Life of the Bored and Taskless.

Friday, May 22, 2009

This is where I'll be from now on. Enjoy.

Cheers,
Jacquie

12:30 AM | Jacquie | 1 comments

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Hi all.
It's been a good run. This blog has followed me through middle school, high school, and college. A lot of things in my life are coming to an end, but just as many, if not more, are just beginning. I guess what I'm saying is that it's time to do something else, something new. A big thanks and much love to anyone who's ever deemed this blog worthy enough to read. I promise that if I do anything else in the blogosphere, I will post it here. This whole journey has been a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see what transpires in the future.

I'm out,
Jacquie

P.S. I'll always love Weezer.

9:12 PM | Jacquie | 2 comments

Monday, January 12, 2009

I was perusing Monster.com today (because I need a little daily depression to stunt any budding optimism I may develop), and came across this unhelpful article:

Discover the Work You Were Born to Do
By James Gonyea, Monster Contributing Writer

So you've been hearing that voice again, the one that says you're not doing what you were born to do. That may be true, but how do you figure out what you should be doing?

To begin answering this question, examine whether your current career path matches your core interests, beliefs, values, needs and skills. Professional career counselors usually undertake this strategy when attempting to help clients identify appropriate career directions.

Here's what I ask clients to help them find their core. Ask yourself these questions, and record your answers:

So, before I read any further, I decided that I would fill out the questions. I can't become any more perplexed about my vocational fate, right? Plus, I have yet to work at an unfulfilling job, but seeing as May is just around the corner, I probably should accept the fact that I will be in four months. Feel free to fill out the same vague questions and post them in the comment box. Here's to all the soon-to-be entry-level applicants out there!

1. What subjects do you most enjoy reading about?
Music, comedy, people (mostly modern), pop culture, foreign countries, sign language, human behavior.

2. What television or radio programs do you most enjoy?
Stand-up comedy, off-beat comedy series (a la Tim and Eric, Strangers With Candy, UCB), Discovery Health Channel programs, Travel Channel shows, "Behind the Music" type shows, trivia, and 90's kids shows centered around quirky male protagonists.

3. What are your favorite types of movies?
"Dramedies" (I know, what a horrible portmanteau)- movies that are driven by character development and incorporate somewhat dark humor (and have good direction and cinematography).

4. What are your favorite hobbies or pastimes?
Music, reading, (watching shitty YouTube videos), going on random adventures with friends, cooking meals with friends.

5. What type of volunteer activities do you prefer?
Not sure. To be honest, I don't volunteer as much as I should.

6. What subjects do you enjoy discussing with friends?
Current issues in our lives/theories about those issues, weird hypothetical situations, music, funny frivolous things from the past and present.

7. What subjects come to mind when you daydream?
I think about past conversations and/or what I could have said in those exchanges that would have been a more meaningful/humorous or less awkward alternative.

8. What have been your favorite jobs?
Probably the one I'm in now (thrift/vintage clothes store), and my internship at an adult psychiatric rehabilitation center. Anything that allows me to be creative and work with people yet has a bit of structure that I can base expectations off of.

9. What were your favorite school subjects?
Psychology, biology, music, photography.

10. What are your pet peeves?
Pretension/arrogance, disrespect, patronization, close-mindedness, impatience, when people ask me about what I want to do with my life...

11. If you doodle, what do you often draw?
Really terrible cartoonish looking people with thyroidism or geometric designs.

12. If you ran the world, what changes would you make?
It would be infinitely more organic and socialistic and less competitive. I think I'd like to create meaningful international rituals that provide a sense of cohesion and give people something to look forward to.
Also, no text messaging. I'm not jk.

13. If you won a million bucks, what would you do with it?
I'd put it in the bank, so I could save up for future travels and a nice house. Also, I'd put money in college funds for my brother and myself, and I'd throw some dough my aunt's and friends' ways, and donate the rest to charity.

14. Who are your favorite kinds of people?
The people I like most are funny, genuine, show a general interest in people, are laid-back, and are open to experiences. I don't like people who are too easily offended, eagerly push their agendas in order to start a conflict, or seek constant attention. I feel uncomfortable around people who I feel threatened by or invisible when in their presence.

15. How would you like to be remembered after your death?
As a good-natured weirdo who loved her friends, found joy in the little things, and tried to help people (whether or not I succeed is TBD).

16. What are your favorite toys?
At the moment, the Nintendo Wii. I love cheesy board games and have been dying to own moon shoes since I was five.

17. How would you describe your political beliefs?
I think that the government's first interest should be to take care of its citizens yet be involved in crises abroad (regardless of their relationship to oil). I am deeply concerned about human rights, the lack-luster education system in this country, and poverty here and elsewhere. I'd say I'm a bit liberal, but I need to do a whole lot more research before I'd consider my opinions informed (I tend to operate emotionally foremost, and rationality secondarily)

18. Who do you most admire in life and why?
People who create something truly unique, and can call it their own. That's the type of property I'd most like to have.

19. What tasks have brought you the most success?
School, both academically and socially.

20. What tasks do you think you could do well that you haven't yet done?
I guess that's what I'm trying to find out. I'd like to do a bit of stand-up comedy, but I'd have to really practice a lot. Fortunately, it's something I'd be willing to practice (unlike piano). I think I have a good design aesthetic, but I don't think I'd do anything professionally (advertising?). I also have a good ear, but singing isn't really in the cards (d'oh!). My "Plan A" is psychology, and I think it's something that I have the most faith in as far as a steady career is concerned.

Well, thar she blows. What job do YOU think I should have?

4:18 PM | Jacquie | 1 comments

Monday, December 15, 2008

Q: What do finals and Christmas have in common?
A: They both suck.
Oh, and they both happen in December.

To commemorate the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year," I, in my desperate state of hyperprocrastination, parodied a familiar Christmas tune as a salute to the my kindred collegiate spirits out there.

You'll know us when you see us - completely FUBAR after getting an hour of sleep in 36 hours, having Amp drinking contests with ourselves (we win, we always do), and sacrificing hygeine along the way as if a 15-minute shower is severely cutting into paper-writing time ("Travis, you and my B.O. can go fuck each other, this fucking 15-PAGE PAPER FOR STATISTICAL ACCOUNTING OF MANAGEMENT: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO DUE IN..26 HOURS AND 42 MINUTES CAN'T, BRA!")

Travis has a point. Maybe we should shower. After the paper's due, of course.

“Oh, Holy Shite”*
(To the tune of “Oh, Holy Night”)

Oh, holy shite! It’s due tomorrow morning,
This is the night of unparalleled girth.
Long have I been inside, procrastinating,
‘Til night appeared, said my grade’ll drop in worth.
An Adderall, my weary brow is sweating,
For yonder breaks a new and cursed morn.

Asleep on the keys! O, hear the rentals’ voices:
“No child of mine! No child, You are no child of mine!
No child, No child, No child of mine!”

Led by the guise of faith in prior slacking,
With bleary eyes by my keyboard I sit.
So led by light of iMac brightly gleaming,
Here come the sheep for counting if I quit.
The Sin of Sins – an F in my own major;
At this point Facebook is my only friend.

I need to sleep, this weakness is no newsflash.
Behold my bed! Behold my comfy bed!
Behold my bed, Behold my bed.

I wish he taught content for this assignment,
His prompt is vague and his rubric’s unclear.
A few mistakes could throw my class alignment,
At this rate, I’ll have two Senior years.
Sweet Jesus, he sure graded very quickly,
To get mine, I’ll log into campus web.

Christ, that’s my score?! O curse his name forever,
His gradebook and tenure evermore proclaim.
His gradebook and tenure evermore proclaim.

*Note: It's only semi-autobiographical. I'm not in jeopardy of failing a Psych course or being a "Super Senior." I'm just not that cool.

3:17 AM | Jacquie | 1 comments

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Tomorrow's my last Vespers service as an undergrad. Yikes.
Today, however, was the day to give my Senior speech to the rest of Women's Chorus.

Here it is, for your reading pleasure:

"Originally, I planned to do something a bit outrageous for my speech tonight; I planned on doing a parody of a past Women’s Chorus Vespers song “Exaudi Laudate” (turning it into an ode to Eduardo Azzati) but I’m both a poor planner and too much of a sentimental goober to pass up the opportunity to bore you with my feelings.

Sitting in Vespers during my last year as a performer, I realized that the services have mimicked my college career. At the first Vespers, just like our first day of college, I think we all don’t know what to expect. With college, we wonder about classes, people, and teachers. With Vespers – songs, performers, and conductors. Personally, I remember being utterly confused about the waving of the candles; with all of those gas lamps around, there’s bound to be some sort of Hollywood explosion. With Vespers, as in college, the next two years whiz by. Then there’s the last year, where you realize this really is it. After I snuff out the candle of my college career in May, and attempt to locate my family in a sea of faces at Graduation, I’ll likely be thinking: “What the hell am I supposed to do now?” If my college career were actually like Vespers, I’d say “go to Brew Works” – however – a) Brew Works is totally out of commission for the time being and b) waitressing just isn’t in the cards for me. Maybe my analogy was a bit off.

I think that part of human nature is taking comfort in the familiar – it’s why traditions such as Vespers survive over time. In our own lives there are those constant things that keep up sane – our friends, our families, and hopefully even one day, our “job” jobs. With Vespers, you could say I’ve looked forward to some of these constants year after year. There’s the trivial - the Brass Ensemble...that sounds like farts [Note: I didn't end up saying the last part of that statement because the BE people were beginning to arrive...], watching Bobblehead…bobble from the balcony (you know who I’m talking about), and making fun of the obligatory Zerkle gospel piece. And then there’s the meaningful - the angelic music that fills the room with hope and love. I also take comfort in the fact that no matter where I am or where I go in my life, Vespers will always take place the first two weeks in December. What can I say? It’s like my Super Bowl.

Women’s Chorus has been one of those constants for me, a four-year-long Vespers – it’s my weekly attempt at reaching that state of peace and harmony (no pun intended)(actually, pun intended) that is so desperately missing from everyday life. It has been a privilege to sing with all of you; I’m glad that you’ve all given me a chance to add my manly voice to the mix. And to Mr. Azzati – I think I can speak for all of us when I say thank you for inspiring us so deeply with your passion, your dedication, and most of all, your ridiculous Halloween costumes.

Amen."

2:18 AM | Jacquie | 0 comments

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

As much as I love my major, sometimes Psychology can really be a downer. Especially when you begin to compare yourself to case examples and/or reflect on your own sleep patterns, which may or may not point to some sort of chemical imbalance, which may or may not mean that you're batshit insane. Or depressed. Or both. You be the judge.

Example 1:

Last night, I received approximately four hours of bad sleep. I consumed a substantial amount of caffeine throughout the day, and had great difficulty falling asleep. Once asleep, I had terrible dreams rooted in anxiety, which probably resulted from my thoughts about an impending major assignment (Note: which I'm currently putting off).

This morning when I woke up, I felt incredibly energized. In fact, I felt very much like a Cleaver, minus the wholesome breakfast; I didn't dread the day ahead of me or hide in my sheets.

According to several studies regarding depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder, sleep deprivation can result in mood elevation in depressed individuals.

Does this mean that I may be depressed due to this shared physiological trend exhibited by depressed people? Over the past 4 or 5 years, I've experienced bouts of depression, which usually coincide with the winter months. But wait, does that mean that I have SAD? Do I have anything?

Example 2:

Today in class, Dr. Toedter discussed a child who had virtually no visual memory.

"Can you imagine that? He would literally look at something on the board and then forget what it said midway through copying it down!"

Yeah, Dr. T, I can imagine it. Because I am that kid.

Or the child who couldn't figure out spoken word problems, because he had difficulty imagining and retaining them in his mind.

"Can you see what he's doing? He can't imagine the numbers, so he's repeating them back to himself and forgetting them in the process."

Oh wait. That's what I do. That's why I had to count the drawer four times at my job while my boss watched. It's a little more embarrassing because I'm 21. This kid was 11.

"When arranging the blocks, what most people do is envision the finished product in their head and cut them into four sections, so they know what position each of the four block should be in. He's not doing that. Instead, he's using a trial-and-error system because he can't envision that spatial arrangement in his head."

Wait, what? That's how you're supposed to do it?
Do I have a spatial/visual memory problem?
Shit.

I could just be overreacting, but I feel as if I'm only now piecing together my flaws and the possible agents behind them. Genuine self-awareness is a scary thing...maybe I should hide back underneath the covers.

9:40 PM | Jacquie | 0 comments

Friday, November 14, 2008

Career Crunch 2008 - "I was looking for a job, but then I found a job..."

Jobs that I will probably end up doing in the next five years:
- Retail
- Working as some sort of an aid in a psychiatric facility/rehab/day program for adults or adolescents
- Sidewalk softshoe artist
- Cardboard box engineer
- Grad school groupie
- Some sort of Italian-named beverage mistress

Jobs that I could see actually see myself doing:
- Psychologist (Plan A)
- Something that requires interviewing (i.e. Admissions counselor)
- Teacher
- Business owner (My business would own your business, thereby eliminating "none of my" business)(not actually, but owning a record store would be pretty awesome)(not that any will exist in 10 years)

Jobs at which I would excel, provided that they existed:
- Professional Dorm Room Organizer
- Waster of Time/Procrastinator
- Webcomic Reader
- Mix CD Engineer
- Band Suggester
OR Being a perpetual college student

Jobs that I will never do lest I receive a lot of money and/or revise the standing definitions of "skilled" and "quality" (AKA Dream Jobs):
- Actress
- Musician
- Comedian (Stand-up, improv, impersonator)
- Performer on SNL in the 90's or 70's (I realize that this would require time travel)
- Talk-show host
- Music video director
- Professional Traveler (watch out, Travel Channel, I've already contemplated Jacqueline Baker's "No Inhibitions")

10:44 AM | Jacquie | 0 comments