The Industry

     It’s Saturday… now normally it would be a sleep in till noon sort of day… but not today… it was a sleep in till 10:00 kind of day haha. Today didn’t have much to do with radio. It was all about hanging out with my best friend to celebrate her birthday. With this said, I guess I could tie it into Scott McGregor’s advice when he said that radio people should always have non-radio friends to keep them sane… see, just doing my job!

Now anyone who knows me, knows that I thoroughly enjoy food - sorry let me clarify - junk food. I mean I’m sure it looks like all I eat is vegetables, but I’m telling you, this is far from the truth… my “kegger” is 19 years in the making and it takes a lot of work to maintain! So when I discovered that I had befriended a person who loves food as much as I do it was great news… the only problem… she is a vegan! Now you might think that this would never work… but you would be pleasantly surprised of how many desserts there are that are just as good, if not better in their vegan state… this naturally has spun a web of creation in the vegan kitchen world and seeing as how it was this friend’s (Danika’s) birthday we decided to attempt a vegan birthday cake… how does this sound. Chocolate Oreo Cake with Cookies and Cream Frosting…. ya, now you’re drooling.

That’s how it turned out and although there was more then double the frosting as there was cake… it couldn’t have turned out better. However the best part of having non-radio friends is just like Scott said… they DO keep you sane AND they let you vent!

Naturally, I’m not the type of person that loves being unemployed… ok the first couple days were nice, but now I’m ready to get back into it. Again, this is one of the reasons this blog even exists. I was so bored of writing up cover letters and resumes and handing them out on a whim, applying to postings that seemed nearly impossible to get day in and day out, and then discovering that Judge Judy has really lost her edge. This blog is my way of keeping connected with the industry that I’m so passionate about, while I find a job.

I don’t want to sound all whiny, but this project has always been to express the ups and downs and the frustrations and laughter of the journey to become a broadcaster and well it’s time to show a little true emotion.

Recently the levels of frustration have been a little higher then I would like. For some reason I keep comparing myself to my fellow classmates. We have all done it. You know the “How-did-he-get-a-better-grade-then-I-did’s”. I’m no exception. However, for me I keep weighing the fact that a good chunk of my class have jobs in the industry and for some reason, not for lack of trying, I do not. I can’t tell you how weird it is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly proud of all my classmates who are out in the industry because they all deserve it, but a little self-pity tends to come out in these situations. I was near the top of my class, but in the real world grades aren’t important… DAMN! Talk about frustrating.

I keep being reminded of my family motto “everything happens for a reason”. Perhaps my job is right around the corner, or maybe an even better job that I could never imagine will come up and maybe this blog is what will allow me to get my foot in the door. I mean, it has already introduced me to numerous people in the industry, but it doesn’t mean I can’t feel beyond annoyed. 

This is how I’ve been feeling these past couple days and I wouldn’t be surprised if you are feeling the same way. I guess it is nature. We want the best for our friends and family… but we also want the best for ourselves (as greedy and self-centered as that may sound). But there are ways to combat these emotions. A solid group of great friends and family members and the magical cure-all… chocolate and other forms of sugar, which leads to the latest family motto:

“When in doubt, ice cream it out”

- The Hawes Family

If you are finding yourself in a rut like I have been in, do something about it. Me? I hung out with friends, ate my face off and started to watch the last season of 3rd Rock from the Sun… and I feel better. What are you going to do? Pick yourself up, realize that this isn’t the end of the world and know that our time is coming. I’m also realizing that this emotion cycle was inevitable, it was only a matter of time before I had a low moment, but that’s it, just a moment. Back to happy-go-lucky sugar-filled Mitch.

So after cake consumption, a dip in the pool (don’t worry it was definitely 30 minutes in between… I think) and a little “talking-sense-into-Mitch” talk from Danika, my frustration level went from an 8 to a 2… I highly recommend it.

Let the unemployed rise to the top!

-Mitch