Each year at work we hold a diversity dinner. It’s a twist on the traditional turkey and potatoes meal that many companies offer their employees. At ours, we include dishes common in other cultures such as lasagna, pirogi, or samosa. While our Christmas party is a ticketed evening event that not everyone chooses to attend, the diversity dinner is a free meal that is catered in our lunchroom.

The meal may be catered, but the setup and clean up is completed by employee volunteers. Some stayed late or worked through lunch to get the decorations in order. Some came into work crazy early to help setup. Others stayed for hours after their shifts ended in order to help clean up the mess. Feeding 400 people over two three hour shifts makes for messy dishes, tables and floors.

I was originally scheduled to work the clean up shift at the end of the day alone. It’s a shift I’m used to volunteering to cover and working alone – since many people want to get home to their families in the evening and prefer to work earlier in the day – but for a meal this large, it’s a shift I was dreading. It takes about an hour to clean up after a free coffee and donuts session. I knew it would take many more hours to finish up after a full blown meal.

This is where my wonderful co-workers rode to the rescue. Boo slept in and instead of beginning her work day at 0 dark 30 arrived later in the afternoon so she could help me with cleaning duties. She’s the best pot washer I know! Mike helped move tables and carry the heavy boxes while Trevor helped clean up, carry and un-decorate. With their help, we’d finished washing, cleaning and putting away in only 2 hours. Without them I’d likely still be up to my elbows in dish water.

The best thing about the meal? We ordered enough food to feed all 500+ employees but not everyone worked today. Anyone with the day off was informed and invited to partake but not everyone wants to come to work on their day off. All of the extra food that was prepared by the caterers, but not served, was delivered by the catering company to a local homeless shelter/soup kitchen. At this moment, I’m really proud of the company I work for and their commitment to making a difference in the community in which we work and live.

Technorati Tags: diversity, meals, cleaning, dishes

Today should be my last split update. I finished off The Last Juror last night and am ready to move on to A Time to Kill. I must say, I wasn’t expecting the ending, but in hindsight I should have known it was coming. There was enough foreshadowing of the event that anyone who’d been paying closer attention probably wouldn’t have been as surprised.

I’ve also finished off Mager’s Preparing Instructional Objectives. It was a quick read and I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a quick review of how to develop effective instructional objectives.

I got notice from Chapters that Pedagogy of the Oppressed and The Non-Designers Design Book both shipped today.

I expect they’ll arrive just after Christmas.

Technorati Tags: shelfari, read-a-ton, john grisham, robert mager

Today I have another split update. I didn’t get very far with The Last Juror last night – only to page 380 – but I do expect to finish it tonight before bed.

I’ve also got another 50 or so pages left in Mager’s Preparing Instructional Objectives. I’ve been so impressed that I’ve been telling all my co-workers what a great (and fun) read this book has been. I’m really looking forward to reading his other books.

I was the weekly random winner in Zoe’s Read-a-ton contest and am eagerly awaiting my prize – a Christmas themed header for my blog. I’ve added some new books to my shelf on Shelfari and will be moving all completed (read) books to my reading list. I picked up two more John Grisham’s to read this week – A Time to Kill and The Runaway Jury – and ordered some books I’ve had my eye on at Chapters.ca for a while. Christmas season is the time of gift cards and new textbooks *yippee*. Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Robin Williams’ Non-Designers Design Book. Since I took the free shipping option, these books probably won’t arrive until after Christmas.

In the meantime, once I’m done with the John Grisham I’ll have to fall back on the books I’d originally planned to read during the contest period.

Technorati Tags: shelfari, read-a-ton, john grisham, robert mager, paulo freire, robin williams

Welcome to the 9th edition of the screaming pages Thursday Thirteen.

I couldn’t live without my iPod mini when I travel. We don’t have a stereo at home so the external iPod speakers get a lot of use lately. This week I’m finding I’m listening to the same songs over and over again. I guess you could say that sometimes I get songs stuck in my head because I’ve banged them in with a hammer…

Thirteen Things about SHE. Songs wearing out my iPod. Evanescence – Bring Me to Life Sacre – Mad World Matchbox Twenty – Unwell Peter, Paul & Mary – Leaving on a Jet Plane Marc Cohn – Walking in Memphis Elton John – Daniel Ozzy Ozbourne – I Just Want You Anne Murray – Song for the Mira The Corries – Flower of Scotland Alanis Morissette – Uninvited The Rolling Stones – Paint it Black Sarah McLachlan – Black City of Glasgow Philharmonic Orchestra – Black Bear Salute Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Technorati Tags: thursday thirteen, t13, meme, iPod, music

GeekZenDaddy, another participant in Zoe’s Read-a-ton contest, turned me onto Shelfari. Shelfari creates a personal book shelf where you can showcase your books and share opinions of the books you read. I think I’m going to quite like using this service.

Today I have a split update. I only managed to get through another 150 pages (give or take a few) in The Last Juror last night. Luckily for me, my eyes became heavy and I started to fall asleep just as I hit the second section of the book.Â

This evening I began reading Robert Mager’s Preparing Instructional Objectives. I’ve been planning to read this for work for the past few weeks. I’m about 50% through it and I’m loving it. The book is written in a “choose your own adventure” style where your reading path is based on existing knowledge or understanding of the topic. I’ll have to admit, I’m actually reading it page-by-page this time through. I’ll take the quick route through the next time I read it.

Mager’s book is infused with a great sense of humour and fun. Page 6 has an amusing blurb advising that there’s no reason for you to be reading the page, and I’ve found my new favorite learning objective on page 21: “using a stick, beat a dead horse to oblivion”.

The only downside I’ve found to the book so far is the fact that there are occassional references to page numbers (remember: it’s choose your own path) that when you flip to the page doesn’t actually have a number on it. For example, there’s a reference to page 33 but when you get to page 33, there’s no page number. Instead, it’s the first page of chapter 3. All in all, it’s a small complaint in what I’m finding to be a great book.

Technorati Tags: shelfari, read-a-ton, john grisham, robert mager