A Second to Breathe...

So here I am 3 months from graduation and more busy than I have ever been in my life. Hey, I’m not complaining! I actually thrive off of being busy. Upon taking the internship here are Bailey Gardiner I knew I would be taking on a lot, but I’m really glad I got the opportunity to do so. In the three weeks I have been here I have researched more about advertising for cycling apparel then you could imagine and am getting use to the giant over-powering printer. Plus, I got to attend a vendor meeting which gave me a brief snippet about what my future may be like if I continue down this path.

As a server, it really takes me some time getting use to sitting down on my butt for five hours straight. So if you see me meandering around the office just smile and realize I don’t have ADD, I’m just stretching. As for learning Mac, I have taken it in with ease. As a business student I have grown accustomed to PC’s and was a little hesitant (read: anti) Mac, but I feel we are really growing to have a wonderful relationship with one another.

When I’m not learning new things here at Bailey Gardiner I spend most of my time at Red Lobster (no, I really don’t like the bread anymore, but if you want me to bring you some I can!) I’m also finishing up my degree and will graduate this May (YAY!!) In doing so, I hope that I will have gained a lot of experience here at Bailey Gardiner that will take me places in my future.

So after spending 50+ hours a week on working and school it can be hard to relax and get a second to breathe, but I must admit I love it. As long as you enjoy what you do it never really feels like work. I can’t wait to learn more about advertising and put my skills to use. As for now…Coffee is my new best friend as are bagels!

Hire Me

Today's blog post is going to be a bit different than others I have produced in the past. It won't be about board sports, hurting myself, or stealing back bicycles. It's about trying a different approach to getting hired. After getting sick of writing the quintessential cover letters, I thought I would try something a bit different.

To start off, I understand that 1 million+ other young professionals are in my shoes at the moment. Trying to land that solid entry-level job. Possessing the skills, knowledge and know-how is not the question. I am sure myself and others are all roughly around the same skill set. But differentiating myself is key to landing that stellar position that I want and oh so need.

I have a college degree. Bachelor's of Science degree in advertising and a Minor in business marketing. Me and about a trillion others. I have internship experience at a creative and innovative advertising agency as well as roughly a year experience working in corporate America. I am very technologically savvy, I know and understand most computer programs and if I don't it will take me 30 seconds to figure it out. I understand social media and have had a Facebook account since it began back in 2004. I know I am a veteran. I consider myself to be creative. So does my mom. She always hung up my drawings on the refrigerator. When I was in middle school one of my poems I wrote in class was published in a nationally renown book of literature.

I strive to be a trendsetter, my newest accomplishment has been bringing the 'high-five' back. Think it's not back or hasn't gone anywhere? Think again. It was all me.

I have had a very diverse background. One that I feel makes me fairly well-rounded. I once worked on a commercial fishing boat in the Bering Sea. Similar to the show "The Deadliest Catch" only not in the dead of winter. Being out at sea on a 32' boat with only two others; a crusty, grumpy captain and a crystal meth addict going through withdrawals for a month straight was no easy task. Not to mention the 20 hour days...

I also worked as a wild-land firefighter. Saving mother nature's gorgeous landscape and foliage from destruction. As well as protecting homes and people's lives. I've seen a few dead burnt cows and enough rattle snakes to fill up a dump-truck.

I used to instruct celebrities how to snowboard. Well one or two celebs. Meg Ryan count?

I saved a resort building from burning down from a chemical fire. Harker Center in Elkhorn, ID, still have the letter of appreciation if you want to read it.

I volunteered and taught underprivileged children with disabilities how to swim in Seattle, WA.

I have worked in many restaurants, created my own hot sauce, made a rap song, was an All-State basketball player in high school, drank Kava with a prince of a small island in Fiji, well that one is kind of irrelevant and I am not sure if he was a prince, that's just what he told me.

I have compiled a 'Man Resume' as I call it. A list of all the things I want to accomplish before I die. Most current between #46- Surf in Nicaragua and #48- Save dolphins from the Taiji, Japan dolphin slaughter, is land a job with a solid salary and good benefits. I really hope I accomplish #47 before I die. Or before I have to move onto #48 cause that plane ticket will be $pendy.

If you or someone you know is looking for an outstanding, handsome, hardworking young man with a hunger to learn and willingness to do just about anything, feel free to shoot me an email: jayhofman@gmail.com.

Healthcare Reform, Please?

It started out as a gorgeous sunny Southern California day as I made my way up the 5 freeway towards LA. Sun glistening like a million little diamonds across the ocean as I pass Camp Pendleton and charge north. 5 minutes later a monsoon came down and rained harder then Seattle, WA in the winter time. Trust me, I used to live there. Traffic came to a crawl and the drive just reached unbearable.

My destination was Mammoth Lakes, CA. Where the beautiful Mammoth Mountain resides. The word big is not a good choice for describing the sheer size of the mountain along with the massive amounts of snow it receives every year. After hurdling through the cesspool of horrible drivers known as LA traffic, the open road and beautiful mountains ensued. As well as a handful of small Indian Casinos. My favorite was the Paiute Palace in Bishop, CA, frankly because myself and my two companions doubled our money in 10 minutes by playing blackjack. Money won and Mammoth bound!

The snow was towering, taller then myself and I am 6'7". The level was almost to the second story balcony at our condo. It was fantastic, the snow conditions were great. Although they didn't open the top half of the mountain due to high winds, the bottom half still sufficed for my snowboard fix. Two hours into our first day on the mountain, I was off in the trees getting some un-tracked lines. After dropping off a small cliff, I ran into a semi-protruding rock under the snow. Bang, right on my left shin. It was like being kicked by a girl back in elementary school. You know how flirting was back in those days. A solid bang, but nothing I haven't felt before.

After taking a breather, I continued snowboarding for 5 more hours without checking my shin. When it was time to leave, I was rolling up my pants to take off my boots and my long-underwear was completely blood drenched. A thick red all the way down my shin to my sock then dripping on my shoe. I knew it was bad at that point and pulled up my long-underwear only to reveal a large gash right on my shin down to the bone. I won't go into details but it looked like something out of a horror flick.

I knew I had to get stitches and I was upset about it. Not having any health insurance due to being laid-off almost a year ago and not having sufficient funds to afford it, I knew the bill would be the worst part of this experience. Luckily the family medical center in Mammoth Lakes was open on that Saturday so I didn't have to go to the Emergency Room. That would've cost me probably 5 times more.

They squeezed me in roughly 7 hours after the incident occurred. 5 stitches and $435 later, I was sewn up and broke. It was outrageous how much it cost for only being in there for 45 minutes and only having 5 stitches done. I understand that it would've been much cheaper if I had health insurance but still, come on, $435 are you kidding me? Not only that it was the first day of a supposed-to-be two day snowboard trip so I had to lay on the couch all day Sunday watching the snow fall.

The doctor recommended that I have another doctor take a look at it down here in San Diego as well as remove the stitches in two weeks. Sadly that isn't going to happen because I cannot afford to go to the doctor again this month. As for the stitch removal, my Mom who is a nurse, gave me some medical tools awhile back so I will get a chance to put them to use.

I know, I need to get health insurance. But even if I get a plan that is affordable to me, the deductible is going to still be fairly high. Help me out here President Obama, so I can go snowboarding again and worry about how deep the powder is, not about getting injured.