Every other Wednesday, you, our readers, open up the newspaper to page 4 and see my lovely face, followed by a column full of my pontificating on some social issue.

Sorry to break the flow of things, but I just can’t seem to think right now.

I’m currently more concerned with immediate stressors: mainly, graduation.

In fewer than two months, I will don that blue, shiny robe and square-topped cap to walk down an aisle to shake hands with administrators I have probably never met. Then I will be whisked off by a plethora of family and friends to eat some overpriced food and hear the mutterings of, “It’s about time, Sarah. It only took you six years.”

I have already told my parents about my request to abstain from a graduation party. “Just tell everyone to send me money,” I constantly joke.

But nothing about graduation is a joke. At least, not for me.

Graduation means I will stop receiving state money. I will stop receiving parental money. It also means convincing my mother that, no, I will not be moving back in with my parents after graduation.

I must confess I’ve been doing a sneaky thing recently. I’ve been calling my parents every time I send out a resume, hoping they will get the hint that I plan on living on my own after May 8. It’s a backwards way of doing things, I know, but when you’re 23 years old and have $50 to your name, you have to get your head right that you will need to be on your own and can’t rely on mom and dad anymore.

So, this is how I’ve been dealing with my situation.

Starting last month, I’ve been scouring the Internet, listservs and bulletin boards, trying to find any kind of journalism-related job. I also have journalismjobs.com bookmarked on my Web surfer.

I have also Googled every community newspaper in the state and made a list of possible places to send my resume to. It’s currently at 10, including my hometown news conglomerate, Suburban Life Publications. I don’t think I need to explain how happy my mom was about that.

I made a decision not to spend any money I receive from my university employment, and instead, only rely on money I get from baby sitting to pay for groceries and entertainment. And, since I live on campus, that budget can be cut down even more.

I’ve started exercising as a way to clear my head instead of going to parties or the bar. Not only does exercise release endorphins (which, as we learned in the movie “Legally Blonde,” make you happy), but it will also help me fit into my interviewing clothes, which have become a big snug, as my diet currently consists of chicken strips from Taylor Dining, Ramen noodles and Easy Mac.

I always thought graduation would be a time of relieved stress, when I’m in the home stretch, see the finish line and let myself go on auto-pilot. Instead, I now feel neck-and-neck with the rest of the world, and my legs are burning and my fellow competitors keep pushing ahead.

Wish me luck, dear readers. I hope my future has my name in print, instead of my face in the line at a soup kitchen.

Sarah Jean Bresnahan is a senior journalism major and can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].