WAYT: Splash some cold water on your face

I love the summer Olympics.  It’s like a special treat, during these long months when network TV is mostly showing re-runs, to see some fresh programming.  It makes me happy to see other people exercising and/or generally showing some spunk on TV while I sit on my couch, snacks within easy reach.  Also, the Olympics feel special to me.  I love the camaraderie of it all (though I’m sure those competing against one another don’t feel the same way). 

It’s not that I feel solidarity with my fellow Americans and experience a rush of nationalistic pride; it’s nothing like that.  Maybe it’s seeing some of the strongest people in our country showing that some of us can set our minds to something, follow through and be successful.  Maybe it’s seeing these athletes perform so effortlessly.  Maybe it’s remembering when I used to have that drive and those same aspirations. 

I grew up in gymnastics.  As early as I can remember, I went to tumbling classes and I stayed in tumbling until well past the age when it was cool.  My grandma is a big USA supporter and one summer Olympics, she went all out and bought me all sorts of cool USA gear.  I didn’t realize at that age that I would not ever be Dominique Moceanu, but that didn’t stop me from feeling as if she was living out my dream. 

I can’t help but see the other side of Olympic fame when I look at Michael Phelps.  Here’s a guy who has been the face of the summer Olympics for the US for over a decade and clearly has a love/hate relationship with the whole thing. 

Many people must wonder what is he thinking?  Doesn’t he love all this money?  Doesn’t he have that killer instinct driving him to win, win, win?  Doesn’t he want more gold medals?  Is he lazy?

I can’t tell.  I can tell this much: we are lucky that Michael Phelps ever met up with a swimming pool. 

When he was a boy, his mom could have signed him up for golf or lacrosse.  He could have hated swimming.  When she found out he was a good swimmer, she could have encouraged him to take up lifeguarding.  He might have liked that – chilling in a big chair with an umbrella, checking out cute girls.  When she started carting him around the the far ends of the earth to compete in every swimming match ever, she could have put her foot down.  He could have decided that he didn’t want to become The Michael Phelps we know today. 

And yet it’s 2012 and he’s still here.  He lost his first individual race and everyone thinks the sky is falling.  Maybe he was stunned that he lost; maybe he didn’t know it was possible to NOT medal in every single event now that he’s become who he has become.  Maybe he felt lighter; maybe it’s a burden to carry so many expectations on your uniquely-jointed shoulders.  Maybe he felt stunned and lighter – a strange contradiction he never expected to feel. 

It’s no secret that he could train harder.  Which means that it should serve as no surprise that he’s not a shark.  He doesn’t bite at others the way even his own teammates bite at him.  I believe that he loves a competition, but I could also see where he feels he’s already done what he felt driven to do.  Maybe he’s gotten all he ever wanted and he feels at peace with resting on his laurels, picking the races where he’ll take fourth place.  Or maybe he’s a three-time Olympian in a sport that requires a lot, and he doesn’t have what it takes to train hard enough anymore. 

We may never know about any of that.  I think that everyone needs to back off the guy.  Some people act like he Owes Us something because Our Country sent him there to Represent Us and it’s all Very Important.  Then again, none of us are exactly perfect, and we can’t be exactly perfect even when it matters most.  On one of the most important days of my life, the day I was supposed to give birth to my son, I couldn’t.  My body tried and tried and then it gave up on me and my doctors had to resort to doing the work for me.  Michael Phelps doesn’t have to be more than me to continue to be Michael Phelps.  Four years ago, he wowed, awed, amazed, and shocked me – he was more than I could have ever asked for in a US Olympic athlete.  This year, he’s less than that, but he is still who he always was. 

Don’t worry – he’s enough.  And that’s true of all the other athletes we sent to London, especially female gymnast Jordyn Wieber and male gymnast John Orozco.  I say, be still and enjoy the show. 

WAYT: No place for Penn State love

It is clear to me that there is a fundamental misunderstanding in the general populace and among national sports commentators regarding the punishments levied against Pennsylvania State University (PSU) by the NCAA.  From what I’m hearing, these people just don’t get it. 

The most notable punishments include a four year postseason ban, a $60 million fine, a five year probation that slashes scholarships, and all of its wins since 1998 have been erased from the record books.

You think that the punishments are unjust?  Really?  I cannot fathom what you are thinking. 

Several of the quotes that struck me include:

Penn State student Alex Gibson: "[Vacating] The wins … we didn't cheat in football, that's unnecessary."

PSU student Maddy Proy: "It just keeps piling on and on.  We are a huge family and this is just a huge blow to our family."

Michael Robinson, former PSU player from 2002-2005 who went on to play in the NFL: "Jerry was a sick man.  I just don't think that our program is defined by the actions of one sick individual."

ESPN columnist J. A. Adande: "Why punish athletes who weren't even around when all of this was transpiring?"

ESPN's Jeremy Schaap: "The immediate impact is that the NCAA is allowing student athletes to transfer without penalty.  That means there might be a mass exodus … with no hope of playing at a bowl game, no hope to play in a championship, you would expect to see most of Penn State's top players move out of there."

Alex, Joe Paterno did cheat in football.  He managed his staff in such a way that they were allowed to sexually abuse children on the PSU campus.  The victims were cheated out of an innocent and safe childhood, and the lucky ones who didn’t become victims were left vulnerable regardless.  Anyone who could have crossed paths with Jerry Sandusky was cheated, because any person at any time could have been sexually abused by him.  Paterno decided that football was more important than people.  That’s cheating. 

Maddy, no one is piling on your family.  Your family, a host of individuals corrupted by money and power, violated the laws of Pennsylvania (and all widely accepted codes of moral ethics).  The university that harbored these criminals will now receive the punishment they (so richly) deserve.  If you feel pressured by that, then maybe you’re starting to get the point.  And maybe you should re-evaluate who you include in your family.  I wouldn’t want Joe Paterno in my family.

Mr. Robinson, your program was defined by Jerry Sandusky’s actions.  From top to bottom, behind closed doors, the coaches and administration acknowledged Sandusky’s despicable acts and decided that it was a risk they were willing to take on your behalf.  You, as a former participant in the PSU football program, should be outraged that they put you at risk in this manner.    

Mr. Adande, the punishments are intended to revitalize the program.  If PSU takes a break from their constant striving for wins, maybe they’ll fix their broken system that turned a blind eye to child rape and exploitation for the sake of fame and money. 

And finally, Mr. Schaap, these kids should leave.  PSU obviously doesn’t have its act together.  I’d say it’d be best for PSU to lessen their responsibilities so that the university can focus on its core responsibility. 

That responsibility is the following: INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING EXIST SOLELY BECAUSE THERE ARE STUDENTS TO EDUCATE. 

This is the only purpose that any teacher serves, to receive students with open arms and fill their minds with knowledge.  Sports are EXTRA.  PSU didn’t, one day back in history, spring from the ground as a football mecca.  PSU is a UNIVERSITY.  If they can’t handle sports, then they should stick to the basics. 

There is nothing in this world that disgusts me more than the idea that grown adults would prey upon small, young children to fulfill their prurient, sociopathic sexual desires.  Truly, even the thought of such a thing makes me simultaneously wretch and fight off a bout of emotional hysteria.  A man who was informed that Jerry Sandusky was committing child rape and decided that was alright deserves to have his statues torn down, his epic football legacy erased, his reputation tarnished beyond recognition. 

Imagine it was you who was Victim #5.  Imagine it was the person you love most.  Get.  Some.  Perspective. 

WAYT: Call me, maybe!

In life, you are your own advocate.  There’s no one else looking out for you except for you, and when you want something, you alone are responsible for whether or not you achieve your goals. 

I bring this up because I am spending a lot of time these days looking for a new job.  I’m ready to move on to a new challenge, something with greater responsibility, something where I feel… promoted from my current status. 

In “job search mode,” I am constantly defending my supreme employability, which begs the question, what are you thinking if you aren’t calling me for an interview??

When a hiring professional reads my resume, they see the basics: I have a college education, I’ve been steadily employed, I am capable of using strong descriptive words to highlight my past work experiences.  But I believe the reader needs to go a bit farther and think about what each line means.  I didn’t painstakingly choose what I said to dupe you into hiring me!  It’s all critically important and verifiable!

For example, when an HR rep reads that I have a degree from Illinois College, they should Google that.  They should find out what type of college it is and evaluate what that means about me.  If you Googled my alma mater, you’d find out that it’s a liberal arts college.  This means that I had a lot of education on a lot of topics.  You’d also find out that it’s a college with a small student population.  This means that graduating with magna cum laude honors is really something.  (Not as good as summa cum laude, but still, pretty darn good!)

When a hiring professional reads my list of previous employers, they should think about what that says about me.  In my first position out of college, I was the only person who worked in the office.  I was solely responsible for the day-to-day operations and the complete support of my boss, who was a pretty important guy.  In my second position, I was the office manager for a very small business.  My job performance was critical to the continued existence of the company.  In my current position, I support seven staff members out of twenty-four total.  That means that I do a great job at doing a lot. 

Also, I was accepted as an intern into two very competitive internship programs during my college years.  Someone considering me for employment should evaluate the programs that allowed me into their hallowed halls.  I started out strong and I continued on an upwards trajectory.  Furthermore, my work experience began back in my intern years.  At this point, I can boast over seven years of accumulated experience, all with increasing levels of responsibility, all of which helped to educate me on various industries and allowed me to broaden my reach among other professionals. 

Which leads me to my next point: I do not know a single person who could say anything damningly negative about me as a professional.  On the job, I am the most committed and responsible person that I know among my peers.  This is why I maintain a reference page and include it with my applications.  I dare you to call my references!

So, in summary and in the interest of being my own advocate, I have to ask, why am I not employable?  (How many other people like me are out there in the world lamenting the same fate right now?)  I know that I’m capable of doing just about anything and I wouldn’t apply for a job if I didn’t know that I could do it. 

Yes, there are hundreds of people out there looking for work who each believe that they are perfectly perfect in every way.  But at some point, a person needs to be recognized (read: that person is me!!).  At some point, something about me should stand out.  What are you thinking if you don’t call me?! 

Just call me, please.  I’m not too proud to beg!

WAYT: Show! Me! The! Money!

Seriously, Mitt Romney?  You need $160 million to run a campaign?  How long will that money really last you?  Probably a few days.  You got that cash in your campaign account and your people have already blown it on negative advertising, haven’t they? 

Mitt, do you know what you could do for the population-at-large with $160 million?  Do you know how many people you could help with $160 million?  Same to you, Barack!  Mr. President, we are friends and will remain friends, but I’m telling you and your opponent, you could make a lot more headlines and generate a lot more goodwill by using that money elsewhere. 

Everyone wants to talk about our floundering economy and our inability to create new jobs to get the economy back on track.  $160 million in Mitt’s campaign war chest indicates to me that someone, somewhere is making money and needs something better to do with that money.  So here’s my suggestion. 

Take that $160 million and break it up into increments of $10,000.  Put out an APB for submissions for $10,000 projects and you get to pick 16,000.  My proposal would entail paying off student loans, or not taking a loan out to pay for my husband’s next year of college.  Can you imagine the amazing requests that would pour in?  I’m sure there are a lot of people who want to pay bills just like me, but I bet there are millions of other people who want something simple, like gas money to get to that one job they can hold down if they can just afford to drive there, or buying backpacks loaded with school supplies and bus tickets for inner-city youth who need that motivation to stay in school… truly, the possibilities are endless.  (And Barack, why haven’t you thought of this?  You’re a former community organizer.)

So many people say that they hate politics, and fundraising is one thing that people often overlook.  Am I the only person offended by the fact that Mitt Romney has $160 million to spend on TV commercials that are going to drive me bonkers and/or infuriate me?  I can think of lots of other things I’d appreciate hearing about during the evening news tonight.  Besides, isn’t there already enough to dislike in the world?

What a different place the world would be, if people gave money like that for real causes… Don’t get me wrong, electing the best man to the most important job in the world is a real cause.  But does it take THIS much money?  And is this what we want The Leader of the Free World to do with that kind of money?  There are millions of charities that struggle to do a little.  We wouldn’t need charities if we could do a lot more in big, $160 million doses. 

I’m sure my idea is an illegal misallocation of funds but I have serious doubts about the entire concept of political fundraising.  What do you think?  Personally, I know that Mr. Romney and Mr. Obama already have our attention.  As a collective, We The People know who they are and what they’re about.  Do you need ads from Obama that slam Romney’s work experience?  Oh, the evils of venture capitalism!  Do you need ads from Romney that decry Obama’s desire for healthcare for all?  This isn’t news anymore. 

Give me something to believe in!  Show me that you truly do connect with Us by doing something real that validates our struggles, something that shows your compassionate side, other than a shout out in a stump speech in Iowa.  You’re more likely to win my heart, and not just my vote.