Vroom or Doom

I am not a mechanic. Sure, I cover basics like an oil change or re-filling fluids, but when 180-degree coolant blast across my engine bay, I’m at a loss. Fortunately, I have resources to help identify problems. I don’t call AAA, I message my car friends. Another great resource is YouTube. I never knew how specific content can be when it comes to DIY projects. The information is invaluable though. From a couple of texts and a video, I was able to figure out my thermostat failed and how to remove the part.

It’s clear that manufactures rarely consider what fixing or replacing components will be like for consumers. Special tools and other internal systems often prevent a simple fix. I get the feeling part of the reason is out of necessity, but there is also another driver: money. Most people look under the hood and would rather have a shop fix the problem. Ordering parts or even finding the right ones can be a chore. Still, I feel better knowing I can solve some issues.

One thing to keep in mind is how to get parts back together. I barely go the bolts off and I knew I wouldn’t be able to tighten them enough to prevent another issue. Lucky for me, my old pal Elliot lives in Lima and made a trip up with some tools. I understand not everyone has the same opportunities, but the more I think about how one part can destroy a system, the more I want to know about my car. Having the stubbornness of a mechanic does more than save me money. It forces me to learn and find solutions on my own. I like being as independent as I can, but I’ll keep roadside assistance—just in case.

Plants

As my PR case studies class knows I try to have a green thumb. I own a small garden of succulents and other arid plants and am excited to expand. It sounds weird, right? I’m not sure what I like about growing a personal garden. I think it’s as simple as an appreciation for the wacky ways each species grows and thrives. Like camels, most succulents can store water to survive. This is awesome for me because I only have to water the plants once a week. There are so many different looks and feels to plants and I don’t have to go buy more when I want to expand or add some green in the house.

Most of the plants I own propagate easily. All you have to do is cut a leaf and in a few weeks, it grows its own roots. This makes owning a garden low maintenance and replaceable. Unlike a pet, the only love a plant needs is re-potting when the soil gets old (when the nutrients are gone) and making sure each stalk doesn’t suffocate their neighbor. I think it’s funny how most of these species like to grow close together, but also overtake each other. The roots weave and make a group stronger while each plant races to get the best light.

The most rewarding part of growing plants comes with patience. Seeing the progress of a plant can feel like watching paint dry. When you see roots start to take or a new bud emerge though, you feel like the process was something you accomplished. Think about when you teach your dog a new trick or see them grow from a puppy into an adult. Being there every step of the way and looking back means the world. I’m not saying I love my plants more than dogs but I also can’t afford a vet bill. Lucky for me, I found something to take of that I can leave for a while without feeling guilty.

Be Thankful

Halloween had come and passed. So what is the next holiday everyone is excited about? Christmas. Thanksgiving is a weird in-between when fall is browner and no one is very excited. The food is great, but our family usually has the same stuff a month later with less of a focus on turkey. Some people wait to put out Christmas decorations until after the holiday, but I know the obnoxious tunes and stampedes for discounted electronics are right around the corner.

It seems ironic to give thanks for what you have, then immediately buy stuff no one needs the next day. Don’t get me wrong, there are things I love about Christmas. The food, the family and the snow are all welcome. Not before late November. What I can’t stand is the consumer culture which kills people and my soul each year. Amazon and other online retailers literally manufactured a holiday to make more money. Cyber Monday is great if you need to update things or get a present you held off on. It shouldn’t be such a shit show to drive sales. Need proof? At least one person dies each year over a TV or some other junk at a Walmart.

I think on reason some people turn into a scrooge around the holidays is because of what the time has come to mean. The religious significance is great and I’ll sing silent night, but the need for stuff and constant marketing put ware people down. I’m thankful for thanksgiving. It comes with a nice break and I can spend time thinking about what really matters in my life before I go through two months of jingle bells and Mariah Carey.

Trick of Treat:Costumes and Candy

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope your day stays spooky. I for one, have no idea what I want to dress up as. I can’t go around getting candy either, but I’m also an adult who can go to the store for sweets any day of the year. I remember growing up and stuffing a pillowcase full of all sorts of stuff. It would last for months even though I ate all the good stuff first. My friends and family would go back home after the night and dump everything out on the floor. Then we would compare the spoils and trade all sorts of goodies. I was one of the weird kids who liked Almond Joys but the funniest thing was judging a house based on what you got.

No child wants a piece of paper in their bag and only a handful of houses would hand out anything other than “fun size” candy. There is nothing fun about smaller treats. It should be called “budget size” because it’s the only fairly priced box available. Candy gets expensive quickly and I have a feeling even the bigger bags at grocery stores raise the prices around this time of year to make a bigger profit. I didn’t think about any of that when I was young, but as a college student, I totally understand.

Halloween isn’t more fun now than when I was a kid. I miss going house to house, but there are benefits to growing up. Parties and costumes change. The best costumes make you laugh, but the allure of going out on a cold, windy, and wet night grows smaller with each adjective. Maybe the energy will come back when I’m a parent someday and I can help build a dorky costume for my kid. For now, the day seems more like a trick than a treat.

Procrastinating

It’s a special time in the semester when students are scrambling to finish midterms. I happen to be one of them. Between papers and the flood of other assignments, it can be difficult to keep track of due dates and coursework. By this point in my college career think I know how to study but the mindset of procrastination still impacts how work is done. I don’t mean the typical procrastination someone gets when they put off an assignment to do something fun. I think there is a danger for students and professionals who think they can complete everything and forget to measure the timelines for projects.

Here’s a good example: I have three papers due the same week. Working piece-meal on each one helps to move all the assignments forward, but there are also journals, blogs, and other assignments throughout. Those little projects add up when I get tunnel-vision and some end up left behind. Part of this is just the workload and people have to make sacrifices to balance their responsibilities. One thing I’m grateful for is the grace of some professors.

Moving assignments around can be a double-edged sword for professors and students. Apart from a shift in the rest of the coursework, there is also the potential for people to push off certain work because they have other priorities. This puts some into the same position, scrambling to complete work they should have broken down. On the other hand, the number of professors and classes means assignments will add up regardless of the amount of work someone does. The main issue is timing.

PR Writing with Dr. Agozzino is an example of how frontloading projects can benefit everyone. Other classes tend to overlap major assignments because of course requirements or objectives. Spreading out due dates and considering the volume of work for a student should improve the quality of submissions. Maybe you disagree, but I remember at least three weeks this semester when I had no major deadlines to worry about. Now I have no end in sight and plan to take a mix of baby steps toward goals and far too much caffeine.

What is the deal with the recommended section of YouTube?

YouTube has a knack for trapping people into content rabbit holes. Ask anyone who uses the service regularly and he or she can probably tell a story of clicking on a single video, only to look at the clock and realize the last two hours were spent watching vine compilations or finding all the uses for a crayon. Content gets oddly specific, yet makes a tour through the recommended videos in feeds across the platform. Comments from other users sometimes praise the unique discoveries while others wonder why it appears in the first place. I am no champion of the YouTube algorithm, but I do use the service more often than Netflix or Hulu. Maybe the reason why the program is so successful is the range of wacky, entertaining, or informative content which manifests itself from thin air.

I don’t remember showing interest in botany on the platform, but watching a guy with a Boston accent talk about plants is oddly enjoyable (Crime Pays but Botany Doesn’t). This is an example of how a strange or catchy title and the mystery of YouTube connect people and ideas in unexpected ways. I never would see this content otherwise. Videos range drastically and the type of content can be difficult to identify. Do I click or watch all the recommended panels? Of course not. I use half my time wondering who else got caught up in the bizarre derailing of a feed and the other effort trying way to prevent it. Meanwhile, every tweak to the algorithm shifts the way users see content.

Is this seemingly random selection beneficial for people? It’s great to expose new ideas and prevent echo chambers, but the “how” and “why” specific videos surface across the platform raises questions about who or what stimulates the views. For now, the algorithm appears as a mystical omnipresent code, which perhaps YouTube doesn’t fully understand. Don’t forget to like comment and subscribe. As always, I’ll see you in the next blog.

Bad Boys (Whatcha Gonna Do)

Recently, I’ve been on a binge of watching Live PD. There’s nothing like watching someone on meth be arrested at a Waffle House from the comfort of your own home. It’s incredible to see what officers deal with and all the weird ways people try to blame law enforcement for problems they start. Look at a show like Cops and there are plenty of cases where people (hopefully) can’t relate. After all, Meth and Cocaine don’t get rid of headaches, they cause them. The reason I like Live PD though is because there are calls where normal people make mistakes.

Treating an officer with respect usually goes well, even for people who have warrants. Cops are people too and they deal with all kinds of encounters. From cute animals to wild people, there is no telling what kind of call he or she is on before they pull you over. Think about shows like Live PD and the risks officers go through to keep others safe. Then realize there are bigger fish to fry. Police approach cars carefully because of those people. Did you know Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was apprehended on a traffic stop? Every time an officer approaches a car, there is no way to tell how the suspect will react.

People aren’t always threats to law enforcement. There are broader conversations and reasons why not everyone will trust the police (race relations, past history, etc.) but my goal is not to excuse misconduct. It’s sad to see people in rough situations, but the way an officer responds can make a world of difference in someone's life. If you ever get pulled over by a police officer, remember he or she has a job to do. Be respectful and honest and most cops will understand.