February 2012
68 posts
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“One day, you will have a job that makes you cry. Sometimes out of frustration,...”
– BreakDrink
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February 27 - My office is OfficiALLY a Safe Space
After two+ years working at UT Austin, I finally completed my LGBTQ Ally Training through the Gender and Sexuality Center, and received my office placard to display in my window as a subtle reminder to the campus community that my office is a safe space for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
For years I have been a strong advocate of LGBTQ ally development programs -...
“Remember that at any given moment there are a thousand things you can love.”
– David Levithan, The Realm of Possibility (via bookmania)
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February 22 - Balance and Reflection
I returned home yesterday after a WONDERFUL four days in San Antonio, Texas for the 31st Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience, hosted by the NRC, and I feel completely rejuvenated and excited about our profession. This annual professional conference is among my favorite professional development experiences, as it provides plenty of outstanding practical sessions and a plethora of...
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February 19 - Ripples!!
The past few days have been filled with fantastic moments, great learning, and wonderful people. On Saturday, fabulous students and staff from my office and another office in the Dean of Students put on a day-long leadership summit for the campus, featuring Paul Wesselmann as the keynote. Students were encouraged to tweet throughout the day with #TXSummit, and it was great fun to see the learning...
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February 15 - Amber P. Riley is Amazing
We just finished GLEE night at Shawn’s (which is usually on Tuesdays, but was bumped to tonight due to Valentine’s Day), and I was completely blown away by the amazing performance of I Will Always Love You by one Miss Mercedes Jones, aka Amber P. Riley. Seriously, the song was filled with such true and deep emotion that you could feel it bursting through the screen. Apparently, Amber...
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February 13 - Homemade Valentine's Treats
Occasionally, my awesome boss and friend Janelle and I will make something fun to surprise the office with, and today was one of those wonderful days! Janelle and I both took the day off of work to recoup from having worked all day Saturday, and we met up for a few hours to make these fantastic treats, inspired by this awesome blog. Here are our instructions, slightly modified from the blog, based...
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WatchFebruary 12 - My First Rodeo
Phillip scored awesome tickets to see Hot Chelle Rae at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo today, so we drove down around 11am to catch the 1pm performance. What I didn’t realize (and truthfully, neither did he) was that the show wasn’t actually starting at 1pm, but rather, would take place after the PRCA rodeo - which started at 1pm sharp. Consequently,...
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I Love Dummies Cuz They Make Me Laugh →
Awesome! Thanks for posting this, Drea! :)
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February 11 - RETREAT!
I just returned from an outstanding retreat with students from a mentor program that my colleagues and I have been planning for months. This was the first time our office was able to provide an off-site retreat for the program participants (thanks to a generous donor), and I was so impressed with the outcome, and am excited to see how this impacts the program this semester in comparison to...
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February 10 - GOOD Idea: Everyone Deserves...
GOOD Idea is a regular feature for Critically Acclaimed that focuses on service projects and positive ways to impact the world around you. Read more about it here.
Earlier this week, I found this fantastic article about an Act of Kindness Day event created at New Mexico State University in honor of a student there who passed away late last year. Emily Lein was 19-years-old, very enthusiastic,...
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Support for Ellen →
JC Penney has been under attack by an organization called ‘One Million Moms’ because of their decision to place Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson. Thankfully, JCP has publicly supporter their decision, and Ellen had something to say about it. Check out the video and transcript, and hear Ellen’s take on traditional values.
I, for one, commit to support JCP as a much more...
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You're paying attention.
I love this new blog I found via a facebook wall post on The Ripples Project - another thing I love!! :) Y’all should check out the blog, as well as check out Ripples. Now.
dailypeptalk:
Pep Talk: It’s time to stop thinking about drama from yesterday. You’ve rehashed it enough and there is nothing more to see there. This moment, right now, has the potential to make you happier than you...
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February 7 - I Do!
I love iPhones. Thanks to the New York Times app, I received an alert today that made me smile from ear to ear.
In case you haven’t heard… Proposition 8 - the 2008 state of California ballot measure that effectively halted statewide gay marriage (and resulted in MAJOR nationwide conversations, rallies, protests, advocacy work, and chatter) was ruled as unconstitutional by the U.S....