Well, well, well ...

Long time, no blog. These are words that I'm sure every blogger has at some point written or been tempted to write. Sleepygirl once told me that blogging was one of the hardest things to do and, while I did believe her, I guess I never realized how much truth there was in that statement. It's just words on (virtual) paper! It shouldn't be so difficult.

Anyway, here I am again. Updating for a few different reasons.

First, I was organizing all the different blogs I follow today. I started to delete the ones that hadn't been updated in a few years and, even though I don't know most of these people personally, I was a little sad not to be able to glimpse into their lives anymore. Blogs are an easy way to keep in touch. I am absolutely TERRIBLE at keeping in touch with people and I am trying to be better at it, so I figured I could at least update my blog. Voilà. (Most of you should know by now that I update my tumblr daily, though not with personal information.)

Speaking of organizing blogs, I have switched over to feedly in anticipation of the loss of Google reader. Between the loss of Google Reader and igoogle, two of my daily stops on the Internet, I feel as though Google is out to get me. I don't know if feedly is the best replacement out there, but it did automatically sync with my Google Reader, so I didn't have to transfer anything. I'm still working on adapting to the interface, which isn't quite as simple as Google Reader's, but maybe it's because I'm not used to so many options. I do like the little feedly button that pops up in the bottom right corner of my screen when I'm on a blog, so if I do decide I want to subscribe to the blog, all I have to do is click that button.

I also spent today cleaning out my gmail inbox, the one Google service I will still use (and this blog, I suppose.) I had been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of LinkedIn updates I was getting and gave up on it for awhile. Spent over an hour today weeding out what was actual mail and what was obnoxious and transferring it to my other gmail address, the one I set up specifically for registering for accounts. Hopefully, this will leave me with an inbox that will receive mail I actually want to read.

Finally, I'm updating because I'm on a mission. And standard advice is to put your goals out there so that you can be held accountable for them. So, the goal is to find a new job. This one is slowly killing my joie de vivre. I want to use this blog to give an update on how efficiently I search and apply for jobs. I'm not going to give specifics, just general updates, but I have to do something. At the very least, maybe I can shame myself into being more motivated when I realize I haven't updated on the search in a few weeks.

So, to begin, today I looked for positions in an industry that I think I would really enjoy working in. I found a few possibilities. I found one place based out of Chicago that looks like a good place, but they don't have that handy little "Career" page on their website. I may have just go to Chicago and stand in their lobby until I get an interview, right?

Footsteps Even Lighter

You guys. At work, I listen to 5 hours of BBC Radio 1 and then 3 hours of Pandora. This song plays a lot. Probably at least once an hour. And since I hear it so much, I've stopped actually listening to the words and listen to other parts of the song. There is a part of this song that seems like a sound effect to me. As in, one that's been on a TV show or movie. And between all of us, we've seen probably 1/2 of all TV shows and movies ever made. So, oh font of knowledge that is my friends, where is this sound effect from?

It's the little tinkling electronic bells (I don't know how else to describe it!) that start at 2:31 and go until 2:38. Any ideas?


Also, it really bothers me how she says "do the things I want" because I think she pronounces the word "want" the same way a normal person would say "won't". Oh, accents.

Starships Were Meant to Fly

I've been meaning to write a post catching you all up on my life since we last saw each other at Sleepygirl's shindig, but I'm completely exhausted from having lost an hour this weekend. Mostly because I didn't adjust well, so I was up late last night and then had to get up early to get to work for normal work hours (instead of the flexible it's-just-your-first-week hours that I had last week.) Work is going okay, although it's very boring. I like having my own office and I like my job title and I like getting a proper paycheck. Everything else is pretty humdrum.

With my first paycheck, I will probably go buy myself a reward. I'm thinking of going to Target and getting one of the $15 sets of TWO seasons of Boy Meets World. Without cable or local channels and with incredibly SLOW internet (both Lil Sis and I are cheap though, so we won't upgrade until we move this summer), I've been watching more of my DVD collection. And since I can get TWO seasons of BMW for fairly cheap, that's what I'm leaning towards. Which should I go with: the pack of season 1 and season 2 OR the pack of season 3 and season 4? (I already have season 6.)

I also might also have to spend some money on decorating my office. I have to get my diploma framed (otherwise, how will I fit in with all the other attorneys?!?) to hang on my wall, but I'm not sure what else to do. Some of the other attorneys have artwork or posters on the wall. Quite a few of them have lamps so that they don't have to use the overhead lights (which makes me think of Arrested Development when Lindsay has the all the lights replaced in the office with "soft light"), but I don't know if I really want to do that. I definitely have to bring a radio. Other than that, I can't really make a decision on how or what to decorate.

I really, really, really love this bag:

And if money was no object, I would love to get this bag too:

A Note to Me

I'm putting this here because I've had to use this recipe quite a bit lately and it will just be easier to go here and to find it.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting from the Cake Mix Doctor

Changes I make (if I write them here, I hopefully won't forget them):

• I use this to make basic chocolate cupcakes, so I always use chocolate pudding and I never add the red food coloring.
• The cake mix I use is slightly less in ounces and the pudding mix I use is slightly more in ounces than the recipe calls for, so don't worry about it.
• I never add the chocolate chips.
• I only fill the cupcake liners about 1/2 full.
• My oven cooks hot, so I cook them at 345 degrees for 16 minutes.
• I've never made this frosting, so I can't comment on what it tastes like. Actually, the reason I like this recipe so much is that the cupcakes are so moist that I don't think they really need any frosting at all.

Evacuate the Dancefloor?

People.

"Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles just popped up on my Pandora "Pop and Hip Hop Power Workout" station. 

Has Pandora lost its damn mind?

I love this song as much as the next person (especially when in conjunction with a laser light show in PGH) but as a workout song, it just does not cut it.

Next, please.

Calm Down

I can't wait to see you guys in a few weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Other things on my mind:

• I really need a job. I am getting too good at guessing the prices on The Price is Right.
• Project Runway All Stars is the worst season of Project Runway since the show moved to Lifetime.
• I am a little disappointed that I read the A Song of Ice and Fire series so fast (and I even tried to read them really slowly!) I don't want to wait 3+ years for the next book.
• Speaking of, I am excited that Game of Thrones season 2 starts on April 1st (government crackdown on pirating be damned) and Mad Men returns on March 25th.
• I watched all the Happy Endings episodes last week and it is very much like Friends. Except that it takes place in Chicago, which makes me giggle, because I like to imagine that Pomme could run into any of these people at any moment.
• I am quite excited for The Hobbit (even more so because after Sherlock, Martin Freeman rates so high on my favorite actors list) but I am having such a hard time re-reading the book. Dwarves just do not entertain me.
• I am re-watching my Doctor Who seasons and they are holding up pretty well. Of course, my love for David Tennant may be coloring my opinion.
• The first episode of Smash is already up on Hulu. It's not bad.
• I have eaten tomato soup and grilled cheese 3 times in the past week. I am obsessed.

Baby's Table Dancin' at the Local Dive

Have you guys heard of Lana Del Rey? She sings that song "Video Games", which hasn't been mainstream popular, but was played as background music on some popular tv shows and music blogs have been raving about that song for at least 4 months (ok, maybe not, but it feels like every time I read a music article someone was talking about it.)

Well, I hated "Video Games". Well, not hated. I was ambivalent towards it until I keep reading all this stuff about how she's going to be so popular and wasn't "Video Games" the best thing to appear in pop since "Bad Romance" and that's when I decided to actively hate the song so that it COULDN'T be as popular as Bad Romance (since I'm so influential and all.) And then her second single came out, "Born To Die" and I refused to listen to it on principle because I had already heard a song of hers and formed my snap judgement, so there was obviously no need for me to reevaluate my opinion.

But, this week I came across two other songs of hers, "Off To The Races" and "This Is What Makes Us Girls" and I was in a charitable mood, so I decided to listen to them.

And I really can't get them out of my head. And I can't quite figure out why, because they really aren't that amazing. It's not "ground-breaking pop" (as said by one article I read), but they are kinda fun. I suppose if I really had to make a comparison, she reminds me (on these songs at least - I still refuse to like "Video Games") of Lily Allen and Ellie Goulding.

So, here judge for yourselves. (Or just take my word for it, that's fine too.) Not sure how long these will be up. Her album isn't out until January 31st and her record company is ripping down leaks from everywhere.