My old blog: http://gizmo1021.livejournal.com/
- David
- I took the name of this blog from one of my favorite quotes from George Bernard Shaw: "Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." The way I see it, this blog and all of the experiences and stories that I write in it are, collectively, an account of how I go about creating myself in my daily life. My name is David.
Friday, August 26, 2011
My '99 Accord
This past Monday I lost a good friend: my 1999 Accord. My car broke down on the way to work, and as I stood on the side of the road, I was hoping that the reason my car’s engine was emitting white steam was because of some small break or a broken part that could be easily repaired. But nothing is ever that simple with automobiles. After I had it diagnosed, I was told that, among many other things, the head gasket was leaking, which not only would cost a good bit to be fixed, but could lead to other major problems down the road. It also had an oil leak, a blown heater tube, the timing belt needed to be examined and replaced, and a few other issues to the tune of two grand. After some deliberation, I decided the best move would be to sell my car to CarMax and save up for a used car. I’m very grateful for the family and friends that rallied around me during this time, but it was painful watching my ’99 Accord go. That was the first car that I owned out right, and although I only had it for four years, it was MY car and I had grown pretty attached to it. I had driven it to Cleveland to see family (twice), to the Blue Ridge Parkway to go hiking. I had driven it to the beach, and it was the car that had carried me to college those four long years during my time as an undergraduate. I kept it sparkling clean on the inside and out, and was proud to own a Honda. Now there is a sedan shaped hole in my heart. And although I will get another car and take just as good (if not better) care of it as I had my Honda, there will always be a special place in my heart reserved for my first car.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Options? Your input appreciated.
You don’t need to be an investor or some Wall Street savant to understand what’s happening in the stock markets right now. The market loses over 500 points, and then the next day is in the green. The following days it plummets again, and the teeter-totter continues its course. People seem to be split into two camps on the issue: some believe we are going into a double-dip recession, and others think that the market is just really volatile right now but that savvy investors will possibly save the day by buying up the stocks that others are jettisoning. I’m not exactly sure where I fall in this range. On the one hand I want to believe that we are only going through a rough spot and the market just needs to get a few bugs out of it. But on the other hand a part of me feels like we are heading towards something bigger than that. If leaders both here and abroad could just come to some sort of consensus about how to run their debt and fiscal policies, we might have a chance at building the economy back up. But while politicians duke it out in Washington and in Europe, the unemployment continues to climb, (see article: http://www.economist.com/node/21526408?fsrc=scn/tw/te/ar/doleful) both here and in Europe.
I believe people have been feeling very powerless lately to instigate any change for the better. If the politicians that we elected can’t figure out how to solve this problem, how can we make them listen to us and focus on what matters rather than squabble over party politics? Well, for one thing we could protest. But recently protests have been turning violent (i.e. England), and even when they aren’t violent, the authorities get anxious and start cutting into human rights, like in the recent San Francisco protests. Granted the protests in England were motivated mainly by the race relations in the UK, but many young people also used those riots as a time to vent their anger at the government and the high unemployment it had created.
I don’t have any answers as to how people could go about voicing their concerns in a better way, one that would catch the politician’s eye better than a violent protest. Right now I’m just voicing my observations, and hoping to hear what others think. If you have any ideas, or anything to add to this post, please leave a comment.
I believe people have been feeling very powerless lately to instigate any change for the better. If the politicians that we elected can’t figure out how to solve this problem, how can we make them listen to us and focus on what matters rather than squabble over party politics? Well, for one thing we could protest. But recently protests have been turning violent (i.e. England), and even when they aren’t violent, the authorities get anxious and start cutting into human rights, like in the recent San Francisco protests. Granted the protests in England were motivated mainly by the race relations in the UK, but many young people also used those riots as a time to vent their anger at the government and the high unemployment it had created.
I don’t have any answers as to how people could go about voicing their concerns in a better way, one that would catch the politician’s eye better than a violent protest. Right now I’m just voicing my observations, and hoping to hear what others think. If you have any ideas, or anything to add to this post, please leave a comment.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
30 days
The time I spend interacting with social media outside of Facebook is close to nil. Up until this point I've felt like I never had time for Twitter or this blog. But recently I've been hearing so much about how these different social medias have been influential in the happenings in London, the Middle East and China, and so I thought I should make an effort to become more integrated into those social outlets. I'm going to try over the next 30 days to post more frequently on this blog and jump-start my twitter profile (I might also engage in LinkedIn discussions more, but we'll have to see). It's hard to stay motivated to do anything after a full day of work, but I think I'll get a lot out of becoming more engaged in this area. I hope to learn more about current events, our changing political and economic world, and just have more interesting conversations online.
So here's to social media and the new interactions it will bring.
So here's to social media and the new interactions it will bring.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Some thoughts
At this point in my life, everything is up in the air, and economically our country is in a dark place. I’ve heard multiple opinions on the subject. Some believe that we are pulling out of our recession and we will be back to “normal” employment and GDP levels in the relatively near future. Others believe that where we are right now is the new “normal”, and it will take some new development or global event to raise our economy to the levels it was at in the 90’s. I don’t know…well, nobody knows what the correct view is. As dark and discouraging as this recession has been, I can’t help but feel slightly excited knowing that I’m living through a very ground breaking time, economically speaking (remember, economics major here). Here are some things I’ve noted recently:
One common thread that keeps popping up in conversations that I’ve read online and ones that I have had with friends: “The job market has changed over the past five years, and it’s harder than ever to get into a career right now.” Most of my friends are around my age, so we are all in the same boat when it comes to job searching and a career. That is, most of us have part time jobs, we have recently graduated from college and we are anxiously pursuing any leads we can find. Some people have described their current job seeking experience as “fighting the mob,” and I’d have to agree with them. Jobs are scarce, and the unemployed are plenty. I recently joined the professional networking site LinkedIn, which is basically just Facebook but for job hunting/professional networking. I’ve joined some groups and am expanding my network, all in the hope that a position will turn up that might lead me to my career job (which, in case you don’t know, is economic research/policy analysis). The discussions taking place in those groups are all pretty much the same: what has your job hunting experience been like? What are you doing to try and stand out in this market? Does anyone know how I can get my foot in the door in such-and-such field? Lots of people are responding to these posts. Some are from experienced business people, explaining what they did when they were entering the job market or how they got into a certain position. Others are from people fresh on the scene sharing ideas and information they’ve gleaned from multiple interviews. All in all, this proves something to me: we are in the process of figuring out this market and adapting. Even though my generation is dealing with an economy and job market the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Great Depression, we are adjusting and learning and trying to gain a better understanding of what it’s going to take to get a leg up in this economy.
That’s a positive sign in my book.
One common thread that keeps popping up in conversations that I’ve read online and ones that I have had with friends: “The job market has changed over the past five years, and it’s harder than ever to get into a career right now.” Most of my friends are around my age, so we are all in the same boat when it comes to job searching and a career. That is, most of us have part time jobs, we have recently graduated from college and we are anxiously pursuing any leads we can find. Some people have described their current job seeking experience as “fighting the mob,” and I’d have to agree with them. Jobs are scarce, and the unemployed are plenty. I recently joined the professional networking site LinkedIn, which is basically just Facebook but for job hunting/professional networking. I’ve joined some groups and am expanding my network, all in the hope that a position will turn up that might lead me to my career job (which, in case you don’t know, is economic research/policy analysis). The discussions taking place in those groups are all pretty much the same: what has your job hunting experience been like? What are you doing to try and stand out in this market? Does anyone know how I can get my foot in the door in such-and-such field? Lots of people are responding to these posts. Some are from experienced business people, explaining what they did when they were entering the job market or how they got into a certain position. Others are from people fresh on the scene sharing ideas and information they’ve gleaned from multiple interviews. All in all, this proves something to me: we are in the process of figuring out this market and adapting. Even though my generation is dealing with an economy and job market the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Great Depression, we are adjusting and learning and trying to gain a better understanding of what it’s going to take to get a leg up in this economy.
That’s a positive sign in my book.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Making my way
Funny…my first post of this year ended with how I was going to be making many decisions in the coming months and about the changes that were going to take place and how I would write about them. I believe I also said I would blog more. Well, that didn’t exactly happen. Seems that when things get really busy for me I drop all documenting activities and just get what needs to be done, done. My fiancée, on the other hand, has the opposite reaction. When things get busy for her she writes either as much or more on her blog than she usually does (in my opinion). Oh yeah, my girlfriend is now my fiancée. That’s one of the big changes that have happened since last I wrote. We were engaged the week before we graduated, at a vineyard about an hour and a half north of Greensboro called Elkin Creek Winery. If you love wine tastings, or have never been to a winery in your life (as I had), I would highly recommend that you take a trip to Elkin. It’s a beautiful vineyard with some great wines and amazing people. Oh, right, I also graduated from UNCG with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics! Finally, I’m done with my undergraduate career. This last semester was extremely hard, but I pulled through it pretty well and was given an outstanding undergraduate student award at the Bryan School graduation ceremony.
Graduating from UNCG was very emotional in the moment, when I was standing in line next to the stage waiting for my name to be called. Everything I had done, everything I had accomplished over the past four years seemed to sweep by me in an instant. Then my name was called, I shook a few hands, grabbed my diploma (which was just an IOU with a nifty cover, which stated that I would get my diploma later), had my picture taken and then sat back down amongst the other Bryan School students. It was a very fast paced day. I graduated, went to dinner with friends and family, and then crashed at my place, preparing to move out the next day as well as see my fiancée graduate. My undergraduate years feel like a separate life now. Even when I think back to my graduation it feels like it happened a long time ago. I’ve been living in Greensboro with my fiancée for about three weeks, and I’m just starting to get used to life outside of academia. Not sitting in class for hours out of the day was something that I quickly adjusted to, but it’s the lack of constant stimulation that’s hard to cope with. I’m trying to keep myself in German and other things, but it’s hard when you don’t have grades and a GPA driving you (I know I complained about the while GPA thing a lot, but it does come in handy once in a while).
I’m currently working part time in Winston-Salem, and also trying to get a job with RTI, a research firm in Cary, NC. RTI does, among other things, economic and social policy research, which I think are two intensely interesting topics. I’m crossing my fingers right now, hoping I can get in. That would be the position that I’d need to start building my career. It would be great. But if it doesn’t work out, that’s ok, there will be other opportunities.
But it would still be really cool if I got it.
Although being a graduate can be extremely stressful at times, it’s also very satisfying knowing that you’re starting to make your way in the world. Side note: You know at your high school graduation when the speaker said something like “Now is the time that you enter college and go out into the real world and blah blah blah.” Well, in my opinion, you really don’t get into “the real world” until you graduate from college. I thought I was on my own when I moved to Greensboro and started taking classes here. But the last few weeks have taught me that I still have a lot to learn about the world.
Anyway, there’s a lot more I could write about, but I’m going to stop here. I’m not going to end this post with some saying about promising to write more, because I don’t seem to keep those promises. I’ll just write when I can.
Graduating from UNCG was very emotional in the moment, when I was standing in line next to the stage waiting for my name to be called. Everything I had done, everything I had accomplished over the past four years seemed to sweep by me in an instant. Then my name was called, I shook a few hands, grabbed my diploma (which was just an IOU with a nifty cover, which stated that I would get my diploma later), had my picture taken and then sat back down amongst the other Bryan School students. It was a very fast paced day. I graduated, went to dinner with friends and family, and then crashed at my place, preparing to move out the next day as well as see my fiancée graduate. My undergraduate years feel like a separate life now. Even when I think back to my graduation it feels like it happened a long time ago. I’ve been living in Greensboro with my fiancée for about three weeks, and I’m just starting to get used to life outside of academia. Not sitting in class for hours out of the day was something that I quickly adjusted to, but it’s the lack of constant stimulation that’s hard to cope with. I’m trying to keep myself in German and other things, but it’s hard when you don’t have grades and a GPA driving you (I know I complained about the while GPA thing a lot, but it does come in handy once in a while).
I’m currently working part time in Winston-Salem, and also trying to get a job with RTI, a research firm in Cary, NC. RTI does, among other things, economic and social policy research, which I think are two intensely interesting topics. I’m crossing my fingers right now, hoping I can get in. That would be the position that I’d need to start building my career. It would be great. But if it doesn’t work out, that’s ok, there will be other opportunities.
But it would still be really cool if I got it.
Although being a graduate can be extremely stressful at times, it’s also very satisfying knowing that you’re starting to make your way in the world. Side note: You know at your high school graduation when the speaker said something like “Now is the time that you enter college and go out into the real world and blah blah blah.” Well, in my opinion, you really don’t get into “the real world” until you graduate from college. I thought I was on my own when I moved to Greensboro and started taking classes here. But the last few weeks have taught me that I still have a lot to learn about the world.
Anyway, there’s a lot more I could write about, but I’m going to stop here. I’m not going to end this post with some saying about promising to write more, because I don’t seem to keep those promises. I’ll just write when I can.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Bleh...
I thought this semester would be different. I'm a senior! This is my last semester, it shouldn't be that hard, right? Now I feel like May is so far off. Commencement just can't come fast enough. Sure, I should be grateful that I have one more semester of learning ahead of me, and many challenges that I'll learn from. But after four years of this stuff I'm quite over it. I don't want to have to worry about my GPA and assignment grades for another semester. I can't wait to have a job and not have to worry about my weekends being full of homework and studying for exams and whatnot. Hrrm.
Well, I'm going to my first career fair this Wednesday, and I'm a little anxious about it. I've never been to one before, but it sounds like a great opportunity for me to be able to get my name and resume around to some big companies. I'm hoping to find a job in the Triad area, as well as an apartment, before the end of this semester. That's the goal.
Working part time really helps me to step out of student mode for a little while and just focus on my office work. It's sort of relaxing, actually. I've also taken on the position of SAPA (Study Abroad Peer Ambassador) within the business school this semester. I'll be one of ten students who will encourage other business students to go abroad. I understand that it's extra work and time out of my day, but I really enjoy talking to other people about my time abroad and how it changed me. I enjoy answering the deluge of questions that each student has, and relating to them how I felt before I went abroad and how I dealt with the changes once I got to Germany.
Ah...Germany. I've been having a lot of strong memories pop up lately of my time abroad. Europe has been calling to me ever since I left. The food, the cities, the time spent in trams. All of it. I miss it so much. It's getting harder to resist the urge to just pack up everything and go back. I'm definitely going to look into career possibilities on the other side of the pond.
Recently I've realized that I've been trying to plan my life a little too far ahead. I've been trying to plan what my dream job would be and how I'd get there, what my relationship with my girlfriend should be like after I graduate, and where I'd live. I've come to the conclusion that this semester is hard enough without all that floating around in my head. I'm going to be proactive and look for a job and housing, but I have to remember that life will work itself out, and that I should wait until after I graduate to plan some things.
Being proactive and driven can be a pain sometimes. :P
Well, I'm going to my first career fair this Wednesday, and I'm a little anxious about it. I've never been to one before, but it sounds like a great opportunity for me to be able to get my name and resume around to some big companies. I'm hoping to find a job in the Triad area, as well as an apartment, before the end of this semester. That's the goal.
Working part time really helps me to step out of student mode for a little while and just focus on my office work. It's sort of relaxing, actually. I've also taken on the position of SAPA (Study Abroad Peer Ambassador) within the business school this semester. I'll be one of ten students who will encourage other business students to go abroad. I understand that it's extra work and time out of my day, but I really enjoy talking to other people about my time abroad and how it changed me. I enjoy answering the deluge of questions that each student has, and relating to them how I felt before I went abroad and how I dealt with the changes once I got to Germany.
Ah...Germany. I've been having a lot of strong memories pop up lately of my time abroad. Europe has been calling to me ever since I left. The food, the cities, the time spent in trams. All of it. I miss it so much. It's getting harder to resist the urge to just pack up everything and go back. I'm definitely going to look into career possibilities on the other side of the pond.
Recently I've realized that I've been trying to plan my life a little too far ahead. I've been trying to plan what my dream job would be and how I'd get there, what my relationship with my girlfriend should be like after I graduate, and where I'd live. I've come to the conclusion that this semester is hard enough without all that floating around in my head. I'm going to be proactive and look for a job and housing, but I have to remember that life will work itself out, and that I should wait until after I graduate to plan some things.
Being proactive and driven can be a pain sometimes. :P
Monday, January 10, 2011
First week thoughts
The first week of a new semester is always full of anxiety. Looking at all of the syllabi for all of your new classes makes one feel very unprepared. But it's just the first week jitters. Sure it'll take a week or two to iron out the kinks in your schedule and figure out how to manage your free time, but it all falls into place at some point. That's what I keep reminding myself. Besides, I'm a senior. I've done this so many times now it feels like a way of...life.
That's something I'm ready to be done with for a little while: being a student. Don't get me wrong, I love learning, but after four years I'm just ready to take a little break. A break from all the homework and deadlines and group projects. I'd like to just focus on other things for a while. I'd also like to have the free time on the weekends to read a good book or just relax without the ever present feeling of my unfinished homework bearing down on me.
But that will all come with time, I guess. Right now I have to focus on this new semester and what I need to do to prepare myself for post-graduation. It's a scary thought to be finally getting out there in the real world, but I can't wait. My classes this semester will be very challening, but that is one thing I love about school. I love being challenged. This semester I'm taking a economics class entitled "Quantitative Analysis". We discussed the subject matter in class today and, to tell you the truth, I'm really excited about it. The professor said that this class will be invaluable to those wanting to go to grad school for economics and that the material covered in that class will be helpful in many other ways for an someone hoping to focus their career in economics. I'm stoked. I feel the same way about my other economics class: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory. I also have two German courses. The last two I need to complete my minor.
On the one hand I'm looking forward to finishing my undergraduate years, and on the other hand I still love being a student. I know I'll always love the academic environment. It feeds that need to learn. But everything good thing must come to an end. I'll still be learning after I graduate, just in different ways.
Can't wait.
That's something I'm ready to be done with for a little while: being a student. Don't get me wrong, I love learning, but after four years I'm just ready to take a little break. A break from all the homework and deadlines and group projects. I'd like to just focus on other things for a while. I'd also like to have the free time on the weekends to read a good book or just relax without the ever present feeling of my unfinished homework bearing down on me.
But that will all come with time, I guess. Right now I have to focus on this new semester and what I need to do to prepare myself for post-graduation. It's a scary thought to be finally getting out there in the real world, but I can't wait. My classes this semester will be very challening, but that is one thing I love about school. I love being challenged. This semester I'm taking a economics class entitled "Quantitative Analysis". We discussed the subject matter in class today and, to tell you the truth, I'm really excited about it. The professor said that this class will be invaluable to those wanting to go to grad school for economics and that the material covered in that class will be helpful in many other ways for an someone hoping to focus their career in economics. I'm stoked. I feel the same way about my other economics class: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory. I also have two German courses. The last two I need to complete my minor.
On the one hand I'm looking forward to finishing my undergraduate years, and on the other hand I still love being a student. I know I'll always love the academic environment. It feeds that need to learn. But everything good thing must come to an end. I'll still be learning after I graduate, just in different ways.
Can't wait.
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