Transitioning Into Grown-Updom: Getting a Job

After months of crying about stress eating, and constantly moping over my unemployed state I am officially an employee. I never really thought about what it would be like to have a job, but now I'm realizing that there is a lot of planning I need to do. I need things to organize my desk better, post-its, and possibly some bottles of water.

Look at me! I'm a grown-up! Now all I need is good Mexican food (STAT!), and I will be golden.

I am typing this on my lunch break. How adorable is that?

More to come...I'll update you on decorating my room later and whether or not my laptop survived the Water Attack of '09.

Transitioning Into Grown-Updom: Cooking

For about half of my college career (the second half--I did things backwards) I lived with my parents. My mother, being the mommy type mother that she is, would always cook dinner for us, pick something up for us, or take us out to eat. If not, she would prepare everything and then have us stick something in the oven. Now that I am on my own, I am finding that eating out all the time is not only fiscally irresponsible, but just plain bad for me. This brings me into my first big transition into grown-updom: cooking for myself.

How does a girl who never cooked start cooking for herself? Google . After typing "recipes" into Google, I found a wonderful website: allrecipes.com. You can type in ingredients (cilantro everything!) and find super easy recipes. My favorite, right now, is this spicy chicken recipe. [To my beef's dismay] I have started putting the spice mix on everything. The chicken is excellent in salads (and if you know me, you know I hate salad). Fabulous.

Being unemployed is apparently excellent for my coo

king skills. I sit around and cook all day. I even had a dinner party one night. Look at me! Last night, I even invented a recipe. I was kind of excited. It reminded me of the movie Waitress and how she always invented pies (mostly 'cause I insisted on using the word "invented"). Anyway, I will share my hamburger recipe with you. It was spicy (like me?), so beware.

Spicy LG Burger:

-1 lb ground turkey (I use turkey, because the only beef in my life is Christopher)

-1/2 red bell pepper

-1/2 onion

-1/2 tbsp chili powder

-1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

-1 tbsp paprika

-1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Mix it all together.

2. Form into patties (5 medium or 4 large)

.

3. Broil for 16-18 minutes.

Easy Peasy. They taste great with ranch dressing instead of ketchup and mustard. We used a jalapeno ranch dressing (Safeway brand), and I thought they were yummy. 

The best part about learning to cook is that a few ingredients will cost a lot and last forever; an initial investment, if you will. Those initial investments, of course, are your spices. It may seem ridiculous to spend $5 on such a little jar, but with $15 worth of spices you can have way more tacos than with $15 worth of Taco Bell tacos. Also, if you're trying to go low fat, ground turkey is about equal to ground beef with much le

ss fat. If you are a one or two person household who seems to have veggies go bad all the time--plan out your menu OR go to the store day of. Going to the store day of has saved me the usual $5 of veggies I let spoil a week. 

This has been my first post about truly trying to become an adult. I've got a few other ideas pending to let you know what I'm up to (and hopeful

ly help someone else who is trying to do the same thing). I love you all!!!

Welcome to DC! Now on your knees and beg!

Ah, DC. Capitol of the land of the free and home of the brave. It stands for everything I love (and majored in): democracy, law, unemployment? Well, according to my friends and I, yes. Unemployment. I did find an internship (slavery with a better title). For my internship I have had the opportunity to go to quite a few events. At one event, a congressman force-fed me a shrimp cocktail. Only in DC. Lord, I love DC.

Other than unemployment, parties, and force-feeding, I have had a lot of fun. I have had the opportunity to go to happy hours, internet stalk Real World, DC, and have a Carolyn Light night with my girlfriends (who says a 21-year-old can't enjoy Lizzie McGuire?!). Maybe I'm broke, but I sure can have a good time! Today, I even went to Annapolis with the beef and another couple. Military men and seafood--almost heaven.

Also, I have decided to start a rumor: mosquitoes only adamantly attack those who are good, wonderful, beautiful people. According to this new rumor, I am a hybrid of Mother Teresa and Gisele Bundchen. I cannot go outside without being eaten alive. It's my fault for living in a former swamp. Really, though, I would like to blame our founding fathers. I feel like they got a lot right--Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc., but really--a swamp?! It's not like SoCal didn't exist. We obviously had no problem heading west/annexing land. Why couldn't they have just taken CA a little sooner? If only I had a time machine. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure comes to mind.

This week has been depressing. Farrah Fawcett, Micheal Jackson, Billy Mays, and John and Kate's marriage have all passed away (though the last was probably over a LONG time ago). I mostly feel sorry for Farrah who not only had to battle something she didn't inflict upon herself, but right as the tributes started MJ had to go and die. No one even remembers that she passed away except that it was the day that MJ died. Well, Farrah, here's to you!

That's all for now, my sweets. Now I will spell check and label this nonsense for you. Until next time (which is whenever I get internet at my apartment and don't have to use the beef's).

What a minute...I did WHAT?!

Apparently, I graduated from college. Like a wolf in the night graduation came and went leaving me, the unsuspecting sheep, ravaged--swallowed up and digested. Graphic? Maybe. Dramatic? Never. [As I wrote that little bit about the wolf my dad's dog sat up and stared at me--we should start feeding him more so he doesn't decide that he's graduation and I'm a sheep. Something to that effect...]

I have officially graduated from college--checked my grades and I'm golden. Abosch gave me an A. I think it's because he is afraid I will try to talk to him about it otherwise. "Pass her or she will talk to you, again." It's just like the time I got my driver's license. Jokes on you, Abosch! All this means is that I will crash my political theory 7 times and eventually refuse to get behind the wheel. Something to that effect.

It is officially June, which means I officially move this month. I am officially unemployed and officially really stoked to live in the District. Everything is so official. I should get a badge I'm so official. Officially sleepy.

Here is a list for y'all, since it is only appropriate. It is my top 5 favorite things I did to torture teachers this semester. Mostly, I did them to a poor man named Dr. Anderson. Probably one of my favorite teachers ever, but I tortured him.

Top 5 Favorite Torture Moments:

5. "Well, what is an acceptable level of perkiness?!" (to Dr. Abosch after he responded rudely to my saying "Good afternoon.")

4. Text messaged throughout class and never got in trouble solely because the teacher didn't want to hear my voice. (to Dr. Anderson)

3. "BLESS YOU!" (in Dr. Abosch's class after someone sneezed. Abosch stopped class to say, "UNNECESSARY!" back.)

2. "Were you ever a Star Trek character for Halloween? What about Star Wars? I think you're lying." (to Dr. Anderson)

1. "I'M HERE!" (to Dr. Anderson after tapping his podium while walking in 15 minutes late to class)

As Chris said, I'm that girl he hated in college. Now I'm free, though, so I think I'll take a nap!

To My Good Friend 2am

Why is it that at about 3pm all I can think of is sleep, but come 2am all I can think about is why I hate Arlen Specter and how much I love burritos full of cilantro? Life is difficult.

Graduation is now 3 weeks away. I find myself still jobless and without a future. In true LG fashion, I have made a list of what to do instead of getting a real, grown-up job.

10. Spend my time making up fake posts for textsfromlastnight.com and fmylife.com

9. Do something Youtube worthy

8. Change my name to Caroline

7. Tell everyone I'm an artist

6. Live with my parents and take up something appropriate to being in my mid-20s and living at home (Dungeons and Dragons?)

5. Become a Democrat

4. Stalk Zac Efron

3. Go on Millionaire Matchmaker

2. Cry

1. Do as all middle-class white kids who can't find jobs do and go to grad school.

They are, quite obviously, listed from least to most appropriate. And, I mean, there is always the option of becoming a Fresno/Clovis soccer mom. Just kidding. This is a no mini-van zone.