Matt’s Random Thoughts

Below is a Letter to the Editor that I cut out of my hometown newspaper, The Rappahannock Record. I’ve noticed the same ad in the paper as well. I think I applied to the same office, but it was under a college intern type of thing.

Sharon Hunter of Heathsville, I KNOW your pain. These asses need to get their acts together and learn some professional courtesy. Newport News and Hampton Roads is horrible in regards to this! But at least I know I’m not the only one who has been the victim of this.

I’m attempting to change the look of my blog through the use of a template. I’m having issues right now, but hopefully it will be fixed soon. The new template looks so much better than this crappy green one. For templates check out http://hardgrok.org/templates.php I think these may be just for Bblog users though. Of course, that just means you’ll have to use Bblog!

Haven’t posted anything in a while, and I really can’t say why. There’s been plenty going on. Sunday was my birthday, and for the first time in 4 years, I missed CNU’s annual turkey dinner… and to think I was the one who started it! Tara was sick with the stomach flu apparently so I had to stay home with her. Then she ended up staying home from work the next day.

Tuesday consisted of me driving down to ODU to meet with the graduate director of my history program for about 15 minutes. It was pretty much a waste of time, as I could have figured out how to register for classes myself. The bad news is that I found out that they don’t give out assistantships until the fall. Now the reality has set in as to how I’m going to pay for tuition for the semester and summer. I applied for a student loan, and even with 2 co-signers I wasn’t given it. So now I’m waiting for the person to call me to explain why. It’s not like I have bad credit or anything. I pay my bills! Yet another challenge, I suppose.

Still no word on employment. What a surprise there. I’m starting to think Hampton Roads isn’t the best place for college grads to find work. The employment pool seems to be people with either GED or just High School diplomas, so most employers are only willing to pay slightly over minimum wage. They figure degreed people will want more pay, so they don’t hire them. I SERIOUSLY think this is the situation.

Right now I’m at home in Lancaster. The dial-up internet connection blows. I miss my cable connection! Oh well, a few more days here, and I’ll be back in the city! HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

I’m officially old today. Wow… 23. It’s not like 16 when you get your driver’s license. It’s not like 18 when you can vote, or 21 when you can drink. Nope, the only thing that happens at 23 is that you get dropped from your parent’s insurance. Yippee…

Happy Birthday to Me, and Eva, and Christa, and whoever else!

Lately I’ve noticed a lot of things have been getting on my nerves. Most of these are stereotypical pet peeves, like people who obsessively talk on their cell phones when they’re driving. I decided to come to terms with many of these things, and post some of them here. Feel free to add your own.

1) I hate “net speak” on Instant Messenger. Don’t pull that “how r u” crap on me. Take an extra quarter-second and type “How are you?” Abbreviations, however, are fine. BRB, BBIAB, LOL, etc.

2) Incompetant people piss me off. Take a cashier at McDonald’s, for instance. If you can’t count, don’t work as a cashier. (And get my bloody order right next time!)

3) Girls and Guys who are overweight do not need to let their bellies hang out over their pants so it falls out from under their shirts. Am I showing you my belly skin? Nope! So don’t show me yours!

4) I have a cell phone, but I don’t love it so much I’d have sex with it. I think there are some people out there who would. You know, these are the folks who are one it all day. They talk while they drive. They talk while they’re talking to you. They talk when they’re in a line to get something. HANG UP ALREADY!

5) Haynes commercials. Anyone who lives in Hampton Roads or other parts of Virginia know what I’m talking about. You can’t have the BIGGEST SALE EVER every friggin’ weekend. I wouldn’t be upset if Haynes went out of business or burned down or got swallowed in a big black hole.

Okay… that’s enough for now. Seems like I turned this into a bitching post. Oh well, feel free to bitch about something that pisses you off!

So I’ve been playing old games lately, and I started to notice that Mario looked familiar. I swear I had seen that getup before. Then it hit me! Mario looks like Kiki the Kiwanis mascot!

I think someone at the Kiwanis International Office is a Mario fan… Now if Kiki gets a twin who wears green, then I think we’ll have to be suspicious.

I’m addicted. I think that pretty much sums it up. This is an awesome show, and I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on. What do you people think?

“I’m pleased to inform you that you have been admitted into our Master of Arts Program in the History Department in regular admission status for Spring 2005.”

I got in, I got in, I got in… William and Mary can suck it!

Of course, in the pamphlet they included, it appears the course requirements have changed. Rather than taking courses by subject (ie: social & economic, political, etc) you must take classes by geographical area (US, Europe, etc.) Hmmm… That’s not a problem, but I would’ve preferred the other way. Oh well, I got in, and THAT is what matters!

So now FOUR of Bush’s cabinet members have resigned? That just seems a little crazy to me. But what do I know? I think he should appoint ME as the Secretary of Education!

As I began to spend my evening moping in the fact that I am still without a job, I decided to check my graduate school application status using ODU’s online facilities. I totally was not expecting THIS!

Looks like I’ll have something to do this spring after all! YAY FOR ME!!!!

Oh, and William and Mary, both your undergrad AND grad schools can kiss my ass!

Now I’m back to doing the happy dance! Of course, I have to wonder about how to pay for this. I may get an assistantship… if not, there’s always student loans! Let’s hear it for more debt! Oh well, with a Master’s degree I could do much more, and easily kick my debt’s ass. Yay for the future!