A modern home represents order
What to do with That office fridge
A truck’s cab can be homey, too
A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND
OFFICE SPACE
FOR SOME, IT CAN BE LIKE A SECOND HOME
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MARCH 2016
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March 2016
Siouxland Life
CONTENTS March
2016
If you spend a lot of time at work, you’ve probably figured out how to make your space seem more like home. Photos, perhaps. Awards and diplomas, sure. But what about exotic animals, refrigerators and other out-ofthe-ordinary touches? This month, we look at Siouxland offices and what you might find in them. Step into a classroom, hitch a ride on a truck or go into the C.E.O.’s office. There should be something for everyone.
4 A MOD HOUSE
Two architects turn their home into a working display of their abilities. Form, function and fun are all part of it.
27 ON THE COVER West High School biology teacher Kent Martin displays a set of elk antlers, one of many fascinating items in his classroom. Look inside the rest of the space on page 27.
FEATURES 11 COLLECTING trash or treasure? 12 OFFICE SPACE a big transition 16 OFFICE SPACE a CEO’s haven 20 OFFICE SPACE trucker’s home 24 OFFICE SPACE professor’s hideaway 27 OFFICE SPACE eclectic classroom 30 OFFICE SPACE what’s new
33 36 39 41 45 47
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THE OFFICE REFRIGERATOR How long do you dare eat food out of the office refrigerator? Should someone be charged with keeping it clean?
OFFICE SPACE saving history OFFICE SPACE food fight OFFICE SPACE social media HEALTH desk protocol HEALTH medical answers PARTING SHOT
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MUSTHAVES What do you need at work? An expert weighs in.
PUBLISHER Steve Griffith EDITOR Bruce Miller EDITORIAL Dolly A. Butz, Tim Gallagher, Earl Horlyk, Ally Karsyn PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Hynds, Jim Lee, Justin Wan ADVERTISING SALES Nancy Todd ADVERTISING DESIGN Kayla Fleming ©2016 The Sioux City Journal. Siouxland Life is published monthly by The Sioux City Journal. For advertising information, please call (712) 224-6281. For editorial information, please call (712) 293-4218.
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10 HOME a
modern perspective
THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT A MODERN, WELL-PLANNED DREAM HOME
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Text by Ally Karsyn | Photographs by Justin Wan
DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. | Every morning, Nathan Kalaher feels like he’s waking up in a hotel he can’t afford. Then realizes: he is home. After years of helping clients design beautiful but highly functional commercial spaces, Nathan and his wife, Lisa, had the opportunity to create a modern, hotel-like home for their young family, which includes two toddlers. The co-founders of PLaN Architecture went with a well-edited home with a distinctly modern design that lends itself to comfortable living. “We donated so much stuff to make this kind of lifestyle,” she said. “If it doesn’t work in here or there’s not a purpose for it, it’s not in the house. It is very minimal.” With all the white walls and explicitly edited home décor, it starts to feel more like an art museum. That’s by design. Inside the rectangular two-story home, covered with black-stained cedar, every design detail was precisely picked. 1. IT’S A DESIGNER DREAM HOME When you pair up two architects, what could go wrong? “You don’t think it’s ever perfect enough, and that’s true for the projects we do for clients too,” he said. “You’re constantly revisiting things as you go through to make them better.” Making decisions more difficult, not only is Lisa an architect but she’s also the owner of Mod House Interiors, a boutique that specializes in modern furnishings. You’d think it would be easy for them to pick what they want. The reality is that they’re exposed to more options than the average person. Rather than pack the house full of furniture like a showroom, they’ve taken a minimalist approach.
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HOME a
modern perspective
STEVE NELSON Home Construction & Design Commercial Construction
2. ROOM WITH A VIEW Floor-to-ceiling windows offer an expansive view of the Missouri River and the eighth hole on the Dakota Dunes golf course.
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3. INTENTIONAL ART Four original cartoon drawings by the late Sioux City Journal cartoonist Eldon Pletcher, circa 1950, belonged to Nathan’s grandfather for a time. Now, they hang in a hallway that leads from the garage to the kitchen. Nearly all of the artwork throughout the house has been made by local or regional artists. “We care about the arts,” he said.
5. BEAUTIFUL FUNCTION The home has two “faces.” The west end is the most modern, museumlike public space, but as they work their way upstairs, the east end recedes to more private spaces. “If you tell me the time of day, I can almost tell you exactly where we’ll be in this house. It’s one of the strange things about a probably overdesigned house,” Nathan said. “We get home. We eat and then we work our way upstairs. We play for a couple hours and go to bed. It’s actually a really smooth transition.”
4. DECLUTTERED DETAILS The sleek kitchen island provides plenty of prep space and an extra eating area large enough to seat four. As designers, the Kalahers looked to eliminate knobs and pulls on the cabinetry in favor of flush details to achieve a look with simple, clean lines.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Siouxland’s Project Home, 748 Brentwood St. (Woodbury Heights) is nearing completion. This home will feature 1556 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms, a master bedroom with master bath and large walk-in closet, living room with vaulted ceiling, safe room in the basement, and a 2 stall garage. Contact the Home Builder’s Association if you’re interested in purchasing this home. Equal Housing Opportunity.
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HOME a
modern perspective
6. LOOKING GLASS The Kalahers didn’t want their kids trying to climb over the upstairs railing or building forts up against it to peer over the edge. Instead, they incorporated a glass panel into the design. “They just look through the window and they talk to us,” she said. Someday, the opening could be converted into a catwalk that leads to a rooftop deck over an add-on master suite on the main level. Right now, all three bedrooms are located upstairs. “I’m really into function,” Lisa said. “I want to make it work. My big thing was that this needs to work for our family over the pure aesthetic of it.” 7. ORGANIZED CHAOS Everything has a purpose and a place. “The furniture, the house and everything is currently designed for how we live,” Nathan said. The boys have a designated play area upstairs, which keeps toys contained to one space. At the end of the day, they play a little game called “Pick Up,” and everything gets put away.
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8. MOD KIDS High-modern design is not typically thought of as being family friendly, but the Kalahers show it can be done, right down to the baby’s room.
9. NO WASTED SPACE “We use 100 percent of our house,” Lisa said. “The kind of thing to aim for now – people have a lot of excess space, and we don’t. We built exactly what we need and we’ll go from there.”
10. POP ART ADDRESS Hands down, the Kalahers have the biggest address on the block. The bold, black numbers stand out against the white walls like a piece of pop art. Photo provided.
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MARCH 2016
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Superior Heart Care. Dr. Jerome Pierson
- Medical Director of Mercy Heart Center
Named a Top Heart Hospital 4 Straight Years
*
Heart Surgery Performed Right Here in Sioux City Siouxland’s Heart Hospital for Over 40 Years The Mercy Heart Center brings together experienced cardiologists and surgeons, a highly trained staff, and state-of-the-art technology. Mercy has the area’s newest cath labs, specialties like electrophysiology, and Sioux City’s only Cardiac Rehab Unit certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. At Mercy, we listen to more than just your heart. To schedule an appointment with a Mercy Cardiologist, call 712.294.7020.
Named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention by Healthgrades® – 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
*
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Siouxland Life
COLLECTING trash
or treasure?
ONE-OF-A-KIND ART
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FROM REPURPOSED PIECES WHEN OTHER PEOPLE SEE trash, Libbi Thompson sees treasure. The Secondhand Finds & Furnishings’ manager is always amazed at the ways people re-purpose junk, turning it into one-of-a-kind art pieces. “I’m afraid I don’t have that kind of artistic talent,” Thompson said inside her 4400 South York St. store. “It’s just fun to see what people can do with found objects.” For instance, old mason jars can be attached as part of a primitive chandelier while colorful shards of crockery can add interest to an old coffee table. “People have been reusing old jewelry for craft projects for years,” Thompson said. “Nowadays, they’re using all kinds of material for larger-scale art.” That includes making signs out of reclaimed barn wood or a decorative coat hanger made with an old wooden level, hooks and a wringer nameplate from a vintage washing machine. Walking past an old collection of vinyl record albums, she said such items are frequently snatched up by music lovers desiring conversational art. “People are drawing inspiration from (social media sites like) Pinterest,” comanager Lori Kamradt said. “They’ll see something that they’d like to make online or they’ll post pictures of their own creations.” “There are a lot of very creative people out there,” she said, holding up a framed art piece made of stamps, wildlife art and an old letter. Seeing vintage pieces is a great way to remember family, according to Thompson. “Women don’t wear aprons anymore but we see people use them as wall art for their kitchen,” she said. “It’s even better when the aprons come from their own family.” That’s also true for old farm tools now used as decorative pieces. “So many people come from an agricultural background,” she said. “This is one way for them to return to their roots.” Walking through the store, Kamradt points out her favorite displays. “License plates make ideal wall art for man caves while old suitcases make for intriguing coffee tables,” she said. “Seeing
Text by EARL HORLYK | Photographs by Tim Hynds
Secondhand Finds & Furnishings manager Lori Kamradt displays a piece of are made from an old letter, stamps and wildlife art. Many of the business’ vendors take old items and repurpose them into art pieces.
DETAILS WHAT: Secondhand Finds & Furnishings WHERE: 4400 South York St., Sioux City PHONE: 712-233-2345 ONLINE: www.secondhandfinds.com what other people are doing will also inspire your own art.” Which is entertaining for Thompson, who spent much of her childhood going to garage sales, thrift stores and swap meets with her family. “I described myself as an experienced ‘junker,’” she said. “I inherited my eye for secondhand finds from my mom (Jan Johnson).” “People think that secondhand things are junk,” she said, shaking her head. “When they have a renewed purpose, old things can become real treasures.”
Is it junk or is it inspiration? Secondhand Finds & Furnishings’ Libbi Thompson said people often utilize found objects to be used as art or repurposed into furniture.
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OFFICE SPACE a
big transition
KRISTIE VERMULM REPORTS CONSUMER NEWS FROM THE PRIVACY OF HER OWN OFFICE
Kristie VerMulm, director of communications at United Real Estate Solutions, has an office with four walls and a door. That’s an upgrade from the years she spent sharing a cubicle desk at KTIV.
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Text by Ally Karsyn | Photograph by Tim Hynds
In news, there is no success without sacrifice. More often than not, that means giving up sleep, stability, sometimes sanity and, often, time. Kristie VerMulm has no problem running on just four to five hours of sleep, and in this business, working nights, weekends and holidays comes with the territory. But as she looked at her two children, then ages 11 and 15, she felt time slipping away. She missed ball games and bedtime stories. The broken promises hurt the most. The last, worst incident pulled her away from her daughter’s high school homecoming. “Sydney’s in cheer. She’s in band. She’s in the half-time show,” VerMulm said. “All week long, I told her I will be there on Friday. I have the day off. I will be there for the game. I will be there for the half-time show.” The big day came, and the evening news anchor for KTIV was home, proudly wearing her Black Raiders shirt. Until she turned on the five o’clock news. A two-mile wide tornado was approaching Wayne, Nebraska. Instantly, she knew she had to go to work. She went upstairs and changed into a suit, pulled her hair out of a ponytail and put on a shade of lipstick and a smile while her daughter cried. VerMulm wasn’t going to be in the stands. Tears rolled down her face, too. She consoled her daughter – it wasn’t going to be like this forever. Within two months, she had a new title as director of communications at United Real Estate Solutions, working alongside her husband, Kevin McManamy, who is the company’s president. Over her 21-year career in news, she could probably count on two hands how many times she had an actual dinner break where she left work. It still strikes her as odd that she can go home when the clock strikes 5. In a previous life, that was about when work began. “I missed a ton working those nights for years,” she said. Now, she has the time to make it to her teens’ activities, which include baseball, football, basketball, band, choir, cheerleading and track. Photos of a smiling 17-year-old Sydney and 13-year-old Sean decorate her desk in a small but beautiful office. VerMulm smiles too.
The former KTIV news anchor still gets to use her video skills without missing out on family life. When sellers list their home with United Real Estate Solutions, they receive a thank you email and VerMulm steps on screen to deliver the message. She has created a number of email marketing videos that get sent out to clients. For example, one features a seller’s guide to a successful open house. Another outlines the closing process. She has also done feature segments on home-related topics like picking paint colors, planting trees, refinancing and moving. “We’re doing consumer news. Part of helping our clients through that homebuying process or home-selling process is making sure they are as informed as they can be,” she said. “If you go to United’s Facebook page, you can see all the videos I’ve done. That’s my fun thing I get to do.” In her office, there are little reminders of the job she can’t forget – from the KTIV coffee mug containing an assortment of pens to the shiny, gold regional Emmy award for a “Flood Fight” evening newscast in 2011. Hiding in one of the overhead bins, there’s a proclamation from the city that still needs a frame. Her last day on air was declared “Kristie VerMulm Day,” which was Nov. 27, 2013. Two plaques propped up against the wall feature the last newspaper articles written about her in the Sioux City Journal and the Weekender, leading up to that day. It’s almost eerily quiet in the absence of clacking keyboards and crackling dispatches coming across the police scanner. She’s not used to being surrounded by four walls and a door. For years, she shared a desk and didn’t personalize it much. All she had were two picture frames. She compared the newsroom to a petri dish. “Every time I brought a box of Kleenex, everybody came by and not only would they take a Kleenex, which is fine, but they would blow their nose right at your desk,” she said. “They’d stay there in case they needed another one.” After a while, she switched to toilet paper. People didn’t stop at her desk anymore. Now, she can safely keep a box of
Those aren’t press passes. They’re name tags from conferences related to real estate and communications.
ABOVE: A regional Emmy award decorates Kristie VerMulm’s office in the United Center. Her 17-year-old daughter, Sydney, wanted to borrow the gold statue to complete her Halloween costume this past year. Mom said no. BELOW: A KTIV coffee mug is now a pen holder in Kristie VerMulm’s office at United Real Estate Solutions.
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Siouxland Life
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Kristie VerMulm, a former news anchor for KTIV, decided to leave news broadcasting to spend more time with her family. She uses her video and recording skills to produce consumer news segments for United Real Estate Solutions.
tissues in her office but still hangs onto the comical “Purell Pal” bottle holder that dispenses hand sanitizer. There are other remnants from her longtime career in news.
Almost daily, someone will ask if she misses it. “Yes, of course, I miss it because I loved the job and I love news. But at the same time, there are a lot of things I
don’t miss – things that I couldn’t control because there are no normal hours in news,” she said. “At the end of the day, my family is more important to me. I loved the job, but I love my family more.”
Important SprIng CleanIng Safety tIpS If spring cleaning is on your to-do list this month, it’s important to work safely, whether you’re simply clearing winter debris from your lawn or tackling a major renovation project. Here are some simple steps you can take to ensure that you are protecting yourself, your family and the environment as you check off the chores on your list.
Ladder Safety
Ladders can be hazardous when not used properly. In many cases, accidents and injuries occur while using ladders because they are improperly placed, not secured, not the right size for the job or the user overreaches.
Moving Heavy Objects
Spring cleaning often involves moving heavy objects such as couches, tables, entertainment consoles and bookcases. A serious injury can occur in these situations, too. In order to eliminate the risk of objects falling and to lift items safely, always have another person help you. More tips for lifting heavy objects include: • Get close to the load. • Maintain an upright posture from the waist up.
When working with ladders always remember to:
• Lift with your legs, not your arms or back.
• Read and follow all warning labels that are on the ladder.
• Pivot on your feet, don’t twist from your waist.
• Use ladders only on solid, stable and level surfaces.
Using chemicals during cleaning can pose a hazard to not only yourself, but also to the environment. Read the labels of all chemicals you are using and follow all the recommended safety practices. These may include: wearing protective gear such as gloves and goggles, not mixing the substance with other cleaners, opening windows for ventilation, and following proper disposal guidelines.
• Keep your body centered on the ladder; never lean over either side rail. • Never stand on the top two rungs of a step ladder. • Only use a step ladder in a fully opened and locked position; never use it while it is closed, partially opened or leaning on a structure. • Protect yourself from electrical hazards and do
not work within 10 feet of overhead power lines.
read all the labels on these products, as well, to ensure that they truly are green. Natural cleaning products that you may already have in your cabinet include baking soda, lemon juice and white vinegar.
Yard Tools
Make sure you have properly maintained any tools or equipment in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Have your lawnmower serviced yearly, never remove guards or safety devices, and wear appropriate eye, body and hearing protection. For more information on home maintenance, visit nahb.org/forconsumers. For a list of contractors in the Siouxland area to help you with your home maintenance, visit www. siouxlandhba.com/members
Cleaning Products
Todd
Hagaman Or, consider using all-natural cleaning products that can be equally – if not more – effective President than their traditional counterparts. Be sure to Todd Hagaman Construction SIOUXLAND LIFE
712-255-3852 siouxlandhba.com MARCH 2016
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OFFICE SPACE a
CEO’s haven
CEO Brian Crichton talks in the office of Cannon Moss Brygger Architects. The firm’s offices are in the United Center, a renovated former warehouse at the corner of Jones and Third Streets downtown.
CEO BUILDS ON UNIQUE OFFICE SPACE
b
Text by Tim Gallagher | Photograph by Tim Hynds
BRIAN CRICHTON, CEO AT Cannon Moss Brygger Architects in Sioux City, works in his office mere feet from the front doors of the business that occupies the second and third floors of the United Center in downtown Sioux City. “People see me when they walk in,” Crichton says. “I like that fact, and I think people who come here do, too. I may be the CEO, but I’m also an architect, a part of our staff, and I think people like to see that.” Customers, visitors and prospective
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clients may see Crichton immersed in the design elements of a new project. He also might be meeting with another client, or collaborating with fellow architects, structural engineers and interior designers. Even if his office is closed, people see what’s going on through the spectacular glass doors, a consistent element throughout the fantastic former Warfield-Pratt-Howell wholesale grocery warehouse, a 1906 building the firm helped redesign seven years ago while working with contractor Bart
SIOUXLAND LIFE
Connelly, of Sioux City. Cannon Moss Brygger Architects moved into this space six years ago. United Real Estate Solutions occupies the first floor. The top three floors are devoted to condos, while the fourth floor features 12 corporate condos. The former Pierce Moving & Storage warehouse, through the work of these pros and with the benefit of historical tax credits, has retained its warmth and charm through original brick walls and century-old timbers.
Some 72 windows were cut into the west side of the building, a key element that allows natural light to flow throughout an open concept. “The brick adds something to this space,” Crichton says from a west side office featuring windows. “It’s a warehouse and yet it’s a warm feeling.” Crichton, a native of nearby Moville, Iowa, studied architecture and graduated from Iowa State University in 1997. His first office space, he says, was a cubicle at InVision Architecture, where he worked for Dale McKinney. He joined Ruble Mamura Moss Brygger Architects in 2001 and became a partner in the firm in 2004. Along the way, the architect went from a cubicle with lower walls to a cubicle with higher walls when the firm was located in the Mid-American Energy building downtown. “We work as teams and we’re constantly collaborating,” Crichton says, remembering the up-and-down motion he’d make while checking for a coworker’s feedback while diving into the details of a building project. “In a cubicle, you’re not seeing daylight or activity or other people,” he says. “You’re isolated. As a structural engineer, or an architect, or a designer, you have to collaborate.” The setup at Cannon Moss Brygger Architects fosters the sharing of ideas with ease, immediacy, transparency. Walking in through the glass doors, one sees Crichton at his desk, or Todd Moss, senior architect, in his office next door. Keep walking and you’re soon engaged with architects and structural engineers poring over a plan, perhaps for a new school or medical center. Head up the wooden steps and you might find more staffers gathered around a table, offering ideas for a plan that’s posted on the wall. The process is called a charette. “In our charettes, we’ll take people who aren’t working directly on a project and involve them in the process for a short period of time, gathering ideas, and this space works very well for us,” Crichton says. A few steps away is a library for interior design. And just on the other side of a shelf of design swaths stands Morgan Driskell, an interior designer who is putting the finishing touches on an array of examples for a client in Sheldon, Iowa.
The first-level work space is shown in the office of Cannon Moss Brygger Architects.
Interior designer Morgan Driskell works on an interior finishes board for a client.
A sliding door is shown leading to conference space .
CEO Brian Crichton in his office at Cannon Moss Brygger Architects .
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THE CHOPHOUSE CLASSIC
with a twist
CEO Brian Crichton
“I love this space,” Driskell says, noting how the office layout and atmosphere helped convince her to join the team at Cannon Moss Brygger Architects. Crichton looks out over the second floor as coworkers continue a morning’s work effort, more than two dozen employees creating concepts and building designs across 9,360 square feet of space. The snow flies in downtown Sioux City as music rolls softly from
a speaker near those giant glass front doors. “As architects,” he says, “we like clean lines. We seek efficiency and collaboration. This is very linear; the building sets itself up that way.” Clean lines within warm brick walls and original wood timbers, physical elements connecting the dots of productivity in downtown Sioux City for 110 years and counting.
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OFFICE SPACE trucker’s
home
Ruben Ocasio stands in front of the International semi he drives for Schuster Company, of Le Mars, Iowa. Ocasio hauls ice cream from the Wells’ Dairy plant to markets throughout the United States.
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HIS ‘OFFICE’ CRUISES AT
65 MILES PER HOUR New Jersey truck driver sleeps when not zipping across the country
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Text and photographs by Tim Gallagher
LE MARS, IOWA | Ruben Ocasio, of Jersey City, New Jersey, stops at J&J Cafe in Le Mars on a sunny Monday afternoon. He relaxes for a bit over bites of food, then digs into a pair of lottery tickets. “You’re going to see the next millionaire!” he says as he lifts his glasses above his eye, allowing him to focus on the scratch-and-win task at hand. He scratches. He doesn’t win. And he heads back to work, namely his “office space,” an International semi tractor-trailer owned by Schuster, of Le Mars. “I’m going to Blue Bunny to pick up a load of ice cream and I’ll haul it to Illinois,” Ocasio says. “I’ll pick up ingredients to make ice cream in Illinois, and I’ll bring that load back to Blue Bunny.” This is Ocasio’s latest in what he calls “a mountain of jobs.” “There were two trades that I failed at, so in 2007 I went for my CDL (commercial driver’s license) and I got it,” Ocasio says. “But in the nine years since then, I’ve only had two years of trucking experience. I did bus driving and other things during that time.” Schuster represents the third trucking company for Ocasio, who generally heads east and northeast from Le Mars, sometimes making a 1,400-mile haul to Massachusetts. On such treks like that, Ocasio, like most over-the-road truckers, dozes off in his “sleeper” a smaller double-bed mattress that occupies space just behind the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat. Decades ago, trucking companies would put drivers up in motels across the U.S. That changed with advent of bedding in the big rigs that haul up to 80,000 pounds. “I can sleep, I can rest, it’s OK,” Ocasio says.
LEFT: Ruben Ocasio, of Jersey City, New Jersey, sits atop his bed, which is located in the back of his International semi cab. Ocasio’s 70hour work week is divided into 14hour days. He can drive 11 hours per day, maximum, per federal rules. ABOVE: A plastic grocery bag collects wrappers and other items in the semi driven by Ruben Ocasio, of Jersey City, New Jersey.
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OFFICE SPACE trucker’s
home
Ocasio isn’t a satellite radio devotee. He finds local stations as he motors across the country.
Fingerless gloves, a cap and a notebook occupy the passenger’s seat.
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
The cab contains a spray bottle for his mirrors and windows. A plastic bag from a grocery store hangs on the side of the passenger’s seat, and collects wrappers and tissues. On the passenger’s seat there is a cap, a notebook and a pair of finger-less gloves. There are no family pictures, magnets or stickers on his dash, just lots of gauges to monitor. Oh, those and the all-important radio. Ocasio isn’t a satellite radio devotee. He finds local stations as he motors across the country. “I’m a little light on country music and I don’t do hip-hop,” he says. “Have you listened to a lot of the hip-hop lyrics? Do artists understand the negativity they’re putting out there, the disrespect? How can you call that art?” Ocasio, who comes from a largely Democratic area in New Jersey, listens to Rush Limbaugh on occasion. He follows politics and has enjoyed the change of pace billionaire developer Donald Trump has provided, shaking up the establishment. “Donald Trump is 100 percent born and raised in New York,” Ocasio says, indicating the GOP front-runner hasn’t much in common with the typical Iowa or Midwestern voter. “But, Trump has taken off on issues that seem to resonate with ‘Middle America,’” he says. “He’s tapping into something and has been a dark-horse surprise.” Ocasio continues with his political monologue, showing he’s plugged in to the national conversation. “Donald Trump might be this country’s first hangover president,” he says, laughing. “I say that jokingly, but his sticking power may see this come to pass.” Ocasio tosses his losing lottery ticket aside and zeroes in on his task at hand. He’ll hit the highway soon, zooming south and east toward Illinois, hoping against hope that the thaw continues, maybe bolstered by all the political “hot air” he’ll hear as the primary battles press on.
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OFFICE SPACE professor’s
hideaway
Dr. Ann Lundberg, professor of English and chair of the Northwestern College English Department, is very much at home in her Kepp Hall office, a space that, in a former life, served as an apartment dwelling.
NORTHWESTERN PROFESSOR
SAVORS HER SPACE
o
English department chair likes old apartment dwelling in Kepp Hall Text and photographs by Tim Gallagher
ORANGE CITY, IOWA | Dr. Ann Lundberg, professor of English and chair of the Northwestern College English Department, knows her office space on campus rivals that of President Greg Christy. “Yes, the space is close,” she says with a grin. Lundberg’s “digs” are contained in Kepp Hall, a sturdy cinder block building with a brick facing that once housed apartments. Lundberg’s desk is near a window that likely opened up to the living room area of this expansive space.
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“Those trees are maples and the view in the fall is beautiful, just golden,” Lundberg says. That, too, befits a professor who came to Northwestern from the great outdoors, literally. Lundberg held six positions in her previous career, park ranger posts with national parks, the most recent being at Hovenweep National Monument on the border of Utah and Colorado. The park only had limited satellite phone access at that time 17 years ago, so Lundberg traveled 15 miles to a
SIOUXLAND LIFE
spartan trading post that contained a building and a post featuring a phone jack. “We brought a phone out and that’s where I did the interview for the job at Northwestern,” Lundberg says with a laugh. The interview was conducted with Dr. Joel Westerholm, a professor of English, who ended up hiring Lundberg. The two now share this former apartment unit, one connected with a doorway. “This office didn’t have the main door when I was to move in,” Lundberg
says. “You’d have to walk through Joel’s office to get to this office.” Thankfully, a doorway was added, leading into a spacious setting featuring all sorts of books, posters, pictures and mementos. There’s even a University of Wyoming letter jacket hanging next to a bright yellow chair. Both items have a history. “I wear the letter jacket sometimes,” Lundberg says, “and I ask my students what sport I might have lettered in during my days as an undergrad at Wyoming.” Lundberg majored in both geology and English at Wyoming, where she was a member of the varsity rifle team, shooting a .22-caliber rifle competitively in three positions (standing, kneeling, prone). She found the yellow chair at a thrift store in nearby Rock Valley, Iowa. The chair was made in New York. Lundberg noticed it and went back to the store three times before offering $20 for it. A number of Navajo rugs cover space on her office floor. One dates back to the 1930s or 1940s. She found it in Boulder, Colorado. Another one, all wadded up and forgotten, she uncovered at a store in Hastings, Nebraska. There’s also a firefighter’s license plate and a small toy fire engine, both paying homage to Lundberg’s yen for service; she has been a volunteer firefighter in Orange City for 16 years, having served as a fire captain and the unit’s vice president at various points. The significant wall space is covered, in part, with posters and pictures from her previous places of employment, including: Natural Bridges National Monument, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (where she lived and worked in a lighthouse), Cedar Breaks National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument and Agate Fossile Bed National Monument. She also displays her diplomas from Wyoming and the University of Notre Dame, where she earned her doctorate. Lighthouse models and toys and Native pottery also line Lundberg’s shelves, as do pictures of her parents and her husband, Duane Jundt. The space has been Lundberg’s for two years, as she and the English department relocated here from a pair of off-campus sites, locations chosen during the construction of Northwestern College’s Jack and Mary DeWitt Learning Commons. “I once had a student who called me because she couldn’t find me,” Lundberg says of the off-campus period. Prior to that, Lundberg and her colleagues
Dr. Ann Lundberg earned a letter as a member of the University of Wyoming rifle team during the late 1980s. Lundberg hangs her letter jacket in her office, and sometimes wears the jacket. She found the yellow chair in a thrift shop in nearby Rock Valley, Iowa.
Ann Lundberg has volunteered with the fire department in Orange City, Iowa, for the past 16 years. These items, displayed in her Kepp Hall office at Northwestern College, call attention to an organization that’s close to the English department chair.
worked from Grandberg Hall, a space that contained all their classrooms and a kitchen. Grandberg Hall was torn down to make way for the new library,
which is close to Kepp Hall. “I was the last in the English department to choose an office,” she says. “This has been great. I like students to wander in. They should come here if they have questions, or if they just want to talk.” The area also puts Lundberg close to other professors in the English department, allowing the chair to drop by and visit with her colleagues frequently. The space is clean, but warm, both current and a bit nostalgic, showcasing the professor’s interests in geology, literature and the American West. A space that was once an apartment before becoming offices for campus ministries and music, is now where the chair of the English department finds herself each day. “I love this space,” she says. “I hope this is my office forever.”
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Siouxland Life
OFFICE SPACE eclectic
classroom
West High School biology teacher Kent Martin is shown in his eclectic West High School classroom.
CLASSROOM COMBINES TEACHER’S LOVE OF SCIENCE, IOWA STATE CYCLONES AND SUPERMAN
m
Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Jim Lee
A bearded dragon named Ralph, that West High School biology teacher Kent Martin took in, rests underneath a heat lamp.
MORE THAN 20 YEARS ago, Kent Martin was on a backpacking trip in the Southern California wilderness with some friends when he spotted a hornet’s nest hanging from a tree. “I just had to have it. I threw a rock at it to make sure that it wasn’t occupied. Nobody flew out,” the West High School biology teacher said of the fragile nest, which now hangs from his eclectic classroom’s ceiling along with colorful paper strands of DNA. Martin carried the nest for more than three days. It’s one of many unique finds in his biology classroom, which he refers to as his “home away from home.” “I just find weird stuff,” said Martin,
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OFFICE SPACE eclectic
classroom
Goldfish swim in a fish tank adorned with a decal from West High School biology teacher Kent Martin’s alma mater, Iowa State.
West High School biology teacher Kent Martin wears a coyote hat that one of his students made for him.
whom elementary school teachers often tank in between the sink and a finch encall upon to supply turkey feathers for closure, to illustrate food chains and the their Thanksgiving lessons and pretty circle of life. much anything else animalMartin, who admitted he’s not a related they might need or big fan of snakes, purchases food and want. other supplies for his class’s live A giant pair of elk antlers creatures, while the students setting on a counter at the clean the fish tanks and back of the expansive room cages. were a Christmas present from “They’re very respectMartin’s brother, who lives in ful of the animals,” MarColorado. He also gave Martin the tin said, while parakeets wild boar mount that flanks the chirped and fish tanks bubbled. door. Hall passes depicting Martin “They know that if the snake hasn’t as Superman, his favorite supereaten for a while, you don’t touch it.” hero, dangle from the black boar’s Last year, when one of the jaws. high school’s star basketball This megalodon tooth is one of Perched against a back wall players went off to college and Kent Martin’s most is an enormous set of jaws from learned his pet bearded dragon prized possessions. couldn’t live in his dorm room, a sperm whale that Martin said Megalodon is an he found at the school. He also Martin offered to give “Ralph” a extinct species of has ostrich eggs, a woolly mamhome. Today, the lizard is conshark. moth’s tooth and a coyote fur tent resting underneath a heat hat that one of his students made. He lamp in his enclosure. grabbed the hat that was resting on the At a recent faculty meeting, a school corner of a flat screen TV and gladly secretary handed Martin a box of hot placed it on top of his head. chocolate mix. Inside that box was a “If Petco has it, we pretty much have parakeet. it alive or dead,” chuckled Martin, who “People just hear, ‘Oh, that Martin guy likens himself to Dr. Doolittle. “We have up at West High, he’ll take it,’” he said. pond water. We have turtles. We have Martin has a lot things on his walls, fish. We have bearded dragons. We have ranging from art created by students to tarantulas.” snake skins and Superman memoraThe freshmen students raise baby bilia, including a lunchbox and caped mice, which are then fed to “Fluffy,” an pencil holder. His office, which adjoins albino corn snake who resides in a glass the classroom, is dedicated to his alma Superman teams with science in West High School biology teacher Kent Martin’s classroom.
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mater, Iowa State. A vintage Cyclones jersey hangs from the ceiling. Martin got his start as an elementary school teacher. He has been at West High School teaching biology, which he absolutely loves, for 11 years. “I was an elementary teacher, so that’s probably why I have a lot of stuff on my walls,” he said. “Kindergarten teachers have a tendency to put up a lot.” Martin’s move to a new science wing three years ago gave him more space to display his many collections. “A lot of these kids don’t have a lot of access to what I teach, what I show and what I talk to them about,” he said. “How many people are going to be able to touch a bobcat?” A bobcat hide that is. Although Martin has had live animals in his classrooms throughout his teaching career, he said, announcing the passing of a beloved pet is easier with a classroom full of teenagers than kindergartners. “Steve from Accounting,” a Platy that lived in a fish tank on Martin’s desk, recently passed away. “When I taught kindergartners and the classroom fish died, we had to have counseling,” he said. “We don’t have elaborate funerals. The kids get attached to them, but it’s not emotional.”
West High School biology teacher Kent Martin holds Fluffy, an albino corn snake, in his classroom in Sioux City.
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MARCH 2016
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OFFICE SPACE
What’s New
Designer Breezy Struthers Drake says home office spaces can run the gamut -- from simple to elaborate.
OFFICE DESIGN TRENDS INFLUENCED BY CLIENTS’ AGES, OCCUPATIONS
d
Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds
Deep, warm brown woods are traditionally chosen for a home office, but Breezy Struthers Drake, a designer at Modern Kitchen Design, 514 Iowa St., said white wood is making a comeback. “A lot of times with offices we stay with your deep browns – that warmth you think of when you think of an executive office,” said Struthers Drake, who finds herself designing a lot of home offices for farmers. She said most clients have a good idea
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of what they want in a home office. Since computers have downsized over the years, she said some requirements have changed. “You don’t need the PC pullouts and stuff. You just need a spot for your wireless printer,” she said. Struthers Drake is currently designing a home office in Vermillion, South Dakota. This particular client just wants lots and lots of space for files. “Just give everything a spot,” she said.
SIOUXLAND LIFE
Struthers Drake said the design of a home office is usually influenced by the occupants’ ages. If children are present, she said the office might be located close to the kitchen. She’ll give each child his or her own space and maybe implement a locker system for storage. “Sometimes if there are school-aged children at home we make sure that they have separate desk areas so they can do their homework,” she said. “If the children have already left the home, then it’s
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ALMOST ENDLESS!
Designer Breezy Struthers Drake talks about trends in home offices .
more executive home office – real rich with coffered ceilings and book cases to show off artwork or family photographs.” One of the most unusual requests Struthers Drake has received for a home office involved a separate shallow-depth area on a wall where the client could place a slew of monitors to watch changes in the stock market. Designing an office, she said, is much like designing a kitchen. The process usually takes a couple of weeks. Office sizes range from a nook in a loft over the main living space to a grandiose 30-foot by 30-foot space. Struthers Drake said she’s designed every size in between. Before consulting with a designer, she recommends homeowners sit down and figure out what they want: Vertical files or lateral files? How much storage do you need? Do you need a separate charging station or a message area? Do you want natural light? “I like to get as much information on the front side so that the design process is a little smoother and easier,” she said. Photos of offices found in home and architectural magazines, Struthers Drake said, help bridge the gap between designer and homeowners, who aren’t always familiar with style and design terms.
“That takes out a little bit of the guessing game. We can kind of pinpoint what they like as far as trends, styling, if it’s more traditional,” she said. “A lot of times people aren’t up with the verbiage. They might think that they like contemporary, but that’s not necessarily where they fall.” Struthers Drake said commercial offices are easier to design than home offices because the client isn’t as emotionally attached to the space. The design will also be influenced by the style of the building. She recalled a large commercial office in South Dakota that she designed that took up the entire back wall of the building. It featured a bar, full kitchen and fireplace. Copiers and printers were hidden behind bi-fold doors. “It’s basically whatever fits; and the bottom line is always important whenever you get into commercial,” she said. Commercial office design is also influenced by the type of business. Attorney and physician offices, Struthers Drake said, tend to be more traditional with darker woods and colors. “Then you can get into some that are completely contemporary – glass, grays, high gloss. It’s a very broad spectrum,” she said.
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March 2016
Siouxland Life
OFFICE SPACE
saving history
BACK IN TIME
Sioux City Public Museum Research Center’s archival clerk Tom Munson researches, dates and numbers each item that comes into his office. He then takes the vintage items to the museum’s acceptance committee.
SIOUX CITY HISTORY SHARES OFFICE SPACE AT THE RESEARCH CENTER
t
TOM MUNSON’S OFFICE HAS become a landing strip at the Sioux City Public Museum Research Center. The archival clerk said he wouldn’t have it any other way. “Pretty much everything that makes its way to the (museum’s) acceptance committee will be researched and numbered first by me,” he explained. “This means my office will always be the startoff point.” Today, Munson’s office has Sioux Citymanufactured bricks dating back to the early 20th century as well as University of Nebraska Cornhuskers programs printed less than 10 years ago. “The football memorabilia was printed in Sioux City, so they’re significant to us,” he said, combing through some bins.
Text by Earl Horlyk | Photographs by Jim Lee
“We’re interested in anything that has a tie-in with the community.” While most of the items won’t become a part of the museum’s public displays, they will still be housed simply as a part of the community’s local history. Waiting to be shelved are old boxes which once contained Jolly Time Popcorn as well as canisters containing negatives from the Sioux City Journal. “We have containers full of artifacts that need to be accounted for,” Munson said. “It’s a big task but, luckily, I also have an excellent crew of volunteers to help.” While the majority of the vintage items in Munson’s office will eventually go into storage, he keeps a few
photocopies of things that will assist him in his job. “I leave a copy of a plat map of Sioux City from the early 1900s because it’s easier to refer back to something on my wall than something in a book,” he explained with a shrug. Other office pieces may be harder to explain. For instance, Munson’s door contains artwork that features advertising for a downtown pen manufacturer, the art of women’s clothing through the years and a sign that warns people to “Stay Out of This Area.” “That sign is sort of a joke since everything ends up in my office,” he said with a laugh.
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OFFICE SPACE
Saving History
“My job is studying Sioux City history, but my hobby also happens to be studying Sioux City history. Whether at work or at home, I’m always interested in the history behind everyday objects.” TOM MUNSON, ARCHIVAL CLERK
Tom Munson, archival clerk for the Sioux City Public Museum’s research center, displays a can filled with negatives from the Sioux City Journal in his office at the Sioux City Museum.
A pair of bricks made in Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff.
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
Every item is marked with a number at the Sioux City Museum.
Favorite Candy Store Chocolate Bunnies • Chocolate Eggs Jelly Beans • Easter Baskets And Much More!
Tom Munson explains how items are brought into the museum’s collection.
Sometimes, Munson’s interest in local history continues when he’s at home. “My job is studying Sioux City history, but my hobby also happens to be studying Sioux City history,� he noted. “Whether at work or at home, I’m always interested in the history behind everyday objects.� As he sorted through empty pop bottles, old high school yearbooks and vintage business directories, Munson
acknowledged that his office is probably unlike any other in town. While today may bring more bricks, tomorrow may see an increase in glassware, vintage phone books or memorabilia from Sioux City’s former T.S. Martin Department Store. “I never know what will land on my desk next,� he said. “That makes this job so much fun.�
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OFFICE SPACE food
fight
FIVE TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR
OFFICE FRIDGE 36
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
a
Text by Earl Horlyk | Photograph by Tim Hynds
AT HOME, THERE ARE proper rules for refrigerator etiquette. It’s our food. It’s our fridge; and we want to clean things that have spilled and throw out stuff that has gone bad. But office refrigerators? Well, that’s another story. An unclean fridge may pose a health issue. For instance, meat containing E.Coli may end up dripping on fruits and veggies that are eaten raw. Yuck! Just as bad is the smell that comes from an unkempt refrigerator. Nobody wants to go into a foul break room for afternoon coffee. “Being the office fridge monitor isn’t a part of anybody’s job description,” said Renee Sweers, Woodbury County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach nutrition and wellness specialist. “Still, there are common sense rules that everybody should try to follow.”
OBSERVE THE FOUR-DAY RULE
Let’s say you brought some leftover Chinese food on Monday but it’s still languishing in the office fridge on Thursday. What should you do? According to Sweers, it’s time to throw it out. “Cooked foods have a shelf-life of about four days in the refrigerator,” she explained. “If it hasn’t been eaten by then, then just throw it away.”
MIND YOUR MESSES
“Clean up spills immediately,” Sweers said. “Since food residue carries various bacteria, wipe it up immediately instead of leaving it there to dry and stick in the refrigerator.”
MARK THE DATE
Remember the bottle of ketchup that’s been in the office fridge since you started
Renee Sweers, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach nutrition and wellness specialist shows the refrigerator at her office.
Continuously-refrigerated dairy products like sour cream can go for as long as a week beyond their sell-by date, according to Renee Sweers, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach nutrition and wellness specialist.
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OFFICE SPACE food
fight
A temperature gauge reading 37 degrees is shown in a refrigerator in the break room at the ISU Extension and Outreach’s Woodbury County office. Refrigerators between 37 - 39 degrees are ideal, according to nutrition and wellness specialist Renee Sweers.
“THE CROWD GOES WILD!” -The New York Times
working there? Can you still use it? Well, you better check the label. “Condiments tend to have a longer ‘best used by’ date than other types of food,” Sweers said. “Remember that a ‘best used by’ date isn’t a safety date. Instead, you may start to see gradual changes in the product’s flavor and color following the date on the label.” Other items – like meats and dairy – definitely have a “sell-by” date. However, Sweers said continuously refrigerated milk can safely be used for one week beyond the date on the label. On the other hand, lunch meats should not be stored beyond their sell-by dates. “It’s then that we have to worry about listeria and cross-contaminating other foods in the fridge,” Sweers said.
DON’T TAMPER WITH TEMPS
The ideal temperature for a refrigerator is around 37 - 39 degrees Fahrenheit. If it’s higher, food will spoil more quickly. If it’s lower, food might freeze. Having said that, Sweers warns that an overcrowded fridge will have a difficult time keeping food cold. Likewise, a refrigerated item kept outside for an extended period of time will affect other foods when placed inside a cold place.
COMMON SENSE EQUAL COMMON PRACTICES
“A person should use common sense when it comes to refrigeration,” Sweers said. “If food is getting moldy, throw it out. If you’re transporting your lunch inside a plastic bag that is sitting on the floor of your car, throw the bag away. “When you’re in an office setting, chance are you’re sharing a common officer refrigerator,” she continued. “Be courteous with others and they’ll be courteous with you.”
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
KEEP IT OR TOSS IT? Have you ever wondered how long you can keep your Valentine’s Day candy, which fruits or veggies last the longest time or which expiration dates you need to pay attention to? Iowa State University Extension & Outreach nutrition and wellness specialist Renee Sweers recommend StillTasty.com as a resource for those curious about the shelf life of their favorite foods. Whether it’s produce, meats, grains or herbs, she said the website is insightful and easy to use. Have you ever wondered what foods will last forever? According to StillTasty.com, honey, rice and sugar (if stored properly) can last for years.
OFFICE SPACE Social
Media
JEANA GOOSMANN EXPLAINS WHY YOUR COMPANY NEEDS A
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
s
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS PROVEN to be a powerful tool for business growth and development. But one bad post can damage a brand. Remember the Facebook photo of a Taco Bell worker licking a stack of tacos? Or the YouTube video of Domino’s Pizza employees doing disgusting things to the food? In both cases, the posts went viral and the workers were fired. #Fail Social media use has skyrocketed since 2005 and not all companies are prepared to deal with it. Last year, the Pew Research Center reported 65 percent of American adults use sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, up from 7 percent just a decade ago. Sharing information has never been faster or easier. It’s changed the way we communicate and build communities, and of course, the way we work, which is why Jeana Goosmann, the founder, CEO and managing partner of Goosmann Law Firm, decided to offer a free downloadable social media policy template on goosmannlaw.com. “Social media has become so pervasive in our personal and professional lives with the advent of smart phones and tablets,” she said. “It is imperative for all businesses in the 21st century to have a social media policy.” Here are seven reasons why. 1. Your existing policies may be out of date. “Most company conduct policies are not relevant to situations that arise on social media,” Goosmann said. “In addition, there have been a number of recent decisions by the National Labor Relations Board addressing limits to what an employer may or may not do when it comes to social media. Employers must review their social media policies to ensure compliance with relevant labor regulations, even when it is a company that does not have a unionized workforce.” 2. You don’t want to break any laws. Labor laws allow employees the freedom to discuss terms and conditions of employment without interference
Text by Ally Karsyn | Photograph by Justin Wan
Jeana Goosmann, the founder, CEO and managing partner of Goosmann Law Firm, decided to offer a free downloadable social media policy template on goosmannlaw.com. “We wanted to provide this tool to our clients to assist them in formulating a timely response to an issue that is here to stay in the workplace,” she said.
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or retaliation by their employer. “But there are limits to what employees may post on social media,” Goosmann said. “Employers must know and understand what types of postings can result in disciplinary action against an employee.” 3. You don’t want to land on a list of cautionary tales. Something can start trending on Twitter or Facebook in a matter of minutes. “The speed of social media is the biggest risk to an employer’s brand,” Goosmann said. “While this can help grow a company’s brand, abuse of social media can also quickly magnify negative issues and create a significant public relations nightmare for a company.” 4. Your workers need boundaries set in place. Are you employees allowed to be on social media at work, or is that a big no-no? Your workers need to know. A social media policy should also spell out what types of posts are subject to disciplinary action. “A basic rule of thumb is if the comment would not be tolerated in person because it would violate anti-discrimination laws, criminal laws or is primarily vulgar, then those comments are also not tolerated when communicated through social media,” Goosmann said.
“A basic rule of thumb is if the comment would not be tolerated in person because it would violate anti-discrimination laws, criminal laws or is primarily vulgar, then those comments are also not tolerated when communicated through social media.” JEANA GOOSMANN, FOUNDER AND CEO AT GOOSMANN LAW FIRM 5. Some employees need to be reminded that their strict privacy settings won’t necessarily keep their posts private. “If you’re posting anything work-related on a social media site, an employee should think twice before hitting send,” Goosmann said. “Even if you limit the audience that is receiving your post, there is no guarantee that your post won’t be copied and re-sent.” 6. You may think certain rules of order go without saying, but they still need to be said. Businesses need to clearly outline policies and employees need to be aware of them to avoid highly visible blunders. “Trade secrets,
impending business transactions, etc., should not be posted on social media,” Goosmann said. “An employee could end up in civil and possibly criminal legal trouble for posting confidential information.” 7. You want to protect your company and your people. “One of the dangers of social media – coupled with the fact that it is accessible on so many mobile devices – is that people have a tendency to respond quickly to matters by sending a post, and once your post has been sent, you have very limited options for retrieving that post,” Goosmann said. “Be careful before you hit send.”
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HEALTH Desk
Protocol
Kira Oregon holds a bamboo plant in her office at Innovative Business Consultants. Oregon is director of health initiatives for the company.
THINGS TO KEEP AT YOUR DESK TO HELP YOU GET THROUGH THE DAY
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Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds
Kira Oregon spends about 50 percent of her workday at her desk. When she sits down, the director of health initiatives for Innovative Business Consultants said she needs to get on task right away. On Oregon’s cherrywood desk, you’ll find a twisting bamboo plant, a bouquet of dried roses that she received from her husband for their anniversary, a tube of stress relieving hand cream and a sea salt scented candle. On the bookshelf behind her desk is a decorative glass bottle of colored sand that her son made when he was younger and framed photos of family vacations – just a few things to make her office fun and inspiring.
Oregon came up with a list of items that you should keep at your desk or in your office to help you get through the workday. FOOD AND DRINK Oregon cautioned that your desk shouldn’t be where you eat your meals. But if your blood sugar is running low and you need a quick pick-me-up, Oregon said you should keep foods like granola bars, carrots, grapes, bananas, nuts and packets of instant oatmeal on hand. “If you could have one piece – but not the whole bag – a little bit of dark chocolate is not always a bad idea,” she said. “Chewing gum is another great thing if you’re not on the phone or in meetings.
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HEALTH Desk
Protocol
Books and art in Oregon’s office.
That often can just kind of take the edge off.” Oregon said crackers aren’t the best office foods unless they’re measured into small bags. Before you know it, you could inadvertently consume a whole sleeve or box. “You still want to be mindful of those categories and choices,” she said. Bring a water bottle to work. Oregon recommends storing tea bags and powdered flavor packets in a desk drawer. “If you’ve got a fridge that you can stash a lime or lemon in, that’s even better to slice up and add as well,” she said. MEDICAL SUPPLIES Have a smaller version of your home medicine cabinet at your desk. A nail clippers, ibuprofen, bandages, cough drops and hand sanitizer, Oregon said are a must, even if your workplace’s human resources office keeps a first-aid kit. Be sure to routinely check expiration dates on medications; and don’t forget to stock tissues. Some offices, Oregon said don’t supply them.
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STRESS RELIEF Glancing at photos of family members and pets can be very relaxing, according to Oregon. She displays scenery photos from family vacations, but she said looking at your child’s school artwork hanging on your office wall or bulletin board could relieve stress. Tack up your favorite quote for inspiration. “You might post a certificate, whether it’s a degree or a certification that was achieved,” Oregon said. “As much as that is to sell yourself to others, I think it’s also a great reminder to yourself, ‘This is what I’ve accomplished. This is one of the things I’ve worked hard for and succeeded.’” You don’t just want to appeal to your visual sense. Awaken your sense of smell with a scented candle. Oregon said she doesn’t ever light hers, but just removing the candle’s lid releases the soothing scent. “We hear lavender – we know that’s calming and relaxing – but it doesn’t have to be that,” she said. Gadgets, Oregon said, are great to
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have as well. Try squeezing a stress ball or snapping a rubber band around your wrist. Stream your favorite radio station on your smartphone or listen to the sound of ocean waves crashing or birds chirping. “There’s a lot of things and tools that are probably already there,” Oregon said. FITNESS A sedentary office job can be hard on your body. Oregon said you can keep some light weights or resistance bands in your office or change out your desk chair with a stability ball. “That works your core when you’re sitting on it,” she said. “We’re told we should make sure that we stand at least every hour for a couple of minutes. To do a set of exercises or stretches that way is helpful.” Slip on a pair of walking or running shoes and go outside during your breaks to get a little exercise. “I just read a study today that said people who take their regularly
scheduled breaks are more productive,” Oregon said. TEMPERATURE If your office is too warm, you’re going to feel sluggish. If it’s too cold, you’ll be focusing your energy on staying warm. Bring in a space heater or fan, after checking with your employer first, to achieve a temperature that’s comfortable for you. If these electrical appliances are forbidden, Oregon recommends dressing in layers. “Many of us don’t have that ability to alter the thermostat as a whole,” she said. “What are those other aids that we can bring in and have? Anymore, both the fans and the little space heaters are much safer.” ORGANIZATION Oregon said your desk doesn’t have to be completely clutter-free, but she said when papers and pens have their set place we tend to feel more productive and less stressed. “Every so often, I think, a workstation or office needs a little bit of house cleaning,” she said. Oregon keeps client information in white binders stacked on her bookshelf. File cabinets conceal confidential participant information. She said she uses less paper than she did 10 to 15 years ago, which she likes. IBC recently moved some employees up to the second floor and others down to the first floor. Oregon, who stayed put on the second floor, said concealing electrical cords was a priority after the move. “We can do a better job of hiding these because visually it was a bit of a jumble,” she said. “Everybody has different thresholds as far as what they can tolerate.”
ABOVE: Kira Oregon relaxes in her office. RIGHT: A bottle of colored sand filled by her son sits next to a family photo.
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ADVICE Medical
Answers
‘DOC, I’VE GOT A QUESTION …’
MEET THE DOC Jesse Nieuwenhuis is a family medicine resident physician at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City, Iowa.
answers to your medical questions
I have a friend who has cancer and she says she’s going through chemotherapy. But what is chemotherapy and how does it act? She says she gets sick from it Chemotherapy is a generic term to describe any drug used to treat cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than 100 chemotherapy drugs used today. The specific chemotherapy drugs that are utilized on an individual basis are selected based on the type of cancer and how much cancer is in the body. Chemotherapy can be used for many different reasons related to cancer, including: keeping the cancer from spreading, slowing the cancer’s growth, killing cancer cells that may spread to other parts of the body, relieving symptoms such as pain or blockages caused by cancer and curing cancer. Chemotherapy acts by killing cancer cells. Specifically, chemotherapy drugs target and kill any cell that’s growing fast, even if it’s not a cancer cell. Therefore, some normal healthy cells that grow quickly such as hair, skin, and cells in the stomach and intestines can be damaged, which can cause side effects. However, most normal noncancerous cells can repair themselves over time. Because chemotherapy drugs are very strong and affect fast-growing cells as mentioned above, they can and often do cause side effects including but not limited to nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), vomiting, hair loss, bone marrow changes, mouth and skin changes, memory changes, and emotional changes. Many of these side effects can be treated, so I recommend talking with your doctor about strategies for minimizing any side effects if present. Are probiotics good for you? Do they work? Probiotics are bacteria that naturally live in the body and help it work well. Some people call probiotics “good” or “friendly” bacteria. In their natural form in the body, probiotics work by helping defend the body from infections caused by other bacteria or germs by keeping the growth and spread of other bacteria at bay. Probiotics get into your body on their own, so you can get benefits without doing or taking anything extra. However, some people take probiotics in pill form as a marketed supplement. Current evidence suggests that probiotics in their natural form in the body does help the body but there is no good evidence that taking probiotics in pill form does any good or has any added benefit. Therefore, the general
recommendation is that you should not take probiotics as a supplement unless you talk to your doctor first about whether or not they may benefit you as an individual. Probiotic supplements, like all supplements, are not regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the way standard medicines are, which means the companies that make these supplements don’t have to prove that the ingredients listed on the label are actually in the bottle. Moreover, there is a small chance probiotic supplements could do harm. In particular, people with weak immune systems (for example, people on chemotherapy for cancer treatment) should be extra careful because taking probiotic supplements could put them at risk for developing an infection.
How worried do we need to be about touching things like railings, doorknobs, tables and menus? Are people too skittish or should we be carrying wipes everywhere? Indeed, there are countless bacteria, viruses, and other germs that occur naturally in the environment all around us including on common surfaces we touch every day. Because some of these germs can be spread from person-to-person by touching various surfaces and then interacting with other people, the most important thing we can all do is to wash our hands appropriately throughout the day and especially after doing certain activities or when around individuals who are more prone to infection such as the elderly, infants and children, and those in the nursing home or hospital. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are recommendations for when and how to wash your hands to prevent spreading germs. You should wash your hands before, during and after preparing food; before eating food; before and after caring for someone who is sick; before and after treating a cut or wound; after using the toilet; after changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet; after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing; after touching an animal, animal feed or animal waste; after handling pet food or pet treats; and after touching garbage. The process of washing your hands should including wetting your hands first with clean running water, then lather your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails and scrub for at least 20 seconds, then rinse with clean running water. If water or soap are not available, the next best thing to use is hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is not as effective as hand washing when hands are visibly dirty or greasy but is better than no hand hygiene. WHAT KINDS OF HEALTH QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE? Submit your questions and they may be used in this monthly feature. Write to Siouxland Life at 515 Pavonia St., Sioux City, Iowa 51102.
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ask a professional Dr. Joel Pistello, DC
Posture is very important both at home and on the job. Back-friendly posture is a valuable component of preventing or managing back pain while performing any activity. Incorrect posture while standing for long periods of time, sitting in an office chair, and driving are all common causes of back pain.
Office Chair Sitting Posture Posture is important for sitting in office chairs and at a workstation. Many of us spend hours in front of the computer, resulting in back pain or neck pain. Much of this pain may be avoided by a combination of: • Adopting a user-friendly workstation by adjusting the office chair, computer and desk positioning • Modifying sitting posture in an office chair. Many people sit towards the front of their chair and end up hunching forward to look at their computer screen. The better seated posture is to sit back in the office chair and utilize the chair’s lumbar support to keep the head and neck erect. • Taking stretch breaks and walking breaks if sitting in an office chair for long periods of time. A consistent, comfortable workstation depends on where the computer screen is situated, where the hands and feet are placed, and the kind of office chair.
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Siouxland Life
PARTING SHOT By
Bruce Miller
DAD WAS RIGHT ABOUT BAD WINTERS
m
My father said he was going to yell, “Snow, you son of a gun, snow!” the first time a blizzard occurred after he retired. Like me, he hated winter and all its attendant problems – slick sidewalks, colds, unplowed roads. Once, he tried to bribe me to shovel the sidewalks, but I told him I’d pay him twice as much if he’d do it. (He did…and I paid up.) He didn’t like cars that wouldn’t start, either. So, faithfully, he’d plug them in before he went to bed each night. We never had a problem with starters (come on, we’re from North Dakota; cars come with extension cords), but we did have to worry about slippery roads. To fight them (and yes, it was a constant battle), he’d make sure we either had chains (look this one up, folks) or studded tires (which hadn’t been outlawed). We were so prepared, we could serve as an ambulance for folks in a fivecounty region. He also packed sand, salt and cardboard, in case tires got stuck. He filled the trunk with candy bars, water and candles and made sure to tell us about a woman he knew who was stranded with infant children and had to melt snow under her arms to give them something
to drink. (The three of them apparently survived for days but my sister and I never had the guts to ask her – or the kids – what it was like.) Instead, she was a cautionary tale (not unlike the woman who was hit in the head with a golf club by her husband), meant to keep us in line in case we dared brave the elements. My sister has always been the daredevil in the family. One year when we were headed to grandma’s for Christmas, Dad actually let her drive on ice because he was sick. He said “slow down” so often I thought it was her name. She did a great job, though, and thereafter became known as the “expert” driver on ice. She was 16. I had no desire to challenge her, particularly since “black ice” is a threat worse than death in North Dakota. I encountered the devil on a trip home from college. Unaware the roads were slippery (yeah, I know), I drove at a pretty good clip, hit a patch of black ice and spun around like a merrygo-round. I wound up in a ditch and thought I was going to be left for dead. Luckily, a trucker wasn’t far behind and he was able to lead me out of the ditch and back on the road. (The best thing
about North Dakota? Ditches aren’t deep.) He followed me to the next town, helped me call nearby relatives and made sure I knew the truth about black ice. I shook until I got to their house, needed two Cokes and a brownie to calm my nerves and, after some hesitation, called home. “Didn’t you know there was black ice?” Mom said. She paused, then tried to put a good spin on it: “Well, at least you didn’t hit a deer.” That’s how our winter journeys went – a litany of hazards that could potentially keep you from reaching your destination, each ready to pounce at any given moment. When Dad finally reached retirement age and didn’t have to battle a single blizzard, I thought it’d be good to find out what the feeling was like. On the first snowmageddon of the season, I called home and asked if they were hunkered in, thrilled to watch the flakes fall where they may. “I guess it’s OK,” Mom said. “But I don’t know what Dad thinks about it. He went downtown to get the mail.” Blizzards, you see, never got in the way of the mail.
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