More Nerding Out

Top ten reasons why being the Writing Tutor at the School of Social Work is in my top three most fun jobs of all time:*

10. I have my own writing work email address sswwrite@uw.edu and an online calendar where people sign-up for appointments with me: http://ssw-write.genbook.com

9. I get paid to read writing manuals like this.

8. When someone crafts a perfect sentence, it gives me the chills.

7. I have my own "office" - a desk in the back of a windowless room with 5 other desks. But it does have two little plants, a picture of Obama, and a calendar of California!

6. Track changes are my favorite feature of Microsoft Word.

5. When I give paper-writing workshops with PowerPoint and homemade handouts, I feel like a classroom teacher again. Sigh.

4. I'm decreasing the number of sentence fragments in the world.

3. Spending 30 minutes on a paper with someone is like mowing the lawn - the product when you end is distinctly different than the product you started with. Instant gratification!

2. Every Friday, I send out an email like this to everyone in the school of social work, and people love them:

Writing Tip of The Week

The moment you've all been waiting for: affect vs. effect!
First off, some definitions:

AFFECT
noun - emotions; feelings
verb - to influence; to move the emotions of

EFFECT
noun - a result
verb - to bring about

The short and dirty rule is use AFFECT as a verb, and EFFECT as a noun.
(Remember the mnemonic VANE: Verb Affect, Noun Effect)
This will serve you 90% of the time.

To make sure you're using the correct word, SUBSTITUTE A SYNONYM from the
definitions above to see if it makes sense.

The storm AFFECTED (INFLUENCED) a large area.
Its EFFECTS (RESULTS) included widespread power failures.
The rain really AFFECTED (INFLUENCED) my hairdo, but it had no EFFECT
(RESULT) on hers.
The drug EFFECTED (BROUGHT ABOUT) a major change in the patient's AFFECT
(EMOTIONS).

In the instances when you use "effect" as a verb, it is frequently followed
by the word "change." You effect a change.

I hope this little tip positively affects (influences) your writing! May
the effects (results) be felt in generations of papers to come.

1. The acronym for Writing Tip of The Week (WTOTW) - the title of my weekly email - is a palindrome!


*The other jobs in the top 2 most fun are: Resident Assistant in Twain (2004-2005) and bookseller at Borders (1999-2000).

For the love of maps

When I was 10 years old, I asked Santa for the National Geographic Atlas of the World. Eighteen years later, maps still get me all excited. I bought these maps at an independent Seattle poster shop, and before hanging them up, I literally slept with them next to my bed for a few nights. Their existence is surprisingly comforting to me.

I haven't quite figured out The Psychology of Map Loving yet (warning, this is about to get super nerdy), but I think it has something to do with how they parcel and simplify something really complicated - space. They allow us to position ourselves within a geography that we can digest in one glance while simultaneously showing everywhere else we could be. Other hypotheses, please? I think that these maps are particularly wonderful because of their moderny graphics.

In the spirit of "positioning," in Manhattan, I lived in the neighborhoods of Inwood (on the tip top) and Hamilton Heights (West of Harlem). In Seattle, I live in Roosevelt, just North of the University District and East of Greenlake. (I think you can click on the maps to make them bigger.)

This printing company make maps of other interesting cities. But before you get trigger happy, be forewarned that if your city is represented, I might be sharing the joy and getting you one of these maps as a gift!

Oh, Elder Nuckols

My little brother Steven has been on a mission in Moscow, Russia for the past 5 months and is revealing a nice tact for humor in his letters home. Here are some of the highlights:

• On one of their investigators: "He is Emo, so he is a cutter. We figured the lesson would go something like this: 'So we don't drink, or smoke, and also we don't cut our wrists.'
• "The mullet is back!! 1 in every 5 guys has a mullet. There are some very, very dirty mullets going on here."
• On a 19-year-old investigator: "She would not stop flirting with every single one of us, and kept on taking pictures of us. She even started waving an American flag in the middle of the park!!!! As if people don't want to kill us already!"
• "We have been taking cold showers the last few days. It is horrible! I didn't know tap water could be that cold! I had an ice cream headache for a half an hour afterward. It seriously is beyond cold and hits deep into painful territory."
• "It was good to hear about Michael Jackson. McDonald's Play Places around the world are now safe."
  

On the MTC:

• "Some of our district ate an entire cereal hopper of fruit loops. We had to eat the 56 bowls of cereal in ten minutes before the workers refilled it. We felt sick and our rooves of our mouths were bleeding, but it was definitely worth it."
• "The only bread they gave us for sacrament this week was stale. Really stale. Literally rock hard. We had to use it, and it was funny to watch everyone's faces as they took the sacrament."
• On the man they talked to in the lobby: "About 30 seconds later, Elder Harrison and I looked at each other and said,'That was Donnie Osmand!' It was! It was super random, but awesome. He was probably offended that we didn't recognize him. He probably feels old. So I've seen Thurl Bailey and Donnie Osmand on my mission. At this rate, I will definitely run into Ivan Drago in Russia."

O Blessed Summer - Recap

1. Bike Camping with Babies

Destination: San Juan Islands, Washington
Dates: June 18-22
Company: The Foley-Hawkins Family and friend Kristina
Mode of Transportation: bikes, a kid trailer, an old-school VW van, and lots of ferries.
How It Changed My Life: I believe! It is possible to car/bike camp with a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old. And I saw a naked man.

2. Volcano Spotting

Destination: Crater Lake National Park via Eugene and Bend, Oregon
Dates: June 24-26
Company: Laney McClain and her sister Ronika
Mode of Transportation: Laney's green Honda Element
Conclusion: The Cascades are absolutely my favorite mountain range.

3. Chillin With The Fam

Destination: San Diego, California
Dates: July 6-14
Company: Family (minus Steven). First time seeing Ryan in THREE YEARS
Mode of Transportation: I hate to admit it, but I love driving the Audi. So much.
Highlight: Segwaying around San Diego with the bros.

4. Jacobsen Family Reunion

Destination: Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park
Dates: July 15-20
Company: cousins, second-cousins, first-cousins-once-removed, great aunts, great uncles-in-law, third-cousins-thrice-removed.
Mode of Transportation: 1-800-RV4RENT
Conclusion: Family road trips are even more fun as a 28-year-old than as an 8-year-old. And family reunions are truly renewing.

5. Risking My Life for a Cheap Thrill

Destination: Victoria, Canada
Dates: July 24-26
Company: Dickson Dabell with new friends Alli and Drew Strong
Mode of Transportation: car and ferries
Highlight: I threw myself off a 150-feet bridge, screaming, attached by my ankles with a bungee chord. At first, I didn't think my hand was going to let go of the bar, but eventually it did.

6. 4th-Year Overnight Fly Fest

Destination: Cascades, Washington
Dates: July 30-31
Company: 12 15-year-old girls, 2 awesome adult couples, and hundreds of thousands of man-eating flies
Mode of Transportation: hiking with packs
Highlights: I had a live fly pried out of my eyeball and I rescued a swiss-army knife with a stick and a bungee chord.

7. Princesses in Training at Girl's Camp

Destination: Ensign Ranch, Washington
Dates: August 4-7
Company: 100 girls ages 12-17 and lots of cool adult leaders
Mode of Transportation: Every day, I snuck into my parked car for a little Jen time
Highlights: Ginormous slip-and-slide, having 2 of my roommates as other counselors, a hoodie with my last name across the front, teaching, singing and dancing with wonderful girls.

8. The McClain Family Vacation to Yosemite

Destination: Yosemite, California
Dates: August 18-22
Company: Laney, Ronika, Rachel, Will, Mom and Dad McClain
Mode of Transportation: The family SUVs
Conclusions: Climbing up the cables at Half Dome is truly horrifying - even though I didn't throw up at the top this time. And the McClain family is awesome.

9. Reunion with the Alma Mater

Destination: Palo Alto, California

Dates: August 23-26
Company: Wilson family, Daines family, Morales family, Julie Park, Amie Jan, Brittany Lowe Ryan, Alli James Ross, and lots of old Stanford Warders
Highlights: Laying in a couch in the Bender Room in the library, walking The Dish, driving down Palm Drive and being back in Twain.

TOTAL NIGHTS SPENT IN A TENT: 8
TOTAL DAYS SPENT ON A MOUNTAIN: 6
NATIONAL PARKS VISITED: 4
CONCLUSION: It was a glorious summer. I love being a woman of the West.

somebody's got my back

I just found a charge from this website on my credit card bill.

http://www.blackpeoplemeet.com/

Too bad I don't know how to access my profile!

I have a jewish bias

I went to a luncheon today for Jewish social work students, and now I want to be a Mormon-Jew.

There were 8 of us who ate bagels and locks around the conference table while young, smart Rabbi Jacob led us in a discussion on coping in difficult and uncertain times according to the Jewish tradition. We read a Yiddish text written by a woman a few hundred years ago who pled, "How long, O God of Israel, will You hold out the rod of punishment toward those who are but dust and clay?"

We discussed the Jewish tradition of "holy audacity" in which people can call God out to make sure that He's keeping His promises. I really liked their bold approach to covenants.

I think that the Rabbi and I might have been the only ones in the group who believe in God, but I felt so comfortable and welcomed there. There was a strong feeling of unity around the culture, the history and the texts.

It made me want to work harder to create a Mormon community in which believers and non-believers, hard-liners and questioners, practicing members and inactives, doubters and non-traditionalists can all feel equally welcomed and embraced. (Maybe we need a food that is a little more bonding than green jello.)

They invited me to join their JHarvest CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) which means that after paying a flat fee, I will get a box of fresh organic fruits and vegetables every Thursday in June through October. Hooray! In addition to being part of the "new Jewish food movement," I'll get creative veggie recipes and chances to go work on the farm. This will be the summer of healthy deliciousness.

Let it be known that if I didn't want to marry a Mormon, I'd marry a Jew in a heartbeat.

I'm getting published in the Ensign!

A few months ago, I submitted something to the Ensign and they accepted it! They're even paying me a little. AAAAHHH!!! The article started a few years ago as a journal entry and then morphed into a Relief Society lesson and finally into a talk. I don't know when it will be published yet and they said, "Not all materials can be scheduled for immediate publication; some will be schedule in future months or years according to editorial needs." So stay tuned, but in the mean time, here it is in its pre-Ensign-edited form. Special thanks to MAV, Nathan O, Jeffrey N, and Bro Knowles for their editing assistance!

Belated Tributes to the DR

1. JEN KENG for being an unending source of wit, for packing aloe, dollars and a driver's license, for being a natural alarm clock, for jumping off waterfalls while hating it, for finding and eliminating rotting shells in her backpack (no, it wasn't chicken-noodle soup!), for being a perfect navigator and driver, for teaching me how to eat a whole fish, for getting married and giving us an excuse for this trip.

2. GARRETT HILL for surprising us on the beach with his presence, for being the most easy-going, flexible and optimistic travel-companion ever, for the gift of Trader Joe's honey-cocoa soap and dark chocolate.


3. MITSUBISHI for making a sedan that can be tricked into acting like an ATV.

CHAVE or LLAVE? NOITE or NOCHE?
ELA or ELLA? MAIS or MAS?

4. PORTUGUESE for giving me the false perception of being able to speak Spanish.


5. LONELY PLANET MAPS for being so amazingly detailed that they were our only navigational tool.



6. JACK BLACK for providing our trip theme song: "You're not hardcore. Unless you live hardcore."



7. CHACO'S for being my faithful travel companions in 8 different countries.

8. JOSE, my 19-year-old tandem paragliding guide, for not killing me and for proposing to me mid-air.


9. SANTO DOMINGO TEMPLE for having an ocean view and patron lodging for $3/night.


10. NUTELLA for being a "great source" of protein for long road trips.

4 Ways to Access a Dominican Beach

1. Step out of your hotel room.
That´s what we did our first morning in the DR in a little town called Boca Chica. We were so excited about our situation that we didn´t do a good enough job applying the $10 bottle of sunscreen that we had just bought, and we both slightly fried. After 4 days, the little blisters at the top of my arms and the top of my legs are finally starting to peel. The pain was totally worth it because our little section of private beach was in a cove of warm, blue, 4 foot deep water that extended for about half a mile.


2. Walk 2.5 miles from your isolated farm house-hostel through town and down an unpaved rural road.
That´s how we got to little magical LaPlayita (located on the peninsula of Samana) where there were no other people except for a couple cuddling on the sand and a Dominican woman who made us lunch. On a covered table on the sand, we ate fresh fish, rice, beans, fried plantains and fried bananas that the woman prepared back in her little makeshift hut that doubled as a kitchen. It was delicious.

3. Take a little jet boat over churning, stormy waves into the middle of the ocean with a driver screaming ¨Quiero morir!¨ (I want to die!) every time he got air off a wave.
That was how we got back into the pristine cove of Playa Rincon with its 3 kilometers of white sand. The beach is apparently one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean, and its sand and backdrop of palm trees were stunning. On the boat ride on the way back, the sea was even rougher, and I devised a plan in my head about what I could leave behind in order to swim to shore in my underwear. (I was the saddest about the prospect of losing my TIME magazine.) Fortunately, neither my magazine nor my clothes had to be sacrificed to the great deep, but I did get a cramp in my arm from gripping the side of the boat. The video fails to depict the real treacherousness of the situation.

4. Drive down a steep, unpaved, muddy, boulder ridden road with a flat tire.
That was the road we had to take from our mountainous luxury camping place down to the popular beach town of Cabarete. Our tire wasn´t completely flat, but when some kids in a fruit stand yelled out ¨problema! problema!¨while pointing at our car, we became even more nervous. We made it slowly down to the mountain to a gas station, and after we filled the tire up with air, it was fine and it has been fine ever since. No holes. No obvious leaks. A miracle. The beach of Cabarete was lively with tourists and of course, stunning. (The video I posted above is of the bathroom at the luxury camping place where we were minutes before we got the flat tire. The video's connection to this paragraph is weak, but I just liked the bathroom a whole lot.)

Driving Dominican Style

Greetings from the Dominican Republic where I am spending my spring break with my dear friend Jen Keng and risking our lives behind the wheel of a white Mitsubishi Lancer. For the first time in my international travels, we have rented a car. (In keeping with my travel habits, I didn't bring my driver's license, just my passport, so the car is in Jen's name, but I've asked to do most of the driving. Fortunately, highway patrol here seems pretty lax.)

The first sign that the driving would be difficult was the fact that the windshield has a foot of dark tinting along the bottom and two feet of dark tinting along the top, giving us approximately two feet of clear visibility. This visibility is reduced to about a square foot when it's raining and we use the decade-old streaky wipers at full speed, which has been every day. I can see through it really well when I lean up against the steering wheel, granny style.

Once we find the peep hole out of the windshield, we focus on swerving around the man-size potholes that could possibly consume our vehicle. In some undocumented part of history, the DR must have been the victim of its own Blitz. At a particularly ugly set of potholes, some entrepreneurial teens were taking advantage of the situation by demanding a toll from the slowing cars.

Other road obstacles include:
- The luxury buses that pass us on two-lane roads, completely covering us in their wet slosh. (Normally I would be embarrassed to admit that I was getting passed by million-pound buses, but these dudes are crazy.)
- Gorgeous ocean views.
- 70% inclines. With potholes. Good thing our automatic can shift down to first gear. RRRRR.
- Puddles that reach halfway up the car doors.
- Yelling "hola" to all the children and families hanging out on the main streets as we pass by. (see picture above)

Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I feel perfectly safe!