As a millennial born in the late 1980's, I had the pleasure of witnessing some major cultural shifts, the most prominent being the advent of the Internet. While my early childhood was internet-free, as I got older I was introduced to both the wonders and horrors of the world wide web. And at first, I had to use dial-up internet to enjoy them. The haunting sound of dial-up internet booting up (and the anticipation that came with it) is just one of the many joys kids these days will never underst…

Reddit is not the enemy

So many bosses want excessive access to their employees in manners that cross some boundaries. On the first day of my first restaurant job, I asked one of the assistant managers if I could leave at 9 PM since, on the schedule, my shift ended at 9 PM. He laughed at me, said, “it's good you didn't ask that when the manager was around,” and we continued working. At the time, I felt like such an idiot because I had never had a job before, so I assumed all jobs were like that. Now I just realize thi…

He's got a flair for the dramatic

Did you know that the show Cheaters aired until 2021? Imagine actively watching Cheaters in the 2020s. It's so etched in my brain as one of those relics of early 2000s television, where ethically dubious stars like Chris Hansen thrived. It's fun to catch bad people and expose them for their crimes, so it's no wonder shows of that format were successful. I don't think Cheaters blurred as many lines between the police and reality TV as shows like Cops or the infamous To Catch a Predator . While t…

Small businesses are not an unequivocal good in society. Many small business owners underpay their employees, nickel and dime their customers, and, worst of all, provide a subpar product. We tend to look at small businesses as virtuous fighters in a world where every industry is getting more and more monopolized by the second. While I think that it's good that there are silly little stores that only sell sauces or socks, their niche uniqueness does not make them inherently good for a community…

Applying for jobs is tough; every entry-level position wants 3-5 years of experience, which makes the distinction of “entry-level” an oxymoron. Most career coaches will tell you to apply for jobs you're inexperienced in anyways because, usually, the people writing the job ads set the bar higher than they need to draw in more qualified applicants. Luckily, as time progresses in your career, you become overly qualified for those measly entry-level positions and begin to move up in the world. No l…

We all have our own petty causes that get us riled up. I think self-care routine videos are incredibly annoying and should be banned. Recently, Redditor u/hegotthedream asked the fine folks of r/AskReddit to share the “smallest hill” that they're willing to die on. The responses were quite interesting and revealed that everyone is passionate about some kind of small or stupid issue. Judging by the responses, one of the most common hills that people were willing to die on had to do with grammar…

WWYD?

It's my party and I'll ruin the vibe if I want to

Philip K. Dick, eat your heart out

Justice for Mojo Jojo

In my humble opinion, the best burger in the world is some variation of George Motz's Oklahoma fried onion smash burger. It's pretty simple. Oil and heat your skillet. Place a ball of 80/20 ground beef in the skillet and season with salt. Add a handful of finely sliced white onions on top of your ball. Smash the onions and beef into a thin patty and then leave it alone . Wait until the frilly edges go brown. Flip the patty. Lay a single slice of bullshit cheese on top (you know, those pre-wrapp…

One of life's greatest pleasures is being able to complain about a job you hate . If I wasn't able to tell my close friends and family about the annoying customers and often more annoying coworkers at my customer service jobs, then I don't know how I would be able to survive. Even when things weren't so bad at work, it's fun to share work stories. When I worked at a dog bakery, a customer told me she owned a dog funeral parlor. I was so taken aback that all I could say was, “I'm sorry" To that,…

Don't say rap and country

Life can change in an instant. Sometimes, you see tragic things coming from miles away. If a loved one is slowly succumbing to an illness, it might not hurt so much when they die because at least you had time to prepare for the inevitable emotionally. But when a death or a tragedy comes out of nowhere, the surprise of the occurrence can be extremely traumatic . You don't have to be a wreckless or clueless person to suffer in a horrible accident or have your life ruined instantly. These things c…