30 November 2008

Westin gets an unofficial award


That horizontal rule in the signage is crucial to readability. You recognize the numbering system for hotel rooms and I suspect you have the same appreciation that I have for the Westin chain's helpful sign. A room sign without a dividing line can be confusing although having "ICE" in the middle would help this one.

Room signs are really pretty complex when you think about what they ask us to integrate: our own room number, the entire floor's room numbers, arrows indicating direction, and (typically) hallways that look the same in every direction. You don't have to be dyslexic to have moments of confusion when you step out of an elevator onto a floor of 50 rooms.

If I were giving awards, this sign would get one.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

29 November 2008

Online Shopping in the Economic Downturn

I went to the mall for Black Friday and picked up a couple of gifts but decided to do the rest of my shopping online. That's not so unusual (for me or for the country). News stories about Black Friday and the economy in general are concluding that (a) even with economy slowing, Americans are optimistic and want to keep the holiday as normal as possible, (b) they need/want to save money this season, and (c) they are turning to online outlets to accomplish it.

My usual starting points for online shopping are:
Shopzilla.com
Overstock.com
Half.com

Typically, I follow the links to stores from Shopzilla and rely on the "ratings" of the store provided at the Shopzilla site. For technology purchases, I always include a comparison with thenerds.net (even if that store doesn't pop up in a Shopzilla search).

And then there are the couponing sites. I have joined and quit two, learning that I am not dedicated enough to work the links. But I do check the coupon sites listed below for the leading coupons and codes for products I'm researching.

A dedicated online couponer is on these sites regularly, as a member and even as a contributor to some of them. You have to figure out the trade-off of time investment and cost savings. The additional crucial factor is the number of purchases you are making regularly. When I shopped for a household of four, I used paper coupons for groceries. As a baby boomer now shopping as little as possible, I literally do not have as many purchases to make.

YAHOO! DEALS is a shopping site with tabs for Coupons, Storewide Sales, and Weekly Ads. The site is easy to read, and especially easy to spot expiration dates. The Coupons page has an important feature in upper right-hand corner: ability to sort the coupons by Latest, Most Popular, and Expiring Soon.

Dealcatcher also presents a streamlined page for easy scanning. The Coupons tab includes links at top for Popular, New, and Expiring Coupons. I found the link for List Stores a helpful one. The site also offers deal alerts by email and RSS feed but I haven't used those.

Probably one of the most-often linked sites is Retailmenot. The web site offers a weekly email newsletter plus a Firefox extension for your browser that posts alerts about new coupons. Again, too much connection for me! But I do like the user comments on the coupon codes.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

28 November 2008

Christmas Priorities in America

A NYTimes article on mothers' sacrifices says little that is new or admirable, but the link here is worth following to read the Comments. Take note of international readers' reactions, both pro and con.

On a peripheral note, I had this reaction to the photograph in the story: Gee, the boxes for the Grand Walk-In Kitchen (presumably the child's upcoming Christmas gift) have no illustration. Oh, my gosh, is that so parents can store the box in the garage in plain sight of the children?

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

27 November 2008

Thanksgiving Turkey: A Non-Cook's Left-overs Recipe

There are many among you who will laugh at the thought that I might offer a holiday cooking tip. Laugh away. This is a tip for non-cooks and I know it is a brilliant one because I am a non-cook.

Turkey Tip for Non-Cooks:

After the turkey dinner, when you are down to turkey carcass, you, too, can have turkey left-overs. This use of the carcass does not require leeks or stock or carrots or any of the things that cooks are saving up for their left-over cooking.

1) Refrigerate the carcass; leave it in the roasting pan; this will take a lot of cling wrap.

2) Heat the oven to 350 degrees or whatever number you use on auto-pilot because 350 is merely my auto-pilot number.

3) Remove the cling wrap from the turkey carcass.

4) Put the carcass in the oven. (Notice that you did not have to wash the roasting pan prior to this. Eventually, you will have to wash it but this left-over cooking has at least delayed that chore. Unless you thought to buy a disposable aluminum pan at the grocery store yesterday.)

5) When shreds of meat on the carcass start looking pretty crispy, remove from oven.

6) Nibble on the carcass.

Now, this may not match a cook's idea of savory left-overs, but a non-cook will be pretty proud of this. I am.

On a personal note: The source for this turkey tip is my sister's mother-in-law, Cecile, who continues to use every part of the buffalo. That is an aphorism known to baby boomers raised by depression-era family. ~ Lida

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

26 November 2008

It's Not About the Lights

This blog entry is about inheriting jobs. Most boomer women know about babysitting because that used to be our job of choice. First of all, there were lots of big families in our growing-up years. Lots of babies to babysit. Second of all, we were also from big families, so at least some of us (typically, more than half...) had the opportunity to inherit babysitting jobs from our older sisters.

The timing had to be right. My sister had to start dating while her charges were still young enough to need a replacement sitter. That was the case for several families that started out with my sister and ended up with me. I benefited for years, having the longer run with these families and also still being in the picture when the parents wanted to start going away for whole weekends. By then I was old enough to be the overnight sitter. These better-paying jobs permitted me to work just one weekend a month. Ah, those were the days.

Well, the big families have shrunk. Babysitters are still needed but not for so many years. Teenagers still sit but I suspect the number of inherited babysitting jobs has dropped. And yet, as the photo above documents, younger relatives can still inherit jobs from older relatives. Our tree man moved to the west coast, perhaps not on his profits from our occasional jobs of fence-building, tree-chopping, and Christmas decorating. In fact, like a huge proportion of young people in the U.S. today, he works for a humble wage in a restaurant. But it's OK! His younger cousin is still in the neighborhood and interested in these small jobs. (He, too, works in a restaurant. Another post, another day.)

OK. Just a small note about the lights.
At our absent tree man's imploring, I set the solar collectors out in the sun at the start of November but they never charged. I found some replacement solar LED lights at Target, but only enough to cover the short pillars on the porch and a short arc of short bushes. What's not covered this year: the tall pillars. Tom Bold took apart the old solar collectors for the longer strands of lights and discovered large lead batteries that cannot be re-charged. This explains why it took weeks to get any light out of the strands last year. They were on year 3 and that obviously was the max life of their batteries. Now, I have a year to locate long strands of lights with, I hope, replaceable batteries. Because, you know, we have the new worker who is willing to carry on the tradition of getting the house in order for the holidays.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

25 November 2008

Accommodating Visitors at Home

In an earlier post about The Child Visitor, I explained the use of a indoor play yard to good advantage. We are advancing. How to accommodate The Child's continued need for a soft rubber (washable) floor and yet introduce some slightly more mature seating? How to continue to slow her down when clearly she can move faster than anyone else in the house?

The reconfigured the play yard will be tested once this week with few adults in attendance and once next week with many adults in attendance. The fact that the new configuration reminds me of a dog run is meaningless.

I am interested in accommodations. How often do we create a setting (at home or away) for the comfort of a dear friend? We ask about food preference, activity preference, even seating preference. The Sociologist always understands when I say I don't care about the food choice, I just want a warm booth in any restaurant.

Katy Bold patiently picks up my movie shawl for me, something she would never take to the cinema on her own. It's really a super soft baby blanket from Pottery Barn Kids, but movie shawl sounds more sophisticated.

And I try to plan for The Child Visitor's comfort. I wish I could say that I have her "wants" uppermost, also, but her chief want is to play with my jar of coins and occasionally put a penny in her mouth. No other friend puts me through that trauma.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

24 November 2008

Green Cheese in the Economic Downturn

Green collar jobs are promised and that means relief for unemployed Americans, with the usual delays between intention and implementation. For a short and informal analysis of the green (eco-friendly) aspects of the bailout, see Jon Pophma's Green Pork: The Kind We Like (from October 2008). Obama has indicated a commitment to job creation that goes beyond what campaigns thought would be needed just a few months ago—and with emphasis on green.

Who can go after those jobs? The folks who will be available a year or two from now, of course. But an important consideration will be the willingness of the unemployed to join those industries, giving up strong affinity with the industries they have left. Most baby boomers have formed an identity with career or company, and that's what makes lay-offs so traumatic and re-employment sometimes delayed. It's too easy to say, "If they want a job, they'll adjust."

I like Spencer Johnson's explanation of change models. His 1998 book Who Moved My Cheese? was popular for years (and is still available) and doesn't dismiss out of hand the difficulty some people have accepting change. The book's characters (mice) respond to change (cheese that has been moved by forces beyond mouse control) in ways that are suspiciously human (ranging from denial to resistance to acceptance).

For the unemployed who can overcome resistance to changing industries, there may be a green Christmas...in a year or two.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

23 November 2008

Online Communication: Making Boomers Sharper and Even Smarter

Money magazine offers a pretty cute warning about age-proofing yourself at work: by behaving more like younger employeers who are presumably less likely to make the layoff list. The magazine's key behaviors for boomers to adopt: texting, contributing to wikis, twittering, and blogging. (A wise warning is included that blogging requires commitment to a schedule, so an alternative is to subscribe to many blogs.)

I like the list. But there's more here than just image-making. Learning new technologies doesn't just make us appear young—it makes us sharper, even smarter. So, regardless of purpose to compete with younger colleagues, here are my added comments:

Texting is worth every boomer's attention. Here's what makes it do-able: moving from alpha-numeric keys of a cell phone to dedicated letter keys of an iPhone, Blackberry, or similar keyboard-enhanced phone. Visit several cell phone stores and actually type on the keyboards. After you select the one that fits your fingers best, take time to experiment with settings such as audible clicks on/off. All these choices are highly personal and can move the experience from irritating to rewarding.

Wiki-writing takes a shift in thinking from sole authorship of a document to shared authoring with people you barely (or never) know. In some workplaces, wikis work very well (documenting processes, for example) and in others, a wiki dies after the novelty wears off. For the boomer who needs to make the shift in thinking, I recommend a personal use first: set up a Google Document or an Adobe buzzword file with a friend or relative to track something specific (such as a vacation plan). When you make the shift to shared online authorship, you'll appreciate not having to keep track of versions of a file on your hard drive and not having to attach files to emails to move them across the country.

Twittering and blogging are the short and long of posting news and thoughts to a public space. They surely now influence how we communicate every other way, too. Of high interest to me: how information that is blogged becomes part of a silent conversation that may never be mentioned in any other setting but nevertheless becomes part of a shared history with a friend or relative. Then, just to complicate the matter, the blogger may assume that information communicated electronically has been read and digested—while it hasn't been.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

22 November 2008

Market Rally Aside... Aisles are Empty

News of a market rally was welcome yesterday but in early evening I had this stark view of a super store. I was there to pick up solar Christmas lights. About three couples my age were there picking up similarly small packages. It was a sober reminder that a little Wall Street news is just... a little news.

On a brighter note, my bookstore was bustling. I located two copies of The House at Sugar Beach and enjoyed huge savings thanks to coupons that landed in my email Inbox the day before. The clerk commented, "You have them, too! I've been getting these all day."

Now, here's my own testimony: these were the first emailed coupons I have ever printed out and taken to a store. That says a lot about baby boomers' reaction to the current economic climate, and also a little something about how retailers can stimulate sales in the near future.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

21 November 2008

Personal Technology: Replacement iPhone


Thank you for your inquiries. You felt my pain. Image at left is iPod, not iPhone, but the reason will be apparent shortly.

Last weekend I dropped my iPhone on the tile floor of the kitchen. It was an impressive drop. I waited a while before turning on the phone but I wasn't surprised when I was met with a messy screen. I was lucky that the phone still worked, but the display was highly unreliable and some screens were simply unreadable.

So, I went to the Apple store and made my first Genius Bar appointment. Um. Five hours in the future. The concierge (yes, I said concierge) offered immediate appointment with a sales associate but that would mean a replacement cost of $399. The more likely "accidental damage" replacement possible at the Genius Bar, she advised, would be $199. So, then, I went back to the Apple store five hours later.

My assigned Genius was sympathetic and set about an examination. He commented that this severe a display problem would normally be accompanied by a dent or at least a scratch on the phone. This phone looked perfect. Was it possible that the display problem came at some other time than the drop on the floor? "No," I assured him, "it was a definite thud. And the next time I turned on the phone, the display was messed up."

The Genius was not persuaded. "I think the case would show signs of external damage, too." I really did not know how to explain to the Genius any better than I had, and, in truth, I began to distrust his Genius status.

Then, he made a stroke of Genius: "I'm going to replace this phone at no cost. I'm very sorry you've had this experience with your iPhone."

Um. OK.

So, I did what any boomer-aged woman would do at that point. I went over to the iPod table and picked out a stunning black Nano for my niece as a holiday gift. (It's OK. I'd bet money that this teenager is not reading my middle-aged blog.)

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

20 November 2008

Rushing Christmas

You will find no horrified rant about people who rush Christmas, here. This year, I am one of the rushers. I do like an extended holiday season although I typically wait until Thanksgiving to decorate if only to avoid criticism. This year, the tree will go up early, not out of special celebration but out of necessity. This week is the week the labor is available to hang lights and erect the tree.

Yes, I said erect. I resisted artificial trees until we moved to the dome. But with a 30' ceiling, how can a person resist a 14' tree? And who wouldn't prefer manhandling a fake tree at that height?


There was one year with an even more artificial tree: Christmas at a lodge in Williamsburg required ingenuity. Katy and Ethan were charged with getting a tree that year. They projected the image above on the wall of the hotel room and, yes, we opened gifts under it.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

19 November 2008

Layaway's Comeback for the Financial Crunch

There was a day when shoppers did not need schooling in layaway. (Sears' new ad explains it in 3 steps, as layaway makes a comeback for the financial crunch holidays.) That is, boomers grew up with the concept of paying for a product before taking it home, and then we invented credit cards, which might be called the takeaway model. Purchase, take home, use, and hope the object has a lifetime longer than the payments.

Buying on credit wasn't really invented by boomers, of course. For centuries, farmers and ranchers lived on credit—with the farm co-op and the mercantile waiting patiently for payment. In those days, merchants knew that money would come after harvest or market. Mortgages were sometimes handled the same way, except "harvest" meant you'd have the money someday after an elder died. What did you think "bought the farm" meant?

Layaway came in and out of fashion and today it carries a connotation of having bad credit (hence the requirement to pay for an item in full before taking it home) and that reputation probably hastened layaway's demise after credit cards became common. But the reputation doesn't tell the real story. I grew up knowing that:

  • layaway permitted me to choose a particular item that might not be available a few months later because store shelves were stocked differently in those days,
  • layaway gave me a safe place to put my money because bank accounts for children were rare in those days,
  • and layaway was my way of keeping my money committed so that family members could not claim it. (It was an unusual household: all available money was to be spent as quickly as possible but debt was honored. And my layaway commitment was viewed as a debt that I had to tend.)

If I consider those childhood experiences from the 1960s, I can project what layaway must have meant to adults, especially women who might never open a bank account. A favorite fabric could be put on reserve. The store's cash register was safer than a coffee can for saving money. And by taking extra money to the store every week, a woman could prevent anyone else from squandering it.

Layaway was direct money management. And that's probably what it is today. My guess is that most of the people who are reviving layaway have credit cards in their wallets. They are choosing a different model that is more deliberate and more concrete. And just may help get them get through the holidays.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

18 November 2008

The Plant Has Died

The Schefflera has died. I know its name only because a neighbor in my last town exclaimed, "You are keeping a Schefflera alive?"

And I didn't actually learn the name that day but my sister later explained it slowly to me. I don't remember how I came to acquire the plant but I came to know it well. The Schefflera served as the only plant that lived with us year after year. (Sorry, Carol. The little bamboo plants didn't make it.)

Friends and relatives know me for my affection toward dead things. I have lots of twigs and vines in the house. Dried grasses. You get the idea. Pretty things that need no tending.

Except for the Schefflera. The one that confounded my neighbor. My secret to its long life was watering it only when I remembered. This meant it could go for weeks (sometimes even months) without attention. Pruning? Are you kidding? I picked up dropped leaves when I noticed them. That's usually when it would occur to me to add water to the planter.

That plant lasted 11 years.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

17 November 2008

Thanksgiving: Timing the Turkey

Whew. The video did NOT run for 2 hours. I really didn't think it would but I couldn't resist checking out the turkey-cooking video advertised in my email from Tom Thumb. (Video was 3.5 minutes.)

And even though I figured it was the turkey that takes 2 hours, not the video, I was curious as to why it would take only 2 hours to cook a bird.

Hang onto your hat. The recommended oven temperature is 475 degrees.

When did that become acceptable? The video also advised placing a meat thermometer all the way down to the bone. When did that become acceptable?

OK. So, maybe I don't keep up with the culinary arts. Maybe I don't actually have a meat thermometer anymore. And the video lady also had an oven thermometer, which I certainly have never had. Well, as long as we're itemizing, I also don't have the V-shaped rack needed for this roasting instruction. Nor the kosher salt. Nor the pepper.

I have olive oil. And the video.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

16 November 2008

Not my best month for personal technology

What would you do if your teenager dropped a 3-month-old iPhone on the tile floor?

How about your dear 55-year-old friend?

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

15 November 2008

Boomers and Their Shopping Malls

Just about 10 years ago, shopping ranked as the number 1 American pastime on vacations. As the economic picture grows bleaker, we can expect that both of those concepts (shopping and vacations) will undergo change.

As a baby boomer, I have a clear memory of my first shopping mall, which we determined to be the enclosed set of shops distinguished from a shopping center, which was an open-air set of shops. Today, the words run together and some very high-end malls would have been called shopping centers in my Arkansas hometown.

Well, if malls are as old as I am, it should be no surprise that some will fall into disrepair (much like me...) and even close their doors. A couple of months ago I visited the Mall of America in Minneapolis, and I'm glad I saw it pre-economic-disaster. If I were to visit now, I would have another lens: how long a dry spell can this Mall withstand? Instead, my memory is one of a bustling mall with an amusement center in its middle and an aquarium in its basement.

National reports indicate that shopping patterns are already changing and retailers are bracing for a depressed holiday season. Will shopping real estate soon reflect these patterns?

We can track that on a web site called deadmalls.com, which is the work of two retail historians. (I am educated: I was not aware of this term before this week.) Contributors to the web site permit a wide range of reports from around the country.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

14 November 2008

Boomers on a Budget: What to Cut (and Not)

I am very, very reluctant to share with you my philosophy about budgeting in the economic downturn. We can all share tips about budgeting, but who is to say that a philosophy about these matters is worthy of discussion? (I'm the kind of teacher who resists grading a student's philosophy. In practical terms, my reluctance means that almost all students receive "full points" when I review a philosophy in a portfolio assignment).

So, in as short a span as possible, I'll address my personal philosophy about what to cut (and not) as the economy continues to falter. Here it is: try to minimize the impact on people who serve you.

  • The carhop at Sonic still gets a tip.
  • The house cleaner keeps me as a client.
  • The hairdresser schedule remains intact.
I visited with the hairdresser this week and we discussed the impact of the economy on her business. October was bad. Lots of canceled appointments, especially for hair coloring. November is better and predictive of a typical holiday season. But she is not looking forward to January.

With humor and assurance that I was making no such proposal, I told her about a blog I read recently: the blogger quit going to her regular hairdresser and instead located a stylist (via craigslist) who was willing to barter services. The exchange was hair coloring for closet organizing, both being accomplished at the hairdresser's home. My own hairdresser shook her head. "Not good. She's cutting into her bill-paying income. What's she going to say to her bank? I don't have money for this month's house mortgage, but the house has really clean closets."

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

13 November 2008

The Other MLS: Mass Layoff Statistics

Most boomers recognize MLS as the Multiple Listing Service used in real estate. We now learn another meaning of the abbreviation: Mass Layoff Statistics, a state and federal data collection effort published on the web site of the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This employment-focused MLS doesn't publish the names of companies laying off employees but it does disclose the stats surrounding the loss of jobs when more than 50 workers file for unemployment insurance (UI) in a 5-week period. The statistic becomes "extended mass layoff" when 50 separated workers are documented past 31 days.

The MLS pages contrast with news accounts that name companies, quote executives, and tie the layoff statistics to quarterly financial reports. While the confidential and anonymous nature of MLS withholds identifying data, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Even anonymous stories carry a punch.

Today, Tom Bold heard from a friend who is part of a layoff announced without warning. This friend's employer had a larger layoff in early 2008 (10% of the workforce at that point) and says this one can be smaller (4% of the current workforce). Of course, if you're part of a layoff, there is little consolation in it being a single-digit-percentage layoff. How will Tom's friend fare? His severance package is literally half of what it would have been if he had been included in the earlier and larger layoff. His layoff will be immediate whereas the earlier layoff group had several months' warning. And with rising unemployment this fall, his chances for a new job are probably lower today than they would have been earlier in 2008.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

12 November 2008

Air Travel: Business & Y Fares

flyertalk.com has more talk than you can imagine, mostly about flying but with a few ancillary discussions on other travel topics, too. I meandered into a forum for British Airways customers and learned about how classes of flying are interpreted by business travelers during an economic downturn.

  • Many companies are flatly ruling that only Y airfare will be booked during the downturn. (Y=economy class)
  • Most forum participants (may not be the same as most employees) acknowledge that everyone must help to cut costs and therefore are flying Y.
  • Some forum participants suggest that if one were smart enough to negotiate a J travel policy when accepting the job, one should insist on it being honored. (J=business class)
  • And a couple of strong voices reply that such behavior just might land one on the next-layoff list.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

11 November 2008

Boomers Traveling: Sharing Car Space

The Bolds driving their smallest car (smallest ever, not just currently) for a road trip means making comparison between compact and full-sized van, compact and SUV, and compact and mini-van. The full-sized van offered a full-sized bed in the back but, of course, the gas mileage was about 14 miles/gallon. The SUV provided some stretch-out space and mileage was in the low 20s, but its only real superiority was in its cup holders.

For best of most worlds, I liked the mini-van for travel: gas mileage in the mid-20s, enough stretch-out space for sleeping, and room enough to move between seats easily (my favorite feature).

So, here we are in the Prius. Not a good car for sleeping. Not the best cup holders. Certainly not good for moving between seats. But gas mileage of 48 to 52 miles/gallon.

On the last trip across half the country, I decided to create as good a riding space as possible. I called it the mini-mini-van. Sitting in the larger half of the split back-seat, I arranged travel bags and pillows so that I could lounge comfortably with a fair number of technology toys within reach. I pushed the passenger-side front seat forward and removed its head rest. This permitted full view of the road ahead. From the back seat I also gained full view of the instrument panel, thereby able to advise Tom on his speed and gas tank level any time I darn well felt like it.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

10 November 2008

Boomers Traveling: Sharing Food

Actually, it's pretty big news when Tom and I travel together, let alone share food on the road but this month presented us with opportunity to drive together from Florida to Texas. In 38 years of travel we've packed picnics, stopped for restaurant meals, and mostly just done drive-through.

In my current cost-cutting efforts (I have to say "my" because Tom has always been the on-the-cheap travel eater) I was impressed at Tom's find for 2008: the footlong sub that is obviously large enough to share. He was surprised when the promotion extended past summer, but was pleased to introduce me to it in our November travel.


Of course, there is a challenge to the shared footlong: agreement on the sub components.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

09 November 2008

A bird and his cage

No question about it. This bird at Caribe Royale in Orlando spends more time out of his cage than in.

In fact, when the handler next walked by, he failed to coax the bird in, so ended up just closing the door and leaving the bird on top of the cage.

By the next day, the bird was inside the cage and I wondered why.

(Guests at the resort can often be seen and heard trying to capture the bird's attention and start a conversation.)

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

08 November 2008

Air Travel: Too Many Empty Seats

I'm like most travelers my age: I cheer when I find an empty seat next to me on a plane. But as this photo indicates, some flights today have too many empty seats.

For perhaps 5 years, I saw nothing but full and over-full flights—routinely. In 2008 (to date), I have been on at least 4 flights with "elbow room," meaning I've had an empty seat next to me. And on 2 flights, now, I've seen more than half of seats on the plane empty. Half of my flights this year have been full but I don't recall that any of them were over-sold.

As a flight attendant said to me on the plane seen above, "I enjoy a light flight but I'd rather see my company making money."

By the way, the plane was heading to Orlando. In 22 years of flying in and out of Orlando, I have never seen a flight less than full, until this week.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

07 November 2008

Personal Technology: Ballroom Dialing

This week I attended a technology conference in Florida (sponsored by Sloan-C) on online learning. Like many conferences today, the event included most meals. That's a great way to (a) keep your attendees in the meeting space, (b) help your attendees keep their expenses down, (c) give something to vendors to sponsor.

And that's how I came to be in a ballroom for dinner (sponsored by TaskStream) with at least 800 or 900 people. The entertainment was a mentalist (Michael Anthony) with the requisite number of astounding feats.

For me, the highlight of the evening was the mentalist's request that the audience locate a participant from afar for his next astounding feat. He said, "we'll do this by cell phone." And easily 500 people whipped out their cell phones and started dialing.

I had never been in such a setting. Hundreds of people willing to call their... lifelines? The way this worked in the ballroom is that one fellow held up his phone to signify connection and the mentalist called him up to the stage. And then the cell phone was put on "speaker" and held up to a microphone and the mentalist proceeded to accomplish an astounding feat with a woman in her bed in Ohio.

My point is this: at least 500 people not only had their cell phones at the ready, but were happy to utilize them for the entertainer's task. It was an amazing group activity in a ballroom.

(No, I didn't dial out.)

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

06 November 2008

Boomerater in Beta

This is a basic recommendation for Boomerater, which promises "Recommendations & Advice by Boomers for Boomers." I like the idea of it. I like the tone it's trying to establish. There's just not a bustling about it yet. The web publisher wisely labels the website as beta, which gives hope for things to come.

Building online community (and the advertising relationships needed to support the community) should be easier. At least that's the impression from the successful web communities. But baby boomers are more accustomed to receiving community (we were trained on mass media produced by professionals) than creating it (Woodstock and Summer of Love were not daily events, after all).

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

05 November 2008

Boomer Ed: Student-Faculty Relations

Part 6 in a 6-part series on Boomers going back to school during the economic downturn.

In my own middle-age years I was both student and professor, so I offer the following relationship tips from both perspectives.

Sucking up. No matter how good an actor you are, professors are better. Insincere sucking up is spotted immediately by faculty members and then they talk about you (but without letting you know they're on to you). If you don't sincerely like the professor, better just to be polite and skip the suck-up.

Worrying about appearing to suck up. This is actually the more realistic situation and one that prompts sympathy from the faculty. You may feel awkward in paying a compliment to the professor because it sounds as though you are sucking up. Well, most adults can sort out the fulsome praise from the genuine (just as you can), so my advice is to go ahead and utter the compliment.

Complaining. If you have a reason for a comment, then you're not complaining. Ask yourself the simple question, "If I were teaching this course, would I want to hear this comment?" Almost all instructors, almost all the time, welcome students' input about the course.

Demanding. Most professors bristle at demands, whether they be for grades, extensions, special allowances. Middle-age, returning students are sometimes in professional careers in which they routinely make demands on employees. It's easy to carry that expectation into the classroom. And it's easy for professors to resent that expectation. "Special allowances" may not always sound demanding (to the student) but they come across that way to the professor. A recent one in my memory: a student approached me before class to say, "I'll miss most of class tonight. I need to get to the cleaners before they close."

Feigning familiarity with faculty. When this comes up, it's almost always a student calling a professor by first name in front of fellow students, but with a formal title in privacy. The game probably relates to "social comparison" whereby the student seeks to elevate his position in the eyes of peers. I've ever only seen it backfire, with students and faculty alike eventually mocking the pompous student (but with no discussion between students and faculty).

Enjoying genuine friendship with faculty. But the above scenario does not mean that students and faculty cannot form real friendships. Interestingly, when they do, it's almost always marked by the student calling a professor by formal title in front of fellow students, but by first name in privacy.

On the matter of titles. Usually, titles of Dr. and Professor reflect a local campus culture.
Especially if faculty teach in an undergraduate program, they may refer to each other as Dr. X and Dr. Y, even when students are not around. In short, the titles become ingrained in daily habit.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

04 November 2008

Boomer Ed: Seven Campus Traps in the Return to School

Part 5 in a 6-part series on Boomers going back to school during the economic downturn.

These are the traps that won't necessarily come up in your interview with an Admissions officer or even an academic adviser.

1 - Imposter syndrome
, AKA fraud syndrome, doesn't necessarily go away as we age. This is the sense of being an outsider, of not belonging, especially when joining a new group or community. What distinguishes the syndrome from lack of confidence is the sense of dread that accompanies it. The person dreads being "found out" to be not smart enough, not articulate enough, not studious enough.

In my teaching experience I found that the most helpful thing I could do in class was simply mention imposter syndrome. That generated more office visits than whole-class discussions but the response was almost universal. I had no idea that other people feel this, too. I feel so much better already.

2 - Social comparison is a very human tendency and pretty much lifelong and across all contexts. It's what you do when you are aware of another's performance, appearance, or mere presence. When combined with imposter syndrome, social comparison is double deadly: He is a great presenter. I'll never be that good.

Sometimes, it can get nasty: I just hate him. If a classroom is particularly competitive, social comparison fuels the fire. In some disciplines, that's promoted. But most nontraditional students deserve a more civil re-entry to the schoolroom.

Because I am basically a Pollyanna looking for every silver lining, I was able to make this speech with a straight face when I warned students about social comparison: You're going to see some great presentations this semester and you may find yourself resenting the best performers. I'll ask you to catch yourself when resentment rises, and instead think to yourself, "I'm really lucky to be here today to see this presentation."


3 - Plagiarism
is copying other people's work. The most common form in college today is copy/pasting from the web, anything from a paragraph on a web site to a passage from a scholarly journal accessed through an online library. Plagiarism doesn't rely on technology, of course, but computers and the web have considerably sped the process.

I have confronted students with plagiarized papers, always with the intent to help educate them about plagiarism and also to allow them to make repair. Some professors take the role of Plagiarism Police and document every offense (dismissal from an academic program is an eventual consequence). I have found the educational approach effective; I've never seen a student repeat the crime.

Before you express disbelief that a middle-aged student would ever commit plagiarism, let me assure that I've seen good souls do it and almost always because they were pressed for time. That should be the warning bell.

If there is a stereotype to be had on the subject of middle-age students plagiarizing, it is probably this: they are amazed at how fast and easy it is to copy/paste from a web site...but haven't considered that the same technology makes detection just as fast and easy.


4 - Other academic dishonesty...otherwise known as cheating. In my experience, middle-age students do not cheat as often as younger students. The most outrageous experience in one of my classes was a group cheat, seven people rotating a task whereby everyone would benefit on the seven quizzes in the course. I never picked up on it; a student emailed me after the class ended to alert me to what the group had done. (And the experience did lead me to re-design the course.) What I found amazing was that the group included a middle-aged student who probably could have positively impacted six young people with an immediate squashing of the plan. Frankly, I am still amazed.

5 - Social isolation is a common problem for adults who return to school. First, they are likely to be commuters. Second, they are likely to have someone or something waiting for them at home—all the time. The result is that social contacts on campus are cut short. If a little time can be made to hang around the classroom or the student lounge, the returning student will be pleasantly surprised at how welcoming other students are.

6 - Grade fixing may not be best term for this but it comes close: students in a class discuss how best to lower the bar so that work is easier and grades are more generous. Of course, it doesn't always work. Some professors maintain their standards regardless of the "mix" in the class. But it works often enough to encourage students to try to manipulate the course and professor.

7 - Wikipedia. What could possibly be wrong with using Wikipedia as a source? Well, to start with, your resulting essay will look a lot like everyone else's, just like the old days when all students went to the Encyclopedia Brittanica as their major source. In the second place, what you find in Wikipedia may be wrong. It is not as well vetted as the Brittanica, to be sure. If you find yourself lured to the wiki, anyway, then make it only your first stop—to get ideas, to pick up some vocabulary. Then go to scholarly sources for data you can count on. (Librarians can help you check on the soundness of a source.)

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

03 November 2008

Boomer Ed: Learning to Study Again

Part 4 in a 6-part series on Boomers going back to school during the economic downturn

Study skills or just study time? Adult learners returning to college find their studies stimulating. Regardless of earlier experiences in school, they tend to be the leaders in the classroom on their return. What does not come easily is the balancing act between home and school, or what for many is the equation of home + school + work.

Finding the rhythm of the semester means managing time so that one doesn't ever fall behind in assignments. A 15-week semester has some predictable crunch times: start, mid-term, and end. Now, compress that to the short semesters growing in popularity (9-week and 5-week) and students may find themselves in non-stop performance with a major project or test every week.

Of course, some study skills support the time crunch and older students see the logic in them that sometimes younger students don't. Sleep really does impact learning. Spreading weekly readings over 3 or 4 days (rather than doing it all in one marathon session) builds in sleep and the new material is retained in memory. And those 3 or 4 reading days suit the working adult's schedule better, too.

The benefit of semester starts. Regardless of how long semesters run, they have this common benefit: a new one will come. Each start of semester offers opportunity to wipe the slate clean, begin anew, establish new habits, and generally improve on performance.

Change of subjects can affect performance and so wise students select course and course load according to the season. Academic advisers may be able to help with choices but the best source of information is students who have already taken the class. Good questions to ask are: (a) what's the weekly reading requirement, (b) can projects be self-paced, and (c) are there self-tests or low pressure quizzes to serve as checks on learning.

Planning the course load can be a strategy for success but more often it's a trap for students in a hurry to finish a degree. At many schools, a full-time load is 9 to 12 credit hours, and a part-time load is 3 to 6. (If this is not specified in a course catalog, an Admissions rep can provide details.) Each 3-credit course is estimated to take 10 hours of class and study time per week. So, a 12-hour semester (4 courses) represents a 40-hour school week. Planning the course load in advance—ideally a year or two in advance—allows pairing a heavy-reading course with a lighter one, or a writing-intensive course with a fun elective.

Course load planning becomes a trap when students aim to bulk up credits, racing to graduation. Professors cringe when they see students registering for 15, 18, and even 21 credits, meaning 5 to 7 classes. Heavy loads often backfire, with the semester ending in withdrawals or drop in grade-point average or, most deadly, grades of F that result in probation or dismissal.

Realistic expectations. Adults in college tend to set high standards for themselves. It's not unusual for older students to strive for only As. They typically say that they want the most out of their education and demand only the best of themselves. So, learning to study is not necessarily the problem—realistic expectations may be the real challenge. The student who is raising a family and working in a job may need to limit enrollment to just one or two classes. At least until they find the rhythm of the semesters.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

02 November 2008

Stainless Steel BPA-free Water Bottle

Boomers learned about plastic from The Graduate but it took decades for us to learn about BPA. Today, we look for ways to avoid Bisphenol-A along with the other worries of the day (cadmium, lead, and, yes, these are the substances Tom Bold wrote theses on 30 and 40 years ago).

I chose thinksport as my BPA-free water bottle, replacing my daily supply of 1 to 2 plastic bottles from the grocery store. My first purchase was the model 350ml (12oz) and my quick reaction was, this is too small.

Then I spent a bit more money and bought the 750ml version (25oz) and my quick reaction was, this is too large. But the built-in handle makes the size tolerable for carrying and so that's the size I ordered for holiday gifts.

The insulated thinksport maintains hot/cold for hours and I am quite charmed by the mesh filter that blocks ice.

In spite of all this spending, I can also report that overall I'm saving money because I have taken bottled water off the shopping list.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

01 November 2008

Personal Technology: Disposable Laptop

I replaced a laptop this week. After the requisite gnashing of teeth, I appreciated that I have a new guideline for personal technology. Never pay more than $650 for a laptop.

That's because this week's Boomer (I could not resist but I don't have vanity plates on the car, I promise) has all the features of the 13-month-old (now expired) Gazebo (named for the imagery of sitting in a backyard computing even though I do not have a gazebo and the only person I know who ever did was The Sociologist's daughter—for one brief semester—and we only talked about hiding out at her rental house in retreat mode) at roughly one-third the cost. In fact, Boomer even has more memory than Gazebo did.

A crash is never pleasant but I'm your Pollyanna. I am reminded of the importance of daily back-up. I will adopt more web applications (AKA cloud computing) so that my software tools are in cyberspace, not on my hard drive. And I will definitely be one of the non-children using a $100 laptop when the time comes.

There's one more thing. Boomer came with a sticker on its interior announcing that its "finish adds lustrous sophistication." Same sticker displayed some fine print at the bottom, "See disclaimers on product box."

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.