Final Post

Fro my last post I am going to summarize my time here in Oro Valley even though I still have another month down here. I started back on May 14th and I have grown by leaps and bounds. My knowledge from class has been the foundation of my experiences here. I have learned every minute that I have been at work. I come home mentally exhausted every day and come back for more. There truly is a lot to learn in the Public Administration field. I see now how people can spend a lifetime working in this field and still learn new things.
I am still hoping to one day be an assistant city manager. I enjoy working with the Town staff a little more than working with elected officials. I might one day wish to become a city manager, but for now I am setting my sights for the assistant.
The staff here has been so wonderful. I owe much to my supervisor. She has been instrumental in breaking my police habits that don’t serve my position well. She has a ton of experience with interns and it shows. I only wish I had more time to study under her. I honestly wish I had another couple of months here. I know that I still need a lot of work, but I am off to a good start. For that, I thank you Oro Valley.

New Person

Moving can be a real pain, especially in hot AZ summer. You never really know how much stuff you have and don’t need until you have to move it all. I moved to Oro Valley from Scottsdale. Despite the time of packing, driving and unpacking I have enjoyed my time down here. There is something to be said for relocating. It is like you are starting a new life. You can be a whole new person. You get a clean slate. I personally have formed new habits that I probably could not have stuck with back in Scottsdale. Relocating forces you to redefine and start new things. Who will you be when you move next?

Hobby Video

For one of my Fluff posts I am putting a link to one of my hobbies, airsoft. I played, filmed and edited this game. It was one of the best ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exqTIK4qAdE

Being New

One cool thing about being new is that everyone is so nice to you. I have been at the town for exactly a month and a half and people are still super nice to me. I am getting invited to retirement parties and ice-cream socials and other end of the year stuff. In fact, the town’s library director used to have her own catering business. She retired and wrote a cook book. I was fascinated by this and she left the pizza party for a few minutes. She returned with a copy of her book and she signed it for me.
Its little things like that which make a big difference in the over all experience of the organization. I hope you all have had similar experiences and also try to make experiences like these for new people when you are part of your future work.

Free Time

Another observation I have had about work actually relates to my personal life. I have noticed that after working 40+ hours a week I really appreciate the things I do in my free time. They seem to have more of an impact on my mood and motivation for the week. I am involved in a sport and my team has always been cool. I enjoyed their company, but recently I have been truly enjoying our time. It is knowing that our time is fleeting and work will start again that makes the time I have so important. The same applies to my girlfriend. Going to the movies means more now than it did during my undergrad. I feel now as if I took all of those time for granted. I know that we all want more vacation, and that would be nice. I am reminded of the example of eating ice-cream everyday would make the ice-cream not taste as good eventually. I take comfort in knowing that a tough week will only make the free time that much sweeter.

Déjà Vu

Have you wanted to impress a boss so bad that you find yourself obsessing over your work? Work is different from class because if you work hard on a paper and know that it can still be better but are tired you start to add up the points in the class. You start to weight the costs and benefits of ending now versus putting the extra effort to get the points that you may not need.
Work is different because you see this person for more than a few hours each week. The stakes are higher. The rewards are better. When the person you respect and look up to acknowledges your work, it is such a relief. Therein lies the question.
Do you know if your boss realizes the power they have? Do they know that their words can make or break your day depending on the work you did? The real question is, will you remember these days when you are the boss and you are reviewing someone else’s work? I wonder if we will have that déjà vu moment of role reversal.

4th of July Plans

This weekend is the big 4th of July weekend. I hope you all have some good plans ahead. I am taking an early day on Thursday to get up to Flagstaff for the weekend. I am looking forward to the mid 70 degree weather and scattered rain showers. I love the rain. Being Arizona born and raised I have come to appreciate water. I am hoping to dine at a few new restaurants up there. I really enjoy trying new places to eat.
I am hoping to get to a Thai place in the downtown area. My girlfriend loves Pineapple fried rice. It is a mixture of sweet and spice and very good with chicken, tofu or mock duck. My girlfriend is vegetarian, so that makes me half vegetarian.
The other place I am hoping we get to go to is a German restaurant. I love German food the most. It is hearty with full, bold flavors. The sauces that accompany each dish compliment each item on that dish. A gravy will go well with the protein and pasta. Another sauce will be good on potatoes and dumplings. There are not many German restaurants around and they can be a little pricey. For special occasions they are a wonderful treat.