The Working Mom

Why does it seem like there’s too many i’s in that title? LOL! Anyway, I was so happy to hear that Apple was releasing the iBooks app for the iPhone. That has been one of my biggest envies of the iPad. I have a really hard time reading. I’ve always thought that maybe I was somewhat dyslexic. My eyes seem to jump all over the page, I mix up lines of text, and see a word that’s in the next line, mixed up with the line above it. Suddenly I’ve read an entire paragraph that made absolutely no sense to me. So I read it again. And again. You can imagine this might make reading not the most fun thing in the world. But I love the idea of being able to dive into a book and losing yourself. And while I’ve been completely intimidated by book clubs, I’ve always wanted to join one just so I could hear everyone else tell me what the story was about. I love stories. I just hate the process of getting a story by myself.

There’s also a sidebar to this – I read to my kids when they are little, but for instance, it’s harder for me now that my daughter is older. I am terribly self-conscious of reading to her while I stumble on words. Zach is still at the age that the books are simple enough even a dunce like me can read it without issues.

When the Kindle came out, I wondered if bumping up the font size would help me. The price point was out of reach for me, especially since it wasn’t a guarantee that it would help me become a better reader. Then the iPad came out – more envy. More wonder. And then finally – iBooks for iPhone. I downloaded it the INSTANT it was available. I downloaded a sample of a book I’ve been really curious about, bumped up the font size – and it has seemed to help me. I still struggle a little, but a LOT less than I did before. So I splurged and bought the book.

I think this is the first time in a really really long time that I’ve actually enjoyed reading! I don’t get a ton of time to just sit and do nothing but read, but that’s the other benefit to having the book on my phone. No matter where I am – if I have a few minutes of downtime just standing around – I open the book and read a few pages. My phone is always with me, so it makes it very convenient.

I still wonder if the iPad would be good for me. The phone’s screen is pretty small so there’s only a few lines per “page” – but this may actually work to my advantage with my issues. There’s only so much jumping my eyes can do so they tend to be able to stay more focused. But I wonder if with the iPad, it would make it easier for me to read to my kids…

Incidentally – the book I’m reading is called My Name Is Memory. I’m totally wrapped up in it at the moment. Have you read it? If so, I’d love to hear what you think about it? (but don’t give away any endings, I’ve only just started reading it and I do intend to finish this one!)

Also, FYI, iBooks is a FREE APP.

I was given the opportunity to review a new book that will be coming out, and I thought I’d break from the standard here and ask a friend of mine to help me out and write the review for me:

The Napkin, the Melon & the Monkey: How to Be Happy and Successful at Work and in Life by Simply Changing Your Mind.  By Barbara Burke.  Northfield, MN: Front Wheel Learning, 2006; pp. 1+138.  $16.99 softcover.

Reviewed by Katherine Weinstein, Ph.D.

It’s no secret that customer service work poses its own special challenges on a very personal level.  Assisting disgruntled customers on a nearly daily basis can test and even dishearten the most positive and stalwart employee.  Barbara Burke’s The Napkin, the Melon and the Monkey provides both helpful advice to lift the emotional burdens of stressed employees and guidelines for better communication in the workplace.

Burke’s sage advice is packaged in the story of Olivia, a struggling customer service rep at a power company, and Isabel, the wise co-worker who takes her under her wing. Under Isabel’s guidance, Olivia learns to emotionally step back from stressful situations and have a SODA—Stop, Observe, Decide and Act. She begins by taking time every day to mentally “unplug,” and finds that the daily breaks help her to find calm in the middle of workplace turmoil.  Once Olivia is able to stop taking her customers’ angry outbursts personally and actually helps them, her life at work and at home takes a positive turn.

The Napkin, the Melon & the Monkey is jam-packed with Olivia’s 22 “aha!” moments which are repeated over and over throughout the book.  These include nuggets of wisdom such as “A simple apology works wonders” and “Winners don’t just point out problems.  They fix them.”  According to the book’s cover, the author has a customer service training program that incorporates the lessons of the book.  You can almost see the Powerpoint presentation in your mind as you read along!

Burke’s book clearly has value as a tool to help employees communicate better with difficult customers and deal with the emotional stress of their jobs.  However, some of the books “aha!” revelations are of the pat variety you might find printed on an “inspirational” poster next to a picture of a waterfall—ie. “Real freedom comes from letting go of the outcome.”  The Napkin, the Melon & the Monkey gives us a laundry list of such platitudes, but doesn’t always show how to apply these concepts in everyday life in a meaningful way.