Monthly Archives: October 2009

How to Wait

Posted on by
1

Searching for a job is difficult work. It requires diligence. Perseverance. And most of all, it requires patience.

As each day turns into the next, we wait. Wait for that phone call, the email telling you yes! you have a phone interview! Or yes, you’ve made it to the in-person round! Even yes, you’ve made it to the second, third, or fourth interview. And the elusive grand-daddy of them all – yes! we want you! for this job! Please, come work for us. Join us. Be our expert in this field. (And hopefully, that comes with yes! we will pay you lots of money, but that’s just the cherry on top at this point.)

But until that call comes, it’s how you pass the time that matters. What can you during your (non)working days?

  • Rework your resume: Yes, back when you left your last job you updated your resume. But have you updated it this quarter? This month? This week? It pays to take a look at your resume as often as possible. Tweak wording, add new content. Nothing says “throw it in the pile” like an outdated resume.
  • Network: I know, sometimes it can be tedious, but networking really does help. And it doesn’t have to be just attending events as some anonymous job-seeker. Often it can be as simple as reconnecting with an ex-colleague over lunch. You don’t want to be a vampire do you? So get out there and make some friends!
  • Learn  your industry: Of course you know your industry, you’re an expert, right? But things are always changing, so it’s important to keep up with the latest news and trends while you’re out of work.
  • Follow up: Sent the resume, but haven’t heard anything? Follow up. Had the interview, but haven’t heard anything? Follow up. Always follow up. And write a nice, hand-written thank-you note while you’re at it! It’ll help you feel proactive, and it beats waiting around, that’s for sure.
  • Do something else: I know for a fact you can’t spend all of your time job-searching. And you can only cook, and clean, and do other housewife-y things for so long, so do something else. Perhaps some reading? Or taking a class? Anything you can do to stay sharp is going to help you in your search. Or, you can check this out. You know, just to pass the time.

Snow Day

Posted on by
1

Oh the weather outside is frightful, and it’s only October! So what to do on a deliciously snowy day?

snow day

  • Stay in your pajamas all day
  • OR, bundle up and shovel the walk (and your neighbor’s too!)
  • Bake something, anything (I’m going to try my Grandma’s brownie recipe, coming soon!)
  • Tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch
  • Learn to knit
  • Think about learning to knit
  • Build a snow fort in the backyard
  • Eat all the Halloween candy meant for the kids this weekend
  • Try the matte nail polish (again)
  • Drink a bottle of wine with your girlfriends
  • Catch up on the New Yorker
  • Love EVERY minute

Candied Walnuts

Posted on by
Reply

These candied walnuts are perfect for a nice fall salad, crushed on top of oatmeal, or even just as a simple afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

You’ll need:

1 cup of walnuts (almonds and cashews are also nice)

3TB sugar

1.5 TB water

Salt and Pepper to taste

ingredients

First, mix the water and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil.

watersugar

boil

Then, stir in the walnuts and coat with the mixture. Stir continually.

coat

Once the mixture has mostly been absorbed (probably 3-4 minutes) remove walnuts from pan and lay on foil to cool.

final

Yum! We had these tonight with a spinach salad with roasted chicken, butternut squash, and apples. It was delish.

salad

Ultimate Fall

Posted on by
5

It may be 75 degrees in Denver today, but fall is in the air. I miss these days when they’re no longer here, so while they are, I make an effort to take it all in. Sarah over at Pink of Perfection had a great post about her favorite fall activities, so I’m taking a note from her today. Behold, my fall favorites. What are yours?

  • Raking leaves
  • Carving a pumpkin for Halloween (coming soon!)
  • Curling up on the couch with a good book
  • Honeycrisp apples
  • Fall’s newest nail polish trend: the matte look

  • The disappearance of white wine (even though I love it in the summer)
  • Chili every week
  • A scarf for every occasion

Hours of Entertainment

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been brought to my attention that I’ve been talking about YouTube a lot lately. What can I say, it provides hours of entertainment. And, as an added bonus, it’s pretty educational too. What am I talking about? Well, last week I learned how to do my eye makeup like Lady Gaga from a wonderful young lady.

And, not so much educational but still ABOUT education (okay it’s tangent but I still like it) – this group of elementary school kids do an awesome cover of Jay Z and Rhianna’s “Run This Town.”

How to cut a pineapple:

And finally, how to cross country snowboard. Gotta love this stuff.

Managing Insomnia

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret. We the people of the United States of America, and other countries too, are sleep-deprived. Some people work too much. Others have brand new babies. Others just can’t fit it all in and would rather use the little free time they do have watching TV or surfing the net instead of getting those precious zzzz’s. Nobody is getting enough sleep. Including me.

Personally, even though I have ample time for it, I have trouble sleeping. I can’t fall asleep. Or I wake up in the middle of the night and I can’t fall back asleep. Or I toss and turn and never fall into that deep REM sleep that is so important. Maybe it’s my Type A personality. I’m a worry wart. Or maybe it’s just in my DNA. My mom has trouble sleeping too, although she says that nobody her age sleeps well. I have my fingers crossed that isn’t true.

I’m not yet 30 (although that date is rapidly approaching), but I’m doing what I can to manage this insomnia before it gets out of control.  So what does it take for this (non)Working Girl to get a good night’s sleep?

  • Don’t wear lipstick to bed like the beautiful lady in the picture above. OBVI.
  • Have a nightly ritual. I know this is pretty obvious, but your body knows when you’re getting ready for bed. For me it’s floss, brush teeth, wash face, apply night cream (okay I’m not doing this yet but I bought some today and I totally plan to – gotta stave off those wrinkles that are coming for me) and then STRAIGHT TO BED.

  • Make the bedroom a place to relax. An oasis if you will. A place where it feels natural to take some deep breaths and let your worries float away. Occasionally I’ll spray this Deep Sleep Dreamy Pillow and Body Mist around my bed and on my pillow. It is lovely and calming.

  • Keep the room dark and silent. I like it pitch black, so I try to cover excessive alarm clock light, windows, etc. In addition, this may appall some of you, but I sleep with earplugs every single night. I have for years. I like Mack’s Kids Size Silicon Earplugs because they are smaller and fit in my delicate flower ears.
  • Limit caffeine and sadly, alcohol. I know if I drink too much of either of these delicious substances, I won’t be able to sleep. Sometimes a nice glass of wine or three is worth the lack of sleep, but not always.
  • If I do wake up in the middle of the night and can’t stop my mind from racing, I make mental lists. I find that I typically worry about the same things over and over so I pick one problem, focus on it and choose a course of action for the next day. Then, when my mind comes back to that problem, I know I’ve already got a solution in place, so I don’t have to worry about it anymore.
  • GET OVER IT. Some nights, I’ll have trouble sleeping. And I just have to accept that. I know I might be a little fatigued the next day, but worrying about how I can’t sleep isn’t going to make things any better. Usually it just makes it worse. So I put on my big girl panties and just get over it and enjoy the extra time I’m awake. I read. I pet the dog. I think up new blog posts. And the next night, I’m sure to sleep like a baby.