me: Did you hear all the rioting outside?
fav ginger: yeah I was gonna ask you about that
me: the Laker's won
fg: oh *sigh*
fg: I mean not like I care either way
me: I know right. it's just that now everyone's so fucking happy
fg: EXACTLY now all the Laker's fans are gonna be soo bitchy
me: right *sigh*
fg: sorry we just hate everyone else's happiness.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
UCLA Commencement--I'm a graduate...shit.
So, I graduated today.
I mean, technically I graduated yesterday because I got to move my tassel from right to left for the last time in my life. Even if I DO end up going to grad school it gets to stay on the left. But today I went to the History department commencement ceremony and shook some fool's hand and got a piece of paper that says "Congratulations!" with a photocopied signature and a badly tied piece of ribbon. Ceremony was so not worth it. Although our keynote speaker kept it real. He works in real estate and most of us were like...wtf is a REAL ESTATE AGENT going to tell us about how to use our HISTORY degree, but he was pretty straightforward. He said becoming an academic wasn't even that much of an option in this economy and that there are a shit ton load of skills that we learned throughout. And while it's hard to not consider these skills as somewhat inherent, because there were a lot of idiots in my classes who just didn't get it, at least we now know what they are and can find a way to describe them. We were suppose to go to another ceremony after but I felt like I put my family through enough. We ended up only going to a small reception with the Classics department which was super intimate and nice. I managed to get by without making awkward conversations and got talked about in very general terms. Sorry I'm not going to humor people with bs about my life.
Anyway the 'rents enjoyed that and we got to go home and nap and see my pets before we went to dinner in which I had the MOST AMAZING DESSERT EVER! like f'reals guys it was amazing. Tiramasu covered in caramel.
Sigh. *Drool* mmm.
Although now that we've come to the graduated part I suppose we've come full circle in this blog. I've only got a real safety net for my pseudo independence for another month or two. After July I'm done with my job for good. After I get back from Italy I'm giving myself until October to get my shit together and move out of my parents house. It's gonna be scary no matter when I do it and no matter where I go. There's shit that's going to make it easier and there really shouldn't be. I'm almost 22 (will be 22 by then) and I need to get this shit started. I mocked the term commencement earlier this week. I felt like the ceremony should celebrate the END of my career at UCLA not a future no one knows anything about. I still sort of believe that. Right now I'm transitioning from the end of college, the end of it being ok to let my parents take care of it if I get tired and don't want to deal. From here on out I'm not obligated to live up to anyone else's dreams for me.
So right now, here's my dream.
Move to Seattle. Get an apartment that allows pets. Get pets. Find a bookstore to work in. Find a community center to volunteer at. Get tutoring experience. Work on getting credentials. Wait out the current economic crisis and become a high school history teacher that's super overworked and leader of like 3 clubs and the acadeca team. The first 5 I'm doing. If the road takes me on a different path after that then that's fine by me. I trust myself enough to know that, except in friendships, I have good instincts and an ability to take care of myself if necessary. If I end up alone with no prospects of a relash by 35/40ish (meaning whenever the hell I feel like it when I have enough finances to support this) I'm adopting/fostering/mentoring/wtv. I'm a kid person.
Grad school is only an option if I need it to further a career I already have experience in. I'm tired of education without a goal. I forget it. I barely remember what I've learned in the past 4 years because I have no reason to remember it. I'd like to have time to read whatever the hell I want to read whenever the hell I want to to.
As regards to ending my UCLA career (for now, but probably forever), I'm ok with that right now. I'm over it. And yeah I'll miss the football games, and brew co Karoke, and guitar hero, and that one card came I can't remember the name of, and the three or four classes a year that made me REALLY excited about the subject, but it wouldn't mean anything if it went on forever. I'm ready to move on.
For now, I'll have a summer of dealing with my normal work stuff and slowly saying goodbye to friends (hopefully not forever). A month of
gallivanting in Europe where every new town is filled with awesome potential, and then it begins.
Today I'm excited.
I mean, technically I graduated yesterday because I got to move my tassel from right to left for the last time in my life. Even if I DO end up going to grad school it gets to stay on the left. But today I went to the History department commencement ceremony and shook some fool's hand and got a piece of paper that says "Congratulations!" with a photocopied signature and a badly tied piece of ribbon. Ceremony was so not worth it. Although our keynote speaker kept it real. He works in real estate and most of us were like...wtf is a REAL ESTATE AGENT going to tell us about how to use our HISTORY degree, but he was pretty straightforward. He said becoming an academic wasn't even that much of an option in this economy and that there are a shit ton load of skills that we learned throughout. And while it's hard to not consider these skills as somewhat inherent, because there were a lot of idiots in my classes who just didn't get it, at least we now know what they are and can find a way to describe them. We were suppose to go to another ceremony after but I felt like I put my family through enough. We ended up only going to a small reception with the Classics department which was super intimate and nice. I managed to get by without making awkward conversations and got talked about in very general terms. Sorry I'm not going to humor people with bs about my life.
Anyway the 'rents enjoyed that and we got to go home and nap and see my pets before we went to dinner in which I had the MOST AMAZING DESSERT EVER! like f'reals guys it was amazing. Tiramasu covered in caramel.
Sigh. *Drool* mmm.
Although now that we've come to the graduated part I suppose we've come full circle in this blog. I've only got a real safety net for my pseudo independence for another month or two. After July I'm done with my job for good. After I get back from Italy I'm giving myself until October to get my shit together and move out of my parents house. It's gonna be scary no matter when I do it and no matter where I go. There's shit that's going to make it easier and there really shouldn't be. I'm almost 22 (will be 22 by then) and I need to get this shit started. I mocked the term commencement earlier this week. I felt like the ceremony should celebrate the END of my career at UCLA not a future no one knows anything about. I still sort of believe that. Right now I'm transitioning from the end of college, the end of it being ok to let my parents take care of it if I get tired and don't want to deal. From here on out I'm not obligated to live up to anyone else's dreams for me.
So right now, here's my dream.
Move to Seattle. Get an apartment that allows pets. Get pets. Find a bookstore to work in. Find a community center to volunteer at. Get tutoring experience. Work on getting credentials. Wait out the current economic crisis and become a high school history teacher that's super overworked and leader of like 3 clubs and the acadeca team. The first 5 I'm doing. If the road takes me on a different path after that then that's fine by me. I trust myself enough to know that, except in friendships, I have good instincts and an ability to take care of myself if necessary. If I end up alone with no prospects of a relash by 35/40ish (meaning whenever the hell I feel like it when I have enough finances to support this) I'm adopting/fostering/mentoring/wtv. I'm a kid person.
Grad school is only an option if I need it to further a career I already have experience in. I'm tired of education without a goal. I forget it. I barely remember what I've learned in the past 4 years because I have no reason to remember it. I'd like to have time to read whatever the hell I want to read whenever the hell I want to to.
As regards to ending my UCLA career (for now, but probably forever), I'm ok with that right now. I'm over it. And yeah I'll miss the football games, and brew co Karoke, and guitar hero, and that one card came I can't remember the name of, and the three or four classes a year that made me REALLY excited about the subject, but it wouldn't mean anything if it went on forever. I'm ready to move on.
For now, I'll have a summer of dealing with my normal work stuff and slowly saying goodbye to friends (hopefully not forever). A month of
gallivanting in Europe where every new town is filled with awesome potential, and then it begins.
Today I'm excited.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Seattle update
So googled Seattle teacher just to get a sense of the job market. Yeah 15 articles popped up about lay offs for next year. Sweet.
I think this will become a document about my findings.
Also tomorrow is my last day of classes and I'm still running into obstacles with administration. Double sweet. If your job is to help students, there's no reason to be a douchebag about it when they're super polite and nice to you. Just saying.
Oh and this ADORABLE kitty was hanging out on the corner, very interested in the people walking by, got picked up by some people who did a Found Cat facebook group that I mysteriously got invited to. So tempted to just say it was mine.
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