We are very excited to announce our new project, No Rain Checks! This new blog expands on our previous focus of post grad struggles to incorporate other aspects of our lives.

Have you have ever been out and about and noticed a new restaurant, play, art gallery or event that you wanted to try? Maybe you heard about a book you wanted to read or a recipe you wanted to concoct. If you’re anything like us, you made a mental note of it in your phone, added it to your bucket list, or re-pinned it on Pinterest…but did you ever actually do it? No Rain Checks is about experiencing new things NOW, instead of putting them off for a rainy day. We’re hoping that this blog will serve as an outlet where we can explore (and write about) interests and intrigues that come up in every day life.

We want to thank everyone again for being so supportive of TRPG. We would also like to apologize to everyone who has contacted us about contributing in the last couple of months for being less responsive than we should have been. We encourage all of you to check out the new site to see if there is still any interest in contributing!

Grab your umbrellas and let’s get started on a new adventure!

We’ve been getting calls, emails, and friendly reminders about our recent lack of updates on this site, and it’s time for us to explain what’s happening with The Real Post Grad.

If you’ve been reading TRPG for a while, you know that we recently made the move to Austin and are now living as apartment-mates in this amazing city. We thought being roommates would help us take this blog to the next level. We wanted a new layout, more interviews, more contributors, more photos, more video.. more of everything. There was even talk of a blog studio! Then we actually made the move.

After leaving our college cities behind, we felt like we left Post Grad life behind with them. We are both still largely connected to the friends, places, and experiences we had there, but we have made the next step.  Since moving, we’ve settled back into full-time jobs, met some great new friends, and started exploring Austin as much as possible.

We aren’t struggling with how to manage a life and full-time work schedule anymore. We know how to make actual food for dinner, are used to handling our own finances, and we’re satisfied with our current career choices. We’ve graduated 14th grade with flying colors and it’s time to move on.

We’ve had many discussions about what this means for our blog. Although we never divulged too much about our personal lives here, our post ideas were always sparked by our own post grad experiences. So what do we do now that we don’t actually define ourselves as “post grads” anymore? Close up shop?

The answer is yes and no.  The Real Post Grad is going to remain live for the time being, but we will not be adding new content because…… we’re starting a new project!

We don’t want to give away too much about this project just yet as it’s still being developed. If you liked TRPG, we know you’ll love the new site just as much, if not more. Think Wired meets Thought Catalog meets This American Life. We hope you will all stick with us through our new endeavor as we have loved having you as a part of TRPG and appreciate all of your support.

Our new website will be launching January 1, 2013!

I was flown back to DC for work. This was exciting for me because it meant I got to see my friends while not at the office. I somehow didn’t really equate the trip to business at all. Then I started talking to an old friend from college about it and he said something like “you got swag”. I am paraphrasing, of course, but the point is that his reaction to my business trip as an outsider was so different to mine.

I now am coming to terms with the fact that I am pretty good at my job, and it allows me to live where I choose, which is great. Until the conversation this weekend, though, I had not considered that I am a success. To me, my job is just that: my job. And I do it to the best of my abilities, but it’s also not where I want to be forever. To outsiders, though, I am successful at what I do.

I believe I mentioned previously that I have a degree in Political Science and Journalism. Writing is where my passions lie. I obviously do some of it on the side for this blog, and have started to branch out to other sources as well. This week I got word that one of my posts was accepted for publication on the Huffington Post College blog. It can be found here: LOOK!

This news was more exciting to me than anything at my job has been in months. To me, this post meant that I was becoming successful. I obviously have a long way to go, but it stands out to me.

I think the “key to success” is also intertwined with happiness. I think I will feel successful when what I’m doing with my life makes me happy. This aspect of success is what many post grads struggle with.

I say that success is relative, because sometimes our passions don’t overlap with our day jobs. Being a success in technology would be great, but it would not be good enough for me because it’s not writing. I’m hoping that other Post Grads have similar sentiments. This past week was certainly a wake up call for me about where I should be funneling my energies more.

Eventually this endless list starts to blend into normal life. Many of us have become financially independent since graduation, landed full-time jobs, or are working our way through a graduate school program. We’ve fully settled into our new routines and started to develop a clearer picture of what it actually means to be a “young adult”. So… what now? What do we need to remember as we shift from being recent college grads to mid twenty-somethings? Here are a few things I try to remind myself daily.

Remember to be humble

Maybe you’ve found the perfect relationship, your dream career, or an amazing apartment. You may want to scream from the rooftops (or on your Facebook wall) about how awesomely your twenty-something life is panning out. It’s great to be confident! Just try to keep things in perspective as you talk about your life to others. Everyone around you is also accomplishing amazing things and we can learn a lot from taking the time to listen to each other. You don’t always need others to validate your accomplishments.

Remember to be young

We’ve still got a lot of life ahead of us. I don’t want to add some corny quote about dancing like no one’s watching or running in a rain storm here.. but this is the type of thing I’m talking about. We work so hard to carve out a routine for ourselves after graduation that it’s easy to become lost it in once we finally have one. So go see that concert in the middle of the week, make your dream vacation a reality, or just set aside some time to relax and hang out with friends! We shouldn’t throw our responsibilities out the window, but it’s important to remind yourself that this is only the beginning of the adult chapter of your life.

Remember to explore

Exploring necessarily doesn’t mean that you need to fly across oceans (but more power to you if you can!) I think true adventurers can find places to explore in a foreign country or in their own hometown. Try new types of food, learn more about local architecture, hike a nearby nature trail you’ve always wanted to check out. Break free from your routine for a weekend and see where you end up.

What do you think us twenty-somethings should remember at this stage in our lives?

And then I was reminded of all the reasons I can’t do online dating.

First and foremost, I’m sarcastic. I don’t know if you all have picked up on that. Sarcasm does not come through well via online dating profile. It comes off as either pretentious, or flat-out idiotic. I am neither of those things so I’m already at a disadvantage.

Secondly, I prefer meeting people in person. I don’t think you can get a real read on anyone online. Body language, tone of voice, whether they can make eye contact through a conversation, all of these are very important indications of compatibility. I also think a guy earns points for coming up to you and starting a conversation in person. There can be actual rejection in person. With online dating there is nothing to lose by messaging someone. And no one typically  responds with “sorry not interested,” they just don’t respond at all. I want to reiterate the safety of being behind a computer monitor. I respect a man more when he can get my attention in person.

Last, but certainly not least, online dating has more creepers than I’d like to see. They say the strangest things, and try to make jokes that make no sense. Or judge you solely on your pictures. Let me share just a few of the gems I’ve gotten in the past 2 days.

• “You’re a certified hottie” Yup, that’s what the message said. At least he used the right version of “you’re”.
• “Hey Girl!” Please do not ever start a message with this. Ever.
• “I just gave you all 5 stars. I just wish there were more stars to give you.” Thanks? I’m not here for a rating.
• “Uh Oh” That’s all it said. I don’t even know what that means.
• “I told you it’s over! Stop talking to me!” Uhh do I know you?

I know a lot of people have found their significant others online. Many of my best friends did. I don’t think it’s my thing, though. Or I don’t understand how to do it. The latter is certainly possible. If anyone knows how to online date, please, please share your secrets. Until then, I’m going to resort to meeting men the old-fashioned way, at a bar.

My new lifestyle has taken some getting used to. I actually miss being able to yell into a co-workers office for the answer to a question. And having my bed so close to my desk is definitely tempting. I decided a simple pro-con list would suffice for this one.

Pro:

1. I can finally work in sweats again! No one sees me, therefore I can wear whatever I want.
2. I don’t need to plan ahead my lunches anymore. I can just cook what I want to eat. This saves SO much time and thought.
3. I can log off and be done. Not physically being in an office means I can’t be caught on my way out and asked to do something else.
4. No more money spent on gas. This is self explanatory.

Con:

1. I don’t get to interact with people in person during the day. Only over the phone. Which also means no hopes of a work place crush. Not that I ever had one, but this eliminates the possibility.
2. There is always the temptation of my bed being mere feet away. I have never given in to this temptation, I couldn’t if I tried, but it is there.
3. I have a closet full of work clothes that now have no purpose.

Long story short, working from home is having its ups and downs, but I love it because it allows me to stay at my company and also live in Austin. Let me know if any of you have and advice to make it better, I’m still new at it.

1. Most people here are very physically active/healthy.There are tons of bikers and bike lanes, running trails are always packed, and I’ve seen more health food stores in Austin than I’ve seen anywhere, ever. The only thing I find strange is that the majority of people here don’t walk around town on the sidewalks. Which brings me to my next point….

2. Cars are important in Texas. When I told the apartment locator I worked with that I really wanted to be walking distance to some local shops or restaurants, her response was “people drive in Texas..” I think our apartment is actually in one of the most walkable areas of the city, but I just can’t get over how deserted the sidewalks always are, even though there are cafes, grocery stores, and shops all within a half mile. Maybe it’s the heat? I’ll have to report back to you on this one.

3. Photos really don’t do Austin justice. Growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley has made me a harsh critic of beautiful places. My high school had a view of the Mohonk Mountain Ridge, and the mountain view from the local Walmart parking lot is one that belongs on a postcard. So let me just clarify for anyone who has ever thought “well…. Austin could be pretty… but it is in Texas..soo…” – wipe that thought out of your mind. Austin is a gorgeous city. It’s hilly, green, situated on a beautiful lake, and still has that huge open Texas sky everyone seems to talk about. Come visit and see for yourself!

4. The apartment market here is insane. Shikole and I initially thought that moving to Austin would mean lower rent. We were so very wrong. I learned quickly that cheaper apartment complexes here lease out 60 days in advance (what???) and we ended up only being able to looking at smaller owner properties. That being said, there definitely are deals to be had if you’re willing to live in an older building or farther from the city. We ended up choosing an older apartment in a location closer to downtown. More on that experience to come…

5. Traffic here is large and in charge. I’m stuck in traffic almost every day coming home from work. It’s part of my life now and I’ve adapted thanks to the amazing selection of radio stations here that I can listen to while crawling along at 5mph.

6. Austinites are extremely friendly! People will stop you in the grocery store to have conversations, smile at you on the street, and introduce themselves in bars and restaurants in completely normal, non-creepy ways. One of my co-workers described Austin as the “small talk capital of the world” and I’m definitely starting to see why. I’m not sure if it’s a southern thing or if the friendliness is attributed to Austin’s laid back vibe, but it’s great either way!

7. Palmetto bugs, and Texas insects in general, are LARGE and terrifying. That’s all I think I need to say about that. Google a picture of a palmetto bug if you’re curious….then picture finding one on your living room wall at 1am.

We’ve got a few interesting articles in the works for you guys! Shikole is planning to write more about her experiences working from home, and I’m working on a piece about apartment hunting do’s and don’ts based on our most recent Austin experience. We can’t wait to get back into a regular posting schedule and we appreciate everyone who has stuck with us through this transition!