For three months I patiently and appreciatively interned at a public relations firm that specialized in generating publicity for a laundry list of clients. I spent my weekdays in an office nestled high above Michigan avenue along Chicago's Magnificent Mile often swiveling freely and procrastinating like a god-damned professional. Sound glamorous? It was at times, but then again I imagine garbage men have their days. I mean, think about it; they work outside, they hang off the back of heavy machinery and they have first dibs on others' slightly used treasures. After all, I'm sure that at least once in the history of garbage collecting a sanitization engineer has found a copy of someone's near-vintage Neil Diamond 1969 release of Touching You, Touching Me and added it to their own album collection, ya' know?! Hold up, I digress.
The fact of the matter is that I am not a garbage man. For three frosty months, I was found working "hard"- indoors, not at the stern of a WCV. More importantly, I was working for free, for free man. Let's put some perspective on this, shall we? When I took on this engagement, we were four days away from the discovery of Crouching Tiger's Hidden Dragon. (Something tells me Woods will come out on top before I do.)
Put simply, I was growing tired of the fact that it had been far too long since a decent buck had come my way. Instead of encountering the ever-rewarding fountain-o-knowledge associated with being an intern, I began to feel interned- 'restricted or confined within prescribed limits.' The possibility for employment seemed to be slipping out of reach. I could not fathom how risk was going to meet reward despite the fact that someone once told me outright "you've got to risk it to get the biscuit." I didn't know what to do, but I knew something clearly had to be done.
Has the suspense led you to anxiously tap tap your fingers at your desk or perhaps bob your knee? I didn't think so...
One month ago today, I graciously walked out on my public relations internship. I say graciously as I chose not to partake in a free lunch that day.
Q: How do I feel now that I have had thirty days to gather my thoughts?
A: I feel stupendous.
I feel stupendous for several reasons. Physically, I feel rejuvenated. Not working a 9 to 5 allows ample time for one to catch up on lost beauty sleep. Mentally, I feel re-focused. Once again I have realized what I must accomplish in order to encounter my definition of success. In short, I have remembered why I began this blog in the first place- to explore this tremendous city in an extravagant fashion and to have a little fun doing it.
Sorry I've been away for a while. I'll be sure to report promptly the next time I quit something.
