One of my biggest regrets in life was not having completed my college degree. One day, I saw a picture in the paper of a 90-year old woman with her cap and gown on. I thought to myself how happy she looked and how proud her family was. That was the day I decided to finish my degree in psychology. I am 57 years old and almost done. Granite State College has offered amazing classes with very good instructors. I work full time and live a bit away from the campuses so the online courses were the way to go for me.
PS. The very best part...my daughters are SO proud of me.
- Laura
After years of dead-end jobs, I decided to get my degree so that I could advance and do something that I loved. Granite State College has given my that opportunity. I am almost done with my degree in psychology with a minor in business. I have done all my coursework online and have absolutely loved every minute of it. The instructors have been the best, as have been my fellow students. Next in store for me is my master's degree in project management, of course to be done here at good ol' GSC!!
- Jay
I started taking classes at Granite State College last year as I am working towards my B.S. in Psychology. I have taken courses at 3 other colleges and I have never felt so welcomed and supported in any other school system as I have here at GSC. From the day that I registered I knew that GSC was the right place for me. The staff is incredibly helpful and the teachers are truly there to help you suceed. I am treated like a individual here, and not just another student. The admin staff helps in any way that they can and are so kind while doing it. It feels so wonderful to be doing well in my studies and I thank GSC for that! My sucess and happiness at GSC has spread to some of my friends who now are attending GSC and feel just as supported and pleased with the intire experience here. Thank you GSC!
- Rebecca
I just signed up for a class this Spring term to help me move closer in obtaining my undergraduate degree in psychology from Granite State College. I enrolled in ENG 508: Media and Its Messages. I was so pumped when I got the syllabus because of the type of learning I was about to delve into. This is not one of your old school monotone instructors who ask you to read 100 pages and write a response every week. No! This is another course where I get to be in control of my learning, to put things that are happening in everyday life and turn them into great learning experiences! As a mother of a two year old I do not get to watch much TV, let alone find out what is going on in the world around me. If it doesn’t come from Elmo or Barney, then I don’t have a clue! I think most working mothers can relate to me here! Between running around doing errands, cooking for my family, and changing diapers, I admit (ashamedly so) that I do not pay attention to current events in the news. I don’t even know what the weather is going to be like until I step outside! I know it sounds awful, but it’s the life most of us busy mothers live. In this class I am not only using modern media decipher what is happening around me in a “buyer beware” sort of attitude. But I am also teaching myself to slow down and really take a look at what is going on around me in the world. Many of these things that are happening on the news are going to greatly affect my life, like current politics. I think this class is going to help me in more ways that just academics. I am going to become a more well-rounded and well-read person because I will not only know how to look and decipher what is being tossed my way in the media and news outlets, but I will also know how to take the time to give myself that opportunity. I think that is definitely something a book and tests cannot teach you.
There are some really cool things that Granite State College provides there students with to help them succeed. One huge helper is my WebROCK portal. I log into that and I have access to so much more! I can change my name and adress if I move or get married, I can check my grades, and my financial aid. This year I even get to take control over my financial aid package through WebROCK. The coolest thing for me to be able to do in WebROCK is too keep tabs on my degree! I can see what courses I have taken, what courses need to be taken and all of my course options all laid out in front of me! I don't have to call and ask someone else what they think I should do. After all, this is my degree! If I am smart enough to get through the classes then I think I am smart enough to choose them. Besides, I have a specific mind of where I want to go. I want to be a child psychologist someday, so for my electives I want to choose classes that would make sense for my studies. I know when I am through with my undergraduate psychology degree I am going to be 100% satisfied because I chose the classes I wanted based on what interested me. I have to say that my favorite feature on WebROCK is the "What if Analysis". Let's say I get bored with psychology and want a BS Health Care Management. All I have to do is click a few buttons and the screen will show me what courses would transfer into the new degree program and what courses I would have left to take! Is that not the coolest thing ever? No more wasting money bouncing from program to prgram. I can try it out for free to see if it "fits"!
In order to get one step closer to my undergraduate psychology degree I recently took the Intro to Ethics course online, and man, what an excellent course! I originally took it because I am a very passionate and opinionated person and thought I would do well in the course. Little did I know I was going to walk away from the class with an even broader span of understanding of humanity. The things I learned throughout the course were not only interesting, but relatable to real life events. To see politics in a different light and to see why other people think the way they do. The instructor was super nice and very effective at teaching. He really took a different approach, and that is what I love most about Granite State College. They do not hire instructors who “preach” to you. That say read chapters so and so and take a test. They really get you to think, to associate your life with the materials. You become more of an educated person intellect and character becomes more three dimensional. I think the most eye opening resource you can look at is the Horace Miner’s “Body Ritual among the Nacirema Tribe” here- http://www.ohio.edu/people/thompsoc/Body.html. While you read the story, keep in the forethought of your mind all of the judgment’s you may be passing on this tribe’s people and their rituals. If you find this interesting, then you should really check out the intro to ethics course! And this course is not just limited to fullfilling requirements for just the Bachelor of Science in Psychology, but also in many other degree programs here as well, both online and in class! Take a look at the most recent course offerings and I promise you, you will not be disappointed!!
Have you ever wondered if a college education was a good idea? Have you debated with yourself about going back to school, spending all that money to find out things you already know? Have friends told you there is no purpose in going to college?
Well, think for a minute about what you want to be doing 5, 10 even 20 years from now. Do you want to be doing the same thing you are doing now? Are you up to date with the latest technology for your field? Well a college education can help you to change careers or get up to date with the technological advances in your field. Recently I spoke to someone who started college right out of high school but then stopped. He works in the landscaping field. He wishes he knew something about running a business so he could work for himself. I suggested college courses and he said no way was he going to sit around in a classroom. Then I suggested on line courses. You can take them when your schedule allows it. You can take the courses you need for your career, or you can put together a program of classes for a particular degree. He is considering the idea and maybe you should too!
Did you know that Granite State College offers many different kinds of degree programs? They have on line and face to face courses to meet your needs. Maybe you want Special Education Teacher certification after being a paraprofessional for many years. Maybe you are thinking of an undergraduate psychology degree, or a health care management program. Consider the options and consider that things are changing so fast in our society, that without training, it will be hard for anyone to be prepared for a career, even 5 years from now. Don't be left behind. Think about your reason for a college education.
The effects of alcohol on the brain are always interesting, challenging, and worth studying, as well as sometimes scary, sad and aggravating. And my students at Granite State College love examining the subject. Alcohol strongly impacts the lives of many, and for everyone, studying about it adds to their learning about something that ultimately affects most in some way. And maybe it will have an impact on them in the future, so it's good to have that knowledge in your back pocket!
In our Introduction to Psychology courses at Granite State College, we examine alcohol's effects on consciousness. It's always interesting for my students to learn about the effects on the brain of alcohol and other potentially addictive substances. And of course, not everyone becomes addicted. Yet there are still some effects to examine.
My students learn about how those "filters" of consciousness get erased...for example, how alcohol relaxes anxiety-based responses - like what happens if you're kind of nervous about going to a party so you think it's helpful for you to have a couple of beers or glasses of wine to "relax"? Is it a good idea to do that? How does it work? And what about how you may say and or do things you're less likely to do if alcohol weren't a part of the picture, and how the brain's neurotransmitters respond?
Ah, "neurotransmitters" sounds like such a technical word doesn't it? But we learn the basics of how those little guys work in that great Introduction to Psychology course, and it's more interesting than terrifying! My students - both adults who are returning to college and all students who are just hoping to increase their knowledge - are always fascinated by this topic.
Here's some information about how you can take this and other psychology courses at Granite State College http://www.granite.edu/academics/degrees/bachelor/psychology.php
So here's a little about the study I described in the title of this article. First a little background: Alcohol is known to break down those little internal barriers...the ones that say, "Yikes! I'd better not say or do that!"
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-racial-stereotyping-exposed-alcohol-related-images.html
So, if you were in my class, we'd discuss how alcohol was found to make people more likely to express any "racial bias" they'd been trying to cover up. What does that say about what's really going on in peoples' brains?
You can join us in an online class or for a regular classroom experience. Let's see if we can figure this one out!
I was horrified to read that an annual Easter egg hunt in Colorado Springs has been canceled this year. Was it because the kiddies misbehaved? Was there some egg-throwing that got out of hand? Well, not exactly. Apparently, it's the parents whose behavior was out of hand.
"Too many parents determined to see their children get an egg jumped a rope marking the boundaries of the children-only hunt at Bancroft Park last year. The hunt was over in seconds, to the consternation of eggless tots and the rules-abiding parents.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/53794462-68/parents-hunt-egg-easter.html.csp
Recently, the news has been filled with stories of "helicopter parents" - those parents who hover above their children and are a tad, shall we say, "overinvolved" in their kids' lives. Those are the parents who demand that teachers recognize how special their child is. (Aren't all children special?) They argue with teachers if their child doesn't get the high grade they'd hoped for and make such a habit of speaking for their children that their children may get tongue-tied when expected to speak for themselves.
Actually, the children sometimes become so unable to do anything for themselves that Mommy or Daddy may end up doing the homework, the science project, and even write college papers! Happily, I haven't seen that at Granite State College, but I know it happens.
What I do wish is that these clueless parents would take a course in Child Psychology. (We have them at Granite State College - both in the classroom and online...that's my plug for our wonderful college.) Often, at the end of that course, my students say they wish their parents had had a course like that, and they might have been raised differently! Many of our students are adult learners and people who have returned to school for a college degree. But we do have a philosophy that the ideal target audience is a "lifelong learner." So that should include everyone!
It's easy to express dismay over how "different things are now." One thing that does give some strength to that argument is that parents are having fewer children than ever before. Might that make a difference in how involved parents are? Parents may have more time to be involved in their childrens' lives. But there's another factor to consider: Both parents are likely to be working now, so that cuts down on how much time both parents have to devote to "helicoptering" their children's lives.
These are the interesting kinds of things you can learn in a course on Child Growth and Development or Human Development at Granite State College.
So you are thinking about getting a degree on line? Well, as a professor of an on line course I have to ask you a few questions first. Are you motivated to get things done on your own? Are you comfortable manipulating your computer? Do you enjoy reading and writing on line? If you can answer positively to each of those questions then go for an online degree at Granite State College. There are so many on line courses to choose from, such as courses in Early Childhood Education or Project management college courses, or even courses in health care and psychology. But not just anyone can successfully manage on line courses. If you hate being on the computer then an on line course will frustrate you. If you have trouble motivating yourself to do your work without someone standing over you then the on line course is not a good idea. On line education can be an awesome experience if you are willing to take the responsibility. So be honest with yourself. We all have different learning styles. If your style is as an independent learner then you will love on line education. Check out the Granite State on line list of courses to find the perfect ones for you.
One of the most valuable things I got out of attending classes at Granite State College was from my fellow class mates. They ranged widely in age and background from me and each other. At both my night college classes and my weekend college classes, I was surrounded by a plethora of experience, knowledge, and unique perspectives in addition to what the instructor also offered.
I was able to give peer feedback to a lively, aspiring writer in his 60's who extended his own constructive feedback to me with grace, compassion, and wisdom attained from his life's journey as a middle school teacher, father, husband, and grandfather. I was given the opportunity to support a recent high school graduate majoring in Psychology who was even more scared and unsure about college life than I was. And I found support, myself, from others like me-- tired, single moms working hard all day long before attending part time evening college classes.
I remember sitting in the classrooms and looking around me and being very grateful for this exposure to people from all these different walks of life. And these people were still basically aiming for the same goal I was-- a quality education to fulfill my love for lifelong learning and the golden bonus of a continuing education degree at the end of it all as a New Hampshire graduate. Even though we were vastly different from each other we also had at least that one fundamental dream in common. And I stopped regretting not being able to go to college straight out of high school as I once envisioned, because I wouldn't have been able to experience all of those wonderful voices, young and old, that were only available to me through adult education courses at Granite State College.
I was able to give peer feedback to a lively, aspiring writer in his 60's who extended his own constructive feedback to me with grace, compassion, and wisdom attained from his life's journey as a middle school teacher, father, husband, and grandfather. I was given the opportunity to support a recent high school graduate majoring in Psychology who was even more scared and unsure about college life than I was. And I found support, myself, from others like me-- tired, single moms working hard all day long before attending part time evening college classes.
I remember sitting in the classrooms and looking around me and being very grateful for this exposure to people from all these different walks of life. And these people were still basically aiming for the same goal I was-- a quality education to fulfill my love for lifelong learning and the golden bonus of a continuing education degree at the end of it all as a New Hampshire graduate. Even though we were vastly different from each other we also had at least that one fundamental dream in common. And I stopped regretting not being able to go to college straight out of high school as I once envisioned, because I wouldn't have been able to experience all of those wonderful voices, young and old, that were only available to me through adult education courses at Granite State College.
Tonight in my Human Development Psychology course, we made masks of our faces. It was an amazing experience.
One of the things I love about Granite State College is that I can always learn something out of every experience I have there. Tonight was a great trust, as well as learning experience, that we got to do hands-on with our classmates.
I really enjoy this class, I can't wait to see how everyone decorates their mask!!! Classes like tonight's class make me so happy that I'm a college student and I know Granite State College is the place for me :)
One of the things I love about Granite State College is that I can always learn something out of every experience I have there. Tonight was a great trust, as well as learning experience, that we got to do hands-on with our classmates.
I really enjoy this class, I can't wait to see how everyone decorates their mask!!! Classes like tonight's class make me so happy that I'm a college student and I know Granite State College is the place for me :)
It's been a year since I received my associates in general studies from Granite State College. I can't believe the year has gone by so fast. After taking some time off, I'm ready to get back in the saddle again and dive back into my education. I'm currently enrolled in a Literature and Ideas course, and a Psychology course at the Conway NH college campus. Although it's a bit hard getting used to doing homework again, I'm learning some really great things. Not only just about the courses I'm taking, but about the world around me.
I'm really looking forward to some neat projects coming up in the next few weeks in my adult college classes that will help give me good hands on experience of what I'm learning, and how to apply it to my life. I can't wait to see what this semester has in store for me :)
I'm really looking forward to some neat projects coming up in the next few weeks in my adult college classes that will help give me good hands on experience of what I'm learning, and how to apply it to my life. I can't wait to see what this semester has in store for me :)
Who is the happiest person in America? Well, according to the demographics set up by Gallup polls, here's the description:
When you take one of the many psychology courses at Granite State College, you'll learn about all of this stuff and more!
A tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year.
The New York Times recently had an article about this poll. Here's the article.
The New York Times recently had an article about this poll. Here's the article.
The fun thing about this article was that it broke down the happy and not-so-happy areas across the United States. So it showed that people in Hawaii, North Dakota and Wyoming were the happiest, overall. Here's the breakdown by state.
And here's information about people in the least happy states: They're in W. Virginia, Kentucky, much of Ohio (where I'm from!) lots of Arkansas, Arizona and Mississippi. Trying to figure out what it is about living in these states that makes for unhappy people is a thought-provoking conundrum.
That made me start thinking about what makes a person happy. In psychology, there's a new branch of interest called "positive psychology." In psychology, we're always examining things like why people do what they do, why people feel the way they do, and what makes people tick. And in studying positive psychology, we try to figure out how you can make yourself happier!
That made me start thinking about what makes a person happy. In psychology, there's a new branch of interest called "positive psychology." In psychology, we're always examining things like why people do what they do, why people feel the way they do, and what makes people tick. And in studying positive psychology, we try to figure out how you can make yourself happier!
When you take one of the many psychology courses at Granite State College, you'll learn about all of this stuff and more!
What might make you happy? Getting a college degree is a goal for a lot of people. If it's the one for you, check us out.
Unless you've only been reading about Snooki lately, you have probably heard about the infamous "Tiger Mom." She's Amy Chua, and she wrote a book called, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, which has people talking all over the country about parenting. She claims that there's a reason for the sterotype of "Chinese kids" being successful. She says that Chinese moms drive their kids and get results. And talking about parenting - how to do it, how it's done now, how it was done in earlier days, and how it's done in other cultres - is something we discuss a lot in my Human Development and Child Growth and Development classes atGranite State College.
As Amy writes in a Wall Street Journal article , "Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:
• attend a sleepover
• have a playdate
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin."
Interestingly, as I write this, there are 7,878 responses to this article.
Whew! So what's going on? Ideas about parenting are always interesting to consider. Do you think your parents were too strict? Were they harder on you than on your younger siblings? And do parents from other cultures raise their children differently than parents in your culture?
In our psychology classes, we especially love to discuss cultural differences. Take a look at the courses we offer at Granite State College, and you can decide later how your mother will feel about your choice!
"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." --African proverb.
I recently saw the above quote from my Granite State College Social Psychology textbook, "Social Psychology" by David G. Myers. There is something about this quote that really seems to resonate with me.
For many years, I believed that working hard would alone get me to the goals and ambitions that I had hoped for in my life. In many ways that is true, because without hard work, I probably wouldn't have gotten far. My choices were very much "I" choices and what "I" would do by my own steam. How much more fulfilling it has been to expand and be active in my community, being a volunteer in several organizations, and to continue my education. I find that college life has expanded my knowledge in many areas, has helped me to "think outside of the box," and has that advantage of being surrounded by many like-minded people who enjoy their degree choices. For me, that degree choice is a bachelor's in Behavioral Science. Granite State College's online adult learning courses has been my primary method of "attending" classes and has really proven to be much more fulfilling than I could have imagined. I'm on class discussion boards almost as much I'm on Facebook! :)
I also find that being in a course at Granite State College doesn't mean that I "go it alone," since there are so many helpful people that I meet up with as I pursue my educational ambitions. I will be continuing on to graduate studies after I complete my bachelor's in Behavioral Science in June. I've put in a lot of individual work that will help me to go quickly, but the quality of the journey is from working with others at Granite State College that has made all of the difference as to how far I will go.
Trying checking out some of the courses that are available at Granite State College and you'll see that together we'll go far!
I recently saw the above quote from my Granite State College Social Psychology textbook, "Social Psychology" by David G. Myers. There is something about this quote that really seems to resonate with me.
For many years, I believed that working hard would alone get me to the goals and ambitions that I had hoped for in my life. In many ways that is true, because without hard work, I probably wouldn't have gotten far. My choices were very much "I" choices and what "I" would do by my own steam. How much more fulfilling it has been to expand and be active in my community, being a volunteer in several organizations, and to continue my education. I find that college life has expanded my knowledge in many areas, has helped me to "think outside of the box," and has that advantage of being surrounded by many like-minded people who enjoy their degree choices. For me, that degree choice is a bachelor's in Behavioral Science. Granite State College's online adult learning courses has been my primary method of "attending" classes and has really proven to be much more fulfilling than I could have imagined. I'm on class discussion boards almost as much I'm on Facebook! :)
I also find that being in a course at Granite State College doesn't mean that I "go it alone," since there are so many helpful people that I meet up with as I pursue my educational ambitions. I will be continuing on to graduate studies after I complete my bachelor's in Behavioral Science in June. I've put in a lot of individual work that will help me to go quickly, but the quality of the journey is from working with others at Granite State College that has made all of the difference as to how far I will go.
Trying checking out some of the courses that are available at Granite State College and you'll see that together we'll go far!
I'm reading an interesting article about blogging in a New York Times Magazine article, entitled "Mommy-Bloggest." (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/magazine/27armstrong-t.html)
Talk about inspiration! She typically has 100,000 visitors to her site, Dooce.com, "where she writes about her kids, her husband, her pets, her treatment for depression and her life as a liberal ex-Mormon living in Utah." Oh, and her site brings in an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 a month or more.
I don't know how many visitors I get to my blogging site for Granite State College, but while I promise I won't be writing about my recalcitrant Maytag washer or the exciting act of changing my newest granddaughter's diaper, I do hope I get across how exciting and challenging it is to teach at Granite State College though.
My students are always introducing me to new ways of looking at things. (I used to think that was my job, but now I understand how these things work both ways!)
In my online social psychology class, we've been discussing the concept of "group influence." Ah! Bullying and cliques! There are two relevant concepts. For several days students recounted the usually painful stories of bullying in school and cliques in middle and high school. Then one of the students pointed out that there are all kinds of cliques. Even being in an online class is a clique. Good point! And I suspect that those of us in this online class feel we're the Cool Kids.
If only it were that easy to raise your self-esteem! But one thing I've heard over and over from students when they get their diplomas: They're so proud of themselves and so glad they took that first step and tried their first class.
So of course, I have my fingers crossed that my blogs, though they don't seem to be bringing in those mega-thousands that Heather Hamilton is accruing, will get out the message that you can change your life by getting a college education. And you can do it all online (at least at Granite State College you can!). And of course, you can also become a Cool Kid.
Talk about inspiration! She typically has 100,000 visitors to her site, Dooce.com, "where she writes about her kids, her husband, her pets, her treatment for depression and her life as a liberal ex-Mormon living in Utah." Oh, and her site brings in an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 a month or more.
I don't know how many visitors I get to my blogging site for Granite State College, but while I promise I won't be writing about my recalcitrant Maytag washer or the exciting act of changing my newest granddaughter's diaper, I do hope I get across how exciting and challenging it is to teach at Granite State College though.
My students are always introducing me to new ways of looking at things. (I used to think that was my job, but now I understand how these things work both ways!)
In my online social psychology class, we've been discussing the concept of "group influence." Ah! Bullying and cliques! There are two relevant concepts. For several days students recounted the usually painful stories of bullying in school and cliques in middle and high school. Then one of the students pointed out that there are all kinds of cliques. Even being in an online class is a clique. Good point! And I suspect that those of us in this online class feel we're the Cool Kids.
If only it were that easy to raise your self-esteem! But one thing I've heard over and over from students when they get their diplomas: They're so proud of themselves and so glad they took that first step and tried their first class.
So of course, I have my fingers crossed that my blogs, though they don't seem to be bringing in those mega-thousands that Heather Hamilton is accruing, will get out the message that you can change your life by getting a college education. And you can do it all online (at least at Granite State College you can!). And of course, you can also become a Cool Kid.
Awhile ago, I taught a course at Plymouth State University in a business-type field called "Industrial/Organizational Psychology." It was an interesting change for me, since most of my courses at Granite State College are in the area of Introduction to Psychology, Human Development, Social Psychology and Abnormal Psychology.
One of the things that is examined in Industrial/Organizational Psychology is how to improve customer relations. You can probably think of a few: things like offering the best product you know how to produce, having someone listen to customers' complaints (and not just an answering machine)...well, you get the idea.
Recently when I ordered a CD from a small online company, I got the following email response. (I guarantee you that they didn't pay me to write about them...and they don't even know I'm writing this!) I thought it was not only fun and clever, but also a great example of trying to encourage a positive relationship with a customer. Now there's an example of what we examine in social psychology - what it takes to create a positive relationship between people! And while many people decry the loss of social relationships as a result of only connecting with people through computers, I think this is a great example of how even an anonymous company can make you feel that they're human and that they recognize you are too. (And that they're pretty fun.)
So here's the email response I got. Prepare to chuckle:
"Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, January 23, 2011.
We hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. In commemoration, we have placed your picture on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!"
One of the things that is examined in Industrial/Organizational Psychology is how to improve customer relations. You can probably think of a few: things like offering the best product you know how to produce, having someone listen to customers' complaints (and not just an answering machine)...well, you get the idea.
Recently when I ordered a CD from a small online company, I got the following email response. (I guarantee you that they didn't pay me to write about them...and they don't even know I'm writing this!) I thought it was not only fun and clever, but also a great example of trying to encourage a positive relationship with a customer. Now there's an example of what we examine in social psychology - what it takes to create a positive relationship between people! And while many people decry the loss of social relationships as a result of only connecting with people through computers, I think this is a great example of how even an anonymous company can make you feel that they're human and that they recognize you are too. (And that they're pretty fun.)
So here's the email response I got. Prepare to chuckle:
"Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, January 23, 2011.
We hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. In commemoration, we have placed your picture on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!"
Discussing gender differences is always fun - and of course, challenging, and we do a lot of it in my adult online college psychology classes at Granite State College. We also discuss other interesting variations in humans - size (taller people, for example, fare better, sadly, in some instances like hiring, presidential elections, etc.), geographical location (where you live and grow up can influence your behavior), SES (a very complex idea - the initials stand for "socioeconomic status"), and of course, racial characteristics.
This latter is, as you can imagine, a topic that's near and dear to the hearts of psychologists as we research every imaginable concept, with some fascinating findings that relate to prejudice, an interesting idea called "outgroup homogeneity bias" (people in any racial group tend to have a hard time differentiating people in other racial groups: "They all look alike, but we all look distinctive") and other areas that pertain to that questionable and artificial attempt to distinguish people by their race.
I remember I had a young female student when I taught at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the 1990's. She was from Taiwan, and said that when she first came to America, she had a hard time telling Americans apart. Other students were stunned: "But Americans look so different: different color hair, different facial characteristics...." She could understand what her fellow students were saying, but she said that, particularly with regard to the women, she just thought "they were all beautiful. But I couldn't tell them apart."
My grandson, who lives in Kansas, had his own solution to racial distinctions. (Just to give some background, his mother is "white" and his father is Salvadoran.) He's five, and came home from kindergarten discussing a "black boy" in his class. His mother, ever the sensitive person, said there was no need to refer to a child by the color of his skin. He asked how he should describe the other child. His mom said, "Well, just because his skin is a different color, you don't need to say that. Just use his name." He seemed to mull this over, and after a couple of days, he said, "Mom, you know how I shouldn't call a kid 'black'? Well, I just figured out what I should call him: 'A kid whose skin is a different color.' " Our daughter wasn't exactly thrilled with that distinction, so she pointed out that if skin color seemed so important, "How would you describe Daddy?" "Hmmmm..." said the budding diplomat. "I dunno."
I guess one social solution per day is all that a five-year-old can handle.
This latter is, as you can imagine, a topic that's near and dear to the hearts of psychologists as we research every imaginable concept, with some fascinating findings that relate to prejudice, an interesting idea called "outgroup homogeneity bias" (people in any racial group tend to have a hard time differentiating people in other racial groups: "They all look alike, but we all look distinctive") and other areas that pertain to that questionable and artificial attempt to distinguish people by their race.
I remember I had a young female student when I taught at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the 1990's. She was from Taiwan, and said that when she first came to America, she had a hard time telling Americans apart. Other students were stunned: "But Americans look so different: different color hair, different facial characteristics...." She could understand what her fellow students were saying, but she said that, particularly with regard to the women, she just thought "they were all beautiful. But I couldn't tell them apart."
My grandson, who lives in Kansas, had his own solution to racial distinctions. (Just to give some background, his mother is "white" and his father is Salvadoran.) He's five, and came home from kindergarten discussing a "black boy" in his class. His mother, ever the sensitive person, said there was no need to refer to a child by the color of his skin. He asked how he should describe the other child. His mom said, "Well, just because his skin is a different color, you don't need to say that. Just use his name." He seemed to mull this over, and after a couple of days, he said, "Mom, you know how I shouldn't call a kid 'black'? Well, I just figured out what I should call him: 'A kid whose skin is a different color.' " Our daughter wasn't exactly thrilled with that distinction, so she pointed out that if skin color seemed so important, "How would you describe Daddy?" "Hmmmm..." said the budding diplomat. "I dunno."
I guess one social solution per day is all that a five-year-old can handle.
"No worries." I love that expression. Two of our daughters spent semesters in Australia back in the 90's, and both came back with that expression. Now it seems like you hear it a lot. (What a nice import!)
It's interesting that we often think of a vacation as a time of "no worries." Yet, our vacations often bring out our own worries, anxieties, stress points, etc., so they sometimes fall short of our pre-vacation dreams. We study the topic of stress a lot in our psychology courses at Granite State College...
Just for fun, I did some research to find out different expressions (and in different languages) that essentially mean "no worries." Here are a few: in French, "Sans Souci"; in Italian: nessuna preoccupazione (I love that one...sounds like "nothing to preoccupy"!); in German, keine Sorgen; in Spanish, no so preocupe.
Okay, I cheated, here's an amazing website that translated that phrase into 24 languages: http://www.howtosayin.com/no+worries.html
At our house, we have a mosaic that I had made for my husband's birthday one year by Matthew Fallon, a wonderful artist who also made a beautiful stained glass panel for the Chelmsford Public Library, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. (Matthew's two sisters used to babysit for our children.) Here's the panel in Chelmsford's library, which shows a wonderful pictorial history of Chelmsford, where our family lived for 24 years:
And here's the mosaic Matthew made for us:
The Latin translates loosely to, "Leave your troubles at the door." Sort of a Latin take on "no worries"!
So, geen zorgen. (That's Dutch. I like that one!) Oh, and you can even take courses in American Sign Language at our Claremont campus.
It's interesting that we often think of a vacation as a time of "no worries." Yet, our vacations often bring out our own worries, anxieties, stress points, etc., so they sometimes fall short of our pre-vacation dreams. We study the topic of stress a lot in our psychology courses at Granite State College...
Just for fun, I did some research to find out different expressions (and in different languages) that essentially mean "no worries." Here are a few: in French, "Sans Souci"; in Italian: nessuna preoccupazione (I love that one...sounds like "nothing to preoccupy"!); in German, keine Sorgen; in Spanish, no so preocupe.
Okay, I cheated, here's an amazing website that translated that phrase into 24 languages: http://www.howtosayin.com/no+worries.html
At our house, we have a mosaic that I had made for my husband's birthday one year by Matthew Fallon, a wonderful artist who also made a beautiful stained glass panel for the Chelmsford Public Library, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. (Matthew's two sisters used to babysit for our children.) Here's the panel in Chelmsford's library, which shows a wonderful pictorial history of Chelmsford, where our family lived for 24 years:
And here's the mosaic Matthew made for us:
The Latin translates loosely to, "Leave your troubles at the door." Sort of a Latin take on "no worries"!
So, geen zorgen. (That's Dutch. I like that one!) Oh, and you can even take courses in American Sign Language at our Claremont campus.
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