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I love when websites aren't updated! Where are the other "several" options?

Funny quotes: September edition

As many friends know, I keep a quote list on my phone and computer of the funny things people say. In conversations, in person, at work, on the phone...and there is even a document for each semester at Mizzou. 

I typically haven't published them because too much context is necessary, but after realizing how much others laughed upon hearing some of these, I decided it was worth sharing some highlight quotes of the month for those that want to see them. So, if you want a quick laugh, and especially know any of these people, read these and enjoy! Comments and/or background of the context is in italics. Dad tops this month's quotable phrases, shocker there. Here's the best of September, so far! 

On using instant messaging at work: 

AIM is so much more complicated than it used to be. -Alyssa G.

Looks like someone is picky with being up to date!

He was playing too much older music like Usher and Jay-Z. -Dad

The smallest filet I've ever seen in my life. Are we on an airplane or something? -Dad

On choosing an apartment downtown, to the broker: 

I’d like to be close to an L and a McDonald’s, but if it comes down to it, McDonald’s is more important. -Elena K. 

On the exciting 20something life: 

Chicago is like Disneyworld and the L is just the tram. -Meredith

Life in a college town: 

It was a $10 minimum on credit cards, then we just had to order five more beers and drink them, so whatever. -Laura 

Actually asked and answered at a conference at work: 

Where's the Google office? I don’t know, Google it.

On her fiancé's company volleyball team: 

Some of his coworkers are definitely awkward but he's in a tech-y field so I'd expect that. -Helen

Yes, this happened: 

Really? I’m standing here in the parking lot talking to someone? Am I a North Shore woman? -Dad

When your friends visit Chicago and you're from here: 

I tell my friends to take the water taxi, I'll just give them the architectural tour. -Sam L. 

On furnishing our apartment: 

People will say where'd you get your furniture? Churches and dead relatives. -Hannah 

Liturgical jokes, for those Orthodox folk: 

I was looking up the feast day for St. Founourios but I couldn’t find it. -Dad

From my 5-year-old goddaughter:

Nouna, I don’t want you to get married. It’s gross to kiss boys on the lips. -Lena

On parking downtown: 

Parking should be free for everybody. -Stacey

A multi-screen life

I had to take a picture of this, since multi-tasking like this contributes to all poor statistics about Millennials' attention spans and reliance on all of their screens and the media.

iOS7: Your personal assistant?

After downloading iOS7 last night, I've been browsing around to see what kind of updates were made. Obviously, the overall look is different, the camera is better and there are changes across multiple applications. 

But after checking out the notification center, I kind of feel offended that Apple thinks your phone needs to play the role of a secretary. It writes to you, in complete sentences, about the weather and any other reminders you have programmed. Crazy! 

Nashville, quite a gem

Over Labor Day Weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting my sister Eleni at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. After an unexpected two days off of work, I hopped in the car on a Friday morning and drove 450 miles down 65 South through Indianapolis and Louisville to end up in Tennessee.

This was one of the most exciting trips I have taken this year, for a few reasons:

1. Getting to visit my sister, Eleni, obviously, and meeting her friends 
2. Exploring a new city that I knew little about
3. Seeing another college campus and realizing what it has to offer 
4. Enjoying a trip with no homework, thesis or other items on my agenda back home

You can see the downtown Nashville skyline from Vanderbilt's beautiful campus.

Overall, the impression I got of Nashville and Eleni's friends is the East Coast gone southern. I could definitely feel the southern hospitality and relaxation, but the ambition of Vanderbilt students feels East Coast and fast-paced.

Eleni and I on the river walk by the Cumberland River

Nashville is relatively the same size as Kansas City, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and other mid-sized cities that I enjoy, but felt enthusiastic and unique with its central country theme and variety of areas to offer. If you want to go out and hear live music at any of 30 bars, you can go "Honky Tonking" downtown. The river walk is right next door, as well as tons of touristy shops. If you want to shop and stay at a resort, you can enjoy the Opryland, one of the largest hotels in the nation. Hillsboro felt a little more hipster, closer to Vanderbilt's campus and with a lot of good food. There were hidden gems like the Printer's Alley and the Bluebird Cafe, and plenty of other entertainment options in the 'suburbs.'

Honky Tonk bars

Gaylord Opryland hotel, where we stayed for a clergy conference in 2006

As expected, Vanderbilt was a beautiful campus with a classic but refreshing feel. I could go on and on about the trees and overall layout, but after visiting plenty of my friends at their respective colleges and learning about other campuses through my college experience, two things stood out:

• The University has a strong affiliation with activities and the city, appearing to be a very innovative level of integration. Fraternity house parties require you to swipe your student ID to enter, and your ID also acts as your keycode to your sorority/fraternity house. It's good for a small school population-wise, but I don't think Mizzou could handle this.  
• Commodore cash, what some would call student charge, lets you pay for items not only on campus, but off campus–such as restaurants and even taxi rides. This is essentially like going anywhere around your college town and charging your drinks, cab rides home and new apparel directly to your parents' credit card. I guess if anywhere can do this, it's a private school. 

Hopefully, I'll be back to visit plenty of more times and see exhibits at the Country Music Hall of Fame,  explore the Honky Tonk area and maybe even make it to a football game. In the meantime, I'm happy I got to step my foot in the door and take a last-minute trip and make the best of Labor Day weekend with my sister!

Millennials: happy at work?

One of the post-grad conversations a lot of my friends have been having lately is how many of our classmates feel happy at their jobs. Everyone worked hard up until this point search for employment, submit applications and eventually receive an offer and accept a position at a company...but do they like where they are now?

I know many individuals who are happy to have had a plethora of offers amidst the not-so-favorable economy and job landscape in various industries, but chose to hold out until they found a company where they could truly see themselves working and staying long-term. It has become common to ask questions like, Are you learning? Are you challenged? Are you more than just content? in these discussions.

This blog post accurately describes Gen Y-ers' lack of happiness as a generation, due to the expectations variable outweighing reality, contributing to this diminished happiness. It illustrates the following equation:

Rigorous college coursework, internships and additional factors explain our high expectations in the work force. Our parents and older co-workers were not trained to believe in being promoted quickly and being challenged by every single project they touch.

Using a prototype character named Lucy, I was impressed at the simple depiction the author writes describing Millennial feelings on ambition and the word 'special.' It taught me to attribute many of my acquaintances' lack of happiness to their ambition and high expectations, and to take steps toward adjusting this model in my own head as well.

I recommend you read the rest of the post here:
http://www.waitbutwhy.com/2013/09/why-generation-y-yuppies-are-unhappy.html

A year without technology

I wanted to pass along this article in the Toronto Sun about a family from Guelph, Canada. I have the utmost respect for them: they are living a year "like it's 1986" and parenting their kids like they were parented–without most technology.

After realizing their 2 and 5-year-old boys would not look up from screens and devices, they decided to spend April 2013 through April 2014 living without them just to see what it was like. They gave up things like a DVR, GPS, cell phones, digital cameras, coffee machines and plenty more.

The woman has read 15 books since the experiment, and the man said that in his first few weeks without his cell phone, he could almost feel his pocket vibrating as if it were there. The town seems to be supporting their efforts, with the couple claiming sometimes neighbors will drop off VHS tapes on their doorstep and other gifts with knowledge of the so-called 'experiment.' The article ends with the man stating how their family feels closer and talks a lot more.

As ideal and simple life sounds with such a decision, I don't know if I could do such an experiment after growing up with everything we have. Maybe a month without all of the devices...but a full year? What this taught me is as easy as all of our devices are supposed to make life (GPS instead of looking at a map, smartphone instead of Internet on a computer, etc), they actually make it more difficult. I'm embarrassed at how often I've been on my iPhone and Facebook since moving back home. Hopefully, more families take similar efforts before GenZ doesn't know life without so many screens.