What interested you in wanting to become a professor in psychology?

For my online class this summer, I asked the students to tell me what was most important in the syllabus, or to ask me a question.
One student wrote:  "Dr. Oja, What interested you in wanting to become a professor in psychology?"

And I said:
"Let me count the ways!

• I love psychology.
• I love helping people.
• I wanted to work with disadvantaged youth.
• I love talking.
• I don't like getting up in the mornings.
• I like that every class, every semester, is different.  Although every semester is similar, there's always a new challenge.  You can never know exactly the best way to teach."

Public Information Request

Although I like that so much information is available to the public, is sorta sucks when it's your information!

Memo from my Human Resources Office:

The District has been asked to provide information to 2 different media institutions under the California Public Records Act (Government Code, Section 6260, et. seq.).  The law requires the District to comply with these requests for data to be available to the public.  It further requires the District to disclose to its employees that requests were made, what the nature of these requests were and that it has complied.

The specific institutions and information requested are as follows:

1) The Bay Area News Group.  Salary and benefit data for each individual permanent full- and part-time employee for 2013.  The gathering of the requested information was completed and provided to The Bay Area News Group on or before Wednesday April 2, 2014.

2) TransparentCalifornia.com.  Salary and benefit data for each individual permanent full and part-time employee for 2012 and 2013.  The gathering of this information is still in process and will be provided to TransparentCalifornia.com on or before Wednesday April 2, 2014.

Both of these companies have requested to include the employee name with each specific corresponding salary and benefit information.

Cold or Allergies?

Every time my nose get stuffed up, I start to wonder if I have a cold or if my allergies have gotten worse.
This time, I was thinking it was allergies because I stopped several of my medications over the holiday break because I wasn't in the city with the worst particulate pollution in the country for a few weeks.
But now I'm back, but I haven't gone full throttle on the medications.  I wanted to see how I would do.  Turns out, not that well.  I also thought that it was allergies because my nose got more stuffed when I put my face in my cat's belly.  But her belly is so soft and cute!!!!
On the way to the gym, though, I started coughing.  That's a cold symptom, not allergies, so the case is solved.  I realized, too, that I hadn't had my Vitamin C and zinc smoothie in a few weeks, so of course I got a cold!  Tomorrow, I'll get my smoothie.  For tonight, it's herbal tea time!

Harvest Dinner 2013

My congregation had a Harvest Dinner this year.  They asked for people to adopt a table to decorate.  They said that we could pick any theme, so of course I picked Star Trek!  Here are the pictures of my table.

Auntie Day 2012 (late)

Sorry for the late Auntie Day blog!  I didn't have time during the semesters, and couldn't think of stuff to write.  So here are the pictures!  I need to get something up before tomorrow, which is Auntie Day 2013!
We didn't have a theme when we started out our day, but it became Keep Portland Weird!

Voodoo Donuts!!!

I had wanted to to check out the Portland landmark of Voodoo Donuts, and the family was happy to oblige!  I liked the cocoa puffs donut best.

Maple & Bacon

They told me not to touch the giant donut.  It was really hard not to!

Keep Portland Weird!

Powell's Book Store

You need a map for this book store!

Buffalo Exchange (used and vintage clothes)

Portland Food Truck!

We went to the food truck of my roommate's father.

Charmed Season 2: Victims & Villains

After I recorded who the victims were in Season 1 of the 1990's television show Charmed, I was asked to look at the victims and the villains.  Here you go!

E1:  Witch Trial
Victim:  Sisters
Villain:  Demons that they vanquished in Season 1 (White man, black cloud, White men, race-less demon man)

E2:  Morality Bites
Victim:  Sisters
Villain:  Karma?
Ha ha!  This was filmed in 1999, and they said that MTV's Real World would still be on (is it?), and that it'd be on the moon!!!
Also, this episode makes it so obvious that all witch hunts are really about misogny.

E3:  The Painted World
Victim:  Sisters
Villain:  White warlock couple (heterosexual)

E4:  The Devil's Music
Victim:  Young White women at concerts.
Villain:  Demon
A creepy, White business man also harasses Prue, not taking a "no" from her.  Either personally or professionally.

E5:  She's a Man, Baby
Victim:  White men
Villain:  White woman (succubus demon)
When Prue becomes a man, she becomes a very stereotypical man.  She suddenly cares about sports and can fix things around the house.  She also felt more "manly" after hitting another guy.  Us, essentialism.

E6: That Old Black Magic
Victim:  White and Indian male hikers, old White woman
Villain: White woman witch (but evil)
There was a silly Blair Witch reference in this episode.  Oh, the '90s!

E7:  They're Everywhere!
Victim:  Young White man
Villain:  Two White male warlocks, although one might be Middle Eastern.
OMG, Alyssa Milano  is cold a lot!  You can tell because this is the time before padded bras were common.  
E8:  P3 H2O
Victim:  Random people on a lake:  White male police officer, old, White lady, the sister's mother, who was a witch (White woman)
Villain:  Water demon

E9:  Ms Hellfire
Victim:  Witches (only saw one young, White woman)
Villain:  White male demon

E10:  Heartbreak City
Victim:  Cupid, a White man
Villain:  Hate demon, a White man

E11:  Reckless Abandon
Victim:  Men of a wealthy White family, including a baby
Villain:  White man ghost

E12:  Awakened
Victim:  Piper, then a Black woman nurse, and White guy, and they say "others"
Villain: "exotic" infection, incarnated as a ninja toy that appears to be White and male

E13:  Animal Pragmatism
Victim:  Three college women who wanted love (two White, one Asian)
A pedestrian and soccer mom were killed off-screen.  Later, a White man was killed.
Villain:  Animals turned into White men (Why would a snake automatically be of European descent?)

E14:  Pardon My Past
Victim:  Phoebe
Villain:  White male sorcerer, and Past Phoebe

E15:  Give Me a Sign
Victim:  Prue
Villain:  White guy (Antonio Sabato Jr.!) who later becomes a victim, White male demons
Also, Phoebe cast a spell related to Piper's love life when Piper specifically asked her not to.  Consent, hello?
It was supposed to be cute when Prue teases a guy about using her powers to take his pants off, but it sounds rape-y to me.

E16:  Murphy's Luck
Victim:  White woman (Amy Adams!!)
Villain:  ethnically-ambiguous male demon.
Also in this episode, Phoebe thinks that being in Psych 101 can help her talk to a suicidal woman.  Seriously?  

E17:  How To Make a Quilt Out of Americans
Victim: Sisters, two random old White men
Villain:  Three old White women (who later become victims); White male demon
This episode suggests that being old and single is the worst fate EVER, worthy of giving up your soul to change.  Ug.
Some of the dialogue is about Phoebe needing glasses.  Amazingly, she wears them for the rest of the season!

E18:  Chick Flick
Victim:  Moviegoers (mostly White)
Villain:  White male demon, but also horror film villains (White woman and man)

E19:  Ex Libris
Victim:  White women; Black woman and her father
Villain:  White guy, gray demon

E20:  Astral Monkey
Victim:  Monkeys and White, male criminals
Villain:  White male doctor, although he was also a victim

E21:  Apocalypse Not
Victim: Sisters
Villain:  The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, who all happen to be White men.

E22:  Be Careful What You Witch For
Victim:  Sisters
Villain:  White male gypsy and White male demon

The overall summary is that White men are most likely to be victims, surprisingly.  Only five victims weren't White, out of 24.  Out of the villains, they are heavily dominated by White men.  There were only six White women villains out of the 30 villains, and no female villains of color.  So, basically, this show about White sisters is really about what they do for, and to, White men.  Huh.
This count might be slightly different if I didn't include all of the random, "collateral" victims, and just looked at who was the main target.

I'm not sure that I can keep up these records during the school year, but if I can, then Season 3 will be looking at what the show is telling people through the storytelling.  For example, at this point, several men have learned of their secret, and each man has rejected them.  The show is saying that when men learn who a woman really is, and that she's powerful, that women can expect to be rejected by men.

Notes for Nephew's Visit

Instead of writing a blog that details what my nephew and I did when he visited me, here are the planning notes for the trip.  I couldn't help but add some comments, though!

July 8th-12th :)

July 8th flight:

Portland, OR (PDX): 12:45 pm

Long Beach (LGB): 3:07 pm

All by himself!  

Amtrak starting July 11th: San Luis Obispo, CA to Portland, OR - Union Station

Full Day Ideas

• Hiking
• Shooting lesson
• Kayaking: One reservation was cancelled, and one required us to get up at 5:30am, so we didn't go kayaking. :(

Afternoon/Evening Ideas

• Pool
• Game night:  10th with TJ
• Live music: 9th, 7pm, at the Crystal Palace