Pyramid Schemes

So the other day, a friend of mine from college I haven't spoken to in a couple years facebook chats me.  I haven't talked to her in quite a while and it seems rather out of the blue, but I always liked her.  The conversation goes something like this.  Let's, for now, call her Sara (not her real name).

Sara:  Hey!!

Jaime:  Hey girl!

Sara:  How are you?

Me:  Good, how are you doing?

(insert a little bit of what have you been up to, where do you live these days, where do you work, etc)

Me:  I work at a small ad agency, how about you?

Sara:  I work at XXX company and I have my own business as well.

(Editor's sidenote:  Yes, I immediately see the red flag as well.)

Me:  How is that going?  Do you like that?

Sara:  XXX Company, no.  My own business, yes.

Me:  (Hmm, what do I do here?!)

Well, one out of two ain't bad?

(The conversation seems to have it a lull.  I should have let it die its own peaceful death on its own, but fool that I am, I thought we were just catching up.)

What kind of business do you have?

Sara:  Let me tell you all about it!  Do you have 20 minutes?!

Me:  Uh, no.  I was just gonna go return a phone call.  Maybe you can give me a one minute synopsis.

Sara:  How about we talk tomorrow.

Me:  Uh, ok.... (At this point I don't know what to do.  I'm not averse to talking to her again, but not for the obvious reasons she wants to talk.)

Sara:  What's your phone number?

At this point, I passively close the chat, get up, and walk away from the computer.  I don't feel too bad about it because she clearly doesn't feel bad about harassing me to try to join in her pyramid scheme.  I was afraid I would have to block her from chatting or, awkwardly, be pretty blunt that I don't want to hear about her business opportunity.  I do some further facebook research and I see, from her page, that she's clearly been suckered in.  She's found a solution to all her problems in this wonderful get rich quick scheme she's found. She will soon be a wealthy, independent business owner.  And she has quite the network of people who are in this with her.  I see people commenting on the fact that she's gotten suckered.   I see people who've also gotten suckered defending their ways and criticizing the others for 'being cynical and negative!'

What I was most surprised about is, knowing this girl back in college, she seemed like a reasonably smart, logical girl.  I know she has a college education.  She, in theory, is has potential for doing so much better than this.  Is it the bad economy?  Have people gotten desperate?  Have people gotten hopeless?  The other day in a coffee shop, I heard someone pitching a pyramid scheme to a poor innocent sap.  From some facebook posts made by other friends, it seems as though this friend might not be alone.  Is it easier in these times to get suckered into something?  Does anyone actually like being in a pyramid scheme?  Does anyone enjoy harassing their friends/family/people they know?  I am not sure I am someone who is up for cold calling in general; I'd be very hesitant to cold call on my own personal network (as opposed strangers holding roles in businesses).  Is there anyone in a pyramid scheme who is actually happy?  (Other than the obvious one person at the top.)

Just for Fun

5/6 of this picture missed the 'make a funny face' memo.....

Back to School?

So a good amount of 20 somethings I know, at varying degrees of financial success, are thinking about going back to school.  Reason being, for the most part, they don't find their current careers to be exactly fulfilling.

Random observation - most people I know in the 35+ bracket find this to be an amusing '20 something thing' - it's a job, it doesn't have to be perfect or have meaning, it just needs to pay the bills.  The early 20 somethings are being almost hopelessly romantic about their careers; there will never be one to meet their expectations.

Anyhow.

A friend of mine mentioned that one shouldn't go back to school, it's not necessarily the key to getting a good job.  I find this to be an interesting and somewhat accurate point.  Some people end up in lines of work that have nothing to do with their degree/major.  Some lines of work require a very specific background, obviously, but other lines of work provide training specific to the industry that can only be learned through experience, rather than in a classroom.  That then lends itself to the age old question of 'how do I get experience if no one will give me a chance?'  I guess my question is - if there's a 20 something, or anyone, for that matter, who wants to change career paths - what is the best way to go about this?   Is it going back to school?  What are the other viable options?

Your thoughts?

This Reminds Me....

...my favorite academic (or, perhaps, 'boring') book:

Read it; it's a good one.

I got it my senior year of college for an advertising class.  I liked it so much, I didn't sell it back during book buy-back week, probably much to my parents' chagrin.  Mom & Dad, I owe you $8.

Look What I Found...

It doesn't have a date on it.

Who out there offers student discounts?!?!

Belly Button Ring

I have been so preoccupied lately that I completely and totally forgot that the anniversary of my belly button piercing passed.

I have now had said piercing since freshman year of college - I got it around October-ish.  It was one of the first things I did as a college freshman.

Anyhow.  At the time, I was super-excited about it.  Now, don't get me wrong, I still love it, but I have been thinking....  I, like most 20 somethings, do not walk around in belly-baring clothes.  In fact, I think the last time I wore a belly-baring shirt, I was 13 (pre-piercing).  So, the only time anyone sees this bad boy is 1) if I'm wearing a bathing suit or b) well, you get this gist....

That brings me to my next question - is there a point to it, then?  Granted, I don't plan on taking it out, and I don't think it would even heal at this point, but again, is there a point?  Does this go with all unseen piercings/tattoos?   Your thoughts?

I Will Vouch for the 'Party' Part....

I will not comment.

Coming Up on a Milestone....

So I'm coming up on a big anniversary soon. This coming December 15 (next week Tuesday) will be my five year anniversary of having graduated college. I count this day as the day I finished (the day I completed my final final), since I finished in December and didn't have an actual graduation until the spring. My diploma says December 20, which confused me, because December 20, 2004, was a Monday. I know this because I did, indeed, look it up because it seemed so perplexing.

Anyhow. If you've continued reading this post thus far, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Five years out of college. Hmm. Am I where I thought I'd be? Am I where I'm supposed to be? In the words of Better Than Ezra "are you further now from where you started"? I felt like such a badass because I graduated early and was ahead of my peers. But that was five years ago.

I believe this five year anniversary is symbolic of a call to action.

More to come soon....

Another Guilty Pleasure....

TheKnot.com

The Wedding Website.

I know what you're gonna say - typical girl obsessed with weddings, etc. I like weddings a normal amount; it's more the wedding website that excites me. I love looking up people from high school and college when I hear they got engaged; I love seeing if they're still friends with people from way back when and if they made the wedding party. I love the cheesy, sometimes gag inducing proposal stories. I HATE it when I know an engaged couple who has purposely not created a knot page - what's the purpose of even being engaged then!?!

Anyhow. I'll stop. Anyone else love this site?

Something New I Learned Today....

"Do you want a scone with your latte?" is the new "Do you want fries with that?"

As in:

The graduate with a physics degree says, "How does that work?'
The graduate with an engineering degree says, "Why does that work?"
The graduate with a technical degree says, "I can make that work?"
The graduate with a liberal arts degree says, "Do you want fries with that?"

I will try to appropriately update my personal joke repertoire.

Memories/Shameless Self Promotion

My college dance team - the Illinettes. I'm in the front row - third from the left.

How Facebook Has Changed Things....

Ok, so the other day, a good friend of mine mentioned her upcoming 5 year college reunion, which got me thinking....

(Editor's Sidenote: I do not know if my college has a 'five year reunion', but even if so, I won't be going, unless a group of my college friends plans on attending all together. I cannot imagine my graduating class of, say, 7,000 all running around bumping into each other saying 'oh, hey, how's it been?' or, more likely 'do I know you? have we ever met?' Anyhow.)

I will, in the semi-near future, have a high school reunion coming up. (I do, at this point, fully acknowledge it hasn't been 10 years since I graduated. Just sayin'.)

However, at this point in time - with facebook, I pretty much know what everyone from high school (and basically, the past, in general) is up to because of facebook!! Granted, all the people I was actually close to, I am still in touch with and could see if I wanted to, so I don't need a 'reunion' to get reacquainted with these individuals. My main motivation for going to a reunion would be to find out what all the other people I'd lost touch with are doing these days. However, based on facebook, I know this already! So, I ask this - what, really, is the point of the high school reunion any more?

All Grown Up....

So my former Sigma Kappa college roommate, Katie, is getting married this weekend. Ah! I can't believe it!!! They grow up so fast....

I remember when Katie was sick and stressed during finals week, my other roommate, Laura, and I gave her a lapdance in bed to cheer her up. I think it made her happy. At least that's what I want to believe. Anyhow. Sigh.

I am truly happy for her and Mark and the happiness they have found. This might seem like the time to share some funny embarrassing stories about the bride from sorority days, but, as they say, what happened in Room 20 stays in Room 20.

I Took the Plunge....

...and privatized my facebook. I know, crazy! It's not for any reason in particular, per se. Well, actually, it is. I am curious to see how many people out there are THAT CURIOUS what's going on in my life. Like, before, anyone could see my profile and check up on me. Now, only my current friends can. So, it's a good test to see which of my former coworkers, college classmates and high school classmates will take the plunge and put in a friend request because they care enough to see what I'm up to. I will, of course, accept said request - I have nothing to hide and I have no reason not to let anyone know what I'm up to (hey, I was public for how long now) - I just like to know who is interested enough in me. Anyhow. It should be a good test. Since the privatization, I am yet to receive a friend request - but you know what - I'm gonna be optimistic about this.

Unrequited Love?

This picture is associated with the Charlie Brown quote 'Nothing spoils the taste of peanut butter quite like unrequited love'.

All this talk about songs on my i-pod has gotten me thinking. Anon nicely brought up the song "As I Lay Me Down" by Sophie B. Hawkins, which reminds me of my 7th grade crush. sigh. j/k. Anyhow.

Like everyone else in the world, I have experience with unrequited love. (Being that I had feelings for someone who didn't have them back.) One experience happened in college. Probably most of my friends/blog readers know/remember said experience for me. Actually, let's call this an unrequited crush.

I met him freshman year of college - we had a class together and talked briefly a couple times. He seemed like a genuinely nice person with good morals. I did some research and found out he had a serious girlfriend. I will not mention his name for the sake of protecting the innocent.

Anyhow. Long story short, he and I ran into each other a couple of times throughout college, but either I was dating someone, or he was, or the conversation was very brief and didn't allow for going anywhere personal. Well, senior year of college, I was single the entire time and started thinking about him quite a bit. About a week prior to graduation (I graduated in December of 2004, so most of the people I started college with had an extra semester left), I wrote him an email (I was just slightly ahead of my time in the dating world - back in 2004 this wasn't necessarily as common a way to ask someone out as it is now).

It went something like this:

Hi XXXX:

I don't know if you remember me - we had XXX class together freshman year and we ran into each other at XXX recently. This is kind of random, but I kind of have had a crush on you for a while and I was wondering if you were possibly interested in getting together some time. I'm graduating in two weeks so I thought I'd just get in touch and put it out there. Ok, take care!

He responded:

Hi Jaime (he spelled my name correctly!):

I definitely remember you - I enjoyed taking that class with you and it is good to hear from you. I actually have had a girlfriend for a little over a year, so I don't think it would be best for us to hang out. Congrats and good luck with graduating.

(Editor's sidenote: I do not remember either email, exactly, because, believe it or not, I didn't print it or save it, so once my U of I email account was disabled, it was lost in cyberspace. Tear.)

Sigh. The one that got away. J/k. I believe he is currently married and living in some other part of the country. Anyhow.

When I think back to him and this incident, I actually have fond memories of it - which makes me think this wasn't actually unrequited love, but rather, an unrequited crush, because, well, who remembers unrequited love fondly? At the time, I thought I felt more strongly toward him than I did. I knew he was a nice decent guy, but I didn't know him as well as I assumed to and never really had a personal connection/friendship to him (maybe this was the halo effect or something) - so it really was much more of a crush than anything.

Anyhow. Although I don't really think of this person any more (which might be hard for those who knew me back in college to believe), I don't remember him for the fact that he didn't want me in the same way I wanted him but I do remember him for being a nice decent person who was respectful to my (and other people's) feelings. That's what I remember about him and that's what I liked about him.

I do periodically wonder what he thought, getting an email completely out of the blue from a girl he hardly knew and hadn't seen or talked to in quite a while. When I think of this, it makes me think of the fact that there is probably someone completely random and unexpected out there thinking of all of us.

I have had other experiences with unrequited love - but those are stories for another day.

Happy Birthday Wehe!!

So my very good friend Stacey has her birthday today! Happy B-Day to my pledge mom/wife/former roommate! It's ironic that I was going through some old stuff from college and found a bunch of pictures of she and I today - and to both our relief - I don't own a scanner, so I unfortunately can't post them. Let's just say, though, that one involved a keg in a bathtub. I digress. Anyhow, Happy Birthday to my reciprocal birthday buddy Stacey, the only redeeming quality the of the city of St. Louis.

Spring Break

I am about to embark on Spring Break! Woohoo! I don't know if I'll be able to make it all the way down to Panama City Beach and back, but I'll try to enjoy myself just the same anyway. I never quite made the girls gone wild video series, but I'm not a quitter. I was no stranger to the toga back in my college days. We'll see what this next week has in store for me! I can't wait!

It Happened Again....

Once again, I had the recurring dream (not sure if it qualifies as a nightmare), that I was back in college. It was senior year and I was supposed to perform with the Illinettes and I didn't know the dance routine and I was scrambling to learn it.

I do not know why I keep having these back in college dreams suddenly out of the blue....I suppose it is time to start researching this matter more....

2009!!!!!!

So it's 2009!  Woohoo.   I didn't have too many bad feelings toward 2008.  I've had worse years. 

I did, indeed, celebrate New Year's Eve - I went to a friend's party.  I am very curious, given the state of the economy and everyone cutting back, how the $100 bar package sales did.  It seems like lately most people feel New Year's Eve is overrated (every one I have spoken with about this event has said so) - they say it with the same disdain and defiance of someone denouncing a very popular band or tv show - as if to go against the mainstream.  However, hating on NYE seems to be the mainstream.  

Anyhow.  Long story short, I had a good one.  My friend Stacey is here.  Today we caught up with our pledge child/grandchild/sister Erica.  Tomorrow we will have coffee in the day with we have a sorority sister's private party to crash at night.  Goodtimes.  

I'll work on making my resolutions this weekend.  I'm going to go against the grain of hating on New Year's Eve/New Year's and celebrate every aspect of it.

Yet Another Facebook Observation....

Has it ever happened to you that, once in a while, someone you haven't seen or talked to in forever adds you as a friend on facebook?  Only, the catch is, both you and this person have been on facebook for a good amount of time; you've noticed their profile before and you know they've noticed your profile and subsequently passed it over in the past  (that past/passed is for YOU, Emily).  

This has happened to me a couple times lately.  What made said individual decide this time, out of the blue, to add me?  It wasn't strange that they added me, but rather that they decided to do so at this very moment.  I can't help but wonder - were they in a staredown with my profile and they happened to break first?  (Don't question my networking site willpower!)

However, I do believe I have answered my own question - today, after having been stranded in my apartment because of this ridiculously cold weather, I decided to go through facebook and do a very thorough friending.  People I knew, mostly from high school and some from college - they all got a request.   Knock on wood - I should have a good 25 new friends in the next couple days.

It's not necessarily that I am looking to get back in touch with these people, but moreso because I am nosy to see what they are up to.  I really hope they all come over from the link to my blog in my facebook profile and read this post.  I can't help but secretly think, though, that these others who added me were wondering the same thing about me.  I can only hope my fabulous life does not inspire too much envy....