I'm Employed!!!

Hello beautiful TWIMOers. As you probably know via Facebook, I got a job and while I'm super stoked I hope that I can continue to be your fearless leader as I embark on a new way to make the world my oyster. I will warn that the posts maybe come more sporadic depending on my work and dating schedule (my life is just so hectic. Sometimes I want to be like dudes, I don't want to go out with you, I just want to sit on my couch in sweatpants. Is that too much to ask?). So in a farewell to unemployment (which was actually pretty fun) I will give you my top ten things I will miss about being fun-employed and top 10 things I look forward to in being employed.

10 Things I will miss about being unemployed

1) Sleeping until I feel like waking up.

2) Creating a meaningful relationship with Oprah

3) Inventing new ways to be employed aka my accessories design business, Orange Magnolia, which I have yet to launch and may have to wait until I'm retired

4) Wearing my PJs all day

5) Hanging out in my office aka Starbucks. I have successfully visited every one in a 20 mile radius, so if you need to know a good SB in the ATL area, I'm your girl.

6) Hanging out with my co-worker, Clair the poodle (even if she does sleep all day)

7) Afternoon Naps

8) Spontaneous trips to Las Vegas, Vero Beach, FL, and Columbus, OH

9) My salary aka my parent's money

10) Updating you all on everything you missed while at work, like afternoon television programming and the mom at the mall scene.

10 Things I anticipate as being exciting about working

1) Finally being able to wear all those cute "work" clothes I've acquired over the last 7 years in hopes that I'd have a job or internship someday

2) Meeting new people (being unemployed is lonely)

3) Getting a DVR to continue my relationship with Oprah

4) Going to networking events and not having to say I'm unemployed!

5) Advancing my professional ambitions (I feel like I have to add that one to sound cool and responsible)

6) Hanging out in Mid-town ATL

7) Making my own MONEY even if it does mean I need to reevaluate my spending habits.

8) Checking finding a job off my life list and now concentrate on finding a husband or boyfriend, whichever would be fine I suppose.

9) Seeing if I really want to be an interior designer or if I should concentrate my brain pursuits on the GRE to get into a PhD program

10) Getting a business card that I didn't make, even if I like my card!!

The dry spell is over...

Lately your fearless TWIMO leader is overwhelmed with her head spinning at about 400 mph (metaphorically of course. That would just been creepy if it were actually spinning like that), but thank goodness I have TWIMO to help me vent some of my anxieties, so for the next blog post I invite you to sit back, relax, and grab a cup of tea (perhaps with a shot of happiness) as you are transformed into my therapist (don't you wish you got paid $95 an hour to listen to me)....

So as you know I have been unemployed for the last almost 7 months. Well, now that it's 2011 suddenly people are hiring and I don't mean like one lonely firm, but lots of them. One day I had three interviews set up by noon. So as the saying goes, when it rains it pours, which makes Sarah a very wet girl. Anywhoo... out of the various places I've seen there is one I really like and they say that I'm at the top of their list, but they are still interviewing, which makes me nervous, and then I keep getting calls for work that people need immediately! How to I fend things off until I hear? I'm so confused.... And then if I fend them off, what if I don't get the job I want... then I'm back to unemployed. Advice? Love? Anything?

On the other side of my life, the relationship unemployment side (which is partially self inflicted) has also been booming. For instance I have a date tonight. In sticking with my new year's resolution I will try not to be judge-y and complain in my head about various things regarding said date, because obviously this has nothing to do with the said boy awkwardly trying to have a conversation with me, but with my own insecurities. I get it and I'm working on it. So, here's to free dinner and hopefully a nice guy that will be my friend if I don't like him more than that.

Ahhh, I feel better. When can we schedule for next week?

TWIMO Unemployment Plan A, B, C, D.........ZZ

In my attempt to avoid doing my graphic design class homework I have decided to share this little gem with you that you may have missed on the news yesterday, since you were at your JOBS. It's okay, some people just don't have the joy of watching the news 4 times a day. Anyway this homeless man, Ted Williams, was discovered in Ohio (Columbus. WOOT, WOOT! to be exact) because of his radio announcer voice. After being discovered he was on Good Morning America, offered a job by the Cleveland Cavilers basketball team to be an announcer, given a free house, and is going to be reunited with his mother on the TODAY SHOW. Obviously this man is a genius. All I need to do is be discovered on the streets of Ohio for an unexpected talent. Do we think the fact that I can touch my nose with my tongue will work? So if you see me on the streets just remember it is my new job plan and OBVI a way to get TWIMO on the Today show. Oh and I will be making my hair fluffy like Ted's.

DIY Monday

And we're back for DIY Monday... I've got a lot of DIY posting to do today too (mostly because I am refusing to apply to jobs).

Quick aside. On the job front I've changed my strategy, because let's face it, I'm 25, I have a masters degree and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up (don't tell my parents), so I've of late been applying to places I may not be trained to work in, but that I think I would be great at and would love doing. Now not all of these places are in Atlanta, which might make my dad have a heart attack if I actually get hired by any of them. They range in places from Columbus, OH, Chicago, and Boston. Oh, and Martha Stewart Weddings in NYC. HAHAHA. I think it just makes me happy to apply to these places and right now that is my main concern. My happiness. Anyway I applied to a Marketing/ Retail strategy place called Big Red Rooster and of course they want to talk to me, because as my mom pointed out you're going to sound really funny when people ask you where you work and you say Big Red Rooster. You know what mom? I think it would be AWESOME. So.... back to DIY.

1) Halloween Costumes

With Halloween fast approaching (only one more month, people) I decided to buy a ticket and join my friend Mandy's Alice in Wonderland brigade in Columbus as the White Rabbit. Plus, I felt bad, because she made me a costume without me even committing to coming. Anyway at first I thought OH DEAR when I saw the costume, but now I'm pretty stoked. I get to wear a wedding dress and let's face it I'm always going to be the bride's maid so I might as well relish in this delight. Plus, Mandy is letting my make my ears, so DIY project coming up. I'm thinking birdcage veil with the bows etc. on it. I'll post pics when I'm done.

My White Rabbit Gown

2) Penny Tile take a whole new meaning...

Yesterday I was wasting time on Craft Gossip when I came across this Apartment Therapy (awesome blog, check it out) post where a hotel in D.C. tiled their bathroom in pennies. Kinda ironic in the nation's capital, where they made money. I think it's pretty, but my OCD is also grossed out, as money is pretty dirty (not that I would lie down and roll around on it. Okay, maybe if I was drunk). Also, I wonder if it is legal to use money as a flooring material? Isn't there some law about defacing money? Anyway start saving those pennies so you too can tile your floor, as I think this might be the ultimate DIY, because you're literally saving your money.

Penny Tiles for those of you who are not interior design geniuses

And "penny" tiles for those of us who take things a little too literally

3) A last bite of summer recipe

This weekend I went to Athens, GA to visit the lovely TWIMOer, Erin and we had a great culinary tour of the city. We had dinner at this great little place called Farm 255 which has all local and organic foods. I had shrimp and grits which was delicious, but we also had a fresh peach crostini with cracked black pepper that you could totally make at home and enjoy those last bits of juicy summer, so here's what to do:

Toast or Broil some lovely bread. I like a rustic French.
Spread some ricotta cheese on it.
Top with sliced peaches and sprinkle with some cracked black pepper.
** Now being a chronic sweet tooth I drizzled the final product with honey and I have to say it was magnifique!

So go out start planning your Halloween mischief, tile your floor with pennies, and eat some fruit. As always, the world is your oyster.

Back to the Drawing Board (so appro. for a designer)

Sorry for the previous anguished post. I was feeling a bit depressed I think. Okay, to be honest the last few weeks have been a mixture of anxiety to the max and depression, hence why I didn't post a lot (I was sitting on my couch wallowing in my own self remorse and eating M&Ms). The reason for the depression is that I had a bit of job drama. Here goes. I had interviewed twice at two places. One, a really great firm that I thought I'd really like working for and it seemed they really liked me. The second was a well known carpet company to do a marketing job. Well, long story short I shot myself in the foot, because I didn't seem as enthusiastic about the carpet job because I thought I was going to get the firm job. And I got neither job. The firm has decided to wait until early next year to hire and the carpet job hired someone else.

So, I'm still unemployed and all the job postings (lame or otherwise have disappeared in the ATL area) so my 28 applications and 8 interviews were for nothing. So, besides wanting to cry every five minutes and not being able to for medical reasons (I still have my tear ducts, don't worry) and getting frustrated because I can't let my emotions out, I've decided to live abundantly. My new mantra is: I am living as though jobs are everywhere and I'm just too special, that the right one just hasn't found me and I'm being happy for my friends who recently got hired (because seriously where does being unhappy get me? I'm pretty sure it doesn't get me a job.) and I'm applying to my dream jobs, all over the country. Because if I've learned anything from this HORRIBLE experience it is applying means nothing. So why worry about moving across the country until I'm interviewing for these dream jobs (which I doubt will happen)? I'm keeping my chin up and counting my blessings everyday to get through my bad economy:

Blessing 1) No significant other (Now this may be the only advantage to this, but I can go where ever the hell I want to. Who cares if I signed a year lease? If a job calls, I'll be there)
Blessing 2) My parents (for supporting me in pursuing my dreams)
Blessing 3) My dog (who holds me when I'm tearless and sad)
Blessing 4) The possibility that this all happened for a reason. That reason being I will find my dream job, which is sitting and thinking about design and not actually executing it.
Blessing 5) The existence of chocolate, ice cream, and Starbucks to get me through those tough moments when I realize my dream job does not exist (at least in places where there is no snow).

So, I'm sorry to put you all through my mopping about, but since I can't cry I needed to get my feelings out somehow, someway, and that way is through TWIMO, the only good thing to come from my not having employment (okay and let's face it, I get to sleep till 10 everyday. My life could be worse). Hope you're all having a happy hump day! I'll get back to normal, weird posts tomorrow (I've got a great DIY one coming, so stay tuned).

-------beep-------beep----beep-beep-beep

I'm BACKKKKK..... I know you all were scared there for a minute. You thought you'd lost me, but never fear, I would never leave my adoring fans without their TWIMO. So, what's up? What have you all been doing? I decided to write a novel tonight aka use chapter headings to organize the events in my life since we last chatted.

Chapter 1: Momma TWIMO comes to ATL

My mom came last Wednesday so that she could drive back to Ohio with me for a little "be a responsible 25 year old and move out of the parental nest" trip. She came a few days early though, so that we could do some fun ATL things such as eat at Flip Burger Boutique which is this really cool gourmet burger joint (as in Osso Buco Burger, which is what I had) with an awesome interior as in everything is "flipped." That's right. Cheeky. Love it.

Chapter 2: Sarah has her first real interview

So, the raison d'etre for going to Flip was because it was designed by the firm I was going to be interviewing with the next day. Remember how every year on the first day of school your parents would take your picture (oh wait maybe that was just my overly sentimental only child parents). Well I could technically have 20 of these as that is how many first days of school I have had in my 25 year lifetime. Well, the depressing thought came to me that I would no longer have a 1st day of school photo (until my PhD of course), so I made my mom take my first interview photo. In other news the interview went really well and I'm in LOVE with the firm, but alas they are just preparing for the possibility that they might have work and need to hire, so cross your fingers and toes (and whatever other body parts you can cross and please don't share which ones) they get work!

Chapter 3: An oxymoron along I-75

While driving through I believe Kentucky (but it may have been Tennessee (is there really a difference?)) I saw the greatest highway oxymoron of all. A XXX Adult shop with a giant cross in front of it. I mean giant. That's right Porn and God. Who knew those things went together?

Chapter 4: My online heart breaks

I'm sure many of you know I have been trying to get a date, well, I have been very modern about it and used various online dating sites. Now I have not had a ton of luck with this online dating. I get a lot of guys who just don't know how to talk to girls. So I'm perusing the available gents and find one that I not only think is cute, but looks like we have a lot in common as well. Well I e-mailed him (perhaps a little enthusiastically) and wait and wait and wait. Nothing. So I e-mail him again saying "I'm guessing you're not interested, but I thought I'd give you the chance to get to know me again." And he writes back. "I've found someone already. Sorry." (okay he said it a little nicer than that) So I'm crushed. Why can't I find someone (okay someone I actually like)!? What is wrong with me?! All these things go through my head. Basically I'm getting a little frustrated. Dear Male Gender that is cute, slightly nerdy, and may not be obsessed with sports I'm here, I'm awesome, and I might give you a shout out on the Today Show if you want to chat. Okay good. Thanks.

As you can see life is full of the good and the bad and the in between (porn, religion, whoa). We have to take it all in, enjoy it and make the most of it, because the world is our oyster (do you smell that? What is it? Oh, cheese).

The End.