The Real World
 

Unemployed and rapidly running out of money in North Bennington. Not learning how to drive quickly enough, couldn't even get a job at radio shack, hampton inn won't call me back, I can't even get to the store to buy groceries unless my aunt is in town (she lives 40 minutes away). Just got dumped/"lets-not-talk-for-a-few-months"ed by my girl.

On the other hand, south park and dexter are both back on the air. Plus i'm on my parents' Netflix streaming.

Am I the 99% even if my parents, for the first time ever last year, had to pay taxes quarterly rather than yearly? They both grew up poor in Alabama, my dad ate government head cheese all through the years after college, but now he's a ret'd major working as a dod civ overseas, and my mom works full time too. Am I upper-middle class? lower middle-class? They don't have much money to give me. I can count on like $200 a month if that from them. plus sometimes they can amazon things for me. But i'm unemployed. So, I'm more-or-less poor, except I have a laptop and a mac mini hooked up to a decent stereo and an hd monitor and an lcd tv.

Obviously, you're not wealthy, and the fact that your dad had to pay quarterly taxes probably has more to do with his employment status (independant contractor?) than his income level.

Stay in school.

"This is no social crisis... just another tricky day for you."

(Face Dances is a highly underrated Who album IMO)

Ibby - do you like philosophy?

I like to think I follow an Epicurean ideal - which is NOT what a lot of people think it is.

I am living in genteel poverty but I am wealthy (in my own mind). I have a roof over my head, art to look at, decent food, a warm bed and friends who understand me.

that is my definition of wealthy.

Redefine your terms and you might be happier where you are at the given moment.


eta - UT's advice is right on, too. :)

Get busy on the learning to drive. Self-sufficiency is the best medicine of all.

I had never heard it before this year. My wife was like "GTFO!" when I told her I had never heard Another Tricky Day before. It's been played in our abode a lot recently.

OH yeah. I love You Better You Bet.

I hope things pick up for you soon Ib. Try not to get dragged down. Just try and remember, there are heaps of students in the same situation as you, and there always has been and always will be. Who says you can't live on ramen noodles???

Ib,
The walk from campus to Hampton Inn couldn't be more than 10 minutes at the most. Getting into downtown would suck w/o a car though. I think Molly told me there was some sort of bus or cheap taxi service.

I'll ask around and see if anyone is looking for (I assume) part time work. What are your hours?

Have you tried Kevin's in No. Bennington? Or the pizza place next door? Whitman's feed?

Car dealerships are often looking for youths to wash and prep cars. Ahh, I don't wanna sound like someone's dad.

A car is an expensive pet. It can be a useful one, even a necessary one, but there's a certain minimum of money and time and grief involved in *owning* one. While I agree that it's important to know how to drive, being able to get around in a variety of ways.

Regardless, it's really good to see you again Ibram!

foot, it's a 45 minute walk from where I live on Water St. to Hampton.

Oh, You're on water street. hmmm

Too bad Craigslist had to take down its adult services page.

Amortized from purchase date to now (about 3.5 years), including purchase price, gas, insurance, registration, and maintenance, mine costs me about $30 a day.

HM, your well known and well deserved reputation for precision makes your quantification of my off the cuff remark startling. I believe it. And that doesn't sound like a super fancy car/expense (a little over a thousand days * 30/day minus fuel/ins/maint/etc means your car costs less than 30k, a nice new car, but hardly a luxury price.) Did you include financing in that calculation?

$30 per day. Every day.

I paid cash.

Oh; also I include EZPass in the price as well.

The amortized purchase price will go down as time goes on, but maintenance will probably go up.

^^^There she is ^^^

HI (waves) MTP.

I remember the struggle to get onto the bottom rung of some kind of employment ladder. It sucks, alright.

Desperate measures:
* dish washer in restaurant (can lead to kitchen hand, chef, manager, in time).
* door knock in your neighbourhood offering to do yard work for cash. Must be lots of leaves as need raking.

And remembering your NSFW pics ... you do have options in porn, ya young stud.

A 45 minute walk is only a 10 minute bike ride. Can you find a used bike on craigslist? How's the snow removal there? Riding a bike in the snow is no fun, but if the pavement is dry, you can still ride in the winter.

Officially an employee of Greenberg's Hardware Store starting Monday. $8.15 an hour. Exciting.

:celebrat:

I'd put the jealous smiley here too, but I can't find one. So.. wtg Ibram!

Cool! I'll keep my eye out for you.

Greenberg's is supposed to be a good place to work, from what I've heard.

I know it doesn't feel like it right now Ibs, but you will look back on these days and smile.
Only the really rich breeze through college (Uni). It's bloody expensive and you are looking for work in a saturated market.

You're learning independence, and how chucking it all in and living in glorious poverty isn't a romantic option after all. Neither is living on handouts. Important lessons.

Hope you're hard for hardware ;)

(PS, if the US is like the UK you can always earn a one-off some for having one off at the wrist. In London sperm donors can get £50+)

There's plenty of volunteer sperm donors in Bennington.

That's awesome. A hardware store is an excellent place to work. You'll learn a lot.

Oh well done Ibs. Dead pleased for you, lad :)

Awesome! For one thing, I learned today that that's more than the crossing guard at my kids' school makes, so for an entry-level job you're doing good! For another thing, glatt is right, a hardware store is an excellent place to learn real skills, and network with quality customers who may offer you an even better opportunity down the road.

that's minimum wage here in socialist yankee vermont, clod.

Ha! Lucky you. :)

Ibby, you are probably one of the few men in Bennington that hasn't got a rap sheet, they should be glad to have you. You, uh don't have a rap sheet right? That wasn't you stealing the Chili pepper was it?

HAH. no. but I met one of the culprits once.

Stealing the Chilli's pepper must be a college town staple. Good luck being employed. :) Having your own money is fabulous!

Congrats Ibby!

Great work. Now get to work! :)

Great news! How many hours per week are you getting to start with?

I remember the Chilli incident. Wasn't it a bunch of girls?

yes. with a couple of hundred feet of extension cord to power their drill. Ran it across the highway from the home depot.

Way to go, Ib. Don't spend it all on liquor.

Good job, Ib!

Charm the socks off them.

I always thought it'd be cool to work at a hardware type store. I love that kind of stuff.

If anyone mentions the Chilli Incident at work, respond:

Silly. They should have used a cordless drill. Over here, aisle four...

Customer: "Cordless drills? Do they make those?"
Ibram: "This is a drill, right? And it hasn't got a cord, does it? Well, there ya go."

The thing I never understood was cordless screwdrivers. Aren't all screwdrivers cordless?

Nahh, drywall screwguns are corded and all they do is drive screws.

i stood on the corner of main street during fallapalooza today at my lunch break with the Occupy Bennington protesters. #poppingmyprotestcherry

Did it feel ironic to have to go back and work for the man after lunch?

You are so lucky to work there, in terms of your proximity to several cool places to eat: Little Britain, Isabella's, That funky coffee place around the corner with the really cute owner who just had a baby-- She's still got all those plump baby making hormones, oh sorry. did I just type that?
back to food:Crazy Russian girls, The farmer's market is prolly done, but there is Mighty Food Farm, they are great folks,

There's all kinds of cool crap downtown. Plus, your in your 20s. How fucking awesome is that?

the Greenberg (and Son) of the sign outside may be in top few percent, but the employees and almost all of the customers are solidly part of what occupy and the associated movements stand for.

Oh, don't I know it.