Ratted Out At Work

Aleksandr · April 9, 2006, 8:56pm

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Aleksandr wrote:

WTF? Where do you get this?

From:
“If the only way a person can be passionate about their work, and love what they do, is if they are at the top position in their career, they need therapy. Seriously.”
[/quote]

Go into any therapist and tell them “I know a guy that can’t be happy unless he is in the top position in his career, do you think he should talk to someone about it?” and tell me what they say. I never said people can’t be happy there, or that people can only be happy in x, y, or z. Hence, I have no idea wtf you are talking about.

Hence the “not seeing opportunity” thing I keep talking about.

I’m glad you like what you do, but if your passion was music, and you didn’t pursue it because you were too scared, than that is pitiable.

No, I’m not out of school. I’m doing a PhD in business now. I know I love business, however, and I know life isn’t roses every day. But I can’t imagine a career I would rather go into.

You also seem to believe your life is yours. I know my life belongs to God, and I’m just trying to fulfill God’s purpose for my life. In fact, I pray several times a day for God to help me fulfill my purpose in life. I truely feel that I’m answering my calling.

“Our own president won’t even take responsibility for any negatives. No one is in denial about human nature and the apparent lack of ability to own up for mistakes made.”

Yes, I need it in crayon. Are you saying yes, people need to take more responsibility, or no, people need to take less responsibility. If the answer is “yes”, then how are we in disagreement?

Have I started a career? Well, I guess it depends how you look at it. I’m getting paid enough to support myself and my gf, I’m making connections, and I’m learning. I suppose this means I have started a career, although I’m still in school. Why does this matter?

I’ve also got to say, I’m really shocked at how rude you’ve been in this thread. I don’t know if you need a hug, or what, but there is absolutely no need to talk to anyone like you’ve been talking to me. Calling me a doofus? Asking if I need things spelled out in crayon? I know you are an intelligent man, and I can’t believe you’d resort to this with no provocation.

Aleksandr · April 9, 2006, 9:09pm

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Natural Nate wrote:
Until evidence is shown to me otherwise in whatever specific case I’m looking at, that would absolutely be my first assumption.

After all, if you saw a fat guy, would you think to yourself that he doesn’t eat right and exercise properly . . . or would you think that he does and he must have been a lot more fat earlier?

Because there are fat people out there who are losing weight. So to stereotype fat people and think they don’t exercise and eat properly is wrong . . . but it is true 99% of the time.

You know, several people have explained this “exercise vs career” analogy and it seems it is out of your grasp. It almost makes it pointless to explain it again. However, here are my crayons:

You are in complete control of whether you eat that doughnut. You are not in complete control of whether someone hires you over someone else for that job.

That is about as simple as I can put it. If it needs further explanation than that, the short bus will pick you up at eight for school.[/quote]

Talking down to people isn’t always the best way to get your message across.

You argue that you can control what you eat, but not if you are hired or not. That is an incorrect argument, because the two are qualitatively different.

You can’t directly control if you are hired or not, but you can control how prepared you are, how you look, how you talk, what kind of education you have, and so on.

You can control if you eat a doughnut or not, but you can’t control how your body metabolizes it. I have a friend who put on a lean 20 lbs or so by eating a few bowls of ice cream a day. I can eat just like him, train just like him, and I won’t see the same results as him.

If you wanted to make an appropriate comparison, it would be “not preparing for a job interview is to not being hired as eating a donut is to getting fat” In each case, the first clause is in your control, and the second may be influenced by the first but is not in under your direct control.

Professor_X · April 9, 2006, 9:17pm

[quote]Aleksandr wrote:

Go into any therapist and tell them “I know a guy that can’t be happy unless he is in the top position in his career, do you think he should talk to someone about it?” and tell me what they say. I never said people can’t be happy there, or that people can only be happy in x, y, or z. Hence, I have no idea wtf you are talking about.[/quote]

Some people are simply very competitive and competition makes them happy. I am simply pointing out that you seem to have some very strict definitions for people to fall into. I wasn’t aware psychosis was that easy to define. You just described half of the people I ever went to school with.

[quote]
I’m glad you like what you do, but if your passion was music, and you didn’t pursue it because you were too scared, than that is pitiable.[/quote]

Too scared? Do you really think this way? I asked if you had a career yet because your thoughts come across like a college student who has yet to actually set foot out in the real world. There are choices you will have to make in life. You can either chase waterfalls or deal with the reality that you may need more substance to fall back on. I chose to make sure my education was strong enough that no matter what choices I made beyond that, I would be able to claim a decent position in society. That has nothing to do with being scared and everything to do with the fact that I understand that no matter how much you may like doing something, there is no guarantee you will succeed at doing it. There are millions of people working as waiters hoping they will one day be a huge movie star. Most of them never make it. If you think someone can make it through school in the time that I did with fear as a major component in their life, you are severely uneducated on the way the world works. I am lucky to be doing a job I enjoy. That doesn’t mean this is all I enjoy doing in life. If you are so one dimensional that you only have one thing you like doing in life, I am sure you stand in a minority.

[quote]
No, I’m not out of school. I’m doing a PhD in business now. I know I love business, however, and I know life isn’t roses every day. But I can’t imagine a career I would rather go into.[/quote]

Do you know how general a term “business” is?

[quote]
You also seem to believe your life is yours. I know my life belongs to God, and I’m just trying to fulfill God’s purpose for my life. In fact, I pray several times a day for God to help me fulfill my purpose in life. I truely feel that I’m answering my calling.[/quote]

What? I mentioned religion posts ago and you took from that I don’t believe in God? Are you even reading what I am typing?

[quote]
Yes, I need it in crayon. Are you saying yes, people need to take more responsibility, or no, people need to take less responsibility. If the answer is “yes”, then how are we in disagreement?[/quote]

We are in disagreement because of the extent you drag “responsibility” as far as how it relates to someone’s success in life. There is a rather large social and environmental factor surrounding the choices someone eventually makes in life. It is not as simple as you seem to think it is.

[quote]

I’ve also got to say, I’m really shocked at how rude you’ve been in this thread. I don’t know if you need a hug, or what, but there is absolutely no need to talk to anyone like you’ve been talking to me. Calling me a doofus? Asking if I need things spelled out in crayon? I know you are an intelligent man, and I can’t believe you’d resort to this with no provocation. [/quote]

I could care less whether you liked it or not. I am noticing you aren’t paying attention to what is being written. The paragraph above telling me you thought I don’t believe in God tells me that when I mentioned it posts ago.

Aleksandr · April 9, 2006, 10:13pm

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Some people are simply very competitive and competition makes them happy. I am simply pointing out that you seem to have some very strict definitions for people to fall into. I wasn’t aware psychosis was that easy to define. You just described half of the people I ever went to school with.
[/quote]

There is nothing wrong with being competetive. There IS a problem with only being happy when you are at the top. It isn’t a psychosis, but it is something a therapist could probably help with.

Yep. I love it all, except maybe marketing (which I like, but don’t love). I’m doing a PhD in organizational behaviour, and I may follow it up with some work on finance. My passion, however, is entrepreneurship. The education will help with that, will allow me to accumulate capital, and will give me something to fall back on.

I know you mentioned religion, and I know from other threads that you are christian. I don’t know what makes you think that I think you don’t believe in God, but I’m getting used to you making entirely unfounded judgments.

Believing in God and trying to fulfill God’s purpose for your life are two very different things. I could certainly be wrong, but it seems to me you don’t really sit down and think “what does God want me to do?”

I never said it was simple, but the truth is people can’t get over their problems until they aknowledge them. I know very well how social factors can influence a person’s thinking, but ultimately, it is best for the individual to assume responsibility. You will find that those who assume responsibility end up being more successful than those who don’t. I want everyone to be successful, and I think encouraging people to assume responsibility for their own choices is a great start.

I’ve also got to say, I’m really shocked at how rude you’ve been in this thread. I don’t know if you need a hug, or what, but there is absolutely no need to talk to anyone like you’ve been talking to me. Calling me a doofus? Asking if I need things spelled out in crayon? I know you are an intelligent man, and I can’t believe you’d resort to this with no provocation.

Well, that’s fine. You don’t have to respect me, like me, or anything. I think it’s amusing how because you disagree with me, you think I’m not listening, where from my end it seems that you are making wild, baseless conclusions about my position, and extrapolating things that I just didn’t say. An example of this is the belief in God vs. submission to God I discussed above. Still, I am shocked and dissapointed.

NateOrade · April 9, 2006, 10:21pm

I can’t believe you were stupid enough to think I was making a direct comparison between getting in shape and having a successful career in the latest example I posted. I was using the example as a demonstration of STEREOTYPING.

Try reading what I wrote again . . . slowly. And think about it.

I’ll try breaking it down into simpler chunks for you:

If you saw someone who was really fat, wouldn’t you assume they didn’t eat and exercise properly?

. . . I’ll let that sink in. Once again I shall mention that I am not trying to say getting in shape is like making money. Meditate on that for a bit so it sinks in.

OK, let’s move on (slowly). This can be labeled as STEREOTYPING because for all you know that person could be eating and exercising in a very healthy manner. And he’s only halfway through the fat-loss process so he still looks like crap. And this may be true.

But that wouldn’t immediately jump to mind, would it?

After all, 99.9% of the time it’s not the case. He’s just fat.

But guess what? You’re still STEREOTYPING. Those fat people in Walmart may have been on a proper diet for months now and have dropped 50 pounds. And they’re shopping for new clothes with a few less x’s on the size tag.

But does that possibility immediately jump to your mind? Hell no. You just assume (stereotype) them as land whales that are doing nothing about it. Because 99.999whatever% of the time, it’s true.

Now, can you wrap your head around this? Can you see the point I was trying to make.

I’ll say it again just so you can understand.

If someone is not financially successful, I make the assumption that he has not worked hard and smart enough. And I’m betting 99.5% of the time this is true. Call it stereotyping if you want. But I say it’s the same as the above example.

Once again, I am not saying . . . ah fuck it. If you don’t get it, I don’t know how to make it any simpler.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Natural Nate wrote:
Until evidence is shown to me otherwise in whatever specific case I’m looking at, that would absolutely be my first assumption.

After all, if you saw a fat guy, would you think to yourself that he doesn’t eat right and exercise properly . . . or would you think that he does and he must have been a lot more fat earlier?

Because there are fat people out there who are losing weight. So to stereotype fat people and think they don’t exercise and eat properly is wrong . . . but it is true 99% of the time.

You know, several people have explained this “exercise vs career” analogy and it seems it is out of your grasp. It almost makes it pointless to explain it again. However, here are my crayons:

You are in complete control of whether you eat that doughnut. You are not in complete control of whether someone hires you over someone else for that job.

That is about as simple as I can put it. If it needs further explanation than that, the short bus will pick you up at eight for school.[/quote]

Zap_Branigan · April 9, 2006, 10:22pm

[quote]vroom wrote:
Prof,

I don’t see why the hell they can’t see what you are saying.

Perhaps it is too damaging to their psyche to allow that they aren’t in total control of their future?[/quote]

I suspect they are young and they have not seen how things work in the business world.

You can come in early, work late, do top quality work and have all the right qualifications and the owners stupid college squash partner will get the promotion ahead of you.

You can always get a different job but the same thing may happen there too.

Professor_X · April 9, 2006, 10:50pm

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
vroom wrote:
Prof,

I don’t see why the hell they can’t see what you are saying.

Perhaps it is too damaging to their psyche to allow that they aren’t in total control of their future?

I suspect they are young and they have not seen how things work in the business world.

You can come in early, work late, do top quality work and have all the right qualifications and the owners stupid college squash partner will get the promotion ahead of you.

You can always get a different job but the same thing may happen there too.
[/quote]

According to them, you simply didn’t try hard enough.

Massif · April 9, 2006, 10:51pm

How did this thread go from smacking Sonny around for being a tardy ass employee to Anthony Robbins Live?

There are going to be things in your life that you can control, so you should.

There are going to be things in your life that you can’t control, so don’t worry about it.

Not everything that happens to you will be your fault. How you react to it probably will be.

Professor_X · April 9, 2006, 10:53pm

[quote]Aleksandr wrote:
Believing in God and trying to fulfill God’s purpose for your life are two very different things. I could certainly be wrong, but it seems to me you don’t really sit down and think “what does God want me to do?”[/quote]

Not only could you be wrong, but it isn’t my, nor anyone else’s, responsibility to clue you in on every aspect of my life. You make a lot of leaps to various conclusions. One day, you just may get one right.

Professor_X · April 9, 2006, 10:54pm

[quote]Massif wrote:
How did this thread go from smacking Sonny around for being a tardy ass employee to Anthony Robbins Live?

There are going to be things in your life that you can control, so you should.

There are going to be things in your life that you can’t control, so don’t worry about it.

Not everything that happens to you will be your fault. How you react to it probably will be.[/quote]

Well said…but then, you probably didn’t type hard enough.

The3toedSloth · April 9, 2006, 11:02pm

[quote]Massif wrote:
How did this thread go from smacking Sonny around for being a tardy ass employee to Anthony Robbins Live?

[/quote]

Professor X and Aleksandr on the next Jerry Springer show. Or if you want a ‘real’ resolution, go to Dr. Phil.

|/ 3Toes

NateOrade · April 9, 2006, 11:05pm

I especially like the last part about your reactions being under your control. There’s a lot of people out there who didn’t immediately get a promotion or whose first business venture didn’t work out the way they want. So they say it’s impossible and give up and say it wasn’t their fault due to outside circumstances.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Massif wrote:
How did this thread go from smacking Sonny around for being a tardy ass employee to Anthony Robbins Live?

There are going to be things in your life that you can control, so you should.

There are going to be things in your life that you can’t control, so don’t worry about it.

Not everything that happens to you will be your fault. How you react to it probably will be.

Well said…but then, you probably didn’t type hard enough.[/quote]

Massif · April 9, 2006, 11:08pm

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Well said…but then, you probably didn’t type hard enough.[/quote]

Oh shit! I typed that while at work. I’m definitely not trying hard enough.

Sonny_S · April 9, 2006, 11:33pm

[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
Sonny S wrote:
Unfortuantely, I share a duty with an anally retentive, busy body who is always early, stays late, and is obsessed with work.

Not to stir the pot, but I’ve found that this type of teacher is the best kind. It’s the kind of teacher who loves his/her job and the kids with whom he/she works - not someone who just punches the clock. My mother is like this and is literally the glue that holds her entire high school together; ask any faculty member and they’ll say the exact same thing. She’s up at 4:45AM, at school at 6AM, and usually not home until 6PM. People call the house when there are crises, and I can’t count the number of times she’s bought food with money out of her own pocket so that she could feed students who come to school hungry and can’t afford lunch. The only thing about which I’ve ever heard her complain is the fact that some co-workers don’t seem to care about the kids; they’re all about themselves. I see the same thing with coaches and trainers.

If you really cared, you’d be there on time. And, you’d be finding fault with yourself for your repeated tardiness instead of passing the buck to someone who obviously takes an important job seriously.

Just my two cents; take them for what they’re worth.[/quote]

-God bless your mom. However, I think I’ve made it more than clear the kind of person I’m talking about. Obsessed with rules and regulations and minutiae and a busy body who always watching what others do and don’t do. Not obsessed with caring for kids.

As fas as selfish and/or incompetent teachers, there will always be a few. Just as there are selfish/incompetent people in every career.

Sonny_S · April 10, 2006, 12:12am

Unfortunately you have made quite clear that you refuse to do so – in any situation.
[/quote]

How do you conclude that I refuse to accept any criticism in any situation when NO criticism has even been offered, other than a blanket statement stating that the US has “the worst educational system in the Northern Hemisphere?”

Look, I don’t want to sound arrogant, as I did (unintentionally)in my 1st reply to you.
But since you are not a K-12 teacher, you don’t have a birds-eye view.

I will gladly chat about this with you, if you truly are who you say you are. But I’m not going to go into specifics on a forum, because I’ve treaded these waters before and I refuse to do so again. The political forums (and this is turning into a political thread) is the black hole of T-Nation, where valid opinions and time-consuming responses disappear into… oh fuck it, I’ll give you a few reasons here why other countries seem to produce better students: their cultures place more importance on education in all phases of the game: parents and community consistently verbalize and reinforce the value of education; the parents discipline the child for non-performance; the children respect teachers and respect the idea of education. The students have a humble attitude instead of a “What can you do for me/Why should I care/You have to prove yourself to me” attitude.
Ask Aleksandr if Eastern European countries value education…

Next, the US educational system is married to the idea children must receive 13 years of of the same education, and forces students into taking all sorts of classes for which they are not cut out or worse, are not interested in. This lack of interest, combined with the typical negative attitude, creates a less than ideal environment. Our system attempts to mold everyone the same, when instead everyone is unique.

Not every child can succeed in the liberal arts system prevalent in America.

Next, all other countries weed out children who are not academically adept thru intense academic workload, high expectations, pressure on the parents, and giving students a choice of not having to go to a classical lyceum or a scientific lyceum. In America, we snicker at vocational schools. Other countries are more pragmatic. They have classical lyceums, scientific lyceums, business, artistic, vocational, etc.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
There are massive differences between us and other countries, which is why a discussion on education is much more complex than: Asian countries high science and math scores; US bad.

You have to look at sociological differences, economic, and especially cultural.

To those of you reading this from other countries, please don’t believe the stereotypes of: Asian student- work hard; US student- lazy party boys and drunk sluts.

Are you really a Stanford professor? Would a Stanford professor really write “Dude, you do NOT want to grow up in the US…”?

I think I may have wasted my time writing a rebuttal. I hope not…

hspder · April 10, 2006, 3:04pm

[quote]Sonny S wrote:
Next, the US educational system is married to the idea children must receive 13 years of of the same education, and forces students into taking all sorts of classes for which they are not cut out or worse, are not interested in. This lack of interest, combined with the typical negative attitude, creates a less than ideal environment. Our system attempts to mold everyone the same, when instead everyone is unique.

Not every child can succeed in the liberal arts system prevalent in America.

Next, all other countries weed out children who are not academically adept thru intense academic workload, high expectations, pressure on the parents, and giving students a choice of not having to go to a classical lyceum or a scientific lyceum. In America, we snicker at vocational schools. Other countries are more pragmatic. They have classical lyceums, scientific lyceums, business, artistic, vocational, etc.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.[/quote]

You just made a very good description of a lot of things that are wrong with the US’ education system. I basically agree with everything you say. So at this point I really don’t understand your initial statement about how good our educational system is. Did you get the impression I was blaming the problems on teachers? Far from it. Actually, if you search my previous posts (in other threads) you’ll see that I basically said exactly the same as you did: I also feel that the problem is a mix of culture with a one-size-fits-all approach.

Sounds familiar?

I guess that I simply have a broader definition of “educational system” – I use it to describe the whole ecosystem, including the culture, the parents, etc. – while you took it on a stricter sense (in this case, I guess you took it personally).

You really shouldn’t, since I have teachers in the highest regard, considering the stuff you have to put up with for such little pay. It saddens me that it got to a point that your salaries are so out of synch with living costs, that most students that graduate from here and Berkeley, for example, simply cannot AFFORD to become teachers, since your salaries are not enough to pay for all the bills – rent, food… and student loans.

That is, by the way, the other thing I feel is profoundly wrong with our education system.

[quote]Sonny S wrote:
Are you really a Stanford professor? Would a Stanford professor really write “Dude, you do NOT want to grow up in the US…”?[/quote]

Yes I am. We have this thing called a sense of humor… You should try it sometime.

I’ll admit it might have been a poor attempt at sarcasm. I guess sarcasm doesn’t work too well in written form… I tried making obvious that it was a sarcastic remark by using a type of language that I do not use normally, but I guess since you do not know me, that failed.

Just try reading it with a Napoleon Dynamite voice and you’ll get it.

On the other hand, the fact that you have Stanford in such high regard is refreshing, since I’ve seen such a negative sentiment against it from so many people on these forums that sometimes I regret mentioning it…

Unfortunately, I must dispel the myth that we all sound like Shakespeare scholars. I just had to run away from a colleague of mine (that invited me for lunch) because his tendency to use “ultimately” in every other sentence just drives me nuts.

I think that I need to tell him that ultimately he needs to visit a doctor that hopefully will ultimately prescribe some therapy or I will ultimately start punching him every time he uses the word “ultimately” until he ultimately stops…

Most scientists and engineers ultimately really don’t have that good of a level of English.

kroc30 · April 10, 2006, 9:54pm

[quote]Massif wrote:
How did this thread go from smacking Sonny around for being a tardy ass employee to Anthony Robbins Live?

There are going to be things in your life that you can control, so you should.

There are going to be things in your life that you can’t control, so don’t worry about it.

Not everything that happens to you will be your fault. How you react to it probably will be.[/quote]

AMEN!!! To the rest of you who made waking up late a full blown, dribble filled, philosophical discussion - START A NEW THREAD!!! This was about some shitwipe who couldn’t take responsibility for his own actions and got fucking lucky!!! JESUS CHRIST!!!

Bert · April 12, 2006, 3:32pm

[quote]kroc30 wrote:
Bert wrote:
kroc30 wrote:
Bert wrote:
Sonny S wrote:
Great news, I have been invited back for next year and my final evals were pretty good.

I talked to a different union rep about what to do. He gave me some solid advice about what to do. I apologized to my coworker, and one of the administrators as well.

Thanks to all the replies to the thread, even to those with negative replies. Some were quite amusing. Perhaps some of you are never tardy, in which case great. I am sure one could, if necessary, find faults in your professional comportment were one inclined to do so.

Regardless, perhaps you have never had the pleasure to work with an anally-retentive, obsessive co-worker (who is unhappy with being obese, 39 yrs old and unmarried) who spends all their time at work and devotes far more time than is actually required to do their job and do it well. A coworker who is so obsessive that they have memorized every single datum, every scrap of information on any topic remotely connected with our workplace.

A coworker who you could not compete with in regards to knowledge of minutiae, regulations, curriculum, procedures, etc even if you were a consummate professional.

To those of you who resent union jobs and teachers, I’m not sure whether to laugh, cry or yell at you for your ignorance.

May I suggest: instead of complaining about those with union jobs and how high your taxes (which pay for schools) are, you begin to take action against China, the loss of jobs in this country, Bush’s economic policies and the deficit. Or, you could sit in this forum and complain about how a teacher is entitled to more sick days than you.

As I prepare to work into the late hours tonight of “my own time” I checked out this thread to see if any updates have been noted. Our friend did well on his evaluations and kept his job, arent unions wonderful.

As for whether to laugh or cry or yell, I would cry for the simple fact that you can slack, be late, and still be rewarded. Hope you never run into one of those union situations where your much more competent then another co-worker but get passed over for a promotion because they have more seniority then you. For all those who took offence to my point of view, some with really valid points, others with drivel, I thought of your points and agree teaching is a calling, a art, and a science.

For all those that work hard and succeed all the best to you. You deserve it. I just wish you had a chance to work outside a union and could be rewarded for your own merits, where the best and brightest get rewarded. And for all the rest who thought i was being a jerk for being opinionated, that is life, everyone has different views.

Still it amazes me that i can put together a thoughtful argument without resorting to name calling and being aggresive towards others, and I am only 26. I guess all those posts containing one line comments and “JACKASSES” “Gumming up the works” comes from 16 year olds, cause a adult would have the capacity to put together a intelligent argument right?

By the way, Bert, if you knew a thing about teaching, you would know that getting tenure has absolutely nothing to do with a union and that the union can actually do very little to protect an untenured teacher. You really need to stop posting until you learn the actual facts.

Did you miss the part where I mentioned my father has been a teacher for 35 years, my sister is a teacher and my fiance is a teacher?

Then why would you post something so obviously ignorant about unions and tenure??? If your whole family besides you are teachers, I would think that you would have more respect for the profession. I guess you’re just stuck in your own little world and forgot that teachers were some of the people that helped you get there.

[/quote]

Its not a profession. that would imply professional, your union get used to it. The only teacher that ever helped me was my father for putting a roof over my head. I was smart enough to realize that the teacher wasnt going to study for me, wasnt going to write the test for me. I studied my courses from a text book and applied what i learned against a test some teacher thought up. basically up until high school a teacher is a paid babysitter. The way i look at it, i could step into your classroom and teach a subject, i definetly know you couldn’t step into my job and do it, the same way i couldnt perform an operation. Professionals are people who have a pretty advanced understanding of a certain subject and can apply that. but who cares this thread is dead and no one will read this i guess

sasquatch · April 12, 2006, 3:46pm

[quote]Bert wrote:
kroc30 wrote:
Bert wrote:
kroc30 wrote:
Bert wrote:
Sonny S wrote:
Great news, I have been invited back for next year and my final evals were pretty good.