Intern. What a glorious word. Not necessarily when you are one, although I was fortunate to have had good internship experiences, but I've heard the horror stories. And, at my first internship, we actually watched Office Space our final week in memoriam of our glorious summer work... so it's not like it was that good. Living in DC on the other hand...
My second internship was generally great. I worked as an academic conference planner and actually got to attend the conferences. Those were good times filled with early mornings, late night drinking and conversing, good food, and general merriment despite the fatigue that came with being the person responsible for the 6-7am set-ups every morning. And it's not like as a recent college graduate that you're going to turn down free, quality booze. I mean, come on, what's a little exhaustion in exchange for having access to food and drink you couldn't even dream about as a poor starving college student?
However, upon finishing my second internship I quickly approached a general feeling of disdain for the intern profession. I wanted to actually DO something, not just fill in temporary gaps in an organization.
Then I got my real job. Not so different than being an intern until you actually learn something useful. And I am not a conference or event planner, so those skills weren't all that helpful. And, even if you are doing actual work (which I do much of the time), you're still the bottom of the Totem pole. This is just the way it works being a 25-year-old business professional, but it certainly has its frustrating moments. Then, yesterday, my boss uttered the magical words: "So, do you know of anyone willing to do temporary work for us... you know, like a summer intern?"
That's right, intern! A person lower than me... whose job in many ways is to help me and will often report to me for various projects. I have to admit, upon hearing the news, I experienced one of the most professionally satisfying moments of my career. Oh the sweet, sweet feeling of being in charge of something again. How my tyrannical soul missed it so. After all, if there is one thing I am good at it is making others be successful whether they like it or not.
Now, the actual hiring of the intern is still very much up in the air and may not happen. I perfectly understand this despite my zeal. Nevertheless, just being able to dream of a day when I will once again be in charge of others is enough to keep me going during countless moments of frustration, inexperience, and general failure (not in the school sense of failure, but in the sense of not knowing what the client wants, what the boss wants, what society wants, who will answer your marketing pitches, etc. through no fault of your own because no one explains things until they have something in front of them by which to compare their expectations.)
It also means my time is more valuable than that of an intern's. So, I probably shouldn't be spending it finishing this blog entry. But, I must say, it's nice for my time to matter to someone other than me.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Did I mention how much I hate Tom Petty? Because I do.
Thankfully the only decent radio station in Atlanta - 99X - is back. It re-launched 2 Saturdays ago and I couldn't be happier. Especially when the radio station I had adopted to take its place when it went off the air after 20+ years in 2008 delivered this little item into my inbox yesterday: Tom Petty Weekend! from Dave FM. Fantastic. Just what I needed more of in my life: Tom Petty!
The month preceding 99X's comeback, I began tracking the frequency Tom Petty was played on that station. My conclusion - at least once an hour. ONCE AN HOUR. I conducted this sample at literally every hour of the day at some point or another. Sometimes at 1am, they'd even play him twice... just to be sure in case any other insomniac missed the first song. I'm convinced the station staff have a drinking game that commences when Petty is played. Or, has a rule that they can't smoke up without Petty in the background. Now, we all know that Tom Petty is the most popular artist by which to smoke a joint... well aside from the Grateful Dead, but let's not go there for now... but really? Once an hour? What about those of use who do not actually do drugs, but simply love music. Huh? What about us? Especially when we're loyal listeners at all times of day and night.
I will admit that I went through a period in college where I had a burned CD of Tom Petty's greatest hits or something from my roommate. I listed to Tom Petty 24/7 for about 3 months. That was all I the Petty I will ever need.
Sure, it's my fault I got burned out... oh the pun that wasn't even intentional... especially since I have never taken a single recreational drug in my life. However, even if I had not had my 3 month Petty binge in college, I certainly got my fill listening to Dave FM. And I was even beginning to be convinced that it actually a "good" radio station. Excluding Petty. And Sting. If I have to hear "Roxanne" one more time, I will probably throw something at an innocent bystander. Or window.
It got to the point where I would yell in a really excited voice to my husband in the next room, "Hey! Guess what?" And he would run in or respond with equal fervor, "What?!" To which I would respond sardonically, "Guess who's on the radio? Tom Petty - NO WAY!" (I also added Sting to my game to add variety, but he's not quite as bad. At least he was worthy of some rep during his prime. Petty not so much - despite popularity.)
Obviously, this game got a little old... but was at least more entertaining that the damn music. And then miraculously 99X was back on the FM airwaves. So, Dave FM can take their "Tom Petty Weekend!" and leave it with the rest of the burnouts. The rest of us have moved back to greener pastures.
The month preceding 99X's comeback, I began tracking the frequency Tom Petty was played on that station. My conclusion - at least once an hour. ONCE AN HOUR. I conducted this sample at literally every hour of the day at some point or another. Sometimes at 1am, they'd even play him twice... just to be sure in case any other insomniac missed the first song. I'm convinced the station staff have a drinking game that commences when Petty is played. Or, has a rule that they can't smoke up without Petty in the background. Now, we all know that Tom Petty is the most popular artist by which to smoke a joint... well aside from the Grateful Dead, but let's not go there for now... but really? Once an hour? What about those of use who do not actually do drugs, but simply love music. Huh? What about us? Especially when we're loyal listeners at all times of day and night.
I will admit that I went through a period in college where I had a burned CD of Tom Petty's greatest hits or something from my roommate. I listed to Tom Petty 24/7 for about 3 months. That was all I the Petty I will ever need.
Sure, it's my fault I got burned out... oh the pun that wasn't even intentional... especially since I have never taken a single recreational drug in my life. However, even if I had not had my 3 month Petty binge in college, I certainly got my fill listening to Dave FM. And I was even beginning to be convinced that it actually a "good" radio station. Excluding Petty. And Sting. If I have to hear "Roxanne" one more time, I will probably throw something at an innocent bystander. Or window.
It got to the point where I would yell in a really excited voice to my husband in the next room, "Hey! Guess what?" And he would run in or respond with equal fervor, "What?!" To which I would respond sardonically, "Guess who's on the radio? Tom Petty - NO WAY!" (I also added Sting to my game to add variety, but he's not quite as bad. At least he was worthy of some rep during his prime. Petty not so much - despite popularity.)
Obviously, this game got a little old... but was at least more entertaining that the damn music. And then miraculously 99X was back on the FM airwaves. So, Dave FM can take their "Tom Petty Weekend!" and leave it with the rest of the burnouts. The rest of us have moved back to greener pastures.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
New Goal #2
You knew this was coming... but here it is anyway. I got a Kindle 2 last week. I like to think of it as the best day of my life. Wait, not your wedding day? Or graduation from your excruciating college (that merits further explanation, but it's really too involved for my current purposes)? Or moving away from Luck, Wisconsin... Rome, Georgia... Waco, Texas? Nope. The Kindle far outweighs any of them (my husband understands this completely, hence why he bought it for me. We have a very honest relationship - and by honest I mean blunt. At least on my end. I tend to throw things if he reciprocates and I'm in a bad mood...)
In a way, my reaction to the Kindle is nothing short of pathetic and I'm okay with that. Some people have babies. Others have pets. Some even have copious amounts of houseplants. And I salute all of them... even as their thousands of pictures cloud up my Facebook news feed. But, I have a wireless reading device. Haha! And I treat it like it's my baby... it has a sleek case that is lined with high quality padded leather (one may compare it to a car seat/baby carrier), it's constantly teaching me new things, and it never leaves my side. It also talks if I ask it to and goes to sleep when it's told. What could be better?
I am completely in love with it. Like the mothers who stare longingly at their new little feces machines, I can just stare at its sleek design for hours on end. I dream about opening it and reading all the hysterical memoirs I have loaded on to it by modern women with senses of humor much like my own. It truly has improved my life and gives me something to look forward to even on the most dull and ordinary day.
I am reminded of my childhood when I would beg my parents to buy me the new Babysitters' Club, Boxcar Children, or Saddle Club book or whatever other series I was reading at the time. The pure excitement and joy of reading that I have not had in almost 10 years. There were still hints of it in high school, but college destroyed my love of reading despite teaching me how to be a better reader. For that, I will always be grateful. However, it's great to be back.
This also leads me to my second new goal. I started this blog as a venue to essentially vent about politics and society. It was in the throngs of the 2008 election and the irrationality on both sides was staggering. So, I may decide to rename this... through writing this blog I think it's pretty evident that despite my total commitment to reason as a virtue and behaving reasonably... I often fail. Actually, more times than not. Maybe I'm still more reasonable that most. I like to think so. But, I think this will be a more interesting blog if it is more personal and less in the third-person abstract sense. One day - far in the future - I would like to write a comedic memoir much like the ones I am currently devouring. As much I enjoy discussing business, politics, and foreign affairs I enjoy real people's stories even more. After all, reality is often stranger than fiction, right?
So... this will be my experiment in personal writing (that ideally does not offend others or compromise myself.) I'll see how it goes. I'm guessing I won't post again for a month out of sheer anxiety...
In the meantime, you should buy a Kindle 2. It's an amazing way to change your life and improve the human experience without having to actually affect another living being. Thank you Amazon.com.
In a way, my reaction to the Kindle is nothing short of pathetic and I'm okay with that. Some people have babies. Others have pets. Some even have copious amounts of houseplants. And I salute all of them... even as their thousands of pictures cloud up my Facebook news feed. But, I have a wireless reading device. Haha! And I treat it like it's my baby... it has a sleek case that is lined with high quality padded leather (one may compare it to a car seat/baby carrier), it's constantly teaching me new things, and it never leaves my side. It also talks if I ask it to and goes to sleep when it's told. What could be better?
I am completely in love with it. Like the mothers who stare longingly at their new little feces machines, I can just stare at its sleek design for hours on end. I dream about opening it and reading all the hysterical memoirs I have loaded on to it by modern women with senses of humor much like my own. It truly has improved my life and gives me something to look forward to even on the most dull and ordinary day.
I am reminded of my childhood when I would beg my parents to buy me the new Babysitters' Club, Boxcar Children, or Saddle Club book or whatever other series I was reading at the time. The pure excitement and joy of reading that I have not had in almost 10 years. There were still hints of it in high school, but college destroyed my love of reading despite teaching me how to be a better reader. For that, I will always be grateful. However, it's great to be back.
This also leads me to my second new goal. I started this blog as a venue to essentially vent about politics and society. It was in the throngs of the 2008 election and the irrationality on both sides was staggering. So, I may decide to rename this... through writing this blog I think it's pretty evident that despite my total commitment to reason as a virtue and behaving reasonably... I often fail. Actually, more times than not. Maybe I'm still more reasonable that most. I like to think so. But, I think this will be a more interesting blog if it is more personal and less in the third-person abstract sense. One day - far in the future - I would like to write a comedic memoir much like the ones I am currently devouring. As much I enjoy discussing business, politics, and foreign affairs I enjoy real people's stories even more. After all, reality is often stranger than fiction, right?
So... this will be my experiment in personal writing (that ideally does not offend others or compromise myself.) I'll see how it goes. I'm guessing I won't post again for a month out of sheer anxiety...
In the meantime, you should buy a Kindle 2. It's an amazing way to change your life and improve the human experience without having to actually affect another living being. Thank you Amazon.com.
Monday, May 4, 2009
New Life Goal
My husband and I spent the last weekend driving approximately 1,300 miles through 8 states. It rained... make that down poured... 75% of the time. We saw actual slivers of blue sky exactly once. I have never seen so many trailer parks in my entire life and I grew up in a very poor area of the country. If this example were on the SAT... Trailer Parks are to Missouri as Cows are to Wisconsin. I'm still a little taken aback by all the "scenery" we took in. I will probably post some of my favorites when I fire my camera back up.
That being said, I was glad we were able to go to our friend's wedding. I am very pro-supporting friends and sharing their big life experiences with them. So, that part was good.
However, this trip prompted my next major goal: Never venturing outside of the city limits of a locale that has a population less than 500,000. This will most likely be difficult if I ever want to see my family or home town friends again, so I doubt it will seriously happen. If only it were an ideal world and all my friends and family lived in the downtown areas of the biggest cities in the country. And we had light rail connecting them when not wanting to battle airport traffic. That would be a grand thing.
So, if you're ever with me when I have to go outside of the perimeter I will start hyperventilating... which is why I can't drive in those situations. There is no longer any "country mouse" side of me despite my upbringing. This has its downsides and maybe even makes me a bit of a snob, but after this trip I just don't care. Give me my bustling, shiny cities or give me panic-induced, hyperventilating, heart attack or car accidental death.
Oh, and remind me NEVER to complain about living in Atlanta ever again. It may not be New York City or Boston or Chicago, but if one must live in the South East it certainly is the best option available (outside of some select cities in Florida.) Never has there been a more beautiful sight that driving over a hill and seeing the Atlanta sky line.
That being said, I was glad we were able to go to our friend's wedding. I am very pro-supporting friends and sharing their big life experiences with them. So, that part was good.
However, this trip prompted my next major goal: Never venturing outside of the city limits of a locale that has a population less than 500,000. This will most likely be difficult if I ever want to see my family or home town friends again, so I doubt it will seriously happen. If only it were an ideal world and all my friends and family lived in the downtown areas of the biggest cities in the country. And we had light rail connecting them when not wanting to battle airport traffic. That would be a grand thing.
So, if you're ever with me when I have to go outside of the perimeter I will start hyperventilating... which is why I can't drive in those situations. There is no longer any "country mouse" side of me despite my upbringing. This has its downsides and maybe even makes me a bit of a snob, but after this trip I just don't care. Give me my bustling, shiny cities or give me panic-induced, hyperventilating, heart attack or car accidental death.
Oh, and remind me NEVER to complain about living in Atlanta ever again. It may not be New York City or Boston or Chicago, but if one must live in the South East it certainly is the best option available (outside of some select cities in Florida.) Never has there been a more beautiful sight that driving over a hill and seeing the Atlanta sky line.
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