What should I do after my impending (June 14, 2001) graduation?

• If you haven't been to Europe, you should spend a couple months there, staying in hostels and riding the train etc. If you've been to Europe, do the same thing in Asia. But get your shots first.

• Get a job? But that is prolly what most people will say. But I have one admendum to this. Get a job you enjoy. If you don't know what you would enjoy, try different ones.

• Go on a musical bicycle tour of the United States and Canada. Bike from town to town with a Tuba strapped to your back and play music for your supper in seedy bars and truckstops.

• Run a gubernatorial campaign against Engler.

• Given how well you fill out a dress, I think you should pursue a career as a drag queen. The Bright Lights are calling you!

• Do what I did: go right to work for a company that has absolutely nothing at all to do with your major. (Also, travel somewhere. I missed out on that.)

• Bum around Europe or somewheres and pick up beautiful women (line from the movie "Shag").

• Hmmm...get piercings and tattoos. Change your name, and your religion, and learn Sanskrit. Adopt a llama, and teach it how to dance. Move to Madagascar. Speak in haiku. Stop showering. Invent a new sexual position. Or maybe not.

• 1. Take a break. Maybe do something you always wanted to do but couldn't because you were busy with school. 2. Find a job. Yeah, it's a bummer, but unless you're really lucky, it's probably a necessity. 3. Find ways to enjoy life once you're out of school and in the work world. Work can suck the life out of you if you let it--don't let it! My mantra: It's only work! 4. The most important one of all--find a new host for your question page, so it won't go away!

• I didn't have any idea what I would do after I graduated -- and I still don't. But for you, I will offer a suggestion. You have the background and temperament to become one of those opinionated people who watches sports and writes about them -- if not for a liing, then at least as an avocation. Unless you mean immediately afterwards, in which case I suggest convincing someone to take you out to dinner, and imbibing plenty of alcohol (if the mood suits you).

• Find a job that doesn't demand much of your time or energy but gets the bills paid, devote the rest of your ample free time to exploring the things you didn't have time to really look into as a student. Get to really know yourself. That way, you will get a nice rest so you will be fresh for whatever "adult" job you choose to take, and you will have a better idea of what you want out of life deep inside you. Note that I didn't need to do this myself, but I know many people that graduated, leapt into grad school or a career, and a couple years later are unhappy with where they are, but can't say what is wrong. It's really sad to see... :^(

• Party like it's 1999

• Take a road trip. Nothing too far... say... your favorite city. I'm sure that you have friends in the area that would meet you for dinner or something.

• become chummy with a wealthy 90 year-old with no remaining family and a bad medical history. After they pass away and leave their entire 5.8 billion dollar estate to you, go fishing every day and then jump on your huuuuge trampoline in the cool evenings until some other newly-graduated person becomes chummy with you. Ahhhhh yes...that's the life!

• have lots of sex and drink beer like everyone else

• celebrate! take a trip around the world. go work for the cubs. update your page more regularly.

• Find a 'job...whatever kind you can get, just make it a good one...

• Have a cookie.

• That all depends. Are you talking short or long term? I'd personally think long term first, like what is it you want to do for the rest of your life, and where do you want to live? Get on the internet, put your resume out there, and pretty much make finding your niche in life. In the short term, I'd go out, party, and probably just enjoy the sensation of not having to take any more classes if you don't want to for a week or so.

• Well, since you didn't specify whether you mean directly after graduation or during the summer or what, I'll give you a few options. Directly after: do whatever you need to do to relax! Graduations can be incredibly stressful, particularly if you've got family coming in. During the summer: take time to do some things that make *you* happy. If your University experience was anything like mine, you've had to jump through a fair amount of hoops in order to achieve your degree. Now it's time for you to make time for yourself. Go to the beach, hang out with friends, read books that you want (which you haven't had time for because you've had too many papers to write), and have fun. It's a brief rest period before the 'Real World' comes calling; take advantage of it now!

• Move to Chicago (not that I want you to move away or anything) and become a bat boy for the Cubs.

• Travel. Spend some time learning who you are and what you want from life, and what life wants from you. Do this before you get caught up in the morning-to-morning workday and lose years of your life, before you wake up at age 40 feeling like your life has guided you rather than the other way round. Learn the value of leisure and contemplation, and the value of taking time for them. And, most of all, enjoy yourself!

• You're already doing what I think you should do - visit Fenway Park!

• get a job(no offense meant). Happy graduation!

• Too late on this one, eh?

• Gday mate, I reckon after you graduate, that you get on a plane and travel to Nepal. You wont regret it

• go to the grocery store, buy a loaf of bread, bologna, and cheese, make as many sandwiches as possible, get in your car and drive around everywhere, eating bologna sandwiches and meeting random people

• Come visit me in Virginia.

my answer is

Darned if I know. The short term answer was the Donald's Week of Hedonism Tour (tm). I went to Chicago, Boston and Chicago for pizza, soccer, baseball, clam chowder, more baseball and more soccer. Except for the Cubs coming up a couple runs short the whole trip was a blast. The long term answer is escaping me. A job seems likely, but if I don't find inspiration soon, maybe I'll try the biking through Canada witha tuba thing.