Meg's Got Big Ideas

The Great M&M Debate of 2010

2010-09-17T21:36:00.004-04:00

In my ongoing effort to beef up my hobbies, I am taking a swim class again. I was reading the monthly wellness email at work (me and the one other person in the Benefits Office whose job it is to proofread that) and saw that the gym was offering swim classes. Not wanting to be blocked out (the class was capped at 8), I called right away and signed up. Luckily, there was a spot for me - as the first person to sign up.

I showed up for class on Tuesday and the instructor to student ratio was 1:1. My class consisted of me, another gentleman about my age, and a 60-something leathery tan man, shock white hair, wearing a red Speedo. Perfect. I could rest assured that once again I would easily be able to assert my dominance in the class. I was quickly proven right as I was the only one who could move past floating (and this was supposed to be an intermediate class). So I got to work on learning new techniques and also learn how to do a better backstroke. On Thursday, I got to class a few minutes late and was slightly miffed to see a new swimmer in our ranks, who, according to the instructors, was on par with my level of swimming. Once again, I was quickly proven to be the best one in the class, as I had a firm mastery of the flip turn, whereas my new swim partner did not. Meg 2, other swimmers 0. Kidding aside, I am really enjoying the new class, although I'm not a huge fan of the pool at work. Glad I didn't pay money to join there - the public pool, ironically, is 1000 times nicer.

In other news, has anyone else been following the recent expansion of the M&M product line? For years, I think M&M had a winning formula with the chocolate and the candy coating, even diversifying with allowing the public to choose a new color for the M&Ms back in the day (or was that Skittles?). As I am a huge fan of monograms, I was very excited to see that you could personalize M&Ms with your own message. And just recently, I noticed in Wegmans that they have alternative color selections. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the new advertisements for pretzel M&Ms. This seemed like a match made in heaven - combining pretzels, one of my all-time favorite foods, and M&Ms, one of my preferred candies, could only bring good things. I instantly texted Jinny to let her know of our great fortune, as she is an avid pretzel and M&M lover herself (although she prefers the peanut kind - good for protein). Both of us concurred, however, that the ratio of salty pretzel to sweet candy was off, and all you wound up getting is a weird crunchy M&M with practically no flavor.

Which leads me to earlier in the week, when I was at Walgreens buying a jumbo pack of toilet paper, where I was perusing the candy offerings as I normally do. To my surprise, I saw a new M&M candy offering - coconut M&Ms. I was pleasantly surprised, but puzzled that this new creation had not been aggresively marketed by the Mars company. One M&M and I was hooked - like a lighter version of coconut clusters and cheaper to boot. So tonight at CVS my mom and I both bought a pack when the cashier brought up the pretzel ones.

Cashier: "Have you tried the new pretzel M&Ms?"
Me: "Yeahhh, I wasn't impressed."
Cashier: "Oh really?! I really liked them."

Whereupon we continued to debate the relative merits of the pretzel v. coconut M&Ms, which I encouraged him to try.

All this is a long way of saying yet another exciting Friday night. I must take leave now so I can go peruse this color wheel so I can help my mom choose which of the 8 different shades of beige (out of a 1000 colors) to paint the family room.

Will I Make It?

2010-09-08T22:31:00.004-04:00

The 30 seconds that I often spend waiting to cross the street when the bus I need to catch is rapidly approaching the stop on the other side of the street is probably the most nerve-racking 30 seconds of my day. This is obviously a hard task, as I spend 95 percent of the seconds of the day in varying degrees of agitation. But believe me, they are nail-biting moments.

Today I was standing at the crosswalk as I looked down the street at the bus coming up over the hill. Glance at the stoplight - still green. Can't cross against the light - too much traffic. Back at the bus. Appears it is stopping. Good. Hopefully someone who needs them to lower the stairs is getting on and could buy me some time. Back at the light. Still no go. So much traffic. Bus is still there - the transportation gods may yet smile upon me. Trying to stop heart from seizing with terror at the thought of waiting for another half hour in fading light for a bus to magically appear. With my luck it would be a supreme bus drought and then five buses all at once. I'd make too sudden of a movement toward one but all of the buses would think it is for the other bus and I'd wind up missing all five. Ok snap out of it. Back to bus. Looks like it is still stopped. Back at light. Wait, it's red. The man is telling me to walk. Only 28 more seconds left to get across. Quick run to the stop even though the bus isn't moving. Clearly at stop waiting for bus. Almost failed to make critical eye contact with bus driver, who may have left me standing at the stop with the Bandolino shoe store that looks like it is going out of business. Board bus, stopping traffic on major thoroughfare because of aforementioned near-miss with eye contact (bus driver didn't pull out of lane). Get on bus - bus driver gives me a look of mild surprise that I wanted to board his bus and not the cool red bus that was coming next. Laws of inertia throw me hurtling toward my seat. Collapse in a daze. Cannot believe my good fortune at coming out of work at exactly the right moment to lead me to my seat with the minimal amount of wait possible. To think what could have happened if I had been off by two minutes.

I wonder why my commute burns 500 calories and leaves me feeling so exhausted.

Rockin' the Suburbs

2010-09-02T21:40:00.003-04:00

I had no idea I had 27 comments to moderate. I just logged in to my blog (almost logged in using my boss's gmail calendar account that I manage - that would have been awkward....). If you've posted something in, oh, I don't know, the last six months, I have just approved your comments for publication. Not that I am trying to restrict free speech, but I was getting some weird comments - I think I made it through the Chinese firewall and was getting lots of spam.

I had some great ideas for some posts, but unfortunately I have forgotten them all. If I do say so myself, they were pretty funny. My quests for interesting hobbies continues. So far, I'm really developing my baking skillz that killz. Not so good for the waistline or wallet, but what can I say? I think I very much enjoy following the instructions and having something turn out well for once. Reminds me a lot of school. My dream hobby would be mosaics and glass working. I can't seem to get in to one of those classes, however.

My parents recently became residents of the metro area, so last weekend I spent time unpacking crap I had hoped I could just leave behind, forgotten, for an indeterminate amount of time. Brought up a lot of memories - I found my pink monogrammed robe from when I was just a wee-baby. It is so tiny!! Also, I found a gift that someone that my parents had worked with had given them when I was born. I was 6 pounds! Who knew? But the major downfall was that my name was spelled wrong, a problem that still haunts me to this day (there is a calculated reasoning to why I now prefer Meg). I did find some major scores, like my Ben Folds "Rocking the Suburbs" CD. Right now I am rocking out to "Still Fighting It." Resonates so much better now that I'm practically an old hand in the world. Although I'm pretty sure the song is about having a kid....can't say that I'm in that life stage.

Seriously, when is this blog going to get optioned for a Showtime Original Series? I am tired of being a 9 to 5er. I mean, I potentially could have many, many more years ahead of me (when I signed up for a retirement plan, the closest date in the pre-set plan option was for when I turn 55 I believe). I feel in my second year of employment I am getting more confident in my job. I also feel like I have nothing to lose anymore, and I will admit I do feel somewhat hardened to the world, which I don't like. But I guess I'll just have to keep "going inside myself" as I would say (my favorite person to quote is myself) to keep on keepin' on.

Temperature Regulation

2010-08-25T22:50:00.002-04:00

What up my people?! I hadn't realized it had been over a month since I had last blogged. Again, epically failing in my quest to keep this blog semi-functional. So I'm hoping there is more out there reading this than Internet tumbleweeds.

To recap the last month - I was sick for a while, and that always sucks being sick in the summertime. Lost all of my precious tan and pretty much my zeal for summer. I'm ready to just fast forward to fall and get on with it. I prefer winter in general anyway because I don't like the heat - probably because I can't control my temperature as well as I can in the cold. With the cold, you just throw more blankets on and be done. But in the summer even wearing a bathing suit still feels like an inferno. That said, I do need to do some weeding out of the wardrobe. I don't really need as many heavy sweaters anymore - I wind up just sweating.

I've been trying out a lot of new recipes but not really liking anything I make for myself. I'm trying to push my food comfort zone, but I wind up not eating things! I don't understand why my food does not turn out like Giada from Everyday Italian and Giada at Home. I mean, besides the house on the beach in Cali with the awesome kitchen and cooking training, what does she have that I don't? Seriously, though, my lack of prep space is becoming somewhat of an impediment to my cooking adventures. There is only room for a cutting board and a mixing bowl, maybe two if I move some stuff around. So that's also adding to my frustration.

In other hobbies, I'd also like to take up mosaics. I've been trying to get in to a mosaics and glass class but no luck. Also, I'd like to pick up the Web site building, although it's hard to get myself to sit in front of the computer after looking at one all day. Speaking of which, I am pooped and need to sleep. I have to gear up for two more work days and the push to the weekend!

"Farewell to My Gateway Computer (a love story)"

2010-07-13T21:49:00.005-04:00

When I started this blog, I could never have imagined the support I would get from all corners of my life. And, naturally, success breeds imitation. You may have heard of a rival blog in the making, "Greg's Got Mediocre Ideas." Greg, a friend of mine with a name that conveniently rhymes, may or may not have the backing of a puppet regime that is seeking to overthrow me as queen of my small little blogosphere. To this, I say I welcome the competition. Competition always brings out the best in me, as many of you know first-hand, and I think good competition makes one better (although Greg apparently has mediocre ideas, so I may have spoken too soon on that).

Part of Greg (and the puppet regime's plan) to shake my dominance is to target one of my most loyal readers: my Aunt Trishie. Though related to me by blood, I know she makes a point to check my blog regularly, and even stuck with me through the long winter when I was not regularly updating. So tonight I have a treat for both my readers and for my aunt: a guest post from my aunt herself. This post serves a two-fold purpose: one, as a shameless plug to prevent a loss in market share to Greg's Got Mediocre Ideas; and two, as I think this is perfect material for this blog and I feel like I have been in many similarly frustrating experiences.

To preface this story, my aunt received a Mac for Christmas to replace her computer that she had had for over a decade. With that, I give you "Farewell to My Gateway Computer (a love story)".

So, back in March when I finally set up my iMac and got high speed internet I cleaned files off of my 10 year old Gateway computer (with - what was at the time a state of the art flat screen computer) and hastily unplugged it and left it in the corner of the room. I went on-line and ordered a CD rom that wipes the hard drive so I could recycle it at Staples ($10 to cover handling is all they charge). Big plans....but never got around to it for months. The gigantic "tower" became a footrest when I watched TV. So I finally resolved over the 4th of July weekend to somehow plug it all in, run the CD and take it to Staples. So I pull out the whole mess of stuff, figure out how to out it back all together (because I threw away all the original manuals) and get it up an running on the floor - during the massive heat wave mind you so i am creating a drag on the nation's electric grid. I play one final game of solitaire (once again that used to be state of the art gaming) and put in the erase CD. Asks for an activation code - darn! The activation code includes the letter "a".....forgot the "a" button on the computer does not work.

So I shut down the computer, eject the CD, find a CD of the files I cleaned off the computer and open a file with a word containing the letter "a", delete all letters in the word except for the "a" and copy. Close file, eject CD, somehow need to reboot the computer, put in the eraser CD and go to enter the activation code and "paste" the letter "a" that I copied. Somehow the reboot made me lose the letter "a" when I went to paste. Okay-do the whole thing again. Get it to work and now I follow the menu. Blah, Blah, it goes along, downloads the file and tells me to press a key so the computer will reboot and start the erase process. Press the button, it reboots and then gives me an error message that a file is missing! AAARRRGGHHHH!!! Unplug everything, put it to the side. Send a message to the software company with error message. Weekend is over- my dream is not yet realized.

Got an e-mail back from the software people on how to fix the problem the next day. Determined, I hook everything up at about 9:30 at night after I get home from work. The fix involved invoking the F1 key as soon as the computer starts......took me a few times to get the timing right and I am now in some weird DOS like menu. I had to try it a few times (even resetting configurations as I somehow totally screwed up the computer). Got it working YEA!. Message comes up the drive is being erased....it appears that it will be done in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Okay, I go and brush my teeth and come back. Time looks the same....OH NO it is going to take 2 HOURS!!!! It's about 11pm and I need to go to bed. Eject CD, unplug the computer and go to bed.

This weekend, I pull out the whole computer set up and let it run - it works HARD DRIVE ERASED! Today, I took it to Staples - needed two trips from the car because the tower is so freaking big! It's hot and I am sweating. Brought back the tower, monitor, mouse, keyboard and those big speakers! I sign a document and I am done. They were running a special and there was no handling charge. Small victory! I walked out and never looked back....however, the Gateway will always hold a small place in my heart, right next to my 1989 red Ford Probe!!!

The Height of Laziness

2010-07-13T21:11:00.003-04:00

You may get the impression, based on my infrequent blog posts, that I am an extremely busy person. To that I would say that this is partially true. I am, in fact, terribly occupied with being extremely lazy. Last night I was sitting on my couch in full view of my computer (although most things are in full view in my apartment, being that it is just one room). I couldn't even motivate myself to get off the couch and go type out some thoughts. It's not like these posts take me hours. Although the creative process can be somewhat draining....

I have had several thoughts in the last few weeks that could have easily made good blog posts; now I am forgetting all of them. So let me start with a thought that has been bearing down on me for the last few weeks: the Peeps diorama. You may recall the valiant effort put forth by Janelle and me for the Washington Post's peeps diorama contest and how cruelly they shunned our creative genius. No matter. We've kept the diorama, showcasing it prominently on my bookcase. It actually has become part of the landscape of my apartment - those peeps look about as fresh as the day they came out of the package (which is a testament to why I never eat them). But it is hard to wake up every day and be confronted with your failures - literally and figuratively. The diorama sits directly across from my bed, so that one of the first things I see in the morning is the scene. So now the question becomes....do I keep the diorama, or do I throw it away? Janelle and I are impartial judges on this subject....that diorama is our baby. It is sad, though, that I don't live in a world where my awesomeness at diorama construction is appreciated and recognized by the masses; is that too much to ask? I'd also like to live in a world where such a skill is highly prized and insanely profitable.

In other apartment news, I have recently undergone an expansion of my kitchen gadget collection. I did purchase a blender for my birthday, which has been a godsend. However, the red blender does not match the red toaster, even though they are made by the same manufacturer. To further complicate matters, I finally broke down and bought a tea kettle - my hotpot from my intern days was starting to make me worried I was going to burn the building down - and that, too, is a red that doesn't match (it actually has these sparkles in it, which I don't particularly care for, but I got it on Amazon, so what can I expect). This nonmatching red color appliances would normally be enough to send me over the edge under normal circumstances, but given that my kitchen is probably 3 square feet, it adds another level of anger because they are in such close proximity. Other kitchen gadgets recently acquired: a chopper and a yogurt maker. The chopper is also a story in and of itself - I accidentally ordered a mini version and it came and it looked like it was made for lilliputians. So I returned it to Amazon, spending money on postage. My mom graciously bought me a new, larger size one. Well I went to use it last night, and no offense Mom, but I was sorely disappointed. Maybe I wasn't using it right (although that is difficult, because all it is is a simple push motion), but it cut nothing. Which is bad for me, as every time I seem to pick up a knife I cut myself. Also, I don't have the patience for julienning, so I was hoping that would take care of it. On the yogurt front - no news there yet, because I haven't officially tried it. But I am very intrigued.

This weekend Vince took me to Mamma Mia! for a birthday treat. Obviously, I died and went to ABBA heaven. Editor's note: This was my second time seeing the show live (and fourth if you include the movie). Afterward, we trekked out to the Wegmans in Virginia and it was awesome. Period. I am still living in the Wegmans bliss. Tons of goodies, for not more than I would normally spend on groceries. Seriously, I think I am still riding the high. This Wegmans had a seafood bar - you could order seafood prepared to order, and while you wait you can have a drink.

I have been having massive ADD tonight - reading my book, doing law school stuff (finally), eating, checking Facebook....I think I am going to try and make banana bread because my bananas are ripe for the taking! Still hoping to get to make crepes this week....Vince is out of town this week so I'm having a food vacation for myself!

UPDATE (ten minutes later): Banana-bread making foiled by lack of butter.

Strange Happenings

2010-06-21T20:18:00.003-04:00

Some bizzaro things have happened to me over the span of the last few days:

On the Metro on Friday morning, I was holding on to one of the poles when this woman got on at the stop after mine and proceed to press herself up against the pole. Major Metro foul in any situation, but in this particular case, the geometry was such that her chest area happened to be pressed firmly up against my hand, leading to some tense and uncomfortable moments for me. She didn't even seem to realize I was practically feeling her up on the train - she was just reading the Express, without a care in the world.
The other night walking home in my neighborhood there was an older woman walking down the street playing a recorder.
Once again, I could not find basil at the grocery store.

Obviously, you can see I had quite the weekend.

In other news, I am attempting to sell my backpack on Craigslist. Some of you may recall this giant monstrosity of a bag, one that weighed ten pounds before even putting anything in the bag. I had always felt uncomfortable with the bag - it made me feel like a turtle, felt like I was carrying a small child on my back, never enough room on the bus for it, etc etc. But I reached my tipping point last week when I went to this furniture gallery to look for pieces for our new office and it was a lot swankier than I thought - the two women behind the desk actually said, and loudly at that, what a huge bag it was. Then they made me put it in this closet that was super modern and was difficult to get open.....needless to say I was done. My new backpack is on its way....but surprisingly, I have not had any offers on the backpack. It is currently listed in the clothing and accessories section of the Craigslist site - should I move it? Open to thoughts. If it doesn't move, I may try selling it through my neighborhood listserv.

Ways I Spend My Free Time

2010-06-17T20:59:00.004-04:00

I have to make this quick, because the world's greatest TV show, Burn Notice, has just started. But I promised I would update today, so here it goes. Re: Discman issue from last night - Aunt Trishie rightly pointed out an alternative possibility I overlooked in my assessment (almost three weeks out of the LSATs and I'm already forgetting my hard-learned logical reasoning!). She said that said man could be worried about his iPod getting stolen (which there has been a rash of such thefts). So maybe he's not hip with technology, or maybe he's devising a clever way to repel iPod thieves.

Anyway, I actually was able to wake up early and go swimming again before work today. That's twice this week! To be fair, the first time I went this week I had to be downtown at 10am, and it was easier for me to go straight there than trek out to work. But at any rate, the morning swim is so peaceful. The vibe is markedly different - serious swimmers who want to put some serious time in swimming. I even had a lane to myself the other day, which was unheard of! However, I may have pushed myself too far, too soon....during my LSATs I'll admit toward the end my exercise regimen dipped. So I'm gradually trying to get myself back in fighting condition. However, this morning I was definitely in a groove, so I decided to do a half-mile swim, no breaks between laps. This was on top of the 30-Day Shred DVD I did last night....so at about 11:45am this morning, after sitting at my desk for more or less three hours, I felt that lactic acid building, and now I can barely move either my arms or my legs. I don't think it was really an aerobic stretch for me, but definitely a muscular one....I am weak, yo! Tomorrow, I will either a) rest or b) do yoga. Ideally I'd like to bike but I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow after work (good idea right before the law school fair? not sure - but I do trust my "girl" and I badly need a hair cut).

Ok, love you peeps, but I am missing my show! Hopefully this will be the year it will be nominated for an Emmy....

This Blog has 9 Lives...

2010-06-16T21:22:00.002-04:00

...and I'm on life number 3 or 4 (at least). But as I sit here revising my resume for this law school fair I'm attending this weekend, I'm reminded of the mind-numbing process of applying for a job that prompted me to start this blog in the first place. It's been one year since I graduated from school, and a little under a year since I started my own, real, big-girl job. So some (public) self-reflection is clearly in order.

How have I changed? I think, unfortunately, I have a little less fun than I did in college. As I am fond of saying, and yes, I'm going to quote myself here, "They call it work for a reason." Now that I'm not studying for the LSATs, I have infinitely more free time. But for awhile there it was quite a grind - working and studying, studying and working, which really sucked. Plus there are other responsibilities I never factored in - paying bills, making sure I get to work on time (or wake up on time for that matter), running across the city for doctors appointments or getting things fixed, battling fellow commuters every morning...I mean those little things all add up and start to really drain my energy. Things are getting better now that I have my evenings back - I slept 10 hours last night for lack of anything better to do (in fairness, I was forced to watch the NBA finals - snooze alert).

Secondly, I feel more and more like an adult every day: learning how to speak in office jargon, using a cubicle voice on the phone (although to be fair I just sit in an open area, soon to be moved to sitting in a hallway [yes literally a hallway]), learning the hard way what happens when you don't put a vacation message up. It's like the responsibility train never ends! Today I met someone who went to school at that other university in Ithaca and I felt so far removed from my life in school. I had a moment where I was felt 23 going on 30 (although most days I'm more like 23 going on 80, so I guess this was a pleasant change). Again, exhausting to be on call all the time and not have a safety net of mom, dad, or skipping that 8am class. And since my dream of having this blog optioned for a series on Showtime hasn't materialized, looks like I'm going to continue to slog along in the 9-5 world.

On the positive side, I do have a feeling of independence, a strong sense of self, blah blah. So I guess there are some bright spots to being on your own.

In other news, on Monday I saw someone in the Metro with a Discman, i.e. a mobile CD player for those who can't remember. I was completely baffled. I am not the most technologically savvy (as evidenced by my 137 day absence from Twitter, which, by the way, people STILL keep signing up to follow my tweets, which I can't figure out for the life of me), but the Discman was so 1998. And before you say that some people are not as fortunate as I am (which even on my bad days I am keenly aware), this guy was clearly well-dressed and headed off to work. I mean, who knows, maybe he has a mountain of credit card debt, but if that's the case, he must still be listening to NOW 8 (Now That's What I Call Music 8) - if he can't afford an iPod, I'm assuming he can't afford any new music. I wonder what's on that - the Backstreet Boys? Btw, BSB is boycotting BP. I'm sure that will really get British Petroleum moving on stopping the oil from gushing out into the ocean.

Alright peeps I hope you are still reading this crap. Shout out to Ashley (because she only reads if I mention her name). I'll update again tomorrow on such pressing topics as what I should wear to this law school fair (thoughts, anyone?) and what kind of side salad I am going to make for a BBQ on Friday.

Spring has Sprung

2010-04-11T22:24:00.003-04:00

Now that spring is here, it can only mean one thing: the tourists are back. Don't get me wrong - I love the tourists. Please come visit my fair city and spend your hard-earned dollars here (unless you are one of the ones who stand in front of the Metro turnstiles and prevent me from getting through, effectively making me miss my train, or block the egresses in the train with your ginormous strollers). But I can't seem to wrap my head around the things tourists decide to take pictures of....like the mile high escalators at some of the Metro stations, or the Metro trains themselves. I'm sure if I was a visitor, I too would want a picture of a failing transportation system that can't even guarantee I will get to work on time (or even just at the same time) every day. Forget about the monuments - I want to take a picture of the map showing me where on the National Mall I can find those monuments. Obviously, tons more exciting. Anyway, definitely have noticed an influx of people in the last few weeks (not least of which due to the cherry blossoms), and I can't wait for intern season, mostly because at least this year I have a paying job with benefits and don't have to intern.

Speaking of the office, have you ever noticed difficulties in turning off the work speak? For example, sometimes when composing personal emails (during my lunch break, of course) I often find myself lapsing into my "young professional" writing style: "Dear Mom, Thanks for checking in with me regarding the status of my taxes. Unfortunately, at this time I cannot provide you with the documents you have requested. Should you require further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me."

My other office gripe is the recording of the voicemail message. Right now, I think my outgoing message is blank - I forgot to record a message. I just feel so ridiculous talking in to the phone, trying to find the right pitch and sentence structure that command the appropriate level of gravitas (because I really have a ton of that).

Anyway, not too much else is going on besides working and studying. I am trying to reincorporate working out back in to my life - I swam both days this weekend and I feel great. Otherwise, I've just been eating, breathing, and, unfortunately sleeping, both work and the LSATs (let me tell you - I have been having some crazy dreams!!). My scores are continuing to improve, slowly but surely, so that is giving me motivation to soldier onwards. And I'm already halfway through the class...which could be good, but also is scary!!! But so looking forward to planning some fun vacations, and not having to work as much over the summer.

Happy Birthday Celine

2010-03-30T22:31:00.000-04:00

Ode to a Fallen Friend

2010-03-25T22:36:00.004-04:00

Tonight, as I was leaving the library after studying among kids born in 1990, I saw all of these happy undergraduates running around in anticipation of "Thirsty Thursday" (although I will say there were definitely a lot of people in the library and it is not midterm week). And I harkened back to the days when I, too, had no responsibilities and could fritter away a Thursday night (especially in my last semester when I had no class on Friday). Invariably, when I think Thursdays, there is only one thing that comes to mind - The Fisherman's Pub.

The Fisherman's Pub was the perfect kind of dive bar. Slightly off the beaten path, it toiled in relative obscurity until their greatest discovery, that of karaoke. From there, a star was born, and The Fisherman's Pub saw business like it had never seen before (or since, because who knows who went there after we graduated?). We took the small stage, belting our lungs out on Britney, Billy Joel, ABBA, Metallica....you name it, we sang it. For one small moment, we felt as though we were rock stars, singing to a sold-out arena under the bright, hot spotlight. They truly were some of the best times we ever had, and not just because we could live our rock star fantasies.

On this Thursday, The Fisherman's Pub remains dark, shuttered to karaoke lovers and its handful of crusty, loyal customers alike forever (apparently, they really didn't see much business after we left). I can only say this to you, Fisherman's Pub: though you may be depriving generations of students the thrill of a good Thursday night, you shall never be forgotten.

Tweet this

2010-03-22T23:26:00.002-04:00

Also - Twitter. I was all pumped about Twitter a year ago, but honestly, if you don't work in media (which I don't, unfortunately), who has time for this? How do people keep up? I can easily see myself becoming a technology dinosaur in just a few years. I mean it's just sad that the last time I sent a tweet was 3 months ago.

OMG

2010-03-22T23:14:00.005-04:00

OMG, I cannot believe it was a month ago that I last posted what is going on in my life. Obviously, there are situations I encounter every day that are blog worthy - however, I have just not committed them to e-paper. So a recap:

Janelle and I spent the efforts of one Friday night and Saturday afternoon constructing the world's greatest entry into the Washington Post Peeps Diorama contest. Every year, for Easter, they ask people to come up with creative ways to depict peeps, the marshmellow candies. Picture is above (I just don't have the energy to fight Blogger tonight on where the stupid picture should be). The main criteria for the contest were craftmanship and creativity. We made upholstered mini couches, ran electrical wiring through the thing, and stained little pieces of wood. You can't get craftier than that...and I should also say our work was at a very professional level, if there is such a profession as creating dioramas for peeps.

Other than that, the LSAT prepping has really dominated my free time. I remember the Saturdays when I used to sip a Diet Coke and watch Giada at Home on the Food Network. Those days are gone. But in a weird way I am enjoying studying - enjoying having something outside of work, enjoying the material, emjoying being back in the classroom. So I'm excited about what's ahead and I know that I've made the right decision to pursue law school in earnest.

The weather has been getting better here - I wore shorts this weekend. Shorts. In March. This blows my mind. One day I was wearing a winter jacket, the next, shorts. Ok not really - there were a few days in there - but still. Previously, this was completely outside the realm of possibility for me.

Obviously my dedication to this blog has not wavered (cough) but still, I've been doing this since last May, almost a full year. And as such, that means I graduated almost a year ago - crazy, right, because I thought this year would drag on. But it has caught me quite by surprise. I've been at my job for 8 months (I have my annual review tomorrow!), so I'm wondering if I need to change the header of this blog. Although then, it would just be a "young professional" in "business casual" making some kind of awkward facial/hand gesture and I really think the cap and gown just complete that look. But still, open to suggestions.

And...last but not least, ABBA has made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. How have you celebrated?

I Love Studying

2010-02-25T20:38:00.002-05:00

So I'm one day in to my LSAT prepping and so far, so good. I can't tell you how good it felt to sit down at the desk, number 2 pencils carefully lined up on the desk, ready to go for the diagnostic exam (sounds so clinical). Don't get me wrong, the test was hell. First, I had so many problems focusing in on just the test. I kept thinking about work, what I ate for dinner, when I could go to sleep, etc. I had never seen an LSAT question before sitting down for the By the third section, I was dead....luckily, I brought trail mix, which my instructor said was the perfect snack food. And I have already registered for the test, which is more than I can say for some of my classmates....so on snacking and preparation, two areas in which I already knew I excelled, I'm doing well.

Anyway, these LSAT questions were so bizarre. One of the logic questions involved three roommates and five pieces of mail and contained a set of rules as to who could get what piece. Uh, hello? If there's no addressee, just return to sender and let the Postal Service figure it out. But unfortunately that was not an answer choice.

I expect that as a result, though, of this new study schedule, the blogging will increase....more time spent at the computer. Also more time to procrastinate! But alas, laundry and yoga are calling to me....also tonight's Thursday so I've gotta make sure I'm around for Burn Notice, quite possibly the best and worst show on television.

Farewell to Free Time Tour

2010-02-22T21:02:00.002-05:00

I am within hours of starting my LSAT prep class and while I am excited on many levels (achieving goals, intellectual stimulation) I am also terribly worried about how this class will cut in to my leisure time. I know, I know, a terribly ridiculous idea, but as we know I place a high premium on my leisure pursuits (namely, lounging and watching tons of television). So in anticipation of the work/study/class routine that will dominate the next three months, I've been indulging in some of my favorite activities - not changing out of my PJs until 3pm on a Saturday, watching Lifetime movies, reading self-help books, going to happy hour, cooking, crafting, etc. I think I've taken more of an interest in my supposed "hobbies" in the last week than I have in the last 9 months combined. However, I can bemoan their loss even if I haven't been exactly diligent about pursuing them.

Speaking of hobbies....I've been swimming for about a year now and it has come time to replace my bathing suit. As you may recall, one bathing suit was see through, and the other is pilling like crazy. Also, my goggles were practically disintegrating in the water. So I finally have gotten the budget back on track (the no eating out in February has worked out extremely well and I hope to continue its success in March) and I was able to spring for a new suit and a new pair of goggles. The suit is awesome - I'm always nervous about the grab bag situation (where basically the suit is cheap but it's a surprise what it looks like) - but it fits better, so I don't look I've got a saggy butt, and the color isn't crazy either. All of this has spurred me, in addition to needing a good stress relief, to be more serious about my swim workouts - I've been logging continuous half miles the last two times I went. Tomorrow, I will continue this trend and swim another half. My goal is to eventually work up to going two to three times a week and swimming a mile at at time. The only downside is that it really knocks me out. I'm talking like I fall into a deep, deep sleep that feels like I took two Benadryls with a beer (not that I have direct experience with that). In the end, though, it's good because it really does level out my moods, and I feel the key to success in the next few months is managing stress levels (because obviously even though I don't have a lot of stress, it's important to manage it nonetheless).

At any rate, I have to finish my "organic" mac and cheese from the box and then I have a date with Rodney Yee, yoga instructor extraordinaire. Also, as this is the first week in three weeks where I've had to work all five days, I'm still getting back in to this work thing...

Digging out from Snowmaggedon

2010-02-12T20:49:00.003-05:00

Snowmageddon did not bury me in snow. There isn't really any reason as to why I didn't update the blog earlier this week, as I was home for four out of the five work days. Without getting in to a discussion of the snow plowing capabilities of DC versus other, more harden climes, I will say there is a ton of snow. Today was the first day that I went back, and I felt like my life was in danger many times: climbing over mountains of snow to get back to sidewalk, cars (as always) showing their disrespect for pedestrians, and nearly falling on the solid blocks of ice that have accumulated because people haven't shoveled (I propose sending the meter maids out to ticket people who haven't shoveled - because yes, there is a law that says how long you have to shovel).

And in the last week it has seriously felt like the end of the world. Blowing snow, people walking in the middle of major roads, sirens off in the distance, beating their way through 50 mph gusts, the grocery stores wiped out...I am just glad that this is behind us.

Also right now I'm watching the Olympic opening ceremonies, and it seems that all they have in mind is advertising. Bob Costas just flat out said they are going to take like 6 commercial breaks in the next four minutes so that they get their ad dollars in. In the last half hour, the Olympics has been used to hawk everything from Papermate pens and mattresses. And how can the Census afford commercials in both the Super Bowl and the opening ceremony? Sigh. But seriously, love the Olympics...I'm going to print out the TV schedule and post it next to my desk....maybe during my lunch break I can catch some events. I hope one day to attend an actual Olympics....I wish Chicago had gotten the games for 2016!

In other news, some of you may have heard about DC's new bag tax. The deal is this: grocery stores and places that sell food must charge 5 cents for every plastic bag. The money goes toward a nonprofit that is helping to clean up the Anacostia River. Ok, I can definitely get behind this (silence, all you people who think I'm anti-environment! I'm so green now!). Sometimes I forget my reusable bag at home and must pay for the plastic (which I then promptly recycle when I'm done - and by recycle, I mean take my lunch to work and then put the bag in the recycling container). But I cannot fathom why on Earth Barnes and Noble charges me the 5 cents. Yes, they sometimes have a Starbucks and assorted chocolate bars at their register. But I would be willing to be that those areas (especially the chocolate part) account for so little of their bottom line that it just seems ridiculous to charge me the 5 cents.

It's been a while since I posted an ABBA video....and this one is epic. I love Mamma Mia, and I don't care who knows it....and yes, I know Pierce Brosnan wasn't his best but you gotta love him for trying. In this scene from the movie, Meryl Streep's character is expressing her anguish at being passed up for another woman so many years ago. Epic scenery! Blowing wind! Scarves! It's great.

What?!? Queen Elizabeth isn't attending the Opening Cermonies?!?! Outrage. Ok I'm going to watch this...catch you on the flipside.

Snowmageddon

2010-02-08T10:47:00.003-05:00

Never in my life have I witnessed craziness on the scale that Snowmaggedon has brought upon the DC Metro area. On Thursday, I went to the grocery store because I forgot to get milk when I went on Tuesday. I was not prepared for the grisly scene that awaited me. Entire sections of food, gone, replaced by big gaping holes where ground beef and other sundries once stood (sidenote: everyone in DC must have been making chili for the Super Bowl because the ingredients needed were gone). The lines were snaking out the door...it was incredible. And I wasn't even there during the worst period!!

Overall, Snowmageddon afforded me a lot of time to catch up on some stuff. Some longstanding projects got done, as well as some leisure time (I watched most of the John Adams miniseries this weekend; he's starting to get on my nerves). And now I have a snow day, which I haven't had a snow day in YEARS. So overall, I'm loving life right now!

I did break out the Crock Pot last night for some chili action...unfortunately, today I am not feeling so hot....hopefully I did not make bad chili.....

30 Day Shred

2010-02-02T19:26:00.002-05:00

It's really hard for me to think straight enough to eek out a blog post because my muscles are still on fire from 30 Day Shred. What's that, you may ask? Well, it was a clearance DVD at a Suncoast in Philly that was closing, and Alice had tried it. If Alice endorses it, then it usually means it's good for you. I bought the DVD earlier in January but had to wait until my parents came down (and brought free weights) so I could do the DVD. So tonight, I thought, why not?

Perhaps the problem is that I didn't stretch enough...I swim, bike, and do yoga regularly, so I'd hardly say I am out of shape. However, one of the reasons I bought the tape was that it focused a lot on strength training, and I would like to build some lean muscle. Jillian Michaels, The Biggest Loser trainer, hosts the DVD, and actually I found her to be quite motivating. The mantra? No pain, no gain. And that was true...although it was an intense 20 minutes, I do like the fact that it's a compact, effective (at least for right now) workout that I can do in my studio.

Which brings me to another point...I love my apartment, I love spending time here, but tonight I knocked in to my "heirloom" chest (bought from Pier 1, thinking it would last forever...however, it has already cracked in 5 places) while doing the DVD and it kind of hurt. So there is always some tricky positioning so that I can do chest exercises, etc.

In other news, the desk continues to be a good idea. I love the little workspace...however, it's a little dark over here. I will have to sojourn out to Target to find a nice desk lamp.

I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow, but expecting to inevitably have to go to work. I never thought I'd get so cynical over snow.

Managing My Leisure Time

2010-01-30T15:33:00.002-05:00

There wasn't much exciting about this week that didn't revolve around the purchase and set up of the new desk. I was in fact the first person to respond to the ad, so after some back and forth about where to pick it up, I convinced Vince to drive me downtown on Tuesday night to get it.

This transaction was flawed from the start. I didn't really want to pay the price that was listed in the ad, but I didn't bring up price in any of our discussions. No sooner did I get there than I blurted out that he was the fourth person I had contacted about this desk. Talk about giving away the upper hand on a silver platter. We get out to the car and turns out that the guy is a graduate of Vince's super-small college and they have a mutual friend. So the anonymity of Craigslist is shattered because now there is a possibility that our paths will one day cross again, defeating the purpose of why people buy crap from strangers. So I'm checking the pieces, they appear to be all there, and I ask the price...and it hasn't come down for the ad. So I reach for my wallet and realize, to my embarrassment, that I am a dollar short. I still get the desk.

We get the desk back to my place, and realize that I don't have a screwdriver. Vince left his at home. I begin to lay out the pieces and realize that I am missing a shelf. On Wednesday, I contact the seller about the shelf, he's almost positive that he gave it to me, but low and behold it's in his storage unit. So I make an hour-long round trip to go pick up this shelf Wednesday after swimming. Vince comes over on Wednesday to put the desk together, and realizes that he left two small pieces that had fallen out in transport (which he had picked up and put in his jacket) in his other jacket at home.

By the time Thursday rolls around, this desk is wearing on my last nerve. Luckily, no major incidents prevent us from putting the desk together, and although the shelves need to be tightened, for all intents and purposes the desk is up and functioning. I will say, however, that it is a nice desk and fits perfectly not only size wise but with my entire decor theme. And although not the perfect transaction, at least it is done.

As the desk exploits took up most of my free time this week, I didn't really have time to do other things I needed to do, like grocery shop (I was without milk for two days), pay bills, and clean my apartment. So now I've loaded my Saturday up with these exhilarating tasks and now that it's almost 4pm I won't be able to make it to the pool to go for a swim. Sigh. Sometimes being an adult really bites the big one.

Third Time's a Charm

2010-01-25T19:59:00.001-05:00

This is the third time I've seen this desk on Craigslist...let's hope this makes the cut. The ad was posted today, so hopefully I'm the first....

The Excitement Continues

2010-01-25T16:50:00.003-05:00

Judging by my posts last week, you must have been anxiously awaiting to hear how the rest of my week turned out. Here are the highlights:

someone did call me out for using a pink highlighter after I had started using the yellow one. Oh well.
someone in my office found out I spoke Spanish (she asked me, and I answered in the affirmative). So I then had to broker an agreement over watering the dying plants in the conference room between my co-worker and the building managers. I pray that those plants don't die because then I am going to be held personally responsible (and also look like an idiot).

Other than that, the week went by pretty quickly. This weekend I noticed the weekend moving a lot faster (despite the fact that I slept for almost 14 hours on Friday night) until I realized that I didn't have a three-day week.

On the horizon this week - I only have three swim classes left. So sad. I don't know how I'm going to motivate myself in February. Speaking of which, I'm excited for this new month so I can finally get a grip on my finances. I even went to a budgeting seminar last week...very informative.

I organized a big event at work today and as such, had to be up before it was even light out. What a trip. I also was lucky enough to get to manage 60+ pounds of briefing books across the city. Don't worry, I took a cab...but everyone was making fun of my ginormous suitcase. Then, on my way home today, I almost got trapped in an elevator with two other people...until we realized no one had pushed the button. One of the men was talking about how he was in a POW camp for 31 months....and I thought I had a rough day.

Tuesday Excitement

2010-01-19T21:29:00.002-05:00

Today was effectively a Monday wrapped in the sweetness of a Tuesday. I had 31 (!) emails to go through this morning, so there wasn't a lot for me to be excited about this morning until....I remembered I bought some new tea (ginger peach - it smells like those candy peach rings). So I slogged through my commute, thinking about that tea. Get to my desk this morning, still pumped about the tea, and see that I have a new keyboard! How awesome is that! I was having issues rebooting my computer on Friday, and I got an error message that my keyboard was disconnected. Long story short, the keyboard actually wasn't the problem (go figure, you can't leave a flash drive in the computer while it's off), but I got a new keyboard. I was momentarily worried that my new keyboard would be taken away (how quickly it can all disappear!) but fortunately I get to keep the keyboard. Final point of excitement was when I was restocking my paperclips and jumbo clips, I stumbled upon a pink highlighter, which added a little splash of color to my day.

Right now you are probably thinking "Wow, it's a wonder that she didn't have a heart attack from all of that craziness." I mean seriously, I could barely contain myself. But I've been breaking out of my box of post-work routine and mixing it up. For example, I decided on a whim today to go to a book lecture and signing tonight. Quite fun, not a huge time commitment, and I got to hear about why journalism is so cool (which I already knew, but had to be reminded). Tomorrow back to swim class - I need to make sure I get there early enough to practice. And Thursday I potentially have a networking happy hour. Friday - I sleep. Or I might have plans, who knows. But this is definitely improvement from even a month ago! I feel like 2010 is a better year for me to navigate the work-life balance.

I spent some time tonight doing some orientation stuff for my LSAT class, which I'm getting more pumped about every time I spend more than 3 passing seconds thinking about it. Yes, I anticipate complaining a ton about how I will have no life when this starts. But a) that could be good for my budget and b) a la Alice, I'm going to make an Internet promise that I will try and maintain a positive attitude throughout this. I will keep my eye on the prize. I am glad I didn't do this right after I graduated because almost a year (gasp) later I feel like I can be much more committed to putting my best effort and really understanding what a good score can bring. A big pat of this attitude will also depend on my ability to maintain some semblance of a workout schedule - I've noticed a huge improvement in overall moods since I've been working out more than a couple of times a week.

I know that Luke was having some Post Office problems. I, too, have experienced some Post Office issues in the last few days. In as many days, I've had two Christmas cards returned to sender. Incidentally, both of these were mailed to Chicago. Is this coincidence? I can't say. They were mailed, however, in early December. So it took almost two months for it to go to Chicago and come back. I could have driven across the country twice in that span. Seriously.

Gratuitous shout out to Ashley. I hope you read this.

Oh Weekend, Where Art Thou?

2010-01-18T21:43:00.003-05:00

I can't believe another weekend has come and gone. Luckily, this weekend we had the extra day, but still. I guess I do have the four-day work week to look forward to...

On Friday, I came home from work and slept for about two hours. It was like I was hit over the head with a brick. Unfortunately for me, however, I fell asleep in sweatpants and with the heat still on in my apartment. Bad move. If the heat is on for more than 20 minutes, it makes my 550 square feet fortress of solitude feel like a sweat box. I woke up gasping for air and severely dehydrated. It was like I was in the desert. I mean, seriously, had to go outside and get some fresh air to feel better again.

Speaking of sweatpants, I only have one pair here in my apartment and they have never seen the light of day here. I think that this is a positive development in my overall life goal to not look so ragged.

But anyway - back to the weekend. Overall lots of fun - Julie was in visiting. We did, however, wind up at this weird dance club that I can only best describe as stepping in to some kind of alternate universe a la Chronicles of Narnia or some other movie where the characters are transported to a world not their own. I mean seriously, just so bizarre. Nerdy Hill staffers, Pharell wannabes, two guys dancing horribly to rap music in oversized jerseys, a 40 year old guy trying to use the night as an aerobics workout...to say nothing of the other people that were hanging around. And it was in the most bizarre place, more of a business district area, and from the street appeared as though it was in someone's apartment. Hopefully, I will never have to go back to this place again, although it was worth the trip just for the stories.

Because of the holiday, I did not have swim class today. I did go to the pool, but got discouraged because it was SO crowded I just knew I wouldn't be able to get a productive workout in. So I sat in the hot tub instead. I've also been noticing that my bathing suits are really worn out. One day I will get out of the pool and there will be nothing left. That would be embarrassing.

Also, I don't know if you have heard, but one of my all-time favorite bands is being inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15. Can you guess who it is? ABBA, of course. And since I normally write my blog posts to ABBA, I will occasionally be featuring some ABBA music here in anticipation of their big moment. Love this photo montage of "Our Last Summer". If you go to the YouTube page, the lyrics are included in the more info page. Incidentally, although this is one of my favorite ABBA songs (although let's be serious, what ABBA song don't I like?), I do not have it in my collection.

Read this Blog!

2010-01-14T22:24:00.002-05:00

Read this blog: http://quickslantsreporting.blogspot.com/. Even if you are not a big sports fan, help support a budding young journalist!

Laundry Apocalypse

2010-01-14T21:53:00.002-05:00

Today there was one goal: do laundry. I didn't sleep that well, but I knew that I had to push through the pain of exhaustion (yo, swim class is mad hard) to get it done. So last night, thinking I'd be buried under all the laundry I had to do, I decided to try this new Crockpot recipe that was part of the recipe cards my mom gave me for Christmas. And I guess I timed it wrong, but I still had to add the shrimp (it was this Creole chicken recipe) in the last hour. So when I woke up (because I did it overnight, and yes, as I live in a studio the aromas did wake me up at 3am) the Crockpot had already switched over to warm. No problem, I thought. I will throw the shrimp in and then the auto-shut off will make sure it switches off.

Except...there is no auto shut off. Flash forward to 9ish hours later, coming home from work, excited to eat my Creole creation and frankly just pooped (this was NOT one of the mornings I got up early to do yoga, even though I had planned on doing so). The dish was completely charred. Life fail. So after all of that, I wound up having to eat a Lean Cuisine. Wholly unsatisfying. To say nothing of the fact that my apartment smelled like burnt chicken for three hours. I don't know if the smell is completely gone because I've been sitting here for the last couple of hours (you really get the effect when you leave and come back in). I've got a candle going but we'll see.

In other news...last night was my fourth installment of swim class. I think I've been making good progress. Although I always think I'm doing it right and then Jorge, my instructor tells me to kick more or keep my elbows up. Last night, in embarrassing moment #1,243,621 of my life, I was getting some major foot cramps during my swim workout and throughout class. Luckily, as we were still in the leisure pool, I could easily hide these cramps. But of course, yesterday we graduated to the 50 meter pool. No sooner did I get in the water than my foot starts cramping terribly and Jorge has to practically rescue me from the 6 feet of water that I was swimming in (for the record, I'm pretty confident I would have made it sans help). Then, he gives me these stretches to do that pretty much involves me stretching in front of the entire pool. Sigh. Next lesson is on Wednesday.

Just finished watching the same episode of "Jersey Shore"...I can't use the phrase "the situation" at work without inwardly (or sometimes outwardly, depending on "the situation") laughing to myself.

Blogging is a Super Human Feat

2010-01-12T23:10:00.002-05:00

I promised I would be back...even though I a) don't like using Internet or TV before bed because it gives me nightmares and b) it is way past my bedtime, I felt the urge to blog! This is how bad habits start....but it can only be a positive sign that I would forgo sleep and sanity to blog.

Speaking of habits, yoga and getting up early - two things that( independently) I think very few people would say that I do. However, (now brace yourself) I have been getting up early some days of the week to do yoga. Getting up early. To do yoga. You read that right. I have found that even if I can't squeeze cardio in, it feels good to get that stretch in...and although I can't do half the poses, it is actually a great way to wake up (because let's be serious, I'm only half conscious through most of it). And, I'll have you know, most times I do crawl back in to bed for a few minutes. Just part of some of the life changes I've been undergoing.

I did set myself some work/professional goals and so far it's going well. I'm not internalizing as much from work as I did in 2009 (although I could still be riding the vacation wave). I am also trying to be more savvy, which is harder than it looks. I don't know that I've quite mastered this, but I'm not worrying myself over my progress in this area. There's only so much one can absorb. I do have to pull that list out again tomorrow and see how I've been doing...I also need to develop some performance measurements (I don't work at a policy school for nothing).

In other news, while everyone's been making a big fuss over Conan (although I am in total support of his "People of Earth" press release) I feel like no one is really devoting any attention to a true TV bombshell - I heard a rumor today that HGTV may be dropped from cable service. Is this true? If so, I am definitely canceling my cable (are you listening RCN?)! It wouldn't be worth it to have cable without HGTV. I don't know how I could survive without House Hunters, Income Property, Divine Design, etc. etc. This can't be happening!

I've been trying to collect some commuting anecdotes and will hopefully have some of those later in the week. Do you have a good commuting story? Let me know via comments/emails.

RIP Jean-Claude & other updates

2010-01-11T18:29:00.002-05:00

So yes, it's been a long while since I've updated the blog. And while I do have lots of good news, I feel like I should take a moment to remember a dear, dear friend of this blog: my fish, Jean Claude. Some of you may remember his violent mood swings after moving back to Buffalo from Ithaca. Unfortunately, his little heart did not survive long after arriving in D.C. Soon after his tragic passing, I purchased, via my dad, a new fish. I hadn't even had a chance to name him until he (I'm assuming it was a he) croaked. Frazzled by these stressful experiences, I decided to take a fish break until October. When Ashley (and Janelle, but now she's a permanent resident) visited, we picked out a new fish. But again, that fished died. So I have resolved that my fish is a death tank. They were better off in the small plastic container in Petco.

Not only the fish, but I feel in general I have a difficult time sustaining life in my apartment. The tropical plant my grandfather sent me is still alive, but my poinsettia never made it. I think part of the problem is the temperature in here; it's hard to regulate.

Anyway, enough doom and gloom. The good news: I've signed up for an LSAT prep class. That starts soon. Although it will be a major time suck, it represents the beginning of the "next step." Also, I have been taking a swim class at the public pool. And I'm happy to report that my kicks have much improved. I even had to demonstrate to the class (which I admit was slightly embarrassing).

I'm also getting closer to my lifelong dream of becoming a hipster. I got tickets for Vampire Weekend, and when I mentioned this to Rob, Vince's roommate, he had no idea about the band. But I am constantly at odds with myself because I never met a JCrew catalogue I didn't like, and it's hard to remain committed to hipster ideals when I arguably work in one of the top three preppiest places in America. But I'm doing the best with what I have.

Further details on the apartment to come soon...I realize I've been talking about it but there hasn't really been a context for it.

Don't Call it a Comeback

2010-01-11T18:25:00.002-05:00

Ok actually you should call it a comeback because after falling off the face of the earth for months, the blog is back. What happened to you, you may ask? Well, for one, I did not have Internet at home until last Thursday. Like the time I quit Facebook, this social experiment taught me a lot about life pre-Internet. I enjoyed creating a safe space where no Internet could penetrate, further solidifying my "fortress of solitude" (thanks Sam). I learned there were many other things one could do - read books, exercise, or simply vegetate and watch five straight hours of HGTV. But it did pose a problem when I needed to find directions, see if my bus was running on schedule, etc. So now I'm back in the 21st century and breaking my Internet-free zone.

Another reason was sheer exhaustion. After six or so months of being out of school, I feel as though my energy level has been restored. It's really hard to fit leisure activities around the time I am required to spend at work. However, as 2010 dawns, I realize I miss the creative outlet that blogging brings. And I have resolved, among other things, to continue to write it. Hopefully I haven't scared all of my readers away....more updates to follow.

Seasonally Inappropriate

2009-09-17T12:54:00.003-04:00

As the summer weather disappears here, it's hard not to take issue with some of the outrageous fashions I have seen on my commute to work. Yesterday morning it was 70 degrees and I saw numerous people with scarves. Not to mention 2 people with Ugg boots. Today, I saw a woman in a winter coat. I mean, seriously. It's only 70 degrees. This offends my sensibilities and is completely seasonally inappropriate.

In other news, I'm settling into my apartment sans fish. I do like the freedom that living by myself entails. I still don't have any kind of sofa, but just about everything else is in place. Last week I did an Ikea run and Vince and I set up some furniture. I bought these kithchen chairs there that took hours to set up and involved cursing and throwing allen wrenches across the room. And my headboard will be arriving soon, which means two things - my pillow will not fall off my bed anymore and I will not have to get up to shut off the alarm clock. The second point just really drives me crazy. Even though the apartment is a studio, I think it's a great amount of space for me. I wish there was more counter space, though, because I feel as though I must choose between having a toaster oven and a blender. I don't know that I have space for both.

I just have to start having more hobbies to break up my week more. I'm investigating music lessons and potentially what else I don't know. I can't wait until my mom brings my Dreamweaver book so I can resume working on meghanloftus.com.

In other news...work is going well. I'm organizing a public event for Monday so I'm nervous about that and also hoping that my nerves don't ruin the weekend. And I got my own business cards! I have truly made it in the world.

Moving On Up

2009-09-10T21:26:00.002-04:00

After months of waiting, I have finally moved into my apartment. It's a bit smaller than I remember - my queen size bed does take up a bit of real estate - but it gets a lot of natural light, there's more counter space in the kitchen than I remember, and the appliances are all new. Plus, when I moved in, everything was spotless. I will post pictures as I fill up the place with furniture. Right now, I've got my bed, my rocking chair, two wicker Pier 1 chairs, and a table (but no chairs). This Saturday is big furniture shopping day so hopefully I wil have more to show for the apartment by Monday.

Pyschologically, the move has been good. It's nice having my own space. It also has helped me to realize that I am no longer in college and no longer an intern. The sense of self-sufficiency is also rewarding - it's my apartment, and I've financed it.

Someone told me that living on my own would mean I'd start talking to random strangers and talking out loud to myself. On both counts, true. Yesterday in the supermarket the girl behind me had a Wegman's bag - and obviously I just couldn't resist striking up a conversation about the world's best supermarket. And I also made small talk with a girl in the elevator in my building. Hopefully, this will improve my friend quotient as this is currently lacking.

But sadly, amidst all this happiness, bad news to report: my beloved fish and amigo, Jean-Claude, has passed away. I think the trip from Buffalo put too much stress on his fish heart. After taking the approrpiate time to mourn, my dad purchased a replacement fish for me. However, I did not have a chance to name him before he too died. I haven't had the heart to flush him down the toilet yet, so now I'm sharing my studio with a dead fish (my mom didn't believe he was dead). I think I will try living sans fish for a while before I attempt to replace both of these dear fish.

All My Problems Will be Solved

2009-09-03T23:11:00.003-04:00

Come Monday, all my problems will be solved, for that is when I finally move into my very own place. Off the top of my head, here are some biggies:

my long, two hour round-trip commute will become half of what it was
I will stop dealing in hypothetical furniture arrangements and buckle down and buy some stuff
I will be closer to most things I want to be closer to
I will have my bike

So really, things are looking up - although I won't be ordering Internet for my apartment so that may impede the blog slightly. Tonight I went to Ikea and again, purchased nothing. This trip follows one made in early August. I think I have a fairly good idea of what to purchase and what to look elsewhere. To that end - I am definitely hitting up Value City Furniture, World Market, and Pier One. I'd rather make an investment in something really nice than buy something that will only last me two years. Also - as much as I'd love to get a bed from the Internet, it's too risky. I'll just have to wait.

Speaking of Ikea - I ate the food there today. I can't say that I was thrilled to be doing so, but I was surprised that it wasn't half bad. On a completely unrelated note, today I ordered business cards - makes me feel like I have made it in the world. And tomorrow, my office is getting a free Chipotle lunch, courtesy of a co-worker who dropped her card in the bin. According to my co workers, this is the third time this year we have been blessed with taco fortune. Hopefully, when I get my cards, I can pull my weight.

The Blog Resuscitated

2009-08-31T23:04:00.002-04:00

This.blog.will.not.die. Yes, I realize it has been almost a month since my last post. And this clearly has broken my posting three times a week rule that I promised back in July when I accepted my job. But now I understand why Baby Boomers don't understand technology - they don't have time for it. I have barely had time to breathe, let alone make sure I'm sleeping enough and getting enough to eat (I know I sound like a baby animal at the zoo, but seriously, man, working burns a lot of calories). So today when I was reevaluating my life on my lunch break I realized that the blog was and is an important part of my life, as it gives me a writing outlet/makes me feel connected to the world. And again, I am pledging my love to the blog and to those people who still bother to read it.

That said, it's not like I haven't thought about the blog. I wish that I could have an RSS feed from my head to the blog, saving myself the typing and prolonging my inevitable onset of carpal tunnel. But mostly, I just have the most random thoughts and find myself increasingly at a lost to share them. Like: every day on my commute, I walk past the Capitol Police patrols...and most days, I jaywalk. I always wonder if today is going to be the day I get taken down for not obeying the little crosswalk man.

I try not to let the little random thoughts crowd my day too much so that I still have time for the larger issues of where my life is going, etc. Yes, I like my job and I like the people at work. But I'm struggling to define my post-9 to 5 self. I joined a kickball team but I only went to one game. To be fair, a game was canceled and for three weeks I had work/personal stuff to attend to. But the loss of the kickball in my life represents a more hopeful innocence about meeting people and making friends. Perhaps I just gave up too easily. After all, it's hard to meet people when you aren't in a contrived social setting like school. I guess in fact it does take time. So I wouldn't necessarily say that I am rededicating myself to meeting people, but I am going to start looking for more opportunities to do things. Case in point - I joined some Meetup groups. A book club and a Spanish language group. And I'm going to investigate taking music lessons of some kind. We'll see where this goes.

And - I'm moving next week! I can't believe that in 6 days I will be in my very own pad. I know that ultimately I'll be glad that I've held out for a better apt with a better view, but I am dying to get into my own digs and also will be glad to stop amassing furniture and other random household items piecemeal. However, I did score a very nice Adirondack rocking chair that is solid wood for a very good deal. And I got a flat screen TV on sale. So all in all, not so bad.

I've decided to wear my suit tomorrow to work - partly to distinguish myself from the students, but also because it got cold here (but not as cold as up north. My mom told me that winter is practically there in Buffalo)! I've got to go steam it ....

Dose of Reality

2009-08-03T20:08:00.002-04:00

I think I had just been operating under all of the excitement of the last few weeks, but it wasn't until this weekend that the reality of my new life situation hit me. I spent the weekend visiting some friends and had a lot of fun, until a disastrous bus situation which is still too tender for me to discuss occurred. All I can say is that it involved an anxiety attack near Madison Square Garden, a stranger that had to have been divine intervention, and 45 minutes of traffic thanks to the Maryland DOT's ingenious decision to build a guardrail during the Sunday traffic rush.

But it wasn't until I got back that I felt the weight of the last couple of weeks - moving down here, trying to find friends, learning to navigate the job, criss-crossing the city in 100 degree heat to apartment hunt, and just basically living on my own, paying my own way. I do like the self-sufficiency aspect of it. But merely just getting myself to work tires me out. And then I realize that I have to do that commute, twice a day, for a long time. And I come home to Jeopardy! and my bare bones cooking (last week was Teen Jeopardy Week and I am so glad that's over).

I am trying to take initiative here. I did join a kickball league, and answered the call to be the team's co-captain. If I am going to do it, I'm going to go all the way. Only problem is I haven't been leading a very healthy lifestyle...so I do not know if my physical fitness will be up to it. I think our first game is next week. Keep you posted.

Bloggity Blog

2009-07-30T22:40:00.003-04:00

So I'm trying to be better about updating...although I am pooped (I seriously find it hard to stay awake past 9) and I am too lazy to reach down and grab my glasses, so in about two seconds I'm not going to be able to read.

Not much to update on. I did sign up to be on a kickball team. I was a little nervous about paying via PayPal, because I was worried it was a scam at first, but luckily there has been a flurry of emails about pre-season parties, refs, etc. I am on the Blue Steel....a la Zoolander perhaps? It was either that or the Tenleytown Teabaggers...

I packed in 15 minutes for my trip to NYC this weekend. That may or may not have been due to the packing list I had committed to memory during the day today. I'm going to brush my teeth and hit the hay because I have to get up a little earlier for my killer commute!

PS I miss Jean-Claude! I wonder what he's up to right now...

Patience is a Virtue

2009-07-28T20:04:00.003-04:00

A lot of things have slipped since my move to DC: my sleep schedule, my free time, my physical activity, and 5 percent of my weight in water that I have lost sweating the last few days (in no particular order). But the biggest loser by far has been the blog. Most days, it is just enough for me to make it back to my room without collapsing in exhaustion. Yesterday was the first day that I came home and didn't feel pooped, until I ate dinner and wanted to go into a food coma.

Anyways, I promise to be better about updating, as there is so much going on all the time here in my new life as a young urban professional (note - not a yuppie - just young, living in an urban metropolis, and professional). I also have a ton of thoughts swirling around in my head and not a lot of places for them to go.

So here's what I've been up to:

the apartment search: This culminated in one epic day of me traipsing around the city on my own, managing in the 90+ degree heat and humidity with little fluids and nothing to eat. It truly was one of my lower moments here. I can't understand the whole point of appointments in leasing; I set up a bunch of appointments and when I got to the actual apartments no one had even heard of me. For example, I traveled practically to Maryland to look at a studio (after setting up an appointment) only to be told there was nothing left. So I did a quick evaluation of the ten or so apartments I looked at and made a decision. I am really pumped about the apartment that I found. It isn't exactly my ideal apartment (ideally, I'd like not to be sleeping in the same area where I'll be eating dinner), but the building is nice and most importantly it's in a great location. Drawback? I cannot move in until Labor Day. Positive? More time to pick out furniture.
working: The job is going really well. I'm learning more about my position and learning how to navigate my daily tasks while trying not to get carpal tunnel syndrome. And today, I think I accidentally called a famous journalist at home.

There are so many other things that I wanted to put here, but I have forgotten! All things considered, I think I'm holding up pretty well. I've only had 1.5 -1.75 major meltdowns in two and a half weeks, which has to be a record.

Up ahead for this week - signing my lease, finding a kickball league to join, begin to furniture hunt. Promises to be filled with tons of excitement!

Working

2009-07-21T22:26:00.004-04:00

So the big day was yesterday - my first day of work. Yes, when that alarm went off at some ungodly predawn hour, it represented my transformation from lazy college graduate to motivated working woman. With the stroke of an alarm, I was transformed.

I'm really like the job so far. Yesterday my predecessor, who is staying on for two more weeks to help train me, brought me a cookie at the 3pm slump. What better way to start my career! In all honesty, though, so far it's been great, and lots of interesting projects look to be shaping up on the horizon.

This, however, does not leave too much time for blogging, so I will update you on the highlights:

today, while waiting for the Metro, I was standing near a man clipping his fingernails. During rush hour. Did I mention he was in a very public space?
My job has a lot of great benefits, like access to the university library in all of its depth. You could get lost in there for days.
Working woman wardrobe acquired two weeks ago was put to good use. Blisters from last week's disastrous shoe outing (one of my new pairs of shoes ripped the skin off my feet) are starting to heal.

I am pooped beyond belief- the heat, the stress, the early hours. My body isn't used to getting less than 10 hours of sleep a night. I'm continuing the hunt for an apartment as well, and that looks to be going ok. By ok, I mean it's frustrating that leasing offices aren't returning my calls or emails and that I've only found one place in this great big city that I'd actually give serious thought to inhabiting. But oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

Also, to celebrate my arrival in Washington, I rented Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It really is one of my favorite movies. This is a great scene from the movie. Spoiler alert! This is part of the climax of the film.

Meg (Attempts to) Take the Big City

2009-07-16T21:45:00.002-04:00

Hello! I know I have fallen off the face of the earth, but I have been preoccupied with moving and getting myself settled (and also I didn't have access to Internet until recently). Here are some highlights for the first two and a quarter days:

spent a half hour trying to figure out which direction the Metro was in from the place where I'm subletting (which was embarrassing, because I've lived in DC for a total of 9 months over the last 4 years);
looked at an apt. for lease that I didn't like, and showed up to an appointment that another leasing office didn't bother to keep;
unpacked;
figured out how to get to work;
got horrible blisters from a new pair of work shoes that required me to use half a box of bandaids in a span of hours;
established direct deposit for work.

Overall, fairly productive. I'm visiting family out of town this weekend and as such will return Sunday to grocery shop, plan my outfits, and get myself into a Zen-like state for my first day as an adult. When that alarm goes off on Monday, I'm expecting to "graduate" from young adulthood into a "young professional," or "y-pro" as Elise would say. To start me on my journey, I have my very own steamer. I don't think much, then, can go wrong.

Job Jams will return on Monday.

The Great Standoff

2009-07-11T14:23:00.002-04:00

You know that moment when packing when you realize that you have too much stuff to fit into the bag? Well, I'm at that moment. I keep looking from the pile on my bed to my bag, back to my bed, back to the bag, etc. etc. It just seems like a daunting task. To make matters worse, I am trying to pack while watching the world's worst movie, Must Love Dogs. More like Must Love Crappy Movies. It's like a trainwreck - I can't look away. I really like Diane Lane but sometimes her choice of movies needs to be more careful. Anyway the end of the movie is coming up, I don't want to miss this moment of cinematic excellence.

What to Take on a "New Adventure"

2009-07-10T20:14:00.002-04:00

I've been making some good progress on packing. I've tried to make it easy for my mom, who will be following me down to DC in a couple of months once I've picked out a permanent place, to spot what I'll need to take. The bigger question, though, is what is necessary on this "new chapter" of my life. Do I need my yearbooks from grade school? What about my snow boots? I guess the whole ideal kind of puts into perspective what is really important: making sure I have clothes, and deodorant. Beyond that, I could manage to survive.

I'm headed out on Sunday, and I've got most of my stuff together, but tomorrow is the big clothes packing adventure. I always hate this, because I never feel like I pack correctly. This time, though, I'm going to be all about organization. I do have two appts. scheduled next week to look at apartments (since I won't be around next weekend) and I plan on scheduling two more, plus getting in some time next week to walk around some neighborhoods and see what I can see. Hopefully, I can get a jump start on this process and find a place I really like within a good amount of time. My fear is that come September, I won't have a lease!

I had dinner with Preston and Sarah the other night in their new married-person apartment. They are so grown up! And we played the game that is sweeping the nation - Fluxx. If you haven't played, you are going to want to....and call me when you do, because I'll come over.

Scaling Back

2009-07-08T13:14:00.003-04:00

You may have noticed that blog posts have slowed considerably over the last few weeks. Since I landed a job, I haven't really been spending any time at my computer. Plus, with finding a job (and then temporary housing) there hasn't been too much to be updated about my life, unless you'd really want to know all about what I watched on TV on any given day (if you're curious, I could give you my sked). At any rate, in preparation of the big move and the impending start date of my job, I'm going to be cutting posts back to three to four times a week. This way, it's not an over-share of what's going on in my life and it gives me a chance to focus on starting this "new chapter of my life" and this "new adventure" (whatever those terms even mean).

This decision to scale back may or may not have been prompted by Monday's post about the career knits section of TJ Maxx. I realize that yes, it may have been too much to share about shopping for work clothes (even though I think that is a very important part of any career). So I'm sorry if you didn't really care about my hunt for the perfect lightweight knit sweater. However, you will be happy to know that the situation has been resolved.

Today was going to be the first day that I tackled packing. And I guess it still is...but I'm lacking a critical component here: boxes. So I started by doing some minor cleaning in my bathroom (which I wish I had done sooner, because I had years worth of stuff that had to go). But now I am procrastinating...normally this would be a good time for a lunch break, but I'm not hungry, so there goes that. I think I'll venture out to go find some boxes so I can attempt some semblance of getting my stuff together.

Job Jams

2009-07-06T20:26:00.003-04:00

I am excited to bring you this week's Job Jams from Seth, a loyal reader (and friend) of this blog who is also a big fan of the Job Jams feature. His pick is Sheena Easton's Morning Train (9 to 5). The opening lines are great! (Also note the Danish subtitles - the original music video was blocked from being embedded).

If you have anything you think would be good for this space, just let me know!

Making Purchases like a Grown Up

2009-07-06T20:19:00.003-04:00

I got really depressed today when I had to go to TJ Max and look in the "career knits" section. Normally, when I go shopping, I'm looking for fun purchases. Trying to find some kind of cool (both comfort-wise and style-wise) top for work would not be my idea of one. I looked in my closet the other day as I assessed what I would be taking on my move, and I realized that I had a good amount of skirts, pants, and dresses, but really no blouses or shirts that would be business casual appropriate. So conveniently, I've decided to look for summer work wear just as stores are switching over to their fall stock (which I never understand. Why would I want to buy sweaters when it is 80 degrees out?). Hopefully, I will have some success in the next few days here. Otherwise, I'm going to be sweating it out (literally) in long-sleeved shirts.

I haven't really started packing yet, but the thought is not appealing. My flight to DC is next Tuesday. I'm going to be packing clothes to take with me for the next six weeks, and then packing up my other stuff so that my parents can just load the car and go. This means that I will be without my bike for the rest of the summer, which is frustrating because I didn't tough it out in 25 degree weather just to miss the best weather of the year. Plus, if I'm potentially in training for City to Shore this is going to throw a wrench in those plans. Perhaps I'll take up running (which I loathe). We'll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I cracked the Dreamweaver book today! I'm already on the second chapter.

The Big 4-0

2009-07-03T12:42:00.005-04:00

Lordy, lordy look who's 40! My blog! That is, this is the 40th post!

When I first started this blog, I had a list of projects I wanted to tackle...some have been achieved, others forgotten, yet others started and yearning to be done. But the blog has been a good way to keep myself accountable, sane, and feeling like a productive member of society.

No big plans for the weekend...cleaning my car and lounging, as per usual.

I only have a little over a week left at home. I keep delaying making my travel reservations because I keep thinking if I don't make them then I won't be leaving...but the reality is, I'm just making it more expensive for me to do so!

I've been going through some old photos and here are some I think must be shared...

I call this picture "Ok, yeah," and I think it sums up the relationship between my sister and myself (I'm on the right):

This picture has a certain historical significance - the only time my mother ever dressed us in matching outfits:

And this picture proves I was trying to be a hipster long before I even knew what the word meant:

A Tech Savvier Meg

2009-07-02T15:21:00.002-04:00

Each day I get a little bit more tech-savvy...after a year of missing some of my favorite tunes, I finally sat down and looked for a way to transfer music from my old iPod (which I gave to my sister, but she is still using her first generation pod) to my new(ish) computer. Let me tell you, I'm glad I did. I missed some of these jams!

And today might be the day I crack open the Dreamweaver book...I'm currently home alone and free of distractions, so now would probably be the ideal time to do it. But I just cannot motivate myself to do it (or really anything else in general). I don't have to look for a job and I don't have to look for housing, so this really gives me nothing of any great importance that I have to wake up and accomplish each day. On the one hand, I'm sure I'll be missing this time in a few months...but right now, I'm just trying to not sink into a deep boredom.

I don't know that I have anything funny for this almost-Friday, but if you haven't caught the news today about the Washington Post (my future hometown paper - ah!) and an aggressively-worded marketing flyer that appeared to sell access to journalists, policy makers, and administration officials, you should check it out. It's a good example of what's going on in the newspaper industry.

Auditioning for a Room

2009-06-30T09:33:00.004-04:00

I understand that potential landlords/roommates want to get a sense of the person with whom he or she will be co-habitating. But I think Craigslist has made this a very unruly process. And I'm just going to leave it at that because I don't want to turn this into reasons why I hate Craigslist post.

Anyway, not much else is going on. I'm walking around campus like I still go to school here, which is sad and pathetic when I really stop and think about it. But considering the alternatives (doing nothing by myself at home) at least this is marginally less depressing. My mom and I are enjoying micromanaging my sister's orientation, until she made some friends and met her roommate next year, and then of course we were banished from whence we came. But it's all good.

I'm headed back to Craigslist to look for housing.

UPDATE: I have secured housing.

Also....

2009-06-29T16:18:00.001-04:00

Elise sent this to me, and I thought it was really cool. It's a blog post/art depiction about a trip to Monticello. Check it out.

Job Jams

2009-06-29T16:08:00.002-04:00

This week's Job Jams comes from I'm From Barcelona with their track "Mingus." It's live from the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. Lyrics are really good, and the song is catchy.

It's Not the Same Without You

2009-06-29T15:49:00.003-04:00

Even though it was just about a month ago that I packed up my life in Ithaca, I just couldn't stay away. I agreed to accompany my mom and sister for Christine's orientation (B.S., clinical health studies 2013!) at Ithaca. I wanted to come, partly because I would have gone crazy at home by myself, but also because I love Ithaca and wanted to come back. But it isn't quite the same without everyone. It's hard looking at all of these nervous, soon-to-be-freshmen, people I'll never be in school with, and think back to when I was in their shoes, nervous and anxious to start school. My sister is understandably nervous...she said she "has enough friends" and doesn't want to meet anyone new. But I know that she'll be changing her tune by fall break.

I'm hoping to go later to check out the little progress they've made on the A&E center. They are diverting traffic around the traffic, down to one lane near the practice football field, because they are STILL doing work to the Peggy Williams Center. Hopefully one day that will be finished! I will try and take photos for those who have been away from campus longer than a month so that you can see the changes here.

I am still looking for housing, but considering taking some people up on some generous offers to have me stay in spare rooms. I appreciate it....I have hope that one day, Craigslist will work in my favor. But until then, I keep sifting through the site like it's an addiction. I started looking at the benefits package for work today - health, dental, vision and possible life insurance = score. They also have retirement planning available. Never too early to start thinking....

Update...

2009-06-28T23:28:00.001-04:00

I just saw a Craiglist ad to pay $500 to share a studio...with TWO other people. Sheesh. Another ad I saw a couple of days ago was for $700 to share a room...with the sublettor's KID. PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!!

I Don't Want to be Homeless

2009-06-28T23:20:00.002-04:00

Sublet searching is clearly not going well. No one is returning my entreaties, and I thought I had something good going and I haven't heard back. Sigh. I really don't want to just show up on the streets of DC with my suitcase and have to find some park bench (which clearly I know won't happen) but I'm growing increasingly frustrated with this process, especially since I am so far removed.

Speaking of removal...tomorrow I'm trekking back to Ithaca for my sister's orientation. My mom, sister, and I will be enjoying the best of Ithaca, while I desperately try not to picture it as the ghost town that it probably is. Hopefully I will get to see Corey and Erika.

In the meantime, I think my latent shingles are acting up again. I feel itchy all over. It must be stress. And I really wanted to work on my Web site today but it was raining and I was feeling lethargic, as I do most days now that I don't have a job search to galvanize me into action. I haven't even been able to bring myself to pack for Ithaca yet. Blog, you are supposed to be helping me hold myself accountable. What gives? And while we're on lethargy...Jean-Claude seems to be a bit more animated these days. It seems as though he's adjusting to his surroundings. And oh! how could I forget? My diploma finally came in the mail. Now my diploma holder doesn't look so lonely. My parents don't believe me that I got two degrees because I only got one diploma. I don't know what I have to do to win this exasperating argument with them - show them my transcripts?

Fallen by the Wayside

2009-06-27T17:54:00.004-04:00

Now that I'm not on my computer frantically searching for jobs every day, I admit the blog has taken a bit of a hit. Last night I had every intention of updating, but I took a Benadryl so that I could get a good sleep in before this morning's 6:30am wake up call for Ride for Roswell. I barely made it into bed before the drugs put me out! The Ride for Roswell went really well...I was worried about it, because I hadn't devoted a lot of time to training, but I made it. I came home and was exhausted and fell asleep for two hours. When I woke up, my mom asked me "You were tired?" in a voice that couldn't believe that I would be fatigued. I mean, seriously.

Anyway, the biggest project I've got going right now is finding housing. Vince is going to look at a place tonight. We'll see how that goes. Craigslist makes me so nervous though. But if I can get that taken care of, then I won't really have any worries or really anything terribly pressing for me to do between now and starting my job, meaning I really will have absolute freedom.

Another project that I have shelved and really want to get back into is meghanloftus.com. Although I feel that I should be spending less time on the computer and more time doing things before I start my job. Still, I look at my Dreamweaver book every day and feel remorseful. But in fairness, I haven't been home...and I'm going to be gone until Wednesday to none other than Ithaca. I'm debating bringing my laptop.

My parents and sister are going to ANOTHER grad party tonight, so I'm flying solo for dinner again. My mom said I could get Chinese. I'm looking forward to that and a good movie from Redbox.

The Dawn of the Young Professional

2009-06-25T23:12:00.003-04:00

I always knew this day would come...the day when I would have to identify as a young professional. Sure, it has a nice ring to it. But it creeps me out that I'm now technically in this category. Because nothing good can come after young professional. What will they be calling me in a few years? Old professional?

I've been trying to focus on all of the exciting aspects of this new job - the challenge, the new people, the chance to feel like a productive member of society (PS - thanks for all the well wishes and congratulatory messages - it means a lot!). But I can't help but mourn the death of my unemployment. Sure, I complained about it for most of the time I had it. It's hard to realize what you have until it is gone. It's bittersweet - I'm excited for this new phase of my life, but also sad to be truly moving out of my house. What do I take with me? What can I leave behind? Will my parents convert my room into a gym?

On the housing front, I've got a lead that looks promising. But Craigslist can be fickle...and I may be back to square 1 this time tomorrow. I'm trying to avoid looking at a calendar so that I don't know exactly how long I'll have left at home, but I know that my ideal move out date is getting close. Short-term, I'm really going to be going hardcore on the Web site. And, oh yeah, the Ride for Roswell is Saturday. I'm committed to doing 30 miles, and I really want to do it. But my training has been lacking, so I'm going to be "JTagging" this and hoping I make it to the end.

Also, I realize these blog posts are coming later and later in the day. I will do my best to move these up to earlier in the day, but now that I've got a job and there is no reason for me to get up, I can't make any promises.

Job Jams

2009-06-25T00:35:00.004-04:00

I know this is belated from its normal Monday run date, but I've got to keep some sense of normalcy here after two weeks of scattered posts. This week's video I only recently understood...I remember a couple of times in college Lucien singing this song. I thought it meant that everybody was spending their weekends working, instead of working to get to the weekend. Once I figured out this subtle distinction, I understood why he used it. Throwback to the 1980s with Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend."

I'm Baaack

2009-06-25T00:12:00.008-04:00

Sorry about the unannounced digital hiatus. Actually, I guess it wasn't unannounced but I still felt bad the whole week about leaving everyone in the lurch. I am FINALLY back home after The Interview/Preston's Wedding/Adirondack week-long extravaganza. Here's a recap:

1. The Interview: The interview went really well. I felt very comfortable and stylish in my summer suit (very seasonally appropriate, I can assure you). I really liked the people and felt that I really put forth my best effort. Plus everyone was rooting for me...even my cab driver was enthusiastic that I had an interview!

2. Preston's wedding: Picture included of the groom himself, plus Vince and the pastor (I'm sorry, Sarah, I couldn't get any photos of you before they said no more pictures!!). It was great to be there for Preston and Sarah's bi

g day, and luckily I did not catch the bouquet. I also got a chance to meet some of Vince's older friends, his "T-10 Mansion" if you will. They were all very nice. But the whole weekend made me feel more like a 20something and less like a college student, even though the Keystone was flowing all weekend long. Also, every time I go to Geneva I feel like I'm in a JCrew catalogue....this time was no exception.

3. Adirondacks: Despite cloudy weather upon our arrival Monday,

Vince and I had a great time kayaking and lounging near the lake. We got a really good deal on our hotel, and it was very quiet - the summer season hasn't really started yet. The only weird thing was that it is mostly a family vacation spot....so kayaking it was families with small children and then...Vince and myself. But we still had fun, despite not wearing sunscreen and getting really burnt.

And now, for the big news...imaginary drum roll. Remember how I said the interview went well? Well, it went so well, in fact, that I was offered the job. Starting mid-July, I will be the executive assistant to the dean of a graduate program at a prominent institution of higher education in Washington, D.C. I'm really thrilled about the position, but nervous and excited all at the same time.

Already, people have wondered what will happen to this blog, and I admit that that was one of the first things that crossed my mind (I know, I know, I need to get a life). But just because I have found employment does not mean that I still don't have "big ideas." I still think that there's plenty of material for me to blog about: my search for housing, adjusting to life in a city (that I'm more than familiar with, but still, I'm starting over in a new place), learning how to live on my own, making new friends, adjusting to my job, etc. etc. The banner graphic will have to be tweaked a bit, but I hope to continue blogging here (at least until meghanloftus.com gets up and running, a dream that looks farther and farther away).

So, like I said, tons still to blog about. First priority is finding me some housing. My plan is to sublet in July and August to give myself tons of time to get settled in my job and take my time finding a place I really like. There is something really exciting and crushing about searching for temporary housing on Craigslist - the thrill of sifting through all of those classifieds, the rush of finding a great deal, the embarrassment when you know you've been conned. So far, I've replied to about 10 posts I'd say....we'll see how it goes. I'd really like to avoid having to take a trip down to DC to look at places, so I'm going to be enlisting Vince to help me find a place (but he's also doing his own housing search, so this could be tricky). Tomorrow I face a new day filled with new challenges....

Side note: Some of you may have been wondering how Jean-Claude has fared in my absence. About six days into my weeklong trip, I realized I may or may not have forgotten to put a seven-day feeder in his tank. It's hard to tell, because those things disintegrate like you would not believe. Luckily, my dad was passing through on his way to the attic and noticed Jean-Claude in need of some sustenance. He also remarked how lethargic Jean-Claude looked, proving that it is not just me that thinks my fish needs some help.

Pomp and Circumstance

2009-06-16T20:26:00.005-04:00

Update on yesterday's graduation: she did it. My sister is officially a high school graduate. The white dress and roses is a tradition here at girls' schools in the area. I had to do it as well. For both my sister and me, major dress disasters. My original dress never came, and the store failed to notify me. My sister's was altered, except the tailor left a THREE INCH gap between the zippers, meaning there was three inches of space that could not be pulled tighter. Oh, and my sister didn't realize this until Sunday, the day before graduation. Luckily, issue was resolved.

This weekend was also an opportunity for me to showcase my amazing photography skills. By amazing, I mean that I can operate my camera correctly and I can take a picture in a relatively short amount of time. The same cannot be said for the rest of my family. Last week my dad got really excited when he transferred music from his iTunes to his iPod. I think he did some kind of celebratory dance. Anyway, while I was waiting to snap photos pre-graduation dinner on Sunday, I took some nature shots utilizing the digital macro on my camera. These two are my favorites:

I have a Canon Powershot SD600, a pretty nice point and shoot if you ask me. I've always been really happy with the quality of the pictures that I've gotten. I'm by no means a photographer, but this camera has made it really easy. One thing that has helped tremendously: reading the instructions. It's a wonder what I learned.

Tomorrow I embark on The Interview-wedding-Adirondacks week. I haven't started packing yet. I've been prepping for the interview like I studied for tests by making flash cards. And I'm finally getting to utilize the podcast option - I'm going to record some facts into an mp3 file and load it onto my iPod to listen to on my way to DC. I'll let you know how that works out. Right now, time to put some clothes in the bag....

Job Jams

2009-06-15T16:10:00.003-04:00

The first Job Jams is the jam that inspired it all. While I was on my way to Rhode Island, this song by Belle and Sebastian came up on my iPod. Their music is always a lot of fun, but particularly this song about an, um, unconventional way to land a promotion.

Belle & Sebastian - New Music - More Music Videos

Graduation Day

2009-06-15T15:59:00.004-04:00

No weekend update this week - sorry about that. Currently we've been celebrating my sister's impending graduation (t minus 3.5 hours). My aunt and grandfather are in town, and we've been eating out, shopping, and doing other fun things that one only does when family come to visit.

This week will be kind of short for me at home. I feel like there are a thousand things to do before I embark upon The Interview-Preston and Sarah's wedding-Adirondacks extravaganza. I mean seriously, I could not have picked three more out of place events to link together into one big road trip. I don't know how I'm going to pack for this at all. I'm glad to be busy, but I also feel like I've really been neglecting working on my Web site. I'm debating whether to bring my laptop on the trip with me - something tells me that that is a bad idea though.

Thanks so far for all of the interview tips and suggestions. They are definitely useful. I've started writing down my notes, but the interview is really never far from my thoughts. I should find out this afternoon exactly whom I'll be meeting, so that will make the process a little easier. I am really excited about this opportunity. Heck, I'm just excited I got a phone call. It's a big morale boost.

Tomorrow I'm going back to my volunteer job. I haven't done my assignment yet, so add one more thing to the to-do list. Oh, and I have to get my oil changed. I hate how that always sneaks up on me.

The Stress of Leisure

2009-06-12T14:59:00.010-04:00

So after a sleepless night wondering if I had blown my chance at a job over a vacation reminder, I got a call today to set up The Interview. Super excited. It sounds like an intense session of interviewing with multiple people over two hours, so I'm already testing my mental stamina. Interview prep starts now...I'm open to any and all suggestions anyone may have about interviewing. What has worked for you? What hasn't? I'll be poring over their Web site, related biographies, etc. and readying my answers to questions throughout the week (it's on Thursday).

In other news, I started my volunteer position today. I'm really excited to be working with this particular non-profit and I'll be getting to do a lot of writing/marketing/PR/design work. I'm headed back for the beginning of training on Tuesday.

My leisure reading is starting to stress me out. Yes, I know, this defeats said purpose of leisure reading. I got over-excited in my weekly trip to the library and took out too many books (I was afraid they wouldn't be there next week). Plus I also ordered a book from the central library downtown. This means I have three separate due dates for my books and DVDs. Somehow, I feel like the library is going to be making money off of me. I was going to bike to the library today, because it looked nice enough out. As soon as I decided to go, it looked like the heavens were going to open up....so I drove. When I got back, the sun was shining.

On my trip out I stopped at the paper store to get, uh, paper, and my change came to $12.12. On the 12th. This has to be some kind of sign that I am in someone's good graces.

Also, this is completely unrelated to the topic of my blog, but the Iranian presidential election is today (well Friday in Iran). Any way it shakes out will have implications for the U.S. So if you get a chance check that out. NPR has been doing a lot of good pieces on it, including this one from yesterday's All Things Considered.

On a lighter note, some more funnies for your Friday. I was going to post below, but the WaPo video wasn't formatting itself right (get on that!). Can't wait for Monday's premiere of "Job Jams." I've got some songs in mind, but also open to suggestions on this one. Whether it specifically deals with an office situation or just gets you pumped up for data entry, I'd like to know about it. Will update over the weekend and preview Monday night's graduation ceremony.

Fun for Friday

2009-06-11T22:27:00.003-04:00

Getting a jump start, here's some Friday funnies for you, courtesy of my Patty:

The Center for Disease Control has issued a medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically.
This virus is called Weekly Overload Recreational Killer (WORK).
If you receive WORK from your boss, any of your colleagues or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT!!! This virus will wipe out your private life entirely. If you should come into contact with WORK you should immediately leave the premises.

Take two good friends to the nearest liquor store and purchase one or both of the antidotes - Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract (WINE) and Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.

You should immediately forward this medical alert to five friends. If you do not have five friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life.

States of Rebellion

2009-06-11T20:45:00.008-04:00

I hope that my brief two-day hiatus has not caused my readership to drop, but I'll even if it does, it was worth it. Colleen and I had tons of fun. It was great to see her and talk to someone my own age. And it was really nice to have two days where I didn't think about jobs.

Some interesting observations I made about my trip (8 hours in a car by oneself is a lot of time to think of witty blog posts):

New England is a lawless. Kind of like the Wild West, but with more J. Crew. Speed limits seem optional, and blinkers are definitely a no. In fact, when changing lanes today I almost felt rude for bothering to signal to indicate that I wanted to move over.
Crazy names like Purgatory Chasm are probably a leftover from the days of the Puritans, but they are still around and enough to strike fear into the heart of any lapsed Catholic.
New York State is a vast wilderness. There was a good 200 miles were there was nothing but rest stops, forever answering the question "But what else is there besides NYC?"
In the Capitol region, they have these areas of the Hudson River called __ Kill. As in Stony Kill. Interesting word choice for a place to go fishing (if anyone knows why they are called this, please let me know. I will be checking with my resident Capitol region expert Greg for clarification on this).
Got to love the Gov. Thomas Dewey NYS Thruway and its varied rest stops. They are unsurpassed in quality, reliability, and food offerings (they even have wi-fi).
I knew when I got back that I'd have tons of tweets from Twitter, leading me to wonder: If a tweet is sent, and no one reads it, does that mean that it still exists?

I've decided over the drive to unveil a new feature, "Job-Related Music Video of the Week." It will be a regular staple with a (hopefully) better title, hoping to spice up everyone's work day. Look for it this Monday.

Remember when I said I didn't think about jobs for two days? Well, of course this would be the two days when I am contacted about an application. Forgot to put a vacation reminder up on my email, and now am stressing that I may have missed an opportunity. I really cannot win - I had a dry spell for weeks before this. I guess when it rains it pours. I'll keep you updated on the situation.

But...props to my friends who have recently started jobs or paying internships: Caitlin, Lucien, Janelle, and Kate. Kate even has two interns. Congrats on getting through your first week (or weeks, in the case of Lucien)...and make sure to go to happy hour tomorrow. More to follow in the coming weeks!

P.S. For those who were wondering...I left a 7-day feeder for Jean-Claude while I was gone. It appears he has eaten it. Hopefully this is breaking his self-imposed hunger strike. Will advise of any new developments.

Before I Go...

2009-06-08T09:51:00.002-04:00

Here's the link to Kate's blog and my guest post there on my job search. So exciting!

In other news, check out the new poll question, courtesy of Ashley. I'm thinking about giving her her own label on this blog.

Made some phone calls this morning and will be sending out another resume shortly....but then I'm free until Thursday!

"Weekend Update"

2009-06-07T15:22:00.007-04:00

Not really too much new news to report here from this weekend. Has been a slightly productive one as far as weekends go. I was out yesterday afternoon, did some more reading in Do What You Are, and ran some errands. I was very skeptical about reading Do What You Are, even though it came highly recommended by Erin O. I don't really like reading books that could be considered self-help or DIY books; I prefer when I read to read fiction or political, historical, or biographical books. But I have to say it has helped a lot in evaluating what I like and what I don't, which I think is the most important part of the job search (and really life, as well). Although the book has confirmed what I already knew about myself, it helped me think about my weak areas and how I can work to overcome them. So I guess I, too, would recommend this book for anyone starting their job search, changing careers, or just wants to assess overall how they approach their life at work (and also outside of work).

Last night I had a chance to catch up with Ashley (or Ashbo/Smashbo/Splashbo if you are in the inner circle). She's got a really aggressive strategy for the job search, and I'm constantly learning from her. I was telling her last night that even though I thought I was well-prepared to look for jobs when I got out of school, I'm learning new tricks as I go. I'd like to think that my previous 50+ applications have not been in vain, because I've learned from those mistakes, but it's hard to see all of those resumes and cover letters disappear into the black hole of human resources departments everywhere. I think, though, that I've turned a proverbial corner. I'm finally starting to "get" what the job search is all about, and I think that I'll be making some moves in the near future to snag a job that I'll enjoy.

As for this week, I'm headed out tomorrow for Rhode Island to visit Colleen. It will be the first time in a long time that I will not be doing anything job-related (ok, I'll still be checking my email, but that's it, I swear!). It will be nice to have at least two days where I don't worry about sending out applications. So I'll be posting a quick update tomorrow morning and when I get back on Thursday, but I'm on hiatus Tuesday and Wednesday...try not to miss me too much.

In other news, though, I've been asked to guest-blog on Kate L.'s blog, Health Nuts. I'm flattered, to say the least. I'll be writing a post similar to what I do here. I'm hoping to have it for her before I go, so check out her blog (and check it out in general, it's really cool - she just ran a half-marathon and talks about the race and her training). I've added her site to the blog list on the right. I've also added Real Life Boogaloo, a blog to which Vince is a regular contributor. It's a group effort by him and some of his friends from college, so some inside jokes, but all in all an interesting look at life post-college from people who've been out a year already. It's also very funny.

Ok time to finish up the last couple of applications before freedom!

New Unemployment Numbers

2009-06-05T11:46:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I had mentioned that the unemployment numbers come out the first Friday of every month. Well, not much good news today. For the month of May, unemployment numbers have risen to 9.4 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS also says that "the number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs rose by 732,000 in May to 9.5 million. This group has in-creased by 5.8 million since the start of the recession."

NPR'S Planet Money also has some interesting findings from the report. The average job search now takes 22.5 weeks, up from 21 weeks in April. That's almost half a year.

While I let the gravity of this escalating unemployment rate hit you full on, I'll update you on my job hunt. I've reached this novel idea of only applying for jobs which I'd actually like to do. I think for awhile I was so focused on just finding a job that I didn't care what it is. But when I stopped and thought about how much time I'll be spending at said job, it gave me pause.

My informational interview at dream company went extremely well this morning. It gave me a good idea of how to stay on their radar and what I'd need to do to eventually get a job there. But it left me feeling pretty convinced that if I want a job in DC, I'm going to have to move there. Look for some news about that in the coming days.

And before I sign off for the weekend, a gripe (ok, I know you're thinking that this whole blog is one big gripe, see video below). We have put a man on the moon, perfected aviation travel, made advances in medicine, and I can now know what's going on in someone's life in 140 characters or less at all times, yet still, some companies have failed to find a way to have applicants upload their resumes in PDF format. I mean, seriously. I hate cutting and pasting my carefully-formatted resume into these boxes because it never recognizes my bullets, indentations, or sometimes even the darn words themselves. It's like a super-human feat of patience to be able to format these things...I think that in itself must be the result of some twisted HR person to try and weed out the weak employees....

Ok video as promised (I'm trying to make this more multimedia-friendly):

Changing it Up

2009-06-04T17:44:00.004-04:00

You may have noticed lately that these blog posts are coming later and later in the day. Or maybe you haven't noticed. Either way, I've changed my routine. I used to get up and try and attack job stuff at the beginning of the day, while I was still fresh. This was a big problem for the attitude, though, because for the first three of my 14 waking hours I spent learning that the real world is hard. And hence, the rest of my day was ruined. Now, however, I've decided to get up, go for a bike ride, shower, and attack jobs. This means not only do I have good endorphins going from the workout, but I'm also clean and presentable for the virtual community. This strategy, courtesy of my aunt, has actually worked out better than I could have hoped. And I've learned something quite shocking: I'm enjoying this unemployment time.

I've officially been home two weeks. I decided to break out my Ithaca College Alumni t-shirt today:

Yes, I realize the lettering is backward. But you get the idea. I have mixed feelings about wearing this shirt. First, I'd still like to believe I'm going back to school in the fall. Second, grammatical error. I am an alumnae, as I am a female. If I were a boy (I know everyone's singing that Beyonce song right now), I'd be an alumnus. Unless two people were sharing this shirt, then they could be alumni.

P.S. I posted the link to the Beyonce video. I had never seen it...very engrossing.

My Fish is on a Hunger Strike

2009-06-03T14:38:00.009-04:00

My fish, Jean-Claude Van Damm, in his new surroundings. He's smiling for the camera! I've noticed lately that he's been not as eager to be fed lately. When I was at school, every morning without fail he'd be waiting at the top of the bowl to get some yummy fish pellets. But I'm worried about his mental health, because lately he has not been eating as much as he used to. Instead of every day, he's only eating every other day. I think this may be caused by two circumstances:

he misses Ithaca and wants to go back
the journey from Ithaca to Buffalo was too much for his little fish heart to handle (he was in the back of the van, enclosed in a plastic bag, for 3 hours).

Anyway, it was the other day while watching Jean-Claude that I realized a sobering fact. In the last 24 hours, I had not left my house. I'm talking not even stepped foot outside. This was a definitive moment in my short post-collegiate life. I could either sink under the weight of the mental fatigue and disappointment of trying to find a job from hundreds of miles away from where I actually want to live, or I could swim and make more of an effort not to become a total recluse.

I have chosen the latter. I've decided to take my first road trip to Newport, Rhode Island next week to visit Colleen. In preparation, I have to find a bathing suit. I don't own one, save for my two one-pieces that I save for serious swimming, not lounging. This promises to be the ultimate showdown: Meg vs. the bathing suit. There's a reason why I haven't bought a new suit in five years...I'll just leave it at that.

On the job front, I have an informational interview this Friday (via telephone) at a company that I really, really would love to work at one day. And today I got an email notification that Paste Magazine is following me on Twitter. Perhaps adding myself to WeFollow was a good idea!

I Almost Forgot to Blog Today!

2009-06-02T14:07:00.005-04:00

Ah I know, right? How could I forget to blog? It's only the most exciting thing in my life and truth be told, I spend a lot more time thinking about what I'll write in these posts than I'd care to admit.Today, though, I'm trying to minimize computer usage, although that hasn't really been that successful. Yesterday I spent hours staring at the screen, and I still have a headache today. And last night, I had a dream about CSS. So I really need to take a break from all of my Web stuff/spending time looking for jobs, for my health's own sake. I've spent the day involved in various art projects and helping out my mom. In fact, I have to go dust now. Soon, I will spray paint.

While you're waiting for meghanloftus.com to be unveiled, here's what I've got for a mock-up:

Colleen's been helping me with some design features. Now the only problem is building this, hence the dreams (or would they be nightmares?) about CSS. I realized halfway through that I was following instructions to build a site for Dreamweaver 3 when I looked at the comments on the online help site I was using that said Dreamweaver 4 (the program I have) is much different. All I've got on the page so far is the banner graphic. So don't hold your breath for this site to just magically appear one day. It's going to be a while.

I did manage to email some people about some informational interviews/job leads. No new applications though for today. And I've realized that I don't really have any out right now about which I feel hopeful. I was looking back through some cover letters today, ones I thought I had double and triple checked, and I found some mistakes on a few, namely on one, forgetting to change the employer's name (ouch). I guess I need to be quadruple checking these.

A Life Without Sweatpants...

2009-06-01T13:47:00.005-04:00

...isn't really a life worth living to me. However, to spare my morale I'm taking the advice of my aunt and ditching the sweats. Putting on jeans and a nice shirt will not only make me look better (although who would notice, as I barely leave the house) but also give me more motivation and help me feel like an actual person.

My favorite pair of sweats - so lonely without me!

So today I'm wearing jeans and my favorite argyle sweater. I'm looking better, but not necessarily feeling better. I've been trolling my usual sites for jobs, and hoping to find some new postings. There isn't too much new. And reading What Color is Your Parachute hasn't really been helping much, either. Bolles is really down on using the Internet to find a job, which kind of leaves me at a loss. I made the decision about two months ago to come home if I didn't find a job. But I'm not necessarily looking to stay where I live. Ideally, I'd like to move to NYC or Washington, D.C., so that's where my job search has been focused. But now I'm wondering if I'm just wasting time and energy by applying for jobs there when I am here. I don't know if I'm at the point where I'd be ready to move to either of these places. It's a big step that would require money and a lot of patience, and I've also made some plans that require me to be somewhat flexible with my schedule for the month of June. Still, I can't help but question if the decision I made was the right one, especially since my job prospects on the horizon are looking more and more like a barren desert.

Also, I just learned that I can post short videos of myself up here. This could be dangerous. Although as Erika says, I'd have to find a reason to include video of myself. Perhaps I should start with a podcast first...

"Weekend Update"

2009-05-31T17:27:00.005-04:00

Not much to report from this weekend. There are no pictures from the garage sale because Saturday I overslept and missed most of it, so I could not document it in all of its pathetic glory. I think my mom has a picture on her cell phone, though. I'll try and see if I can upload it.

I had promised myself that this weekend I would apply for some jobs, because I didn't on Thursday and Friday, using lack of sleep as an excuse. So far, I have not applied for any jobs, and the weekend is quickly disappearing. Tomorrow starts a new week and with it hopefully some new motivation to apply for jobs and progress further in my Web site design.

I have, however, undertaken some interesting reading. First, I started the much-raved about Do What You Are. I am two chapters in. The book seeks to help people learn about their personality so they can choose the job that highlights their strengths and minimizes their weakness, and oh yeah, enjoy what they do. I took my personality type test and I got some mixed results. The authors told me I don't have to rush into choosing one type or another, so I'm taking their advice. Meanwhile, I checked out the classic What Color is Your Parachute?

I've gotten a couple of chapters in on that book as well and it's very illuminating. I won't give away all the secrets, but here are some highlights:

Using the Internet is one of the 5 worst ways to look for a job
The average worker under the age of 35 will go job hunting every 1 - 3 years.
Every year, about 30 million jobs are turned over to new hires.
Rejection shock: You never expected to send out hundreds of resumes and never hear anything back.
And my favorite, job hunting depends a lot on luck (kind of undercuts the point of the book, doesn't it?).

I don't know how sold I am on Richard Bolles' ideas, but I'm willing to hear him out. This book has sold 9 million copies, so either a lot of people are have been fooled or there is some truth to what he writes. I've never really been one to read self-help or career books, but I have found myself the last few days slipping into a fog of lethargy. Maybe it's the weekend or the crappy weather, I don't know. But I have got to get myself pumped up for jobs! That's why I'm also glad I snagged ABBA's Definitive Collection at the library. Helps me get in the mood.

Speaking of reading, interesting article today from the NYT Week in Review about commencement speakers trying to balance optimism in this not-so-bright economic climate.

Two Posts in One Day!

2009-05-29T14:08:00.004-04:00

Violating one of my cardinal rules of this blog, I'm doing two posts in one day (actually more like 2 posts in 10 minutes) because I wanted to direct you to the new meghanloftus.com. Right now there is just a goofy graphic on the page, but it is a supreme feat for me, and I thought I'd share it will you all in hopes that you'll keep checking in anxious anticipation of when the site debuts (which of course I'll let you know about). Thanks to Chris for troubleshooting through my first Web upload!

World's Most Pathetic Garage Sale

2009-05-29T13:55:00.002-04:00

Pictures to follow soon, because you can't really understand it until you see it. Today was the big day - garage sale day. My mom and I had corralled our crap last night and we were going to get up at 8am to set it up before the neighborhood kick-off time at 9. For whatever reason, I was really engrossed in watching Pride and Prejudice last night, so even though I got 0 hours of good sleep the previous night, I stayed up until 2am. So when my alarm went off at 8:15, I hit snooze thinking my mom was up. She wasn't. Forty-five minutes later, we threw clothes on and hurriedly throwing stuff out into the garage (a true garage sale, the threat of rain kept us inside).

And when we had lined everything up, we realized we had quite a Charlie Brown Christmas tree-esque sale. Highlights of the day include a woman yelling at me that the clothes we had were too expensive and another woman with a glint of success in her eyes after bargaining down a Christmas-themed tub from $2.50 down to $2. I logged a solid five and a half hours out there, taking breaks to go to the bathroom, eat, and run inside when the crazy lady came back to see if we lowered our prices (my mom let her try a pair of pants on in our laundry room - I was cowering in fear in my room). The whole experience is very bizarre, because I felt like people were getting an unfettered access into the detritus of my life and hence the peripheral of my life. I haven't quite found the right words to describe it...I'll get back to you. Day 2 will feature mark downs, balloons, and perhaps baked goods to entice people to buy. I am the keeper of the profits - so we made $19 in 6 hours, meaning that I only made $3 an hour. My parents are violating state and federal labor law.

So garage sale + lack of sleep = no motivation for job applications. I've got a couple of apps I want to apply for, including one that was passed to me by Cal. I suspect I will break my rule of only applying for jobs during the week to get some more applications out, because so far this week I've only had 6 go out and I've fallen off the track with following up to job postings from last week. I am just feeling very languid and finally I've gotten into 100 Years of Solitude, which feels like it has taken 100 years to read. I just can't get into Marquez's books - I read Love in the Time of Cholera and it was the same thing. I didn't enjoy the 300+ page book until the last 50 pages.

Also got some helpful advice from Alyssa G. re: using Twitter to help me find a job. I'm not ruling anything out here. I know there are a lot of foes of Twitter, but you can't knock it until you try it.

The Internet is Making My Eyes Hurt

2009-05-28T14:17:00.004-04:00

Thanks for bearing with me for yesterday's pity party. I didn't wake up in a very good mood, and I blogged right away. Note to self: allow at least a half hour before undertaking any kind of activity post-waking up.

I haven't applied to any jobs today! I did make a job-related phone call, but I don't know if that counts. Yesterday, I spent too much time at the computer (and into last night as well, part of the reason why I think I barely slept last night). I started work on the Web site - learning Dreamweaver, learning how to upload my files. I'm trying to put a placeholder image on the landing page, but I'm having difficulties figuring it out. Any Web gurus out there, let me know what I'm doing wrong! Also, shameless plea for any graphic design advice. I can't pay you anything but my love, but I'd appreciate if anyone wanted to volunteer to look at stuff I've Photoshopped/layed out. I haven't come up with an overall design theme yet for my page - the choices overwhelm me. I have yet to open my Adobe Illustrator, but I think that will be loads of fun once I get around to it.

Anyway, today I took a moratorium on the Internet for a bit by going out for pancakes with my mom. I love pancakes, and I love my mom, so it was win-win. Also, I found a coupon in the paper for $5 off, so of course we had to go. I had room in my belly for pancakes because I've found somewhere to swim for cheap. I am paying month-to-month (at $20 a month, it's a steal) at the University at Buffalo to use their HUGE pool and fitness facilities. By huge, I mean Olympic-length (50 meters). The good ol' pool at the Hill Center is only 25 yards, so this pool by comparison feels like an ocean. I think I'm a decent swimmer, at least I never feel like I'm in danger of drowning, but sometimes when I'm in the middle of a lap I realize that either side is a good bit away. I also have to adjust to having 3 other people in the lane with me, so I've had to circle swim, which I hate. And I've been having a difficult time getting into the groove with my flip turns. Still, though, it's great. I love that I'm able to keep swimming!

Ok, I really have to limit myself on the Internet, even though it is my only connection to the outside world. I have other things I want to do!

Another Day, Another Job Search

2009-05-27T10:58:00.004-04:00

I encountered resistance to getting out of bed yesterday. Scratch that. I encounter resistance to getting out of bed every day of my life. But yesterday, and especially today, were particularly rough. I haven't been sleeping as well, mostly because I haven't been as active as I would be if I was at school or had a job, both things which are now lacking in my life. So even though I've been sleeping upwards of 8 hours, I wake up tired every morning.

But today was especially difficult to get up. It's Wednesday already, and even though it was a holiday weekend (therefore I did not job search on Monday), I'm already mentally exhausted by the job search. Yesterday I spent a ton of time on the computer and seemingly got nothing out of it except a massive headache. So today, I was going to get up at 8:30 and get a jumpstart on the job search. Well, I haven't woken up at 8:30 any of the other four mornings my alarm had been set to that time. I don't know why today would be different. So two hours later, I lay there in my bed, looking at my laptop, looking back to my pillow, wondering who would win. The only reason I finally got up was because I had to use the facilities; otherwise, I'd probably still be in my bed.

I've decided to blog first, search later, because I need some motivation to look. As my aunt says, if it's on my blog, then I will do it. So in terms of job searching today, I have nothing to report, although I did get an updated vacancy list from the State Department. I perused, but most of the positions were for Afghanistan or Iraq (which I have considered applying to these jobs). But I don't have the language skills to cut it, so that went by the wayside. Maybe I should look into taking the Foreign Service Officer test....

Ride for Roswell

2009-05-26T14:08:00.003-04:00

I've officially signed up for the Ride for Roswell. I'll be biking 30 miles on June 27 to support cancer research with the Praxair team. My sister volunteered at Roswell last summer, and I know that it was an experience that changed her. Also, my mom is a cancer survivor. I'm excited to be able to do this race. If you feel inclined, here's my page to donate. Otherwise, just keep me in your thoughts!

Here's a bit about Roswell Park from their Web site:

"Welcome to Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), America's first cancer center founded in 1898 by Dr. Roswell Park. RPCI is the only upstate New York facility to hold the National Cancer Center designation of "comprehensive cancer center" and to serve as a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Over its long history, Roswell Park Cancer Institute has made fundamental contributions to reducing the cancer burden and has successfully maintained an exemplary leadership role in setting the national standards for cancer care, research and education.

The campus spans 25 acres in downtown Buffalo and consists of 15 buildings with about one million square feet of space. A new hospital building, completed in 1998, houses a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment center. In addition, the Institute built a new medical research complex and renovated existing education and research space to support its future growth and expansion."

"Don't You Forget About Me"

2009-05-26T11:46:00.006-04:00

The never-ending quest to network led me to think of this song. I'm dedicating this one to all my contacts - family, classmates, former supervisors, and complete strangers who I've emailed in hopes of getting closer to the Holy Grail (I think from now on I'm going to go with this reference instead of a job. It sounds so much more dramatic).

My aunt must be so happy about The Breakfast Club reference right now. Anyway, I'm wondering how I can stay on people's radar without feeling like I'm bombarding them. Hopefully this video will help. A friend told me that it's useless to apply for jobs without knowing someone in the organization. Yet, since I am a glutton for punishment, I keep doing it...applying to jobs in Nashville (I've never even been to Tennessee) and South Carolina.

It's hard to keep sending out applications...I feel like they are going off to a black hole that is sucking not only my resume and cover letter but my soul. I applied for my first job in October (of 2008) and I'm guessing I've applied to about 40 or more at this point. Still low, I know, but it seems like a lot. I was curious about some labor statistics my friend Preston had mentioned yesterday, so I checked out the Bureau of Labor Statistics to see if I could a. verify his information (woo journalism degree!) and b. see what are the trends in employment. Here's what I found:

Since the recession started in December 2007, 5.7 million jobs have been lost.
From April 2008 to April 2009, unemployment has almost doubled.
Wyoming and the Dakotas have unemployment rates of about 4 percent, half the national average of 8.9 percent.
The more education, the less unemployment: high school, no college rate - 9.3; some college - 7.4; bachelor's or higher (so including doctoral, masters, and professional degrees) 4.4. In the third group, the employment-population ratio was 74.4 percent.

So things to take away: move to Wyoming, or realize that my college degree isn't as useless as it's proving to be right now. Unemployment numbers for May come out June 5.

Right now I'm also trying to work on developing a tracking system for the jobs to which I've applied so I can monitor my follow-up better. Even though a lot of places I've applied to say "no phone calls please" I'm going to find a way to make contact with some human in these organizations!

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

2009-05-25T17:14:00.002-04:00

Just finished those graduation invites. Let me tell you, what a project. Things always seem easier in the concept stage than they do in actual implementation. I had bought these invite kits which required some assembly, but they were fairly cheap and I thought they would look nice. Well, hours later, I'm happy to report that they do look good. But I don't know if it was worth the effort.

Somehow, though, I managed to sneak away for a few hours to the Memorial Day parade. It was fun to watch, and the weather was good, albeit a little chilly. Preston chastised me for not blogging yet - it's a holiday. Even unemployed people deserve a little R&R.

In seriousness, this is the first week where I'll be job searching full time. Last week I was still at school and had some time to laze around. This week, I'm all business. I don't anticipate spending all day job searching, but it's still a little daunting to think that sending out resumes is going to be filling my days. Still, I'm cautiously optimistic that this week will bring good things...after all, I have finally settled into my room. It would figure that something big would happen. But check back Friday...and I'm sure it will be more of the same.

Ok, just wanted to give a quick update...more tomorrow on attacking the job search and prepping for the big garage sale this weekend. Shout out to all my unemployed friends who are also at home struggling to stay busy and fight the mental fatigue. We'll make it through, I promise!

Weekend Update

2009-05-24T23:22:00.006-04:00

Lack of blogging on the weekend has left me with little to do. Ok, that's a lie. But still, I really enjoy blogging and don't want me eager reader(s) to lose interest!

Finally had some time to work on the home office. Pictures below:

As you can see, I moved my presidential education award (which my mom had framed, even though a million other high school students also received the same award) to make way for my college diploma. It's hanging above my desk, empty, eagerly awaiting the arrival of my diploma (or diplomas? Do double majors get two?). Not only have I cleared a path from the door to my closet, but I've also done some rearranging: moving the bed out from against the wall and moving my desk to a different wall. My room was perfectly preserved from right before I went away to school - I've hardly spent any time here in the last four years, so there wasn't any need to change it. But I realized that I needed a change. The new setup was a big morale boost, because now it gives me somewhere to work, and also somewhere different that won't bring up memories of high school. I've also been able to fill two (I have a whole shelf just for my Jackie Kennedy books) bookcases worth of books...and that's after I set aside a big box and a half of books to be sold this weekend at the garage sale. Some I've read...some I haven't....so lots of reading to be done!

And yes, my fish is alive and well. I was worried that Jean Claude, my semi-agressive tropical beta fish, would not survive the two-and-a-half hour drive from school because my dad thought it would be a great idea to tie up the fishbowl in a plastic bag. I was worried he wouldn't get enough oxygen. But luckily, he survived. My dad wanted to flush him down the toilet, but I'm glad he made the move with me. Jean Claude keeps me sane.

In other news, the weekend was uneventful. I decided that I would suspend my job searching on the weekends. Everyone needs a break, and plus, since no one is working, there won't be any new job postings or anyone to get my emails. So I'll resume once the work week begins again (which in this case is Tuesday). I'm also hoping that the buzz I generate last week will yield some results. And it would also figure that maybe this week will be the week I get a job, since I've finally unpacked my stuff, which would be great, but terribly ironic.

I did relive some high school memories while working the post-prom for my sister. My entire family was there - my mom was running around making sure brownies and such were laid out, and my dad was just making sure there was enough room for the Holy Spirit. My sister looked great, and she had a great time, despite the familial presence.

For the week ahead...meeting up with my favorite soon-to-be-married couple, Preston and Sarah, to hit up the local Memorial Day parade and get ice cream (unfortunately, it won't be Purity, but I'll have to survive). And these grad invites are driving me crazy! I have to figure out the correct printing format. I'll be joining a gym...I've decided I'm going to do the 5k at my church and possibly a 30 mile ride for the Ride for Roswell. I'll keep you posted. But I can't wait to get swimming again. And I'll be looking for temp work and volunteering...and, as always, looking for jobs....

Living the Dream

2009-05-22T10:53:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Justin for today's title. Yesterday I mentioned I was headed out of school for good. Surprisingly, it didn't take me that long to pack and load up my car, but it will take me quite some time to get over Ithaca. I came as a freshman not knowing what to expect and somewhat wary of the vibe in town. Four years later, I love that place like it was my hometown (and in many ways, it is).

So now I'm back living at home, which isn't where I thought I'd be four years ago either. Don't get me wrong - I love my parents, and I'm eternally grateful to them for understanding how difficult it is in the job market right now. But I can't help but feel like I'm a guest in my own house, constantly in this weird state of transition. I've decided the best remedy is to fully unpack. It's not clear how long I'll be here, but I don't want to live out of a box.

I've got several projects I've lined up as I told you about in Day 2. Added to the list is spearheading our garage sale, which will be part of the neighborhood's big sale next weekend. I'm hoping to get rid of a ton of stuff and maybe make enough to go out to dinner. My mom said she'd cut me into the profits. It's not a salaried job, but it's a start.

Another project is to clean and prepare my "home office," or the artist formerly known as my bedroom. There is stuff in there that is decades old (not in a moldy, crusty way though, just stuff that I haven't used!). I can't wait until my official diploma comes. I'll have to remove my science fair ribbon from the 10th grade (honorable mention in botany), but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

On the job front - I feel like I'm getting some good buzz. I don't want to jinx it, but this emphasis on networking is starting to work its magic. I'm hoping to apply for a few positions today (although my focus is really going to be on unpacking and resting, as my entire family will be volunteering at my sister's post-prom tonight). I haven't decided if I'm going to be posting over the weekend, especially this weekend with the Memorial Day holiday (although it's not like I need a break from anything at this point). I just don't want to taint the blogging experience. So far my enthusiasm for blogging has been sky high, and I'd like to keep it that way!

From the Highs to the Lows

2009-05-21T08:59:00.004-04:00

This week started out well - graduating from college, receiving congrats as well as grad cards with certain monetary benefits to them. But in the last two days, I've been turned down for two jobs. This isn't really unusual, as I've grown accustomed to it, but these were both jobs that I thought had a lot of promise. I had thought to myself that I had a pretty good chance of getting either (or both, in my more confident moments). So these rejections leave me with little hopeful active applications.

Still, there are some exciting developments. I've been circulating my resume, and hopefully in the next week I'll have some leads. And one of my former supervisors at an internship (the same place where I had applied for one of the jobs that turned me down) has already been pounding the pavement for me. I got an email within 10 minutes from someone else I worked with there about a job posting. Hopefully this means I'm moving forward and getting closer to the Holy Grail: an entry-level job.

I turned on my computer this morning to get a quick blog post in before leaving school for good (more on that later) and I saw some new unemployment numbers. Luckily, new jobless claims are down to 631,000. But continuing claims have risen to something like 6.7 million. And then, this story about a 25 year-old college graduate who is standing on streetcorners in DC trying to pass out his resume. I thought my blog was gutsy....best of luck to this man! I feel his pain! And he's a native New Yorker...how could I not be pulling for him (notice how he went to a state school and then had to leave to find work....)?

What's on the Horizon?

2009-05-20T12:34:00.007-04:00

I'm sad to report: I've gotten turned down for another job in the last 24 hours. While this may mean I still have material to blog about (for which I'm glad, because it's more fun than looking for a job), it has forced me to really look at how I'm going about my job search. I really thought I had a good chance with this one. I had some former supervisors in the same company call on my behalf, so I was getting my foot in the door and having TWO people vouch for me. I thought I had prepped really well for the interview. I used this trick my scholarship director taught me: write down the questions I wouldn't want an interviewer to ask me and have answers ready. Well, the company asked those questions, but I was ready! I know I can't take this personally - after all, I'm still a good person, with or without a job - but it's still frustrating.

Sending out resumes and cover letters is good, because it's impossible to get hired without. But like I said before, I'm learning it's all about networking. So I've spent the morning reaching out to friends, former supervisors, family, and complete strangers in a quest to find a job. I'm still a little hesitant to ask some of these people for help, especially friends and family because I feel it's a violation of our relationship. But my aunt told me I've got to leverage everything (so she's passing out my resume also!). So far, in two hours, I've already heard about a potential position. So far, so good.

In more exciting news, I've gotten some feedback on the blog, and I'm glad you all are enjoying my posts, or at the very least the awesome job I did with Photoshopping (or as my mother would say, "shopping") the photo at the top (thanks to my friend Kate for letting me use the photo). I'll be continuing to add features and changing the face of the blog in the next few days. The ultimate plan is to move this blog to the new meghanloftus.com that I'll be building this summer. But for now, I'm going to use Blogger to get me going. Also, if you had signed up to follow the blog in the last 2 days, I switched the email address on this account, so you'll have to re-follow (sorry for the confusion!). If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I really encourage you to leave a comment or shoot me an email at megsgotbigideas@gmail.com.

Day 2

2009-05-19T10:32:00.000-04:00

I always find that the most difficult day of any new experience is the second day. The first day of a job, internship, or school is trying to make a good impression, but on the second it all starts to become routine. So I knew that I really had to force myself to blog today otherwise I'd fall off the track.

Though I do have a lot of free time on my hands, I have been trying to fill it. I've been brainstorming several "projects" as I like to call them. Here's what I have so far:

design graduation invites for my sister's graduation party and our joint one;
put together photo slide shows for said parties;
design and build a Web site.

And of course, apply for jobs. I've heard that it's really difficult to apply blind to jobs, like responding to jobs on Craigslist. I always thought that this couldn't be the case - if you have a stellar resume, they should want to hire you, right? Well, I'm finding that I'm wrong. I've been applying steadily to jobs, and I think I've gotten the knack of cover letters and resumes. My biggest area to work on is forging connections with people in the organization so that someone can vouch for my existence on the inside. I've been using the alumni database and reaching out to my internship contacts, but I really need to work on expanding my network.

I know there aren't a lot of jobs out there, but it's hard also to tell if I'm qualified for a job. I think there is somewhat of a stigma against entry-level people. I mean, yes, we don't have the most life experience, but I'd be willing to do the job and do it well, adjusting for a learning curve. A lot of jobs have the 1-2 years experience caveat. I mean, what is that? How can I have 1-2 years worth of experience if I can't find the first job?

My plan of attack: apply for at least one job a day, and send at least one networking email a day as well. Not much, but hopefully it will yield some returns. I've been checking the following Web sites for jobs:

And, I'd prefer to get my "homework" out of the way sooner rather than later, so I'm looking to do this applying in the mid to late morning. Hopefully, I can then catch the HR folks in the afternoon slump!

Guess Who's Back?

2009-05-18T18:41:00.000-04:00

Day 1 of my post-college life has forced me to consider what I want to be doing outside of an academic setting. And, quite honestly, I enjoy writing and I'd like to keep doing it. So, I'm returning to a blog to track how my life's going so far and to keep everyone updated on what I've been doing.

About me: A recent college graduate (about 24 hours worth!), I'm embarking on what everyone keeps referring to as "the next phase of my life," which, for right now, involves returning to my teenage home and moving in with my parents. Not exactly where I thought I'd be four years ago, but this is the reality. I've been looking for a job and I'd say I've applied to about 30-35 at this point, hardly anything, I realize, but still an annoying amount of cover letters. Success rate has been low, though I'd like to think I've got a pretty bangin' resume. I did all the right things in college - good internships, great grades, hard work - and I'm still left empty handed.

But here's what I know: I'm not alone. Thousands of well-qualified grads are in the exact same spot. And the media has been so quick to write about all of us, spinning stories about how we really got screwed when it comes to job hunting. So I've decided that instead of listening to them, I'm going to tell it like it is. This blog will be on the ground reporting of what it's like to be a first-time job seeker in this economy, what my struggles are, and hopefully my successes. It's a way to use one of my degrees (journalism) and make my diploma more useful than the $40 I spent on a cap and gown (what is a good way to reuse that outfit?)

And hopefully, and probably most importantly, blogging will keep me motivated to continue on my job search and fitting together my life.