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[pmcd9]

It's like you're describing a Woody Allen movie.

[wombat]

Speaking of walking around looking at New York, do you know this blog? It's great.
http://www.scoutingny.com/

[theinevitable]

That is great!

[Carlos del Vaca]

Amusing conversation from last Friday:
Mrs. del Vaca: "So-and-so's daughter does Irish step dancing. They're performing at Ned Devine's tomorrow night, we should go."
Me: "So you're saying you want to go to an Irish pub the Saturday night before St. Patrick's Day."


Also, amusing actual thought I had today: "I know how I'll deal with that guy! I'll drop an anvil on him!"

[AugustWest]

Also, amusing actual thought I had today: "I know how I'll deal with that guy! I'll drop an anvil on him!"

Just make sure you don't order your anvil from the ACME Corporation.

[Carlos del Vaca]

This was a Disney-branded anvil, so it worked OK. It in fact did not kill the guy in question, but I was able to drop a TV instead and that sufficiently distracted him.

(If you haven't guessed this was video-game related. I finished Epic Mickey last night, yay me.)

[Carlos del Vaca]

Fuck 'em.

Yeah, that.

[jaydub]

I do the same on the morning shuttle bus (fill from the back), but at least it's not a van.  In the evening my strategy is different, on account of the Flintstones era ticket punching validation rigamarole the train requires.  Since the validation machines break down weekly, you have to assume that fewer than 4 machines will be available for the 600 or so train passengers.  The "fare enforcement officers" aren't sympathetic to woeful stories about the long line you had to skip in order to make the train (there are 3 trains, on the hour starting at 3pm, after which you are hosed and have to walk* home).  Since I'm the first stop on the evening shuttle route, I take advantage of the primo seating selections to get the one right behind the driver, which guarantees an earlier spot in the validation queue since I can shoot out as soon as the door opens.  I do, however, take the window seat so noone needs to drag their ass over me to sit with me in that row.  I think that keeps everyone happier.  The only drawback is when the driver decides to share her family crises with her captive audience.

[theinevitable]

So into being able to walk to school. Only concern is that I have to park the car around the corner on a residential street (I live on a weird road with not many buildings on it) and I don't check on it as often as I should.

Today I realized I have 3 midterms next week. So I guess spring break is over. Also, trying to figure out how I could manage doing an unpaid internship for the summer. Because the paid internships are just not magically appearing.

[wombat]

Fuck unpaid internships.

I've done an unpaid internship that was 100% worthwhile and I got my zoo jobs based on years of unpaid volunteer experience. But I don't care. People have a lot of nerve offering unpaid internships.

[theinevitable]

Well, the thing that's killing me is that even if I'm willing to take an unpaid one my pickings seem pretty slim. I went to talk to the career counselor and her suggestion was to keep looking on internet job posting websites. The only things related to housing/community development on the department's website (which she maintains) are unpaid jobs with the New York City Planning Department. Great. So I can spend ~$30 a day to get to and from a job that doesn't pay.

I am feeling this unpleasant sensation like I "need to be trying harder" but I don't really know what that would mean. I'm emailing some professors who work in housing policy to see if they can give me some guidance in terms of where to look. Right now I'm just googling and using indeed.com and it isn't going anywhere. I am very aware that people get jobs from people/connections, not websites, but so far my only connections in the world of urban planning are people who work at large organizations that offer unpaid internships.

Did I tell you guys my brother moved to New Zealand? Right now he's hiking and stuff but I guess he has friends who he thinks can get him odd jobs. He graduated last spring and has spent the last year applying to jobs without finding anything (other than a gig waiting tables) and just said "fuck this I'm going to have some adventures." This is funny, he was always the quiet guy in the family who follows the rules.

[wombat]

I went to talk to the career counselor and her suggestion was to keep looking on internet job posting websites.

And she gets paid for that??

Are there any jobs that aren't in urban planning but that would teach you something you could bring to that career in the future? Like this is not a real suggestion but an extreme example would be, if you worked for a few months cleaning sewers, there's  some hands-on knowledge of how the underbelly of a city works.

[theinevitable]

Are there any jobs that aren't in urban planning but that would teach you something you could bring to that career in the future? Like this is not a real suggestion but an extreme example would be, if you worked for a few months cleaning sewers, there's  some hands-on knowledge of how the underbelly of a city works.

I am sure things like that exist, I am not sure what they are. My classmate who is a transportation guy did something like that last summer-- he worked for the Department of the Interior mapping fire access roads in national parks. He drove around big empty western plains/mountain region states, brushed up his mapping skills, and camped a lot.

I typed a lot more worries here, but I am going to try to think positively. It's just aggravating that I have spent the last 5 years applying to jobs (intermittently) and have not gotten one, ever, except the grocery store job. I am obviously doing something wrong but I am not sure what it is.

[wombat]

Your idiot career counselor should be able to tell you what they are. SIGH.

Camping and mapping out in the wild west wouldn't be totally unrelated, would it? Surely mapping is related. You should ask him. You'd probably be better off asking fellow students who have actually gotten jobs recently than that career counselor.

[theinevitable]

Maybe I can work for Uber, it's almost like my dream job.