Back on April 7 I told y'all I was debating applying to graduate school. By April 9 I decided there was no harm in applying especially since I didn't have to pay an application fee.
So as of today, Wednesday May 31, my graduate application is submitted and complete. Thus the waiting game begins. According to the email I received I should allow approximately four to eight weeks for the review. I will receive an offer of admission or a denial by mail. So I'm going to give it a month...by June 30...if I haven't heard anything I will be on the horn bugging the admissions office.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Pulling an Enron
Every day, regular people like you and me commit Enrons.
What exactly is committing or pulling an Enron? I define it as moving your debt around to make it look like you are not as broke or not in as much debt as you really are.
How do you pull an Enron? You transfer the balance from one credit card to another, always shifting the debt around to the credit card with the no interest or low interest rate. Eventually you have to pay some significant amount of money or transfer the debt again. But until that time you do your best just to keep the interest collecting on your debt as low as possible.
The responsible people that commit Enrons don't accumulate more debt by spending on the credit cards they just paid off with balance transferring. The bad Enron-doers will do the exact opposite and end up in even more debt and more interest to pay than what they started with.
I committed yet another Enron today. For months I have been moving my debt around but I'm being responsible and not spending on those now cleared credit cards and since I have less credit cards to make payments on, I make bigger payments to the few I have (sorry, I'm not at the point where I can pay my balances in full at the end of each billing cycle). But one of the credit cards I "paid off" made me a sweet offer. No interest for 12 months on a balance transfer. So what did I do? I transferred the balance from my Macy's store charge because the interest rate was 26%.
I'm saving on interest but I'm not really saving on the amount of credit card bills I have to pay each month. I essentially just swapped the debt. But if I'm consistent in my game plan to get out of debt the one I transferred the debt too will be paid off long before they can start charging me interest.
What exactly is committing or pulling an Enron? I define it as moving your debt around to make it look like you are not as broke or not in as much debt as you really are.
How do you pull an Enron? You transfer the balance from one credit card to another, always shifting the debt around to the credit card with the no interest or low interest rate. Eventually you have to pay some significant amount of money or transfer the debt again. But until that time you do your best just to keep the interest collecting on your debt as low as possible.
The responsible people that commit Enrons don't accumulate more debt by spending on the credit cards they just paid off with balance transferring. The bad Enron-doers will do the exact opposite and end up in even more debt and more interest to pay than what they started with.
I committed yet another Enron today. For months I have been moving my debt around but I'm being responsible and not spending on those now cleared credit cards and since I have less credit cards to make payments on, I make bigger payments to the few I have (sorry, I'm not at the point where I can pay my balances in full at the end of each billing cycle). But one of the credit cards I "paid off" made me a sweet offer. No interest for 12 months on a balance transfer. So what did I do? I transferred the balance from my Macy's store charge because the interest rate was 26%.
I'm saving on interest but I'm not really saving on the amount of credit card bills I have to pay each month. I essentially just swapped the debt. But if I'm consistent in my game plan to get out of debt the one I transferred the debt too will be paid off long before they can start charging me interest.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Back in the Hunt
When I decided to do an internship it was because I was bored as hell and was tired of working, coming home, watching DVD's, sleeping late, going to work and doing that day in and day out. So I got a 10 week internship and I thought I would use the extra money to pay off a credit card or something.
Then all hell broke loose. I had to evict my tenant so that left me with rent in NYC and a mortgage in ATL to cover. Now I'm in a position where I need another job.
Through the six degrees of seperation I was able to pick up an extra freelance assignment at another magazine but I probably won't see that money until after the issue comes out. I'm grinding six days at week at the full-time job, internship and now on this freelance assignment. But come June 16 the internship ends and June 19 the freelance assignment is over. So I'm back on the hunt for another internship, freelance position, part-time position or full-time day job. I have applied for damn near everything I think I qualify for. The list is quite interesting:
- Freelance Blogger
- Temporary Fact Checker
- Freelance Fact Checker
- Part-Time Photo Researcher
- File Clerk
- Summer Adminstrative Assistant
- Outreach Assistant
- Confirmation Clerk
- Public Relations Intern
- Library Information Assistant
- Web Producer
- Associate Web Producer
- Part-Time Associate Web Producer
- Editorial Assistant
- Full-Time Intern at a website
- Summer Intern at a website
Pretty much anything I think I could qualify for I IMMEDIATELY apply. I apply to at least one job a day including on the weekend. I spend my days on mediabistro.com and journalismjobs.com checking periodically for updates of new job postings. Something just has to come through because with all my overhead I am clearly a part of the working poor class.
Then all hell broke loose. I had to evict my tenant so that left me with rent in NYC and a mortgage in ATL to cover. Now I'm in a position where I need another job.
Through the six degrees of seperation I was able to pick up an extra freelance assignment at another magazine but I probably won't see that money until after the issue comes out. I'm grinding six days at week at the full-time job, internship and now on this freelance assignment. But come June 16 the internship ends and June 19 the freelance assignment is over. So I'm back on the hunt for another internship, freelance position, part-time position or full-time day job. I have applied for damn near everything I think I qualify for. The list is quite interesting:
- Freelance Blogger
- Temporary Fact Checker
- Freelance Fact Checker
- Part-Time Photo Researcher
- File Clerk
- Summer Adminstrative Assistant
- Outreach Assistant
- Confirmation Clerk
- Public Relations Intern
- Library Information Assistant
- Web Producer
- Associate Web Producer
- Part-Time Associate Web Producer
- Editorial Assistant
- Full-Time Intern at a website
- Summer Intern at a website
Pretty much anything I think I could qualify for I IMMEDIATELY apply. I apply to at least one job a day including on the weekend. I spend my days on mediabistro.com and journalismjobs.com checking periodically for updates of new job postings. Something just has to come through because with all my overhead I am clearly a part of the working poor class.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Black Tax
Last night I was watching the movie "Something New" starring Sanaa Latham. I was reminded of the "Black Tax," a term I have never used but I knew what it was.
As defined by the movie and the urban dictionary the black tax is "The notion that Black people have to work and perform regular tasks twice as well as White people." Up until today I had never personally experienced the Black Tax.
Then I get in to work and there is a certain person that has been uncooperative on a project. Two of my coworkers have tried to work with this person and have not gotten the desired results. So somehow working with this person was assigned to me. Of course no one is going to say it's because I'm young and black and this person is young and black but I'm no fool. I have been in the biz long enough to know the logic.
But little do they know that if this person has been uncooperative with them it won't be any different with me. I'm going to do my best but I know I might have to take an L on this. Unless this person understands the power of the Black Tax...that will be my only redeemer. Two other people weren't able to get the project accomplished but because I'm the last one assigned to this it will be remembered as I wasn't able to get it done. Dayum that Black Tax!!!
As defined by the movie and the urban dictionary the black tax is "The notion that Black people have to work and perform regular tasks twice as well as White people." Up until today I had never personally experienced the Black Tax.
Then I get in to work and there is a certain person that has been uncooperative on a project. Two of my coworkers have tried to work with this person and have not gotten the desired results. So somehow working with this person was assigned to me. Of course no one is going to say it's because I'm young and black and this person is young and black but I'm no fool. I have been in the biz long enough to know the logic.
But little do they know that if this person has been uncooperative with them it won't be any different with me. I'm going to do my best but I know I might have to take an L on this. Unless this person understands the power of the Black Tax...that will be my only redeemer. Two other people weren't able to get the project accomplished but because I'm the last one assigned to this it will be remembered as I wasn't able to get it done. Dayum that Black Tax!!!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
"I Will Cut You"
Jokingly I will say to people..."I'm from Jersey...I will cut you." But most of the time I don't really mean it. I'm not trying to go to jail for cutting people. But this Sunday I noticed that I do have a lot of knives. I have so many knives that I have a set of knives in NJ and a set of knives at my apt. You would think I was Chef Boyardee with all the knives that I have.
And I honestly have no idea how I have accumulated so many knives. Let me think about that...The set of knives that I have in NJ were the set my mom bought me when I was in college. When I moved to Philly after graduating from UNC some how my knives (along with a few other things) didn't make it with me. And then when I moved to Atlanta the knives still did not make it from NJ so my mom bought me another set when she came to visit me that Christmas.
But if I was actually to take all the knives that really do belong to me I would have a pretty impressive and possibly scary culinary collection. Edward Scissorhands ain't got shit on me. I just hope I never get in to a situation where I do have to use any of the knives I have on some crazy fool...and trust there are plenty of crazies in NYC.
And I honestly have no idea how I have accumulated so many knives. Let me think about that...The set of knives that I have in NJ were the set my mom bought me when I was in college. When I moved to Philly after graduating from UNC some how my knives (along with a few other things) didn't make it with me. And then when I moved to Atlanta the knives still did not make it from NJ so my mom bought me another set when she came to visit me that Christmas.
But if I was actually to take all the knives that really do belong to me I would have a pretty impressive and possibly scary culinary collection. Edward Scissorhands ain't got shit on me. I just hope I never get in to a situation where I do have to use any of the knives I have on some crazy fool...and trust there are plenty of crazies in NYC.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Facebook Frenzy
Boredom is a bitch because for as long as I could I avoided the Facebook and MySpace trends. My thought was I spend enough of my life online I do not need to participate in anything that will have me online even more. But than boredom kicked in.
Working in sports my job is sporadic. There is never a steady period of work to do. It's a lot of waiting around for stories to come in and then busting ass to get them published and online quickly. And this is the cycle for my entire shift. So there is quite a bit of down time between the bursts of copy.
When you work nights you can only check your email so many times before the only thing coming in is junk mail because all your friends are asleep or out. So during one of these down times I decided to sign up for a UNC alumni account and to sign up for Facebook. So now I'm hooked. I'm constantly checking facebook, looking at other peoples profiles and photos and sending friendship requests to the various people I find.
Facebook proves that the black community at UNC is very small but very tight. It's like 2 degrees of seperation. There are some people that I didn't know other people knew. I actually think Facebook would have been handy if it existed when I was in college. But it's here now and I'm using it as a way to see what's up with some people and reconnect with others.
Working in sports my job is sporadic. There is never a steady period of work to do. It's a lot of waiting around for stories to come in and then busting ass to get them published and online quickly. And this is the cycle for my entire shift. So there is quite a bit of down time between the bursts of copy.
When you work nights you can only check your email so many times before the only thing coming in is junk mail because all your friends are asleep or out. So during one of these down times I decided to sign up for a UNC alumni account and to sign up for Facebook. So now I'm hooked. I'm constantly checking facebook, looking at other peoples profiles and photos and sending friendship requests to the various people I find.
Facebook proves that the black community at UNC is very small but very tight. It's like 2 degrees of seperation. There are some people that I didn't know other people knew. I actually think Facebook would have been handy if it existed when I was in college. But it's here now and I'm using it as a way to see what's up with some people and reconnect with others.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
90 Day Experiment
When I set my mind to something....or my heart...I'm very committed and passionate. But some things I'm just not good at sticking with like exercise and regularly going to the gym. I tried a 90 day experiment and it just didn't work.
I bought a bottle of 90 prenatal pills (no I'm not pregnant). I wanted to take a multi-vitamin for 90 days and see what effects it would have. But the reason why I could not stick with this one was the shape, size, smell, and after taste of the pills. I don't know how pregnant women do it. I guess because the child growing inside of them serves as motivation. But the pill was a horse pill...it needed to be a gel capsule or something to make it easier to swallow...it smelled awful and no matter what I drank to take it, it would always leave a nasty after taste in my throat.
I stuck with it for one month and the only thing I noticed was that my urine came out a stronger color of yellow than normal...I know TMI...but that just goes to show that all the extra vitamins that pill gave me that my body did not need my body got rid of the excess.
Have you ever said you were going to do something for X number of days? What was it and were you able to stick with it?
I bought a bottle of 90 prenatal pills (no I'm not pregnant). I wanted to take a multi-vitamin for 90 days and see what effects it would have. But the reason why I could not stick with this one was the shape, size, smell, and after taste of the pills. I don't know how pregnant women do it. I guess because the child growing inside of them serves as motivation. But the pill was a horse pill...it needed to be a gel capsule or something to make it easier to swallow...it smelled awful and no matter what I drank to take it, it would always leave a nasty after taste in my throat.
I stuck with it for one month and the only thing I noticed was that my urine came out a stronger color of yellow than normal...I know TMI...but that just goes to show that all the extra vitamins that pill gave me that my body did not need my body got rid of the excess.
Have you ever said you were going to do something for X number of days? What was it and were you able to stick with it?
Thursday, May 11, 2006
NYC Bargains
For a city that is known for being expensive and overpriced you just gotta love a bargain when you catch one.
Some of the latest bargains I have found:
- Paid $10 to have my hair washed...I thought for sure it would at least cost me $25.
- Paid $2.50 for some fresh cut mango...every time I pass the mango man in Union Square on my way to my internship I stop and buy one.
- Paid $1.50 for a soft serve vanilla ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles from the Mister Softee truck...that's the same price I used to pay for Carvel soft serve vanilla ice cream cones with rainbow sprinkles back in the day.
- Girlfriends paid less than $40 for the various purses they bought on Canal Street...why pay full price for designer purses when you can get them for cheap.
- Got my nails done and even with a few broke nails it only cost me $30...2 weeks ago I paid someone $50 and they did a terrible job so for $20 less I got quality.
- I have a guy in Hawaii that sells me 10 Blockbuster movie coupons for $8 plus a stamp. The cost savings on this one is ridiculous because it's over $5 a movie to rent movies from Blockbuster.
So in a city where the rent on my apt is higher than the mortgage on my house in Atlanta I have to be thankful for the bargains that I found. If anyone else knows of any NYC bargains, pass them my way.
Some of the latest bargains I have found:
- Paid $10 to have my hair washed...I thought for sure it would at least cost me $25.
- Paid $2.50 for some fresh cut mango...every time I pass the mango man in Union Square on my way to my internship I stop and buy one.
- Paid $1.50 for a soft serve vanilla ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles from the Mister Softee truck...that's the same price I used to pay for Carvel soft serve vanilla ice cream cones with rainbow sprinkles back in the day.
- Girlfriends paid less than $40 for the various purses they bought on Canal Street...why pay full price for designer purses when you can get them for cheap.
- Got my nails done and even with a few broke nails it only cost me $30...2 weeks ago I paid someone $50 and they did a terrible job so for $20 less I got quality.
- I have a guy in Hawaii that sells me 10 Blockbuster movie coupons for $8 plus a stamp. The cost savings on this one is ridiculous because it's over $5 a movie to rent movies from Blockbuster.
So in a city where the rent on my apt is higher than the mortgage on my house in Atlanta I have to be thankful for the bargains that I found. If anyone else knows of any NYC bargains, pass them my way.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Lost in a drunken haze
It's hard to blog about a night you don't remember...but I'll try anyway.
Big birthday shout out to German Girl...but it's all your fault. LOL.
German Girl decided to do an impromptu birthday gathering. So I met her and some of her friends at this club called....called...dayum, I don't even remember the name of the club. But it's on 14th Street between 9th and 10th. (I had to IM German Girl for the name, she says Lotus in the meatpacking district.) I have to take her word for it cause I don't remember.
So anyway, I get there and there is a choice of vodka and cranberry or vodka and orange juice. Some one made me a vodka and craberry and that shit was weak. I said it needs more vodka. And that is where my night was off to a bad start.
Next drink, that I remember was a watermelon martini and it was fabulous. I have to have that one again. And I think the rest of the night was various combinations of vodka and cranberry but I can't be too sure about that.
From the third drink until we left I have no recollection of ANYTHING. Well I do remember German Girl pouring some more vodka in to my drink...lol. I could have danced on the bar for all I know and the only source I have to go by is the other drunk people I was with.
So I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have offended. I know I can't drown out my problems but I sure do try hard too. I NEEDED that night in more ways than I can ever describe in this blog. I really did have a blast and it felt so good to lose myself for awhile and not think about all the BS I'm dealing with right now. I'll save some of the BS for my next blog entry.
Again, shout out to German Girl...you know how to celebrate a birthday...and much love to Jersey Boy for making sure I got home safely. What would I do without you two?
The picture included in this post I think I took while I was still sober but I can't be sure.
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