I Don't Answer My Phone After 10pm

Remember when we were kids and our parents wouldn't let us use the phone after like 8pm? They considered it either disrespectful for someone to call so "late" or insisted that it was no longer time to be social but to be in bed reading. At the time I thought my mother was a kill joy and I resented her for stifling my social butterfly from emerging. She wasn't in middle school so obviously she had no idea how important it was for me to be able to answer that call.

Now, as a post grad a year out from graduation, I don't answer my phone after 10pm. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule in certain circumstances.

1. If I am expecting your call/text I will answer.
2. If I happen to still be out at dinner or other such social occasion, I will answer.
3. If a call/text comes through more than three times I will likely come to the conclusion it is important and answer.
4. If it's any of my sisters they have a special exception and I will answer.

Other than that I see no need to answer my phone after 10pm on a weeknight. This is when I would like to be in my bed. Relaxing. In sweats. With Tea. This is ME time and should not be interrupted. Don't take it personally.

"Get On The School Bus!"

This is what a teacher screamed at me as I walked past the baseball stadium near my job. I was walking on my lunch break, and it just so happened that an afternoon baseball game had just ended. Hoards of middle school aged children were rushing towards me, so I picked up my pace to get out of their way. That's when the teacher stepped in front of me and scolded me. I told her that I wasn't a student and her face turned bright red as she apologized, saying "you just blended in with all the kids".


Growing up I was always told that I looked older than my age. I was always on the taller side and seemed to have mature features. This stopped when I entered college. In fact, it seems like the aging process stopped completely for me during those four years. When I emerged with my degree, I no longer had people guessing I was four or five years older than my actual age. Instead, I've been asked multiple times if I'm high school student (and now a middle school student??).


I know anyone over the age of 40 reading this blog is probably thinking I'm a brat for complaining about this, but I'm actually curious to how I can start to look more my age.


Should I start dressing more professionally? I actually wore a work appropriate skirt and top today, but I was still lumped in with a bunch of young teenagers. My office is very informal, so pantsuits and blazers are out of the question.

Are any of you ever mistaken for high school students? If you work in a job where dressing in stereotypical professional attires is not the norm, how do you take steps (appearance wise) to show that you're actually a college grad?

Wither

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

I am noticing a trend lately with the books I read. This one also takes place in a post-apocalyptic USA, just like the last. Scientists found a way to make humans live long and healthy lives after curing cancer, but, oops, it only lasted for 1 generation. Now females die at age 20 and males at 25.

Think about that. We (or half of us I guess) would be dead right now. Our life span would end before we could finish college. Quarter life crisis would happen at 5. Oh and most of us would be orphans by the age of 5 as well.

This is the world that Rhine lives in. And it has created a new black market, for young brides. The wealthy males want heirs before their premature deaths, and who better to birth them than orphans and other young girls who have nothing else going for them?

This first book in the Chemical Garden series, however, is not all dark and morbid. There are scientists looking for a cure, and not all of the wealthy males are so sinister. It's just that Rhine doesn't take well to captivity.

If you like scientific fantasy in the way of post apocalyptic scenarios like I do then this book is definitely for you. And there are two more in the series that haven't even been released yet.

Rating 3.75/5 stars

Partying, Partying, Yeah!

Sorry guys, I couldn't stop my fingers from typing a Rebecca Black reference in the title. I hope you'll keep reading!

Last week I had a few friends over to my new apartment. We had wine and dessert and it was a fun and relaxing time, until we realized we had lost track of time. It was nearly 10:15! Everyone gasped and within 10 minutes or so the girls had left and I was getting ready for bed.

I ask all of you post grads to now think back to what 10pm means in college time. At my school, 10pm on a weekend was the time BEFORE the actual party started. On a weeknight, 10pm meant that you were just getting done meeting about a group project, you were about to start your homework, or you were watching t.v. and listening to music without a care in the world because your first class didn't start until noon the next day.

One of the things I had the hardest time adjusting to after graduation was the schedule shift. I accomplished a lot in college between internships, working on the magazine, school work, and part time jobs, yet I still managed to have so much free time during the day! After graduating, I was forced to deal with the fact that the majority of my day would be spent at work.

I've got to admit, one year later and I'm still adjusting to the new "working girl" schedule. Here are a few tips I've come across along the way.

1. If you belong to a gym, do not go home in between work and working out time. Maybe some post grads have the motivation to pry themselves away from their comfy apartments and go burn a couple hundred calories, but I am not one of them.

2. Make your breaks count. I get a half hour break for work, and unless it is snowing or pouring outside, I make sure to get out of the office. Just going for a half hour walk makes my break feel completely rejuvenating and when I get back inside, I'm ready to work.

3. Give yourself a bed time! 10pm, 11pm, find a time that works for you and stick to it!

4. Make lunches ahead of time. This is something I just started doing, and it frees up about a half hour of my evenings by getting the weeks worth of lunches together on Sunday.

How do you all deal with fitting everything you want into the confines of a 9-5 work week schedule?

Post Grad Flashback: One Tree Hill

I've been pet sitting this past week and had the privilege of accessing a huge television and cable. Mixed in with waking up early to walk the dog, I also rediscovered the teen dramas I used to adore. Apparently Soap Net has something called "Breakfast in Bed" on weekend mornings that broadcasts all the old shows: The O.C., Gilmore Girls, and One Tree Hill.

They were playing the One Tree Hill episodes of the middle seasons, the 5 years later episodes. The gang had already graduated high school and were now in their mid 20s. They were our age. And watching the 3 back to back episodes this morning I realized that they were no where near normal people like the show wanted you to believe.

Lucas had a book published and a movie being made out of it.

Peyton had her own music production business and managed an up an coming star.

Brooke had her own fashion line.

Nathan was playing basketball for the Chiefs.

And Haley had a record out and was helping to manage the up and coming star.

Only Haley and Nathan had attended college.

Oh and Haley and Nathan are married with a 4 year old, Peyton is pregnant with Lucas's baby and they are engaged, and Brooke is trying to adopt. Have I mentioned that these people are OUR AGE?

I used to love this show. The characters, the drama and the adventures they went on were a great escape from my everyday life. And a great reason to get a bunch of girls in the same room with a bottle of wine. But when I watch this show now all I see are unrealistic portrayals of real life. Every character has their dream job, a promising relationship and all the money in the world. And here I am, post grad and single at a job that is far from my dream and in a mountain of student loan debt.

This show that I used to love so much had depressed me before 10am. I have come to the conclusion that the shows i used to love, should stay in the past.

The Seemingly Harmless Question You Should Stop Asking Single People

As a single post grad I have several friends who ALWAYS ask this question after I go on a date. Always. And it most definitely ruins how you previously felt about it. I don't want to have to answer this every time I tell a friend who is in a relationship about a guy. Just let me have my moment.

The Seemingly Harmless Question You Should Stop Asking Single People

What is Happening to Me??

Allison and I had a realization yesterday. It was unnerving. We realized that we have been craving domesticity. My OCD has evolved so much that I enjoy cleaning. Yes, you read that right, I enjoy cleaning. Allison admitted to liking laundry. And we both agree that grocery shopping, cooking and decorating are just plain fun.

All of this is new. It has happened in the last couple of months. I used to hate cleaning with a passion. Ask my old roommate over at Yerbe Mate & Spanish Speaking Steak. My idea of cleaning the kitchen used to be putting all the dishes in the dishwasher. That was all. No wiping of the counters, no throwing out old food in the frig. I seriously believed that if all the dirty dishes were in the dishwasher then the kitchen was clean. Now I not only load the dishwasher but have an obsessive compulsion about HOW it is loaded. I seriously will take out all the dishes and re-stack the dishwasher if it isn't stacked efficiently enough.

This change in behavior might be attributed to the post grad jobs we took. While we appreciate employment and do not plan on quitting to become housewives any time soon, jobs are also a source of unrest. For a control freak like myself there is way too much going on at my job that I can't control for my liking. This is common in most jobs, unless you work for yourself, and if you do I am jealous. I think I need to channel my controlling habits other places, and it seems to have settled in domesticity.

Don't get me wrong, Allison and I very much like being independent, working women and post grads. However the hypothetical idea of being housewives has crept into our thoughts. Allison just got me obsessed with Mormon blogs that describe the lives, families and wardrobes of young Mormon women. For the life of us we couldn't figure out why we liked this reading so much. Then Allison found this article. It explains so much. They make life seem so simple.

Mormon blog I am currently obsessed with: The Daybook.

On that note, I need to go to work and concede my control to others for the next 9 hours. Don't worry, though, I have every intention of cleaning the kitchen when I return.