And so, the next chapter of my life begins! (Or, I've decided to stop being lazy and start writing about it now.)

52 days, 1 hour, 30 minutes.

That is how long I've been a college graduate. That is also how long I have been unemployed. But as of 1:30PM tomorrow, the latter will no longer be a problem. After weeks of filling out applications, writing cover letters and handing out resumes I have finally found a place in the corporate machine to fit my cog into. Though it isn't exactly what I pictured, the retail position I start tomorrow will provide the most basic necessity of a newly-minted adult: financial security. And I've been hurting for money bad.

52 days of unemployment has brought out a whole range of emotions and experiences for me. The first couple of weeks were bliss. After four years of exams, classes, studying, and work I was more than happy to kick back and do what I wanted... for a while. Then reality set in, at about the same time the final paycheck from my work-study job came in. No more money = many, many more problems. Terrell and I are sharing an apartment now, so my expenses are less than they used to be, but I still have expenses.

As June blazed into existence, I became antsy. More applications were filled out, more cover letters written, more resumes printed and handed out. I called places back only to be told they weren't hiring or would "contact me later". In case anyone reading this doesn't know, the economy kind of SUCKS right now -- something I wasn't prepared for after graduation when I started college four years ago. Graduating was great, a real accomplishment. But the nothingness that I faced along with many of my friends is anything but comforting.

The desperation set in a couple of weeks ago when I finally sat down to complete my student loan exit interview online. They forced me to not only calculate exactly how much debt I have ($50,575.00) but what the estimated monthly payments are. PANIC TIME. Suddenly my education is looking like a waste of time. Suddenly I feel like a waste of space and time and money. How will I ever pay those loans back? How will I make the monthly payments when my income is -$400 a month? Most importantly, how will I ever be able to afford the boxed set edition of Sex and the City?!

But around the middle of June, I finally got two interviews at two vastly different retail stores: Apple and [store name redacted] a jewelry boutique. I interviewed with a store manager at the jewelry boutique on June 22nd, which went extremely well. And then the district manager from the jewelry boutique called me last week on Tuesday, and after a twenty-minute interview she promised I would receive a phone call in the coming days for the final decision. The Apple interview was in a group setting, and I was the only vagina present for that one. Awkwarddddd.

Just as July was setting in with a heavy dose of panic and dreams of faking my own death and escaping to the Bahamas to live on an island and carve celebrity's faces into coconuts for a living, news of two vastly different kinds came.

Monday, I got the dreaded "Thank you for your time but we've decided to pursue other candidates" email from Apple.

Cue a sense of utter defeat. [side note: initially I thought "cue utter defeation" would be good here, but that isn't a word -- however, firefox wanted to insert 'defecation' in its place, which would have made the statement simultaneously hilarious and awful.]

But! Today, as I was preparing to call the jewelry boutique back to figure out what was going on my phone rang. And the heavens opened up and the angels rejoiced and It Was Good. I am no longer unemployed. I have meaning, purpose, and a paycheck! And I get to look good and buy cute jewelry at 50% off while I'm at it.

I had intended to start this blog back up weeks ago and chronicle my job-hunting experience but alas, I was lazy and wasted that opportunity. However, I've been itching to have something to do besides play The Sims and study for the GRE's math portion so the full intent is for this blog to become a habit. I've never been good at keeping to my blogs, so hopefully this one sticks.

Tomorrow, I have to go with Terrell at noon to take my younger brother Dylan to the train station so he can travel back to my mom in Buffalo. And afterward, I will head to the jewelry boutique to begin my retail experience.

Wish me luck!

*edit* So, I learned in my training that I'm not supposed to talk about my store by name online. Because this is my blog and I want to be able to be honest on it, I've removed any references to the place by name and will henceforth refer to it as simply "the jewelry boutique".