Right now there's a guy at my desk leaning on the bar-like surface and breathing heavily while he fills out some sort of application. That's right, I'm at one of those desks that with a surface at about my eye level that makes me feel like a bartender. This guy isn't really a bad guy (he's in the office for other things now and then) but heavy breathing during routine moments is one of many things that irritate me and I wish he'd taken my suggestion to go sit down at a desk in our office somewhere. The whole thing just makes me uneasy.
In other uneasies, my car's cd player is struggling right now. I've let it relax for a couple days now and hopefully it will miraculously recover. I can't afford to do much else with it right now. Hopefully everything will be fine by my big trip in July. Thank the good Lord for NPR and this station that plays mostly old (as in "classic" and made pre-80s) country and western music.
As of today I am a college graduate.
Everyone thinks I should be excited but I'm really pretty apathetic toward the whole thing.
The graduation ceremony is today but I'm not "walking." I'll just wait for the diploma to come in the mail. I don't really have vacation time to waste. I'm not much for graduations, anyway.
People are amazed that I'm not "walking" or ecstatic about the whole thing. I suppose I'm proud of myself for finally accomplishing it, but really, it's taken me 9 years and gotten me in nasty debt. I'm not proud of that. It's taken me 9 years and gotten me in debt but my life changes absolutely not at all. I'll still have a secretary job. No one values a Bachelor's Degree in General Studies, English major. It's not some sort of formality that officializes my skills or validates anything and lets me get some dream job or at least something much better. On top of that, for me the degree is just something that gets handed to me to recognize the accumulation of a certain number of credits that all line up in the right ways. My eventual goal now is to be an English professor and write. Before I can even think much about graduate school, I still have a good number of classes to take to fill prerequisites and get me ready. I'll feel much more "graduated" when I'm done with my last prerequisite and entering a grad program.
People are sweet, though. The office here threw me a little party yesterday to recognize my graduation. They're a lot more excited about it than I am...maybe it's a huge deal to have an educated secretary. Either way, I was especially amused (that's all I really can be anymore) at one thing in particular. We have a person filling a position in the interim as a part-time gig. She graduated two years ago, lives with her parents and is a department manager at the big expensive department store at one of the malls around here. She wrote on both my card and "signature poster" that was hanging on the wall, "welcome to the 'real world'." I'm sure she meant well (she's often condescending but I don't think she even knows she is) and I'm not offended or anything, but I'm 27 and was living in the "real world" when she was still a freshman in college. I've been living in a squalid townhouse supporting myself since before she graduated college and was helping run a retail store before that. The only reason I apparently wasn't in the "real world" before now (despite the fact that NOTHING changes as a result of my graduation) is that my parents couldn't afford to pay for my school and I had to pay for almost of all of it myself and therefore had to work full-time and take classes on the side. I suppose I'm just enjoying the irony of the whole thing...I should be telling HER about "the real world." You know, the one where you hock stuff to pay the bills and ride the bus for a few weeks in zero degree temperature because your old Chevy Celebrity just won't run and even if it would, the brakes are shot and crunch and grind every time you try to slow down or stop. Anyway, I'm not trying to be angry, the whole thing is just terribly funny and reminds me of why I'm going to keep on taking classes.
One last piece of news: Stacey's brother is coming to hang out here for about a week. Maybe next week...he's not really sure yet. Poor guy needs a vacation. I really dig him. He's pretty much the strong, nearly silent type and has a lot going on in his head. Omaha should be good for him.
Drop me a line in my comment box if you'd like. This is the first weekend I can remember where I didn't have tons going on and I'd love to read what's happening elsewhere.
Today's DPB:
Mr. President:
We have completed the investigation you requested. Our findings conclude that President Taft did indeed put the "bomp" in the "bomp ba bomp ba bomp." Research indicate he probably inserted the "dip" in the "dip da dip da dip," as well, but due to incomplete records, we are unable to confirm this.
In other uneasies, my car's cd player is struggling right now. I've let it relax for a couple days now and hopefully it will miraculously recover. I can't afford to do much else with it right now. Hopefully everything will be fine by my big trip in July. Thank the good Lord for NPR and this station that plays mostly old (as in "classic" and made pre-80s) country and western music.
As of today I am a college graduate.
Everyone thinks I should be excited but I'm really pretty apathetic toward the whole thing.
The graduation ceremony is today but I'm not "walking." I'll just wait for the diploma to come in the mail. I don't really have vacation time to waste. I'm not much for graduations, anyway.
People are amazed that I'm not "walking" or ecstatic about the whole thing. I suppose I'm proud of myself for finally accomplishing it, but really, it's taken me 9 years and gotten me in nasty debt. I'm not proud of that. It's taken me 9 years and gotten me in debt but my life changes absolutely not at all. I'll still have a secretary job. No one values a Bachelor's Degree in General Studies, English major. It's not some sort of formality that officializes my skills or validates anything and lets me get some dream job or at least something much better. On top of that, for me the degree is just something that gets handed to me to recognize the accumulation of a certain number of credits that all line up in the right ways. My eventual goal now is to be an English professor and write. Before I can even think much about graduate school, I still have a good number of classes to take to fill prerequisites and get me ready. I'll feel much more "graduated" when I'm done with my last prerequisite and entering a grad program.
People are sweet, though. The office here threw me a little party yesterday to recognize my graduation. They're a lot more excited about it than I am...maybe it's a huge deal to have an educated secretary. Either way, I was especially amused (that's all I really can be anymore) at one thing in particular. We have a person filling a position in the interim as a part-time gig. She graduated two years ago, lives with her parents and is a department manager at the big expensive department store at one of the malls around here. She wrote on both my card and "signature poster" that was hanging on the wall, "welcome to the 'real world'." I'm sure she meant well (she's often condescending but I don't think she even knows she is) and I'm not offended or anything, but I'm 27 and was living in the "real world" when she was still a freshman in college. I've been living in a squalid townhouse supporting myself since before she graduated college and was helping run a retail store before that. The only reason I apparently wasn't in the "real world" before now (despite the fact that NOTHING changes as a result of my graduation) is that my parents couldn't afford to pay for my school and I had to pay for almost of all of it myself and therefore had to work full-time and take classes on the side. I suppose I'm just enjoying the irony of the whole thing...I should be telling HER about "the real world." You know, the one where you hock stuff to pay the bills and ride the bus for a few weeks in zero degree temperature because your old Chevy Celebrity just won't run and even if it would, the brakes are shot and crunch and grind every time you try to slow down or stop. Anyway, I'm not trying to be angry, the whole thing is just terribly funny and reminds me of why I'm going to keep on taking classes.
One last piece of news: Stacey's brother is coming to hang out here for about a week. Maybe next week...he's not really sure yet. Poor guy needs a vacation. I really dig him. He's pretty much the strong, nearly silent type and has a lot going on in his head. Omaha should be good for him.
Drop me a line in my comment box if you'd like. This is the first weekend I can remember where I didn't have tons going on and I'd love to read what's happening elsewhere.
Today's DPB:
Mr. President:
We have completed the investigation you requested. Our findings conclude that President Taft did indeed put the "bomp" in the "bomp ba bomp ba bomp." Research indicate he probably inserted the "dip" in the "dip da dip da dip," as well, but due to incomplete records, we are unable to confirm this.
posted by Joel @ 5/07/2004 07:24:00 AM
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