Well, there's that...

[mandie_rw]

You know, it's really shaping up to be a tremendously exciting break. Hardly any sewing or costuming, because of the Evil Stomach Bug of Evilness, recovering from that, and now, today, have I been doing anything? No, of course not; I've been lying on the living-room sofa, reading Harry Potter, and popping pills in a fairly unsuccessful effort to keep wicked cramps at bay. *is cranky* And I had to be at the dentist at 9.00 this morning, whereupon it was determined I had two cavities (my first ever; aren't I special?) and had said cavities filled. Not a morning person. Not a needles-in-the-gums sort of person. And not really the sort of person who wants to hear the hygienist tell me that my BA in history is going to be Epically Useless. (Yes, I'm paraphrasing. Work with me here.)

I did dye my hair though. *promptly falls over in surprise* Red. Sort of. (It's that what-do-you-call-it...*searches for box*...L'oreal Natural Match stuff, so out of direct light it's not much darker than my real color. In the light, though...yay, red!) My mother hates it, of course. She came home from work, and there I was, reading Harry Potter with my red hair. It makes me feel absurdly rebellious. I come from a very socially conservative family; can you tell? Like I'd dyed it...I don't know...lime-green or something. (My sister, on the other hand, didn't even notice it, which kind of cracks me up.)

(On a side note, I blame you, drama_wench , for my motivation for doing this. ;) Your recent meme-thingy mentioning red hair was the kick in the ass I needed to actually do it...I've been in love with red hair and wanted it ever since I really got into *mumble*Titanic*mumble* but I still defend myself for liking that movie! Kate Winslet looked gorgeous with red hair, and I will always maintain those costumes are Made of Awesome...a few years back [and I had the Felicity doll when I was young too, hehe!], but never had the figurative balls to actually dye my hair. So, thank you, m'dear; even if everyone thinks my hair sucks now, at least I tried it!)

But I think I actually like it, and may keep it, so...*sticks tongue out at the haters* Nyah!

Also, I really do not think that, every time I come home, I need to be told just how useless a history degree is in any possible career field except teaching (I get that from the dental hygienists, thanks!), and then, when I say, okay, I'll get a teaching certification, am told that I should never and will never be a teacher. Okay. Fine. I guess I should just drop out now, then, and live on the streets?! What do they want me to say?! God.

(And just to spite them, maybe I'll keep the red hair forever. Nyah! Again!)

Comments

[llyrafantasyfae.livejournal.com]

ROFL, go red hair. I have done it twice and I am a blonde. Much more dramatic of a change. Not strawberry blonde red but a dark purpley red.
And BLAH about the history degree. I would love to major in that, loving history like I do. Unfortunatly I want to be a doctor and the history major won't help me prepare for that. :( Plan is to go back community college like afterwards and get it.

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Haha, thanks! Red hair is awesome! ;)

I'm glad to know others out there think history isn't completely worthless! I hope you do get a chance to do at least some study of history later; it's really quite fun (except when you get stuck taking classes you really don't want to, but need for "geographic distribution requirements," ew!).

[rose-bertin.livejournal.com]

So I was reading this post and got to the part about you dying your hair and was going to leave some sort of clever comment about how deep down you knew redheads were hotter and clearly my icon was sending subliminal messages into your subconscious and then I get to the paragraph where you place the blame for this entire decision on me and I literally laughed out loud.

I'm glad I could be of service!! I'm quite proud to have been the cause of this decision. And everyone is just saying you look bad because they're jealous of your super awesome red hair (on a side note, I went through quite a few different brands and shades before I found the perfect color for me, so keep going until you absolutely love your hair and everyone else thinks it's amazing). I demand pictures!!

Out of curiosity, what do you want to do with your history degree? And look on the bright side, at least you're not me, who not only wants a museum job, which is impossible to get, but wants a museum job in a costume department, which most museums don't have. Before my big Life Plan changed this past summer I wanted to be a full time actor, and when I told that to my ex-roommate's dad while moving into my dorm last year he got so judgmental. It makes me mad just thinking about it. I just wanted to slap him and say "First of all how dare you judge me when you don't even know me. Second of all, at least I'm doing something I love and something I'm passionate about, unlike your daughter, who hates the major that you're forcing her to be in and is going to wake up when she's 40 and realize she's miserable and has wasted her life". Whenever some one tells me I can't do something or makes some sort of comment about useless degrees or never finding work (a costume historian friend of mine once lashed out at me when I said I wanted to work in a museum), that makes me all the more motivated to do what I want to do and prove everyone wrong.

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahaha, thank you! (It was definitely the icon and its subliminal messages as well!) I will take pictures...eventually. ;) I may wait a bit until I find that perfect shade, though. Next go-round I want something more red, less brown - more dramatic! *pictures mother's probable reaction and giggles*

And as for what I want to do with my degree - I'm really, really not sure. (If I'm still saying this in a year, that'll be a problem...but for now I'm still cutting myself some slack!) There was actually an internship at the Phila. Museum of Art I was going to apply for this summer (didn't, but long story!), and one of the departments they could place one in was costumes. Would have been perfect - right across the river from me, with costumes, ah well.

I hate when people are so negative about we students majoring in something we love, God forbid, instead of something Eminently Practical. It always makes me think, "Just because you clearly hate your job, doesn't mean I ought to just give up now. Yes, I may well end up with a job that is less then my ideal one, but at least I'm trying." Oh well. :D

[rose-bertin.livejournal.com]

My favorite hair time is about two or three washes right after I dye it, then it's super duper bright and I love it. I myself use Clairol dye, so I can recommend that. My best friend is quite fond of her dye too, which is very dramatic, but I don't know what brand it is.

I almost applied for the Philadelphia Museum of Art internship!! I even went as far as having a conversation with the internship coordinator over the phone about how it's structured. However, before I got a chance to apply, FIDM called and wanted me to work for them, so Philadelphia went out the window. However unless something else super exciting comes up I'll definitely be applying next year. That's actually on my list of Places I'd Like To Work At After Grad School. You should apply next year and then we could hang out (because clearly we're both so super awesome that we'd both get it)! Would you like to go into costume history, or would you rather do something in the more general history discipline?

My roommate hates economics, and loves classics more than anything. She is a classics and econ double major, and will go into economics as her career "because I just can't think of anything more practical". I just wanted to strangle her and say "YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE YOURSELF MISERABLE AND HATE YOUR LIFE!!!!" But my roommate is a very puzzling person in general. One of these days I'm going to get around typing up my rant about her.

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

I was thinking costumes at the Art Museum, but really, if they didn't want me there I'd file envelopes and bring them their coffee! I love that place, though I don't get over there as often as I'd like. It'd be amazingly fantabulous if you came to Philly next year - even if I don't do the internship, I live practically five minutes away over the bridge, so we could meet up and you could tell me about the awesomeness that I'm sure an internship in their costume department would be!

(Oh God, I can imagine my mother now..."Where are you going?" "Oh, I'm going to Philly to meet somebody I met on the internet." "WHAT." "Not like that, mom, calm down!")

And do type that rant some day! Rants are fun. And thereputic! ;) I have a friend who is a philosophy major/bio minor, and is going to go to either law school or med school - because that's what her family "expects" her to do. I can tell it's not what she wants to do, but she pretends that it is - or that it's the only "practical" thing she can do with philosophy, which she actually does like. Glad my family isn't made up of doctors and lawyers, so at least they don't put that kind of pressure on me. Small favors.

[situveuxmoi.livejournal.com]

What, your mom doesn't color her grays?

My mom didn't care if I dyed my hair, so long as I paid for it myself. With hair as long as mine, it takes a LOT of color, so I get it done professionally. Costs me a bundle so I don't get highlights, just an overall color.

After the first two color sessions I pointed out to my stylist that my hair was looking a lot redder (I was going for a deep chesnut). Apparently it looked fine, but she changed the formula and now it's just a pretty brown.

ps. Cavities suck. I've had 4 of 'em and I hate that needle they use. And it is perfectly fine to sit and read Harry Potter and not finish any sewing projects :).

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is, she does color her hair, but I guess since it's as close as she could get to her original color, and only does it for a "practical" reason, it doesn't count. Or something! Lol.

I can imagine how much color it must take for your hair - even mine used most of the bottle! But now that I've started, I'm never (relative term, of course!) going back, it's too much fun!

And I'm glad you approve of the Harry Potter reading. ;) It was the seventh book, actually, and a few chapters in, I was reminded of an icon I believe you had a while back...regarding the middle third being very "in-tents," and I started giggling.

[heidilea.livejournal.com]

Try museum work--you could start out with volunteering at places (there's aplenty where we're from!)

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Thanks; that's definitely one perk to living where we do! (Actually, I think that's one reason I wouldn't want to move out of the Northeast; we've got the most history! ;D 'Course, it's nothing on Europe...but at least we've got 18th century stuff!)

[librarianofdoom.livejournal.com]

Hey, I know plenty of history majors who've gone on to become very happy and successful librarians. (I'm a rare book librarian, so I get to play with history on a daily basis too!) Of course, then you have people saying things like, "I didn't know we still needed librarians, now that everything's on the internet." Luckily, you get two years of grad school and plenty of professional literature giving you all sorts of material to respond to that particular comment. :)

And whoo hoo on the red hair!

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

A librarian...that's a thought, actually; thank you! I think I may have to look into that. Somehow I'd never thought of it. And you've gotta love the people who say intelligent things like that (it's either that or strangle them!)...clearly they spend too much time with said Internet and not enough with books!

Thanks; I think I'm keeping it red for a while; I like it! Despite my mother. ;)

[librarianofdoom.livejournal.com]

I know it's a bit early yet, but if you ever have any questions about librarianship, or getting a master's in library science, I'd be happy to talk your ear off for a while, or put you in contact with a few of my friends in different types of libraries.

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Again, thank you! I hardly know what to ask right now (other than the basic, how much more school and how much more money, heh), but I will definitely remember this, and may well crop up asking random questions on your journal at some point in the future!

[librarianofdoom.livejournal.com]

*resists the temptation to chant, "Join us..."*

To answer your question, a professional-level librarian job requires a Master's in Library science (or Library and Information Science, or some variation thereof.) This is typically a 2-year degree if you're a full-time student. I've heard of 1-year degree programs, but I honestly don't know how you could learn everything you need to know to be a good librarian in just one year. If/when you decide to look into this, the American Library Association web page has a list of accredited programs by state.

How much it costs depends on which school you go to. I went to UCLA, which is not the cheapest of schools, but is considered to be a pretty good program. Tuition these days is about $3,000 per quarter for California residents (so, $9k/year if you take summers off--summer session seems to have a different pricing model), but what really kicked my ass was the cost of living in L.A. There are plenty of less expensive programs though, and several that have distance-learning options.

Just to make sure, I'm not giving you all this information to pressure you or anything. (After all, giving people information is what librarians *do*. I can't help it.) I'm just really happy with my career choice, so I do rather like to recruit people. :)

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Oh, no pressure, I know! :D It's actually really good to hear that you're happy with your career choice and want to recruit people; that's quite a recommendation to me!

(It must be the oh-so-faint chants of "Join us..." working on me! ;) )

[cleopatramwi.livejournal.com]

Err, sounds like your hygienist was a wannabe history major :)

Don't worry, I majored in Epically Useless Archaeology now I work in dentistry!

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, that must have been it! Actually, when I first went in to start the whole braces thing, the orthodontist who first looked at my teeth told me he had been a history major - and he was young and good-looking, so I approved! (Sadly, he is no longer the one I have to see every month.) I knew history wasn't useless! ;)