Still on Shaky Ground

So I finally heard back, err didn't hear back from the Apple store.

For some reason my Gmail account decided to neglect me and not receive the emails from the hiring manager. After going out to lunch near the mall, I dragged Evan in with me so that I could talk to an actual person to see what's up.

Hiring manager was able to give me some feedback about my interview and that was pretty handy. Apparently I'm not up to par with my tech knowledge right now. I thought I was good enough to be put through the training but alrighty. But hooray for knowing what to fix!

Reapplying was suggested so hey I haven't exactly fallen on my face with no will to try again. I'll give it another go in a month or so, but first I'll apply to a few other places for the heck of it. Supposedly our store isn't closing for "the next three years" but I don't trust management at all. They're closing all the local stores with the exception of my store and two others. The Rancho Santa Margarita store was staying open last week and then last night at work we got calls asking about our status after some customers saw the RSM store put out a closing sign. T_T

So for now, I'm staying on the look out for new opportunities. If you know of anything, pass it my way! Next up, Trader Joe's.

College & its Alternatives

"a report based on the book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses found that after two years of college, 45% of students learned little to nothing. After four years, 36% of students learned almost nothing."

Just read "8 Alternatives to College", here's my thoughts......

I like that he specifies that kids from 18 - 22 should try out new things before going to college to break out of the system that has had them stuck. I understand this completely, there's alot of lazy people just coasting through their first two years.

Quick summary of Altucher's alternatives to college:

• Start a business.
• Work for a charity.
• Travel the world.
• Create art.
• Master a sport.
• Master a game.
• Write a book.
• Make people laugh.

Remember, James Altcher is focusing on "ambitious kids". So this plan might not be for everyone. We all have certain career aspirations and dreams, but those things will never happen without some perseverance.

I can see what he means, college is getting more expensive by the semester. I'm currently working part-time, living at home, and attending college as a full-time student. It's tough sometimes but luckily student loans exist and my parents were kind enough to pay for me to go to community college for 3 years. The alternatives are good options for those dying to escape the slaughter house that is currently our education system. Yea, sorry California but your college system is fucked up still. There's times when you feel like you're just another student ID number to your administration, and getting a break can be refreshing enough to make you want to go back and start/finish that degree.

College degrees are practically mandatory now, and graduating high school is a mundane achievement. In the past all you needed was that high school education. I've seen some of my parents' grade cards and they were able to take more trade focused classes that aren't offered anymore. Metal working, motorcycle safety, home economics, Foods 101, etc! None of those were offered 2003-2007 when I was in high school. And now that I'm in my fourth year of college I can see what that does.....no real world experience. Life isn't a series of SAT style tests, it takes more thought than that.

So what I think Altucher's main point is to opt for the "alternative route" which is experience. You can't mount it on your wall in a shiny placard but its valuable. Experience complements any degree, and often times it makes the difference of whether you get the job or not. So maybe one could merge Altucher's suggestions and do a bit of both?

I'll be in school for another year and a half to finish my degree. No I don't LOVE college, but neither of my parents went and I want to give them that. To make them proud, and to prove that I have a good head on my shoulders. But I also refuse to coast through it and waste the loan money I'm going to have to pay back in the end.

The real question is: is going to college worth it to you? For me it is, but hey we're all different :)

Here's the actual article: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/8-alternatives-to-college/

My tips for making it through:

• Start out with the best grade possible, the 1st test starts you off on a high note.
  
• Raise your hand during class discussions (it's not obnoxious).
  
• Do not take the elevator, taking the stairs will get your blood flowing enough to wake up.
• PAY ATTENTION and take notes.
• Going on Facebook during class = the teacher murdering you with words.
  
• Take classes that interest you if possible (sorry nobody likes GE).
• Your teacher assigns 50 pages of reading per lecture? Do at least half of it.
• See the prize at the end, you're getting a degree for a reason. Don't forget that!
  

New Movies 2/8/11

The Romantics

Josh Duhmel, Anna Paquin, & Katie Holmes

Quick summary: Laura is the maid of honor at Lila and Tom's wedding. And unfortunately she's also Tom's ex. Their group of friends meet up for the rehearsal dinner, night before the ceremony. Over the next 12 hours they face their messy relationships and prewedding jitters.

Buy it? Personally I didn't like it enough to suggest buying it, and like most other lower budget films I doubt that you would be able to go into Target or Walmart and find it on the rack for purchase. But if you're up for a decent drama about the complicated, and sometimes overlapping relationships that some people suffer through.

Verdict: Rental!

Wild Target

Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, & Rupert Grint

Quick summary: Victor Maynard is a professional hitman, one of the best in Europe. But when he's assigned to kill Rose, he somehow ends up becoming her security. Along the way Victor gets an apprentice (Rupert Grint) and confronts what he really wants from life--of course this is a comedy so hilarity ensues.

Buy it? I'm never one to run out the door and buy anything without seeing it first, so I recommend it as a fun rental. Loved seeing “Ron” in a new role, he’s a similar character but much more fun. The cast probably had alot of fun filming it lol especially the random birthday party stuff. Definitely check it out if you enjoy most English humor.

Verdict: Rental!

And Then Before Ya Know It..

On the way home from the orthodontist today, me and mom had a discussion about jobs. I was telling her how I'm starting to feel the passing of time and realize that I'm going to need a better job. Mainly for financial stability but also to be able to move up in that company. Any of us can hope for a new job from the old one that we have grown tired of, but getting that new job is harder than just picking one and going for it.
The economic situation that most businesses are in right now....not the best though improving. And I understand that everyone wants to stay in business or at least above water. Sadly this is putting people like me in a shit situation for job outlook.
No right now isn't exactly peak hiring season. I definitely know that but it doesn't stop me from applying and looking, asking around. My mom told me that something will come up when its meant to and hopefully it'll be a solid job.
I've interviewed at 2 places in the past week which is nice. Kind of like a false sense of progress, I've stepped out there but not really left the building. The first was at CVS and the second at South County Physical Therapy. I knew after 2 minutes of my interview at CVS that I didn't want the job. Why? These guys were robots and the workers looked like someone had sucked out their souls with a shop vac---I like people with personalities. My interview at SCPT was good but I rather not take the place of someone who is studying to work in that field. I'd feel like I was stealing their seat! No, I have no intentions of a career in physical therapy so I willing accept that I'm not the best choice. The benefits of workplace experience would be much better for a student who wants to be a PT. And that's just not me.
So basically, I'm yet to find anything that greatly interests me and would benefit me enough (to leave my current job). We'll have to wait and see what comes next. Patience.
Note: I am NOT going to work at a food place, all of those who have suggested it can shut up now. This includes restaurants and fast food places. I am not picky about jobs, because if I was then I would never have worked at Blockbuster.
Going back to me beginning to "feel the passing of time". Has anyone else noticed this? It's like I was 17 years old and graduating high school then the next thing I know, I'm in my 4th year of college? Holy crap man, its crazy to think about. Of course it all makes logical mathematical sense. As we get older, the time that goes by seems faster and faster because it starts to become a smaller fraction of time compared to our entire life. For example, as a kid the school year felt like an eternity because you were only 10 years old. Because 9 months of school was a decently large amount of time in a 10 year period. But 10 years later its not going to seem so damn long. Now I'm just rambling.
I don't know. I feel like I want more stability for future things. Mainly things like being able to pay off my student loans and pay for my phone bill by myself.....It's like the Domino Effect. Stupid Eisenhower, why did you have to come up with the Domino Effect? Yea it was a theory on the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, but I think it's more likely to be about overthinking. Helloooooo overthinking mind! I start thinking about getting a new job and the next thing you know I've made an entire outline of what I need from that job including possible promotions and a payscale estimate for the next 5 years. Goddamn. Now we're back to the "before ya know it" thing again.

Friend Classification + Ramblings on the Subject of Friendship

Most of the time I consider myself to be pretty tolerant of other people as far as friendships go. You can be obsessed with whatever artist or musician, smoke or drink, single or not. Doesn't really make a difference. To be perfectly honest, you can be an asshole or the nicest person in the world. I've been asked many times "how can you stand being friends with _______?"

"Best friends", they tend to be similar in thinking, like my friend Nura or Breanna. Both quirky and smart, we shared an interest in film and a few high school classes. Even though both are what I call "my wandering friends". This refers to the fact that both of them have traveled alot in the past few years, mainly because after graduating high school Nura who moved to Ethiopia for almost a year then detouring through Europe on her way back to California. Besides that Breanna now lives on in Monterey's Air Force base or training center, I'm not sure how they specify it there. I'm yet to visit.

Moving on here...I often lose contact with these people, and reconnect after extended gaps or do the monthly hang out session type dealio. Only through our mutual efforts do we remain friends.

My "conflict friends" are another story. These are the people that you hang out with for generally short periods of time or your brain will explode. Whether its because of their obnoxious, over-the-top personality or whining too much. Everyone has at least one or two friends like this. Usually they're just so high energy that it wears you out.

"The dumb ones", yes I said dumb. You love them but man they're just dumb sometimes. This friend is often subject to being combined with a "energizer bunny". Drinking too much or getting in trouble is funny to them. At this point in time I find that this friend gets annoying really fast because you want to tell them what you think but you don't want to be mean about it. So by avoiding voicing your opinion, you ultimately stop telling them things and become distant. I have more than a few of these and yea they get annoying after awhile but I never break off the friendship.

"Omg what happened" people. We all think it in our head but nobody will say anything out of politeness. No elaboration necessary, ten bucks says you know a few too. Suddenly falling off the map then popping up with any of these; having a kid, getting fat, large tattoos, religious obsessions, etc. There is no way to ask what happened without sounding like a complete asshole and starting a shitfest.

"Druggie friend"--No explanation needed for this fellow. He or she likes drugs, commonly the stoner in a group of friends. When they pick you up and start heading to a business center you know what's up. Roll down the windows and hope you don't get any secondhand smoke. Gross but one of the nicest people. If you run into an old classmate like this, they generally remember you and want a hug. I've never quite understood how that works since most stoners are pretty slow reacting.

All of these above people. I am friends with. ALL OF THEM. Why? Where did they come from? And I think I might have figured it out. It's not overly complicated. I didn't have a jacked up childhood and my parents never fought or divorced. Everything was great. Apparently this attracts people with the opposite experiences to me (majority). My boyfriend has said I had "the perfect childhood" compared to his experience. My brother has this too but its worse enough to call it the "trainwreck problem". If you've got problems then you'll end up talking to him about it. I think this is the big reason he likes psychology. Continuing on...

People are too picky and unforgiving of others. Its not that I put my trust in just anyone that I become "friends" with, its the effort that the other person shows. The amount of meaningful talk instead of texting. The inside jokes and understanding the others body language. Enjoyment and humor. Essentially being able to read each others' moods and tell when something is wrong. These things make a friendship.

I fear that so much of this digital age shit is starting to impact the younger generations negatively. Speaking for my own age group I know that the advent of AOL Instant Messenger and MySpace opened up a whole can of worms for the world of communication. How often do we all actually have those meaningful interactions, talking in person--not just texting? I wonder if anyone still passes notes or girls still have passbooks with their friends. I still have two passbooks in my cabinet and its hilarious to read what we thought was so important.

This upcoming generation is losing out on all of that and most likely going to suffer from alot of boredom. If I can read the complete summary of who you are on Facebook then why bother meeting you? Hanging out? What will I ask you if it answers all my questions? It seems to make actual true interaction pointless.....we'd all be on our phones anyways. Ugh.

I think that I choose to put up with just about everyone, with the exception of the people I see as unrelatable. You choose your friends. I choose my friends. But I don't think we really choose who we get along with, its more of a temperament issue and I'm the golden retriever that's happy sitting next to anyone.