The Post Graduate Flail

Jun 12 2013

privacy

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the issue of privacy.

Namely, the whole NSA thing has many people anxious about their privacy, both online, and on the phone. Many people have been vocal about their expectation that what they communicate online and via phone remains private, and that the government should not have access to their private conversations.

I’m respectfully disagree with that notion.

a) If you have facebook, instagram, gmail, twitter, etc., you cannot reasonably expect any of the information you put on there to remain “private” (outside of the realm of what the government can access). Not only is it reasonable for the government to scan through this information, this information is mined by each company for the sake of advertising. [Companies like Epsilon collect data online from various sources, and sell the data for the sake of advertising or research.] Does it really make you feel violated to have the government scan through this information, when private companies have been doing this for years, with the sole purpose of advertising more specifically?

b) Since 20o1, we have had the attitude of “whatever it takes” towards thwarting terrorist attacks. In April, when news agencies reported that the FBI had been tracking at least one of the bombers, there was general confusion about why the FBI didn’t act on the information they had. There were no questions as to how that information was obtained: there was an implicit understanding that the government could gather information on suspected terrorists in any way possible. Why was it okay when we thought that the government was gathering data on foreign nationals, but when we found out it was more widespread, we became outraged? Being American or non-American is no better indicator of one’s criminal proclivities than race or gender.

c) What is in your internet/phone records that could be of interest to the federal government? Keeping in mind that there are 316 million people in the US, and at least 90% of Americans have access to the internet, there’s a massive glut of information to sift through to find suspected terrorists. Even if the NSA wanted to read each and every one of your e-mails, it would be physically impossible to go through everything. Instead, (I assume) they scan data for certain key words and phrases. Therefore, even though the government theoretically has access to everything you and I put online, for public consumption or otherwise, they are not actually reading your stuff. [Unless you write e-mails like a terrorist.]

Let’s hear your thoughts. Keep in mind: I understand that the idea of someone having access to everything you do online may be disconcerting, but I think that the general reaction to the NSA “scandal” has been overblown. Realistically, there’s no reason to believe that everything you do is of interest to the federal government– your 30th e-mail from Target about the latest sale is really just that.

May 21 2013

1 Comment

budgeting, goals, looking back, money

who balances the checkbook?

Recently, my sister-in-law asked me who balances the checkbook in our house. The question caught me off guard… not because I don’t know, but because there’s not a designated balancer. J and I both check into our finances at least every other day. [And then we tell each other about it, as if the other is completely unaware of the state of things. Not sure why. ]

I’ve always been vigilant about my money. When I started college, I had enough money to pay tuition for a semester, and stupidly, I spent all the money on tuition. [Ideally, I would have kept the money in an emergency fund, and avoided many tight squeezes during undergrad.] Until I graduated, I had to make do with loans (which usually only covered tuition) and whatever pitiful income I had from part-time jobs. At some point during my freshman year, I worked almost 40 hours a week to try and pay for my stay in the dorms. I didn’t have much discretionary income, and I had to monitor all my expenses carefully. I checked my bank balances daily. I remember having $0.19 in my checking account one day, and knowing that I had at least another week before I would get paid again.

Over the years, I gradually scaled back on school (dropping down to 9-12 credits a semester) so that I could work more and pay for more of my tuition and living expenses, rather than stacking more student loans on my growing mound. Ultimately, Jason and I paid for my final year of school out of pocket… on top of paying for our wedding. This was done through careful planning and budgeting, and weekly (if not daily) checks into our finances. We cut back on eating out and boozing it up, and tried to spend less than we were bringing in. Eventually, this allowed us to build up our savings for a move to Texas, and helped with our transition between states, apartments, and jobs.

Nowadays, we still (both) track everything carefully. We know exactly what we’re spending each month, and even when we have unexpected expenses (travel due to family issues, repairs for a dent in a rental car, etc.), we’re never caught off-guard. And though it takes time to keep track of everything, it’s comforting to know that we’re both invested (pun intended, ha!) in our current and future finances.

So. Who balances the checkbook in your household?

Apr 23 2013

hungry

I’ve been hungry. The ravenous, growling kind that makes you snap at even the nicest of husbands. The kind that sends you to the fridge in a frenzy, looking for something quick and filling and ready and FOOD.

I’ve also been sicker than I’ve ever been (sober). I’ve felt nauseous for at least five out of every seven days for the last six, seven weeks.

The combination of the two have been a rough. One minute I’m finally feeling like I’m no longer monstrously hungry, and the next I’m throwing up a berry smoothie and chicken portabella ravioli, all mixed together. And some comes up through my nose, and I cry.

I cry because I know I’ll be hungry again in an hour, and because it’s disgusting, and because it’s all in the sink. Until now, I’ve only thrown up water and string cheese, and once, a banana that tasted surprisingly good coming back up. This is the last straw, and I’m crying.

It doesn’t last, luckily. The crying, or the throwing up. Eventually, someone else, someone new, will be doing (most of) the crying and throwing up.

This is the first time in my life in which I’m equally scared and excited. In most of my other adventures, I was naïve enough to imagine that things would work out. Now, I know of all the things that could go wrong, and all the things that could go right, and none of the ways in which to ensure that we’ll all make it out alive, and relatively unscathed.

But I’m excited. I’m so very exited to see how this turns out.

Apr 05 2013

slacker

I know, I know… I’ve been slacking.

But March was crazy at work, busy at home, and in general, we’ve had a lot going on.

Promise I’ll be back in a week or so.

(Unless I have no internet.) (Because we’re in the middle of a move.) (Didn’t I mention it? Oh, wait…)

Here’s to April bringing less craziness and more sleep.

[Seriously. I've been daydreaming about napping.]

Mar 02 2013

2 Comments

goals, job applications, looking back, money, post-grad, the post graduate flail, where i'm headed

back to school…?

Every couple of months, I take a look at my student loans, the payments I have to make, and emphatically declare that I’m NEVER going back to school.

A week later, I usually find myself poking around at different graduate schools, and wondering if I could make it as a grad student.

What it usually comes down to is money…

Money is the reason I don’t want to go back to school, and the reason I can’t truly dismiss it. I don’t want to go back because my undergraduate degree cost so much, and because I have to pay a lot of money each month to various lending institutions because I didn’t make better financial and life decisions when I was last in school. If I think of all the classes I paid for and either didn’t show up for, or just coasted through, I become either depressed or angry, neither of which contributes to my general sense of happiness.

On the other hand, my daily work involves me looking at what other people are being paid, and the overall trend indicates that English was a poor choice for a major (duh), and that computer science or electrical engineering are much more lucrative. I don’t think money is everything– it’s not– but there’s no denial that how much you make does contribute to one’s sense of how much you’re worth. Hold your fire– I’m not saying that it’s the only, or even most important, measure of a person. But I personally think that I’d feel better about my life (and past choices) if I were making more money. Most of us want to feel validated, and that can happen via financial compensation or joy derived from one’s job. Generally, if you’re not getting either, you won’t be happy in your job. This is why people who work in non-profit companies are generally less concerned with their salaries– they are getting something else from their jobs. [Again, I'm speaking from general experience and observation.]

What this brings me to is the monthly dance– should I go back to school and get a different (more lucrative, more specifically useful) degree? Or should I employ some of that creativity I say I yearn for, and find a way to put what I have to good use?

The Post Graduate Flail

privacy

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who balances the checkbook?

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hungry

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slacker

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back to school…?

What this brings me to is the monthly dance– should I go back to school and get a different (more lucrative, more specifically useful) degree? Or should I employ some of that creativity I say I yearn for, and find a way to put what I have to good use?

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