Planning Wall

Although I drew out the plan in about 15 minutes, there were many thoughts running through my head as I did it.

Although I want to be a "planner" for a living, planning my own life has proven to be quite hard. There are so many things that just assumed. But writing a plan means that there has to be a Plan B. Quite truthfully, I haven't thought that far in advance. That means that I have to get over with plan A. Writing this down also gives you a timetable about when things should happen. It is a great opportunity to see if you are moving forward or if you are letting your fears and phobias get the best of you. I just wish that this exercise had come much earlier in my life. It would have allowed me to focus on a PARTICULAR goal. This is important because without that, you are just going thru the motions. I didn't want to wake up at 50 and say GOTDAMMIT...I hate my job and where the hell is my life. But I was well on my way because I was doing the things that I was supposed to do like go to school and get a job...Blah, blah, blah. Nobody ever tells you to find your passion and pursue it. That is the key. Anyways, enough with my babbling.

I can't find any pictures of my role models. Amazing...only two people come to mind. One is a professor at UIC! I have added her to the role model list because I admire her work. And she works sorta around the area that I see myself in.

Update: I now have two role models. Jane Jacobs (pictured top left at age 81) and Janet L. Smith.

Interviews...1 down and 1Thusday

I blogged before that reaching out to other people is hard. And it is. The thing is that reaching out only helps you now and in the future. Barbara Sher was right. In people's heart of hearts, they want to help someone achieve their goals. The thing about getting help is in the seriousness and intensity the person you are reaching out sees in you. With that said, I had my first interview today. Although the person that I interviewed is a Ph.D student, he has been out in the field. And as a Ph.D student, we were able to talk about the LARGE disconnect between what academia teaches and what occurs in practice. Basically, they are not the same.

The conversation that we had today was quite enlightening. I didn't even take notes. It was amazing that he could really center and get to the point. There are many different areas of planning. His major piece of advice to me was to: 1. Find the area that will be the most fulfilling to me. This means that I need to decide what areas I really want to see change in. I have already decided that: its Real Estate. The second thing is to find my voice. He was telling me that there is an inner battle against making actual change and going to work everyday. Of course, i could graduate and get a job as a Planner 1. In this capacity, I would be ensure that plans that were already crafted met certain regulations that are already in place. As he says, "I didn't spend all this damn money to be a glorified paper pusher".
The second portion of finding your voice is balance. The balance between speaking your mind and keeping your job. There are many interests that need to be served when planning is involved. If you speak up against the wrong interest, you may find that your services will no longer be needed. So according to Andrew J. Greenlee, the guy that I interviewed, I need to find a way to voice my opinions and try to create change and following the dictates of the people that I am hired to serve.

Another thing that we discussed is networking. Mostly, the importance of it. The beginning of the connection is just that: the beginning. These relationships that we are establishing need to be maintained. In this manner, we can gain advantages or information that will help us well after if not years after the initial connection. (because maintaining the relationship will keep you on the brain for future endeavors) Because he, as everyone else says, " it is not what you know but who you know.

This was a great interview. I am sooooo happy that I did this. It will encourage me to do more in the future.

Interview...The hell is that???

I am facing it. It is quite difficult to reach out to people outside of your network. I have shot out plenty of emails most of which, appear to be unanswered. Followed all the tips that I learned in BA200:

1. Subject is a direct link to what the email is regarding.
2. Be short and concise.

Waiting has proven to be torture. Can't give up because this is my future. All I can do is what I know. Everything else will have to fall into line. Hoping that my grade doesn't take a hit because I am waiting on other people.

On the other hand, I have trillions of pursuits. In the exercises where we had to list the five lives that we would like to have, one of mine is was a writer. I love to write. It especially feels good when I can see it in print. Actually, I write for an on-line hip-hop magazine. Although, in infancy, the CEO's goal is to make it a Wikipedia for Hip-Hop. The website is in the works. For now, there is just a blog until the website is up and running.

So, I guess that Barbara Sher was right. You can have more than 1 life at a time. On that note, I am published. It is nothing but a record review but you can't start at the top, right? There is also a blog that I am linking you to. Feel free to check it out and excuse the swears.

Plotting A Plan

There is no easy way to achieve a goal. Work your ass off. Being in the right place at the right time helps. Planning things to a "T". Even the best laid plans may potentially fail. That being said, I would absolutely prefer to plan versus not planning.
My ultimate dream in life is to make an indelible mark on the world around me. I think that being an Urban Planner would be the best vehicle for me. For the most part, it is interdisciplinary which means that I will be able to bring all of my other knowledge and feelings to the table. Anywho, there is not way to know when you have become an Urban Planner so I guess that my goal is just to get a degree and move from there.

EDUCATION:
Bachelor's Degree
Just about done.
Master's Degree

• Need to apply for grad school
• Need to take standardized test (GMAT)
• *not required for MUPP but required for the degree that I am seeking which is a Masters in Real Estate. This is offered through LIATAUD (business)
• Get accepted to grad school
• Ph.D (not really recommended unless your desire is to teach...not my desire!!!) Don't see it...but it could very well happen. Dr. Jackson hmmm....has a nice ring to it LOL

WORK:

• Resumes (send to potential empolyers
• Applications (apply to potential employers)
• Interviews (hopefully said potential employer hires you)
• Work!! In the field or at job of your choice (uh...I mean being an urban planner!)

MY CONTACTS:
I could have lied and put down 5 email addresses from the web of urban planners who don't have the slightest clue who I am. But not going to do that. I was not able to reach anyone. When I do, I will update this blog with that info.

I Still Love H.E.R

I swear...since I saw the movie YES MAN with Jim Carrey (I HATE GOING TO THE MOVIES!!!), I have stopped being such a F*n hermit. People aren't that bad after all. Interesting what happens when you get over the grieving process, past hurts and other foolishness. I am almost a happy camper these days.

I love music. It is a soothing agent in the world that I live. On the in-class activity, I stated that I like listening to music. I decided to follow through on this and go see a play/musical about the history of hip-hop, I Still Love H.E.R. Actually, this was supposed to happen a couple of weeks ago. Since I am of an age to remember when it was good, I was really interested in seeing what the director had to say about the subject. I was not disappointed. Clearly the director, a young guy in his late 20's, had done his homework about the origins of hip-hop. He also correctly stated that not all of it was misogynistic and woman unfriendly. Blah, blah, blah...I had a great time. the show was interactive. I was singing and dancing and the whole nine. It was cool knowing all the words to the songs they played (I grew up on most of it). The thing that bothered me was the play was set in Chicago, the title resembled closely a song that tells the story of hip-hop (written by a Chicago MC), and the song WAS NOT played. I have gone through the trouble of posting the youtube video for those who read this blog and don't know the song that I am talking about.

Assignment Four#4: Discovering Your Pesronality and Touchstone

Exercise#1: What is your Touchstone?

Dream: To be an Urban Planner
Touchstone: To make a visible and permanent mark on the world around me
Role Model: I have read about many urban planners but the only one that sticks out right now is Jane Jacobs.
Target: Have a building named after me. I know this seems pretty silly but unless you are John Stroger, you have to be a big deal or have a lot of money to get a building named after you.

Exercise#2

My personality type is ENFJ, also known as "The Givers" and "The Idealists/Teachers".
Strength of preference:
Extroverted=11%
iNtuitive= 88%
Feeling= 25%
Judging= 67%
Popular and sensitive, with outstanding people skills. Externally focused, with real concern for how others think and feel. Usually dislike being alone. They see everything from the human angle, and dislike impersonal analysis. Very effective at managing people issues, and leading group discussions. Interested in serving others, and probably place the needs of others over their own needs.

According to www.keirsey.com, ENFJ's are idealists. They are best suited to be teachers. For a partial description of Keirsey's explanation of the ENFJ (idealist), click here.
The portrait of an ENFJ can be found here.
The personal growth section for ENFJ's can be found here.
For a listing of ideal careers for the ENFJ, click here.
What Joe But had to say about ENFJ's, click here.

I have found that the description of the ENFJ seems to be dead on for me. I just find it troubling that one of those personality tests has nailed me. Didn't think that it would be that easy to put me in a box. I was raised by a giver so I always knew that I was that. I really don't like when people remind me about the things that I have done for them. That is annoying because I don't give to get things in return. However, I believed I was more realistic than idealistic. According to the description, that was not true. Don't know how to process that information. This road to self-discovery will undoubtedly uncover more falsehoods that I have fed to myself.

Chocolat

This movie is something that I never would have watched had it not been for class. I was so moved by it, I went and bought it. There are many themes in this movie that you can not glean from one time through.
A few of the elements that stood out in my eyes.
The Outcast: Not only was she not liked by the mayor but the townspeople also. It seems that for a while the only people that would speak to her in more than passing were sort of outcasts themselves. One was a woman who refused to accept that she was dying. She decided that she would do what she damn well pleased until it was her time to go. The other was a woman who willingly broke the vows of her marriage after she was broken several times, physically and mentally.
Through all of this, she was the agent of change that brought the town joy and broke them out of the boredom of routine.

The Iron-Fisted Leader: This man would stop at nothing to exert his authority. He was even writing the sermons for the minister. It is a shame that he couldn't use his powers for good. Clearly he was a disciplined, man on a mission. If you give a missile direction, it is deadly.

The Old Faithful: These are the towns people that bought into the myth preached by the mayor. They were strictly business as usual. They were not into things that disrupted the fabric of the existence that they had created for themselves. Surely, the mayor wasn't the only person that was fully on board with the way that the town was run or there would have been revolts.

The Damsel in Distress: She clearly needs to be freed from a prison from which she thought there was no escape. She followed all of the rules and hated it with every ounce of her being. She did it because she didn't have confidence enough in herself to know that she had options. Along comes a free-spirited stranger selling chocolates that would empower her to break free from the jail that was her marriage.