Reader Q&A

Today I have decided to do something a little different.  I have been receiving emails with questions from some of my readers.  I am going to answer some of those questions to the best of my ability.  Here goes.

Our first question comes from Kenneth in Iowa City, Iowa.
Kenneth writes:  I have one of the best jobs in the world!  I really enjoy the people I work with.  The problem I’m having is my boss doesn’t let me use my creativity to its fullest potential.  I know I have a lot more potential and would like to put it to use. What should I do?

Well, Kenneth, I know that the job market is somewhat bleak right now but I’m sure that, with your creative talents, you should be able to find a job elsewhere.  I strongly suggest you begin looking for a new job sometime after the beginning of the year.  I am not able to promise that any jobs will be available as I do not know what field you are in but you should still take a look.  Experience may help a lot too.  If you’ve held your position for, let’s say, 10 or 11 years you should have very little problem moving on.  Good luck in your search!

 Jim from Keokuk, Iowa writes:  Hi.  I’m in the second year of my position and last week I was told that I will be taking over a huge project that will last two weeks.  I guess my first assignment this week will have huge implications for the team I’m on.  People are saying that there is no way I will be able to handle the pressure that will come my way.  I got some training last week but I don’t know if that will help.  Do you have any suggestions?

Congratulations on you’re new opportunity Jim!  That’s great that your boss thinks you are ready to handle an assignment of this magnitude.  I suggest looking over all of your data and notes leading up to the deadline for your assignment.  I assume you will need to do some sort of presentation.  Hopefully you aren’t the only person from your team to take part in the presentation.  Sometimes it helps to have someone to “hand off the ball to” and let them run with it.  That should help take the pressure off you so that you can perform to your best ability if things start falling on your shoulders.  I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope that this week makes things easier for next week.

Blaine from Des Moines writes:  I am having strange feelings about a co-worker.  We spend some time together outside of work and during these "outings" I get very excited.  There are times that I need to excuse myself from the area so that my excitement doesn’t burst.  What should I do?

Well Blaine that can be kind of touchy.  There are a lot of variables out there that you need to get a firm grasp on.  First I want to assure you that these feelings are fairly normal and natural for a person like you.  I assume that you would like to start a relationship with this co-worker.  If that is the case you will need to make sure that the co-worker is open to a relationship.  Let the person know how you feel but be gentle as it may cause some unwanted friction that could lead to some uneasy feelings at the work place.  Otherwise I’d say ‘go for it’!  What do you have to lose?

Eugene from Auburn, Alabama writes:  I spent two years of my life living in Iowa.  My family loved it there but I couldn’t stand it.  The people are idiots.  How can you stand living in a state that smells like hog s*** and that has nothing but corn.  Winter is terrible too!  I hate snow and ice.  There’s nothing to do in Iowa either.  I was extremely happy when another job came calling and I could get out of there.  Another great thing about getting out of Iowa is being able to watch REAL college football where the teams score 40 or 50 points a game!  I have been able see, first-hand, a lot of those types of games.  SEC rules!

I really don’t know how to respond to Eugene’s rant against the great state of Iowa.  Something terrible must have happened to him while he was here in order to drive these emotions that he has built up.  I wonder if he was living and working in an area that works with a lot of livestock because the air doesn’t smell bad all of the time (or maybe I’m just used to it).  The winters aren’t as bad as they could be (again I might be used to it).  I’m not going to comment on his ‘REAL college football’ remark as I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about.  I bet he’s a “fan” that thinks he can be a highly paid college football coach that can field a winning team every year.

Bobby from Tampa, Florida writes:  I remember prior to the start of the 2008 college football season that a true freshman offensive lineman was arrested for getting naked in public.  Can you remind me who that was and if he has kept out of trouble this year, assuming he’s still on the team?

Bobby, that was Reily Reiff, and yes he is still on the team.  He had to fill in for Bryan Bulaga as Bryan battled an undisclosed illness for a few weeks.  Since then he has moved to guard as Dace Richardson suffered yet another injury.  So far Reily has done a good job and he has, in fact, kept his clothes on.  There was a point of time after the victory at Penn State where a man was seen without a shirt on.  Originally it was thought to be Reily but it turned out to be a fan.

Hayden from Minnesota writes:  What is the deal with Iowa struggling against teams that wear purple?  Beating Northern Iowa by 1 and then losing to Northwestern (for the 5^th time in 6 years even)?  That never happened when I coached against them.  They were always an outstanding team and played well against us.  I’ve been away from the game for a while and would like to know what has changed.

I saved the best question for last.  I have no idea why the Hawkeyes struggle against teams that wear purple.  My favorite NFL team (Green Bay) lost both of their games against a team in purple as well.  It truly is baffling when I think about it.  Maybe our coaching staff is mesmerized by the color and can’t focus on anything else.  Regardless, I really hope Iowa doesn’t get to play Kansas State in a bowl game anytime soon!

Thanks to my readers for the great questions!  I apologize to those of you who sent questions in and they went unanswered.  Please keep sending them and you might see an answer soon!