There's Hope[lessness] on the Horizon...

The chances for legitimate job prospects are waning in this career quest.


I feel I have tried every viable tactic to make the most out of my resume as humanly possible. These tactics range from tweaking the wording to make it sound more appealing on a professional level, to adjusting the font size and style to make it more aesthetically pleasing, to using various different formats supplied by some of my friends who are lucky enough to have full-time employment.

More than eleven months have come and gone since I graduated from Quinnipiac last May, and if you were to ask me then where I would be now in April 2009, I would have, without a shadow of a doubt told you that I'd have a job by now, somewhere, somehow. At that point, I predicted approximately six months of post-college unemployment. Sadly, it wasn't the case, and the fact remains the same.

The undergraduate commencement ceremony at my alma mater will be held on Sunday, May 17th this year. A new class of seniors will have graduated, basked in the sunshine spotlight or prestige and accomplishment as a new hope dawns upon a fresh generation of aspiring job-seekers, brimming with confidence and ready for companies to snatch them up like hotcakes.

What does this mean for the still unemployed members of the previous class?

This means that we are now longer in vogue on the job market. We are as useful as the permanently wounded/disabled Civil War veterans returning home after Robert E. Lee signed the document of concession at Appomattox. We are as washed up as Kenny Powers from HBO's Eastbound & Down.


This is because the Career Catch-22 once again rears its ugly head. How can you gain the experience without being able to get the job, and how can you get the job without the experience? It's a double-edged sword.

What makes matters worse is the fact that companies are going to hire the young blood of this class because, despite the thousands of jobs I estimate that I applied to over the course of this past year (and that's a fairly accurate estimation). Companies are going to look at people like me and see somebody whose lazy and unmotivated, a complacent slacker who had a year to get his act together, but just coasted. However far from the truth that is, the jobs will go to this younger group of applicants.

So what's next? I honestly don't know. I've thought about grad school, I've thought about the military. The military has officer-training programs for college grads that offer graduate school programs, so that is definitely a possibility. I will talk to my uncle Don, the recently-retired Lt. Colonel from the USMC during our road trip to his house in Pensacola, Florida (we're actually going this time!). I will also take this opportunity to get away from all these useless job search engines and to clear my head in hopes to return fresh and rejuvenated. In the words of Kenny Powers, "Northeast, You're Fuckin' Out!!!"

The New York Mets' Identity Crisis

Hey Mets, 1955 called, it said you're NOT the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Ahhh yes, 1955, the destination year to which Marty McFly traveled back in time in Doc Brown's Delorean time machine. In baseball, New York simply was the town. The Yankees, led by Manager Casey Stengel, won four straight World Championships to start off the decade (five dating back to '49). The New York Giants won it all in '54, and the Dodgers in '55. 1956 belonged to Mickey Mantle and the Yankees again (Mantle won the league's Triple Crown Award, and Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history en route to revenge on the Dodgers in seven games the year after Dem Bums' only date with destiny). The Yanks would also win it all in 1958.

Also in 1958, sadness ravaged the baseball community in New York when the hearts of millions of Dodgers and Giants fans crumbled like the concrete of Ebbet's Field and the Polo Grounds when it met the wrecking ball. Gone would be the nightly street arguments of who was the best center fielder: Mickey, Willie (Mays), or The Duke (Snyder). The Dodgers and Giants both packed up and headed west for Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively.


The National League fans of New York, however, got a bittersweet consolation prize in 1962 when the expansion Mets became a team (and subsequently lost 120 games that season), but many still had feelings of outrage over the departure of Dodgers and Giants four years prior. The Miracle Mets would bounce back by the end of the decade, winning the World Series in 1969, and again in 1986.

Flash forward to 2009. The Mets left Shea Stadium about 45 years after it opened to head to their brand new Citi Field digs nearby. It features relics to the Brooklyn Dodgers, including the Jackie Robinson rotunda, and an exterior modeled after that of the old Ebbet's Field, and a large #42 for Robinson in the stadium as well. Jackie was an all-time great, a hall-of-famer, a pioneer, and he became integral part of the Civil Rights Movement when he broke the color-barrier in 1947 with the Dodgers. A great American in all respects.


Citi Field created an instant memory in its first homestand when new-Met Gary Sheffield hit his 500th home run- a typical Sheffieldian bullet shot hit close to the left field foul pole. New ballpark, state-of-the-art amenities, new memories already, can't go wrong, right??? So far from the truth. There are obstructed seats that the fans complain about, and faulty plumbing that the players complain about.

Aside from that, a new controversy has arisen, concerning Sheffield's uncle, one-time Met great Dwight Gooden. According to Yahoo.com, Gooden was on hand for the Opening Day festivities when a worker asked him to sign a wall outside of a bar (called Ebbet's Club) in the stadium. Happy to be back, Gooden obliged and signed it: "Dwight Gooden 84 R.O.Y. 85 Cy Young, 86 W.S. Champs" in reference to his 1984 Rookie of the Year Award, his '85 Cy Young Award, and the '86 World Series victory over the Red Sox.


Mets' brass reacted to this with outrage. This is what Jay Horowitz, Mets' VP of Media Relations told the New York Post:

"It's a brand-new building, no one is supposed to write on the wall. It's going to be erased."

Doc Gooden had his fair share of problems in the past. He was too busy sucking up lines of cocaine like a Hoover vacuum to attend the '86 championship parade in New York's "Canyon of Heroes." This hero would go on to fall deep into the grandest of canyons of addiction and run-ins with the law. This incensed Mets fans. A decade later they were further incensed when he returned to the Big Apple after a couple seasons in Cleveland to throw a no-hitter for the cross-town Bronx Bombers in 1996, contributing to the Yankees' return to the promised land that year to start their eventual dynasty.


This made Doc reluctant to return to Shea during its final game last September. He worked up the courage to come back to the inaugural game this year to a good reception from the fans (even Bill Buckner got a nice reception from the Fenway faithful last year for their home opener, after two World Championships, though); who says you can't go home again?

WFAN's Mike Francesa said it right when he suggested that the Mets should protect it by screwing a piece of plexiglass in front of it. Another complaint about the new ballpark is the fact that there are a shortage of Mets' memories throughout.

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee, Mets. Your franchise is NOT the Brooklyn Dodgers, and your new stadium is NOT Ebbet's Field. It's time to embrace your own history, from Casey Stengel to Tom Seaver, to Darryl Strawberry and Gary Carter to Mike Piazza, and onto David Wright. Be proud of your history, don't try to be another team. The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to feel like they are playing a home game when they come to NY, and Joe Torre grew up in Brooklyn in that era. Jackie Robinson deserves every ounce of respect he earned, but he did NOT play for the Mets- EVER!!! And he probably wouldn't even have agreed to play for the Mets anyway because he got traded to the Giants after his last season with Brooklyn and retired without playing a single game for them. And the Mets play in Queens, NOT Brooklyn. The blind front office of the Mets should take one long look in the mirror and realize who they really are.

Reflections of the First Series at the new Yankee Stadium...

This park is a launching pad. Wang better shape up or ship out. Empty seats????


The new "Yankee Stadium" (and I'm mixed about it having that name) opened up this past weekend with a four-game series with the Cleveland Indians, which they split two games a piece. This new $1.5 billion state-of-the-art baseball haven combines relics to the old Yankee Stadium before it was renovated in the mid-70s with brand new amenities. Such throwbacks include the exterior of the stadium replicating the old ballpark, and the frieze facade that encircles the park from just beyond the foulpoles to behind home plate. It also has about a half a million square feet, a booming sound system, and highest resolution scoreboard monitor in the world.

It also shows the ugly side of baseball, the side disguised in wealth and royalty. All that glitters is not gold because the camera panned in on many empty seats-even unoccupied box seats near the infield and home plate. The Steinbrenners hiked up the prices of the new comfortable-looking seats (and you were able to see a ton of them due to the lack of a sellout crowd) in the stadium excessively to the point where former season's ticket holders simply could not afford to keep their seats. George Steinbrenner always knew how to draw a crowd, except in the late 80s and early 90s when the team sucked and was the doormat in the A.L. East. Perhaps his sons Hank and Hal, and also team president Randy Levine should take a supply-and-demand lesson from the old man.


According to Wikipedia (I am a Rhodes Scholar when it comes to Wikipedia), the new stadium has a seating capacity of 52,325 including standing room (down from 56,866 in the post-renovation era version of The House That Ruth Built). The Yanks' attendances, respectively, during the opening series is as follows: 48,271 (not even within 4,000 on the inaugural game), 45,101 for the first Yankee win there, 45,167 during Wang's implosion, and 43,068 during the Sunday afternoon series finale matinee game. They failed to break the standard 50,000 mark they would break all the time at the old building (and to think they'd break 70,000 on occasion before they renovated that one). During the championship years, they'd average 56-57 thousand spectators on their feet as fans in attendance would feel the stadium shake.

Aside from that, Chien-Ming Wang's performances thus far have been awful. During his first three starts, he is 0-3, with an ERA of 34.50. He has given up 23 hits, surrendered 23 earned runs, and has struck out a meager two batters while walking six. He has also failed to go beyond the fourth inning this season and hasn't even made it passed the second in his last two starts. This is a guy who was their ace pitcher the last few years, leading the American League in total wins in 2006-07 with 38 total victories (19 each season). He has demonstrated an inability to get hitters out, as evidenced by the 14-run frame the Indians put up in their half on the second inning on Saturday's game. This is an issue they need to address soon, as his next scheduled start is this Friday at Fenway. Ron Guidry retired before his time... can he come back???

The new stadium is also a launching pad for home runs. The Yankees and Indians combined for an astonishing 20 home runs, setting the record for the opening series of a new ballpark (and A-Rod isn't even back yet!). Baseballs are scientifically proven to fly further and carry longer during the hot days of summer, but this is April. There are many theories that people have been talking about concerning the jacked up home run totals of this weekend and the two exhibition games against the Cubs. The most notable theory is the wind tunnels created by the opening of the upper deck to allow for winds off the Harlem River to affect ball trajectory. It might not be the case when the old stadium is torn down, but it's certainly exciting to watch because it lets the Yankees live up to their Bronx Bombers nickname even moreso. Much to pitchers' dismay, this stadium is getting the same offensive reaction as Coors' Field (the rare mile-high air) and the Ballpark in Arlington (hot and steamy 100+ degree Texas days on a regular basis).

The job search has become my full-time job, unpaid of course

Every day symbolizes new beginnings. The sun comes up and says good morning, we say "Goodnight Moon" to the lunar body in outer space, and the world rotates on its axis like a goddam tilt-a-whirl, spinning around like the scratched CD that my job search has become.

Over the course of the year, I've easily applied to well over 1,000 jobs and have gotten 4 interviews (1 from the illegitimate ASL Marketing Group door-to-door scam). I currently work at my dad's retail flag store in Clinton, N.J., called Flying High, Inc. This store sells flags (obviously), kites, globes, telescopes, authentic model ships, mailboxes, ties, nautical art, etc. It's kind of like a glorified internship, and when I get paychecks, it feels more like I'm getting professional allowance from my parents, complete with tax rape from the government.

With my dad's time occupied mostly with Flying High Transit (the limo division of the company), I'm usually the one in charge of managing the retail aspect (with one other employee). Being an integral part of a small business for years, since I was a teenager in my case, is a great teacher in career preparation. It's the perfect jump-off to a professional job, one would think. It encompasses sales, marketing, advertising, public relations, accounting (through QuickBooks software), market research, and a strong emphasis on customer service, which is the gasoline in any business engine. Customer service plays a key role in marketing, especially in a small business when you just need your name to be out there.

When I'm not doing that, I am applying to jobs, lots of them. These past six or seven months (when I really put the job search in full-gear) have been absolute hell. It's impossible to save up any substantial amount of money because working for my dad is only on occasion and doesn't pay that well (there is only so much you can do with a nautical shop in inland Clinton). I just wish there was some way I could convey the description of this part-time job role and how critical it is to place the utmost importance on succeeding and being ethical to keep a small business above water.

The days that I don't work are filled with the arduous, anxiety-fueled obligation to put forth 100% effort to end this unemployed status quo once and for all. There are only so many ways I can "sell myself" to the machines with pulses that evaluate resumes, the people who assume the role of God (or the Terminator) on Judgement Day. I am currently on the sixth or seventh different/updated version of my resume (who's counting?)


Another point is the fact that the job market is far from good and the economy is right there with it. However, despite this fact, the majority of my friends from college have full-time jobs at this point, which is light years beyond the point of my comprehension of reasoning. What don't I have to make a good employee? Has this society become so bullshit-obsessed that liars get the best jobs? I'm starting to believe that it's the case. I ask my friends "how did you land your job in this economy?" Their answers are always the same... "I got lucky." (Although I'm fully appreciative of the tips and advice they offer). Luck has never been a friend of mine, so that is something I neither can utilize nor count on.

People have asked for my resume (middle-aged successful adults). This used to generate so much promise, optimism and enthusiasm. This too is just another repetitive theme in this first year out of college for me. I send the resume in a timely fashion, usually with a cover letter or a nice note thanking them. I also offer to submit supplemental information including a list of references and samples of my work as needed. But, like a phantom, these people almost always disappear, even after I send follow-up e-mails. I could have forgone these last four years of college and saved a TON of money. Hell, I could've even dropped out of high school and probably would have been much further than I am now. Opportunity never knocks, it just tantalizes.


I'm done with being broke, thanks for being there while I vent. Now I have a different form of "venting" I need to do thinking about this damn job hunt.

Opening Day

There is an old axiom that says "Life begins on Opening Day." It is a feeling of restored rejuvenation that brings on a season of possibilities to any team.

The Yankees played their first game of the regular season two days ago against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. However, they're going to have their second attempt at an "Opening Day" since the majority of the players were clearly either drunk or recovering from the night before, which, unless you're Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle, you can't pull it off and expect to win ballgames.

The Bronx Bombers signed three big-name players during the offseason. High-profile pitchers C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, and premier first baseman Mark Teixeira. Of the two that played in the season's first game, (Sabathia and Teixeira) none of whom proved to be a factor.

Derek Jeter on the other hand, shined brightly, going 3-for-5 with three singles. Other performances of note included a home run apiece for Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui, and a pinch-hit double from new acquisition Nick Swisher, whose antics were charged up with excitement, a good sight to see because that lights a fire under the ass of any complacent ball club late in the game.

This is the second part of this Yankee blog. The Yankees lost again to Baltimore last night by a score of 7-5. Apparently they don't really know that the games now count. The captain, however, has pulled his weight by contributing his first home run of the young regular season.

A.J. Burnett makes his Yankee debut this afternoon (4/9) and hopefully stops the bleeding and turns this ship around en route to a successful World Championship-bound year.

Fast Food Sales Tactics

Do fast food workers get commission now???

The last few times I indulged in greasy burgers and fries, the drive-thru speakers have tried to up-sell me. I was at the new Branchburg, N.J. Wendy's last Friday to get a large #2 with fries and a Coke, and the lady tried to double my Classic Double order. I felt like I was in a Doublemint Gum commercial.

If that's not bad enough, I was at the Clinton McDonald's earlier today to order my usual large Big Mac meal with a Coke, and the guy on the drive-thru mic tried to sell me a cappuccino. When I told him "no thanks" he asked if I wanted anything else. NO!! I just want to pay you, get my food, and get the hell out; and if I wanted a cappuccino, I'd go across the street to Dunkin Donuts or take a drive downtown to a local coffee shop.

I know the recent surge in population of the obese community has proved profitable to this industry, but give me a break! I go to fast food places to eat what I want, when I want, and how I want it... NOT to go shopping with similar-minded salesmen as door-to-door Willy Lomans or shady people that work at used-car lots.

On a side note, our flag store sold a custom flag to the Burger King in Raritan, so I dropped it off one Sunday morning after a limo-run to Newark Airport. The manager was pretty grateful, and hooked me up with a free breakfast of whatever I wanted, so kudos to him and that fine ethically-sound establishment.