My Latest Obsession

My recent free-time obsession had the seeds planted a few weeks ago when I was writing a blog post about what next my professional plans were going to be. I made a reference to an episode of The West Wing and spent almost an hour on YouTube searching for a particular scene. The obsession was further fueled by a conversation with a co-worker that involved a reference to The West Wing…and then we were both talking about how much we enjoyed the show and missed it. If you haven’t figured out the obsession (obsession is actually a little strong, but that’s what I’m going with), it’s with watching The West Wing on dvd.

In Excelsis Deo Season 1 (Source)

Personally, I think TV on DVD was an incredibly smart invention. I have seasons of shows ranging from Gilmore Girls, to Will & Grace, to the short-lived Joan of Arcadia, to Glee, to The West Wing. Luckily, I have 4 out of the 7 seasons of WW on DVD and was able to satiate my thirst for the show right away. I’ve loved this show since the beginning, even though I’ll be the first to admit that my viewership dropped off a bit during parts of college. Have no fear though, I have since caught myself up on what I missed thanks to when Bravo used to show 2 episodes each morning during the week. Yeah, that needs to be brought back in my opinion.

(Source)

So, my question to you…What is your favorite show that makes you think?  WW was smart tv. It made government seem accessible to the average person. It was serious, it covered a range of topics, it was funny, and it was thoughtful. Some of my favorite actors/actresses were on this show, including: Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney (LOVE her!), Martin Sheen, and Kristen Chenowith (in the later years). While I loved all 7 seasons (okay, season 6 was a bit dry), season 2 is probably my favorite. There are so many episodes that I love.

• In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (parts 1 & 2)
• The Portland Trip
• Shibboleth
• Noel
• The Leadership Breakfast
• The Stackhouse Filibuster
• 18th and Potomac
• Two Cathedrals

This isn’t to say that I don’t have favorite episodes in other seasons. It’s just that season 2 has several favorites. I love how each episode makes me think either about the issue(s) presented in the episode or how the characters handled the issue(s). Okay…so I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the episode Noel from season 2. It is the Christmas episode for the season and centers around the character of Josh who is going through a therapy session for his PTSD issues. It’s probably the counselor in me who loves this episode, but I love the flow of story. Plus, Yo-Yo Ma is on the episode! (Get the episode on iTunes) The quote is Leo talking to Josh after his session.

This guy was walking down a street when he falls into a hole. The walls are so steep he can’t get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, “hey you, can you help me out?” The doctor writes out a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, “Father, I’m down in this hole. Can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer and throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. “Hey Joe it’s me, can you help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” The friend says, “Yeah but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.”  (Source)

What’s Next?

What’s next?

This question comes from one of my favorite shows, The West Wing. Of course, like most of my favorite shows it’s no longer airing new episodes. President Bartlett would always pose the question, “What’s next?” to signal that he was ready to move on to the next subject. There’s a particular scene from season 2 during second episode of the season (the first 2 episodes were a 2-parter titled In the Shadow of Two Gunmen) that beautifully explained this idea (it’s a flashback to Bartlett’s first campaign and he’s surrounded by new staff examining a mistake he made in not being available for live questioning with a news station…he keeps saying, “What’s next?” and has to explain why he wants to move on). I would love to have a video clip for you to click on, but after an hour of searching YouTube, I could not find it. I found scenes from that episode that came before it and after it, but not the particular scene I wanted. Oy! Anyway, I highly recommend the episode and you can find it here on iTunes.

Tangent over.

This question of “What’s next?” has been swimming around in my head for the past few months. For several years now I’ve been working towards completing my Master’s degree and starting my career as a Career Counselor. I decided to go down the career path of higher education and student affairs during the senior year of undergrad. That was roughly early 2005. So, for the past 6 years this is what I’ve been doing. I’ve been working my butt off to do well in my grad program, gain experience in a variety of areas, and secure a job. Now that I’m here, what do I work for? What bigger goal do I push myself towards? Do I choose a big goal? Or, do I pick smaller goals that aren’t as labor intensive? So many questions and no real answers that I can pinpoint at this moment.

I know this past spring I had the thought that if I were to cross a graduation stage again, it would be with a poofy hat. A doctorate degree. It’s such an overwhelming idea; especially when I start thinking about the amount of time, work, and money that would have to be invested for that degree. For now, I’m not going to worry about this. I just finished being a student and I would like to spend some time enjoying life without homework.

I think, for now, I’m going to focus on having a wonderful time working at UMD. I’m going to put my energy into being a great career counselor and helping amazing students figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. I’ve been working for the past 6 years (10 if you count the 4.5 years of undergrad that I worked in the Career Services office as a student) towards becoming a career counselor. I might as well enjoy it now that I’ve gotten here.

Maybe, the question isn’t “What’s next?” Maybe, it’s “What’s now?”

What are you striving for these days?