The world according to Jen

When you get older you think that the situations that you have as a child or teenager were only things that you experienced because that was the phase of life you were in. But this summer during my outrigger canoe paddling season, my once undefeated women's team has been torn apart by drama. It saddens me because the ladies on my team are all very important to me. We each come from different lifestyles but in the past have come together as one strong team of women. It is interesting how women relate to each other. I know that it is just not my team that experiences stuff like this- it is in every sport with women.
It saddens me that we weren't able to overcome drama for the sake of sports. I am such a easy going person and I tend to stay away from drama because I just can't take being in dramatic situations, especially when they revolve around men, which is basically what the drama is about on my paddling team. Tomorrow is the championship meet for my team. But it won't be the same. One of the girls won't be there with us and it won't be the same. It is hard to get excited about tomorrow when the team I have been practicing with since last November, won't be the team I will be competing with for championship. This is when I just have to be a true athlete and do the best I can do, regardless of the situations around me.

So as I learn more about Specialized bikes, there is one bike that I love because of what it stands for. With gas prices increasing at a rapid rate, the bike industry is really trying to embrace this time and invite people to get on bikes and ride. One of the bikes that they are promoting this year is called The Globe. It is a nice easy riding bike with some accessories that make it possible for you to take it just about anywhere. It is affordable and built with the same technology as the awesome other bikes that Specialized makes.
"The aluminum frame, which comes in a nice dark blue paintjob, is adorned with a slew of functionally oriented parts. The urban bike commuter will appreciate the upright riding position, smooth- and fast-rolling 700c wheels, included hub-generator head- and taillights, and built-in rear rack and integrated rear wheel lock. Fenders with mud flaps and a clear, hard-plastic chainguard help keep riders clean and dry."
I love the motto of the globe "Run on apples and bananas." I am thinking about getting one of these bikes or at least promoting this bike to people who aren't super hard core riders but ride for enjoyment and affordability.

As I was listening to the Specialized bikes speech that described the mission and vision of Specialized for the future the one thing that stuck out to me besides the fact that Specialized is focused on getting people to ride their bikes instead of driving their cars (their slogan is "run on apples and bananas" to advertise riding your bike), is their focus on getting more kids on their bikes. My interest was totally peaked at this and I think this might be something I am going to focus on in the coming months. I don't know exactly what that will look like but I think that there has to be someway I as a teacher could offer some input on helping to get more kids on their bikes. I know that when I rode my bike to school on Ride Your Bike to School Day, my kids were so excited that many of them came to school the next day and told me they too took a bike ride. The influence we have as teachers is amazing and I think if I can influence my students to get on their bikes now, it will only encourage them to ride their bikes more in the future.

As I was arriving at the airport to head to Colorado and sat down after taking off and putting on my shoes, belt and all that fun stuff you need to do to make sure you left the knives and forks at home and a lady sitting next to me asks me if I was going to be working the Specialized event for the next two weeks. I told her yes and then she told me she was headed that way too. I was with another teacher, who was going with us as well because her husband works for Specialized and we all started talking about teaching. Soon we loaded on the plane and head to the land of the Rocky Mountains. After a pretty bumpy ride we got off the plane only to be shuttled for almost 2 hours to Copper Mountain.

I sat next to the lady I met in the airport and found out her name was Harj. It didn't click with me who she was until she asked me if I was talking about the IISME program with the other teacher. I told her yes and she told me she was an IISME fellow for the last four summers. And then it clicked! This was Harj- from blogging last year. I remembered her instantly from her picture on LiveJournal. We had never met in person last year because I was in Salt Lake during midsummer and never saw her at the end of the year celebration. But I remembered her because she was the one who fell hard on her bike. Totally random that we met up. She got connected to Specialized through a riding club she is in and decided to head to Colorado because Specialized was looking for people to help with the Demo teams.

It makes me laugh that it took me going all the way to Colorado to meet Harj. We have been having fun getting to know each other and enjoy the world of Specialized. Just goes to show- it really is a small world after all!

For the next two weeks I am in Colorado. What a beautiful state! I am loving being around trees and wild flowers and a beautiful creek. I am here to help my sister who works for Specialized bikes, at their big 2009 product launch. I got to go to Salt Lake last year and had a blast and so far Colorado has been a lot of fun too. We are staying at Copper Mountain, a beautiful ski resort that is like it's own little village. I am surrounded by athletes in all walks of life and from all over the world. One of them is Ned Overland. I had never heard of his name before but now I am in total awe of this man that I just met. Type in his name in Google and you will see he is quite the moutain bike rider with a list of achievements that competes with my list for the grocery store. What I loved about meeting him is you would never be able to tell he was so accomplished because he is so humble and gentle. I have no idea where the nickname "Deadly Nedly" came from- must be his amazing talents in riding because surely that name does not come from a harsh attitude or "to kill" mentality. I love when people like this are "people" and not think they are better then anyone else. They take their talents and hobbies and go out there and give it their all. That to me is a true athlete! More to come from Colorado...

I think that if I were to have dinner with anyone it would surely be Jesus. The idea of actually meeting God in human flesh would be more the worlds could describe. I think I would want more then dinner with Jesus. I would want to follow him everywhere, be with him at every moment possible. I know that Jesus is with me at every moment now but to actually see and touch him, to hear his words being spoken from his mouth. To share the same space and experiences with him would be incredible. I think to hear him tell stories would be awesome. I can't even imagine how a man could relate to people and to love those who hated him. But even though I don't have the opportunity to see Jesus in human form I know I will one day see him again in heaven.

Part of the IISME program I love is the exposure to new things I never knew about. I know that sounds silly but during my research and with talking with people that I work with, I have come across some pretty awesome new tools, and websites to access. I am a little slow but I had never used or even heard of GoogleScholar and now I am using it a lot this summer. Beyond that I learned about Slideshare, a website much like YouTube but for sharing slideshows- pretty cool! Thanks to Diane I know about pbwikis and want to continue to learn more about them. I have learned about LinkedIn- the Facebook for professionals another option of keeping in contact with people while also getting ideas about business topics. Never hearing about SecondLife, I am now curious about it and think it is high time to create a “Jennie” avatar. I even learned how to make a table of contents without have to manually put in the page numbers for the table. Through making survey graphs I have gotten a lot more exposure to Excel then I have in the past. I have created a survey report complete with graphs and analysis. The list goes on an on- but I have learned so many things already this year beyond just researching the library, I am excited to take back to the classroom. Hey there’s another one- VoiceThread. Going to go check it out!

Going into a job as a fellow sometimes makes you feel like you are an intern with a degree- you are still smart but you are new, and temporary. Maybe it’s just me but in the past I have often felt like an intern and sometimes have been referred to as one. There isn’t anything wrong with being an intern but when you look young and people start asking you about college and what’s it’s like the idea of being called a “Fellow” is a lot more appealing.
Well this job has been quite different. IBM hires a truckload of interns during the summer. I use the word “truckload” because it has felt like a truck has been unloading new batches of interns each week. I watch them move like a pack of sheep through the hallways learning the ropes. I have been in some sense combined with these new interns in trainings and what not but at the same time I am different. What is cool about my status at IBM that I never would have imagined is that people give me their time. I have been setting up interviews with people from all different departments at IBM to ask them about the library. It amazes me how many people have responded to my requests. I think I have interviewed at least 15 people if not more and I continue to put more on my calendar. My mentor is excited because she told me that if she were to request meetings probably no one would respond. But because I am an “intern” there is a sense of duty to help me. I think I am going to use this to my advantage as much as possible- even if they start asking me about what my dorm is like! Ha!

I often get forwards from friends that I actually read and enjoy. Being a very symbolic type person this forward struck me.

Woman and a Fork
There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.
She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.
Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.
"There's one more thing," she said excitedly.
"What's that?" came the Pastor's reply.
"This is very important," the young woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.
That surprises you, doesn't it?" the young woman asked.
"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the Pastor.
The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'
So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?" Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork the best is yet to come"
The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.
At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled.
During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would no t be able to stop thinking about it either.
He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.
Show your friends how much you care. Remember to always be there for them, even when you need them more. For you never know when it may be their time to "Keep your fork."
Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share ... being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility.
And keep your fork.

I think it is so true. We live our lives day by day, hour by hour, and sometimes minute by minute, but in the end what truly matters. I think this message reminds me to embrace every moment, make a difference when you are here. Being in industry and talking with friends who work in similar type jobs, often tell me that what there job really doesn't make a difference. That in the end they will take their forks but won't leave any "dessert" behind for others to enjoy because of what you did for them in their life. This is one of the reasons why I love teaching so much. At the end of the day I pray that the things I do and say will make a difference in the life of my students, that my actions will effect them and that they will feel better about who they are and what they are able to accomplish. While I am not afraid to die and am excited about my life with Christ in Heaven, I also know that there is so much here on Earth that can effect others to live a life with a fork in their hand. I am excited to share this story with my students being that I work in a Christian school.

Living on my own for the very first time... sounds a bit like a 1960's song. If I were to be singing it I would be singing it with a smile. Ever since I moved away to college I have always had roommates. And before that I lived in a busy household. As of this past weekend I am on my own. I am almost 30 and it was high time to be living the roommate-free life. I would have done it sooner if teaching paid the big bucks but IISME is now helping with that. It is so nice having my own bathroom to mess up and clean, my own stove, my own tv, my own, my own, my own. What makes it even nicer is that I am living in a studio attached to a house owned by a wonderful Greek family. I have already been invited to take part in the Greek food eating traditions, which a girl could get very used to. It's also nice because I have a small pup and she has her own little place with me. Being a Christian girl, it totally amazes me how this all happened. I was needing a place to stay and I have been looking for a really long time- a place I could afford and feel comfortable. Jennie doesn't have quite the street smarts one would need in a place with cheaper rent..aka downtown San Jose! I didn't plan to do IISME this summer and just applied for the job I have now because it sounded interesting. I always wanted to live in South San Jose, close to the Santa Teresa area. And one of the things I dread is having to set up all the cable, phone, internet type things when getting a new place. The place I have now is truly an answered prayer. It is in the area I wanted, at a time I could afford it, with all the utilities paid for, at exactly the right time I needed to move out. Praise God! He made a way for me when I needed it most!