the demise of self-entitlement

mood: tired but hopeful
music: a cover of "never gonna give you up"

almost a WHOLE YEAR after graduation, I just experienced the first day of the rest of my working life. my job? probationary part-time cheesemonger at the local whole foods. I was surprised I actually got the job, considering my abject lack of retail and food service experience, but hey, I gots t' start somewhere, and this is WAY better than having no job at all.

my first day turned out alright: there was lots to learn (procedures, techniques, customer service skills, and so on), and I got to taste some awesome brie, but I don't really care for all the dishwashing and mopping at the end. I know it's all good for me, though: the tiredness I'm feeling is the spirit of my former self-entitled slacker of a college student leaving the body. and it feels good (mentally, anyway) to finally EARN me some money.

hopefully, this gig will keep me somewhat afloat in the raging tides of student loan repayment. it should be enough to satisfy the federal loans and keep out of trouble with the IRS and the Feds, but the private loans are another matter. to help make ends meet more agreeably, I'll have to get creative. recently I learned about possibly working as a freelance stagehand/sound assistant through the local IATSE stagehands union. apparently there is a lot of competition over in Local One (which covers NYC), so I may have more success in northeastern NJ.

I could also do a part-time internship on the side, pending my work schedule. I've had my eyes on the gardening internships at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, which would be awesome, except that:

-it's in the Bronx. it would be a bitch to get there and back every day, especially if I'm tired and covered in dirt.
-commuting would require time and money that I really don't have.
-it's an UNPAID position. oh balls.
-an application requires TWO (!!) recommendations. lolwut?!

I know that it will be well worth it in the end for my career, but for now I just can't see myself surviving for very long if I do manage to get an internship.

for now, my career goal is to eventually go to graduate school to study organic horticulture. what would be awesome is if I can combine that with Peace Corps service. seeing the world, helping people, furthering my studies, learning to live frugally in exotic locales, and total language immersion? I'm sold.

that's all for now; I need to recover after my first day of work. bonne nuit.