hours yesterday in a faculty reading group. This is a professional expectation. They would also hate many of my colleagues, in some cases for the reason that I love them. Case in point: the colleague who made attending faculty reading groups an expectation.
Unfortunately there’s no good way about discouraging this director from pursuing these candidates. They can’t see the forest for the trees, and as such most of us will get stuck with a colleague who gets burned out after nine months. And then we get to do this process all over again (assuming they have the decency to tell us they’re searching-which given their current track record doesn’t seem likely).

In Medias Res # 25- You’re boring, baby, when you’re straight (Special Super Sized Video Packed Commemorative 25th Post)

Anybody else like The Kills? Not the Killers of “Somebody Told Me” fame. I have no real opinion on them one way or the other. The Kills are a two piece band that makes thudding bluesy rock music. They’re pretty awesome.
Anyways they released a new album this week which is spectacular. Their first album came out when I was a senior in college. I listened to it quite a bit on my ipod as graduation approached and so now whenever I dig it out of its case I’m immediately transported. The new album and the process of making a mix tape (I know, I’m dating myself. Who actually makes mix tapes anymore?) for the trip to ACPA has me nostalgic for music and its affect. I’m an album listener. I don’t single out specific tracks. I like to listen the whole way through. As such the nostalgia an album as a cohesive whole generates is pretty much correlated to specific times and places for me.
I was going to write this week about prepping for ACPA as an employer. Then I realized there’s another Thursday (which means another post) before ACPA starts. Instead I started thinking about coping mechanisms, and for me the most efficient and effective way to relax is to put on my headphones. I listened to a lot of music when I was job searching, and even now in my office I keep a constant drone on in the background. Part of this is because I’m in temporary space under a dance studio while my new office is built (and those hoofers make a lot of noise, I tell ya what). Still, I find it difficult to think without some ambient noise in the background.
I listened to all of these albums in whole or in part during the job search, and even now I still throw them on at work to get transported.


The New Pornographer’s Twin Cinema
This is not the best New Pornographer’s album. It might actually be their worst. Of course the worst New Pornographer’s album is like the least chocolate covered cherry. Fer chrissakes it’s still a chocolate covered cherry, and that’s pretty awesome. So why this album in particular especially given the majestic awesomeness of Mass Romantic and the Electric Version? Well, this album came out during my worst stretch of grad school, and as I drove around rushing from work, to class, to a tiny semblance of a social life I really just wanted someone to sing me Spanish techno.



Morrissey-You are the Quarry
Again, a least chocolate covered cherry album by an artist with much better work under his belt. And again, I spent a lot of time alone running around with this album in rotation on my i-pod. This album in particular, though, is about frustration. Frustration with friends, lovers, with your country and with other people. I was in college-although it was the summer- and I was interning at a crappy literary agency. I was reading horrible manuscripts, working for a jerk, and I was the only one of my friends who didn’t work nights. So I was up early every morning to get to work, and spending most of my weeknights crashing around 8pm. Morrissey and I were riding the same wavelength that summer. I still find myself listening to “First of the Gang to Die” when I need to get pumped up which is odd since its not a particularly ‘pumped up’ song.



The Magnetic Fields-69 Love Songs
Not everything I have a romantic attachment to is a result of a stressful period. This album is actually three discs long and its one of the many many things I share with my brother. Right after I got my first car (and installed a CD player) I somehow ended up with this album. I think-if memory serves correctly- this was given to me as a birthday gift. I can’t remember by who, though, and I wish I could because they obviously have fantastic taste. Whatever the case I ended up driving my younger brother around a lot. And we listened to this album a lot. And we both happen to like it. A lot. I got stuck in an airport in Denver because of snow last year and I listened to this album the whole way through. It made the time fly. When my brother came out to visit me at my new job we drove around town and this was our soundtrack.



Belle and Sebastian-Life Pursuit; Fountains of Wayne-Traffice and Weather; Welcome Interstate Managers
This was my job search album. I haven’t been able to listen to it since. Its a pretty good B&S album. Way more up tempo than the vast majority of their catalogue. This and the Fountains of Wayne albums Traffic and Weather and Welcome Interstate Managers are bleary sad albums about being a work professional. They’re really more suited to long journeys than multiple spins in the office. They are albums that make you appreciate the work we do. Just about every morning- even if I’m tired and cranky- I look forward to going to work. But these albums also hit home a little too much. Take the lyrics from FOW’s Someone to Love off of Traffic and Weather:

It's Thursday night she should be out on the scene

But she's sitting at home watching "The King of Queens"

There's something wrong that she can't describe

She takes the contacts out of her eyes

Sets the alarm for 6:45

So she can get a little exercise.

I’m not dying for somebody to love. But I did set my alarm yesterday so I could get up and jog while the weather is still nice. And I do like to catch an episode of ‘The King of Queens’



Sleater Kinney-Everything every by Sleater Kinney (The Hot Rock, Dig Me Out, All Hands on the Bad One, One Beat, The Woods)
Wow. Ok, Sleater Kinney makes me feel kind of old. Dig Me Out came out 11 years ago. Some of my students were in first grade. I’ve liked a lot of bands that have broken up. That’s nothing special. But Sleater Kinney got me through my adolescence. I play music in my office a lot. Some of the stuff (Elvis Costello, Pavement, even Ghostface Killah) I just expect is too old for my students. The fact that SK is no longer a band, and that for my students this stuff is no longer current (or even relevant) that makes me feel old. And for some weird reason that makes me feel happy. I love every one of these albums, but it is nice not to be a restless grouchy teenager now. There is something to be said for being a grown up, with a job, and responsibilities. I went to two concerts this week, and so I don’t feel like an old fogy yet. I can still stay up late with the Kids. But I did leave both shows by midnight cause I had work the next morning.



Joan as Police Woman-Real Life
According to my media player at work I have listened to Real Life by Joan as Police Woman more than any other album since I've been here. There's nothing especially distinct about the album. It definitely fits into that Fiona Apple, Feist, Yael Naim genre of white girl with a piano music that I tend to secretly enjoy. I can attribute some of this to having downloaded that album the week I started work. Still, there's something about the music that keeps drawing me back to it. I think with some space and distance I can figure out why exactly. Maybe with some time and space I'll figure it out.

I don’t really know what the point of this post was. Sometimes my mind just usually drifts (especially on Wednesday afternoons when I sit down to write these things) and I spew whatever I’m thinking about. As I’m getting ready to head to ACPA on the other side of the table (and actually attend a few sessions, may chance?) I can’t help but think that some other people are probably nervously fiddling with their i-pods. Do other people have job search music? Music that reminds them of a specific time and place? Like your first semester as a hall director? Or that alternative spring break you took students on? Is there a genre of music that predominates student affairs?

In medias res #24-Spring Break 2K8

That's right I'm kicking your ass hall director in the city. All over town. Ninja stylee. RESPECT.



I dated a guy freshman year of college who loved to ironically drop the phrase “Spring Break 2K2” into conversations leading up to the aforementioned event. This ex was a city kid and we attended a pretty urban non-traditional campus. Most of us-if we went on spring break- did service trips, and the rest just hung out in the city. My bf at the time though, was determined to have a good old fashioned spring break in the most ironic way possible. He and two friends drove down to a beach town, stayed in a ratty motel, and went to lots of bars with the words senor, froggy’s, slackers, and boomers in the name. They came back with sun kissed skin and overexposed photos. I had gone to build houses for Habitat for Humanity and didn’t feel particularly jealous. In fact I’m almost completely certain that I had more fun.
In grad school I usually worked through spring break. I lived too far away to go home, and especially last year I had too much on my plate to take that much time off. I did spent part of my spring break last year on a job interview, and managed to tack on a few days afterwards to visit some college friends. This year as spring break approached the only things I looked forward to would be getting out of here at five o’clock and the chance to catch up on some gestating projects. Over the weekend, though, a friend (and colleague) suggested that we recreate spring break on our own. Obviously we would have to go to work everyday, but in the evenings our students would be gone. The bars, restaurants, and fairgrounds of our fair burg would be ours! OURS!
So Monday night we went out. Tuesday night? Out. Wednesday? On the town! Tonight I’m going to a documentary screening so I don’t know if that counts, but tomorrow there is a raucous party on the docket. The only lowlight so far has been running into the whole remaining RA staff on Tuesday night at our local watering hole. I think our students took too much delight in seeing us outside of a campus setting and partaking of beverages no less! Other than that the main thing I’ve learned from this weekend is I will be happy to never go on spring break again. I love sleep and structure too much.
We’ve been talking a lot this week about wrapping the year up. It seems amazing to me that I’ve been here almost a year. I feel as if I’ve done nothing, and yet if I compare where my office was to August I’ve made some considerable progress. As I begin to plan for next year I’m admittedly having difficulty deciding on priorities. I feel as if I (and my supervisor) set the bar a little too low. There’s lots of personal goals I want to work on-specifically my level of professionalism- but in terms of the outcomes I identify I don’t want to set myself up to fail. Do people have this problem? I think a lot of it has to do with the vagueness of my position and the gray areas in which my office exists. I don’t want to set myself up to fail, but I definitely need to set the bar higher. If I don’t how am I growing as a professional?

Res. Life and the City #16- Past, Present, and Future

Can you get to a future if the past is present? ~Carrie


First, let's have a moment of silence for the amazing feat that was just accomplished by yours truly. TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY! Hooray! I must say that I am fairly proud of myself. Since I'm no longer taking classes, I've realized that I've started to create smaller senses of victory in my life. I've realized that there really isn't a comparable feeling to finishing a paper and hitting "print" in the professional world. Sure, you can finish a project or create a new proposal, but I really haven't had the same sense of accomplishment so I'm finding it through my blog. With that in mind, I popped in my "Paper Writing Mix: 2006-2007" with the intent of finishing this post today. In case you are wondering, it's a mixture of Billy Joel, Journey, and vintage Kelly Clarkson. Don't judge. It's what got me through grad school so it must have been doing something right!

Second, I started off writing my last post about the issue that I am going to address, but it somehow spiraled into an advice session for job candidates. Isn't it weird where your writing can take you sometimes? Anyway, I decided that I still needed to process some of my issues and what better way than through a global stage that literally dozens of people read on a semi-monthly basis?! Am I selling myself short? Perhaps...

Okay, let's get down to business, shall we? Like the quote from Sex and the City states can we ever get to our future if our past is present? (PS Countdown to the SATC movie: 84 days!) I could think of no better quote than this to describe the last week of my life. Let me set it up for you. I have a friend from grad school, let's call him "Sam" who I have become increasingly close with after graduation. Although he is still back home, we talk at minimum once a week for at least an hour per session. Clearly, we're close. Therefore, it seemed only natural to invite him to see my new fabulous (res) life over his spring break. I set up a ton of activities, lined up times for my new friends to meet and fall in love with him and actually took a week off of work to show him around my new life. While I know that I have a somewhat romanticized view of the world (I'm working on it), I really had high hopes for the visit. I thought that we would fall back into the same witty, back-and-forth banter that had been happening over the phone for the past 10 months, but it would be in person. What could be better, right?

Wrong. I...was...so...wrong! He arrived and it was like it was a different person in front of me. Everything that I found enjoyable about him over the phone and from grad school now became incredibly annoying and grating to my nerves. I kept looking at him and thinking to myself "This is not the person that I remember." The basis of all of our conversations was simply a re-telling of things that happened in our past and he didn't seem too excited about my new life or job or friends. Granted, he did make an effort to get to know my new friends, who also happen to be my collegues since I haven't gotten around to the whole "making friends off-campus" thing, but it was a stretch to make conversation. My friends could tell that I was really getting annoyed with him as the trip went on and (God bless them!) continued to offer to tag along to activities and attractions to be a buffer between the two of us.

By the end of the trip, I was really ready for him to leave which actually came as a surprise, even to me. I am a somewhat, okay who am I kidding, really emotional person and don't deal with goodbyes in the most mature fashion (ie I bawl my eyes out), but when we said goodbye at the airport, it was like I was shipping off an acquaintance that I barely knew instead of someone that I had grown close to and had known for a year and a half. There was little to no emotional attachment anymore and at the time, I didn't really understand why.

However, since my grad school professors drilled the importance of reflection in my brain, I took some time to process with my friends and finally came to a conclusion. I didn't enjoy my time with Sam because he represented my past and I am fulling living my present and future. I wasn't really interested in rehashing old stories or memories from grad school when I could be making new memories now. I can honestly say that I have changed and grown a lot just in the few months that I have been away from home and I don't want to go back to many of the habits and quirks that dogged me in grad school. I think I have become much more self-sufficient and confident in my abilities in both a personal and professional capacity. I think I am more self-centered and I find myself looking from within for validation before looking to others and I honestly don't want to go back to the old me.

In conclusion, I am glad that Sam visited if for no other reason than it made me appreciate my new life, job, and friends even more than I already did. It was so nice to have friends that I could turn to for emotional support instead of always having others turn to me. I realized that I am so much happier in my new job than I was with my job in grad school and also that my old institution pales in comparison to my new one. Basically, Sam's annoying, cloying, and overbearingly awful visit helped me really be thankful for my new life, so thanks Sam!

Res. Life and the City #15- Meet Us Halfway

Normal is the halfway point between what you want and what you can get. ~Samantha

Alright, before I get started into the good stuff, let's get a few things out of the way. First, I apologize wholeheartedly for the lack of posts. As I was looking through the archives, I must say that I am ashamed that I haven't posted in over a month! Clearly, this is unacceptable, especially since I agreed to post once or twice a week when I signed on for this blog so many moons ago. Second, In Media Res. is kicking my ass with all of the posts! I realize that it's not a competition, but if you take a look at some of my posts from last year, you know that I need to work on this aspect of my personality. Whatever, it's quality, not quantity, right? Right?

Anyway, I must say that I've been not only intrigued, but also inspired with the posts of my co-blogging plans. Not only has In Media Res. been entertaining and enjoyable, but the exploits of the two new job searchers has made me thrilled that I'm not going through that process again and simultaneously exciting to be on the other side of the table at ACPA. I feel professionally obligated to respond to some of the assertions made by The Great Fishbowl Quest. A few weeks ago my co-blogger wrote:

LESSON 1: Don’t show employers your cards: regardless of your excitement, level of interest, or fear of losing their interest. I promise that you can get a job without ever telling one school that they are your number one.

As a new professional working on my department's recruitment and selection committee, I have to say that I was disheartened to read this post. While I understand that institutions will be told throughout conferences and interview seasons that we are "definitely in my top three" there is no reason to hold back on your excitement. We want to know if you are excited about us! We want to know that you could envision yourself moving to our city and school! Believe it or not, we do evaluate you on things that aren't simply on the interview questionnaire such as your enthusiasm, passion for the position, and potential for moving to our school. If you keep your cards close to your vest, it will be very easy for employers to lose interest and pursue candidates who may not be as qualified, but who are more passionate about the position and institution. While I am by no means advising any candidate to oversell their excitement and string along an institution, I do hope that all of you new candidates will stay true to your personality and not become a vault of emotions when you are under the assumption that you are just "playing the game." While it's true that it is a candidate's market and that employers have to do the woo-ing, don't you want to end up at an institution that is just as excited about you and you are about them?

LESSON 2: Don’t leave employers hanging when you decide that you aren’t interested. Let them know as soon as you make the decision. There is nothing more frustrating than a candidate who shows interest and then never responds.You have control as a candidate to pick who you interview with and who you pursue. After all, you’re the one committing to a new job.

While I do agree wholeheartedly with the idea of not leaving candidates hanging on, please know that employers get just as (if not more) excited about prospective candidates as candidates do about prospective schools. I remember the rush of endorphins and the smile that came to my face when I read over job descriptions or institution profiles as a candidate and believe it or not, this same experience happens when we read a cover letter, resume, or thank-you note from a candidate. I think we have even more investment in candidates because we are investing all of this time and energy and effort into an actual person, while the candidate is being pulled in a thousand directions when interviewing with an institution. Candidates have to think about the geographic location, salary, benefits, living conditions, co-workers, potential supervisor, institutional culture, weather, partners, pets, parking, professional development, and the the list goes on. We just care about that singular candidate and their experience. Now, I realize that I am coming from a distinct point of view given my institutional culture and my experiences with my own search committee, but that's where I stand. While it is true that candidates are committing to a new job, institutions and departments are committing to a new co-worker, colleague, and supervisee. As we all know, adding one person to the mix of a group can seriously change the dynamics so don't underestimate the impact that you can add to a department. We need to know that candidates can see themselves fitting into our already established culture, but we can't know that for sure if you don't tell us!

Basically, I urge all of you to be true to yourself as a candidate and don't get caught up in the game. Do you honestly want to work for people who are good at playing the game or people who are just good people? Ask yourself this the next time you speak with an employer and you may be surprised with the results.

In Medias Res # 23: sometime to kill

I. You can’t train me, Mother$%^&#*
I went to a volunteer training this past weekend. As I noted in last week’s blockbuster post “(insert title here)” I’ve been trying to cultivate a life outside of work. As part of that I’ve been sussing out some volunteer and service opportunities. One in particular I’ve become fond of, and last weekend they had a required training. I attended hoping to meet some new people.
I think on some level the work that I do has ruined me for trainings, workshops, and the like. This training was painful. I give presentations to classes, colleagues, and community members probably 2-3 times a week. I have to say-and reserve your comments, dear reader- I’m a halfway decent presenter. I have done this enough to know the basic rules. ALWAYS bring extra handouts (and if you want to conserve paper make it clear and accessible where this information can be found online). If you are working with a roomful of strangers-especially people who will eventually have to work together- do an icebreaker. Do a couple. Never just sit and talk and this goes double-no triple- for when there is already a power point presentation setup for you to use.
I’m not perfect. I screw up pretty regularly when I present. Sometimes I’m tired, or I’m underprepared, or I just plum forgot something. Whatever the case may be I figure out how to compensate. I certainly don’t allow my audience to suffer for it.
All that said I really liked everyone I met and I’m looking forward to getting involved with this organization. Last night was my first ‘shift’ and while it was uneventful I had quite a bit of fun.
II. I find this all very taxing
I’m ¾ of the way done with my 2007 taxes. This year was particularly complicated because I had to file two state returns in addition to my federal return. I am looking forward to getting back that 2K refund though. Hopefully it will show up in time for the down payment on a condo I may or may not buy. Either way 2K back in my pocket is a good thing.
One of the things it never even occurred to me to look into during the job search was the income tax rate. Now, while I didn’t get to move to a particularly liberal state (which means we have crappy public schools and questionable roads) it does mean that my taxation rate is pretty low. Take that MassachuVermontesota! You may have a social safety cushion that cares for everyone in our democratic society, but I’m keeping an extra $25 a month. Plus I’m a childless single white man. What need have I of social services? So screw you.
I like to think of myself as pretty economically savvy. I have money invested, and I’ve already started a retirement fund (woo hoo Roth IRAs!). I’ve also got life insurance-although the beneficiaries at the moment are my parents. I’m sure they’ll be glad I took out the policy, but honestly I doubt they’re going to be psyched with that inheritance. I was surprised at my own naiveté when it came to taxes, though. Despite my insistence on working at an institution with domestic partnership benefits, it never occurred to me to ask if the institution grosses up to cover the difference (they don’t) or if we live in a state which wouldn’t create an undue burden (it does). Again, all these things are relevant in the abstract-one day I might start dating someone and want to put them on my benefits plan- but it is at least worth thinking and asking about. Especially for all you dear readers who are job searching.
III. The Great Fishbowl KT Turnstall Quest
Have you been reading the new job hunt blog? I assume if you’re motivated enough to read my blathering you are in fact equally enthralled by the newest members of the Studentaffairs.com blogocracy (TM In Medias Res LTD). Some things stuck me as I was reading their recounting of the Job Hunt. (I’ve compiled them below for you in easy list form):
the James Frey effect- Ok, honestly more than once I could of sworn these bastards poached one of my posts. I went back and checked my own (admittedly more florid and sensual) writings and nope. They’re honest at least as much as I can tell. But the sentiment, the anxiety, the process. Its all way too similar. I feel for them. I do. They didn’t steal my posts though.
I know NASPA is earlier this year but, damn! When I was job searching the period between January and May seemed to stretch on forever. I know time moves faster here. It is an observable fact and I have the scientific equation to prove it. I will not, however, be sharing that information with you, dear reader, until it has been vetted by the Nobel committee and I have been properly rewarded. It seems like everything is just barreling down on these kids (can I call them kids?) OPE came and went as did SPE. NASPA is this weekend! Before you know it one of them will have a job. Perhaps both! My lord that seems quick.
I don’t think I ever explained my gimmick. Ok, so my co-blogger started out framing her posts with Grey’s Anatomy quotes and then moved on to Sex and the City (speaking of which, when do we get to hear about all your hookups? That’s what I come back for week after week). Fishboy (as I affectionately refer to him in my own head) has some strained metaphor about being a fish and looking for a bowl. I get it. And the other one is using half a line from a two year old pop song. (C’mon everybody, I kid because I love!) So where does In Medias Res come from? Well, as loyal readers of the blog know (which is probably what- me and Hristin Moh at this point?) I am an avid reader. In Medias Res is a Latin phrase which broadly refers to when we join a story in the middle of the action. Since y’all did not come on board at the beginning- it wasn’t nearly as trendy for a new fetus to blog when I was….a new fetus- you joined in the middle of the action. As such, you only really know what’s happening since post one. I know I explained this last time, but this is technically a new blog. New Blog, new pathetic rationalizations.
You can figure out what the hell it is I’m talking about at the 2008 Student Affairs Job Hunt.
Ok, this has been a damn long post. As you can probably guess I had some time to kill before a student program and now that time is gone. Have fun at NASPA or on Spring Break or whatever the hell it is you do dear reader with your free time (Crochet? Competitive archery? Collecting scrap metal?). I’m going to visit a grad school friend this weekend, and then recruiting some high school students (for work, not for my unauthorized production of High School Musical 3: To Catch a Predator). Ooh, maybe if I blog next year I can start every post with lyrics from High School Musical! I should probably watch one of those things know so I know what the hell I’m talking about.