Posted on August 26, 2014
Experience Wanted
The hardest part of looking for a job right now is that I’d really sort of love to try something totally new and different from what I’ve done before, but when I look into any of those jobs, they all require some kind of experience. They want either a degree in the field, or they want practical work experience.
For example, I think it could be really interesting to be a social media person. I have a great deal of personal experience with social media, and I’ve seen enough blunders that I certainly know what NOT to do from a corporate perspective. I think I’d be really great with social media. (And, truly, I’m trying to get better in my personal life and have a bigger presence to more easily network and also learn the things I never really paid much mind to–I’m looking at you, Facebook!)
But I don’t have that experience. So I need to get some, if I really want to do that.
- I could look at entry-level jobs, which might forgive my lack of degree in favor of my decade-plus of full-time employment. Unfortunately, I don’t think I could live on an entry-level salary at this time.
- I could go to school and get, if not a full degree, at least some class courses. But that would have to be on an audit or free course basis, as I can’t afford to pay for classes right now.
- I could get hired to do the job! Oh…wait, that’s the issue I’m trying to fix right now.
It’s frustrating. So I’m trying to look for jobs similar to my previous one and hope that I get one that turns out so wonderful that I don’t care about not making a huge change, or hope that it pays the bills well enough to let me take some courses or something. I’ll also keep an eye on FutureLearn or other MOOCs for some courses there, too. It’s worth a shot!
Posted on August 25, 2014
Reboot. Remake. Regenerate.
Whatever you want to call it, I’m in the process of starting myself over. A few months ago I found myself parting from my job, and now I’ve been working at trying to figure out what to do next with my life. It’s a little scary. There’s an uncertainty as I search for jobs, a sense of hopelessness when I think that all I’m qualified to do is what I was doing before.
I’m trying to stay positive, though. And after a close call at getting a job, I’m finding myself more motivated. I also think that I’m benefiting from this back-to-school season right now. It makes me want to buy pens and notebooks and be productive. It always does, but normally I’d have a job and I’d be too tired to do anything.
So this year, I’m taking full advantage.
Last week I saw a link to a course on FutureLearn about writing fiction. Start Writing Fiction is a free course that runs for 8 weeks, starting in late October. It focuses on character creation, and I feel very confident in my ability to create awesome characters, but the class members and review process will be good for me to.
I then went looking at other courses, and as a result I’m signed up for two other courses. The three courses will start in September and go one after the other through December. Which very much excites me!
I also started off with Duolingo to polish and improve my Spanish. Let me tell ya, I’m just going WILD with learning, here!
My hope is that with these educational things, it’ll motivate me to get out of the house and also keep up my job hunt. And I also hope that I’ll blog here more. I figure I can blog about my course work and brag on myself when I can blog in español.
Updated on August 31, 2014
The Stadium Series And My Emotional Wreckage
Tomorrow afternoon, the Rangers will be taking the field as the visiting team in Yankee Stadium. Ho hum.
Wait, it’s January. That can’t possibly be right?
Oh. The New York Rangers. And there’s an ice rink on top of that gorgeous diamond infield. Now it makes sense.
I feel like I really need to write this post, but at the same time, I’m not entirely sure what to say. Rather, I don’t know how to effectively say what I want to say. Because the NY Rangers playing games at Yankee Stadium? That gives me some of the most amazingly intense feelings I’ve ever had.
I got into hockey and the Rangers first, watching my dad get excited as the Rangers appeared to be making a serious run at breaking a 54-year Cup drought. I remember them winning, and after that I started playing field hockey and Mike Richter was my hero. And then the Yankees began their insane domination over the late 90s, and I fell in love with baseball and my team.
Living in Phillies/Flyers territory, I have gotten a lot of flack being a Yankees fan. I’ve been often told that I just like the Yankees because they win (as if that somehow is an illegitimate reason for liking a team); my typical response has been, “I also like the Rangers, so.” It usually does work to diffuse the situation without getting into a whole pissing match.
I first went to a Yankees game in 2008 at the old stadium, and the next year I went to one at the current stadium. My first visit was basically my first religious experience. I’ve been to many stadia, but Yankee Stadium is perfection to me. It represents so much about winning and tradition and class. There are history and ghosts, and the panoramic sight of that place clenches my heart and makes me miss a home I’ve only been to a few times—the last time was this past fall, when I took my dad to Mariano Rivera Day to celebrate and say goodbye to my favorite of all Yankees. Just thinking about that day makes me want to curl into a ball and cry.
For about 2 years now, I’ve gotten re-invested in the Rangers, and in hockey in general more than ever before. It started with the 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia, where they played in the Phillies’ home, Citizen’s Bank Park. I’ve been to CBP a few times since, and I’ve felt a little thrill thinking about how my hockey team had been there. I’ve been through so many highs and lows since then with my team, and now…
Well, now they’re playing in my Cathedral. I love Madison Square Garden (hey, did you know it’s been Transformed™?), I do, but Yankee Stadium is where my heart misses most, especially during the long, cold winter when you can’t play baseball there.
But you can play hockey there.
And you can make it a spectacle. You can make it significant. You can watch the players get excited for it. You can make me cry as I watch how the players care about it as much as I do. Like Henrik Lundqvist, who talks about how he put together his concept for the design of his special Stadium Series mask (starts at about 1:15, though the whole video is amazing):
Or listen to the Rangers talk about their dream baseball plays, and enjoy Chris Kreider’s goofy face:
(These idiots are adorable and I love them.) And let’s not forget the pure delight I get in watching Brian Boyle, Boston-raised Red Sox fan, look happy and excited to be in Yankee Stadium.
And this is all just the lead-up. Let’s think about what the game coverage itself will bring. Let’s think about how they’ll talk about Yankee Stadium, talk about all the history. And they’ll ask the players how it feels to be there, to be playing in the home of such an amazing franchise.
Tomorrow afternoon, I am going to be a wreck and a half. Aside from a Stanley Cup Final appearance, I don’t know that any other hockey game will mean more to me. Even Wednesday’s game will lose a little because I’ll have already experienced Sunday’s. But while I watch Sunday’s game, I’m going to be a mess. I’ve already cried a couple times today just thinking about how perfect this game will be.
So, let me apologize in advance for what a weirdo I’m gonna be on Twitter. I should probably warn my dad that I’m going to be more insane than normal watching this game together. The game is already almost perfect. Now I just need my idiots to win the dang game to take it to that level.