soupy says

It is always interesting when you google. You almost always find something interesting that you weren’t even looking for.

TwentySomething: Strategic Planning and Market Research

TWENTYSOMETHING™ Inc. is a prestigious, world-renowned marketing/strategy consultancy that uniquely bridges corporate goals with the realities of today’s young adults.

And here are the categories for the demographic they will help companies reach:

Generation Y · Generation X · Teenagers · College Students · Adultolescents · Urban Youth
Millenials · Boomerangs · First-Jobbers · Young Professionals · Emerging Market · Newlyweds

Hm. Am I Generation Y or a Millenial? I know I am a Boomerang. And a First-Jobber.

This reminds me of a Frontline episode that I think is required viewing for every COM major: The Merchants of Cool. Poke around the TwentySomething webside. Then watch the Frontline episode (the entire program is online).

Class dismissed.

Stacey: Hey, could you develop a graduate program that fits my interests and make it apart of the Peace Corps Fellows Program?
University of Denver: Here ya go.

GRE Update: Wow. My math has gone down the shitter. I haven’t taken a math course since the Fall of 2001. And it was Pre-Calc. What do I remember about that class? I remember my professor drawing aliens on the board.
Go COM Major, Go!

This is frustrating.

I watched Thursday’s piece, and there was no mention of the father’s role. none. Even the mom that worked, she talked about needing to take time off from work take care of the kids when sick. Did the husband ever do this? Was there even a discussion on which spouse should stay at home? What about the dads that do stay at home? Are they letting their education and training go to waste? Hopefully I can write a proper response at some point. Well, a proper response would include academic references to many sociology articles, and that’s probably not going to happen.

Hell, when I read this interview, I wanted to pull my hair out because everything O’Beirne said, I could counter with an academic study. Actually, I could have done it just using the articles in a book from my Sociology of Sex Roles class.

Oh, the best quote from the piece

Not all women have the choice. Those without the means must stay in the work force while raising their children.

“It’s still a matter of choice,” Fuhrman said. “You choose between having cable TV in your house or the latest iPod.”

How detached from the reality of most Americans is this woman? Fuck, most citizens of the world? Of course this whole “debate” focuses families that can afford to have someone stay at home.

And GMA, what are your motives really? I have no hard data on your demographics, but who is home and can sit and watch your program? Was the whole point of this to have some woman tell your audience, “You are stupid because you stay at home?”

Oh, and I’m not saying that there isn’t tension between Stay-at-Home and Workforce Moms. I have the study to back that up too. (From that same book) :p

Wow. What a messy post.

Thanks so much, Stacey! Your file is now complete, with no problems :-) Sorry again for the confusion and hopefully you will hear from your placement officer soon.

It’s nice to see that renaming food for propagandic purposes knows no borders.

I got an email from Peace Corps today

Greetings from the Placement Office of Peace Corps in Washington. You were medically qualified for service a week or so ago, and I am now reviewing your file for placement. Overall your file looks great, I just found one problem. For some reason I only have your Cross Cultural Essay, not your Motivational Statement. I contacted your recruiter, Jennifer L. Marciniak, and she doesn’t have an extra copy, unfortunately. Is there any way you can forward me the essay?

Done. I looked over my easy before submitting (doesn’t everyone wish they could do “one more edit?” because when I wrote the application essays in June, it was like pulling teeth. I just graduated, and the last thing I wanted to do was to write essays. But after looking over it some 7 months after writing it, I think it is pretty good, and that reference to Ben Folds Five, “Army” does work thankyouverymuch.

Monday’s Presidents’ Day so there should be no activity until Tuesday (at the earliest).

I restarted the GRE studying this morning. That will not happen again tomorrow morning because I have to be at work for an all-store meeting at 7:30AM.

• The great thing about the Internet is the abundence of information available.
• The bad thing about the Internet is the abudence of information available.

Back in the fall, I didn’t think about Peace Corps that much. It was still far away, and I had my Asian adventures to look forward to. Not anymore. While I have fun adventures between now and then, the main thing is Peace Corps. The recent activity with my file hasn’t helped any either. After lots of poking around on the Internet, my prediction is that if I receive an invitation for my current nomination, then I am going to East Timor.

Thank God that I have 6 days of work on the horizon. Something to do besides sit here and digest all this information. I also really, really need to get my rear in gear on the GRE. I realized today that the closer I get to the Peace Corps, the less I am going to want to take it. (And right now it is not really high on the list of things I want to do.) At this point, I am also very happy that I am not in school right now. If I was, I don’t know how I’d be able to concentrate on anything.

I received an email request to update my resume from a Peace Corps Placement Assistant today. Since my interview was back in August, it hadn’t been updated since then.

Yesterday I called my recruiter and got my Placement Officer’s phone number. I called yesterday to say hello, and it was obvious that he hadn’t looked at my file yet. Today (before I checked my email), I called again because I forgot to ask, “Is there anything constructive I can do?” He looked at my file and said that, “I’m pretty well rounded,” but if it is possible, to try and get some gardening or environmental experience. He then added, “However, I do know that it is not the best time of year where you live to do this.” Very true. It snowed last night.

However, I checked out some classes that the local nursery offers, and I found a free “Organic Gardening and Composting” class. Score! Of course, I included this in today’s resume update email.

Valentine’s Day has never really bothered me that much.

I guess it is because that my mom always made a nice dinner and gave me and my brother small gifts. I never felt “left out” in high school for not having a Valentine. Now, I realize that it is not the best way for Mom to spend the holiday - cooking like any other day. I also think my dad’s yearly gift of a dozen roses is pretty lame.

Maybe Valentine’s isn’t a big deal because that Russell Stover chocolates taste awful. Or maybe it is because I really enjoy giving my 20 something friends those Valentines you were forced to give your classmates in elementary school because “I love Mud” Valentines are just plain fun.

And for those that complain about the fact it is made of holiday by card companies etc, we ain’t got nothing on South Korea’s Pepero Day

However, this year, I have spent a lot of time thinking about my favorite Valentine’s Day celebrations. All those memories involve friends who helped me celebrate the holiday in a very non-traditional way. I am a lucky woman.

But in the more traditional, cheesey, cutesy vein, I bring you this. Kitties!

I am medically cleared for the Peace Corps. I love my healthiness.

Now it is time for even more waiting, but I am one huge step closer to the end.

Also, I discovered that one of my co-workers is Samoan. She married a Peace Corps volunteer in the 60s and moved to the states with him. I also found out that if the islanders aren’t swimming, you shouldn’t either. A recent volunteer learned this the hard way.

Edit: Ok, I just found out that a woman (whom I’ve been in contact through the yahoo groups peacecorps2) has been mailed an invite. Why do I care? Well, she has been nominated for the same month and region as me. Does this mean that mine is that far behind? gah.

Update (2/16): The woman who was nominated for the Pacific received an invitation for Africa.