hoooooolidays have begun

Thanksgiving - check.

Big 12 Championship for the Sooners - check!

Wonderful things have happened since my last post. The Sooners have made it to Kansas City after a dramatic three-way tie ordeal. BEAUTIFUL! Kind of wish I could be there.

Thanksgiving was scrumptious and my gingerbread men went over well. Got to spend some great time with good friends this weekend. :) all is well.

All my working at Starbucks has slowed me down on the job hunt, so I'll have to make a stronger effort there. Applied for a couple of jobs in the OKC area... and I found a reporting job in Georgetown, Texas that I plan to apply for. Yay productivity!

Cross your fingers for me. I'm ready to move.

baking madness!

it continues.



gingerbread men! these were better, I think.

they look good...

the icing's not great. :/ just means more cookies to be made!

read!

I love, love, love Cary Tennis. I'd love to write an advice column but I feel like it's too pretentious to assume I can give good advice. And then publish it.

blogging

Today's mail made me laugh.

I received a survey from OU, being conducted by The University of Georgia about the job market for journalism grads. Are you seeing the humor yet?

Every autumn we contact a sample of students who, the previous spring, completed their journalism/communication degree from universities around the country. We want to know if graduates were able to find employment (Um, no) after they left college and to learn about the types of work found (So far, The Daily Ardmoreite for $9.50 aaaaaand Starbucks). We want to know what strategies worked (I'd like to know too! If you could send me the responses from the successful grads, that'd be super). We also want to learn about salary and benefits received (Hahahaha).

Oh man. That made my day. But seriously, hopefully my sad answers will help future journalist wannabes. Or at least send them running for the hills.

In other news, I want to start a blog. I realize, this sounds silly to announce.... on my blog. But you know, this is my 'personal' blog. About three people read it. (maybe?) I need a blog with a point, with a topic and an angle, something that is interesting to other people, something I'm interested in and will work well as a self-marketing, journalism-career-building tool. Something I could become an expert in. Something I could actually write about and report about. Something I could write about for a long time. Something someone might actually read.

So, any good ideas?

Thus far, I have:

A baking blog. Kind of like, for fun, beginner, 20-something bakers who entertain their cool friends. Easy shortcuts, cheap solutions, super easy do-it-yourself stuff. Maybe this could branch out to food/wine, or everyday crafty stuff? (I have a weird thing for stationery).

Cheap entertainment blog. This would have to be regional. How to eat, shop and have fun cheaply. (You know, since I'm still young and broke.) Where to find this and that, creative free stuff. I feel kind of meh about this idea.

I think it might be cool to do a "process" blog. To set out on a personal experiment and document the process with the blog. Could be interesting with the right idea. The right idea that I don't have yet.

a case of the Mondays

I feel lost and restless and I really don't know what I want.

What should I do? What jobs should I be looking for? Where should I live? What am I working toward? What do I want? What are my goals? What am I doing?

I don't know! That's the answer to every question - I don't know. I don't like living at home, although it doesn't suck. It's cushy and it's free, and of all parents to live with, my dad is probably the best. But I'm not on my own, and I still feel dependent. Should I move?

Should I try to get a newspaper job? It seems like it's not a good industry to get into at the moment. Everywhere I look people are getting laid off. If they're not getting laid off, they're underpaid in crappy towns. But it's something. It's what I know how to do. It's something to do. I don't want it enough to get paid $10 in Nowhere, Okla.

Should I try to get a job in PR? I don't know much about PR. Should I try to learn?

Should I just start freelancing? What's my story? What do I want to write about? Who should I pitch to?

Where do I want to be in five years? Hell if I know. I don't even know what I'm doing this weekend.

Should I move back 'home' (or the closest thing I can call home) to figure it all out? Where I can live independently and be around the people I love? Where it might be easier to make new friends, or remind me of all my college education and maybe, in some abstract way, motivate me to use it? Or is that just me being restless and wanting to do something? Is that just using where I live as a crutch? Going backward?

I just don't know. Someone asked me how the "great unknown" is treating me. It kind of sucks.

Am I just whining? Probably.

more starbucks

This is humorous.

story

Carlos Mencia

ooh, starbucks.

Work was funny today.

1) I was steaming milk, and I decided I was done apparently, so I removed the milk from the steamer before it had finished, and thus, steamed milk ALL over me and my entire vicinity. It was pretty funny, and thankfully, not painful.

2) The two other baristas I was working with were cracking me up so much, that at one point I had a complete laugh-attack. I could not stop cracking up - I couldn't even help customers. Whatever I was laughing at wasn't even funny enough to retell, but for whatever reason, I could not stop giggling. It felt really good actually.

AND! I've finally discovered how to use my dad's all-in-one printer/faxer/scanner on my computer. Some scanning fun below!

Some retro photos I found:


Zach and Lauren, Europe trip... summer 200....5?




This one was a gift from Jes Brown from my Sooner yearbook days. Her nice little note was on the back:

I want

a puppy
a job I like that is meaningful, challenging and satisfying
to find fun exercise that doesn't include running or a gym
to bake
to laugh more
to write a column/blog
to find a good idea for a column/blog
great friends
my own place
to never make apologies for myself
to have a really great shoe collection
to learn
to stop worrying so much
to be a really good parent (in the far, far future)
to go somewhere!
to be surprised
to surprise someone
to use my degree
to know successful and positive people
to be inspired