Who do you trust........

Trust No One! You can thank me for this advice later.

You might be wondering why I am discussing trust at midnight. Well, Melissa questioned my definition of the "A" in KSAs. She indicated that she was taught in college that it stands for abilities and I said attitudes. The authority on KSAs in instructional design, the IBSTPI sates the "A" stands for attitudes. They wrote the original set of competencies in 1986 and that is one reason that I am going with their meaning. Another is that I have done much reading on the topic and I have found that, much like anything, depending upon who you read and the point they are trying to make, the "A" can stand for abilities or attitudes. Finally answer, I am writing my dissertation, I can most definitely back up what I am saying, so attitudes it is.

For those of you that could care less about instructional design, you do not know what you are missing but that is neither here nor there, the bigger idea here is: How old were we before we realized that simply because someone is an "authority" on a topic, they can be wrong too. I know, several of you are thinking, I have never trusted anyone. Well, good for you and just so you know, I sense a bit of paranoia and conspiracy theory in your background-heee!

I, on the other hand, was raised to not question people in authority that are older than me. I am 40 and I still have a problem questioning those that are older than me that hold a position of authority in my life. It is very interesting, because often I am left in disbelief over things that older people will say or do and I find myself thinking, geez, you are older than me, you should know better! However, I know that is not true because age is definitely no indication of a person's level of intelligence. It is just interesting how something that was drilled in my head from birth through the age of 9 was so firmly imprinted. However, I cannot remember anything that I read before, well, NOW!

I also find it interesting that certain things we choose (consciously or subconsciously) to believe, hook, line, and sinker. I mean, there are things that people will say, and we are like, buddy you are totally incorrect or we will wonder if they are right and we will go seek verification. Then there are things that people will say, and we think, yep buddy you are sooo right and we never seek any verification. Only to later find out that the person had no clue what they were talking about. I know that part of it is how we feel about the person. Another component is that what the person tells us has to jive (ha @ that word) with what we already know or believe. A lot of social psychology and psychology stuff in general.

This “who do you trust” discussion is most prominent when we look at the presidential candidates. Sure I support Obama (I cannot get on the bridge to no where), but do I believe what he says? Nope. Not everything. Yes, I know he is a politician but that is only a part of it. Important to me is that I see Oman as being in a job interview (the longest job interview he will ever undergo) and we all know that we say all kinds of things in interviews. I will even give Mrs. Bridge to No Where (Palin) a moment. How many times have we walked out of an interview and thought, what the hell did I say “X” for. I mean true, she surely must say that 50 times a day, but we all have had those moments.

Alright, back on my topic. Prior to going to an interview, we research the company, call our friend that “used to work there”, and brush up on the standard interview questions. So, Oman has done that to the 10000th degree. Then, we get the call, Yippee, yet again the dream job has been acquired (really it is not, it is just the next thing on the list of things to accomplish). So, we move our crap in, dress real nice the first few months, you know, get a feel for the environment. Then as time progresses, there are days that we forget this was our “dream job” there are days where we do not give 100 percent for whatever reason. We are all human.

So, do I believe that Oman will do everything he says, well, he does have a 10 year plan and his term is only 4 years (does this bother anyone but me). Hell NO he will never do all that he says because he has no idea what is coming considering the current state of the economy. So, he has “read the website of his perspective employer and he has focused his interview responses in that direction. However, what actually happens when he is on the job is yet to be determined. He will have some slacker days.

So, there is my stream of consciousness on Trust. Hope you enjoyed it.

Soon, I shall provide a short update on my trip….Tuesday; I will be a little lighter in my bank account because the final payment will be billed. I want to go to Spain. Yes, I am going to get to Ecuador first then I will plan the “next trip” but you should look for me to announce a Spain trip for late 2009. Oh, I saw the piece of luggage that I want at Macy’s –Samsonite, garment bag of the “spinner” variety. However, it was $250 and I refuse to spend that on a piece of luggage – Ebay, here I come.

Nite all!

Musings and Some Other Stuff

First, my fisher friends informed me tonight that they intend to take their boat to a place that once was a forest but is now a swamp. They are going to put their boat in this water and start the motor knowing full well that their motor could be trashed. Yippee....ummmm NO. This makes no sense to me. I just needed to say this. I do hope they win the fishing tournament and I hope they bring me fish. I feeling good about not having to buy fish - and they think they do nothing for me. They are sooo wrong.  

I had a nice meal between lunch and dinner with very close friend. She would be a BFF if I were 18 and not 40;) Conversation was good as always but these meetings always remind me that we do not see each other enough. We are often to busy to get together and in turn, we have too much to say before we can part. Perhaps we need to start scheduling our monthly meetings again...hmmmm.  

Tomorrow, I should have some new pictures to post because I am taking an early morning trip to St. Augustine, the oldest city in Florida. I have been there numerous times but during the time of day when all the tourists are out and it is impossible to get many pictures without random strangers in them. So, I am going to wake up bright and early and drive up there before people are out. It is about 2 hours from here so I will leave around 6am. I intend to be back at home by noon because I have a full agenda of the "normal" stuff to do.  

I went to Barnes and Noble tonight for the first time in more than a year and of course I spent $40 on 2 photography magazines. It's all good because I haven't bought a photography book or magazine in a long time. One of the magazines had a great article on macro photography and I am thinking about pulling out the macro kit on Sunday and seeing what I can produce. I am typically middle of the road on macro. I do not have a ring flash but I do have some lighting and therefore what I produce is usually ho hummm. Perhaps I do not have the eye for it either. I do not know but it is a good time killer on a rainy day.
 

Here are some details of my trip:
Cities: Quito, Papallacta Hot Springs, Quichua Homestay, Amazon Jungle, Banos, Cuenca, The Andes, Cayambe, Otavalo.
Explore Ecuador’s spectacular Andean interior and the Amazon lowlands. This trip includes some very special experiences, including a village homestay in the jungle and a 400-year-old hacienda. Add hot springs, colonial Cuenca and the largest handicraft market in South America and you have the trip of a lifetime.

I am most excited about this portion of the trip:  

Day 3-4 Amazon Homestay (2B,2L,2D) Descend into the Amazon jungle region in the morning. The scenery changes dramatically as we leave the mountains behind and enter the lush tropical rainforest of the Amazon. Experience life in the jungle first-hand on a homestay with a local Quichua family, and enjoy the hospitality of these wonderful people.

Day 5-6 Jungle Lodge (2B,2L,2D) Travel to our jungle lodge located on the Napo River, one of the Amazon's two major tributaries. Explore both on foot and by canoe, and learn about the natural history of the area. There is also an option for an exhilarating whitewater rafting trip on the Napo.

Day 7-8 Baños
Return to the mountains and journey to Baños, a small town nestled in the hills of the Andes. There are numerous outdoor activity options, including hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. You may also opt to relax in the town's natural hot baths.

I will post some video of this, I promise.

My Vacation

I spent all day thinking about what I would write here tonight, pathetic I know. I can think all day about a blog and actually come home and write but I cannot come home and work on my dissertation. I am making a promise to myself right now that as soon as I finish writing here, I am going to at least print my draft proposal. Ha Ha - this will be the third time in as many months that I have printed it -ah well, who knows, maybe this time will be different.

Speaking of school, I got an email today indicating the emailed copy of my driver’s license is "perfect." Go figure, it is a good thing I decided I was not going to continue the whole fax fiasco and I asked a few more questions. So, I guess I forge ahead with another quarter of school.

I promised discussion regarding my vacation so here goes. I am off to Ecuador from December 20 -Jan 5th. I found out the other day that I somehow added an extra day to my vacation request and I am not going to change it. This way, I will go back to work on the 7th and not the 6th. This will give me one day to regain my sense of reality after spending time in the jungle and sleeping in a hammock. When I get back, I will not know who I am or what it is that I do for a living. I admit, this should not be a bad thing.

I booked this trip through Gap Adventures because they are one of the few that books individuals without charging a single supplement and their prices are incredible as well as the selection. They put a group together so I will not be traveling alone. I have never used them before but the reviews for trips that they offer as well as the one that I am taking are very positive. I will try most anything once so I am hardly able to contain the anticipation. I know to some, Ecuador probably is not the most exciting adventure but I have always wanted to hike in the Amazon Rainforest and I like rugged adventures (yes they offer totally luxury trips too but that is not my style).

I am making every effort to travel light (memories of too much luggage in Russia still haunt me and that trip was 11 years ago) and plan to take only two bags, to include a carry-on and a moderately small checked bag. If the TSA did not have all the rules about what you can/cannot bring on the plane, I would take them both onboard because the carry-on will not be much bigger than a purse. I hear you laughing, I do, but it will be fine and I will have everything that I need.

The greatest travel items that I have discovered thus far are, a backpack that opens from the portion against my back to stop thieves, disposable panties (laugh if you want), and a toothbrush with a 30 day supply of toothpaste in the handle. Yes, I have turned the internet upside down looking for disposable, lightweight stuff, and speaking of lightweight, take a look at Scottevest.com. I bought the coolest jacket there with 12 interior pockets and sleeves that zip off. I also, finally, bought a waterproof cover for my camera on Ebay. Now, I anxiously await the arrival of everything.

I have figured out how I am going to transfer my pictures from my memory card to my external drive -yippee for my Asus computer. This tiny little computer will also allow me to keep all of you updated while I am in Ecuador. I have also decided to take my tiny little camera because it will do video and it will fit in my pocket for those evening events where the SLR is just overkill.

If anyone has any useful travel tips for me regarding lightweight clothing or travel accessories, I am all ears. It is my mission to leave 1/2 of what I take in the hotel room in Ecuador when I come home:)