Dribbling Ink

Honestly, maybe I should take up a job as a Ghostbuster. After graduating college and finally getting away from T he Paragould Daily Press --or The Daily Mess , as it's more affectionately known to its readers--I swore to myself that I would never work in the newspaper business again. Heh. Well, you see, desperate times make you do desperate things. I've been looking for a job for over two months, which has included rounds and rounds of interviews and assessments. Therefore, when I saw an opening for a job at The Gurdon Times , I had no choice but to apply. Of course the call came for the interview--heck, I have years of experience, awards, accolades, and an applicable degree. What could go wrong? Besides working for $7.50 an hour at a weekly newspaper in Gurdon, Arkansas. Needless to say, the interview went well--in fact, I'm convinced I know more about the newspaper business than the woman who interviewed me. But let's jump to the point: I didn't get the job. The...

Woo, if there's such a thing as a list writer, I'm in. In fact, I'm available for work right away. Maybe I lose all literary credit by writing this blog, but it's sure a lot easier to write in lists than it is in complete thoughts. Since the wife and I are going to Paragould this weekend, here's a list of the best things about going home: 1) Family. 2) Free food. 3) Mom's free, home-cooked food. 4) Four solid hours of driving. Not. 5) Cable. 5a) NFL. 5b) College football. 5c) ESPN. 5d) Nancy Grace--wait, that's my Mom's list. 6) Cousins. Yeah, I know they are family, but they are more friends. That's supposed to be a compliment, but it doesn't seem that way when I read it. Oh well. 7) Sweets. Though Kasa did make some good no-bake, oatmeal cookies this week. 8) Mom-washed laundry. Heh. 9) Living out of a suitcase. Love it. 10) I don't have to worry about not having a job. Peace. Enjoy your weekend if we don't meet here ...

Because I’ve been lazy lately, and there haven’t been any random strangers wandering into the apartment, it’s time to break out another list. Things I’ve learned since I got married: 1) I’ll eat cheese cake with strawberries on top (after years of avoiding this topping, making my mother prepare all food “plain” my entire life, my wife forced me to try it—it’s not so bad). 2) I’ll eat vegetables, namely corn not on the cob, which I’ve never liked before. 3) Supreme pizzas are actually quite tasteful. 4) Being “overqualified” for a job is actually Coachspeak—or maybe Workspeak, in this case—for “Yes, you have a degree, which does make you more formally educated than everyone else that applied; however, your degree is a B.A. in English and we’re not sure that it’s practical in any way to the business environment. Good luck serving up White Chocolate Mochas at Starbucks, hippie.” 5) Eating chicken wasn’t just a childhood fad of mine. It’s a lifetime commitment. 6) I think abo...

Henderson State University is the Oakland Raiders of American colleges, and I’m their Lane Kiffin. Actually, the Reddies just turned me down for a job—again—which makes this a poor analogy. But I don’t care, because obviously a B.A. in English doesn’t qualify you to examine documents—or form sound analogies, in my case. At least I made it to the face-to-face interview this time. HSU rejection notice: Graduate school applications are due soon; I’ll keep you posted. Anyway, the interviews have been pouring in this week, which is a positive after nearly a month of applying to three jobs every day without a response. So, I didn’t have too much time to be depressed about the HSU job (which, honestly, I really wanted because graduate school would have cost me one-tenth of regular tuition), because I had an interview with the AT&T Call Center in Little Rock on Thursday. However, talking on the phone for a mandatory seven and a half hours a day isn’t exactly what I’m looking for in a job. ...

Hallelujah! And that’s not for this newest blog entry. Quick blog note: I abandoned Dribbling Ink last week because I’ve been searching desperately for a job. The honeymoon is officially over, I guess you could say. They’ve even started sending bills, ah! Also, my wife and I made a trip to Paragould this weekend and I didn’t take my laptop. Why? Because I got to watch the Razorbacks, live, moving pictures, streaming audio, Casey Dick interceptions…and now I almost understand people like “Chad” From Arkadelphia. Wait…no, I take that back. We’re still going to beat Texas; I’m just going to avoid a TV this time, because I don’t want to hear my wife’s “I Told You So” speech (Alabama predictions: 28-0, Kasa; 31-28, Jacob). (Arkansas-Alabama note: The game was so bad that, as an avid fan who hasn’t watched any sort of sports for over a month, listened to every radiocast, and defended the young Hogs to countless people [mainly my wife], I left after the first quarter to play football with my ...