#NerdsUnite: Yay! I just graduated college!! But um, now what?

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Megan. She recently just graduated from SDSU and is now entering the world with a fresh pair of eyes in a stinky economy. In these series of posts she will discuss her thoughts and discoveries as she ventures out into the real world. Hit it Meg!!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @MegCorbs

One of the most disheartening things I experienced while in college was the infamous Budget Cuts. This happened around my Sop/Junior year.

Due to the shitastic debt that California was in the "governor" decided one way to remedy the situation was to do MASSIVE budget cuts to higher education…not once…but MULTIPLE times.

Now don't get me wrong when I say this next thing about SDSU because I really do love my alma mater, but when I applied you just needed to spell your name right on the app to get in.

Ok, maybe it wasn't THAT easy, but you get the picture.

Now fast forward just a few short years later and it's becoming virtually impossible. This I just CAN'T wrap my brain around. The virtually impossible was reserved for schools like Stanford and UCLA not San Diego State.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here, let's backtrack a little.

The first immediate effect of the budget cuts was of course tuition hikes. While SDSU's tuition is fairly low, it's still crazy how MUCH it was raised over my remaining years and I can't even imagine what it is now. We would even get emails AFTER we paid tuition saying that the board voted and we have to pay an additional xxx amount. Um, what? Way to eff up people's student loans guys.

Next up was the increasing of class sizes. My last two years should have been spent mainly in smaller sized classes but nope, bring on the 500 student lecture halls. Not only does this prevent learning from actually happening (and wanting to stab those stupid sorority girls who insist they can talk the entire class about that "totally awesome frat party" because the class is so big) but the profs stop caring as much and who can blame them. When you are in charge of that many students how do you give an eff about each one individually? Not possible.

Then came the age of disappearing classes. All the classes that you are actuality excited to take in upper division aren't there anymore. Even though technically you should be able to choose your classes, that option isn't there anymore. So say goodbye to Origin of Greek Mythology and hello to Rhetoric and Writing. BOOO
So what does all of this equal up to? NOT BEING ABLE TO GET CLASSES.

Registering every semester was the BIGGEST pain in the ass. You wound up getting NO classes you really wanted and having to "crash" classes you needed. When you crash you basically show up on the first day hoping that there is room and that the prof will let you stay. This usually winds up with a ridiculous amount of people crashing for like 2 empty seats.

So back to the whole "people can't get into school's now" thing. As much as the above all sucked I'm immensely grateful that I got into SDSU when I did. They are turning away so many Cali kids in favor of out of state students who have to pay triple the tuition.

It's so sad that the day has come that even if you WANT an education you can't get it. These lawmakers are putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. Yes you are saving money now but where the hell do you think this state is going to go if the people that want to be educated can't?

We are the generation that is going to turn this horrible mess of an economy around and don't you dare forget that!

Keep Kicking Ass and Taking Names!

#nerdsunite

Click here to follow Megan on twitter!

#NerdPr0nz: Behind the Scenes with @MeowMistiDawn

<editorsnote> Misti Dawn is the nerdiest girl working in porn. In this column she invites you inside of her world outside of the sets, and inside her heart. awwwwwwwwww </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @MeowMistiDawn

Yello Nerdites,

I have been slammed. Slammed. Slammed. Slammed.
These past few weeks have been nuts. I have launched 3 sites within 3 weeks of each other that have already been doing really well. I have switched agents. I have been shooting for my site. I just can’t find enough hours in the day.

Last week I went to the Saints Row for the third release party with the guys from Machinima. The party was amazing but more so the free booze. Which I had far too much of. But the most fun part is the guys from Machinima and I are going to work together on promoting the Naughty Nerd site for me ^_^ oh and fucking DIGITAL UNDERGROUND PLAYED!!

Then shot for my site yada yada yada. Oh! I switched agents. Turns out, a studio that had booked me before said they tried to book my thru LA Direct and they told them I had quit porn. WTF? Sadly, I’m not surprised, I am not the first person they have done this too I’ve heard. Any who, left them even though they still owe me money on top of it. Gee! I sure love the honesty of porn.... haha (P.S. My old agent was LA Direct) But now I’m with 101 Modeling.

Most riveting part of the weekend though. Michael and I had our first girl/girl 3 way. Yeap. FIRST! Everyone seems so shocked. Look 3 ways with girls are much more difficult to line up. Girls are a hard breed to tame. With females, it’s hard to just have sex then just leave. Girls come with a lot of baggage typically. Just more problems. Well, I finally found a girl I trust, that likes girls equally, knows the deal, and is purdddddy ^_^ So Michael and I had a really good time with her. Which is nice because I miss making out with a girl. It’s harder to line up than you think. Nothing is worse than making out with a girl that only does it for attention. It’s mildly like being used.

Well, I must hit the dusty trail...

<3 Misti Dawn

MistiDawn@MeowMistiDawn.com

MeowMistiDawn.com
DawnOfTheBed.com
TheNaughtyNerd.com
MistiAndMichaelLoveSex.com

Twitter.com/MeowMistiDawn
Facebook.com/MistiMeowDawn

#nerdsunite

#NerdsUnite: I just graduated college!! But um, now what?

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Megan. She recently just graduated from SDSU and is now entering the world with a fresh pair of eyes in a stinky economy. In these series of posts she will discuss her thoughts and discoveries as she ventures out into the real world. Hit it Meg!!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @MegCorbs

This is something I never, and I mean NEVER, thought I would admit but…
I actually MISS house parties.

College house (more like apartment) parties are the BEST/worst things in the world and SDSU had PLENTY of them every night.

Because San Diego has a TON of college/universities in one town, they are insane about checking IDs and can see a fake from a mile away. It wasn't worth it to waste your money so the next best thing was finding a party to crash.

This is how 99% of my SDSU party nights usually went:

My two roomies who I ALWAYS partied with, and I would make lots of calls and texts to see where and when the parties were that night. Sometimes this took 5 seconds, sometimes hours with not the best of options.  

Once that goal was accomplished we would move on to phase two: Getting Ready. Since my two roomies and I were all the same size we would raid each other’s closets finding clothes that we each haven't been photographed in a thousand times. Then it was Britney Spears (don't judge, she is perfect getting party ready music) and shot taking time.

Our poison of choice: usually Smirnoff. I used to be able to take shots like a boss! Now the thought of taking a shot makes me want to vomit. Ohh how growing up is no fun. Then AFTER taking shots (because for some reason we never learned from this mistake) we would do our make-up and hair hoping not to turn out like a $2 whores.

Taking a shit ton of pictures was always important. Alcohol+Brit Brit+excitement+girls will more times than not, result in obnoxious picture taking.

We would always walk/take the trolley to parties. We may have been your typical drunken college girls but we were not stupid. So as we stumbled and laughed our way there and were hopeful about the night's activities.

Most house parties were alcohol-less or just about that by the time we got there (helllooo broke college kids) so we usually had a water bottle full of vodka and another of a chaser (sometimes a horrible idea because you don't know how much you were drinking).

The house parties themselves were either SUPER cramped with tons of people or sadly sparse, which was awkward if you didn't know the person throwing it. We would then walk around scoping out the boy situation and find a spot to hang out in for a little bit.

College house parties are usually SUPER gross. Beer spilt all over the floor, cups and dishes everywhere, bathrooms destroyed. Thinking back I cringe a little bit, especially if it was a guys' house. Boys, I love ya, but you are NASSSTY!

But none of this grossness compares to the college sport of choice….Beer Pong. Oh beer pong how I love thee. If you don't know what this amazingly fun game is, basically you set up 10-12 cups full of beer in the shape of a triangle on either ends of a table. Two teams of two try to throw a ping pong into the other teams cups first and of course drinking is involved.  So why is this gross you ask?

Well the cups get reused and reused and reused pretty much throughout the entire night…and multiple people.  Beer pong is the ultimate college whore. Aside from this the ping pong balls get bounced through that aforementioned gross floor and then "washed" in a water cup (more like dunked quickly) because we can reuse cups that other people's lips have touched but god forbid we throw a ball that has bounced on the floor into a "fresh" cup of beer. Gotta love the college kid logic. By the end of the night the water cup looks like it was filled with gutter water. Yummy.

Usually towards the end of the night a dance party will break out and you better believe that this uncoordinated white girl thinks she's got MOVVESSS by then. Honestly though, there's nothing like dancing around drunkenly with your girls.

Sometimes the parties were themed. Anything from 80s party to dress like a celebrity of your choice to golf pros and tennis hoes and my favorite, Gangsta party. Being broke you always had to get creative.

When we would decide to stumble home we were usually starving. This is where living on campus came in handy. We had not one but 2 awesome late night burrito places. I love me some California Burritos (carne asada, cheese, sour cream and french fries! Don't knock it till you try it). The burritos were the size of your head (and I would finish it all!) and cost like $3. WIN!

So why would I miss that you ask? Why not! It was always fun and an adventure. I remember wishing to be 21 so that I didn't have to worry about finding a party and alcohol and now I wish I could go back to those crazy times.  Getting up in the am and crawling into each other's beds to trade stories about the night before was always the highlight of the whole weekend!

#nerdsunite

Click here to follow Megan on twitter!

#NerdsUnite: Confessions of an Unwed Bride

<editorsnote>  Julie Wilson recently endured an agonizing break up with her fiancé after being together for 8 years. She is now in her late 20s and confused about what to do next. These are some of her frustrations, and ways she is attempting to heal from her loss. </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Julie Wilson

Me? Date?

I've been single for over 5 months now and I just can't bring myself to go on a date. I still hang out with my ex all the time and I'm pissed scared to go on a first date as I technically never really have. The last time I was single I was 20 and in college. At that stage of life it wasn't so official. So even talking to someone at a bar is a big deal for me. As I've started to dip my toe in the dating pool, I've had some funny encounters with guys (there have, of course, been positive encounters as well).

Jen kindly, but firmly pushed me to open an OKCupid account. OkCupid has just been a place for me to secretly blush and do nothing; men write to me, I kinda freak, smile and then never write them back. I just can't bring myself to do it. I've been really impressed by how sweet a lot of guys are out there. Especially impressed because this is Los Angeles; a city I partially blame for my breakup. I've been amazed at how not a single email that I have received has been overtly sexually suggestive. In fact, so far I've only gotten one negative email. In response to the question about what I'm doing with my life I wrote in that I work on HTML all day (btw, love the logic of HTML, the rainbow of colors that Dreamweaver makes and watching my edits in the code render in design mode), I got this:  


Dude, I can't write you back...girls aren't taught to read and write, remember?

There's only been one other occasion so far of a guy being douchy to me. While out at the local bar with Jen a group of guys start chatting us up. One of the guys starts talking to me and eventually we land on what we each do for work. I give him a brief description of what I do (Email Marketing: a lot of proofing, a lot of HTML). He tells me what he does, graphic design work for a porn something or other. Then he makes what is one of the largest faux pas (certainly in the professional realm); he asks me how much money I make.

I'm not into this dude. Regardless, I've very out of practice at talking to dudes. I got nervous and I actually answered him. It was one of those moments where you have an out of body experience. You can hear the words coming out of your mouth and at the same time you are screaming at yourself, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

And then he makes it worse. "Really? That's how much I make. Wait, you make the same amount as I do, doing what you do? That's not fair."

At this point I was so done with this conversation. But somehow I find myself reassuring him that it's okay that he's making this amount. I told him that he doesn't know exactly what goes into my job and that there are other factors that go into how much someone gets paid. I ask him if this is his first job out of college. He says yes. I explain to him that this is my third job and I have more work experience than him. Apparently, I have more tact than him as well. I was so insulted and also annoyed at myself for going down this route of conversation.

Guys, this isn't going to work. This isn't the playground. If you punch me in the arm or throw sand in my face, you'll get my attention, but it won't be positive.

Even when guys are nice, I often don't make things easy for myself.

I'm constantly at war with my Jewish side, I'm half bagel. I get anxious and stressed out really easily (pot helps stabilize). Like talking to dudes isn't hard enough, throw in the amazing ability to always be nervous. Also, I'm a complete control freak (to the point where I hardly ever get drunk). I greatly prefer approaching a guy that I know I'm into then have some dude that I'm not really vibing come over and talk to me. I feel like the situation is out of my hands. So when they do, I pretty much wig out. So yeah, even when I'm not into a guy, actually especially when I'm not sure that I'm into them, I freak. When it's a good, organic conversation I can soar over mountaintops. But I stumble in LA potholes when they come up to me.

So, as I've mentioned, I get so effing nervous at bars and clubs. Back in March I went out with some girlfriends and we ended up downtown. We bar hopped for a bit before landing at a cheesy club. Clubs have never and will never be my thing (which is ironic because I grew up in Miami/Fort Lauderdale) and this one was especially not my style. It looked like a poor imitation of Las Vegas. I decide at the go that anyone hanging out here is prolly not for me (not very open, huh?). After we all get our drinks I notice this one dude staring me down. I promptly freaked out. I tried my hardest to avoid this guy. At one point I could really tell he was about to make his move. I then literally bolted, grabbing a friend and telling her I needed to use the bathroom. As I walked by he tried to even talk to me and I just kept walking (it was really loud, to him it was completely plausible that I just didn't hear him, I'm not a complete bitch)!

This other dude came over and made polite conversation. I finagled my way outta there! He wasn't a bad looking dude, but I was three weeks out of a 7 year relationship - damaged goods! He then came up to me again a bit later and this time there was no way out. My friend literally kicked me in the butt to push me in his direction! I learned he was studying to be a doctor, which scored him some points, but overall if I can't talk to you about music, movies, TV, anime or comics I'm not really down. Even so, I got really nervous. I was drinking a vodka tonic in this hard plastic cup. The kind that kinda looks like glass. I got so nervous talking to a dude I wasn't even into that I cracked the cup all the way down the side! My mind immediately went into damage control mode as I waited for my wrist and arm to get covered with liquid. For whatever reason, it didn't all immediately leak out everywhere (Are you there God? It's me, Julie). I quickly threw the rest of the drink back and laughed inside all while maintaining the conversation.

All part of the Julie charm, lol. I'm not worried though, I know when it's right I'll shine. Now if I could just make myself return an email on OkCupid...

...Baby steps, Jules, you'll get there.

#nerdsunite

 Click here to follow Julie on Twitter

Fun with #Facebook: Epic Email Thread

OOHHH bless multiple recipients being on a Facebook email thread. Anytime you click reply, it replies to all automatically. Yep ... its pretty awesome.

Oh Marky Mark and your Facebook bunch!! What would we do without you??

Oh baby I love it when you pout at me like that.

#drool