week 1

Hello all,

I'm sure you've been missing my blog posts just as I've missed writing them.

It's a funny story really. Exactly what I predicted would happen happened. It's interesting how that tends to happen. Maybe TLC should give me my own show because perhaps I, too, am a "Medium."

I started my unpaid internship this week and learned that I essentially signed up to join a labor exploitation ring. The unpaid interns come and go, but that's what drives the organization - unpaid labor. The work isn't all that riveting so far. Basically I do "outreach," which translates to finding people to send mass e-mails to. I do that as well as make informational fliers. I never knew how important the flier could be until now.


The work space isn't the best I've seen. I basically have a table that I sit at all day and stare at a computer screen. At first I was trying to use my laptop at work, but it's on its way out and it makes a lot of noise, so I gave up and just used the machine they provided.

The people are nice, though they work entirely too hard for what this job is. We're not getting paid, why not take the entire lunch break then?

My commute sucks. Sometimes it can take up to two hours to get to work. The other day, when it was raining, we were literally dead stopped in the tunnel. While we were stuck in there, all I could think about was how horrible it would be if some kind of disaster were to strike while we were in the Lincoln Tunnel.

Right, so work isn't all that tough, and yet I find myself getting stressed when multiple people start demanding things of me. The other day, I was working on a project, and my boss comes in and is like when I go back into the other room, come back and find me and remind me to give you this piece of information.

I was like, really?

You couldn't just give it to me right now while you're already standing up and in this room?

Honestly, you're in charge. You went to the best school in the nation. You should really be able to remember to give me an e-mail address.

Yeah, so I get stressed because someone endowed me with a horrible guilt complex. If I don't stay true to my word, I get really queasy. If I let people down, I feel sick inside, even if it's beyond my control. I don't believe in excuses. I feel guilty even going on Facebook at work, even though it's generally accepted, and even though I have to use it to do some of my "outreach" work.

Basically, all I've learned so far is that this is how I don't want business to run. It seems wrong here, there's something off.

By the time I get back, I really don't want to look at another computer screen or sit down, which is why I haven't been spending that much time on the computer. Plus I've been getting severe neck and back strain as a result of this job. I can't really sit back and look like I'm working, which forces me to hunch over. If I look like a hunchback in three months, you'll know why.

Well, that's all for now. I'm sure there will be more to report soon.