What Do I Do? ... Where Do I Begin?

Hello, dear readers. I know I promised a rebuttal for the comments regarding my feminist blog, but in the end, neither of us will concede defeat, so I thought I'd give my blood pressure a rest and write about something else. Another complaint, because as everyone knows, complaining is fun. This complaint- er, blog- is a rather lengthy response to the question every new grad in this awful economy dreads.

"So... what do you do?"

Let's go back to the previous weekend. Boss Man had mistakenly left his card at the club we tried the previous night, and he wanted some company for the trip back to claim it. I'm not much into the club scene, but I do get a serious kick out of the small talk that foolishly optimistic boys engage in to get to know a girl, so I joined him. He had to get up to use the restroom, leaving me vulnerable to the expectations of some poor fool. This particular fool never revealed his name to me, but as his ridiculously long hair defied gravity to an extent that baffles the mind, Boss Man and I dubbed him Mr. Fluff. After insulting me a couple of times (is this a new way to pick up the ladies? Because it doesn't work), Mr. Fluff asked me the dreaded question.

As always, this question made me pause. There I stood awkwardly, wondering how I could fully answer this stupid question in as few words as possible and still be understood.

I know that I should be grateful for having the job that I do, but I can't help but feel the sting of my hurt pride that my art degree landed me a job in retail. I studied animation, but I have no great love for it. I suppose this is a good thing, because I'm really bad at it. And as I peruse sites like careerbuilder.com and monster.com, I can't help but notice that unless you design logos and websites, there's no place for you in the art world. I can't do those things, but you know what I can do? Design jewelry. Write. I love both of these things, and I intend to make both a part of my career. Maybe I wasn't on the ball enough to find my passion at 18, get the degree and the job to follow, but things WILL work out for me. My determination, goals, and ambitions are worth something, and they far better define me than my retail position does.

I suppose I'm being overly sensitive in this case. I know the guy means no harm, but let's be honest: is that an appropriate question given today's economy? A better question would be "What do you WANT to do?" Things aren't likely to change though, especially considering the problem of the loud music. The conditions simply just do not invite lengthy explanations. Given the circumstances, I answer as fully as I can:

"Not a heck of a lot."

I catch Mr. Fluff off-guard. I'm pretty sure I didn't impress him, but I at least thought it was funny. I think I found my new go-to answer.