Just a few updates

I'm happy to report that I've had a very productive week filled with no less than two job interviews, one of which may have a promising outcome. For once I can say that Monster has offered me a good service; normally it's just good for sifting through scam offers (the latest were "toospoiled" and and "execcareersearch"). However, this time around I was headhunted by an actual recruiter, and they weren't soliciting me on behalf of an agency to boot! They are looking for a CAD plotter/operator, and seeing that I have some drafting experience listed on my resume, they felt I may be a good candidate for the position. To make a long story short, it is not by any stretch of the imagination a "career move"; rather, it's more of a stop-gap between my current state of depressing unemployment and that dream career job (or at least an entry level job with advancement) that I've been promised by my university. OK, they didn't promise anything, but $20k should have bought me some kind of guarantee shouldn't it have?

Well, I haven't decided yet if I will follow through with these offers, but at least I got to practice my interviewing skills (I actually told one of my interviewers that "If my father wasn't a client here you guys probably wouldn't have given me the time of day" haha). I was trying to make a point about networking, but in hindsight my comment may have been a little brash or unprofessional. Oh well.

The weather has been (surprise surprise!) changing for the better lately. I couldn't believe it but it was 14 degrees Celsius yesterday! That is way above seasonal average (now don't go starting up that global warming debate, I've watched Al Gore too). Spring is definitely my favourite season though, as only after suffering through a long and nasty winter can you truly appreciate spring's comfortable temperatures with pleasant "wind-chill" effects (some would call these "breezes"). Anyways, spring can be a very magical season for many reasons: school comes to a close; athletes become less reliant on skis or skates to enjoy outdoor sports; and personal relationships are reinvigorated in anticipation of a glorious summer season.
I may even wake the old bike up this weekend from it's state of forced hibernation.

On a different note, I had this really interesting and somewhat frightening dream a few nights ago. In this dream -- which was more of a nightmare -- I witnessed a large scale nuclear explosion from the rural outskirts surrounding some city (Toronto?). That in itself was not the most shocking part of the dream -- the practical and methodical concern of what to do in the aftermath of the disaster was what really made this dream memorable. It was such a profound paradigm shift to contemplate life after "the bomb". I mean, actually making some kind of rational life decision without the option of going back to "the city" environment that we're so accustomed to. It was truly a terrifying experience that really helped to put things into perspective. Unfortunately the vision of a massive mushroom cloud smothering the horizon like a rampaging balrog with its thick stem of smoke pulsing with sinister crimson energy is still fresh in my memory (for those unfamiliar with the term "balrog", it is the gigantic demon that kills Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring). Hopefully our foreign policy won't have anything to do with promoting such a frightening possibility.

A few pictures

Looking at my blog so far, I notice that it's kind of dull; somewhat lacking in lustre. To remedy the situation, I thought I would post a few pictures I've taken over the last few weeks or so that highlight my Torontonian neighbourhood. This first one was taken back in January, and features a beautiful sunset in the context of my backyard.

The second one is of my cat -- she's thinking of swiping the camera from my hands. Anyways, I don't want to swamp the server with all of my pictures, so I'll post more next time. These two should be enough to at least liven up the appearance of my blog a bit.

In other news, I'm still looking for work. It's pretty rough out there for the Arts grad, but I'm hoping to get working in the next little while if possible. The words 'discouraged', 'disenchanted', and 'disillusioned' (the evil 3Ds) come to mind; but I'm trying to stay positive. Struggling to stay positive that is. Being unemployed in a world of consumerism is not fun: thank God I'm not all that materialistic. However, I have had my eye on the new Honda Civic -- just need to earn the $25k asking price, that's all.

For all of the unemployed Arts grads out there, I hope that you're not losing hope in your future, and perhaps that big break we're all waiting for is just around the corner. In the meantime, good luck and best wishes!

MGK

News

I don't know if it's unusual for someone my age to enjoy watching, reading, and listening to the news as much as I do, but it certainly has its perks. For one thing, I almost always have an informed opinion about almost any possible issue brought up in conversation. Although my opinion may not stand up to the scrutiny of someone with a PhD. in the area, I usually soak up enough information from multiple news sources so as to formulate a solid understanding of the subject. Of course, I am aware of the limitations of the media in delivering accurate and unbiased accounts; however, with the availability of multiple news sources these days, it is easier than ever to disseminate information about an event from many different perspectives. On my relatively modest cable TV package, I have access to all kinds of Canadian, American, British, and international news stations; but the ultimate source of variety in this regard is -- you guessed it -- the mighty Internet. It is really a skill to be proud of to be able to sift through the many national and international news sources available on the web (the phrase "information overload" comes to mind), extract the key information, and use it to truly understand the context surrounding the event.
If you thought that this process seems strangely familiar, then you've probably had the pleasant experience of preparing and writing an essay in the past.

Well, I was planning to discuss a few particular news events in this blog, but seeing that I've fulfilled my quota of brain exercise for the evening, I think that I'll simply finish up by leaving you -- the noble and mysterious reader -- with the responsibility of bringing up an interesting national/international news event in your own response!

Employment

It's been almost one year since my graduation from YorkU, and I have yet to put my english degree to good use (other than to write blog entries and fill out application forms). I have stayed in touch with a few fellow english grads and I am somewhat relieved to know that I'm not the only one struggling to kick start that career thing: some are working in glorious retail, others have sheltered themselves in further education, while others still are sleeping in and submitting the odd application in the afternoon. I -- for better or for worse -- generally belong in this latter group, although I technically have a part-time McJob.

It would be nice to make use of a university registry that would track the progress of all english grads and thereby help us get a clue on how to make some real money with this nicely framed degree. The Internet -- with its infinite ability to expose esoteric data -- does in fact provide us with a few accounts of successful english grads. Yes, that's not a typo: successful. However, their stories are often outdated and set in such an obscure geographical context as to make personal comparison practically impossible.

I am by no means desperate (yet) as I have a few potential opportunities lined up for 2007, but I am beginning to believe that our economy has very little tolerance for those maligned english grads who do not care for teaching, law, or writing the next great novel.

In any event, I have looked into technical writing, communications, and many other miscellaneous positions. How about you guys? Anybody else out there having some trouble finding a respectable job with an Arts degree? I would appreciate hearing your story and perhaps our discussion will help generate some positive ideas.

Cheers!

Introduction

Hi and welcome to my blog. I hope that you find the content enjoyable and informative, and I encourage you to share your opinions on any of the issues that I discuss.

I don't want to sound like a big hockey nut by beginning my blog with a comment on hockey, but considering that the annual NHL All Star game was on the boobtube tonight, I think I'll share my opinion on the new player uniforms. Has anyone else noticed that they make the players look dorkier? I mean, there was an element of confidence and class that went with the big old jerseys that seems to have been significantly lessened with the new streamlined look. I understand that the new uniforms have many practical advantages, such as their ability to repel moisture (so the beer travels straight to your pants), as well as a more "aerodynamic" design; but I still believe that the "big and baggy" look will remain a fan favourite for some time to come, that is unless the new streamlined uniforms also come with a new streamlined price. That being said, I'll have to wait until the new jerseys are available in stores to form a concrete opinion about them, but I definitely have no plans to put away my big and baggy TML Mogilny jersey any time soon.