A NEW CAR

2006 VW Jetta

Beats the Beast in 10/10 categories.

A Visual Memoriam to THE BEAST

The BEAST served its purpose and is now destined for the nearest chop shop where it will either be melted for low grade metal or violently dissembled. I had the beast for nearly four years and am happy to see it go. We did have our fun times together like when it overheated in the rain, the times it wouldn't start in the cold, the time it destroyed a new Honda Civic's rear in Huntley, the joy rides, the rides to the mechanic (these exceeded the joy rides), shuttling dates back to their dorms, impressing said dates with the "classic" nature of the beast. Oh memories.

I present a look back at what can only be described as The Beast

Suggested accompaniment:


or

Saving the Economy

In an effort to save the economy single-handedly, I've set out to purchase a vehicle.

Last week, I test drove a 2009 Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and Versa, and Toyota Yaris.

Wal-Mart Caters Nazis

EASTON, Pa. (WABC)-- Three-year-old Adolph Hitler Campbell is cute, cuddly and, for now, blissfully unaware of the shock value conveyed by his first and middle names. That may be changing, though.
The youngster was at the center of a recent dispute between his parents and a local supermarket that refused to spell out his name on a cake for his birthday party last weekend. A story in a local newspaper prompted an outpouring of angry online responses directed at Heath Campbell, 35, and his wife Deborah, 25.

This family's story bothered me on each paragraph.

The store refused to have the child's name scrawled on the cake and, in the past, refrained from putting a swastika on a cake. The couple eventually had the birthday cake made at Wal-Mart.

The story starts picking up in its offensiveness at this point where we find out that the family had all sorts of people, several who were of "mixed race," at the party.

The Campbells are busy procreating the master race. Their other children are named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell.

The father reasoned the name choice on the basis that there aren't other Adolph Hitlers running around, which I won't contend. Perhaps, there's a good reason people aren't naming their kids after someone responsible for killing millions of people. With that logic why not name your kid Sex Fruit?

If you can get by the misspellings in the comments some are pretty good. Several people mentioned the repercussions to the children in the future.

"So who is this guy taking you out tonight Lucy?" a mother asks her teenage daughter.
"Umm...Adolph Hitler Campbell," Lucy sheepishly responds.
"No daughter of mine is going out with an Adolph Hitler. I didn't raise you to be the next Eva Braun."

At Long Last

It's official. After nearly a year and a half (and 109 blog posts) toiling at internships and scouring classifieds, I have landed a permanent position. Put simply: I GOT A JOB!

I will start in January and will be part of the creative team. My duties will include copywriting, design and media planning. There is talk that I'll have these things called "benefits."

This blog was started as a way to keep sane while looking for a job. I had no inkling that the hunt would take this long, but am relieved it is over. Now, as I assemble my wish list of consumer goods to purchase (a car is high on the list), I renounce my monastic, frugal ways.

To those still fighting the good fight:

Network--even if it doesn't lead to a job, it helps to have people to converse with and get advice from. Having a strong social network consisting of friends and family, as well as alumni helps support you and prevent you from hitting the bottom of the pool. Also, don't be afraid to reach out to alumni. You will be surprised at how many people are willing to offer you their advice and share their path to their current job.

Setup search agents to do the work for you. I used indeed.com, which searches several sites.

Find a way to be creative. For me, this blog served as a forum to write about the news and the plight of the recent graduate.

Volunteer--Whenever you feel that your life is horrible, you need to realize that it is always worse for someone else. Volunteering enables you to get out of the house and give some of your time to help others. An added bonus is you may make some connections.

Faith--Probably the biggest thing that got me through this period beside my mom and sister was having faith that I would end up wherever I was meant to be. Pouring on the prayers didn't hurt either.

I will continue to post about stories that catch my eye and working always provides stories. Thanks for reading.