What I Was Geeking Out About This Week - 03/06/15

Hey there! Here's what is going on in my world:

• Tampa

So I am officially in Tampa today for ACPA 2015. This city is gorgeous and it was nice to get to my hotel, clean myself up, and walk outside in shorts in 80 degree weather! The area here around the convention center is very nice and I'm looking forward to exploring a bit more this weekend. I've taken a few photos already and I'll take a bunch more. I'll post them on my Facebook and some on my Instagram (check my "About" page if we aren't connected already!).

• Changemakers

I recently wrote a post surrounding the topic of my presentation here at ACPA, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to talk about this subject matter that I am very invested in. I just want to give specific thanks to Krista Kohlmann for being a big part of making this happen in the first place and making the presentation a success (it hasn't happened yet technically as of writing this post but I know it will be awesome!). Check us out if you're at the convention and check out the #ACPA15 and #RUChangemakers hashtags on Twitter to follow along on the discussion.

• Travel

I had a very long day yesterday with traveling down here to Tampa from Maine. My day started at 3am when I had to drive two hours to the airport in Portland, ME (only place I could get good flights out of), then take two connecting flights totaling around 4+ hours, and then once I got here, the convention kicked off already and everything was happening. Thankfully I had some time to check into my room, shower, and then go check in for the conference and bump into some lovely people right as I was getting in, which was serendipitously welcoming for me as I just got in. I don't mind travel too much, but I just wish I could have gotten a direct flight down here. I'm not a fan of connecting myself.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 01/23/15

Hey there! Here is what's going on in my world!

• ACPA 2015 Convention

I've finally got to booking everything (with the help of my institution) for my trip. I'm excited to check out Tampa and have a bit of a professional vacation as it were. I'll be presenting at the conference with my colleague from Rutgers, Krista Kohlmann, about our Rutgers Changemakers initiative that I had the privilege of working on with her. I recently had a thought (especially since last year's convention) about how expensive these endeavors can be for professionals so I think I'm going to try to quantify my trip to give a glimpse of how inaccessible these conferences are for the average professional (and graduate student or undergraduate student even). Be on the look out for this blog post to come!

• Spring Semester

I had a wonky and long weekend here at my institution, as we had RA training, spring move-in, and spring orientation all over the span of a few days. This whole past week has felt long and I haven't been in the same groove with the blog as I had been the first few weeks of this month. Once I have the weekend to recuperate and devote to some upcoming posts, I'll be back with it. I am excited to get back to work and see my first spring semester here. The fall was an interesting glimpse into parts of the higher ed world I haven't seen or been a part of before. I feel like I'm learning new things all the time and developing my professional demeanor with every meeting and decision I am making. I definitely need to reflect on this first year once it is all said and done!

• Adulting

Something I have had the chance to do recently (even with the aforementioned wonkiness) is buy some things for my place to make it feel a little more like home. I've hung up some more stuff on the walls (courtesy of my lovely partner), and I ordered some furniture from IKEA (a first for me). For some reason I always grumble about getting stuff like this or delay needlessly but once I get the stuff and put it up, it makes me happier. I suppose I am content with what I have and don't think I need anything else, but once I have the new thing, I can appreciate it. I think I'll need to get better with this since I have a lot of old stuff that needs replacing or just more adult things like better cookware, furniture, and better bedding.

Thanks for stopping by!