Life After College: Business Cards Make Dreams Come True

By Jenni

I reuse Ziploc bags, I pay for my coffee with pennies, and all my jeans have holes in the crotch. I don’t pay for anything that I don’t desperately need. So even though I’ve been asked for my business card several times, I never shelled out the money to get them made. I will regret that decision for the rest of my life.

Last week CollegeCandy got invited to a Barenaked Ladies listening party and I gladly accepted the invite. I haven’t listened to new music since 1999 so they really hit the spot for me. I didn’t really know what a listening party entailed, but it sounded a lot more fun than sitting around watching Nanny reruns and eating a bag of chocolate chips.

My friend Sam and I showed up expecting to see a bunch of bloggers sitting around iPod speakers listening to Barenaked Ladies. It was better than anything I could have ever imagined. Not only were the Barenaked Ladies performing live, but there was a buffet and beer. I made a beeline for the food and cursed myself for not traveling around with plastic bags. To think of all the shrimp I could have packed into my purse!

Once I was done eating enough brie cheese to clog all my arteries, I headed to the performance area and snagged a front row seat. I was the only blogger there and I was also the only one there not keeping my cool. Everyone else was from the label and  sat there as if shrimp on sticks and live music were part of a regular Tuesday evening.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t start crying during “One Week.” I remember listening to that song in 7th grade when I still thought it was okay to go to school with oily hair and holiday-themed braces. Look at me now – a New York City girl (with cheese cubes in my purse) at a private concert.

After the concert Sam and I searched through the cooler for more beers and were about to leave when the drummer, Tyler Stewart, approached us. I blushed, I gigged, and I did my best “you’re famous, now make me famous comedy routine.” Tyler (we’re on first name basis now) fell for my good looks and charm (slash pitied how hard I was trying) and asked for my business card so he could read my blog. And of course I came up empty-handed.

If only I had a business card, I would have been hired as full-time tour blogger for Barenaked Ladies. I would probably have a record deal by the summer and a hit song with lyrics like “I spend my days blogging and warding off homeless men in the public library.”

But instead, I remain a regular ‘ole blogger with no hope of a hit record… and a stack of freshly made business cards.