I am Jack OAT,MON

Can't Sleep!

2010-08-23T00:29:00.004-04:00

I should have been asleep an hour and a half ago, but alas, the late-night soda did me no good, just like I figured it would. Now I will suffer tomorrow for that split-second decision. I hate that so much.

I really need to figure out a new album or discover a new band that I really like. I haven't heard some new tunes that just pump me up. Don't get me wrong, I have more than enough music to entertain me, but sometimes the all-too-often shuffle just doesn't cut it. Any suggestions?

I decided to bite the bullet and watch Dexter. It's streaming on Netflix, so why the hell not? This is the second Showtime show that I have delved into. The first being a little show called "Dead Like Me." That shows exploration of death, human interaction and relationships, and purpose made it such a good show, even if you didn't always realize just how good an episode was until 3 hours after it had ended.

That's the same way I feel about Dexter. The deep exploration of his psyche is so interesting, that I can't even begin to wonder what it would be like if we could do the same thing with people we know in real life. Dexter really has a lot to offer with its psychological discoveries and interaction of dynamic characters. Seriously, I have never seen so many characters undergo so many changes as with this show.

Maybe Showtime either has similar writers, or they enjoy using the same techniques in a lot of their shows. I'm not sure; I don't know the writers. But one thing is for sure: I may just have to give more Showtime shows a chance!

New title!

2010-08-23T00:25:00.003-04:00

I decided to change the title of my blog because it's a more creative way to describe the purpose of this blog than previous titles. Because I want this specific blog to be about anything and everything in my life, I created this new title: "Life as a JACK,MON".

It means: Life as a Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None.

I'm pretty good at a lot of things (wait for it, I'm really not an arrogant person), but I'm not really talented at one specific thing. So it's sort of a creative spin on my talents, my personality, and the purpose I want this blog to have: to cover all types of posts in my life.

One day, I may write other blogs that are really specific, but for now, this is what I want.

Glee Audition: Check

2010-04-18T19:56:00.002-04:00

I FINALLY finished my audition for Glee. I'm glad I took the time to get it the way I wanted. Check it out!

http://www.myspace.com/gleeauditions?link=529086648

I think being on this show would be sweet. If you have MySpace, give me a gold star please!

Kera's Last Day

2010-03-20T18:14:00.004-04:00

Today, I had to put my cat Kera down. She has been showing her age so much over the last year. She would meow out loudly at random times, she couldn't walk that well, she was starting to go blind, and she didn't really go in the litterbox. We found out 6 months ago that she had Diabetes, too. My family and I have dealt with it, and we just couldn't watch her like that anymore. She seemed miserable.

She was 17, almost 18. I had her my whole life, and she has always been such a great cat. As a kid, she would come in and sleep with me at night. She liked to come lay down on my chest, and I could just lay there and pet her for a long time. I knew that this day would come soon. I've been ready for it for a few months now. I started to resent her a little bit for her behaviors, but then I stopped because I knew that she wasn't doing anything bad on purpose. I just like to remember her the way she used to be. So lovable, friendly, and she liked to be held.

I grew up as an only child because my brother (half-brother technically) lived with his dad. So she was like my little sister. She grew up with me, and I grew up with her over the years. I had her since I was 6. This has been 10 times harder than I thought it would be. I figured I had accepted the fact that she was leaving us soon, but you sometimes just can't accept it until it REALLY happens.

You were so great, Kera. My first cat, and I love you so much. If I get another cat down the road, I will love it too, but no cat can replace you. You were my baby. I'll miss you so much.

The Time's A Comin'

2010-03-18T16:40:00.003-04:00

It's my last couple days as a resident of Tennessee. I have most of my packing done except for the essentials. I'm excited about starting my new job, but I'm not excited about all of the stuff I will need to start doing right off the bat.

Things like:

Changing my residency
Changing my address with the SSA
Getting a new license, title, and car registration (expensive in Indiana!)
Getting my benefits in order and figuring out my health insurance plans
Setting up the 401K
Closing my current checking account and opening a new one
Unpacking (yuck!)
Unpacking more when my parents move the rest of our stuff up to Indiana (more yuck!)
Making sure car insurance is in order
A bunch of other stuff that will need to be done when it's necessary (new doctor, dentist, optometrist, etc.)

But at least I don't have to do all of it right away. I'll get it figured out a little at a time. Because I'm so impatient, it will probably bug me until it's all done. Oh well! OCD for the loss, this time.

But other than stuff I have to do, I get to live with my brother, live near the parents, rekindle a bunch of older friendships, start new friendships, and put good effort into my relationship with Jennifer. Love her! Planning further ahead, we will be fine. I believe it!

Vlogging?

2010-03-01T00:52:00.001-05:00

Thinking about starting a vlog (video blog, for those who don't know). Looks like fun. I may or may not edit every one I make because that seems like it would take forever. But I'd make them pretty interesting, I guess.

Calling All Wannabes!

2010-02-20T17:08:00.005-05:00

I recently became a fan of Glee on Facebook, and I saw that they have been approved for a 2nd season. They are holding an open casting call for 3 new characters. These people can be amateurs or experienced and range from the ages of 16-26. When they are ready to accept auditions, they will be doing so online.

I'm totally going to do this. I know my chances are low, simply because I'm sure thousands of people will audition, but I think it will at least be fun to make an audition video. Plus, I've always wanted to get into the television and film industry, so why not? Maybe I'll even throw a line in the video that, if I'm not a good match for a character, to consider me for some sort of production role! How cool would it be to do that?

Financial Friendship

2009-12-11T13:03:00.003-05:00

Thanks to my friend Emma Chace, I have started to take more of an interest in things relating to personal finance. I would consider myself a frugal person, some may even call me cheap :P. But I'm not all that educated on Financial matters, except for my one finance class in college. Even so, it wasn't as much about personal finance as it was about corporate finance.

I want to start building my credit because I currently have NO credit. Grown-up responsibilities can sometimes be fun, I guess! I'm currently looking at credit card offers that would have benefits useful to me. HOPEFULLY I can get approved for one with no application fee and no annual fee. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

A New Found Addiction: 30 Rock

2009-12-08T03:41:00.003-05:00

Hey all you nay-sayers, leave it to the horses! Just one of many memorable one-liners from a great little show called 30 Rock. Since I discovered that it won an Emmy three years in a row for best comedy, I took an interest in the show. Hey, I love TV. I'm up for a new show any day. I enjoy watching entire series at a moment's notice, so 30 Rock was my next venture.

Oh boy, was I glad I took on that task. This show is so witty, the characters' interactions are genius, and the one liners, oh the one liners! This show's comedy aligns so well with my own sense of humor that it was a little scary. I will say that I didn't always find myself laughing at every moment, but to me, that isn't the point in this show. The subtlety of the humor is what's great to me. That's what brought me so close to The Office originally.

Tina Fey is great, and Alec Baldwin as Jack is probably one of the most well-written characters in TV comedy. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but man, is he talented.

I really think this show is worth a watch, and I give it a 4.5/5 stars!

One of my recent memorable quotes was: There's no such thing as bisexual. That's just something they invented in the 90's to sell hair products.

Ready for Change

2009-11-08T14:37:00.004-05:00

Since I've been living at home with my parents, I've kind of felt like I'm in limbo, mainly because I'm in between educational independence and financial independence. I've got a good start with my education, but now is the time to start building my own independence, one that is financially separate from my parents. Don't get me wrong, I love that my parents are glad to help me out as I continue to build support for myself.

I thought that working for Aflac would help me in this way, and it certainly can. But this job isn't exactly what I expected to do as a career. And, unfortunately, this is a job that is meant to be a career, not just a job, because it requires a huge time and effort investment before you start seeing real returns. Even so, you then are building your client base to help you survive in the long run. The only problem is, since this isn't what I want to be doing long term, I don't see the true point of putting all this effort into this sort of job.

Ever since I learned of the possibility that my parents would be moving back to Indiana, I've sort of lost the motivation to put in a lot of effort into my job. Mainly because I believe that if my parents move away from Franklin, there really is nothing left here for me. Sure, I have a few good friends here, but I don't really see any of them that often. Also, my brother and I have been talking about living together for a while now, so we can be close siblings again.

I told myself that until my mom hears the final decision about the possible job she may have in Indiana, I would continue to put my full effort into Aflac, as if I was going to stay here for a while. But as this continues to drag on, and the decision really should have been made by now, I find it harder to find the motivation.

No, I don't really like sales. Sure, I haven't been doing it for a while, so how would I really know until I give it a better chance? I have a few things going on that could really turn up to be a great profit for me, to help me make up for the little wages I've been earning so far. But I've thought to myself, even if and when I do get compensated for it, I won't feel any different about the job. The truth is, I just don't like it. And I continually think about how this job is not for me and how much I dislike doing it.

For now, I've been pushing through with the job for the experience. But I'm getting to a point where I almost don't care anymore. If my mom does get the job, I know my next step will most likely be to move to Indiana, move in with my brother, and hopefully land a job there. If she doesn't, then do I just continue to do this job, even though I really don't like it? I know, I'm lucky to have some sort of job right now, and I am at least grateful for that. But I just don't think I will be able to keep doing it, and I would rather put my efforts into finding another job. At this point in my life, I don't think insurance is at all what I want to be doing.

I've been praying a lot about this lately, and prayers for an answer would be greatly appreciated. I'm tired of this limbo, and I'm really ready for a change.

Please feel free to comment with your thoughts.

My inTake on Nutrition

2009-08-10T18:47:00.003-04:00

Over time, I've heard a lot of people complain about their weight, that they are too fat, or they just feel like crap when they eat certain foods. I don't blame anyone, especially when we live in a world where such unhealthy food is so close to our fingertips, and at every turn.

"I'm hungry, why not just stop on over to Sonic or McDonald's for a quick bite? I don't have time to go home and grab something or cook anything."

I've heard many people state these things over and over before. Yes, I agree, sometimes, it seems like we have no time to make healthy food choices when we need to fill our bellies. But with careful planning ahead and conscious thought put into what we eat, we can all make healthy choices...most of the time.

My next few blog posts will probably involve things that I have learned through various websites, magazines, nutritionists, etc. that involve nutrition. I will go ahead and say that I am no expert, but I have learned a thing or two that have worked for me, and I don't mind sharing this information in a simplified manner.

Who knows, maybe it will help other people to improve their lives.

Update

2009-08-10T18:44:00.002-04:00

After a little consideration, I think I know how I will use this blog for now. I've been introduced to the AdSense world for a while, but I've never really thought of taking advantage of it. This is my attempt to try and make a little money on the side by writing about things I know and like. Hopefully, this will work out for the best!

The things I will most likely write about (for now) will include personal finance and fitness. Maybe people will be interested in what I have to say.

P90X+

2009-04-24T09:50:00.002-04:00

So after I was wondering what to do next, I found out that there is P90X+. It's the program that is meant for people who have finished P90X and want to get even better results (or just maintain the results). I've been doing it for two weeks now, and I'm liking it. It's not as time-consuming. It may take an average of 45 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week, depending on if I take a break on the Yoga day or go for a run.

I've never been a truly active person, so this is sort of weird for me. But I really enjoy staying in shape, so I guess I'll be fine with it. :P

FRRREEEEDDOOOMM!

2009-04-24T00:14:00.003-04:00

Today marked my last and final day as an undergraduate student at UT. I will graduate on May 8th with a 4.0! I'm 1 of 4 top graduates in the College of Business Administration! I can't believe I actually achieved that, but for some reason, I had an inkling that I would do it even before I started college.

My degree is: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
My major is: Marketing w/ a Dual Concentration in Logistics
My minor is: Spanish

I'm done! I accomplished all the goals that I set out to do before graduation, and I'm so excited that I did it.

On another note, I checked out the Sherwin-Williams job that I was sort of interested in. The one with the Management Training Program. Wel, I learned that it is not what I want to do, so I will tell the recruiter tomorrow.

On a lighter note, however, I received a call today from a recruiter with yet another technical recruiting company. This marks the third company in this industry that has reached out to me. The first two rejected me after the first interview. I'm guessing this isn't much better.

However, I got an email from the recruiter with Comcast in Knoxville. I applied for a job of "Associate Marketing Creative Services Professional." Basically, the job entails some graphic design, marketing strategy alignment, document write-ups, communications, etc. For a first job, this sounds amazing. I sent a stellar email back to her, answering her preliminary questions. I'm praying that she likes me and feels I have what it takes. I really want to interview for this position, and I hope that you will pray for me.

As William Wallace would say, "FRRRREEEEEDDDDOOOOOOM!"

To-Do List Until Graduation

2009-04-17T14:46:00.010-04:00

This is mainly for me, in order to dramatize my final assignments for school. I will cross the things off until I am finished with everything.

M460
~~-Country Manager submit decisions~~
~~-Country Manager final report~~

L421
~~-Final exam, part 3~~

L460
~~-Print LOGEX reports~~
~~-Write SSDI case~~
~~-1 quiz~~

M401
~~-Personal reflections memo~~
~~-1 quiz~~

I can't wait until all of it is done!

P90X done. Now what?

2009-04-12T23:45:00.010-04:00

Today marks the final day in my P90X program. It's been a long journey, 13 weeks to be exact, since I started this ultra fitness program. For those who don't know, it's an intense workout program designed to turn people who are somewhat fit into really fit people. This means I worked out 1 hour a day, 6 days a week. 3 days were weight training, 3 days were cardio-type workouts.

I started out doing the workouts religiously and eating, for the most part, pretty well. I would have meals here and there that weren't that great, but I still stuck to the eating plan really well. However, the more I started to see results, the more focused I got about eating right. After a while, I was really pushing myself during the workouts, and I began eating exactly like the plan told me to.

I was amazed of the progress after the first 30 days, but only until I kept going did I truly realize the results that I was getting. Days 60, and now, day 90, have really shown the progress of the sculpting of muscle and the trimming of fat that I have achieved from this program.

It did take me a little longer than 90 days to do this program because there were days when I couldn't do the workouts (like when I went skiing), and I didn't do it during Spring Break. But I did not skip a single workout, and I made sure to make them up and just continue where I left off the next day.

Here's a photo montage of my journey.

Day 0 (Before Starting P90X)

Day 30 (Phase 1 Complete)

Day 60 (Phase 2 Complete)

Day 90 (Phase 3 Complete; Entire Program Complete)

So, now I'm done. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, that's for sure. But I don't want to stop, and I'm not sure what the next step is. I'm very happy with the results, and I would like to get even better results. Maybe that means I need to keep doing it until I find another program I can do (one that is less time consuming) to maintain the results.

Weekend

2009-04-10T11:10:00.006-04:00

So this weekend my dad is coming in town to visit me. Which is nice because he's coming here for once. Maybe we'll play some tennis if the weather keeps being nice.

On another note, I'm one presentation away on Monday from winding down the semester. I still have a few things to do here and there, but I'm so happy that it's almost over. Two weeks left!

I interviewed with Pepsi Bottling Group this past week, and I felt it went really well. But then they told me they weren't really hiring for the position they were saying they were, but hiring a "Customer Rep" for the local areas. I was so disappointed, and I lost a lot of respect for them after that.

On a lighter note, I have an interview with Sherwin-Williams next week for a sales/marketing position. I hope it doesn't turn into the same kind of thing :/

I Just Don't Know....

2009-04-02T21:42:00.002-04:00

Now that finishing school is really inevitable, I'm at a loss of what I really wanna do from this point on. I know that I can get a job doing business stuff, but what if I wanted to do acting or graphic design or real estate? I just don't really know what I want to do anymore and it's frustrating me. I feel like all the jobs that seem to be hiring where I want to be are jobs that are dumb. Maybe I just haven't hit the right one yet. This degree better be put to some use, that's for sure. I don't want to settle for something dumb that I didn't need a degree for in the first place.

23 Days Left

2009-03-31T20:09:00.003-04:00

I have 23 days left of classes (including the weekends). Meaning I'm done with all my classes on April 23 because, for some awesome reason, I have no finals. But I don't graduate until May 8, which means I have 2-3 weeks of whatever-the-heck-I-want-to-do time. I have to say, I'm ready for that.

Actual days until I'm done with schoolwork stuff: 23

Actual days of classes left: 14

So Many E-Options!

2009-03-31T00:10:00.004-04:00

Not much time to write, but just a quick note on today's world of communication. I just noticed that I have 4 email addresses that I check regularly. Why in God's name do I need that many? I get that they are used for different purposes, but really. I sometimes wonder how many messages I get each day, too. On my college email, I probably get 50+ emails a day, and that is just things having to do with me! I just can't imagine people 100 years ago dealing with something like that. Then again, I suppose they would have just gotten used to it like us.

Also, there are so many social networks out there, that I just can't think of how many people are involved on the internet, such as what I'm doing right now. Then I just go back to thinking of capitalism all over again, thinking how, if a profit can be made, then hoards of companies will jump in to make as much as they can. Thanks to this simplistic view of economics, we have things like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc.

Just thought I would blurb a little about that.

By the way, because I'm such a neat freak, I have a running list of all of the websites, companies, etc. (to the best of my knowledge) with which I have some sort of online account. That way, I know what I want to keep/delete when I'm not using a certain online service. I don't want to be on someone's database if I'm not using it anymore. It's crazy to think about the hundreds of databases I am on, just in the electronic world.

Starting Something New

2009-03-29T02:58:00.001-04:00

After being a loyal follower of this girl's blog for some time now, I've decided to enter the web 2.0 world myself. While I've always been up-to-date on technology and internet trends, I have never sat down to create my own blog, other than a livejournal way back when. So I'm going to try this out for a change.

I graduate in a little over a month. But I'm done with all of my classes in exactly four weeks, which is crazy to think about. I still don't know what I will be doing after I graduate, which I am okay with. I don't want to rush into some job that I may hate, so I'm taking my time to decide what is right for me. But I also realize I may not be able to be that picky in our current economic situation. Still, I'm not stressing over it, and good things are bound to come my way (with God's help, that is).

More to come in the future, when it's not 3:00am.