Waiting for work

Summer vacations were fun back when I didn't have to worry about supporting myself. Now that I do, lazing around most of the week is driving me insane.

I don't understand why it's so hard for me to be motivated to engage in one of my hobbies (well besides running, as it's usually too hot to do that after 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.).

I should be keeping up with being involved in journalism. I should be reading my books, keeping up with new trends, etc. At least I still use Facebook and Twitter regularly.

Living on my own is great, don't get me wrong. Even though I live in a crowded room in a state where the only people I know are my roommates and my boyfriend, I have this new feeling of freedom that is one of the sweetest things I've ever tasted (besides Yoplait peach yogurt).

Now, it's only a matter of time. Hopefully, Sears will contact me very soon about orientation/training. Same goes for Babies R Us. In the mean time, I have to be patient, and try to make the most of each day where I have nothing scheduled (that means I need to lay off South Park reruns).

Am I hiding from the heat or just feeling lethargic?

Radio claims 80 degree weather today, so I'm guessing I'm lethargic :)

Shaun and I are doing pretty well by ourselves and with each other. We're working on overcoming feelings of dependency and claustrophobia.

These are two of the top causes of break ups. Someone feels either smothered or too heavily depended on, so they end the relationship rather than really talk about what's causing those feelings (this is the usual scenario).

Regardless of whether the couple lives together or not, this problem is bound to creep up at some point. So as an alternative to splitting up, talk over these feelings. It's a painful and tedious process, but it's also well worth it.

Pepper: my adopted (well, bought) chinchilla

Having been in Idaho for almost three weeks now, I still don't have much company while I spend the day watching TV and applying for jobs. So  asked my roommates and Shaun if I could get a chinchilla to counter the lonely, boring days.

A couple days ago I adopted Pepper from Petco. He's incredibly soft, cute and fast. We've gotten to the point where I can open the cage and pet him or pick him up and hold him without a fuss.

I'm very thankful John, Arielle and Shaun agreed Pepper could spend time at either location. I am not lonely any more and Pepper is very entertaining all hours of the day.

This here is Pepper. I still need to find out how old he is. He's a treat in my life. I feel happier now and much less bored. :)

Life in Boise

I'm still looking for work, so life is rather lonely. Shaun's at work all day, and I'm inside applying for job after job on the internet (and sometimes at a potential work place). Why won't anyone call me for an interview/hire me? I'm almost sure it's my not local phone number.

Other than the no job situation life is pretty good here. The weather is still hot but not humid, so it's tolerable. I've been keeping busy with regular cleaning, tasks I've been putting off for awhile (like getting my hair cut), and playing lots of Solitaire.

It's time I did journalism related stuff. I miss being connected with that part of my life. I have some plans, and I need to force myself to execute them.

Life in Boise update

It's been a little over a week since Shaun and I moved to Boise, ID. We've been struggling with work or lack thereof, illness, navigation and emotionally adapting. Things have improved now.

Shaun is finally starting to like his software job at Micron Technology. I'm still responding to job postings on Craigslist.

My roommates Arielle and John are both welcoming and pretty chill. Arielle has two fat cats, one of which has bonded with me. I'm in the stages of convincing Shaun he should get a cat at his place.

I have my own room and bathroom, and plenty of fridge space (not that it's ever filled with much). Shaun's townhouse is cozy. The neighbors are interesting. One was BBQing in a Tye-Dye T-shirt. A few of the little neighbors challenged Shaun and I to a game of tether ball. Of course they kicked our butts.

Recently I got the ERG valve on my car replaced. The mechanic promptly informed me of many other things that need to be fixed. I also pumped my own gas by myself for the first time this week. I'm still pretty proud of myself.

It's been hard on both Shaun and I not having a social life. We've made some tentative plans for dancing. Tonight Arielle's friend is coming over and the three of us are having a "girl's night." I'm not sure how I feel about this yet.

Story 5: Office Hours with Mike Houglum

At A Glance:

• Classes taught at LBCC: Speech 111, 112, 218, 219
   
• How long has he been at LBCC: 26 years
   
• Usually has: A 16-ounce cup of house coffee
   
• Speech topics heard most often: How to make a speech, and the classics like legalizing marijuana and lowering the drinking age to 18 aka the file folder speech in the frat house.

Quote: “Well you know how it is. The students are all with their energy drinks, or something like that, taking some sort of brain stimulants and if you’re not on the top of your game you really feel like you’re behind. I’m already fighting that.”

 (Mike Houglum at left in his office after the interview)

Unfortunately for staff and students, speech instructor Mike Houglum is soon approaching retirement. In fall 2012, Mike Houlgum will leave the speech department and students he has influenced.

While he doesn't advise any clubs or host any events, he is still loved by many of his students. It will be a loss to LBCC when he retires by fall 2012.

Mindi Jones (one of Houglum's students) changed her major to speech because of  Houlgum.

"He inspires me to work harder than any of my other teachers. He's interested, he's not boring, and he knows his stuff. He pays more attention to what I have to say than other teachers do. He always gives outside references so I can do outside research on my own."

Emma Barry hasn't converted to a speech major, but she is really into Houglum's classes and teaching style.

"I took interpersonal communication my first term here in fall 2009 because the class sounded interesting and I took it with Mike just on random chance. He turned out to be my favorite teacher. I'm taking all of his classes just because his enthusiasm makes anybody like the subject."

While Houglum doesn't bounce off the walls with excitement, he demonstrates his passion for the subject by providing students with a variety of useful and applicable information in his speech classes.

Houglum has been teaching communication classes at LBCC for 26 years. With his 16-ounce cup of coffee and the choir serenading in the adjacent classroom, Houglum put his communication skills to practice. Having graduated from California State University Northridge with a BA and master’s and earning a Ph.D. from UO, it’s safe to say Houglum knows his subject.

Commuter: You’ve mentioned in class that you were originally going to declare your major to be psychology. What made you change your mind?

Mike Houglum: A serendipitous series of events occurred and I was unable to declare that major. At the time I was told that they didn’t have enough resources to do advising for anymore psychology majors. A lady told me that I could declare a speech major and I said ‘sure.’ So she changed my entire destiny just by a suggestion. The dominoes really fell after that. I may not have gone for a Ph.D., I wouldn’t have met my wife (she was in speech at UO), everything changed.

C: What would you say your favorite speech class to teach is?

MH: I like two of them really well: persuasion and small group communication. I think those are both the most fun because in those classes students push to really explore things. They take it because they are interested in those topics and not because they are required to. I think it draws an audience of students that are really interested in the subject and so they push me to do better or try to stay ahead. And I learn a lot of things in those classes.

C: What do you learn?

MH: I learn new theories, I learn new ways of doing things, I learn about topics I would NEVER study on my own but that are really interesting and/or really significant to society. I get a chance to do what I originally set out to do, which is to learn things and try to find ways to teach other people about them.

C: Being a speech instructor, would you say it would be difficult to persuade you on anything?

MH: No, the overriding quality is being a teacher. Teachers are generally easy because they want to help students, just like agreeing to this interview, and even though I know a lot about persuasion it doesn’t always help protect me. It makes me suspicious but it doesn’t make me immune.

Where to find Mike Houglum
Office: SSH - 231B
Phone: 541-917-4281
E-mail: mike.houglum@linnbenton.edu
Office Hours: Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday 10-11 a.m.

Profile: Katherine Sanders lives to dance

(at left LBCC dance club members perform at the concert "Inspirations")

Katherine Sanders is known for her enthusiasm when teaching her jazz, modern and hip hop dance classes here at LBCC.

Sanders is also the staff representative and creator of the new LBCC dance club. She not only teaches her students to dance, but also provides them with opportunities to stretch their wings and choreograph their own work. 

Daniel Rasberry is appreciative of what Sanders is doing with the club. “I talked to Katherine and loved what she believed in. It fits me and my personality and the way I am.”

Jim Bell of the Athletic Department is also impressed with Sanders’ contributions to LBCC. “Her energy and enthusiasm, the motion and expression of dance have been caught by the students in the club and in her classes. It’s nice to see this new innovation.”

Katherine Sanders has brought a unique experience here to LBCC. With a variety of dance classes and this new performing dance club students have a wide range of opportunities to express themselves through dance.
Sanders explained, “I think anyone can dance.”

Commuter: “How and why did you first get involved with dancing and teaching?”

Katherine Sanders: “Both of my parents, and my entire family, are teachers. I just come from a family of teachers. My mother was my first dance teacher. She owned a dance studio when I was growing up so that got me involved with dance originally.

I definitely kind of went away from it for a little while but I always kept in my life a bit. Finally when I was just finishing high school and entering college I really realized that I was much happier when I was dancing regularly.

And since then I’ve just danced five days a week almost consistently since then. So it just kind of made sense … the teaching I guess and my family background … it’s jut what I do. I can’t imagine any job I would rather do.”

C: “What sort of dancing do you personally do in your free time?”

KS: “I don’t [laughs] because I dance so much during the week for my job. It’s rare for me to go out dancing or take any extra classes. In the summer time I go to New York City and I give myself a dance intensive that LBCC offers financial support for professional development and so I take a lot of modern and hip hop just to get a sense of the current moves coming out of New York City.”

C: “How did you become an instructor here at LBCC?”

KS: “When I moved up here from Eugene almost four years ago I was working at Willamette University and I noticed there was very little dance offered for adults in this area and especially through this college. [I also noticed] there was only one ballet class offered at the Benton Center and maybe some country line dancing for community ed., but [there wasn’t] a lot [offered].

I actually was just really proactive and called the people who do the community ed. in Corvallis and just let them know that I teach among other things hip hop, which is really a popular dance form right now and that they might want to consider offering it.

So about three and a half years ago they offered it as non-credit and it filled right away. So then I worked my way over here and said to the people in the PE department that since that class was obviously so popular that I encouraged them to offer a credit class of it.

As soon as people realized it was there it caught on and started to fill. Once hip hop was doing well I started offering other dance forms … It seemed like the community was missing that and I’ve been really happy to be able to fill that gap.”

C: “What’s your favorite thing about teaching here at LB?”

KS: “I would have to say the student population. I always liked the feel of a community college. To me there is so much more diversity because in the same class you could have a 17 year old who’s straight out of high school  mixed in with a 26 year old coming back after having two children and a 50 year old who is on their second round of trying to find a new career."

I love that because I feel it creates a really rich classroom. So for me as a teacher having people come in from those different walks of life that’s the best part [of teaching]. I feel like here people are living real life.”


*At a glance*

Classes taught at LBCC:
PE 185R & 186F, Modern Dance

How long she’s been at LBCC:
3 years

Life before LBCC:
She taught at dance schools where ever she lived and at Willamette University.

Office space:
“I don’t actually have an office because I’m part time. I joke with people that my office is right in front of the stereo cart because that’s where people meet to talk with me.”

Hobby:
“Glorified taxi driver” for two teen children, working in the garden, and taking walks in the park with the dog.