Babbles of a Lover and a Fighter

Brunch: rice, orange chicken, egg drop soup, tofu, mushrooms, Chinese broccoli, crispy pork, noodles
Exercise: 2 miles running, 25 crunches, 25 reverse crunches, 25 bicycle crunches, 25 oblique crunches
Snax: Honey Bunches of Oats, diet Pepsi
Dinner: 3 slices thin crust pepperoni pizza, 0.5 chicken tender, key lime pie

They Mayweather vs. Mosley fight was tonight.  We had it on at work and we were packed.  UFC fights are like that, too.  Apparently there’s something about two guys beating the crap out of each other that gets people going.  It dates all the way back to the gladiators, the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks.  People have been entertained by people fighting other people for centuries.  I wonder if it’s some kind of primal hunger that needs to be satisfied, to live vicariously through these trained, ridiculously ripped men.  I’m sure everyone has wondered if they could take a punch at one point or another.  To watch two titans face off and take mind-blowing blows to the head and just shake it off shows the amazing resilience of the human body.  I mean, just look at these:

Owie.  While I admire these guys for their dedication to their sport, I could not imagine being in a ring getting ready to wail on someone and trying not to get knocked out myself.  A healthy competitive attitude is great in flag football or soccer, but if I were fighting for my life (or thousands of dollars, or at the very least, my consciousness) I think I would take it too personally and not see it as a “game.”  And though I’m not saying I have the prettiest face in the world, I wouldn’t want mine to get all jacked up from too much contact with a hunk of leather backed up by 1000 psi of force.  No thank you.

The other week, I started as a room service food runner and hostess at a hotel sports bar here in Austin.  A far cry from digital micromirror device tweaking and retinal sampling, I find it difficult and challenging in other ways.  Knowing the menu front and back, picking up what “86″ and “on the fly” mean, and walking (literally) miles up and down floors in one night are just a few things that need getting used to.  I actually really enjoy the fast pace, giving good service, and making patrons feel welcome and important.  I think this is something I’m pretty good at and pick up on very quickly.

But recently, yet another friend of mine found a job in his field, and it just tugged at my heartstrings.  Why not me?  Why, after eight months of searching, haven’t I been able to find a job in something on which I spent 4 years and thousands upon thousands of dollars?

The recession could be the one to blame, but I take full responsibility.  Maybe I’m not trying hard enough.  Maybe I’m not really putting 100% into this job search.  Maybe I’m not proactive enough, forward enough, aggressive enough.  Or maybe I’m just never at the right place at the right time.  Whatever the reason, I know I am trying my best, but it’s difficult to not become disheartened.  Eight months is a long time to keep your chin up.  Eventually, your neck starts hurting.