Job search, part 1

Recent checklist: 

     -Graduation? Done

     -Move? Done

     -Help out a friend (which I'd been promising for years)? Done

     -Settled into the new place? Done

     -Job? ....... well........

     There's something horribly depression about looking for a job, and it's not just that the current economy is pretty nasty. It seems like, no matter how many times you have to do it, and regardless of what new level of education/ experience/ skill set you have, job hunting is mentally and emotionally wearing. When I was younger, I figured that it was just due to lack of skills and experience, and it would get easier as I got older. Then before I went to college, I figured it was a lack of that pretty little paper saying you're horribly in debt (no, I'm not cynical at all), because the most random jobs were looking for it. Want to be an insurance agent? Need a diploma. Want to be a delivery person? Need a diploma. Want to wash elephant feet after parades? Need a diploma. Really? Wow.

Limbo

     This is just a short post, because having gotten back from Russia and in trying to get back into the swing of things, I've decided to tear my house apart and revamp everything. Add to that the fact that classes start today, and my schedule still isn't nailed down yet for school or for work, and I'm a little bit out of sorts. I mentioned to a friend of mine this past weekend that I felt like such a slacker because I'd been back for almost a complete week, and still didn't have everything caught up, finished, and in place. She wasn't terribly sympathetic, as (according to her) that's just me being a perfectionist again.

     So rather than posting a scatterbrained dissertation on a random topic, here's something to consider:

1. Despite Todd Akin's recent comments about "legitimate rape," he still has the support of 41% of voters in his area. (Think about that, 41% of the voters polled think there is such a thing a "legitimate rape" vs. "illegitimate rape." Sad.)
2. Women who are raped and choose to keep the child have no legal recourse in 31 states, should the rapist try to get visitation or custody rights;
3. Studies have shown that about 6% of men will admit to being a rapist- even being a repeat rapist- as long as the term "rape" isn't used. 
4. "Rape culture," a term coined in the 1970s, has only recently grown in usage, and the US is recognized as being a rape culture. 
5. Police and hospitals in America still treat rape as illegitimate, either by charging the victim for a rape test, denying rape tests if they think the victim knew the accused rapist, giving the victim incorrect information, refusing to enforce their own laws, flat-out not bothering to file a report, or pressuring the victim into recanting their story. 

Comforting, no? So much for America being a beacon of shining liberty. This is kinda a sore topic for me, but I'm not going to apologize. I kept my own silence too long, time to work with others to change that.

Edit: Also, take a look at the VP candidate's view on rape as a "method of conception." I'm sure that's not quite how he meant it, but he made darn sure to dance around the topic...

A revisitation on negativity

     Last night, as I was replying to a friends' post on Facebook, an unfortunate conversation happened with another person's replies, and left me in a kind of 'meh' mood. It's not that I'm feeling down or upset, per se, simply that it got me to thinking about this post that I'd done about people's attitudes and facing reality.

     To sum up what had happened on FB, the initial post was about the hope for Obama challenging an obstructionist Congress in the coming year. The first reply was a very polite one about the disappointment caused when the President signed the Defense Act of 2012 on New Year's Eve, which included a proviso for the government to seize anyone on suspicion of terrorism and hold them indefinitely without trial or due process. I'll admit, I'm not thrilled about it, but I decided it would only be fair to point out that it's not entirely Obama's fault, as that's the only version of the bill (which includes things like how to pay the military...) that cleared said obstructionist Congress, and perhaps more of the blame should be placed there.

Time for some reconsideration.

     As a general rule, I tend to avoid talking politics. To be perfectly honest, I haven't really felt, in the past, that I was sufficiently aware of the situation to make an educated statement, so I simply listened and changed the subject. However, as I was listening to a parody of "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood today, it got me to thinking. Back a couple years ago, when that version of the song came out, I liked it. It was singable, it had a good message, and quite frankly, I was relatively proud of being American. Not enough to get me kicked out of other countries for being obnoxious, but I felt that the US was in decent shape.

     Can you see where this is going? Yeah, I don't really feel that way anymore. Perhaps it was my being educated on the circumstances that exist in other countries (did you know in France, you are required to take 30 days- a month- of vacation per year? When's the last time you heard of anyone taking even close to that in

Keeping up perceptions.

      In high school, I hung out in the band hallway. I was by no means one of the "cool" kids. My friends were the geeks, the gamers, the band and drama nerds, and the occasional choir member as well. I loved them for their quirky ideals and willingness to let the things they were passionate about overcome the need to be 'cool.' I will admit, there was a certain amount of similarity in styles of dress- after all, there was only one place for people who liked to wear all black to get clothing back then- but for the most part, they weren't concerned with the latest style, or who was more popular, or who said what to whom, etc. All-in-all, I found it a fairly decent place to be.

     One thing that constantly blew my mind, however, was that my friends could not grasp the fact that appearances affect people's opinions about you. I'm not sure why this is, since I'm sure they were aiming for the "don't mess with me" look, but there you have it. So while they teased me about wearing "normal"

I got a bike! (Part 1)

Yes, as the title explains, I have bought a bike- and that's a bicycle rather than a motorcycle this time. It is substantially cheaper that the motorcycle was, even without the whole crashing-on-the-first-drive-home thing. Anyhow! In case you don't know why I decided to do this, despite being about as athletic as a panda bear, read on. If you do know the story already, skip ahead to the next post where current events resume.

For the last two years, I have forked over $174.25 per semester for what I believed was the privilege of having a parking spot on campus, and even in the same zip code as my classes. True, it was typically on-the-street parking, I would have to drive in circles til someone pulled out or I decided yes I really could fit my Honda in that spot, and I had to walk uphill to campus just to then walk downhill to where my classes were, but still, it was fairly convenient parking. This past semester, however, taught me all I need to know about campus parking, and the process by which parking admin officials' hearts slowly turn into shriveled husks of coal rather than warm, loving flesh.

Update on interviewing

As mentioned in the previous post, I went out yesterday to a job interview for an IT position. "How hard could it be?", I figured, "After all, I've done IT before, it's just getting used to a new system." While I was right about that particular train of thought, I hadn't realized that my recent attempts at bettering myself had taken a toll on my ability to suck up and fit in.

Going by my usual habits, I got in to Boulder and parked about half an hour early for my interview. Unfortunately, it was incredibly hot, and the email sent to me had specified professional dress (something I intentionally own very little of), and I didn't want to hang around and get all sweaty. So I did the super-un-cool thing of arriving for an appointment more than 15 minutes in advance. The books that I'm reading at the moment are "Committed", a book that looks very chick-ish, and is about marriage, and "An Intro to Islam",

Things I have learned today:

1. If you want me to go insane, put me in a menial office job with no mental stimulation or sunlight. I'll last 3 days then start losing it.
   
2. I am mildly dyslexic with numbers, and this comes out more strongly when I'm going insane.
   
3. Just because I'm good or efficient at something, doesn't mean I want to do it. Usually, I get efficient at it so it can be over with faster.
   
4. If you want something done prettily, don't ask me to do it. I'll do it the fastest way to get the most effective job done, but it won't be pretty. You want pretty, you pay me a lot more, give me sunlight, and let me move around a lot. Machine conditions result in machine work, and that includes using scissors