Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
Tonight, it's time for me as a writer to (what else?) be a bit reflective and just a little bit mopey. Don't worry, this is just a little thing I'll do now and again to give you updates on my life as well as my current thoughts on writing and the literary/artistic world. And I'll also be recommending things for tonight such as a book, a poet, a type of music, etc. It'll be fun!
So being a recent college graduate, I've been struggling to find work in California. Big shocker, I know, but I've been job hunting for nearly three months now, and I've been searching for everything from classified education jobs to retail to office support to even an amusement train driver job at the mall. Yep...you read that right...I said an amusement train driver. Thank you, Craigslist.
To tell you the truth, in August, I had high hopes. I was able to snag six interviews in a week and a half. That was pretty intense. And most of the interviews seemed to go really well. Then the "no's" started coming in, and, well...back to square one I skipped in my awkward game of potential career hopscotch.
At first, I thought maybe I was just doing horribly at the interviews, or that a previous employer of mine didn't like me after all and was talking smack about me to those places I was applying to. After I told myself that 1) I'm actually very good at interviews, and 2) Um, no. That's kind of illegal - I realized just how much competition I was up against. I mean, I am constantly fighting for a job that is also being sought after by older people with more experience and perhaps more desperation. Hell, for all I know, I could be trying to get the same job as a middle-aged man who has a wife and four college-bound kids to tend to. In the end, I considered the idea that my lack of experience, due to the fact that no one wanted to hire me during my college years because of my sporadic schedule...was what was hitting me hard in terms of my search.
And then it hit me: I, along with many other recent college graduates, am stuck in a dreadful, awkward, dreadfully awkward, and awkwardly dreadful Catch-22. Because I'm getting this logic: If I don't have enough experience, I won't get a job. But if I don't get a job, I won't have enough experience. And for a long time after figuring this out, I debated whether or not I wanted to spend my time crying, taking deep breaths, or running like a screaming madwoman into the nearest wall...repeatedly. Fortunately, I chose more of the second route (though not without some of the first).
The good thing out of all of this is that in the end, while I may be struggling for a consistent job to pay off my loans and bills so I can afford my own place...I'm not alone, and I've still got my writing. I am happy to be a freelance writer while being employed or unemployed. It keeps me sane and confident, which is why I'm so glad to have this blog so I can sort of kick my own ass back into gear in regards to writing regularly. So...bit of positivity there to keep the oil lamp in my head burning.
Rambling aside, in the Bay Area, we've got crickets quieting down in the cold as the fog dresses the hilly horizon, but the stars are vibrant and it's a beautiful evening. So I'm going to let the poetic mood seep into my room like sweet rosé wine and give you my recommendations for tonight's Poet Corner:
Recommended Book: Fragile Things, by Neil Gaiman
Brilliant short story collection by a man I like to call the Supernatural Bard. Latest short story I read in this volume was "Bitter Grounds," a great piece about...well...zombie coffee girls. Brings a tear to a half-decomposed eye socket.
Recommended Poet: Eavan Boland
You don't hear a lot about female Irish poets, and frankly, Ireland didn't use to hear about them, either. Eavan Boland is a fantastic poet who breathes life into the female identity beyond the symbolic "Mother Ireland," using a canvas of words to paint a brilliant view of Irish motherhood, Irish women's struggles, and Ireland overall. Definitely try to find a compilation or at least check out a couple of her more popular collections.
Recommended Music: Celtic
Well, we are on an Irish tangent here...
Recommended Drink Before Bed: Butterscotch Schnapps in Hot Chocolate.
Or if you're underage, just the hot chocolate.
Writer's Quotation of the Night:
You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.
-Ray Bradbury
Have a good night and a great weekend, everyone.
So being a recent college graduate, I've been struggling to find work in California. Big shocker, I know, but I've been job hunting for nearly three months now, and I've been searching for everything from classified education jobs to retail to office support to even an amusement train driver job at the mall. Yep...you read that right...I said an amusement train driver. Thank you, Craigslist.
To tell you the truth, in August, I had high hopes. I was able to snag six interviews in a week and a half. That was pretty intense. And most of the interviews seemed to go really well. Then the "no's" started coming in, and, well...back to square one I skipped in my awkward game of potential career hopscotch.
At first, I thought maybe I was just doing horribly at the interviews, or that a previous employer of mine didn't like me after all and was talking smack about me to those places I was applying to. After I told myself that 1) I'm actually very good at interviews, and 2) Um, no. That's kind of illegal - I realized just how much competition I was up against. I mean, I am constantly fighting for a job that is also being sought after by older people with more experience and perhaps more desperation. Hell, for all I know, I could be trying to get the same job as a middle-aged man who has a wife and four college-bound kids to tend to. In the end, I considered the idea that my lack of experience, due to the fact that no one wanted to hire me during my college years because of my sporadic schedule...was what was hitting me hard in terms of my search.
And then it hit me: I, along with many other recent college graduates, am stuck in a dreadful, awkward, dreadfully awkward, and awkwardly dreadful Catch-22. Because I'm getting this logic: If I don't have enough experience, I won't get a job. But if I don't get a job, I won't have enough experience. And for a long time after figuring this out, I debated whether or not I wanted to spend my time crying, taking deep breaths, or running like a screaming madwoman into the nearest wall...repeatedly. Fortunately, I chose more of the second route (though not without some of the first).
The good thing out of all of this is that in the end, while I may be struggling for a consistent job to pay off my loans and bills so I can afford my own place...I'm not alone, and I've still got my writing. I am happy to be a freelance writer while being employed or unemployed. It keeps me sane and confident, which is why I'm so glad to have this blog so I can sort of kick my own ass back into gear in regards to writing regularly. So...bit of positivity there to keep the oil lamp in my head burning.
Rambling aside, in the Bay Area, we've got crickets quieting down in the cold as the fog dresses the hilly horizon, but the stars are vibrant and it's a beautiful evening. So I'm going to let the poetic mood seep into my room like sweet rosé wine and give you my recommendations for tonight's Poet Corner:
Recommended Book: Fragile Things, by Neil Gaiman
Brilliant short story collection by a man I like to call the Supernatural Bard. Latest short story I read in this volume was "Bitter Grounds," a great piece about...well...zombie coffee girls. Brings a tear to a half-decomposed eye socket.
Recommended Poet: Eavan Boland
You don't hear a lot about female Irish poets, and frankly, Ireland didn't use to hear about them, either. Eavan Boland is a fantastic poet who breathes life into the female identity beyond the symbolic "Mother Ireland," using a canvas of words to paint a brilliant view of Irish motherhood, Irish women's struggles, and Ireland overall. Definitely try to find a compilation or at least check out a couple of her more popular collections.
Recommended Music: Celtic
Well, we are on an Irish tangent here...
Recommended Drink Before Bed: Butterscotch Schnapps in Hot Chocolate.
Or if you're underage, just the hot chocolate.
Writer's Quotation of the Night:
You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.
-Ray Bradbury
Have a good night and a great weekend, everyone.
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