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  • Laura 1:45 am on March 7, 2013 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    The “S” word 

    That’s right, I’m talkin’ sequester time.

    In answer to your question: no, I have not been immediately affected by the sequester. I don’t personally know anyone who has, actually. It appears that Commerce has been directed to make a 6% cut across the board, and this does not need to begin with furloughs and such, but with grants, travel, etc. So that’s good. For our particular office, our money doesn’t actually come from Commerce itself, or Commerce’s budget, so much as from the partner agencies who pay us to perform these surveys on their behalf. I don’t think that means we’re untouchable or something, but just that we are perhaps on less shaky ground than others.

    I am more worried about the end of March when the continuing resolutions run out, and the possibility of a government shutdown is real. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time – my boss told us about how in the 90s during the Clinton era, he was furloughed for three weeks. And he and the rest of the government survived, of course. So we will see what happens. But this is all very strange – I have never really had to wonder about job security before (though that’s only partially true; back in my country club days they had to cut our hours when the recession first hit, but that wasn’t a career or anything, of course). It’s frustrating because I feel this all could have been avoided. Why did the Obama administration create and enforce the sequester in the first place? Was there really no other way to deal with the debt other than his tried-and-true method of government by freakout? Evidently not.

     

  • Eleanor 8:00 pm on March 2, 2013 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , , breaks, cliche, dos and donts, , faxing, , , , list,   

    A Tried and True List 

    I didn’t want to seem too eager about this whole blogging thing, so I decided to wait until someone else posted a blog before I wrote another. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And now, I’m just going to post. Because I want to, that’s why.

     

    I want to talk today about balancing creativity in my internship. I’ve been there, oof, 5 times now? I think? It’s been three weeks, but with Presidents’ Day, I got a day off (yup, everyone except AU does, it seems. Perks of working for the government). And while I’ve been here, I’ve been struggling with knowing when to turn on and off my creative brain. If it’s on and I’m doing busy work, I’m falling asleep. If it’s off while I’m writing, I’m just stringing words together without any style. Because people like me like lists, I’ll give you a list today, readers. This is a list for myself and for other interns or future interns.

     

    1)      Find some satisfaction in the mundane: On my second day, I had 99 problems, and faxing was ALL of them. I’m pretty sure I told this joke to all of my friends, so if you groan too I won’t be offended. I literally was assigned to send 99 faxes. I stood next to the fax machine for about an hour and a half, because you can’t send 2 faxes at a time. So there I was, typing, scanning, sending, again  and again. But when I finished with the tedium, I had accomplished something measurable. That stack of 99 letters was boring, but the completed pile was a very fulfilling thing. After work, I found this really funny article about faxing in Japan. Apparently, it’s still a thing there.

    2)      Take your breaks: Most of my life here at IMLS isn’t faxing, it’s writing and researching, which can really zap those brain cells whether it’s a Monday morning or a Thursday afternoon at the end of a long week. Everyone at my office sits at their desks for lunch, and so I do too, but while I’m eating, I’m not doing work. I’m usually reading articles online about stuff that entertains or interests me.

    3)      Stay off Facebook: I haven’t done it yet, and I’m not planning to, but when I do homework, Facebook and Twitter eat my time (I’m not on tumblr for that reason). I used to think that Pintrest was easier to let go of, but it’s really not. I stay off social media even during my breaks, so it’s a treat when I get back home.

    4)      Ask for more: Seriously, this is the most clichéd list of dos and don’ts ever. I’ve read this blog before. But I think there’s a reason this stuff gets said time and time again. Soo, if you run out of work or are stuck on a project, ask to talk about it with your boss/supervisor. Mine was pretty impressed with all the work I’d done, even though I thought it seemed pretty standard. And then she said she’d give me tips, next steps, and more information the next time I come in, after she reads it. Never know if you don’t ask. And being bored all day is so not worth it.

     

    The one thing I don’t have figured out yet is how to not get a headache looking at a computer screen for 6 straight hours. My brain and my eyes hate me at the end of the day.

     

    Thanks for reading through. See you next time.

     

  • Laura 6:20 pm on March 2, 2013 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Faith in the workplace 

    A couple weeks ago was Ash Wednesday, and I planned on going to St. Patrick’s church in the afternoon to get ashes. I mentioned it in passing to my boss, Gerry, and lo and behold, he is also Catholic and had planned on going. We decided to make an office trip of it, and ultimately a group of five of us headed there together. My deskmate, Sophia, is actually Jewish, and came to experience her first Catholic church Mass, in all its incense and hymnal glory.

    As I sat there, on one of the most crowded days of the year for the Church, surrounded by the faithful of DC, I thought how funny it was that everyone spends so much time emphasizing the separation of church and state, and here I was with my fellow government bureacrats, praying and experiencing the Mass together. I’ve never been to church with co-workers before. Have you ever seen your boss get ashes smeared on his forehead in the shape of the cross? It’s humbling and equalizing. In church, there is no hierarchy among parishioners (like at work), and everyone is there for the same reason. I was probably sitting near some powerful and important people, but we were all the same in the eyes of the Church and God.

    It was a good experience to have, particularly because I think it brought us a little closer together. It’s also pretty great to work in an office where to have that experience was not strange, but quite natural, and we all headed back to the building together, a little more relaxed and focused because of it.

    One of the things I decided to do for Lent (in addition to giving up sweets and desserts of all sorts; so hard) was to try to go to church once a week during the weekdays. Gerry asked me to let him know when I do so we can go together. And I will!

     

  • Eleanor 10:48 pm on February 9, 2013 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   

    First Day on the Job! 

    Oh hey world! Didn’t see you there! So, as this is my first post, I thought I’d do some introductions. First off, I’m Eleanor. Nice to meet you. I’m a sophomore print journalism major (Creative writing minor? Maybe.) at the School of Communication at American University. And, starting this morning, I’m the new intern (maybe the only intern, don’t know) at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). It’s a small government agency that gives grants to museums and libraries. That’s the one sentence summary I’ve given to my family and friends who’ve asked me to explain. I have a feeling I’ll be able to say a lot more about it by the end of the semester.

    I guess I should probably tell you about how I got this internship. Well, every semester on campus, there’s a job and internship fair that’s very well publicized and usually everyone goes. Except me, because I’ve always had either class or work on Wednesdays, the day they’re usually held. Last semester, it was October 4th, I believe, and I was looking for an internship for the spring. In the weeks before the fair, the career center sends out a lot of emails with lists of the companies and organizations attending, so you can do your homework on the businesses, if you’re really interested in them. From this list, I found IMLS, and looked at their internship requirements for their intern in the Office of Communications and Government Affairs. I pretty much fit the bill for a position, and thought it might be a good match because my campus job was at the AU Museum at the Katzen Arts Center. I also saw that IMLS had an October 1st deadline for fall interns, and since the career fair wasn’t until after that date, I thought I might have a good chance because I wouldn’t be competing with many other AU students, at least. So I sent them my application, and went in for an interview. The women I interviewed with were very welcoming, and seemed really grateful to have someone interested in the internship. They offered me the position at the end of the interview, telling me they’d love to have me in the spring, because their current intern was leaving in November, and their office was under construction, so they had a lower capacity than normal. It has been a little weird, but such a relief to have the internship waiting for me in the spring. So here I am, just after my first day on the job.

    I can’t wait to really get this blog going, check back for some of my adventures at IMLS! Thanks for reading.

     

  • Laura 12:00 am on February 4, 2013 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Leadership in the workplace 

    New Year greetings, everyone! Okay, so it’s February, but still, new year, new classes, new goals and things to think about. This semester I actually have to apply to jobs for after graduation. Can you believe it!

    I am taking a class on leadership right now and our first assignment was to write about a time we had to show leadership skills. Interestingly, I was able to use a very recent example: now that we have new interns, they needed training, and it fell to me to do a lot of the demonstrating, guiding, question-answering and generally being available to make the wide world of BIS make sense.

    It was fun, actually. And humbling to remember the time when I was in their position, learning the ropes, naviating the corridors and hoping not to get lost or mess up too badly. They all did fine, and it is great to have new people in the office and to see them find success.

    I’ve documented my intern adventures since my first semester with the Masons back in 2011, and this will be my last semester chronicling those events. Hard to believe!

     

  • Laura 2:01 pm on December 12, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    It’s the holiday season! 

    Merry Christmas everybody, or Happy Hannukah!

    I have three more days at Commerce before heading home for break, and have been enjoying a.) the massive, live Christmas tree, complete with large Nativity scene, in the lobby and b.) the fact that offices are now decorating their doors AND hallways, which means the corridor leading up to our office looks like a sparkly, illuminated winter wonderland. Lights are strung across the walls, the ceiling, around doors, and every which-a-way to make things look festive. I am disappointed I will be missing the BIS Christmas party, as I’ve heard things get wacky (Wii, nog), and judging from the exuberant decoration already up, I believe it.

    But what would a government job be without a little red tap? Lately we have been getting emails on the proper guidelines for gifting, which shattered a bit of a dream the girls and I had – in November we spotted a tree ornament of a Santa Claus riding a space shuttle hanging on display in Macy’s and thought it would be perfect for our boss, Brad. But then we got rules telling us under no circumstances may employees buy their boss something over $10, even if each employee’s contribution is less than that. The space-flying Santa is $16. (Sorry, Brad!)

    The decorations are also subject to multiple guidelines: “Holiday lights and extension cords must bear the approval of an independent testing laboratory (UL, FM, CSA); Artificial trees must be labeled as flame-retardant; Live trees are not permitted.  Exceptions must be submitted in writing to the HCHB Building Manager, Room 1323, and approved in advance,” and so on (oh yeah, there’s a list).

    It’s kind of comical to have these very whimsical holiday traditions subjected to official US Government ordinances. Ah, well. It’s also kind of endearing. And it also hasn’t dampened anyone’s spirit, as the hall o’ strung lights can attest.

    Merry Christmas to all! I shall return in the new year, and in the meantime, everybody have a safe and happy holiday!

    p.s. 9 days til the apocalypse! Or, as some people call it, the owlpocalypse.

     

  • Lizzie 5:30 am on December 12, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Success! 

    Well I made it. I’m on this side of finals week and feeling good. As a graduate student and intern you get pretty good at juggling everything. But every once in a while I throw up all the balls and wonder if I’m going to miss them all on the way down. I have that moment of sheer panic in the middle of class – or the middle of the night – or in the middle of anything where I think that there is no way in heaven that I could possibly accomplish everything I need to do even I start immediately.

    This usually leads into a serious phase of denial or a prolonged to do list making session where I spend more time making a list than doing homework. But somehow it always gets done. And by somehow, I mean long days huddled over the dining room table at home blasting Pandora or hiding out in the GRC in the school library blasting Pandora through my headphones.

    And, for the third semester in a row (fourth if you count summer), I did it. It feels good to have juggled a great internship and classes.

    I’m especially proud of having managed the end of year appeal for my non-profit. There were several times when I thought to myself, why are they trusting me to do this? Isn’t this a job for a staff person? But trust me they did, and with a lot of hard work and teamwork, we got it done. I just dropped off the last batch of letters in the mail. Now I’m on my way home to pack and fly out West for Christmas break.

    Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night.

     

  • Lizzie 9:30 am on December 11, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Meeting “Famous” People 

    One of my bosses often asks me to do small tasks for him, the usual intern tasks – printing or copying etc. One day a few weeks ago, I got an e-mail asking to prepare a packet of materials he sent over because someone was stopping by to pick it up that afternoon. I printed the materials (made extra hard by the fact that we ran out of paper! an unexpected hurdle to be sure) and was ready.

    He didn’t show that day, but he appeared the next morning. A former Senator. No one really famous, unless you’re a DC wonk or have memorized the names of all the Senators (believe me, I know more than one person who can claim this in DC). But still, I felt in awe a bit. The former Senator entered and picked up the packet. Both my bosses were out – in fact, the office was remarkably empty that day with only three people in – but he asked for a tour. So we showed him around and told him about what we were doing.

    There was something about talking to this man – who had accomplished so much during his Senatorial career that was thrilling. First, it made me excited to start my career. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to go into politics. But I do hope that I make an impact in whatever I decide to work in. And I hope that when I get to be his age (late 70s-ish), I hope that I can talk about the things I accomplished. Not in a way that is bragging, but a testament to the people I have worked with and the legacy.

    Second, DC is such a unique place. There are so many power players here that sometimes it’s hard to keep them straight. What passes for celebrity in Hollywood isn’t the same as out here.

    All in all, it was a pretty great way to spend a morning talking to a former Senator.

     

  • Lizzie 2:30 am on December 7, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Part II: Was that the line? 

    There I was, standing in the middle of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum checking my e-mail, frantically trying to find the best reception (hint: not in the dinosaurs exhibit). My friends who were visiting for the weekend were oohing and aahing over the exhibits and I was trying to stay engaged, but it was hard.

    Work life balance is always difficult. As a graduate student, I’m used to the lines blurring. I’m okay with doing work at 10 pm at night if it means I get to sleep in. Or doing homework first then work work later. But sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in work and invested in it. Though I’m not a full-time worker, I really care about the organization where I intern. It’s one of the reasons I like working for non-profits, that sense of purpose and mission you feel.

    That particular day in the Smithsonian, we were in the middle of the appeal letter process. I had been working with the vendor and we were trying to get the letter out as fast as possible. So when I checked the e-mail and saw that they were missing some things they needed from me, I felt compelled to talk to them. So I gave them my cell number.

    As soon as I did it, I felt like I had crossed some sort of line. I felt okay about giving out my cell number to this particular vendor. It wasn’t just anyone I was giving it out to; it wasn’t on my signature line or in the staff directory or online. But still I felt like I had crossed some sort of work life balance line and the balance police were going to pop out at me any minute!

    I sent my number. The vendor called me. I answered the questions that I could, sent some “URGENT” e-mails to my graphic designer as always and then went back to enjoying the Smithsonian. All in all, I felt it was a good use of my cell phone and smartphone.

    Part of this I guess is the shift in phones. Cell phone numbers used to be sacred. You gave them out to your friends and family only. If anyone else asked, you just gave them your landline. But I haven’t had a land line since I moved out of my parent’s house when I was 18. Though I guess I briefly had a line during my freshman year of college, though no one ever used it. What I mean to say is that, though I feel society has pointed out the lines for work-life balance, I feel like I need to make my own line. And if giving out my cell number to a vendor didn’t feel terrible to me, then maybe my line is somewhere different – like giving out my address….

     

  • Lizzie 9:00 am on December 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    It’s Like I Work Here….Part I 

    For anyone who has worked with a non-profit organization, you know that end of year appeals are an important and hectic time. The organization where I intern is no different. And as we hurtled through November trying to figure out the process, it was an incredible experience to watch – and learn from.

    First, I was so grateful once again to intern at a place that treats me like a staff person, rather than just a lowly intern here for a few months. As we began the process of doing our appeal letter, I ended up taking on a lot of the work. It was so great to be responsible for such a big project, but also a little terrifying. At one point I realized that since I was the only person who had communicated with the vendor, if something happened to me they wouldn’t be able to finish the project! Of course then I realized that if something that dire happened to me, I probably wouldn’t be thinking about my internship….

    For anyone who has ever signed, stuffed, licked, and sealed a thousand letters – you know that it’s no fun. Which is why I was pretty excited when we realized our list was in the tens of thousands so we would be using a vendor. During one of our first meetings, my boss actually said, “Do you think we can do this in-house?” I had visions of me spending nights in the office licking until my tongue was full of papercuts and I died (like in that Seinfield episode….), so I was very pleased when my boss agreed to outsource.

    Second, completing everything “as fast as possible” is a stressful endeavor. I sent so many e-mails to the graphic designer (also a part-time intern) to his personal e-mail address with the subject line “URGENT!” that I think it has lost all meaning. In fact just last week I promised to stop emailing him at home…which is probably for the best. In reality, we should have started working on this appeal in October. We had to assemble a brochure and a donation card, the letter itself, and the envelopes. Not to mention all the e-mail/internet side of things at the same time that our communications director was on vacation.

    Needless to say it was a stressful time. And I clocked about 50% more hours during those weeks. But that’s a story for Part II….

     

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