Two weeks ago my boyfriend graduated college and I couldn't be happier for him. Partially because it was high time he graduated that mofo, but mostly because he was ready to take that next step and it's an exciting time. I can admit that this time last year I was slightly envious of him. Yes, I was done with school but I wasn't going on to "bigger and better things". Not immediately, anyway. He still had his college security blanket, his close friends living a few feet away from him, and I was mentally preparing myself to go back to La Madre.
In fact, my bf wasn't the only person I was close to who was staying in school. I felt like everyone had an extra semester or year tucked away somewhere, and I couldn't wrap my head around it. But then something happened. The summer ended, I found a way to move out on my own, got a job within my field and I never looked back. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen, folks.
Now that some of my closer friends have graduated (at last) I'm extremely proud of them, not only because of what they've accomplished but because their attitude after graduating is way more optimistic than mine was. I'm generally a happy-go-lucky kind of person, but even I can admit that post-grad life scared me. The 20-something's I've talked to about their recent graduations don't all have jobs lined up but they're prepared to work and market themselves. I think in a lot of ways this generation of young adults is thought to be self-concerned (true), self-centered (true), self-entitled (very true), but we can also be self-sufficient. There's no shame in going back home if you're working hard to get out, and if you're temporarily unemployed just remember that it's only temporary.
My best advice to grads who have failed to realize the above is this: stop looking for a hand out. No one owes you a damn thing. You've made it this far, so keep the momentum going.
Well, you can. You can thank him for a lot of other things like being a major influence on the civil rights movement but for right now, as you're reading this, you can thank him for this update.
This long weekend I've been making great use of my time. Since I now have cable (moving on up in the world), I can now watch shows other than The Office and Charmed re-runs on Netflix, which I've been doing since about August. As it turns out, TV still sucks even after you give yourself a 5 month break from it.
Along with watching cable, I've been forcing my homebody boyfriend to explore the city. When I say "force", I mean gently but persistently encourage him. He's not a fan of crowds or public transportation, but I could really care less about that. If I'm living in a city, it's just something we've both got to get use to and so far he's been a good sport.
And another New Years resolution that I've been starting to work on is spending more time with my dad - who I don't talk about much on here. You hear about La Madre, which she loves because in her mind that makes her a celebrity, but my dad deserves shine too. This weekend J and I went on a "double date" with him and his womanfriend. You would think it would be awkward but it wasn't. . .just 4 adults talking and enjoying good food. Gahd, am I getting old? That statement sounded old.
I feel like I spent so much of my life trying to get older and now that I'm in my 20's. . .I'd gladly give back like 2-3 years. There are obvious pros to being over 21 though. Still trying to figure those out.
Some of these are mine and some I found online. All made me smile.
• You can spend an unspecified amount of time in Starbucks sipping on the same "tall", overpriced drink. . .as long as they don't come at you for using their Wi-fi to update your blog, write your article, etc.
• While you may not agree with their methods of reaching success, you can appreciate the journalistic endeavors of the stars in the Devil Wears Prada, How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Sex and The City and yes - even Harriet The Spy. You understand the necessity of her notebook remaining confidential.
• Deadlines are of the utmost importance to you. In fact, you happen to work your best when you're only allotted a finite amount of time to produce something extraordinary.
• It drives you CRAZY when people don't know the difference between "too", "to", and "two." In fact, you're genuinely hurt when they misspell anything and don't correct it, and have to hold back from voicing it for fear of being "that guy."
• When you really start writing you go somewhere within yourself and sometimes, when you come out, days have passed, babies have been born, and pets have gone unfed.
• You have a deep appreciation for Apple Products - not all, but some. If only you could afford them.
• Whenever you're sending anything serious - email, text, whatever - you re-read it at least twice, checking for any spelling/mistakes or more importantly, if you can think of better "25-cent" word choices.
• You consult either of these books for those quarter words:
*Cough*Iownboth*cough*
• You're able to hold a conversation on just about any topic for at least 10 minutes from things floating around in your brain from pass research.
• You understand that Google does not = research. Not completely, anyway.
• You consider yourself fluent in sarcasm. To you it is indeed a language that not many people can decipher, but those who can are awesome in your book.
• You love a good quote. In fact, you can center a whole story around a quote if need be.
I can't believe it's already Thursday. I'm gunna be honest - I don't know how you people with full time jobs, kids, lives, etc. do this whole blogging consistently (about something people care to read about) thing. And it's sad because in my profession I really should know how to it. #Kanyeshrug
HOWEVER, I'm going to learn! Because guess who got a full-time job!? Okay, I'll tell you. ME.
I can no longer spend my days bullshittingon Netflix job searching because I have my first official, 9-to-5 gig. This is as real as real gets, folks. Had to put on my big girl pants and at first it was an odd fit, but I'm filling them out now.
And to think it all happened before I had the opportunity to get this shirt...
The best part? This is a job in my field where I'm not being exploited! I can't get into detail about it (well, I can - but what's the fun in that?) but I will say that I get to write about shows like Dance Moms a lot more, and you know how much that puts a smile on my face.
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A HUGE thank you to Stiletto Minded for this Kreativ Blogger award! Every time I receive a blog award I'm always appreciative and I'm always surprised.
For some reason I always think, "Yay! Someone likes my blog! I'm probably not going to get another one so I better savor this", lol. Check out Stiletto Minded's blog for her thoughts on love, fashion and life in general!
The Rules: Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their site, award 10 other bloggers, fill out this survey (I've filled it out before) and share 7 random facts about yourself.
7 Facts:I still take bubble baths with Disney Princess-themed hypoallergenic/dermatologist recommended soap, I'm the oldest of 5, My current boyfriend is my 3rd and last boyfriend, My "big little" brother goes to Binghamton U and he's in his sophomore year, in college I was an RA (Resident Assistant), I listen to Jazz because of my grandfather's influence, and I think shower curtains are kind of pointless.
Check out their pages and hopefully you'll enjoy them as much as I do!
I think someone else out there also gave me an award (a whiiiiile ago) and whoever you are - I apologize, but I can't find your comment! Lol. Thank you, though! Comment on this post and let me know so I can follow your award rules too.
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& Finally, thanks from J for the Happy Birthday wishes! He felt famous and especially appreciated those comments about him being cute. Lol.
This picture was added because my boobs look incredible. Although my hair does not
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I feel like it's been ages since I've updated, so I apologize for that. Things have been reaaally hectic for a bunch of reasons I've probably already mentioned in here. I'm trying to figure out if you can donate organs for money beforehand, because that's how I'm living right now. But alas, this too shall pass.
*sigh*
I think this week has been a stressful week for a lot of people, judging from some of you guys' (spelling?) blogs that I've been ghost stalking.
Shoutout to the things this week that have successfully turned my frown upside down:
• An ever-patient boyfriend that can deal with my sporadic emotionally outburst. J get's the Boyfriend Of The Week award again. He's currently the only candidate and competitor, but that's besides the point.
• A lot of people around me have been getting good news so I'm hoping that some of that karmic goodness rubs off on me if I keep hanging around them. I'm ready to bathe in some good news.
• According to some girl who came into my (temporary) job with serious wrist issues, Red Mango has rainbow sprinkles. If you don't already know, I love all things colorful and particularly love sprinkles. 'Nuff said.
Some of you have upwards of 500 followers but listen, when you originally weren't expecting anyone to be interested in your blog thoughts besides your boyfriend, 100 means something. Something big.
I just want to dedicate this update to allllllll you fabulous people who have read (I mean really read, not skimmed. Lazy asses :P) my blog since I started giving it the attention it deserved back in June. I've had over 10,000 hits (I knowwwww, I suck for not mentioning that before) and a ton of comments that I truly appreciate. I know how great of a feeling it is to see comments that show someone really took something away from your blog and well . . thanks :]
I think every writer's fear is that they're thought of as frauds who are incapable of properly expressing their creativity - or in other words, are bad writers - but this blog is my outlet to write what I please and I love that you guys love it too.
I'd also like to say thanks to Woody and Shane for this pretty bad-ass looking "Blog on Fire" award. .
I honestly couldn't think of a better title for this entry (sorry) but whatever. You're gunna love this post because I'm telling you to.
So I'm realizing that gaining independence doesn't mean you're independent of your parents fully. Beingindependent of your biological parents just gives you a new mom and new dad, and their names are Uncle Sam and Sallie Mae.
• This weekend I pre-celebrated my pre-birthday with a few friends. Good food, good drinks. Two more celebrations to come ;] I'm a pain in the ass.
• I'm getting SO ANTSY about moving into the city in September. I actually have yet to tell my mother about me not coming home after this summer. Whatever, this weekend when I go home I'll be sure to bring it up, lol. Good thing she doesn't read this blog!
• Victoria's Secret is giving out these cute-ass little doggies! Go make a purchase of any kind (or two, like I did so you can get two dogs) for free. Lol. That was the one thing that made my day better when I met Thelma the Racist.
• When the f*ck did I grow up?! Just a random thought I'm having. I'm lookin' up credit scores, asking everybody "does it cost money to do that"?, etc., etc. But I won't bore you with my early 20-something problems.
How are you guys feeling about the week to come? Any good/great news to share with me?
Don't ask me how I came up with it, but it's what I've got. Because of this I've been giving much thought to what I'm going to do with my real life, as in, the life I'll have once I leave here. For those of you who don't know: I'm a recent college graduate. Hold the applause. I should also mention that I am unemployed in my field, heavily reliant on my parents and not entirely sure of the direction of my life. No more clapping? Okay then. . .
I know most of you guys are still in college and such, but for those of you who aren't, I have some serious questions. Please don't judge me, as I promise I'm not retarded. Just really unsure of my next step in life.
1.) How do you do laundry in the city? I'm so serious. Do I have to push around a cart with a laundry bag in it across streets and in front of people? Oh, and do I have to bring my groceries back in a cart too?
2.)What do you do for fun? When I was in school there was a semester where I was interning, writing my thesis, co-heading a fashion show, running my sorority's chapter, and working two jobs. What the hell am I supposed to occupy my time with once I leave for good? Certainly work, sleeping and eating can't be it. . .can it?
3.) Who do I start paying back these student loans to? Do they contact me or am I supposed to be like, "Hey, remember that money you loaned me? About that. . ."Am I supposed to play hard to get?
4.) Is there really no such thing as summer vacation anymore? I understand that you get vacation weeks but it's probably frowned upon to take them all at once, right? Plus - I'm definitely going to want a few random days off during the year *sigh*.
5.) Is it too late to start investing? I don't even know what I should be investing in, per say, but everyone's telling me to save, save, save.
6.) Should I stop sporting clothes from my college? Does society think that's silly? I have a good 100 + t-shirts with my college's logo on it, not to mention sweatpants, socks, caps, etc. I remember being able to wake up and stroll to class in my "Post sweats" and sorority letters. Are those days over?
7.) How long can I use the 'recent college graduate' excuse? Don't get me wrong - I am far from lazy, but I know when I have things working in my favor. I'm looking for work and prepared to take on my next step of responsibilities but I know this can't be my get-out-of-jail free card forever. Wahh. Is there like a 6 month expiration date I should know about? Kind of like when the loans kick in?
After a year-long hiatus (no judgement, thanks), I am back and better than ever. And by better than ever I mean I've gotten highlights, graduated college and learned how to say "bitch, please" and "don't get crazy" in American Sign Language. I pretty much feel unstoppable. Minus the fact that for the first time in my life, I really have no clue what's coming around the corner.
I've heard from plenty of people that the real world is nothing to be played with, and that is why I am trying to prolongue the f-ckery for as long as possibly. I'm only 21, after all. Unlike many of my fellow 2011 graduates, I was never really looking forward to graduating. I mean yeah, wahoo, I am a college graduate but so what? My biggest concern right now is student loans kicking in and how I can get a good-paying job without shedding any clothing and actually using the skills I've acquired over the past four years. Yes, I graduated - now what?
While I figure that out, I'll be blogging like usual and sharing any awesome experiences I encounter along the way. Enjoy the ride. I promise not to make this a complaining blog but I will keep my feelings about the sh-tty economy 100% real.
However, the way I see it, complaining isn't going to change anything so instead of asking myself when things stopped being fun and started being routine, I need to focus on the positive things in life. Like cupcakes and shoe sales.
I may not be the best person when it comes to facts and figures. In retrospect, the only reason I passed AP Economics with flying colors in high school was because of my way with words and my teacher’s reluctance to abide by strict teaching guidelines. However, for the sake of this argument, I’m gunna relate to it to financial terms. Money is a universal language. Investments. Opportunity costs. All that good ish that I thought was buried deep in my mind with all my other horrific high school memories resurfaced when I started thinking about one of my favorite topics for discussion.
Men.
More specifically, that seemingly extinct “good man” that plenty have attacked, and plenty more have almost given up on finding. I know I’m young, and I have “my whole life ahead of me”, but I’m not the only young female by any stretch of the imagination who has something to say about the deficiency of eligible good guys out there. Like the US economy, the pool of good guys also seems to be in a recession.
Not to further depress you or anything, but let’s relate it to the facts. From what I’ve observed, and from a totally not-feministic standpoint (*wink*), ladies have it rough. I’m not talking about the older bitter woman, with years of failed relationships who is just now figuring out that the problem might be her either. I’m talking about the young, doe-eyed, and impressionable young women of today. The ones who have only felt the beginning of heartache, if that, and are preparing themselves for what they consider to be the inevitable heartaches to come.
Think of a good young man as a commodity – he’s rare, and he’s in high demand. He’s the guy who treats you well, respects you as not only a person but as a partner, handles his business, and knows that what he wants to get in life will not just be handed to him. Granted, there are plenty of triflin’ women trying to seduce the “good man”, and because he is a man, these shiny things catch his attention. Some women dress in barely-there clothing to compete for his affection. When they are beat out by girls, they do the next best thing and quite possibly the worst thing: lower their standards. They lower their price.
The other guys, because the market is so flooded with these eager women pinning for male attention, now have the chance to step in. Women who would otherwise pass them over because it’s clear that they’re under-qualified for the position might front for a little bit, but will soon realize that an attitude doesn’t keep them warm at night. If enough guys try, and enough guys they’ve invested in happen to fail, suddenly the thing of weaker value starts looking better. You don’t even realize it – just like you start cutting back on brand names when grocery shopping to save yourself the money, you cut back on qualities when looking for a date to save yourself some stress. You begin making excuses for them, you let sh-t slide – you forget your worth.
Why?
I guess it’s because it’s better to be in the business somewhat lucrative, than out of it completely and utterly broke. It’s sad, but to those few guys (and I know some of you are out there) who know the game is unfortunately in their favor and still choose to maximize their potential as a partner as opposed to doing the bare minimum, I say thanks. May you land a strongfoine-ass woman, if you haven’t already.
And to the rest of you who still have yet to mature emotionally and logically – enjoy it while it lasts. Women are all the more wiser to the way the market has changed, and if we adjust ourselves accordingly, you’ll be the ones left looking stupid. Not us.
PS – The US Dollar is about 67 cents compared to the Euro right now. I’m not saying European men are better, I’m just sayin’. . .don’t knock it till you try it ; ]
