Sara Mausolf
There is happiness after the university, after allGraduating from the University of Delaware Check.Moving to the spicy, hot wiener capital of the world Check. Scoring a job where I write articles about dead people almost every day Check. As you can plainly see, my life has turned out exactly the way I always dreamed it would. After graduating from this fine institution, I moved to a small town in Pennsylvania where there are more "spicy, hot wiener" shops than bars, museums and art galleries combined. I am also a reporter at the newspaper here, for which I am honestly and truly grateful, not joking around at all. So what does, this have to do with anything? Hold on, I'm getting to that. Anyway, I've learned the fine art of writing obituary stories, learned how to live by myself and how to pay bills. However, this hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be. All through college, I crusaded against living comfortably and lavishly. I crusaded against corporations and SUVs in the same manner most college students do: while wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch tank top. Yet now that I am almost doing the right thing, I spend a lot of time craving life's comforts. I am poor, live in a small apartment, conserve energy, recycle and drive only two fuel efficient blocks to work. I also have a job as an education reporter where I try to dig for corruption in the system (one elementary school puppet show article at a time). However, I constantly crave two creature comforts. The first thing is my Tempur Pedic mattress. I don't know who invented those things the Swiss or astronauts or Swedish astronauts but they're awesome. If you don't have a Tempur Pedic mattress, buy one immediately. It's the best sleep you'll ever have and so convenient for when you want to balance a glass of wine on your side of the bed and your spouse wants to jump up and down on the other. The other thing I miss is decent radio. Although we have the country station, the western station and, for variety, the religious country western station here, I still don't feel satisfied. Although we have the non stop John Mayer station and the really badrap remix station, I still feel like bumping and grinding directly off a cliff. But it's cool. Sure, I live in a frumpy town where I wear the same pair of Gap circa 1980s khakis every day just to fit in. But I still think I made the right choice. I'm glad I didn't choose the corporate path. I'm glad I didn't move to the city and do marketing, or even become an editorial assistant. And I wouldn't trade my English degree for the world. I mean, at least I'm doing something interesting. So all you history majors out there, all you philosophy students and film concentrators, psychology majors who can't afford graduate school hang in there. Everyone constantly tells you'll never get a high paying job and your life will suck. But worst case scenario? You don't get a job, end up traveling or bumming around – and after your friends start their corporate jobs, they'll be jealous. Besides, most interesting professions require clawing your way to the top. So with that in mind, I guess, I’ll just hang in there too and best. After all, a girl can't Iive on spicy hot wieners alone. Sarah Mausolf is a former features editor for The Review.
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