Why I Love Augusten Burroughs

Narrative has always been an interest of mine so naturally an author such as Augusten Burroughs when brought to my attention would interest me. It all started this past summer when one of my roommates introduced me to his writing. The first she introduced me to was Magical Thinking, about his life after his 20s, when he was trying to settle down and find love. Though his stories were often about difficult issues he still found away to make it funny. The reason why I liked this book is because he ran into obstacles and kept going.

After Magical Thinking I read Running With Scissors one of his most "infamous" novels. Though it was a difficult book to get through with a lot of uncomfortable situations it was good reference point to appreciate his other books even more.

The next book that I started to read was a collection of short stories, Possible Side Effects,

I am still in the process of reading this book and hope to finish it soon. One of my favorite stories in this book is about the Sacred Cow. A puppy that Augusten Burroughs and his partner decided to get to accompany their other dog Bentley.

The reason why I enjoyed this short story so much is because it reminded me of a situation my parents would get into about choosing a puppy the entire combination of the book has reminded me of them up until the point I stopped reading ( I am not done yet with the book).

The book I am currently reading by Augusten Burroughs is Dry, by recommendation of my roommate, she said I would enjoy the humor. Which is completely true, because I have a dry sense of humor. As of right now I am only on page 21 but so far it is pretty interesting.

I have never really wanted to be in the advertising industry because I am just not that snappy on my feet but I always thought it was interesting how people can get a message across in such a short amount of time.

Not to be to formal but in conclusion the reason I love Augusten Burroughs is because he writes about memories, even bad ones, and finds a way to make them funny. Oh yeah, and because he makes me laugh.

So thanks roommate #1 (?) for introducing me to Augusten you have opened my eyes to a totally different side of writing.

definition of Tyro: a beginner in learning anything ; a novice. ( dictionary.com)

How Far Thank You Can Reach

From the moment I was a small child ( yes I haven't always been massively tall) my mom always told me and my sibling how important it is to write a thank you note. After every Christmas and birthday we were required to write thank you notes. I always viewed this as a tiresome and tedious task while the mother bird sat and watched me write the note. Though at the time I thought she was just hassling me for no reason looking back I truly realize the value of writing thank you notes.

My freshman year of college I realized what career interest I wanted to go into and decided to try to start pursuing setting myself up for gather more information about it. The industry of theme parks that I have chosen to work in is the perfect industry for me to work in. I am a very high energy personality that can't sit still and I couldn't imagine sitting in a cubicle all day. (I think the viewing of fight club scared that out of me). Being able to freely walk around all day and be surround by people seemed perfect to me.

So late into my freshman year I started to express this interest to my bosses. The first person I talked to was my unit supervisor. She had no idea I had such an interest and had prepared to show me all of the things I could do. She actually set up a meeting with the GM of the area and he also was very enthusiastic of my interest.

After both of these meetings I went to talk to one of my professors about this experience and he suggested to write a handwriting thank you note. Now this seemed very odd to me but I mentioned it to the mother bird and she seemed to fully agree how great that would be.

As a side note you must realized how bad my handwriting is. I absolutely hate it but I like to think it is because in second grade I was put in the special handwriting group due to my bad penmanship so I have kept bad handwriting to spite that experience.

Anyway, I started drafting two handwritten thank you notes and distributed them accordingly. I heard the next day from my unit supervisor about the thank you note. She expressed how much she liked my note. As far as my GM I didn't hear anything for weeks. I figured that he either didn't receive the note or didn't care enough to come and comment on it. The note drifted out of my mind and I almost totally forgot about it.

About roughly a month later I was working in a store and my GM came in and said to the green tyro who was rattling around 'I received your note and I just wanted to let you know how nice that was. ' Now as insignificant this moment may now be I will never forget the feeling and the words he said. It was definitely a turning point for the tyro and a good lesson in networking for dummies.

Most recently a thank you moment happened with one of my professors at school. This past week was the last week of lectures for my Guest Service class. My professor though a little scattered brained definitely made an impact on not only my school work but also my work life. I decided to go up to thank him because I actually had tangible results.

Prior to taking the class over the summer my boss had told me I needed to work on my dealings with difficult guest situations. This had always been in the back of my mind and I really wanted to somehow improve on this. When the fall semester finally kicked off each week I took what I learned in class and tried to apply it each week to work. I also went up to my boss and requested that if there is a negative situation to send me out first.

Applying this knowledge from class to work definitely sent me in the right direction so at the end of his lectures I decided to go up to my professor and thank him. I did a few double takes until I finally got up to him. I quickly rushed out this paragraph:

'I just wanted to thank you for this semester. At work I was told that I need to work on my guest service and so I have been trying to apply things that I learn here at work. I have been doing it and I got recognition from my bosses. So I really appreciate what you do and I wanted you to know it made an impact."

Following this I jumped down and walked away. As I was saying this I could see his eyes brightening and I realized that I in turn made an impact on him and it made me feel extremely happy.

Though it was extremely difficult for me to put myself out there like that it was completely worth it because not only did it help me but it also benefited him.

Thank you is such a simple thing but it is not said enough. I am trying to get better about it but I know I still miss it often. Saying thank you can definitely be one of the things that makes an incredible lasting impression.

Winging it Until You Can Actually Do It

Procrastination is probably one of the biggest downsides in my personality. I don't enjoy doing something until I have a pressing deadline over my head. This is probably one of the many reasons I enjoyed journalism so much. In a sick way I enjoy the pressure and drama whether I will make it or not. More often times then not I do make deadlines but sometimes it doesn't work out in my favor.

Now the biggest thing that makes me so uneasy is taking on a new task that I know nothing about so to solve these nerves I have resorted to winging it. Pretending I know what I am doing and waiting until I mess up seems better than showing my weakness. Now I am all for asking questions my bosses can probably back me up on that one because they know how much I ask questions. For the most part though I like to give off the impression that I know exactly what I am doing and I have found that other people use this tatic. The awkward moments come when you are exposed about actually not knowing. A lot of times in this situation I try to the diversion tatic by just repeatedly asking the same question back to the person questioning my knowledge. More often then not this works but some people catch on unfortunately.

There are some things I try to keep in mind to keep myself from going into complete freak out mode ( sometimes a constant state I am in but I have people to talk me back from the cliff's edge)

- Everyone messes up, even the people who like to pretend they do everything great they have their moments too.

-If someone does catch you off your game try to take it as a learning experience on how to improve yourself and learn from your mistakes.

- Pretending you know what you are doing often times makes you seem like more of an expert than you are. People are all about images if you exude a certain image they are going to believe it.

-Learn to laugh. Everytime I make a mistake at work I usually find a way to make it funny. My co-workers have kindly coined the phrase "wendy moments" so I have turned something negative into something funny.

As much as I try not to stress about the small stuff knowing what I am doing is very crucial but until that point comes I think I will just wing it and let the chips fall where they may.

Making Sure My Bridges Stay Intact and Building New Ones

Networking is unfortunately the key in every business which also crosses over the outside world. I once had a boss tell me that how well you network effects 75% of your success. Unfortunately we live in a very political world where it isn't what you know but who you know. As a tyro I am still learning this and trying to spread my roots realizing that every meeting is an opportunity to make a good impression on someone.

Anyone in my life can account for what an incredible memory I have. I recount events that happened over eight years ago like it was yesterday. I can creepily remember my roommates class schedule and even the names of some of their friends and family members that I have never met before. Once I even scared one of my roommates by referring to one of her friends by a nickname. In conclusion I am what my famliy likes to refer to me as "the steel trap". Though I have been given much grief over this for most of my life having a good memory has worked very advantegous to me in the working world. I can remember the most tiny details about someone who I might have met once or twice and bring it up to them in our next meeting. Not only do I break down the what I like to call "professional fourth wall" ( similiar to the theater and movie terms when the actor steps out and address the audience. Hey I am sorry I am still influenced by entertainment.) but also it shows that I listen to what people say.

One thing I do struggle with in the network avenue is making sure things stay comfortable and that I don't start rambling about off topic issues or that I don't let my nerves get the best of me. Silences is not something I am comfortable with and I always try to fill the voids with me talking about things. People, especially people who are above you can sense fear they can almost instantly tell when you are uncomfortable. So how do you keep it light well still staying professional but also know how to not let it get the best of you. Well I try a few tatics.

• People absolutlely love talking about themselves. Ask them open ended questions mostly where they are giving their opinions not only are you learning things about them but also you are gaining valuable knowledge.




• Don't sweat the small brush offs. Often times the people you need to talk to are busy people if they seemed rush or distracted just remember they are busy people you are not their number one priority.




• Take constructive criticism eagerly. If they correct something that you are doing wrong don't take it personally take it as a step towards improvement.




• Always always always say thank you. I remember the first time a boss met with me and then afterwards I wrote a physical thank you note. It seemed like a minor detail at the time but it left a lasting impression. You can never say thank you enough times.

Wading my way through school and work as a tyro professional is challenging there are a lot of obstacles I face like having a scatter brain and not being able to express my questions. But the key I have found to learning and growing is asking questions. I know I will never fully master anything and I still have a whole lot of learning ahead of me. Taking advantage of my resources whether it be at school or at work is the best learning experience of all.

I don't want to look like an idiot in front of the professor

Celebrity status that is given to teachers starts at a very young age. Everyone remembers their first encounter with their grade teacher in the grocery store. I still remember the sinking in awe feeling I had when I saw my first teacher outside her normal habitat. Well after this image is established in our minds it stays there until we are fully done with school. Now, college is a beautiful thing a time for learning and coming into your own but one thing that I sometimes struggle with is talking to the professors. College is a little bit different than grade school they make professors out to be complete rock stars. Not only do most of them stand on stage but they have also hooked them up with microphones and some even have their own theme music. So the question is how to talk to a professor without being an idiot? Well for me this is still a working progress even now after being in college for almost three years I get the butterflies when walking up to professors. I am not sure what it is but I just feel like I am going to look like an idiot. I try to take a four step process to talk to a professor:

1. Know a clear idea of what you are going to ask. If you go up there blindly without a specific question in mind you will just bumble around.

2. Keep eye contact. As soon as you look away you are a goner it is so hard to reconnect after that plus you look disinterested.

3. Keep it light. Don't try to ask serious questions after class this just makes everyone involved extremely uncomfortable.

4. They are human. They function in the world just as we do. This is probably the hardest one for me to grasp.

As a tyro professional being able to network is key to my success and my professors are more often than not industry professionals or they worked in the industry so they are very valuable connections for someone like me. Plus it teaches me how to talk to people that i don't know very well a needed skill for networking. Talking to professors has given me an opportunity to build my confidence and also make a fool out of myself but in the end I know I won't look like too much of an idiot in front of the professor.

"Dressing for Success" can sometimes cause a lot of stress

Yes we have all been there the day of your first interview and you have nothing to wear. There is always that moment where you start to rack your brain for ideas of what would be acceptable. This deduction always eliminates 95% of your wardrobe then what? My main problem with being professional is the stress of finding something to wear. To understand why this is difficult you have to understand where I am coming from. On an average week I wear jeans minimum of three times a week and my shoe choices don't fall too far from that trend. I own 5 pairs of Vans shoes which if you don't know are skateboarding shoes ( a sport I do not partake in) and I always wear some sort of what I like to define as the "funky fresh random ensemble of clothing".

The bottom line is when it comes to outfit organization I am not your person to go to. The demand to wear professional dress does not fall comfortably into my lap. So what is a tyro professional suppose to do in a situation of impressing people? Wing it. Endorsing procrastination is not the objection here but encouraging commitment to spontaneity is. I find not over thinking is the key to feeling comfortable but also making sure not blinding going into something. So I do the three degree of check rule.

1. Run outfit in question in front of a family member. They will always tell you some criticism but also give you encouragement at the same time.



2. Take it to a friend. Friends will be the most brutally honest about the outfit out of the three options but in a nice way where you don't feel like you fail at life.



3. Mention it in passing to a superior. Most of the time these people know the expectations and can give you an outline to what you need to wear and what not to wear.

Touching base with these three people allows me to triple check my decision and I am OCD about having everything the way it should be. So yes dressing professionally is very troublesome for me I see it as a learning process of trial and error that hopefully by the time it really counts I will finally be able to dress myself. The one thing that a professional tyro like myself has to practice is making great first impressions because that can make or break a job offer. As time goes on hopefully dressing for success will become less and less stressful.