r|intern: ritual outing

(troy, our server)

yesterday (wed.) we started off with lunch at p.f. chang's in fashion valley
this time - amabelle, margaret (aka SL), shirl, todd

then over for the "ritual" (since 'o4)

amabelle, margaret, shirl, todd

hanging out at influx ...
playing an addictive game,
which i will not go into detail here,
but it was a
fun, merry & killer game.

SL tip #7: deadlines

i've learned that deadlines aren't for real...

thanks to you, my role model

- Silver Lining

(smart ass)

i'll have to deal with this tip later. gotta deal with other stuff.
peace!

R|Intern: ama in the A.M.

punctuality ... great.(prepping for an 8AM client mtg before a variance hearing)

professionalism ... great.
(reminiscent of wk 1)

over-loaded messenger bag ... not so great.

happy face ... awesome!

final performance evaluation - soon.

gratuitous snack break

yum ... yum ... yum ... from influx.

R|Intern: ama networking last week

as part of taking a break during the work-week last week ... amabelle got to meet a former client whom we shall call robbie (with a smiley-face dotting the "i"). we took an after lunch break at a great downtown bistro this week to meet robbie while he was in town on biz.

this a little different from other networking opportunities. ama has had opportunities to meet with other folks in the 'biz' - engineers working in the power industry, environmental consultants, land use planners, etc., while robbie's background includes corporate restructuring, corporate finance and investment banking experience. (a client of ours filed bankruptcy. two of our client's projects were sold. robbie was involved in making the transaction go forward.)

ama got to listen to our discussions about our project experiences, our history (since 1999) with the 2 projects, robbie's activities, etc.

as a bonus, todd & i learned a fav store of ours is now in san diego. (and "yum!" on the dessert at the bistro, cafe chloe!)

R|Intern: coffee personality test-lite

boss as a dog, element, and planet ... as coffee?

You Are a Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

hmmm... fascinating
(oh - and yums-up to peet's)

R|INTERN: spring break

taking a blog break ... got stuff going on. feel free to post comments anywhere.

and during the week of march 27th, inspired by silver lining having spring break & the fact that the office needs its mani-/pedi-, the office will be shutdown for 2 (yes, two) days (to get over our hangovers). j/k. later!

R|INTERN Amabelle: To Call or Not To Call?

(amabelle posting!)

There is only one answer to this question as an R|Intern ...

call, and call often.

Making business phone calls can be nerve-racking, if one is not use to making business calls. A simple phone call to acquire some information can be full of stumbling words and can result in having to call the other person more than once.

As an intern, I'm learning the following from my 9 weeks of experience:

• to start off by writing a script,
• to be prepared to give background information regarding the phone call,
• to anticipate questions that may be asked of me, and
• to make sure to get the name of the person with whom I'm speaking.

Once script writing is mastered, having a list of bulleted items is sufficient to keep on track with the phone call.

Also, answering phone calls as much as possible at work has also given me practice with business phone calls.

~ Thanks ... Amabelle

R|Intern: end of wk 9, st. pat's day

on this st. pat's day 'o6 ...

todd & i learned ...

that amabelle is color blind ...

<--- according to amabelle, she is "wearing green" (it's not a camera & color thing)

as a comparison ...
this is us & food wearing green.

she has 3 more weeks until her final presentation, work summary, etc.

we will not test her on color identification.

HRW! tidbit #1: internship vs. co-op

the tidbit ... on the topic of choosing - internship vs. co-op

r|intern perspective ... semantics or company's program?

enjoy your option to choose! a co-op can totally provide experience that will have benefits different from going the intern route. the duration and integration into the work-force, while in a co-op program, is wonderful, and in that respect, it will likely be unmatched by an internship .

shared objectives ... i do believe that a nicely well-defined and results-oriented internship with mutual objectives (of the intern & employer) ... one that is truly beneficial for all (e.g., intern, employer, work colleagues, customers) also can provide experiences and benefits that may be relatively comparable to that of a co-op.

in both cases, it's the learning experience that is priceless!

my tuesday is a monday

'nuff said. it's nothing personal.

Todd's element

todd thinks "this is pretty damned accurate, but it's not like the end-all, be-all." if you know todd. you can decide.

Your Element is Metal

Your power colors: white, gold, and silver Your energy: contracting Your season: fall You are persistent (and maybe even a little bit stubborn). If you see something you want, you go for it. You have a lot of strength, and it's difficult to get you down. Very logical, you tend to analyze everything going on in your life.

What Element Are You?

HRW!: r|wear on the author

jengyee's got the r|wear goin' on!

in turn, i will be including some HRW! tidbits (from her message board) on r|intern ...

and also some of my perspective on whatever is going on at HRW!

likewise, do share your perspectives with either of us.

Hello Real World (HRW) author's element

jengyee's book Hello Real World is now available (yippee!)

her element?

Your Element is Fire

Your power color: red Your energy: hot Your season: spring Like a fire, you are full of power and light. A born leader, you easily draw people toward you. You are full of courage and usually up for anything dangerous. You have a huge ego and love to be the center of attention.

What Element Are You?

my element ... and by the way, check out jengyee's nifty message board associated with topics in her book.

SL shares humor for the office

SL says ...

you asked for it. just something stupid that i totally enjoyed.

(me ... i'm amused, nauseated, traumatized, and frightened. and i don't know what the heck the pseudo-humanoid thing is that pops up like a random gopher!)

R|Intern: Ama's wk 8 already!

eight weeks and four more weeks to go!

(pic was from last week)

here are a few of the project activities for which amabelle has been involved & continues to be involved:

• air permit applications - prepared and submitted 4 permit applications for diesel engines (increasing hours per year and changing from emergency to non-emergency category); following up with air agency; conducting agency file reviews
• air quality compliance - assembled quarterly reports and submitted to agencies
• business operations - assisting with managing clients' and contractors' administrative files; assisting in preparation of business certification applications
• general environmental compliance - preparing Title V support document that lists multiple applicable regulations
• self-paced training - project management basics; business communication basics

... and there is more, but we'll stop for now. as far as one of Ama's main projects, here is Ama's quick off-top-of-head&tips-of-fingers purpose statement and how it relates to one of her 3 primary goals (determined in the 1st wk of the internship) --- (i have taken out reference to the "CLIENT" and an engineering firm that is on the team.)

I am working on the CLIENT project because I want to gain experience in project management and in project execution, apply GIS concepts, improve business communication skills, and enhance skill sets for resume. The project management aspect of CLIENT project allows me to manage multiple tasks ranging from tracking and organizing data flow to updating CLIENT PROJECT MANAGER and Shirley to interacting with other team members from client sites, XYZ Engineering, and San Diego Air Pollution Control District. The project execution aspect allows me to produce billable items, mainly submitting and following up with air permit applications. Business communication skills and resume skill sets are intrinsic to the CLIENT project because of client, team, and customer interaction, deliverables, and task management. In addition, by applying GIS concepts to the CLIENT project, I am able to see spatial relationship between customer sites. I am able to apply my internship goals to the CLIENT project because the project involves numerous permit applications.

good stuff! and she is doing pretty well. hopefully she'll post to the blog soon!

a li'l more on resistentialism

just in case you don't peek at comments
to the initial vocab post on resistentialism,
yvonne forwarded info on the original article.

vocabulary: resistentialism

resistentialism

the theory that inanimate objects
demonstrate hostile behavior against us.

my comment that i submitted to a.word.a.day a few years ago ...

Thank you! I can use one word - resistentialism - to describe the "office equipment mutiny event" (OEME) I experience on those special days when I must meet a project deadline. Now if I could just figure out which equipment typically leads the "mutiny" - computer, copier, printer, or maybe the stapler?

we encourage good grammar and expanding one's vocabulary. a few "word" services include a.word.a.day (which i like because of the often interesting context provided), merriam-webster's, my word a day, and many others.

and then of course ... there are the unconventional vocab sources such as urbandictionary.com (which allows one to submit words - often slang, likely off-color, and often words that are entertainingly shocking ... thus likely unwelcomed in the traditional workspace unless you want a verbal reprimand or dismissal), prison slang (not that we or r|interns think work = prison), and surf slang (because the ocean is less than a 10-min drive).

another future intern in r|wear

well, we have Baby Al on the west coast,
and now we have Andrew on the east coast!

(Thanks much, Sheila, for suiting up Andrew for them nor'easters with r|wear! Hugs!)

SL Tip #6: resume - to serif or not to serif ...

if i change my resume from garamond to verdana,
i feel like a different person.

- Silver Lining

interesting comment.
(i kind of fancy garamond myself ... tho' footlight is o.k., too but likely shouldn't be used for a resume.)

there are some guidelines on the net about scannable resumes. Cal has some general guidelines but not as specific as Cal Poly SLO or UC Davis here and here. on font ... there is the whole serif or sans serif decision.

i'm not going to provide any resume tips, but i will say i agree with SL ... and at a minimum, you should happy and proud of your resume (serif or sans serif!).

R|Intern: element personality test-lite

boss as a dog ... as an element?

Your Element is Earth

Your power color: yellow Your energy: balancing Your season: changing of seasons Dedicated and responsible, you are a rock to your friends. You are skilled at working out even the most difficult problems. Low key and calm, you are happiest when you are around loved ones. Ambitious and goal oriented, you have long term plans to be successful.

What Element Are You?

SL tip - back at ya': fridge business etiquette?

SL decided to throw in another 2 cents on the fridge situation in the office - and extended it to the "just ewww factor" ... but true ewww:

"did you know -- if you keep a bag of onions -- you know the netted kind of bag -- directly on the carpeted floor -- the sh** turns into black **it -- and stains the floor -- and if you suddenly are getting fruit flies -- in winter -- and wonder why -- and find out b/c of a bag of potatoes on a random shelf in the living room --"

(just for clarification, she was NOT citing something that happened in the home/office) well, this brings up other rules that deal with general spoilage and stink ... one of my favs:

Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster in your refrigerator to gauge this.

fridge business (office) etiquette ... i have no idea if there is fridge business etiquette, so i had to google (#8 mentions the fridge) and you can look for others, but generally, in office lunch areas, there is a make-shift sign on a work fridge or unspoken office rule:

empty the fridge (at least of food) every friday.

(it can get crowded in there ... and stinky.)

R|Intern: just start ... and finish

a colleague and owner of bluescape e-Mailed this Inc.com article on hiring people - hiring "finishers" - it's the author's list of characteristics

1. Ability to prioritize tasks and do what really matters
2. Ability to make a decision
3. Ability to execute
4. A clear perception of reality
5. Never satisfied with status quo
6. Ability to understand deadlines and schedules
7. Ability to recognize accomplishments
8. Ability to show aptitude
9. Practical approach to problem solving
10. Proactive

i think this is a pretty good list of characteristics, which we'd embrace (for sure) in an intern. i'll comment more on this later.

just to recap a few quick things we tell & look for in prospective interns - humor threshold, five traits, qualifications, our responsibility to intern, and self-evaluation requirement. oh yeah .. and don't forget our approach.

R|Intern: humor test-lite

we don't really use personality tests when evaluating interns, but we like to have fun with the dog test mainly to see what other dog breeds come up. we do, however, get a feel for an intern's chuckle preferences. so just a few things we pass by interns in the early part (1st 3 weeks) of the internship ...

• a bit o' world politics humor
• obnoxious wtf are these things singing
• anything jibjab
• bush speechalist, harlan mccraney
• video/song of cheney/whittington incident
• reality tv PR spoof
• SNL BOC & cowbell or tattoo
  
(both of which are now, as of 04/01, off-line, ugh!)

... because here is the deal - todd changes lyrics to songs (and it ain't all PG-13), we often check out (or submit words/phrases) urbandictionary, margaret cho makes us laugh, and we can laugh at ourselves.

(o.k. - i just needed an excuse
to post some goofy sh**!
hope you enjoyed!)