MiscEtcetera v2

Election, 1999. Pick Flick. Image from TVTropes.org, “Go-Getter Girl.”

I am no Tracy Flick. Let’s get that out right now. I am not after supreme world domination. I don’t do what I do because I want to be the best (but I won’t turn down an offer to be better, though). I do what I do because I think the efforts I back need the hand. I’ve got two of them (hands, I mean). And a brain. And some experience under my belt. And most importantly, I have a heart. At the moment, all these are still fully functional, so I’d like to make the best use of them while I still can.

I should admit that I do have Tracy-Flick-like tendencies. Chalk up my bid for APALA Executive Board Member-at-Large 2014-2016 office to my need to fulfill a personal goal (see my By 45 list). I know it also looks good on my accomplishment belt (a.k.a. my CV). But, as I said in my personal narrative for the election, I do aim to do what I say and say what I do. I ran because I love APALA, my professional home. I have always been appointed (or tapped, as I like to call it) or volunteered myself. I have never run for office (as an adult) before. I had been exceedingly happy just being power-adjacent. I saw myself as a worker, nothing more. With great thought and deliberation, and lots of conversations with people I greatly admire (you know who you are, I hope), I ran. It’s like offering up one’s self for scrutiny and judgment, which I so dislike intensely.

I am fully aware that I am not perfect. And I don’t pretend to be, either in private or in public. Since the circle of friends I have gained in APALA has convinced me that authenticity is highly valued there, I believe that this is something I can do. And, truthfully, I would and should want to do.

The Iron Lady, 2011. Image from TVTropes.org, “Iron Lady.”

I like having a sense of humor. I am too aware of my tender spots, my vulnerabilities, and my (immense) flaws. I have no interest in cultivating a cold, no-nonsense persona. I will never, ever be an Iron Lady. Nor do I want to be. (N.b., no offense to Iron Ladies. Props to you. I’m just sayin.)

I don’t want to embody the Iron Lady trope, strictly and literally rendered. But this doesn’t mean I am not packing any steel. If I have to go with a trope commonly used in film and television, I’d rather be a Broken Bird in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). I think that trope suits me better.

At any rate, THANK YOU to those who voted for me. I take your vote of confidence very seriously and I will not let you down. I am grateful that you recognize my efforts, my desire to join people who are working to fulfill the goals and objectives set by APALA’s founders.

Duel between Jen and Yu Shu-Lien. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000.