Musings from the padded room

måndag 26 april 2010

Traffic... again

One would almost believe it's Friday today.

I've made the observation that people are more reckless and careless when driving during Fridays. Sure, they want to get home after work and enjoy the weekend. It's expected for Fridays. But what I don't understand is why people are idiots in the traffic on a Monday.

Today I was driving home from the stables. I kept the speed limit, drove legally and did everything one should. And then, all of a sudden, an idiot in a white minivan behind me flashes his lights, blinding me through the rear view mirror, before he passes me and races off as if he'd stolen the car. Angry and annoyed I flashed my lights right back at his rear window in a pathetic and yet oddly satisfying display of childish annoyance. I hope he at least felt the lights sting his eyes the way his lights stung mine.

People! Please drive safely, take care of each other in the traffic. You won't get home any quicker if your careless driving causes an accident. Pay attention to the people in the cars in front of, behind and around you. For the sake of us all!

fredag 23 april 2010

So happy and relieved!

I am so incredibly relieved right now.

I've been worrying myself sick over what to do about a job this summer. Since I'm graduating from my university at the beginning of the summer I've been chewing my nails wondering what to do now that I've become a "grown-up". The ideal scenario would be to find a nice job at some news desk so I could actually work with what I've spent these last few years learning to do.

Since January/February this year I've sent out applications for summer work to various news desks around the country. It didn't look very promising though. I got rejection after rejection with the explanation that they wanted someone with "experience" in the field. But, hell, how can anyone get experience if no one's willing to employ people who might not have worked x amount of years at a news desk previously?

It's like a bad circle: You need experience to get a job within media -> You can't get any experience until you get a job within media -> and so on ad infinitum.

But! Things suddenly seemed to brighten a bit when I called one of the news desks I'd sent an application to. The hope rose and today I got a call from them saying that I'd get a few weeks (3 weeks) at the local newspaper office I had applied to. I was so happy I was shaking! And as the cherry on top of it all there's even a chance to get more work from them after the summer! It would mean I have to move (back to my rather small hometown, even further north than where I am living now) but I don't mind. They're willing to give me a chance, I can work at a newspaper I actually quite respect and that I grew up reading. And I get to work in a place I know very well, where I still have friends and family staying. So, all in all, if they ask me to continue working there after summer it's Good-bye Umeå; Hello again Gällivare!

It feels as if a great weight has been lifted off my chest with this. Of course I'm a bit nervous, thinking "what if I'm not good enough?" but at the same time I feel like "I can do this! I live for this!". To get a call like the one today is the most amazing feeling, it makes me giddy. And since I'm up to my ears with research and planning for our exam project it makes me feel even better to know I won't have to worry as much about the summer. So all in all... I'm on top of the world and aiming even higher!