A New Year, a New Post

Ok, I'll admit it. I got lazy. Sometimes, there are things in life that fall by the wayside, and blogging was one of them.

It's been an interesting couple of months for me: adjusting to a new job, a new living situation, a new city (sort of), new people, and a very new lifestyle. I know I'm beyond lucky to have the job that I have, especially these days, and I'm even luckier to have fantastic, supportive family and friends, but sometimes a girl needs some time to herself.

Luckily, a new year brings new resolve. Isn't it amazing how the turn of a calendar page can be so inspiring?

And so with that, here are my resolutions for '09. Feel free to call me out on them if you notice me not fulfilling anything.

1. Do something creative every day.
Although I work in a (very) creative field and company, my actual job isn't. (When you try to get "creative" with estimates and invoices, shit goes wrong.) And I've realized that I miss creativity, and I need more of it to feel whole. So whether that comes in the form of blogging, busting out the camera, or journaling, I'll work the other side of my brain a little every day.

2. Work smarter, not harder.
I'm finally getting the hang of my job-- the learning curve was steep, to say the least. Now that I've learned things the hard way, it's time to figure out which way is the hard way, then avoid it.

3. Go to the gym at least 3 days a week.
Yeah, everyone says they want to get in shape in the new year. (That's why going to the gym in the first week of January is always a bad idea-- waaaay too crowded.) But I've realized that working out, for me, is more about working out the frustrations of the day, spending time on me with no distractions, and getting more energy. Seriously, it works.

4. Connect with old friends who have moved back to the Bay.
The great thing about coming back to the Bay Area is that my roots are here. I know people all over, if I would only branch out and call them up more often. San Francisco is sort of a new city for me (since I grew up in Los Altos and now live in Berkeley), so it will be fun to continue to find "new" friends to explore with.

5. Bring my lunch to work at least 3 days a week.
This just has to do with spending less money and saving more, in order to do the next two things on my list....

6. Find an apartment. Finally.
It's time to get serious.

7. Travel to see some old friends.
This one, at least, is pretty easy to keep! I have friends to visit in Chicago, New York, Phoenix, LA, San Luis Obispo, Copenhagen, Italy, Austria, and (soon) Guatemala. I'm making more money now, and I still get the restless, need-to-be-flying-somewhere urges. The only problems are a) how to best use my personal/vacation days and b) where should I go first?!

So, there you have it. 7 things I'm going to do this year. Or at least until I get lazy again.

And they say caffeine is bad for you...

I am a total believer in the afternoon coffee. Maybe I don't get enough sleep, or maybe I just like rattling off my Starbucks order. Either way, I'm usually just looking for a little pick-me-up to get me through the last few (or several) hours of the work day. This is expected to come from the caffeine, but today I got another little jolt along with my latte, courtesy of Starbucks's long-running "The Way I See It" campaign.

For all those who are still looking for jobs, or who are stuck in jobs that they hate, or who are still trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives, I give you Mr. Keith Olbermann, of (former) Sportscenter and MSNBC anchor desk fame. (Based on this background, I'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about.) Hope you like it as much as I did.

"The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you're not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct.
But do not do their work for them.
Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don't take it personally when they say 'no' -- they may not be smart enough to say 'yes.' "

Monday Morning Video Fun

Just saw this video on El Gaffney's blog (check out the full post here) and it totally made my Monday morning so much better. Apparently there is a dance battle going on between Miley Cyrus and this crew, via YouTube videos. I haven't seen the Miley video yet, but I think this one wins, due to its many A-list cameos (Lindsay Lohan, Chris Brown, Adam Sandler, Diana Ross, and the Jabawockees crew). Check it out if you need a 7-and-a-half minute escape from reality.

Obsession.

It takes a lot for me to actually spend 99 cents on an iTunes song rather than steal it from one of my friends. This is one of those songs.

Chris Brown (18-year-old phenom) and Jordin Sparks (last season's American Idol winner) sang their hit duet, "No Air," on the Idol results show last week. It's hot. So hot that I sat on the floor next to the TV so I could be closer to it. (I don't care if that makes me a cougar, he's 18 and he's amazing!) It's refreshing to see young entertainers who actually have talent, and who clearly have fun doing their jobs.

Check out the clip below, and try not to love the song. (Also, note Chris Brown's new star tattoo behind his right ear. Rihanna, 19-year-old phenom rumored to be his girlfriend, also got a new star tattoo down her back. They're totally doing it.)

Random Thought of the Day

Why is coffee you make at home never as good as coffee you have at restaurants?

And I'm not talking coffee shops, that's a given that it's going to be better. I mean restaurants like your favorite brunch spot, where you can order large amounts of carbs and fats and grease to start off your day. (My personal favorite? Eggs benedict and home fries.) I think it's because when I ask for cream, I actually get cream in all its fat-full glory, whereas at home, I'm health-conscious and just splash in some fat-free milk. Which is basically water. And at restaurants, they have those handy packets of Splenda, which always seems to get my heart racing a little more quickly than actual sugar does.

So, in conclusion: Coffee at restaurants tastes better. Because I put bad-for-me shit in it. Next question: Is it worth it?

The Cop-Out Post

After filling out one of these at least once a week in middle school, I never really got anymore emails of the "fill out these questions and send it to your friends!" variety. Until yesterday. With no class today, I figured I'd do some soul-searching (however shallow or deep), and post it here. Enjoy!

1. What is your occupation? student/blogger/professional procrastinator

2. What color are your socks right now? flesh colored... I'm barefoot!

3. What are you listening to right now? an iTunes playlist my friend Sarah made... currently playing Amos Lee "Night Train"
4. What was the last thing that you ate? vanilla yogurt with vanilla & almond granola from Trader Joe's
5. Can you drive a stick shift? I refuse to try. When I drive, my attention is either on a) the road or b) the radio. A stick shift is too much to handle.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Turquoise or very bright yellow
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Not including the drunk dials I got at 1:30 and 2:20 am... my friend Sarah, last night.
9. How old are you today? 21
10. Favorite drink? Nonfat vanilla latte from Peet's Coffee & Tea. Or a really good glass of pinot!
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball and college basketball
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Just recently gave into blonde highlights... The lack of sunshine in Oregon turned my hair brown.
13. Pets? Have a cat at home, will one day get a dog!

14. Favorite food? Red meat and chocolate.
15. Last movie you watched? Ocean's 13, but Michael Clayton is up next on my Netflix
16. Favorite Day of the year? A sunny day with the freedom to do anything I want. And Christmas.
17. What do you do to vent anger? Bitch to one of my friends.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My plastic Play-Skool birthday cake with snap-on frosting that you could "cut" apart! (Can you tell cake is a theme in my life?) The dress-up drawer was a big draw too.
19. What is your favorite season? Spring
20. Hugs or kisses? Depends on who they're coming from
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry. I'm the kind of person that will only eat the red gummy bears out of the bag.
25. When was the last time you cried? When my brother totaled my car 2 and a half weeks ago and I didn't know where he was.
26. What is on the floor of your closet? My laundry bag, a clothes hamper full of shoes, and a plastic set of drawers.
29. Favorite smells? Gardenia, Tuberose, Jasmine, and Christmas trees
30. Least favorite smell? Anything that smells bad?
31. Who inspires you? Oprah. (Yeah, I said it.)

32. What are you afraid of? Ants, birds, scary movies.
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Plain, with grilled pineapple. I'm also learning to love bacon cheeseburgers.
34. Favorite car? Large, black Range Rovers. (Environment, shmenvironment.)
35. Favorite cat breed? I like them all, but the hairless ones or excessively fluffy ones bug me.

36. Number of keys on your key ring? 2

37. How many years at your current job? almost 4... graduating in June!
38. Favorite day of the week? Sunny Fridays with nothing to do
39. How many states have you lived in? 2: California and Oregon. And London, for 6 weeks.
40. Do you think you're funny? I sometimes don't know if people are laughing WITH me or AT me. Either one is fine.

Does a Guitar Make You Sexy?

There must be some unwritten rule that all male singer-songwriters that I like must be somewhat odd-looking. (See: John Mayer, James Morrison, Jason Mraz, James Blunt. Also note that their names must start with J.) Maybe it's so that people will take their music seriously because they're not traditionally attractive men. This is akin to Jessica Alba saying she doesn't use her looks to get parts because she is a "serious actress." But maybe it's because these men were shy and insecure in high school because of their looks, so none of the girls wanted them, so they joined the band, picked up a guitar, and then spent all their time locked in their rooms writing moody songs about the girls who don't want them because they're in the band. Seems to have worked out in the end, don't you think? They serve as a lesson for high schoolers everywhere: the boys in the band will end up being hotter than the boys on the football team. Band boys, have faith. Girls, take note.