All kinds of excitement

For reasons I can't fully explain, I decided that it would be a good idea for me to get a part-time job. Basically, I was walking through the mall doing some shopping, and I saw all these stores advertising for "seasonal" employees. "Hey, I could do that," I thought. "The extra money would be nice, the employee discount even better, and if I don't like it, that's OK. It'll all be over in January."

Not surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult to get hired. I filled out an online application for Younkers, and they called me less than 12 hours later for an interview. Apparently, I nailed the interview – shocking, I know – because I start tomorrow. 

Why Younkers? I thought their application was the easiest, it could be done entirely online, and their employee discount seemed pretty generous – 20 percent. And, I have an inside connection to Younkers. My future brother-in-law (seen in picture) works at the company's corporate office in Milwaukee.

That's right, I'm going to have a brother-in-law!! My sister got engaged last weekend, so it will be the first wedding in the family and everyone is super excited. I always wanted a brother, and now I'll finally have one :)

Yikes, it's getting scary out there

As a journalist, I found this interesting and also a little bit scary. According to the Washington Post, GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's attacks on the media have been working too well. At a rally in Florida, the crowd turned on the reporters covering the event, shouting insults and obscenities at them after Palin mentioned her Katie Couric interview fiasco.

The worst part? "One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, 'Sit down, boy.'"

It doesn't get much uglier than that. It's scary to think that a crowd would turn on a group of people who are there just doing their jobs. Even scarier when that job involves protecting one of the most fundamental rights we have in this country – the First Amendment.