Thank you. Thankyouverymuch.

Here's a secret: I am an Elvis fan. "Graceland" was always my favorite track off of Paul Simon's album of the same name. I am the proud owner of a necklace with a photo of Elvis on the pendant. I've been known to listen to "That's Alright, Mama" when I'm feeling down. Last year, I read Last Train to Memphis, an excellent biography that chronicles Elvis's rise to to fame. (Careless Love, by the same author, tells the story of his downfall, though I have yet to read it.) And I have been to Graceland. Well, not the actual house, but the area around it, which was rife with Elvis fans and impersonators. I can't wait to go back.

One thing I love about Elvis is that his signature sound byte (or at least his signature spoken sound byte) was "Thank you, thankyouverymuch." I think it's pretty cool that a superstar of his stature is known for graciousness... well, among other things, but let's focus on the graciousness for now. While I don't have fans in the same way Elvis does, I have been thinking I really ought to have a thank-you section on the blog to recognize everyone who's helped me out and encouraged me in my quest for a full-time job, and so, in the spirit of the king, let me take a moment to acknowledge all these wonderful people (It's ok if you want to skim--I know there are a lot of names here):

• Kendra, my roommate, for putting up with my shenanigans for all these months, making the yummiest brownies in the whole wide world, and weathering her own job search woes with grace
• Kirsten, for her unflagging support, seemingly endless tolerance for bellyaching about unemployment, and superior cover letter proofreading skills
• Renata, for listening, cracking jokes, cooking, being weird, being studious, and for knowing me almost better than I know myself
• Cady, for her patience, wry humor, generosity with chocolate samples, and limitless knowledge about all things San Francisco
• Jack, for letting me invade his store, complain vociferously about unemployment, and then feeding me when I was finished complaining
• Joseph, for being an appreciative eater and offering sound advice
• Ryan, for introducing me to the joys of dark and stormies, pool, The Office, and 30 Rock, and for being a rock
• Leticia, for giving me great advice and amazing volunteer opportunities, and for sending me the nicest email in the history of the world
• Marcela, for her brilliant conversation and vote of confidence in this blog (and in me!)
• Julia, for her contagious optimism, sense of adventure, and fabulous style
• Eugene, my favorite phone tag partner, for his candor, generosity, and fine story-telling
• Diana, Jess, Sayd, Ana, Lexy, Katie, and especially Aston, for staying in touch and regaling me with excellent stories of post-grad life
• Kendell, Whitney, Kim, Zoe, Julia, and Liz, for telling me about their adventures and reminding me that I've had several of my own
• Kate, Maddie, Rennie, Liza, and Juliet, for commiserating with job-search woes and for sending me job postings
• Tom, Jenn, Lauren, Caroline, Paula, and Karen, for their fabulous messages of support
• Tito, for leaving the best comments (and also phone messages) and for being my brother
• Thea, for her sass, sense of humor, ability to mimic just about anyone, and general cheerfulness, and also for being my sister
• Jorge and Marisa, respectively, for discount sushi and never getting impatient with my lack of tech skills, and for passing job opportunities my way
• Emilie, for mad pie-baking skills, sending me job opportunities, and being the coolest Wisconsinite around
• Leigh, for putting the "leigh" in "leader" (Get it? It's like a joke, but not as funny), overseeing an amazing internship, and continuing to send along job postings
• Ninive, for taking a chance on hiring me and introducing me to wide and wonderful world of development
• Uncle John and Aunt Isa, for thinking about me, introducing me to some wonderful people, and just generally being super-cool
• Phil, for giving me the most insightful informational interview I've ever had
• Katie, for her incredible kindness and for making time for me, despite a grueling schedule
• Laura, for her sharp insights into and deep knowledge of the nonprofit world, and for explaining, finally, what the field of communications is actually about

MVP Section

• Milton, for his tireless assistance in sending me job postings, forwarding me connections, and just generally motivating me to keep looking
• Susan, for being a source of inspiration and sending me bajillions of job opportunities in Austin
• My parents, for their constant encouragement and support, and for getting me into the habit of writing thank-you notes

Update: It just occurred to me that I should also thank the coffee shops whose internet and desk space I've been mooching off of. So, thank you to Philz, Haus, Java Supreme, and especially Sugarlump for providing delicious beverages, (mostly) delightful music, and tolerance of my deadbeat tendencies. I really appreciate it.

All of you rock even harder than the king, and that's saying something.