The fears of a soon-to-be college graduate

I cannot tell you how nervous the thought of graduating college in just over a month makes me. I haven't found a job. I don't know where I'll be living. It's a crazy time, and thinking about it takes up a lot of my time.

I wish the idea of graduation day was happy, like in the movies and on TV. I would really like to say that everyone will be super happy and throw their caps into the air at the end of the ceremony. And maybe some people will. But I just keep thinking about what happens after that.

I have been sending out resumes, writing samples and cover letters like a mad woman. And so far, it hasn't done me much good. Thinking about not finding a job makes me extremely nervous. I don't want to end up like one of those movie bums who lives on his or her parents' couch until they're thirty. That's not my style. Another fear, similar to that, is that I will end up working in retail or as a waitress. I didn't go to college for four years to end up waiting tables.

If that does happen, or if it looks like it will happen I do have one last idea. Maybe it's a little bit crazy. And this also sounds like something out of a movie or TV show. In fact, it's a fairly common scenario. It goes something like this: Small town girl moves to the big city to make something of life. I could absolutely pick up my life and move somewhere, probably New York or Washington, D.C. (as of right now, it's not like I have anything else to do). There I would search for the perfect job (which will involve writing) and find a sweet apartment (or a broom closet, if need be) to live in with a roommate or two. While I'm looking for that great job I can work at a restaurant or in a store (as long as I'm not living at home and working at one of those places, I'm good). I could also take out loans to help afford my apartment.

Can you tell that I think about this a lot?

My Addiction

Somewhat recently I discovered a new way to procrastinate--the "Missed Connections" page on Craigslist.org. When I get tired of homework, Torch work or job hunting I simply go to Craigslist and click on the Missed Connections link.

A lot of people use Craigslist to serch for jobs, housing, used furniture and other things like that. I admit, a lot of the time I use it for those things, too. But lately I've been using it more for laughs on the Missed Connections page, where people leave messages for others who they found attractive when they saw them, but for one reason or another did not speak to or meet. Or they leave messages for people who they did meet, but they did not exchange contact information.

They hope that these individuals who they write about will see what has been written to them. But I highly doubt that most of them ever do. I don't know why people write these posts. But I'm glad they do. On a good day Missed Connections can provide hours of entertainment.

Many of the posts on this site are similar, saying things like, "I saw you at Starbucks on [whatever street] last Saturday morning and thought you were cute," or "You were the hot waiter/waitress at [whatever restaurant] on Sunday night. We exchanged glances. I really liked you and I think you liked me too. Tell me what I was wearing."

But every now and again you run across a gem. Over the weekend I was looking at jobs in Washington, D.C., when I found a delicious little treasure on Missed Connections. It read: "You were the pretty girl walking east on M Street. When I said 'nice purse' you maced me. I guess I should have just said "good evening" or something along those lines. Either way now I can never say I've never been maced before. Thank you." Who the hell thanks someone for macing them? People are crazy. I hate it. But I love it. I really don't know how I feel about it. But I am definitely addicted to Missed Connections on Craigslist.

Tonight

Tonight is the night I have been waiting for since probably late November or early December. New episodes of The Office and 30 Rock are back on TV!!!!

I'm hoping that since the writers had such a long "break" that they had time to come up with new hilarious ideas for these two shows. After being deprived for so long I don't know if I can handle mediocracy. I want hilarious, pee-your-pants, stitches-in-your-side-popping comedy from both shows. No, I don't want it, I need it.

When my roommates, friends and I sit down to watch 30 Rock at 8:30 tonight we want to be astonished with the show, staring Tina Fey, Tracey Morgan and Alec Baldwin. We hope to laugh out loud at the ridiculous things that characters say and do while they make fun of SNL in this time slot.

We also hope that The Office doesn't disappoint. My roommate Joanie is so excited. As am I, but she is the most excited about this mocumentary of office life. Although, if you ask me, having worked in an office environment, it's not that far off. Ridiculous things happen in real life offices as well. Although, most bosses aren't as crazy as Dunder Mifflin branch manager Michael Scott (Steve Carrell).

Last night, when I was done with my homework, I decided to watch TV with two of my roommates and one other friend of mine. What was on? Flavor of Love 3. Why, why, why? Did I get up and leave, return to my cave? No, I wanted some human interaction so I stayed and I watched that awful, awful show.

The episode I watched (I don't keep up with the show, so I have no clue how old it was) featured Flavor Flav's "Flavorettes" putting on a play about his past and his future. They did not just speak in the show they put on, but they rapped. It was painful. Oh, God it hurt.

At one point in the show, Flav asked the "new girls" who he invited into the house to pick out one girl to save from elimination at the end of the show. They ended up picking a girl named Thing 2. Thing 2 was there with her twin sister, Thing 1. Before they had been considered as if they were one person. After making a mistake when marking the Twins's clock, to separate them, Flav makes a mistake, he crosses out the wrong twin. So he gives her his clock, which he claims he has never done for anyone.

After this one of my roommates asked, "Does this mean we can wait until Flavor of Love 4 to see this again?"

I responded, "Does there need to be a Flavor of Love 4?"

She retorted, "Did there need to be a Flavor of Love 1?"

Ugh, I hate reality TV!!!!