Taking Stock No. 10 pg. 48

I do agree slightly with what I wrote on my first taking stock. I really think that I will be able to excel in my reflection skills due to the fact that my capstone professor drilled us over and over (twice per week) on reflections that would be required to be somewhere between two to six pages long sometimes. In regards to creativity, I do find myself to be creative, but I find my creativity to be a little tacky for the poster project. I like using glitter, stickers, cut-outs, pop-ups, and complimenting colors. However, for the poster, I am trying to use the complimenting colors, be neat and organized in presenting the information, and keep the poster looking simple yet interesting as well. Also, I do not think that I am used to composing something so precise in terms of a portfolio because in my other capstone portfolio, I honestly did not try my hardest because the portfolio was not for our benefit: the portfolio was for the English Department's benefit and we were not graded on it! However, I will have to be precise in my word choice, organization, and explanation of what I want others to see in my work and most importantly, my improvement.

Tedious Tasks

I will only have one more task where I will produce or create something probably. Since, I worked a 40-hour work week the conference week, three weeks were shaved off my time. However, I am still going in at least two times a week for about 4-6 hours to help Mary, my boss, out even though my time finished two weeks ago. Mostly, I am calling people about whether they attended the conference or not for paperwork purposes to process the scholarship recipients. Also, I am writing letters for a re-do of their W-9 because they may not have put down the correct information if any at all! Like I said, I will only have one more creative task to do and that is have another meeting with the assitant editors of the journal on another manuscript that I copyedited. It is unbelievable to think that I worked nearly three months on a project that lasted three days and now it is over! It is a complete, satisfying feeling, but I am quite bored (and tired) now. The conference was wonderful in terms of running smoothly and getting information to the participants and attendees; yet, in the words of my boss, "It is like planning a party that we don't get to go to!" which is exactly true. I did not get to attend any of the sessions except mine and another poetry reading. I stayed behind the counter with scholarship registration for three days, but I was able to help tremendously with some of the questions because Mary prepped me for them for nearly a week before working.

It's Over!

The conference is now over, and I am pretty much out of work now! I only have a few more hours to work after my 42 hour week last week, so I will not be going to the office as much as I used to. The conference went wonderful: it was the largest that ASA has ever had.
On Friday and Saturday, I worked the scholarship desk where people had to come up to receive their scholarships, sign off that they will receive them, and sign a W-9 form for ASA's tax purposes next year. I did leave at 2:00 on Friday to do my presentation. As I stated before, I felt as if I had to completely redo my presenation due to audience. I really wanted to affect the people who were watching. I believe I did that, but I am not really sure if that was the goal (which I thought it should be). The other presenters talked about their specific research that really wasn't relative to any of our lives. One presenter in my session talked about the lives of five different girls from Appalachia and their journey throughout high school and college, but they didn't make any conclusion or state any relavence that this had. Also, another presenter talked about making maps of home and what the patterns were in terms of gender, race, heritage, education, etc. HOwever, he did not relate these or make conclusions about how people think. I believe my presentation went well in terms of how I was relaxed and being organized. However, I know that I should have incorporated more of my actual research project and the fossil idea into it.
The highlight of my weekend though was seeing Silas House, a novelist, who was absolutely brilliant and hilarious in his talk about Appalachian people and coal mining. I can't wait to attend and hopefully help with it next year.