This is not the first time that I've thought to myself, dang, I wish I had a MacBook so I could _________. Fill in that blank with whatever you want. There are so many useful functions that a Mac provides that my poor little Toshiba just can't muster. Sure, she does a good job. But there are those times I find myself moving the mouse to the top left side of the screen to close a window and sadly realize that I have a PC and therefore must move the mouse to the top right side of the window in order to close. Poor, unfortunate me.
My longing for a new MacBook has been induced by my attempt at a job hunt today. The entire process of seeking employment is an exhausting task.
Find company.
Research.
Write cover letter with enough panache to schmooze bigwigs at said company.
Proof read resume for eleventy-billionth time.
Send resume and cover letter.
Shampoo.
Rinse.
Repeat.
I have scoured newspapers, job search websites, Craigslist, etc. I’ve even considered freelance but then I think to myself, a freelance what? My writing background is in advertising. Advertising professors teach you grammar and writing techniques and then tell you to throw them out the window. They are no longer of any use. From what I understand, those rules come in handy when submitting a manuscript to a publisher or an article to an editor. Now, I’m not saying that I have no grasp on proper writing techniques. I do. What I’m saying is that I have no formal journalistic training. My training extends no further than what they taught in Advanced Comp during my senior year of high school. In the introductory paragraph, you tell your reader what you’re going to talk about. In the body paragraphs, you proceed to tell them. And in the conclusion, you remind your readers what you just told them. If I turned something like that into, say, the editor of the New York Times, I would be laughed all the way back to Illinois.
So what kind of job can I get with a degree in advertising?
No, I’m really asking. Any advice?
I’ve worked on accounts. I’ve done the ad rep thing. I’ve done PR. Everything short of becoming a sales person for an insurance company. No offense to those insurance sales people out there in internet land, it’s just not my cup of Lipton’s.
This is where everything comes full circle. There are no advertising jobs where I live. I’ve been saying this for months and months and months. And if I had a MacBook I could prove it. I went to the classified section of local newspaper’s website, clicked on the link to Advertising/Press Release jobs and what should I see…
“Sorry, we did not find results for that search.”
I wish I had a MacBook so I could use the screen capture function. I would put that screen captured picture up along with this post to give you a better, more visual idea of what I’ve been rambling on about.
20 February 2008
14 February 2008
V-Day
Bridge Man and I are not exchanging gifts for Valentine's Day this year. Not that we ever put an extravagant amount of thought into the day in the past. Last year we exchanged cards and took a weekend trip to Chicago.
But this year is different. Why? Because we are sans one income and because we have a giant party that's coming up in August to pay for that is getting ridiculously expensive. So after I finish filling you in on our V-Day escapades I will head out into the freezing weather to buy a romantic card, take some time to add my own personal little note, and then head to class. That's right, class. Instead of sipping a glass of Molti Bianchi with my main squeeze on this, the day of love, I will likely be wrapping some purple (grey) hair into a flat-wrap perm or putting low-lites onto an over processed, over bleached 17 year-old head of hair. Good times.
Speaking of wedding stuff… (Per my brief mention above, you know that party in August.) The date is getting alarmingly close and there is still a frightening amount of work to be done.
I've picked out flowers:
But this year is different. Why? Because we are sans one income and because we have a giant party that's coming up in August to pay for that is getting ridiculously expensive. So after I finish filling you in on our V-Day escapades I will head out into the freezing weather to buy a romantic card, take some time to add my own personal little note, and then head to class. That's right, class. Instead of sipping a glass of Molti Bianchi with my main squeeze on this, the day of love, I will likely be wrapping some purple (grey) hair into a flat-wrap perm or putting low-lites onto an over processed, over bleached 17 year-old head of hair. Good times.
Speaking of wedding stuff… (Per my brief mention above, you know that party in August.) The date is getting alarmingly close and there is still a frightening amount of work to be done.
I've picked out flowers:
Calla Lillies
Oriental Lillies
We've ordered the cake:
It will look similar to this. But because I personalized it and made it my own I don't have an exact photo of what it will look like. It will be square with simple black trim but there will only be three tiers and no weird calla lily topper. Instead, there will be the plum colored calla lillies on each tier. The topper is yet to be decided. (If at all.)
The tuxes have been picked out and ordered. I will be ordering my dress this weekend. (I thought about linking a picture of the dress but I decided that a girls got to have some secrets. Plus, Bridge Man will be reading this and I promised both moms that he wouldn't see the dress before the wedding.)
We're meeting with a potential photographer next week. Check out his website. I love the creative angles and shots in each photo. I really hope it works out with this photog, I fell in love with his work and have my hopes way, WAY up. (Fingers crossed.)
And the most exciting thing of all, we picked out the officiant. We decided to go the ordained minister route and have asked someone who is close to both Bridge Man and myself. I have known her since I was... (thinking way, way back)... since I was four years old. I was so nervous to ask her for such a huge favor. I didn't want her to feel obligated. But she said yes!
I think that's about all I have done for the wedding. I'm working on picking out a DJ and deciding upon important songs. I was thinking about non-traditional ceremony music but haven't made any concrete decisions yet.
Normally I am not one to freak out about things like this. And up until recently, I have been a very laid back bride. But when someone tells me that my wedding is in a mere six months and I haven't decided upon center pieces my heart starts to race and I get a little antsy. Hence the blog that lacks any semblance of flow or of a complete thought. So you will have to bear with me while I work this thing out.
10 February 2008
I read the news today, oh boy.
Since Bridge Man and I moved in together my news intake has greatly increased. Before that I couldn't tell you what the heck was going on in the world. It was not that I disliked the news. It was that it just did not take precedence over my obsessions with Friends and The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. I could tell you about the latest drama between Coral and Mike before I could begin to discuss the mounting issues with the war in Iraq.
As I bow my head in disgust I feel that I must remind you that this neglect of the news, nationally and globally, is all in the past. I now watch the news. So much so that there are some days when I want to beg Bridge Man to turn off the third showing of Meet the Press. There is only so much one woman can take. After all, there are only so many ways one can analyze the same issue.
Obama won the popular vote in State A but Clinton received the most delegates because the super delegates out voted the regular voters.
Clinton is projected to win the popular vote in State B. But you never know what those darned superdelegates are going to do.
This is what I don't get. Who the heck are these superdelegates and why does their vote count more than the votes of the citizens? I understand the idea of the superdelegate; they are current or former elected officeholders and party officials who get the opportunity to put in their thirty cents (You know, inflation) when the race becomes too close to determine a front runner for the party. In the event that Obama wins the popular vote in a state but inevitably loses due to overzealous superdelegates, where is the democracy in that? Why would we want political insiders making such decisions for us? Are they not the guys on the inside? You know the ones that have led this country down the frazzled path we are on.
I repeat: These superdelegates don't HAVE to vote. They vote ONLY in the event that a race is too close to call. So what are they doing finagling with the popular vote? It takes me back to that fateful night in November of 2000, you know the whole Florida thing. It's just too awful to discuss. I shudder at the thought.
I took a class in college, Social Issues. The main goal of the class was to discuss the construction and study of social problems, to understand how and why things are defined and treated as social problems, and to gain the ability to asses the claims made about social problems. This was, hands down, the most interesting class I took during my college career. It was everything people look for in a continuing education course; intellectucal discussions, polar view points, and new ideas that make you say: Ooohhh, I never thought of it like that. Anyway...
In my opinion, this whole superdelegate thing has become what my professor would have categorized as a social issue. People question who these superdelegates are and what their purpose may be. Unfortunately once they receive their highly political explanation they move on and are apathetic to give it a second thought. But no matter what asinine rationalization is given for this matter I NEVER think: Oh, that makes sense. I see what you're saying. The superdelegates are doing a good job. They are not abusing their power at all. Their vote should totally count for more than anyone elses.
And what does this whole thing do for the incentive to vote? I don't want to vote in a political election when there is the possibility that my ballot may not even be considered? Why waste my time? I'm not saying you shouldn't vote. Please do. But the point of an election is to be heard. These superdelegates are snuffing out the voice of the American citizens. It seems to me that this whole issue is just another misapplication of the Consitiution brought to you, America, by the people "we" placed in the White House.
As I bow my head in disgust I feel that I must remind you that this neglect of the news, nationally and globally, is all in the past. I now watch the news. So much so that there are some days when I want to beg Bridge Man to turn off the third showing of Meet the Press. There is only so much one woman can take. After all, there are only so many ways one can analyze the same issue.
Obama won the popular vote in State A but Clinton received the most delegates because the super delegates out voted the regular voters.
Clinton is projected to win the popular vote in State B. But you never know what those darned superdelegates are going to do.
This is what I don't get. Who the heck are these superdelegates and why does their vote count more than the votes of the citizens? I understand the idea of the superdelegate; they are current or former elected officeholders and party officials who get the opportunity to put in their thirty cents (You know, inflation) when the race becomes too close to determine a front runner for the party. In the event that Obama wins the popular vote in a state but inevitably loses due to overzealous superdelegates, where is the democracy in that? Why would we want political insiders making such decisions for us? Are they not the guys on the inside? You know the ones that have led this country down the frazzled path we are on.
I repeat: These superdelegates don't HAVE to vote. They vote ONLY in the event that a race is too close to call. So what are they doing finagling with the popular vote? It takes me back to that fateful night in November of 2000, you know the whole Florida thing. It's just too awful to discuss. I shudder at the thought.
I took a class in college, Social Issues. The main goal of the class was to discuss the construction and study of social problems, to understand how and why things are defined and treated as social problems, and to gain the ability to asses the claims made about social problems. This was, hands down, the most interesting class I took during my college career. It was everything people look for in a continuing education course; intellectucal discussions, polar view points, and new ideas that make you say: Ooohhh, I never thought of it like that. Anyway...
In my opinion, this whole superdelegate thing has become what my professor would have categorized as a social issue. People question who these superdelegates are and what their purpose may be. Unfortunately once they receive their highly political explanation they move on and are apathetic to give it a second thought. But no matter what asinine rationalization is given for this matter I NEVER think: Oh, that makes sense. I see what you're saying. The superdelegates are doing a good job. They are not abusing their power at all. Their vote should totally count for more than anyone elses.
And what does this whole thing do for the incentive to vote? I don't want to vote in a political election when there is the possibility that my ballot may not even be considered? Why waste my time? I'm not saying you shouldn't vote. Please do. But the point of an election is to be heard. These superdelegates are snuffing out the voice of the American citizens. It seems to me that this whole issue is just another misapplication of the Consitiution brought to you, America, by the people "we" placed in the White House.
06 February 2008
Bad Computer
My lap top threw a hissy fit. I have been busy lately and haven't been fulfilling my daily web quota so maybe she was upset with me. Maybe she missed me. I don't know for sure but last Sunday she decided that there was no way in crap that she was going to obey orders. And no matter how I pleaded, no matter how I begged, she continued to let me know just how mad I had made her.
I would hit up my blog roll, click on something, and walk away to wait for the page to load only to have a patronizing error message greet me upon my return. I defragmented, scanned for spy ware, scanned for viruses, deleted cookies and nothing. Nothing. She is one stubborn personal computer.
I was so frustrated with this act of deliberate disobedience that I turned her off for a day and sat her in the corner so she could think about her actions. The next day she was still mad at me so I gave in and called some tech savvy friends. It turns out that my innocent little PC was being framed by the wireless router who wanted nothing more than to be turned off for a mere ten second rest.
All is well in internet land again. And now I can blog (or not blog) as much as I want.
I would hit up my blog roll, click on something, and walk away to wait for the page to load only to have a patronizing error message greet me upon my return. I defragmented, scanned for spy ware, scanned for viruses, deleted cookies and nothing. Nothing. She is one stubborn personal computer.
I was so frustrated with this act of deliberate disobedience that I turned her off for a day and sat her in the corner so she could think about her actions. The next day she was still mad at me so I gave in and called some tech savvy friends. It turns out that my innocent little PC was being framed by the wireless router who wanted nothing more than to be turned off for a mere ten second rest.
All is well in internet land again. And now I can blog (or not blog) as much as I want.
01 February 2008
Torture
I just ran across a blog devoted entirely to the story of a woman who passed away from breast cancer. I spent the last hour or two eating up every word that was written only to get through her stint in hospice and her eventual passing. Everything I read was so reminiscent of what my family went through with my mom that I spent the last hour (if not more) reading through tear veiled eyes. It has officially been two months and two days since my mom passed. I miss her more and more every day. I don't know why I torture myself with blogs such as the aforementioned. Last week I spent I don't know how many hours sitting on the floor in the middle of the self-help section at Barnes and Noble reading a book about why daughters need their mothers. I'm sure passers-by thought that the crazy crying girl needed much more than just the self-help section of a book store.
I'm headed out of state for a long weekend. This is my first vacation from all the little reminders and moments that break me down to a sobbing mess. Fingers crossed. Let's make this a good one.
I'm headed out of state for a long weekend. This is my first vacation from all the little reminders and moments that break me down to a sobbing mess. Fingers crossed. Let's make this a good one.
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