Post Grads Love: Board Games

I think we have established that after graduation our energy levels and spending money both decrease drastically. What's a Post Grad to do?

There is really only one solution: reverting back to the activities you resented as a child.

When my mother would suggest playing a board game there was a collective groan let out by my sisters and me. over an hour having to converse with the family with nothing but a board and some cards between you? No thank you.

When my grandmother would suggest working on a puzzle, that same collective groan would escape our mouths. Spending time trying to make useless pieces fit together over and over even though you have already proven to yourself they don't fit? Yeah, awesome time.

I think the only thing missing was alcohol. That's why parents enjoyed board games and puzzles, they had wine and beer and vodka as they played!

So now, as Post Grads of legal drinking age, we can add the fun part to board games and have an inexpensive night in with friends. Of my favorites:

- Catch Phrase. You need at least 6 people but it is always a good time. Inside jokes encouraged.

- Monopoly. Classic. Betting is often involved in our games, and several references to the "official rules."

- Puzzles. Somehow the more you drink the more sense it makes. Until the next morning when you realize about 1/3 of the pieces actually fit together.

Now go Post Grads! Pop open the bottle of wine and have a cheap night in with your friends. Low key and inexpensive, exactly how we like it.

The Interview

                           

A few weeks ago I wrote about amping up your cover letter to score an interview, but what happens when you land one? Here are a few post grad interview tips!

Dress appropriately- I know you're thinking, no duh, of course I'm not going to where ripped jeans and a tank top. But by appropriately I mean, dress for the job you are applying for. If you're interviewing at a graphic design or production company, you should still be modest, but you might want to include a bit of an artsy flair to your outfit.Someone applying for a job in a more traditional corporate environment would want to stick to a basic suit set.

Think about your five year plan ahead of time- "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Here's a hint, the answer should not be "as a professional singer in NYC" or "a stay at home mom". You don't want to give the impression that this job is just to hold you over a few months until you move or find something better. Companies value loyal employees and will often be wary of recent grads that are unsure of what they want.

Always ask questions-Think of questions ahead of time, and when all else fails, ask the interviewer how they got their start at the company. Never say that you have no questions at the end of an interview. Ever! To me, it gives the impression that you're uninterested in the company itself.

Do your research- Learn about the company! I guarantee that your interviewer will ask the question "why us?" Be prepared with an answer!

Follow Up- Send an email or place a phone call within 24 hours of the interview thanking your interviewer for their time. A little bit of politeness goes a long way.

What are your interview tips?

Is it the Weekend yet?

I am so sorry for my lack of posting. My computer screen will only work at 45 degrees or less, making typing stupendously difficult. It is sad because I have so much to tell you all!!

I made lemon bars I want to post the recipe for.

I want to tell you about how Post Grads love board games and puzzles.

My trip to Iceland is coming up quickly and there is so much to go over before it happens!

Tax season is also fast approaching and I feel like Post Grads would benefit from some tips.

Alas we must wait a bit longer, until I can see what I am typing. BUT, please stay tuned for all of the above. I am crafting each of those posts in my head during the day while on conference calls. Multi-tasking is my thing.

Sleeping 101

Sleep was on my mind for most of the day today. Why, you ask? Oh, well it just so happens that the dudes living a floor above me have formed a band that practices on Sunday nights at midnight! There is nothing quite like starting out a Monday morning to the tune of horrible guitar playing and drum set banging.

Sleep is important for everyone, but I think getting a true good night of sleep is an especially difficult thing for many post grads that are transitioning from college schedules to the 9-5 grind. In college, I took  naps (I miss them so), stayed up late writing papers, and stayed out late most weekend nights. These days, I'm exhausted, or already asleep, by about 10:30pm. Weekends included. Here are a few tips I've picked up throughout the year and half since I began working full time.

Poor diet has been proven to be one of the major triggers for sleepless nights. The worst part about this is that little sleep tricks our bodies into wanting more horrible food, which we then have no energy to burn off. This cycle can get out of control very quickly. So try and spin the cycle in reverse! Eat more fruits and vegetables, and try to stay away from heavily processed and fast foods. Healthy foods = better sleep = more energy.

Creating a relaxing space is another way to bring on the zZz's. Try out dark window shades or sleeping with a soft eye mask to create complete darkness. If you live in a city like me, the constant hum of traffic can either be soothing or completely irritating. I sometimes use a free Ipad app called Nature Sound that plays relaxing sounds to mask the sound of cars rushing by. It may be completely cheesy to listen to "Mountain Ambiance" noises, but it puts me right to sleep so I'll take it!

Another way I try to make the most of my precious sleeping hours is easing into them.  Taking baths has become a nighttime luxury for me. I go all out with fancy bath salts and exfoliation  scrubs. I also will YouTube meditation videos, or even just take an hour to read on the couch with my feet up and a cup of tea. Chamomile and Passion Fruit are two of my favorite teas to drink before bed.

What are your tips for an excellent night's sleep? Here's hoping mine isn't disrupted by the resident rock band tonight..

Staying Healthy in 2012

I've been trying to type out a New Year's Resolution/ goals post for the past hour and have been too distracted by my current pounding headache and runny nose. I have tons of goals for the coming year. I want to excel at work, improve my relationships, and take more risks. But I think I'd like to actually try and stick to one major resolution this year: be healthier.

Up until this fall, I was the type of girl that fed into the 100 calorie snack pack version of "healthy eating". I ate low calorie microwave dinners that were bursting with salt. I went to the gym and used only the elliptical machine, because the display showed that I burned more calories than I did while running. I suppressed my emotions so much that by the end of the year I felt like I had a stress ball resting inside my chest. For most of the year, I took only minimal care of my body and mind. While I succeeded in maintaining my weight, I didn't feel healthy.

This October, I watched as a family member dealt with health issues she couldn't control. I realized that I since I was lucky enough to have the luxury of fixing mine, I needed to take action. I got rid of the low cal snacks and started running. I introduced vitamins into my diet, and by December was feeling the healthiest I've felt in a while (aside from my current cold....) I've made progress, but I know I still have a long way to go. So this year, I am resolving to stay on track with my healthy lifestyle. I am going to to continue eating as many raw and whole foods as possible. I want to develop a recipe book for go-to healthy recipes that I can make after work. I want to find more workouts that I enjoy, and continue to tell myself that being slender doesn't necessarily equal healthy.

I am lucky enough to work at a company that provides health benefits and I also plan to use them more in 2012 than I have in the past year. I need to suck it up schedule a physical and a few other important exams that I've been putting off. Even though these appointments might be the last thing I want to do after work or on a weekend, I know they're important and I resolve to get everyone of them taken care of in the first few months of this new year.

While physical health is very important to me, I recognize that my mental health could be improved as well this year. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about how it's so hard for many post grads to just disconnect after the work day, and realized that I was basically describing myself. I need to develop a better way to manage stress. Whether it's taking up yoga to calm my nerves, finding the right herbal supplement, or even seeing a therapist, I need to do something.

I'm resolving to stay healthy this year. Who wants to join? :)

A Visit From the Goon Squad

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

This is a great book for someone with ADD. Each chapter follows a different character so you aren't stuck with one point of view the whole time. Each character is somehow intertwined in the others' lives as well, making the book whole.

I love the style of writing Egan has in this book. She even has a chapter that is completely in powerpoint slides. The way each chapter is written differently definitely kept my attention.

The characters themselves also had a part in keeping me reading. The same character might pop up in different chapters, but I never expected it to be the way it was. The assistant to the Boss Man had a one night stand with the guy who ended up working with the daughter of the failed publicist who tried to improve the image of a genocidal maniac by taking photos of him with an American celebrity who was almost raped by a reporter at the end of his career and whose sister was the publicist hired by an aging drummer from a band that Boss Man discovered at the start of his career.

That was a mouthful. But it all came full circle and I applaud Egan for the very well thought out plot and character development.

4.99/5 stars

Goals for 2012

Happy New Year Post Grads!! I hope all of you are over your hangovers by now and starting to feel like a real person again. Now that we have made it through the horrid 2011, it is time to make our goals for 2012.

Now, I hate "new year's resolutions." It has the implication that we can only try to improve ourselves once a year. I would like to think that we can improve on ourselves whenever we feel the need. At the same time, though, I can see how a new year can inspire people to want to change.

I prefer making goals for the new year. I can add to the list continuously and update my goals as things change. And besides, no one references a "new year's resolution" between the months of March and October.

1. Complete 1 short story or 3 chapters of my novel.
2. Donate to charity once a month
3. Read 30 books
4. Take a writing class
5. Give someone a chance who I normally wouldn't
6. Be happy

What kinds of things do you all want to accomplish this year?