My alarm did go off at 7:45 this morning and my body definitely chose to ignore that one. Oh wellllll. A couple of things:
1. I'm bummed that Chicago didn't get the 2016 bid for the Olympics. Boooo.
2. Unemployment rate is still rising. Apparently it is now at 9.8% and employers shed 263,000 jobs in September (source: NPR http://tinylink.com/?IeuJPmr2YX). I know all the hipsters (and I'm definitely not cool enough to be a hipster) like to say "fml" but this applies to me right now too. So....FML. That felt nice.
3. I love pumpkin flavored stuff but the idea that there is a pumpkin pie flavored milkshake at Jack in the Box really freaks me out. Or perhaps I am just freaked out that Jack in the Box exists in the first place. Funny ads though. My dad really likes the one for the mini sirloin burgers with tiny horses. I think it's creepy but he finds it hilarious. I feel as though a youtube representation is necessary here.
4. It is my mother's birthday this weekend. So the plan is to not write any posts. I have a cake to bake and some gambling to do in a casino (Dad's gift to Mom). I always lose in casinos, but I think this weekend I will win some serious dough and be set for life. What do you think? Don't answer that.
As always, have a lovely and safe weekend. Enjoy fall. It is splendid :)
I am a pescatarian. It sounds fancy and elitist but it's really not that bad, I assure you. A pescatarian is essentially a vegetarian who eats fish. I've been adhering to this diet since I was about 17 years old (save for a six month time span when I rented a room from a man who offered me dinner all the time and there was always some sort of chicken in the delicious curry he made, so I deviated).
Over the years I have gotten into soooo many discussions and perhaps even a few arguments about this diet and have subsequently become a bit of an expert at explaining myself to various audiences. Some people want the 30 second sum up, nothing too deep or thought provoking, as if they are seriously worried I have the ability to tell them one little fact that could totally blow their minds and make eating meat impossible for the rest of their lives. Others are actually interested in my reasons for becoming a vegetarian and have perhaps even dabbled in similar diets themselves (or awkwardly want to one up me, "yeah, well I've been a TRUE vegan since birth!"). Lastly, there are the people who go into straight-up attack mode. These are my favorite. I've had a person tell me that their dad works in the meat industry (and then I think to myself "sucks to be your dad...has he lost a finger yet?") and that people like me ruin all things good and tasty or whatever. One time I made the mistake of telling a rancher (yes, he was wearing a legitimate cowboy hat) that I really like animals and therefore cannot eat them. Needless to say he went a little berserk and proceeded to lecture me about the attachment he felt with his cows before he sent them off to be slaughtered. It was a strange evening.
My diet freaks people out. I don't really get it. I'm not really out to change the world per se, I just don't want pounds of rotting beef in my intestines. Hellloooo Marlon Brando. Plus, get into a conversation with my friend Jason about prions and mad cow disease and you'll be off eating cows forever. My reasons definitely have evolved over the years. Starting out, I was very anti-circus and rodeo. It sounds a little odd, but I was an impressionable 16 year old and needed an agenda of some kind. Who better to hate than Barnum and Bailey? I still think there is something twisted about seeing an elephant running around a tent in Tracy, California with a guy suffering from little man syndrome poking the poor thing with a sharp rod. I began frequenting Peta's website (while I don't do this anymore, they are not that bad and peta-haters need to chill out) and researching animal abuses in several industries and decided to stop eating meat for purely political reasons. I think I liked the idea of being a radical and doing something different. I was the class president, I had to rebel somehow.
To make a long story short (too late?), I maintain the same diet I did when I was 17 but for different reasons. Turns out, it's a pretty healthy way to live. I also feel good about not supporting three industries (beef, poultry and pork) which are horrible to their employees, animals and the environment. I really have no issue with other people eating meat, I will not have a meltdown if meat somehow ends up on my plate and I may even end up incorporating free range meat products into my diet in the future. Yay for supporting local businesses, knowing where your food comes from and decreasing your carbon foot print.
Also, I feel as though I need to point out that I am a serious foodie. I love all things yummy and I really like to cook. I feel as though being a pescatarian during my formative cooking years (especially in Sweden, Sonoma county and France) definitely helped me to become creative with mixing up flavors and it allowed me to learn how to make vegetables and other healthy treats taste delicious. When you are not able to have a big honking steak as your meal's focal point, you have to bust out the culinary visionary within. Seriously, all I have to do is let a guy taste my mashed potatoes and he will undoubtedly want to marry me. They are that good. No joke.
On a side note, I recognize that there are some seriously crazy and over zealous vegetarians out there. Some will try to turn you off of meat for good, which can be pretty annoying. Honestly though, it is an interesting cause worth looking into. I'm not just talking in regards to food. I think most people would be horrified by the completely unregulated (and unnecessary) abuses of animals in the fur, cosmetic and entertainment industries. Okay, enough of my bleeding heart for the animals soapbox shtick. I promise that I love people, too. In fact, the argument that vegetarians care more about animals than people always does give me a good chuckle. Keep 'em coming folks, I love to laugh :)
For your information, I totally intended to write a post yesterday about my thoughts on nudist resorts (apparently the term 'colonies' is offensive and outdated...who knew?). While I have a nice little medley of opinions, questions and concerns regarding these 'resorts', I found that I was completely unable to share them in a post. Why? I am suffering from a serious case of cover letter burn out.
So I had two options: grudgingly write about a topic simply to appease you all OR get the job hunt issue off of my chest. I choose option 2. However, instead of writing about my experiences (aka complaining while shaking my fist at employers who have not hired me) I am going to put a positive spin on all of this. Perhaps you are in the same boat or have been at some point in your life and you know exactly where I am coming from when I say that being unemployed for a long time has been a serious blow to my ego. I've had several melodramatic breakdowns where I have wondered who I am and what life is and days where I just simply hate inanimate objects or certain radio broadcasts. It is the unemployed funk, ladies and gents. It happens to a person who is 1. unemployed and 2. does not want to be unemployed.
The key here is "does not want to be unemployed". I cannot emphasize this point enough. I feel like I have had hundreds of responses from various people when they ask what I do and I have to explain that I am presently unemployed and looking. I've found that the majority of responses fall into two categories. Most people will try to dish out some serious pearls of wisdom and say "You should go to Monster.com" (or some other equally ubiquitous job search engine). In the beginning of my job hunt, I really appreciated all of this. Now? I would simply like to know how to get a job after doing all of the things everyone has told me to do.
The second group of people will comment on how lucky I am to be unemployed. "Enjoy it while it lasts" or "You must be having such a great time!". While watching re-runs of CSI, spending time with my family and dogs and sleeping in are all wonderful things (emphasis on watching re-runs of CSI), I do not love this existence. Some people like this life. I suppose I get it, it's really not too bad at all. I've had a lot of fun being a grown up kid for a while. But at the end of the day, I don't just need a job, I want a job. I've been working since I was 15 years old and have loved every minute of it. So I have been actively seeking out employment. For a while, everyday that went by without me getting some sort of offer was like being stood up on a date by someone you really like, over and over and over again. Basically, my ego felt like a punching bag.
This bruised ego business could only go on for so long, I had to do something. About a month ago, I switched up some things. I know there are many unemployed big-kids out there who really do not want to be unemployed. If you just started the job hunt or have been on it for a long time, I can relate to how you feel. I am going to let you all know what I have done in my life that has helped to keep me going and more importantly, has helped to keep me sane. Let's face it, no one is going to hire someone who walks into an interview completely tripped out that he or she has been granted one in the first place. Here are my tips on how to avoid that scenario:
Maintain an Excel or Access spreadsheet to track all of the places you have applied to. Great for organizational purposes but also for the psyche. On days where I feel like I am leading a lazy existence, I open it up and remind myself that I have been trying very very hard to change this situation. It's cold, hard proof of your efforts.
Have a core group of job search engines that you visit every day. I'd advise about three or so. When it comes to job search engines, it can be daunting to navigate through them all. I've often felt like I was embarking on some sort of black hole or a yet unexplored portion of the ocean floor. I suggest picking three that you are comfortable with and stick with them. A few times a week, throw in a couple other sites or try some new ones. It is very easy to get burned out in the beginning if you are hell bent on checking every region on Craigslist. Sites I recommend? Not every job search is the same, but I have been highly impressed by the search engines on Aftercollege.com, Idealist.org and Indeed.com. Local newspaper classifieds are wonderful, as well. Okay, I sound like the pearls of wisdom people. Moving on.
Pick up a new (or old) hobby. Nothing too time-consuming, the key is to cut stress out of your life. I began drawing (horribly) again, swimming a lot during the summer and I also started this blog. Do something in the morning to get your blood pumping, do something at night to relax you. I hear reading books is fun.
Build a support system. Surround yourself with people who believe in and know you. It sounds really obvious and ridiculously cliche, but it has helped me tremendously. There are days where I think I am awesome and I can face the world alone, but there are also days where I am certain I fail at life (Who am I? What does it all mean????). I need friends and family who genuinely enjoy having me around and are also adept at delicately dealing with meltdowns and/or impromptu self-aggrandizing speeches (i.e. "Google would be lucky to have me on staff"). I don't expect an expert psychologist to hold me and tell me it will be okay, a simple "Rachel, you'll get a job, chill out" suffices.
Write a top 10 list of things that you have done that you are proud of. Do not type it. Write it nicely on a piece of paper. You can jot down traits such as "I'm a good listener" or grand things you have done like "I've been to 16 countries", but it needs to remind you of why you are awesome and it should be somewhere near your workspace.
I'm going to stop before I begin to sound like a new wave self help guru. For many, the job hunt can last months and it gets old very fast. If you want to swap war stories, I'm always online. Obviously looking for jobs, not facebooking or watching the new dancing baby video on youtube.
Have an awesome day! Happy hunting (for jobs, not Bambi).
Out for the weekend! Returning back on Monday a.m. Not sure what I will write about quite yet but I plan on doing some serious social observations this weekend. Perhaps I will run amok. Who knows? Point being: I will get a little fodder and a lot of inspiration.
Also, I decided to pimp myself out for money on this bad boy and put some ads up. Turns out, people actually visit my cyber self. Plus, I wanted to see what ads Google felt would be appropriate for my page. Curious to see "Christian writers" and "Blogging for money" at the forefront. Woohoo!
Have a lovely weekend. Get into some trouble. Shake it up. Do your thing.
hippie |ˈhipē| (also hippy) noun (esp. in the 1960s) a person of unconventional appearance, typically having long hair and wearing beads, associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinogenic drugs.
I can go in so many directions with this bad boy. This topic truly amuses me, in part because I find that when I am within my native environment of beautiful Northern California, no one thinks I am a hippie. It is when I venture out of the best state on earth that I begin to hear such statements: "Oh, you're a hippie aren't you?" and "Hey do you have any tie-dye shoelaces I can borrow?" and so on and so on. So I thought I would address this slightly-accurate (emphasis on slightly) stereotype head-on. Straight from the wild and free horse's mouth.
I consider myself knowledgeable on the subject as I have grown up around reformed hippies. My dad was born and raised in San Francisco, was in a band and likes to read Ray Brautigan poetry in his spare time. He was too young to actually partake in the festivities of the 60's but you know he felt it during those formative years. And mom? Well, mom married dad.
But am I a hippie??? I do have long hair. I do identify with the counter-culture of the early 1960's. Let me be more specific. I am enchanted by the actions of student protesters on various campuses between 1960 and 1965. For example, Mario Savio's speech at UC Berkeley in 1964 gives me the chills.
I like what they stood for. There was a sense of desperation in their actions and an absolute need for progression. Were they hippies? No. However, I feel that these movements paved the way for what would eventually become the hippie lifestyle and mindset. Truth be told, I would have loved to be part of that movement. As for Woodstock? I could have missed it. The fact of the matter is: I do not own any tie-die, I like to shave my legs, I feel that bras are a great thing for women (but boo to that whole glass ceiling thing) and hallucinating just doesn't seem like the perfect way to spend my Friday nights. I'm just too prissy to be a hippie.
On the outside, I am not a hippie. In my heart, that's an entirely different ball game. I detest the circus and puppy mills and I am a pescatarian (let's discuss this at a later date, shall we?). Joan Baez's Blowin' in the Wind (you love it) just started playing on my itunes and I think it is really cool that Angelina has adopted all the world's orphaned children. Plus, that whole equal rights for everyone thing is pretty neat. And let's face it, Jimi Hendrix truly is the sexiest man to ever walk the face of this fine Mother Earth. I will never give up on the idea that there is always a way to make things better as the status quo just is not enough for me. I can go on and on but I am going to stop before you become completely convinced that I make flower headbands in my spare time.
I must stress here that I've been to hippie social gatherings and I just don't quite fit in. There is a frenetic quality to my personality that kills the chill vibe, I suppose. I also get annoyed by posers, in general. I'm not trying to hate on anyone (really, hippies don't hate) but I find that with any high concentration of a specific sub-culture there are bound to be people who are in it for street cred or to build their identity based on trends and fashions. Though I must say I rather enjoy partaking in political conversations at these gatherings. This is how it plays out:
Me: "So, did anyone catch Gaddafi's speech at the UN yesterday?" Unspecified hippie: "I'm totally with you on that. DAMN THE MAN." Me: "Wait......damn Gaddafi or the damn establishment, in general? I'm confused" Unspecified hippie: "Don't be confused. Let's dance."
I may be exaggerating (yay for artistic license), but you catch my drift. Final word? I am about 38% hippie. Let's dance.
I really don't want to freak you out with this title. You know I could write a book (a.k.a. a semi-well written 20 page essay) on the subject, but this blog really is about the nuts and bolts of every matter. Without the time (and desire) to delve deeply, I aim to give you the best piece of shallow critique possible. In essence, this blog is meant to be similar to a conversation you may have with me on a jerky subway ride as opposed to one of those fantastically esoteric conversations that sporadically occur in some dark corner of some swank party.
That said, I love the idea of a capitalistic society. Emphasis on "idea". Because at the end of the day, achieving a capitalistic Utopia is about as plausible as the attainment of a true socialist state. It's never going to happen. Before I go all cynical on you, I'm going to give glowing and oversimplified reasons as to why capitalism is near and dear to this gal's heart.
I absolutely love the spirit of competition and I cherish individualism. I believe all great discoveries by man (and woman :) have been fueled by the desire to achieve greatness. It took reading a couple Ayn Rand novels for me to embrace the ideology that one can (and perhaps should) be completely devoted to being the best in one's field. If every person in one society had the means to and strove to be la crèmede la crème, such a society would be bound for greatness.
To be fair, an equally glowing and oversimplified assessment could be made regarding the perfect socialist state. Everyone works together for the common good and the mother government has the capacity and wherewithal to provide for and protect her citizens. Call me an egoist, but this perfect state doesn't sound as appealing as the aforementioned capitalistic one. I want to win occasionally. I also want to rock pink high top sneakers when everyone else may be wearing black stilettos. I simply find no comfort in being wholly equal with my peers and I cannot help but speculate that when identity is suppressed, so is the potential for progression and growth (both on the part of the individual and the state). Perhaps socialism will reign when a group of people are content to maintain the status quo? In all honesty, I hope this never happens.
Now for the cynic in me. Greed and gluttony ruin us. I just simply dream of a day when the citizens of the world seek out the sweetness of success and let their love of money fall to the wayside. Only then will we be capable of creating a little Rand nirvana. For all of my conservative and libertarian friends, I do embrace your ideologies. However, let's face it: you seek out a model state that is just as unrealistic as a socialist one. I never thought I would be a centrist, but we have to find that glorious sweet spot somewhere in the middle.
Blog for tomorrow: I am not a hippie. Or am I?????????
According to my rudimentary math skills (aka my desktop calculator), I have been in a committed relationship with another person for 4.167% of my life on earth. Therefore, I have been s.i.n.g.l.e. for the other 95.83333333333%. Translation? I have been on some horrible first dates. You may be thinking: "Rachel is just an ordinary gal, her first dates couldn't have been any worse than the first dates I have been on". I may like you very much in person....but you are wrong. Has a date ever thrown a golf club at your neck after missing a pivotal hole at the local mini-golf course? Yeah, that happened to me. How about delivering a glowing 45 minute tribute to George W Bush's speech writing capacities over steak at Applebees? Check that one off for Rachel. For your benefit, I am going to stop here.
On the other hand, I have also been fortunate enough to go on some fantastic dates. In fact, while I was sipping my Folgers this morning, I juxtaposed these fantastic dates with the not-so-fantastic ones and subsequently came up with a fabulous First Date Formula. This is for chicks, obviously. Perhaps I should be more specific. This is for chicks who are like me. Hope that helps.
1. If something goes completely haywire, simply laugh. Of course, there are varying degrees of haywire. If your date gets hit by a bus, don't laugh. That would be horrible. BUT if the two of you just cannot find the 5 star restaurant your classy date made reservations at, then improvise. Laugh about it and pop into a diner or whatever is close.
2. Don't order things that can get stuck in your teeth. This is a personal rule for myself. Feel free to ignore this if you have never had a problem. I know this may sound very shallow, but I think it is really awkward when people get things stuck in their teeth. Spinach, fresh herbs in pasta sauces....oh boy. Perhaps I just have a phobia of that happening to me. Teeth problems freak me out, in general. This one time when I was a counselor at Summer Camp, this kid spit out a mouthful of Top Ramen and there was a bloody tooth in the mix. And dentists are terrifying, even the ones who look like they could be my grandfather. Moving on....
3. Let your nerves show. Trying to deny their existence has such vast potential for awkward exchanges. While embracing the Woody Allen inside will simply allow your date to see another facet of you. At the end of the day, isn't getting to know one another the point of it all? If the date goes well, I would much rather go home knowing that the guy doesn't mind (or perhaps even likes) my tendency to make random comments about the environment I am in or my ultimate desire to not get anything stuck in my teeth.
4. Ignore every rule you have heard. He doesn't always have to pay. You don't always have to pay. He can open the door for you. But you know what? You can open the door, too. Let him hit you in the neck with a golf club.
