Caring Bridge / Bat Channel

I often think about how communication changes our world.  When super heroes are injured, how did they communicate the news to their fellow Justice League ("JL" members?  I can't imagine that the Bat Channel really worked for members of the JL that were not bats.  With the passing our friend, Sam the Man/Saint Sam, I realized how much the world got to know this real life super hero.  His parents used Caring Bridge to update their friends and family about the situation.  This site was used to get food donations, prayer request updated, photos shared, as well as the good and bad times of Sam's journey with cancer.  They let so many of us in their personal life by sharing stories, pictures, and by allowing us to post to a guestbook.  The interesting thing is that people began sharing Sam's story with others.  He had many people commenting on his guestbook that never met him before.  One woman commented that she was a better mother because of Sam.  She never met him.  This Caring Bridge was a great idea to communicate to members regarding a wonderful young man who suffered from cancer.  There is a part of me that misses the communications.  I would love to hear about the fun things that Sam did and to read of his love for his friends, family, hockey, food, and good times.  When my days were a challenge, I was reminded that life is short and that there is always something to celebrate.  That's what Sam did.  Today, I am reminded that I am not in control.  God is in control of all.  I don't have to understand things, I just have to move along and remember to appreciate life.  Thank you to all that use Caring Bridge to share your life stories with others.  I bet that if cancer was in the JL World that Caring Bridge would be so much better than the Bat Channel.  Today's world of communication continues to impress me and to make me realize that it is a blessing at times and can sometimes be a curse. 

We are going to join Sam's Army to do a 5k in October.  This will be my first but has been on my bucket list for awhile.  I am going to empty this item from my bucket and do my best and run.  It is a hero's run.  It seems appropriate to get a Wonder Woman outfit or shirt for race day.   My fourteen year old realized that I had this idea without me speaking a word as soon as he heard the announcement about the run.  I looked up and caught his expression at a camp fire as he shook his head no to me.  I knew that he was thinking the same thing that I was thinking.  My theory is that life is short, YOLO, and I have no other place to wear a Wonder Woman costume other than this run or to joyfully clean my house.  This seems like a far better occasion.  Is it worth the embarrassment to my son?  Hmmmmmm...... 

We will see if Wonder Woman Strikes Again on race day.

Super Powers - For Good

My powers have been weakened this week.  This Wonder Woman is feeling very blue.  My son's friend lost his battle to a brain tumor.  I can't help but to struggle with the loss of this young man, an eagle scout, a true pillar to our community.  He was very mature for his age but to me, 15, is still too young to lose your life.  This young man made a lasting impression on everyone who ever met him and to many who heard about his story.  He came into our lives for a reason and changed us all for the good.  In my opinion, he is a super hero that will never lose his super hero status or power.  He is at peace today and no longer dealing with the horrific pain that the tumor caused him.  Even after his battle was over, this super hero gave more.  He donated his tumor for research.  That's is just amazing to me.  My son and I discussed how lucky we were to have known him and to have been able to share moments with him.  I will forever cherish a day when he shared stories about how to solve a rubrics cube, his favorite cooking shows, and how to make a tasty bison burger.  He never shared his secret ingredient with me because he had hopes of making the recipe famous one day.  I don't think that he really understood how many people in our community viewed him as a super hero.  He showed us strength, dignity, courage, humor, love, support, and so many more beautiful characteristics.  He clearly came from an amazing family and will be forever missed and loved by all who ever had the privilege to meet him. Sam - The - Man will be a hero, a super hero in my mind until the day I die.  Please turn your prayers to the highest hero, our God, and ask him to lift Sam and his family up to Him today.  Please grant peace to all that were left behind grieving the loss of such an amazing young man.  There are many children and adults that are confused about this loss that need support and comfort during this time.  Death is never an easy thing to deal with.  I know today that this eagle friend is soaring high with freedom from pain.  Many will honor him by donating to the research, doing blood drives, service projects, etc. 

 

When I hear the song, For Good, from the Broadway Wicked, I think of this super hero.  God Bless YOU Sam - The - Man and thank you for all that you gave us.

 

Lyrics to For Good.

 

(Glinda):I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led

To those who help us most to grow

If we let them

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you...

Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes a sunLike a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew youI have been changed for good

(Elphaba): It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime

So let me say before we part

So much of me

Is made from what I learned from you

You'll be with me

Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end

I know you have re-written mine

By being my friend...Like a ship blown from its mooring

By a wind off the sea

Like a seed dropped by a skybird

In a distant wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you

(Glinda): Because I knew you

(Both): I have been changed for good

(Elphaba): And just to clear the air

I ask forgiveness

For the things I've done you blame me for

(Glinda): But then, I guess we know

There's blame to share

(Both): And none of it seems to matter anymore

(Glinda): Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes a sun

Like a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood

(Elphaba): Like a ship blown from its mooring

By a wind off the seaLike a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

(Both): Who can say if I've been Changed for the better? I do believe I have been

Changed for the better

(Glinda): And because I knew you...(Elphaba): Because I knew you...(Both):

Because I knew you...I have been changed for good...

Read more: WICKED - FOR GOOD LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/for-good-lyrics-wicked.html#ixzz24KjqZFPk
Copied from MetroLyrics.com

 

 

Purpose of WonderWoman Strikes Again

            Blogs are a way of documenting events, ideas, information, pictures, etc.  A blog is similar to a journal that lists postings in chronological order.  My blog was titled WonderWoman Strikes Again.  The blog captures my thoughts on communication while comparing myself to a fictional superhero.  My target audience was my fellow classmates and Professor Terry Lee Moser.  The blog documents papers written in other communications classes, articles on communication, webcasts, and personal opinions. 

            The original purpose of the blog was due to my COM 480 class.  My assignment for the class was to create a blog.  After starting my blog, I have realized that it is interesting and fun to document my thoughts on communications.  The night that I created my blog, I was exhausted from a full day of work, family, school, and other obligations.  I did not know what to write about because I was not mentally prepared to do the blog assignment.  My husband offered me words of encouragement that included Wonder Woman.  I ran with the idea and compared my life to Wonder Woman. 

            My blog was created using Google’s Blogger program.  The program was fairly simple to use once the user account was established.  I changed the background of the blog from a simple white page to a page that included blue to match the real Wonder Woman’s patriotic costume.  In efforts to keep my blog somewhat unique, I kept “Wonder Woman” for the fictional character and “WonderWoman” for myself.  I added a couple of Wonder Woman’s pictures to my blog.  I selected a font size, color and format to use when posting ideas onto my blog. 

The content of the blog was easy the first night because I wrote in the moment.  Then I realized that the assignment was more than just creating a blog.  I needed to bring my class work and thoughts on communication into the blog.  As a result, I blogged about ideas in my past papers and then added my papers.  For example, I wrote a final paper in a previous class on Georgetown Cupcake.  I posted a few thoughts on the store, added my paper and then included the link to the store.  This was people could read my review, understand why I am interested in the sisters that own the store and their marketing techniques and the readers can view the company’s website from my one post.  I also included thoughts on how men and women communicate and included a link to a webcast on the topic.  During my week, I would pay attention to items in my world that were dealing with communication and then I would document them on my blog.  I put effort into keeping my title clear throughout the blog even if it just meant adding the tag line of “WonderWoman Strikes Again” at the end.  To remind others that this is a blog about a real person, I added some personal touches to the sides of my blog.  For example, I added lists with my favorite songs, recently viewed movies and books that I have recently read. 

The future of my blog is unclear.  I would like to maintain the blog and continue to remind myself and others how important communication is to our world.  Blogger offers opportunities to earn money from blogs by advertising.  Wonder Woman is a making a comeback to Hollywood so it is possible that the name will be searched which means that others could be sent to my blog and might click on an advertisement.  Communication will continue to exist in our world so there should be plenty to blog about over time. 

In conclusion, my blog WonderWoman Strikes Again was created as a class assignment that later turned into an interest.  It is a place that I can share my thoughts and views on communication and the world of being a woman who juggles a lot.  The blog was simple to create thanks to the Blogger program.  Backgrounds and lists were simple to post thanks to the program.  After the class is over, my audience might shift a bit because my professor will move on to new blogs and my classmates will focus on their own creations.  At the end of the day, I am reminded that I can do anything I put my mind to even if the though scares me.  WonderWoman strikes again!

Organizations that WonderWoman is Considering to Join for Communications Professioanls

After researching the many organizations available to Communication Professionals, I selected five to provide brief summaries about and listed them below.

1.       The Association for Women In Communications is an organization that caters to professional women.  They promote advancement for women by offering tools to help women pursue leadership positions.  As a woman, this group might be able to help me develop additional tools to pursue a position in the field of communications.  They also offer newsletters and an annual conference where other women will speak and offer advice and training. The link to their site is http://www.womcom.org/index.asp.

2.        IABC – The International Association of Business Communicators is an organization that provides networking opportunities.  The organization is made up of members from over 80 countries so they can offer a variety of expertise and cultures.  In addition to the networking opportunities, I am also interested in the training materials that the organization makes available to their members.  They have how-to articles, in class training, web training and conference calls.  The link to their site is http://www.iabc.com/about/.

3.       The American Communication Association is an organization that is also called ACA.  They are a non-profit organization. The interesting thing about this organization is that it is an online organization.  They have scholarly journals that they offer to their members.   I found this group to be interesting because they are on-line.  This is the way I am attending school and could easily be the way I connect to other networks.  An additional benefit is that it is free to join this group so you can try it for free.  The link to this site is http://www.americancomm.org/about/.

4.       PRSA stands for the Public Relations Society of America.  Their focus is on public relations but also touch the communications fields.  I am interested in this group because it helps me to find out more about a field similar to my communications major.  They focus on advancing the professional and to educate others on ethics.  In additional to training and networking opportunities, members get discounts from FedEx, Budget Rental Cars, Avis Rental Cars, financial planning assistance, etc.  The link to their site is http://www.prsa.org/.

5.       Maryland Communication Association is a group based out of Maryland for individuals in the field of Communications based out of Maryland.  The group is made up of communication educators, students and professionals.  The nice thing is that one does not have to wait until they have a job in the field of communications to join.  One can join as a student.  Their annual conference would be a great opportunity to meet a number of individuals in the State of Maryland that have a similar interest in communications.  The link to the site is http://www.marylandcomm.org/index.html.

WonderWoman Can't Stop Thinking About Gotta Have Chocolate

I can't stop thinking of chocolate today.  I want chocolate.  It must be good chocolate and it must be fresh.  I only know of one place that can satisfy my craving for chocolate today.  It is Gotta Have Chocolate.  They have the best chocolate turtles.  If you want a chocolate covered cherry that you can't get off your mind, go to Gotta Have Chocolate.  The products are made for you instead of sitting in boxes waiting for someone to buy them.  Gotta Have Chocolate recently created a website to communicate the products that are offered. The bag of white trash is new and it is wonderful.  I can promise you that you will not be let down if you try the chocolate from Gotta Have Chocolate. 

Check out the website and place an order today.   

http://www.gottahavechocolate.com/

If you place an order, please tell them that WonderWoman sent you. 

Gotta Have Chocolate is the superhero in my world today because they satisfied my chocolate craving with the best chocolate in the universe. 

Communicate and Save the Day!

Recently I realized that my boss and I did not see eye to eye on a couple of projects.  I kept trying to figure out what was wrong.  Then I realized that the item that was missing was communication.  She is very knowledgeable about a software program that we are both using.  I have never used it before.  She got angry because I was not performing the function right.  Regardless of how many times she repeated the task, I could not find what she was talking about.  Finally, after much frustration, I asked her to come to my office to show me what she is seeing.  When she saw my software, she realized that I had a new version and that I have other options that she did not have.  The way that I was able to perform the task was very different than the way she was use to performing the task.  At the end of the day, communicating with each other not only verbally but also with the non-verbal tools, solved our problem. 

A similar situation happened where she thought that all I had to do was hit an upload button to file a report.  This has been simmering for about six months.  When I told her yesterday that I am stressing because we are getting close to our deadline, she mentioned that I just have to upload.  Then I sat down and showed her with my visual tool that I have to manually enter over 100 fields prior to hitting an upload button.  I saw the light go off for both of us.  We realized that the lack of knowledge and communication created a stressful situation that could have been avoided by taking a deep breath and showing each other what we see on our screens.  If I am truly going to be a WonderWoman, I must focus on the value of communication to avoid creating disastrous situations in my life.  Thank you WonderWoman for reminding me to have patience when things are stressful and thank you Ashford University for teaching me the tools of communication to use in my everyday life.

WonderWoman learned a lesson that not only saved my work day but, one that can be used for the future. 

Is it possible for one to have Dyslexia and still be a superhero?

After my normal life drama has been put to rest, I have been wondering if an individual with Dyslexia can be a superhero.  I thought about Dyslexics that I am aware of such as Tom Cruise, Cher, Thomas Edison and Eleanor Roosevelt.  All of these individuals illustrated that they are intelligent and excellent communicators despite the fact that they faced a learning disability.  I feel that it would be true shame to label Eleanor Roosevelt as a poor communicator due to her learning disability. It would actually be a lie.  The woman was brilliant and made a huge impact in history.  When you examine the list of individuals above that have dyslexia, you can see that this disability does not prevent an individual from illustrating their intelligence.  They can be great communicators and have wonderful talents.  They are hard workers because they are faced with the challenge of working harder to so the world their amazing super powers.  One day I hope to help others that have dyslexia to see their potential super hero powers and to shine they way that they were created to shine.  Someone else had a similar vision in the state of Maryland.  The Summitt School in Edgewater, Maryland understands that children with dyslexia are superheros that need an extra push to feel confident in their suits to go out into the world to encourage others.  They offer an incredible program that provides tools to deal with real life events.  I hope that one day similar schools will pop up all over the country to help encourage these brilliant superheros to learn more about their learning disability and to encourage them to broaden their means of communication with others. 

There is no doubt in my mind that an individual can have Dyslexia and still be a superhero.  In fact, they may end up being the toughest, smartest, and most creative superhero that you ever meet.

http://thesummitschool.org/published/about/index.html