Stephen Yeargin

Tonight the local polls closed, bringing an end to at least two candidates’ ill-conceived television ads, along with a host of local hopefuls who accused their opponent of everything from tax evasion to being soft on capital offenders. I received a call a few days ago from a campaign worker who was reveling in the mud slinging in addition to offering a bit of inside strategy he hopes will put his candidate and party over the top. I must say I feel a bit of a yearning for that kind of adrenaline. At the same moment, I remember how messy politics can be and how the deeper get, the harder you fall when something goes wrong.

Today was my last day at The Messenger. It also marks my general acceptance that no matter how much I yearn for a thriving rural West Tennessee, there is little I can do as a recent college graduate to fix this small corner the world’s ills. A stagnant job market with no hope on the horizon coupled with a lackluster education infrastructure keeps Weakley and the surrounding counties stuck in the late 1970′s, where a single factory closing can put half the population out of work. Nothing but time and progressive economic policy can cure the general sense of hopelessness.

This area is not the third-world. For many, there is no our place on our little blue planet they would rather be. I have a respect for that sentiment that exceeds words, but I still have not found that kind of admiration for anywhere. I suppose that is something that will come with time and travel. Soon Samantha and I will move back to Nashville for a new beginning. Journeys have a funny way of crisscrossing new territory while going right back over where you’ve already been.

The job search sites might as well be set as my browser’s homepage. I spend most of my free time applying, updating, and entering. I have an intimate knowledge of every line of my resume, more so than I thought possible. I am still suffering from a mild case of writer’s block. This ailment makes the writing of cover letters exceptionally difficult because they serve as a means to bring abstract ideas of “What do you want to do?”, “Where do you want to be?”, and “Why do any of that here?” down to more concrete anecdotal evidence. It was easier to write farewell messages to my co-workers than it is to think about the next step.

I have been sitting on a redesign for this site for about three months now, largely faulting the lack of a suitable color scheme. I wish to place less of an emphasis on the regular blog (as in, if you have read this far, you are in the minority) and more of a collection of links I found interesting (Digg, Newsvine, etc.) and my creative work. I also want to make sure it isn’t my ranting on some obscure issue that leaves the first impression on a prospective employer.

The only certainties I know of late are these:

• I graduate Aug. 12.
• We must be out of this apartment that same weekend
• Come hell or high water, we’re going to the Dave Matthews Band concert in Antioch on Aug. 16.

Anything beyond that is still up in the air and subject to change depending on the circumstances. I find the uncertainty bittersweet. On one hand, I would like to be able to add a great deal more to that list. On the other, having a blank slate to work with is a bit empowering.

Now to figure out how to shove this apartment into boxes.