Too Young

I'm finding out that the 20's are a very strange time in a young adult's life. I'm stuck at this age where I'm expected to make adult decisions, and while I seem to be moving through the motions just fine, I sometimes still feel like a teenager who is struggling to find her way.


Take this whole car buying process as an example. I did tons of research before purchasing this vehicle, test drove four different cars, researched dealerships, interest rates, insurance costs, and saved up for a down payment. Is this something a 16 year old could handle? Probably not. (Well, not me at least at 16.) Yet, I still felt so unsure about the purchase, like I should be in my late 20's making this decision, instead of 23.


I'm proud of how far I've come in just a year since graduating, but I'm wondering when the confused teenager inside of me will fizzle out. Does you ever feel this way? How do you cope?

Sorry for this slightly depressing post. I'm headed to Lake Ontario tonight to watch the sunset so I'll have some fun pictures tomorrow to share with you all.

Giant Chicken

One of the great parts about being a post grad is that we have the freedom to make questionable decisions whenever we please, and can usually afford those decisions. Right now Allison and I are searching the internet for a Giant Metal Chicken. You read that correctly, and it is exactly what it sounds like.

I was first introduced to this idea by a friend this morning who sent me a random link. The link contained a hilarious blog post that made going to work an hour early almost worth it. Enter: The Giant Metal Chicken.

As you may remember, I recently moved. My kitchen is currently empty in the way of decor. After reading the above post, I have my heart set on filling the space with a Giant Metal Chicken. A friend and I spent a good amount of time last night trying to find one online. We failed. I am disappointed and stunned that the internet could produce nothing even close to what I was looking for when I searched "giant metal chicken."

There are so many uses for this hunk of metal I don't own yet. I could scare guests. I could scare my roommates. It could hold potholders on its beak. It could be cool. It would require no upkeep. Maybe it could even be used as a bottle opener. The possibilities are endless. But for now, my dreams of owning a giant metal chicken need to be put on hold. If any of you know where I can find one please let me know. It needs to be at least 5 feet tall.

Challenge Us

Allison and I have decided the guidelines for our Benrik Challenge:

• Takes place between July 1st and September 30th.
• Need to complete 75 tasks between the 2 of us
• We must post weekly to update you on our progress
• Tasks are picked at random
• No repeating a task
• No cheating

Now comes the fun part. Will you join us? We want you guys to participate too, and to share your experiences with the challenge. Any takers? There must be some brave soul willing to try right? Right? I was considering calling out names of followers to challenge you personally, but I'm not that mean. However, I do know that at least 3 of you want to join, and you should.

Junk In My Trunk

This weekend, the search for my next vehicle finally came to an end. I'm trading in my 2002 Dodge Neon for a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. I thought I would be filled with joy when I finally found a replacement for the car that has given me one problem after another for years.... but I'm actually feeling very nostalgic. My little red neon was my first car and has been through a lot with me. My last two years of high school, four years of college, and it even survived it's first Rochester winter.

Today as I cleaned out my car, I was amazed at how much I had collected in the vehicle during our 7 year relationship. Here's some of what I found.

-Literally fifty mixed cds. Before the days of the ipod, I made mixed cds for all of my car trips. I can't wait to listen to the cd's and relive my high school years one Dashboard Confessional song at a time.

-Two tripods. Anyone want one?? haha

-Three flashlights. None with working batteries.

-Directions to SUNY Geneseo from the first time I ever drove up alone (I'm thinking about framing those)

-3 tennis balls. I'm guessing these were from the summer Shikole and I tried to learn to play tennis together??

-A picnic blanket

I know soon I'll adjust to my new Elantra, but I can't help but be sad about all of the memories I'll be leaving behind when I drive away from the car on the lot. I hope the Neon's next owner has as many good memories as I have had with the car (and hopefully not as many repairs!!)

An Epic Graduation

This weekend I ventured home to Stone Ridge for my sister's graduation. I must tell you all how proud I am of the Shi-kar, it not only made it to New York and back, but only needed one tank of gas each way! Talk about efficiency, my car has it down!

Anyway, I chose a fantastic weekend to return home considering New York finally legalized gay marriage while I was there. I remember when Mayor Jason West performed 24 gay marriages while I was in high school before someone took legal action against him. He is, to this day, one of my heroes. He was only 26 when he went against what the rest of his state believed in to do what he thought was right. And finally his State has followed suit.

So in the midst of this epic change in my home state, we sat on the lawn of the football field hoping the clouds didn't burst until the diplomas were done being received. One of the student speakers opened with a quote from the Princess Diaries, to which I giggled. Although, his speech was one of the better I've heard at a high school graduation. Finally I got to see my second of three little sisters graduate. I am so proud of her and hope she continues to do great things.

Because of the weather the actual ceremony was postponed from Friday night until Saturday morning. With an unexpected free evening, the Struber Sisters decided to make our own Epic Meal. I don't know if any of you have watched the Epic Mealtime videos. I hadn't until a sister showed them to me this weekend. They include drunk Canadian men making dishes that are both disgusting and amazing at the same time. And every recipe includes bacon and Jack Daniels. They have titles such as Tequila Taco Night and Fast Food Lasagna. Ours was not alcoholic and included maybe 1/8th of the amount of food they used, but tasted amazing none the less. I leave you with one of the videos to watch for yourselves.

The Benrik Challenge

Have you ever heard of the Benrik challenge? I hadn't either until about 10 days ago. I follow College Candy on Twitter and they had a great link to an article about it. Apparently there is a book with 365 days worth of random things meant to put you out of your comfort zone and change your life. Sounds corny at first doesn't it?

But think about it, I know I've had at least a moment every day for the past few months where I feel like I'm not doing anything with my life. The feeling that something has to change or I'm going to go insane. You all can't tell me you haven't had these thoughts since graduating.

Enter: The Benrik Challenge. I bought the book from half.com the day I read that article. It just came in and I am browsing through all the things I may be doing soon. Challenges include things like: discretely flip off strangers all day, spend no money day, pretend to be a tourist day, dress in a power suit and go to lunch alone at a fancy restaurant - introduce yourself to diners as the owner. All of these sound really entertaining to complete.

Allison bought the book as well and we are going to do the challenge together. We haven't decided entirely how we are going to fashion it yet, though. 365 days is a long time and we want to shorten it a bit. We were thinking of having to complete 75 of the tasks by October 1st. What do you think?

Happy First Day of Summer!

What are your plans? My summer will hopefully include: a new vehicle, many relaxing weekday nights, time spent on the lake, walks around my neighborhood, running outside instead of the treadmill, trips to the local waterpark, and picnics.

Mondays are long days for me and yesterday was no different. Aside from getting up for work after my three day weekend, I also taught a piano lesson to a five year old in the evening. Even though teaching is fun for me, by the time I get home I was wiped out. Last night I recuperated from my long day by relaxing on my roof deck with friends.

It's hard to hate Mondays too much when you have a view like the photo above.

The Weekend In Photos!

This weekend one of my best friends from college came to visit! We had a marathon two days that involved tea parties, the zoo, lots of frozen chai, margaritas, glowsticks, and cupcake baking. The above photo was taken at this adorable tearoom/ restaurant here in Rochester called La-Tea-Da. I definitely recommend it if you're in the area! Jess was very excited to try on one of the "dress up" hats at the restaurant..

The inside of La Tea Da!

Here are a few photos from our zoo trip!

Me squinting into the sunlight, hanging with the penguins ;)

Wanted to take him home.

This guy came right up to the glass and stared at us!

All in all, it was a great weekend in Rochester!

Daddy's Little Girl

It is Father's Day yet again. As I mentioned back in January, my own father passed away when I was 10. However, I think he still deserves a tribute today because he was an amazing Dad.

Most important things my Father taught me:

1. Respect myself. And if a man ever doesn't, just kick him in the nads. (exact words to 7 year old me)
2. To fish. Looking at me you'd never know that I can successfully catch a trout, gut it, skin it, and cook it. All thanks to Dad.
3. Wear sunscreen. Always. My dad passed away from melanoma, I'd like to prevent that with my skin.
4. Take a chance. My Gramma always tells me I'm just like my Dad in this way. He taught me well. You will never get anywhere good in life without taking a chance.
5. How to BBQ. I can use a charcoal grill or propane grill. Keep the fire under control, and make some great meat.

Happy Father's Day to all the great Dad's out there!

The Midas Touch?

I spent the last 3 hours of my Saturday morning at the mechanic. I'm driving home to New York next weekend and wanted to make sure everything looked good under the hood so I didn't end up broken down on the side of the road. I asked the mechanics to replace my burnt out headlight, change my oil, check the pressure on my tires. Routine things.

And wouldn't you know it, as usual they find that there are actually 3482850 things wrong with my car. The brakes are shot, the struts are leaking, my compressor needs to be replaced and on and on and on. It's hard to know what these things actually do, how much they should cost and if they are important to replace unless you are, well, a mechanic.

I have had piece of crap cars all my life. In high school Allison and I were stranded more times than I can count because my car decided it hated me. There was the time the key wouldn't turn in the ignition (yes I know how to start a car, thank you, it literally would not turn), the time I got a flat on the way to meet our New Visions class for a field trip, the time putting the car in drive wouldn't make it go, the time it wouldn't even shift out of Park...you get the idea.

I have had my Neon, lovingly known in my group of friends as "the Shi-kar," for going on 6 years now, and almost everything in it has been replaced since I got it. By now the inside of the car is mostly new, except for the things the mechanic decided to list this morning. Being a post grad on a budget with a crappy car is impossibly stressful. I had to decide which of the things listed was actually important to get replaced/repaired now, versus what I can maybe save up to replace in the future.

I decided brakes were important for a trip home and that struts could wait. I don't even know what they do and the very attractive mechanic informed me that I'll be fine waiting. However, I still am much more in debt to my car than I was planning on when I asked for a new headlight and an oil change.

Lightning Never Strikes Twice

Summer in DC is quite predictable. Extreme heat followed by extreme thunderstorms with very small amounts of bearable weather in between.

Currently it is storming. While some people think thunderstorms are beautiful or relaxing or romantic I just would not describe a thunderstorm that way. The last storm knocked out my power for 4 hours. This is not as bad as last summer when we went without power, including a refrigerator and AC, for 5 days. I really should not complain at all after that horrid experience. But 4 hours without power is just as inconvenient.

On top of the lurking possibility of the lights going down and my Internet connection being stopped, there is also the theatrics of thunderstorms that don't sit well with me. The flashes of lightning, while beautiful to some when they slash through a darkened sky, make me jumpy. I'm already on high alert normally, it's just my nature. So when flashes of bright light come through my window I tend to freak out a little.

And the thunder. The rolling, crashing, breaking, however you'd like to describe it, is intense. I have literally screamed twice this week because a crack of thunder was so loud and caught me off guard. It also tends to make me jump.

None of these things make for a very happy post grad when all I'd like to do is cuddle up in bed with Netflix. DC summers and I have never really gotten along.

A quick way to save 20 bucks

Do you find that it's easier to pack a lunch or go out for lunch on workdays? I always bring my lunch with me to work. This is partly because I work in an area of the city that pretty much requires you to drive (and park amongst city traffic) if you want to get something to eat, and because eating out for lunch every day can get very expensive.

Let's do the math:

If I chose to visit a local deli to get a sandwich every day I would prob. drop about 7.00 per day on a sandwich, snack, and drink.

7.00 x 5 work days= 35.00 per week spent on lunches

Here's what I bring for lunch from home instead.

1. Salad-I split up a bag of salad into four services and sprinkle in some salt, pepper, and corn. One bag = 2.00. This means the salad costs me 50 cents per day.

2. I generally bring a baggie of Special K cracker chips (those things are amazing). They cost about 2.00 per box and I split the box up into five or six servings. Approx 35 cents per day.

3. Baby carrots- Only 99 cents per bag! I generally split up a bag into four servings, with a grand total of approx. 25 cents per day.

4. Almonds- 5.00 per container, I split them up into 8 small servings. That's about 63 cents a day.

All together, my daily lunch costs me about 1.73 a day, or 8.65 per week.

While I definitely switch up what I bring with me every week, it always falls way below the 35.00/ week price tag from eating lunch out everyday! I know that in some professions, lunch meetings are the norm, so I'm not sure how I would adjust my budget if eating lunch out was a necessity.

What do you all bring to lunch? Or do you work a job that requires you to eat out with co-workers/ potential clients? Any affordable snacks I'm missing out on?

Post Grad Profile: Sarah

Sarah is recent post grad from the UK who writes over at Happiness is Catching. Like many post grads, she realized during her studies that her passions were actually in a different field. Unlike many post grads, she plans on switching her focus to reflect this. Find out how Sarah discovered her true passion in life below.

(Sarah with her lovely parents)

Where did you attend college

I studied at The University of Leeds in the UK. As part of my degree I was also required to spend a year studying abroad. I could choose to study at a number of institutions in America, Canada and Europe and I chose to spend my year at The University of North Texas.

What did you study?

I studied Music and specialised in vocal performance.

What did you want to do going in?

When I first started University I wanted to become a professional singer. I dreamed about going down to London and making it big in the West End. I couldn’t wait to finish studying and begin performing in all the musicals I’d cherished since childhood.

What are you actually doing with your life?

It’s crazy to think that, in four years, I’ve changed so much. I still have a passion for performing - I don’t think that will ever leave me – and my obsession with musical theatre still reigns supreme. But, I had an epiphany while I was studying abroad at UNT. I took some classes in musicianship for teaching and music psychology and I realised that I could do so much more with my life than simply share my art with others. I could help people. I started learning about children with disabilities and how music can help them in ways that other therapies cannot. I became passionate about helping children and young people with disabilities. Ideas for future projects began streaming into my head. I wanted to change the world and I couldn’t wait to get started. When I got back to the UK I decided that I would finish my degree, start volunteering and read countless books about people who have done something truly remarkable with their lives. I have just finished my final year at University and I am pleased to say that I am about to graduate with First Class Honours (the highest student accolade you can be awarded at a University in the UK). My undergraduate dissertation (a 12,000 word thesis on what constitutes music education and music therapy) won the highest mark in my entire year group. I volunteer for three amazing organisations that work with children and young people and I’m just starting to look for my first job in my newly chosen career path. In short, I’m doing pretty well and I am SO excited to graduate and start the next stage in my life.

In a perfect world, what would your post grad life be like?

I’ll be my own boss. I’ll run a business, ideally a not-for-profit, which runs creativity sessions for children and young people with disabilities. I’ll be an expert in my field. I’ll write for journals and other publications. I’ll challenge the status-quo. I’ll enable people to realise that these children don’t so much have a disability, rather just a different set of abilities to ‘normal’ people. I’ll encourage people to stop putting limitations on children whose futures could be just as bright as ours if we let them be. I’ll work alongside schools and other incredible institutions. I’ll love what I do. I’ll make a difference, even if it’s just a tiny one. I’ll travel. I’ll find out what having a disability is like for children and young people in other countries and other cultures. I’ll meet people. I’ll see things from a different perspective. I’ll write about it.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned as a post grad?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you really can do anything you set your mind to. If you have the passion, the drive and the determination to achieve something, you will. I’ve also learnt that you can’t let fear get in the way of your dreams. We’re all scared of failure but often failure leads to our most successful endeavours. Use fear as a catalyst for making change happen. If you’re scared of something, channel that fear into a positive action. Do something about it. You’ll soon realise that you actually had nothing to be sacred of.

What is still to come for you in post grad?

I’d like to think that my future is unlimited. I want to achieve so much but have the very realistic view that you have to work hard to get to where you want to be. I’m sure I’ll make a few mistakes along the way but I know that I’ll try my utmost to learn from them. I want to make a difference in the world, even if it’s just a small one, and I know that wanting that result badly enough is the first step on the road to achieving it.

Day Trips: Winery

The past two weekends my friends and I decided to visit some semi-local wineries. Wine, along with books, is one of my favorite things. I own a wine glass that will hold an entire (standard) bottle of wine. No joke. It is my favorite.

And if you missed this tidbit, I am now a resident of Virginia, which happens to be somewhat of a wine country. So to celebrate my new home and my huge love, we decided wineries were the place to go.

Memorial Day weekend we visited the Barrel Oak winery. It was about 45 minutes away but there was a BBQ in addition to the usual tastings. After we arrived we realized the whole place was based on love of dogs. The tasting menus were labeled "BOW" (also an acronym for the winery itself) and "WOW." I personally thought that the "WOW" menu had something to do with the quality of the wine. It included a wine called the Chocolate Lab - a red wine with hints of cocoa. There were also pictures of dogs on many of the bottles you could order. There were also several dogs in attendance, lending to the canine theme all around. Between the wine, dogs and cornhole that was provided it was a very enjoyable day in wine country.

Last weekend we ventured a little farther to Naked Mountain Winery. Yes, you read that correctly, the winery is a tribute to nudity. Their motto, in fact, is "Drink Naked." Don't mind if I do! This winery had a much different feel than the last. It was smaller, with less people and more open space. Overall a much more chill place to be. The wine was just as good, though.I think it's something about drinking wine at the place it was created in the midst of the vineyards they came from that makes wine taste better.

Both weekends were very memorable, and I was able to add some more commemorative wine glasses to my collection. None will ever compare to my Whole Bottle Glass, but they are a good reminder of the good times we had at the wineries. I highly recommend going to one if you ever have the chance. They are beautiful and a fantastic day trip to take post grad. If you haven't gathered by now, this is the reason I have not been posting the past couple weekends. I needed to take a break at some point though, so this weekend has been void of a new winery so I could have time to let you all know where the best times are had.

Making the Best of It

It seems like the U.S. News and other media sources publish about 5 lists a year outlining the "best cities for recent graduates" or "best cities for young people". It's exciting to read about the top ten cities highlighted and imagine what life could be like living there. But what if your city/ town/ village/ hamlet doesn't make the cut? (I grew up in a hamlet.. that's when a place is too small to even be considered a village ...yeah..picture that one).

Does it mean you should spend your days badmouthing your surroundings until you can make it to one of the post grad cities on this list? No! Unless you enjoy being miserable.

When I made the decision to move to Rochester, NY after graduation, most people said, "why????" There were even a few "ewws" thrown in for good measure. In fact, the only list I've ever seen Rochester appear on was one talking about cities with the most snowfall in the country.

[ The deck of my old apartment last winter here in Rochester ]

At first I let my mind get lost in the opinions of others (many of which had never even seen the city), but then I realized that if I wanted to enjoy my time here, it was time to think positively!

Want to know why Rochester gets a ton of snow? It's because we are located next to a huge lake that is absolutely beautiful during the spring/summer/fall. A lake so huge that when you sit on the beach it's like you're looking out onto the ocean.

Another perk to the Rochester snow... once winter is over, people here are always out and about! We have multiple festivals every weekend of summer.. ranging from a Lilac Festival, to Jazz Festival, to Greek Festival, Canal Days, and countless other free music events.

[ My mom on a boat ride in downtown Rochester last summer ]

I could go on and on about Rochester, but the moral of this post is simple: you are the only one who can determine how enjoyable your surroundings are. You have to make fun for yourself and seek out unique things available in the area you live.

Take it from the girl who spent 18 years living in a hamlet where the highlights included walking to the local deli/ post office... it can be done in any location.

What about you readers- do you live in a location that some might view as less than desirable? How do you make the best of it?

GoodReads

If you haven't noticed by now, I quite like reading. I do it often. And the books seem to go by quickly. Unlike movies, tv shows and music, though, finding a new good book to read is not as mainstream. There is no commercial that pops up on Hulu telling you about a good book. The radio does not bring authors onto the show to discuss a new book. It is sad, but our society is not book-centric.

But alas! I have found Goodreads. Good reads is like a cross between facebook and an online book club, and it is amazing. I will admit that it is most enjoyable, and helpful, when your friends are using it too. You can see what books your friends are reading, what they plan to rad, what they thought of books they have finished and so much more. There are also groups and forums to join so that you can discuss your favorite reads with other people as well as your friends.

This month's GoodReads Book Challenge is to read "A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jenifer Egan. Sadly I have not joined this challenge yet, but that is only because of the unfortunate condition of my bank account. Every month there is a different challenge and GoodReads offers polls, discussion and a live chat with the author upon completion.

There are a lot more features to this site that I have not mastered yet, but I encourage you all to check it out. And if you do, friend me so we can share our Good Reads!

Changes

As you can tell by our brand new photos on the left, our little blog is going to be undergoing some design changes in the next few days! We'll still be posting, but things will likely be moved around until we settle on an updated design.

Tonight I'm about to embark on a very post grad experience: playing in a nighttime summer kickball league. I'm hoping the games will be more laid back than competitive.. seeing as this is kickball and all, but we'll see! I'll update you all on what adult "after-work sports" are like either tonight or tomorrow!

P.S. I also haven't played kickball since middle school....and I wasn't very good then.... is that bad?? If you got the snl reference there (lawrence welk show), you get ten points.

Uglies

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Imagine being sent to boarding school when you are twelve. Now imagine the city brainwashing you into thinking you are ugly the entire four years you spend there. And instead of getting a sweet 16 party when you turn that magical age, you get an operation to MAKE you the cities idea of pretty.

Welcome to Tally Youngblood's life. Except she is 3 months away from being 16 and already brainwashed. She is looking forward to the doctors grinding her bones to the right size and shape and giving her new skin and making her face completely symmetric. She actually plays around on the screen wall in her dorm room to see all the ways she could be made to look.

Now imagine that one of these kids realized they were being brainwashed and did not want an operation. Instead they ran away. But running away isn't as simple as hopping a bus to the next town. No, cities in this time have magnetic fields through them that carry the hoverboards and hovercars, and there is a magnetic field surrounding it alerting the authorities when anyone tries to leave.

This is just the premise of the first book in a series of 4. I am currently reading the very last book of the series and don't want to give too much away, that would be bogus. I would like to mention that the language used in these books is entirely catching. I have begun to use phrases like "nervous making" in everyday life thanks to them. A future post about a different part of the series will go over that with you all.

For now I will leave you with the fact that I am grateful to not be brainwashed or operated on. And able to leave this damn city whenever I please.

Rating 3.2/5 stars

Sock Bun!

Yesterday as I was sifting through Youtube clips of cute animals, I somehow landed on a hair tutorial that promised overnight curls with no heat used. As a girl with long hair that tries to rebel against any sort of styling, I was determined to try the "sock bun" method. Let me tell you, that girl in the video knows what she's talking about! This technique is perfect for post grads that cherish their morning sleep, or if you tend to shower at night for the next work day.

This is not me in the video, but this girl does a great job of demonstrating! Enjoy!

Oh, and I apologize to any of our male readers... I hope you skipped down to the next post by now. ;)

I Review First Round Resumes

As Allison mentioned, it was requested that we include some job hunting tips for you all. After all, there is a new batch of post grads that just joined us and they might need some assistance.

Well Post Grads, believe it or not, I am in charge of the first round of resumes at my company. I suppose I should probably share with you what I do and do not look for when reviewing candidates to pass on to the Boss Man.

When resumes come in, I first put them into a folder in my Outlook for the appropriate month and year that it was submitted. I then search my entire Outlook mailbox for the name of the applicant to make sure they have not already applied.

Insider tip number one - It doesn't look good to apply to the same job multiple times in a couple months. The ad for the job is usually the same so you should recognize what you have already applied for. And the employers end definitely checks.

After I know an applicant is indeed a new applicant, I will open the resume. I must say that the layout of your resume is important. It needs to look good. I do not mean that in a superficial way. Your resume is how you are presenting yourself to an employer. They have not met you, or spoken to you, or experienced you in any way.

Insider tip number two - Make sure your resume has an amazing layout and represents YOU. If I open a resume that just lists everything, without taking the time to format different sections, i immediately discard it. If you don't have the time to present yourself well through your resume, then I don't think you'd do very well in my company. Some great tips can be found here.

The last thing that I want to add goes directly against Allison's advice, but she did mention that it wasn't for everyone. When I post a job listing for my company I do not include the company name or the phone number for a reason. We do not want phone calls or people showing up. We don't have time for that.

Insider tip number three - Follow up, don't show up. If you've applied and have not heard back yet, follow up. Often times Boss Man gets busy and won't call people for weeks after we've received a resume. Send a follow up email if you're really interested. It won't disturb my workday and you get to express persistence, which is a quality I AM looking for in an applicant.

The result:

My #1 Job Hunting Tip

A week ago on twitter we asked you guys what you'd like to see more on the site, and one of our followers suggested more job hunting tips! Here's the trick to how I've landed most of my jobs. It may not work for everyone, but it definitely helped me land my full time position.

Make verbal contact.

I've wrote about this in the past, but it's worth posting on again. I've done a little interviewing work to help hire someone for my company and guess how many resumes were emailed to us within ten minutes of listing an ad on craigslist? About 30.

Every time you reply to an online job listing, imagine that there are at least 30 to 50 applicants applying to the same job. You might have an outstanding resume with lots of work experience, but what happens if it's never even read by the employer?

If you live in the area where you are job hunting, no harm can come from visiting the office to drop off your resume in person. If you don't live in the area, make a phone call! Make sure you touch base with someone at the company so they know that you are persistent and willing to take the extra step.

Never underestimate the power of personal connections, whether you have the chance to speak directly with talk an HR representative, the company president, or even the receptionist.

If you had to choose, what would be your #1 job hunting tip?

My Typical Day Preview

I apologize that I've been MIA for about a week now. I thought my life would calm a little after moving was over. I was wrong. I want to share with you all what a typical day is like for me. But I also want to get it juuuust right before actually publishing the post.

In saying that, I am going to give you a preview for now so that you know I haven't forgotten about you all.

9:50 am: On hold with Dell for the first time today while reading through the 215 emails I got overnight. I feel much like This Man. While on the phone I know that it is going to be an unsuccessful, painstakingly long call where I get put on hold at least 3 more times with no resolution to the issue that Dell instigated when they screwed up.

9:59 am: Still on the phone with Dell but Boss Man calls on the other line. This is the first time today that I will have the phone receiver to one ear and my cell phone plastered to to the other simultaneously. Boss Man wants an update on the list I was trying to compose while on hold.

10:05 am: Dell is still on the line. I have spoken to 3 representatives now and none of them have any idea what is actually going on. No amount of case numbers, order numbers, or names of other people who have worked on this seem to jog their memory into knowing what I'm talking about. And then Boss Man #2 walks into my office, hands me his ringing cell phone, and walks out again.

That is all I have for now, but I promise you will get an idea about how the other 23 hours and 45 minutes of my typical day are spent very very soon.

Tuesday

Yesterday was the most Monday-ish Tuesday I've dealt with lately.
They were installing new garage doors directly under my office which meant lots of loud drilling and hammering...all day... I also drove five hours on Monday, leaving behind a relaxing weekend at home and was welcomed by an overheated apartment, and internet that wasn't working.

Normally I would have some sort of tip on how to turn the day around, but since I'm currently updating this from the inside of my car in a Panera parking lot (due to my lack of internet), I've really got nothing.

Sometimes days are just annoying, but thankfully, there's always a new one right around the corner.

Maybe I'll leave this one up to you... how do you all turn your bad days around?